The Rising Sun Country Park
North Tyneside Council
The Rising Sun Country Park is a 160-hectare green space in North Tyneside which is a wildlife haven, while the park also provides an abundance of heritage. It has everything from woodlands, ponds, wetlands, grassland and even organic farmland offering homes to a variety of wildlife. In addition, a few play and educational havens give the community a first hand feel of nature and sustainability.
“The natural environment is a stimulus and a resource that can support curriculum subjects and learning for adults,” says General Manager Jerry Dronsfield. “It offers environmental education from foundation stage to A-level, informal environment-
based play and training for professionals and other interested people.”
The diverse park that exists today is in contrast to what was once an industrial dead zone of redundant coal mining and rubbish dumping surrounding an old hospital. The hospital now houses the park’s countryside centre which provides exhibition and other spaces for education and well being.
The countryside centre is one of several recent additions to the park that puts the community, sustainability and ecology at the heart of the local agenda. The refurbished hospital also houses a permanent recycling centre for the North East called The House of Objects. The idea for this came from North Tyneside Hospital and is inspired by a model in the north Italian municipality of Reggio Emilia.
“The centre is more than a traditional scrap store;” explains Dronsfield. “It is a hub for ideas on reuse and recycling from which other initiatives in arts and education can emerge to offer a proactive approach.”
A farm for all the community
Other community projects include the 70-hectare Rising Sun Farm which is managed by a trust. The farm is certified as organic by the Soil Association and is free and open to all in the community. The farm also entered Defra’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme in the 1990s, which resulted in new hedgerows being laid, field margins introduced and habitats taking shape. The land now includes winter stubble and feed for animals, ponds and improved access routes.
The adult services day centre carries out many of the horticultural activities on the farm and the organic vegetables and fruit from the farm are also sold to the public.
The park is also a site of nature conservation interest and the lake area is designated a local nature reserve. These host activities as diverse as pond dipping and spring walks. It also has an active Friends of Group, which is responsible for a number of voluntary initiatives.
One of the most recent additions to the park lies in a wooded quarry area in the park and is a thoughtfully managed outdoor natural space for early-years play.
“The idea for the Giant’s Garden came from watching young children play in the natural environment,” says artist and designer Keith Barrett who worked with education officers to design the 700 square metre garden. “The value to children of being able to shape their own surroundings through creative play is well documented. The space is a structured zone that complements the wildness of the quarry.”