The River Tees’ origins start up in Teesdale flowing through the heart of the Tees Valley until it enters the North Sea. The Tees Corridor Natural Regeneration Projects focuses on the section of river flowing from Bowesfield (Stockton-on-Tees) to the Transporter Bridge (Middlesbrough).
Teesside’s once ‘dirty image’ has now been completely changed, with the loss of many heavy industries in the area. Much of the land has been reclaimed and developed not just for new business, but also as areas for public recreation and leisure. Throughout the Tees Corridor wildlife now thrives, with the core of the corridor now being managed to benefit wildlife.
Short timescale of the Tees Corridor
A very brief overview of some of the main events that have affected the Tees Corridor
Setting the stones – Geological formation of the River Tees
The underlying geology of the Tees Corridor is split between solid rock and a thin covering of clays, mud and silt. The solid rock dates back to the Triassic period approximately 220 million years ago. During this period the climate was extremely hot and dry, similar in climatic conditions to modern day Tunisia. The area was close to a shallow sea (see photograph). Flash floods washed eroded sediments down onto the flat coastal plain and these were deposited as sandstones and mudstones. Moving forward 20 million years into the Jurassic period the sea level rose; covering the sandstones and mudstones with a massive tropical ocean, so began the time of the dinosaurs.
Eventually the Triassic sandstones and mudstones were buried under 100’s of metres of Jurassic rock. They have become exposed today due to the tremendous eroding ability of ice. Only 10,000 years ago we were in the grip of an ice age - massive glaciers travelling from the Lake District and the Cheviots cut their way down the Tees Valley. As these glaciers travelled they scraped against the exposed bedrock and eroded the all of the Jurassic rock where the River Tees flows today. As the climate warmed the glaciers started to melt and massive amounts of boulders, sand, mud and more importantly clay were released from the melting ice.
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The glaciers retreated up the valley back to the Lake District as they melted raging torrents of melt-water gushed out the icy sea. Eventually the ice had completely melted and the flow reduced to a steady one dependant on rainwater rather than the melting ice. This developed into the River Tees we see today, it being only approximately 8,000 years old.
(For further information about the geology of the Tees Valley please see the Geodiversity Project)
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 Illustration by Andrew Hutchinson |
Changes in the River – early in the history of the Tees Valley
The natural meanders of the River Tees were a great drawback for the port of Stockton in the 18th century. In 1791 a proposal was made to construct a “cut” across the meander of the river at Mandale near Stockton. The first cut (or Mandale Cut) was completed on the 18th September 1810 - the 220 yard cut saved a distance of 2 ½ miles.
In 1831, the second cut (or Portrack Cut) was completed, covering 1,100 yards cutting across the meander at Portrack, stretching from Blue House Point and Newport.
Before the two cuts where completed it used to take a barge an extra week to navigate the meanders in the River Tees as they sailed up to Stockton. With the creation of the Portrack Cut the old marshlands were created, and Portrack Marsh as it is today was created.
The former line of the Old River Tees can still be traced in the Tees Corridor today, with a section of the old river (still under tidal influences) flowing past Maze Park and up around Teesside Park.
A little bit more….
The name Portrack is named after the process by which barges used to navigate the meanders in the River Tees prior to the “cuts” begin finished, as they where lead around the bends by one horses or men fastened to the front of the barge. This process was known as racking.
Human activities have not just affected the physical appearance of the River Tees. Prior to 1926 the River Tees was noted for its catches of salmon, sea trout, flounder, and eels; but by 1937 salmon had been eliminated from the river as a result of all of the pollution discharged by the industries on Teesside into the river.
By 1970 the River Tees was considered the most polluted estuary in the United Kingdom with over 500 tonnes of waste being discharged into the river each day. The volume of waste being discharged into the river resulted in a rise in the river water temperature and a decrease in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. These changes in water conditions led to a decline in the wildlife that could survive along the river.
In 1972 plans were drawn up to begin to tackle the pollution problem faced by the River Tees. With the gradual decline in heavy industries and the tightening of discharge permits into the river the pollution content of the river began to decline.
The real turning point in the fortune of the area was the much-documented ‘Walk in the Wilderness’ in 1987 when Margaret Thatcher visited Stockton-on-Tees. This visit highlighted the blight faced by the Teesside area, and shortly afterwards the Teesside Development Corporation was formed with the remit to combat the environmental, social and economic problems of the time.
The TDC carried out many noticeable projects including the Tees Barrage and Teesdale Developments before its closure in 1998. After this, many partnership organisations wanted to continue the work started by the TDC.
In 2000 Middlesbrough & Stockton councils commissioned the consultants ‘Casella’ to produce the Tees Corridor Environmental Strategy, a feasibility study looking into the ways key sites in the Tees Corridor could be developed in the future.
In 2001 the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, funded by the Countryside Agency and Heritage Lottery Fund, carried out the Tees Corridor Natural Links Project, a 6-month pilot project to engage local communities close to the River Tees in environmental projects. This project was officially closed on the 4th April 2003 with the unveiling of a caterpillar artwork vehicle barrier on Portrack Marsh (with children from Tilery Primary School who helped to design the barrier)
Following the success of the pilot projects, the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust secured funding from Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, the Tees Valley Partnership, through One North East; and the Big Lottery 'good cause' money through the Social, Economic and Environmental Development (SEED) Programme to run two projects:
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Tees Corridor Warden Project December 2003 - March 2005 Warden: John Amos an active presence along the riverside, the Tees Corridor warden carried out survey work and small practical improvement work in the Tees Corridor. The warden also had the Tees Corridor Assistants, a 6-month training placement for local people to gain work experience and qualifications towards employment in the field of conservation
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Tees Corridor Natural Regeneration Project November 2003 - March 2005 Project Officer: Jonathan Pounder
This 3 year project has 4 main focus areas: 1) Wildlife – Conserving the wildlife and habitats of the Tees Corridor through:
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2) Community – Working with community groups in the Tees Corridor to bring benefits to their local areas. Work includes attending residents meetings, offering advice and project guidance, to assisting group in implementing projects. Example of such projects include Roscoe Road in Billingham and Wolviston Village Pond
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3) Education – Working with a range of educational establishments at all levels to bring environmental topics into learning. Conservation is also a good link into citizenship studies, and has been a way in bringing groups out of the classroom environment to carry out small practical projects. A programme of public events and guided walks has also been organised as part of the project covering a great range of subject areas and interests.
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4) Volunteering – Working to provide opportunities for the people of the Tees Valley to carry out practical conservation tasks to assist with the work of the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, and make a difference to their local areas. One way this has been done is by establishing the Wednesday Wild-bunch’ Volunteer Group who carry out tasks on sites within the Tees Corridor.
Click here for the Getting involved page
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The Wild-bunch was established to allow local people and students to get involved in small practical conservation tasks, across the Tees Corridor.
The Wild-bunch tasks are not just on Tees Valley Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves, but also community project sites, local authority sites, and community centres in both Stockton and Middlesbrough. The strong volunteer base of the Wild-bunch has also brought benefits to other projects at the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, meaning the hard work of the volunteers has brought benefits across the Tees Valley.
If you are interested in finding out about volunteering please contact Bill Ashton Wickett at the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust on 01642 759900
Employee VolunteeringMajor companies from the Tees Valley (npower, Environment Agency, the Inland Revenue and Caterpillar – Stockton) have allowed groups of their workers to get involved with the work of the Tees Corridor Projects. Tasks organised provide a great day out for the work force and promote team working, communication skills and personal satisfaction; with the skills and experience then being taken back to the work place.
npower have shown great support for the work of the Tees Corridor, with their groups carrying out:
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Educational Group VolunteeringAbbey Hill School – Groups from Abbey Hill School came out to improve an area of the former Portrack Railway line. Their work included both the design and implementation of work to improve access and safety for people visiting the area.
Hallgarth School – As part of their Citizenship studies, children from Hallgarth School have been involved in 2003 & 2004 in implementing conservation projects for a variety of agencies in the Tees Corridor. In 2003 their work included creating an access path off Newport Bridge onto Portrack Meadows, while in 2004 the children worked for an entire week to clean up their schools memorial garden.
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Shape Training & Stockton Youth Services– Groups from these organisations have been sending groups of 16 to 18 year old trainees, to get involved in a programme to engage them in practical conservation work as part of their training, enabling to gain work experience and put their skills they are learning into practical use.
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Portrack Meadows
The Portrack Municipal Incinerator opened in 1975, and burnt domestic refuse from the 4 local authorities: Middlesbrough, Stockton, Redcar & Cleveland and Hartlepool, burning around 200,000tonnes of waste per annum and generating 20Mw of electricity. Situated between the Newport Approach Road and the Tees Flyover the towers of the incinerator were visible across Teesside.
Closed in November 1996 after it failed to meet new emission regulations, the site was subsequently demolished and cleaned between 1998 and 2000. The northern area of the site was the temporary home for the Stockton civic amenity dump, which closed in December 2001.
With the closure of the civic amenity (a new ‘Energy from Waste’ plant opening in Haverton Hill), a partnership between Stockton Borough Council and the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust began to transform from the site into an area for recreation and wildlife for the people of Stockton & Middlesbrough to enjoy. The site represents an important link to the Tees Corridor creating a green wedge along both sides of the River Tees that is open to the public but managed to benefit the wildlife of the area.
Wildflower Meadow
In the centre of the site when the building was demolished the concrete footing, on which the incinerator used to sit, remained. The footing has been covered and landscaped to create a meadow which has been sown with wildflowers, not just making it attractive visually but creating an area when butterflies and insects are attracted to and feed.
Wetland Management
Lustrum Beck Ponds is a small wetland area sandwiched between the A19, Lustrum Beck, and Portrack Meadows. The wetland area acts as an overflow for the Lustrum Beck Tidal Defence system, and as a result the area is flooded on a regular basis.
Lustrum Beck flows through the heart of Stockton-on-Tees, and as a result carries a lot of sediment which is deposited in the area around the tidal defence barrier and in Lustrum Beck pond; and this gradual silting will lead to the ultimate lose of the wetland area.
As part of the development work the whole area was dredged out to remove the silt build up, and in specific areas Phragmites reeds were planted, but the rest of the vegetation re-colonised naturally.
Tree Management
Trees were originally planted on the site to screen the incinerator building from the roads, but after their planting received little or no management. As part of the development work the trees where extensively thinned and pollarded to create a more natural woodland and promote the development of ground flora.
Across the site more tree blocks and hedgerows have been planted by volunteers, and local school children from Stockton have constructed and erected over 100 bird boxes across the site.
Footpath Construction
A circular loop footpath has been created to allow visitors to access the site safely. A boardwalk has also been built on the site to allow people to cross the damper areas of the site. All of the footpaths on the site also linked into the Tees Corridor so visitors can explore other areas.
Interpretation & Signposting
To guide visitors around the site a series of sign posts and interpretation panels have been erected showing directions and links to other sites, and information on some of the history and wildlife found in the area.
Newport Paths
A circular link path around Newport Tip, Newport Paths is a fabulous addition to the Tees Corridor. The surfaced footpath winds its way through the tree screen of the site, close to the mouth of Billingham Beck. Five viewing points allow visitors to get close to the wildlife that follows the tidal movements of the water, including a family of seals that hauls out each day on the beck mouth after feeding at the Tees Barrage.
Map of site
Click to visit the reserves page
The Wild-bunch was established to allow local people and students to get involved in small practical conservation tasks, across the Tees Corridor.
The Wild-bunch tasks are not just on Tees Valley Wildlife Trust Nature Reserves, but also community project sites, local authority sites, and community centres in both Stockton and Middlesbrough. The strong volunteer base of the Wild-bunch has also brought benefits to other projects at the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust, meaning the hard work of the volunteers has brought benefits across the Tees Valley.
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Examples of Wildbunch activities
Cowpen Access Ramp – A short task to create an access ramp to improve access along one of the main footpaths in the site, leading towards the visitors centre. (Pictured) Tollesby School - Working with a local artist in his project to transform part of the school playground into an interesting feature that school groups could use.
Old Billingham Community Centre – As part of the links developed with Durham University’s Student Community Action Group, the ‘Wild-bunch’ went along to Old Billingham Community Centre for an afternoon to help bring the community garden back under management. This is part of an ongoing project link with the SCA. (Pictured)
Peoples Park – A partnership project with West Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Trust to improve a small community area so it was safe for local residents to use the site again. After 3 hard days work, and 3 skips of rubbish the site was once again ready. (Pictured)
Billingham to Portrack Footpath – Management work to ensure the paths remain clear have been carried out by volunteer groups, with the walk leaflet due for release in the next few weeks.
Pond Clearance on Portrack Marsh Despite the cold weather the Wildbunch volunteers donned their wet weather gear to make a start of clearing out Willow Pond, which was becoming choked with reeds.
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MacMillian College – Over 2 ½ days, the entire of Years 7, 8 and 9 groups came out into the school grounds and helped to plant a scheme to improve the school ground area (including a continuous hedgerow along the boundary with the A66). This project linked into the schools student citizenship work in partnership with the REACT project and the Tees Forest.
Teesside International Nature Reserve – As part of gateway improvements into Port Clarence; around 12,000 trees planted over the winter period with the help of TVWT volunteers, NACRO Middlesbrough, Stockton Youth Services, npower employee volunteers, and children from High Clarence Primary School. Other work over the winter has included creating a temporary visitors car park, and beginning a hedge transplant. Work is already being planned for this winter.
Dorman’s Path – Creating 500metres of footpath to improve access to the bird hides on Dorman’s Pool (despite the poor weather and bogging machines down on numerous occasions). The work was carried out through TVWT volunteers, New Deal work groups, an npower team, and groups from the Directions Project.
Cowbridge Beck – Providing advice for a local resident initiative and supervising the earthwork to Cowbridge Beck in Billingham to improve the water flow and available habitat for wildlife. Work carried out with Stockton Borough Council and Cowbridge Residents Group.
The Meadowings, Yarm – A community greenspace project for the people of Willey Flatts, working in partnership with Stockton Borough Council and involving local residents, primary and secondary schools. Activities have included:
Maze Park Butterfly Artwork Cycle Racks Anyone visiting Maze Park might have seen that 4 large caterpillars have appeared near the viewing stations. Representing the Grayling Butterfly, these sculptures can also be used as cycle racks to lock bikes to whilst visiting the viewing platforms.
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Following last year’s success Hallgarth School was again involved in sending school groups out to carry out practical improvement projects at sites across the Tees Valley (big thanks to everyone who lead a group). One of the projects the Tees Corridor team tackled was helping the school groups to tidy up the Memorial Garden in the grounds of their school.
With lots of hard work the students and teachers really went to town with the clearance work, and now the area looks greatly improved.
Portrack Marsh Tractor Work
Keen eyed visitors may have seen some drastic changes on the site towards the end of last year. As part of the grassland management on the site a tractor was brought in to cut the grassland area between West Water and the boundary with Northumbrian Water. This is to allow us to start managing the grassland. Over the winter this area was very popular with species such as lapwing and snipe.
At the same time as the grassland management, a JCB came onto the site to carry out some clearance work on the neck of West Water and to create a new reedbed area; which was subsequently planted by the Tuesday volunteer group.
Saltholme International Nature Reserve
Activities over winter 2004 have included:
Wolviston Ponds
Working with Wolviston Parish Council to clear out their village pond. Over the course of a week the pond was drained, and JCB removed 50 tonnes of silt. Rock shelves were created ready for native plants to be replanted into the pond. Now the Parish Council is looking at the possibility of developing their wildlife pond adjacent to the Wolviston Service Station.
Roscoe Road, Billingham
Working with local residents and Tees Valley Housing group to improve and develop an area of land off Roscoe Road in Billingham for local residents to use. An action day was held in October to allow local people to get involved (linked into CSV’s Make a Difference Day). Project ongoing
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Thorntree School, Middlesbrough Work has begun to improve the grounds of Thorntree School, in conjunction with the University of Teesside. The school has a main courtyard and 6 enclosed areas that are to be improved for wildlife and the children to use. Volunteers and school children have worked hard to clear the courtyard area, with further work to clear the enclosed areas proposed for the near future.
Saltersgill Composting Centre, Middlesbrough Working to develop a community composting facility at Saltersgill Allotments in Middlesbrough, for Middlesbrough Environment City’s Composting Project. Work has been implemented through the SHAPE Training Group (pictured) and New Deal Trainees.
WIN with Wildlife Training Sessions A series of training sessions where held at the Working Neighbourhoods Centre, in Thorntree Middlesbrough. The sessions were aimed at allowing local people to learn more about their local wildlife. The sessions ranged from bat box construction to practical activities and sites visits in the Tees Corridor.
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NAFSO Event At the beginning of January the Tees Corridor played host to delegates from the NAFSO Conference, who took a day off from their conference in Durham to come and have a look at the work of the ‘hit the trail’ partnership, and the developments around the Tees Corridor.
Cowpen Bewley Footpath To improve access across the country park, training and volunteer groups worked to create 120 metres of surfaced footpath through a damp grassland.
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PANDA’s The ceremony for the PANDA’s (People And Nature Development Awards) was held at Kirkleatham Old Hall at the end of November 2004, sponsored by n-power. The awards aimed to highlight and celebrate community environmental projects in the Tees Valley, and to encourage other community groups into undertaking similar projects.
The ceremony was well attend, and the awards were presented by the Mayor of Stockton. Winners included Hog Haven Hedgehog Sanctuary, Coatham Cubs and Wolviston Parish Council. For more information on the PANDA’s check out the forthcoming Greenbits magazine. A community improvement leaflet has been produced as part of the PANDA’s and is available now.
Click here for a .pdf of the Tees Corridor leaflet.
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