Christmas has come early for a wildlife charity after it was gifted a piece of land on the border of Northumberland National Park to create the county's newest nature reserve.
The Haining, near the village of Elsdon, has been donated to Northumberland Wildlife Trust after its previous owners had already attempted to make it a haven for wildlife. For the last decade, they have planted large areas of trees, creating a woodland to stand alongside hay meadows which are home to plants such as yellow rattle and common spotted orchards.
And now, the charity has "ambitious" plans to develop the site's wildlife potential, with the first steps being their Estates Team staff and volunteers carrying out surveys to understand the site better and guide its future management. The team will also begin immediate management of the woodland including the removal on many tree tubes, which helped the woodland become established - and the site's ash trees which have died from ash dieback will be replaced with species such as oak and birch.
