Nature, history and culture

The pioneering £3m project is one of the first of its kind in the country. It is being undertaken by a team from Newcastle, Durham and Teesside universities, the National Trust, local authorities and community organisations, and aims to connect city and town dwellers with nature, history, and culture, increase biodiversity and improve wellbeing.

The three North East Green Corridors are:

• The Tyne Derwent Way which opened last year. The route links attractions along the Tyne and Derwent rivers including: Gateshead Riverside Park, Dunston Staiths, the Metro Centre, the Land of Oak and Iron Heritage Centre, Nine Arches Viaduct, Thornley Woodland Centre and Gibside.
  
  
• The Durham route will stretch along the River Wear, connecting the city centre of Durham and Crook Hall Gardens with over 1,000 hectares of green and blue space. Rich natural sites sit in the corridor including Brasside Ponds, Low Newton Junction Nature Reserve and heritage sites such as Finchale Priory and Kepier Hospital. It will link to existing long distance walks in the area - Camino Ingles and Weardale Way.
  
  
• Tees to Topping will connect Middlesbrough and the Tees Estuary to the North York Moors National Park and Roseberry Topping. Threading through the heart of urban Middlesbrough to open moorland, it will better connect the region’s natural and cultural assets such as Ormesby Beck, Stewart Park, Ormesby Hall, Flatts Lane Country Park and Guisborough Forest.

Ambitious programme

Richard Clay, Professor of Digital Cultures at Newcastle University, said: ‘We are really excited at the prospect of working with communities to nurture the North East’s green corridors and help them flourish for years to come.”

Professor Sarah Perks, from Teesside University’s Institute for Collective Place Leadership, said: “We are proud to be a part of this exciting project.

“These green corridors will have a transformative impact and strengthen the connection between our communities and the natural, historical and cultural assets this region has to offer.”

Green corridors are increasingly used in urban planning to connect nature and communities. The National Trust is committed to an ambitious programme to establish 20 of them across England, Northern Ireland and Wales, by 2030.

The first corridor, The Tyne Derwent Way,  launched in April 2024 and connects urban communities in Gateshead to the rural Derwent Valley. It engages people of all ages in local communities and promotes wellbeing through the arts, culture, heritage and nature on their doorsteps, through a diverse mix of activities, events and volunteering opportunities.

Helen Moir, Senior Urban Programme Manager (North East) for the National Trust, said: " As part of the AHRC Mission research project, our North East Urban Team are excited to take the first steps towards working in such an innovative partnership that will bring together research, multi-discipline stakeholders and community voices to deliver positive change for three green corridors in South Tees, Durham City and Gateshead. The AHRC Mission aligns perfectly with our new National Trust strategy ‘People & Nature Thriving,’ particularly in our ambition to end unequal access to nature, beauty and history.   The Mission is also the perfect opportunity to further embed our partnership with Newcastle University as we co-develop with Durham and Teesside universities and other local organisations, new and inspiring ways of engaging with communities - ensuring our local green corridors, and their culture and heritage, thrive for people and nature.”

Health and wellbeing

The three routes will benefit the health and well-being of communities and users of urban, suburban, and rural green spaces by supporting and nurturing their creative engagement with one another, the sites, and their heritage.

Collectively working together under the umbrella Green Corridors North East , the three routes will develop new co-created arts- and humanities-led research practices that will contribute significantly to the transformative regeneration of green corridors in the UK and beyond.

Arts and humanities led researchers will engage with teams drawn from local organisations and groups, to share and expand each other’s knowledge, understanding, and skills as they conceive and conduct more than 25 projects together. These initiatives will aim to create new appreciations of heritage, history, archaeology, culture, and nature across Gateshead, Durham, and South Teesside, helping to create accessible, connected, sustainable and valued places where nature and communities can thrive together.

The research will focus primarily on four themes:

• Heritage and history
• Culture and creativity,
• Nature and natural heritage
• Active evaluation for learning

The corridors will also nurture new kinds of environmental and cultural stewardship, developing new knowledge and narratives of place based on shared understandings of how communities use and enjoy green spaces and heritage along the region’s river valleys.

The project is one of three funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Mission Awards, which is piloting a new approach that emphasises the team over leadership by an individual researcher.

Arts and Humanities Research Council Executive Chair Professor Christopher Smith said:

“The Mission Awards take an innovative approach to supporting research.  The goal of the award is to encourage and trial radically team-based research behaviours.  The projects, on highly topical and pragmatic issues, will need to succeed not just through the quality of their research, but by the example they set of how to work as teams.

“The interest in this award shows that arts and humanities researchers are embracing new ways of working and setting their own rules for teamwork.  AHRC is proud to support the transformations in the sector and I am sure that lessons will be learnt that apply far more widely than the disciplines supported here.”

Notes to editors:

Other  Green Corridors North East partner organisations include:

Northumbria University
Gateshead Council
Durham Wildlife Trust
Durham County Council
Durham Castle and Cathedral
Middlesbrough Council
Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
Wear Rivers Trust
Natural England
North East Combined Authority