And now, Groundwork NE and Cumbria is a charity hoped to help communities cope with change, in order to improve their neighbourhoods. And next, we’ll be taking a look at one of their latest projects. Stay right there to find out all you need to know.
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00:00 "So yeah, we've got a park in three parts and it takes a bit of looking after just to
00:08 kind of get all of those things right. But yeah, it's developing. Obviously it's relatively
00:14 new because obviously it was opencast. So especially around the lake, it's only really
00:20 been in development for 10 to 15 years. So we're waiting for the trees to grow big."
00:27 A popular park in Peggswood near Morpeth in Northumberland, managed by community and environmental
00:32 charity Groundworks NE and Cumbria, has received a cash boost of nearly £2,000. The donation
00:38 comes as a welcome boost to the area after shoppers of a nearby co-op nominated the charity
00:43 in the co-op's local community causes scheme. As a result, the donation means that Groundworks
00:47 will be able to plant more trees and flower meadows in order to improve the biodiversity
00:52 of the park. I spoke to project lead James to find out more about the boost.
00:57 "The park is there for the people, but it's also there for the wildlife. So it's balancing
01:02 those two things. And then also we do want to possibly be able to do some kind of, you
01:07 know, a small event where we'll invite people and just take them around the park, show them
01:12 what we've been doing. But so it's the co-op has really helped that it is a real boost.
01:19 It means that we can continue our volunteering for a good while longer. And, you know, if
01:25 at all possible, we want to just continue it week after week in perpetuity. But it all
01:31 takes it all takes time and money. And that's one of the things that the co-op has contributed,
01:37 which is really good." Kevin Clarke of Groundworks NE and Cumbria said the donation has boosted
01:42 our efforts and improved this popular green space for all local residents. And Christine
01:47 Boyd, a member pioneer at the co-op, said, "We are delighted to have made such an impact
01:52 with our donation. Peggswood Park is exactly the type of local cause that the scheme was
01:57 set up to help." She went on to say, "We want to see Peggswood Park thrive and develop,
02:02 and we love that our contribution is helping. We hope to work with Groundworks in the future
02:06 to support more of its projects across the region."
02:09 "With every, obviously everyone that gets involved, everyone who's like going back and
02:14 forth to the park, it has really benefited the local community."
02:16 "Yes, I think so. And I think a few people after, because of COVID during lockdown, I
02:22 think they found the park, they were looking for their outdoor spaces. So I think a few
02:26 more people have found it. People are always appreciative when they see us out and about
02:32 volunteering on the park. If we can build on that and then have local events, whether
02:39 it's bird watching, whether it is just giving people an understanding of the issues within
02:44 the park, some of the wildlife of the park, the tree life in the park, all of those different
02:50 things, if we could put on a few little events to encourage more people to be more involved.
02:56 What we'd like to see in the course of time is the possibility of a Friends of the Park