Public needed to help with the creation of a local soundscape

Joining forces with the Later Life Audio and Radio Co-operative (LLARC), the Nextdoor Nature people and nature project,which is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is working to create a lasting record of life on its Hauxley and Northumberlandia reserves which will eventually be part of a new wildlife podcast series titled Nature Connect.

With this in mind, project officer Natasha Hemsley is calling on members of the public living near the two sites to join her this May for tea, cake and a chat about their connection to the site(s), their stories of wildlife encounters and what they’ve seen and how the landscape has changed over the years. All their reminiscences will be recorded and eventually uploaded onto the LLARC’s podcast sitehttps://www.mixcloud.com/LLARC/

Northumberlandia and Hauxley reserves were both opencast sites before being transformed into nature reserves.

Made of 1.5 million tonnes of rock, clay, and soil, Northumberlandia is one hundred feet high and a quarter of a mile long. Built by the Banks Group, on land donated by Blagdon Estates, Northumberland Wildlife Trust is the managing agent, working on behalf of the Land Trust.

Hauxley reserve was originally part of Radcliffe open-cast mine and purchased by Northumberland Wildlife Trust in 1983 before being transformed into the haven for wildlife it is today.

The Northumberlandia session is taking place on Thursday 9th May between 4:00pm and 6:00pm while the Hauxley session will be held later in the month on Wednesday 22nd May between 1:30pm and 3:30pm.

Natasha Hemsley, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Nextdoor Nature project officer says: “This is an exciting first for the Trust and I’m delighted we’ve been given this opportunity to work with LLARC to create a soundscape of two of our most popular reserves. People paint landscapes but how often do they record the sounds and memories about them?

“So, if you’ve got a couple of hours spare, come along, have tea and cake with me and a chat about your memories.”

A place at the free event can be booked at www.nwt.org.uk/events or alternatively, members of the public can simply turn up and be pointed in the direction of Natasha walking round with her sound equipment.