Recycle in the hills
6th, November 2009
A cardboard red kite, an egg box hedgehog, an orange squirrel, a lemonade bottle salmon and badger from boxes are just some of the recycled animals to hunt for in the Ingram Valley this half term.
A stunning exhibition of animal sculptures made by schools from across Northumberland and Tyneside is being staged in The National Park Visitor Centre, Ingram, during the half term holidays. These animals, made from innovatively utilised recycled materials, were created by the children for the 2009 Children’s Countryside Day, run by the Glendale Agricultural Society.
On display from Friday October 23rd until Saturday 31st are models from many school’s including Seahouses Middle School, Branton First School, Alnwick South and Longridge Towers. Mandy Roberts – Engagement Officer for The Northumberland National Park - hopes that these models will encourage the wider audience that they deserve:
“The competition produced some amazing creatures and we hope that many of the children, who made them, will bring their friends and family to visit both the centre and this wonderful valley. We have a fantastic collection, proving that imagination and discarded objects can almost be better than the real thing.”
Although this is the first time that this collection have been on display together, it is not the only reason for coming to the exhibition. The Ingram Valley, in the heart of the Northumberland National Park, is a beautiful place to visit and no more so that in the autumn. It provides visitors with a free day out, healthy activities, learning about climate change, and having fun. There are many walks, including one of the most renowned waterfalls, The Linhope Spout.
Also in the centre during half term is the huge Cheviot Futures interactive jigsaw. Cheviot Futures is a partnership involving amongst others, The Northumberland National Park Authority, the Environment Agency and the Fenton Centre near Wooler. The jigsaw highlights the importance of looking after the landscape and shows the problems we may all face in future years due to climate change. As children are tomorrow’s decision-makers, they are part of this jigsaw and this exhibition provides them with the knowledge they need to make decisions about their future.
Mandy Roberts is keen that visitors to the exhibition get a chance to see real creatures, and natural habitats too: “During your visits to Ingram both within and outside the centre and in the valley itself you can see how the partners brought together by Cheviot Futures are working together to protect this magical and inspirational environment.”
Next year, Cheviot Futures will launch interactive visitor trails at The Fenton Centre Wooler and The Ingram Visitor Centre. These trails will highlight the impacts of climate change and how we can adapt to minimise the impact of these changes.
The National Park Centre at Ingram is open daily 10am-5pm. Look out for the signpost on the A697, 1 mile north of Powburn and 8 miles south of Wooler.
Address: Ingram, Powburn, Alnwick, NE66 4LT
Telephone: 01665 578890
Web: www.northumberlandnationalpark.org.uk
