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The Consett & Vale of Derwent Naturalists Field Club was established in 1907 and will soon be celebrating their Centenary. They are based in the Blackhill area of Derwentside, which is in the top 10-20% most deprived wards nationally. Originally the group was set up to enable miners and steel workers, along with their families, to have access to the countryside and get away from the industrial areas. This has progressed over the years to being an inclusive service for everyone in the community. Many of the families in the area do not have access to transport or have the money to go on trips. The group are working to improve people’s health through walking as well as educating them in the natural environment. The area has a 40% higher incidence of heart disease than the rest of the UK and this is one way of tackling the problem and hopefully preventing other people from having similar problems in the future. At present they have 130 people who take part in some or all of their activities; these are in varying age ranges, both male and female. There are no paid staff, everyone is a volunteer.
“It is without any doubt, that your grant has made a tremendous difference to our Field Club in so many ways for the present and the future… The future of the Field Club is looking good, and with the help of the young, we see no reason why our Field Club cannot keep going and giving great pleasure to Derwentside residents for another 100 years.”
Lawrence Welsh (Walks leader)
The Field Club received £3,000 to provide 17 walks per year at varying levels of fitness and provide 10 educational lectures in the winter months.
This enabled them to hire minibuses and buy a slide projector for the lectures, maps, fees of a guest speaker, a digital camera and publicity costs.
By making the walks and lectures affordable the group have attracted new and younger members. They are also now building up a comprehensive map library of the North.
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