35-613: The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust is a wildlife trust covering the Tees Valley area of England . Its area of operation corresponds to the four unitary authorities of Hartlepool , Stockton-on-Tees , Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland , covering parts of the ceremonial counties of County Durham and North Yorkshire . The Tees Valley Wildlife Trust manages fourteen nature reserves with over 230 hectares (568 acres), including: This article about an organisation in England
70-406: A children's naturalist club. By the late 1980s membership had reached 200,000, increasing to 260,000 in 1995, and over 500,000 by 2004. The combined membership for 2007 stood at 670,000 members, 108,000 belonging to the junior branch Wildlife Watch. By 2012, membership was over 800,000, with over 150,000 Wildlife Watch members. Farne Islands The Farne Islands are a group of islands off
105-500: A common interest in wildlife and biodiversity, rooted in a practical tradition of land management and conservation. Almost all Wildlife Trusts are significant landowners, with many nature reserves. Collectively they are the third largest voluntary sector landowners in the UK. They often have extensive educational activities, and programmes of public events and education. The Wildlife Trusts centrally and locally also lobby for better protection of
140-473: A large colony of grey seals pup on the islands. Summer visitors to Inner Farne are strongly advised to wear hats due to Arctic terns dive bombing to protect their chicks. Breeding birds on the Farnes (as of 2022; 2021 counts marked *) include: A total of 303 bird species have been recorded on the Farnes, including in the 1760s, an example of the now extinct great auk . On 28–29 May 1979, an Aleutian tern ,
175-773: A rare tern from the Aleutian Islands in the North Pacific Ocean, visited the Farnes. It was the first, and still the only, member of its species ever seen anywhere in Europe. A longer-staying unusual visitor was "Elsie" the lesser crested tern , which visited the Farnes every summer from 1984 to 1997; during that period (paired with a male Sandwich tern ) she raised several hybrid chicks and attracted several thousand birders keen to see this species in Britain. Lesser crested terns normally nest on islands off
210-424: A variety of sites suitable for all levels of divers, for the seals and wrecks. Hundreds of ships have been wrecked on the Farnes over the years, providing plenty for wreck divers to explore. Among them are: Diving at the Farnes is generally possible, regardless of wind direction; shelter is always available somewhere. Some dive locations even provide the opportunity to combine diving and birdwatching, in particular
245-586: Is 19 metres (62 ft) above mean sea level and on Staple Island is 14 metres (46 ft). The earliest recorded inhabitants of the Farne Islands were various Culdees , some connected with Lindisfarne . This followed the old Celtic Christian tradition of island hermitages, also found in Wales, Ireland, and Scotland. The islands are first recorded in 651, when they became home to Saint Aidan , followed by Saint Cuthbert . Cuthbert isolated himself on
280-612: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . The Wildlife Trusts partnership The Wildlife Trusts , the trading name of the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts , is an organisation made up of 46 local Wildlife Trusts in the United Kingdom , the Isle of Man and Alderney . The Wildlife Trusts, between them, look after more than 2,300 nature reserves , covering around 98,500 hectares (243,000 acres). As of 2020 ,
315-407: Is a member of The National Council for Voluntary Youth Services (NCVYS) . The Wildlife Trusts offer a Biodiversity Benchmark scheme through which companies can be assessed and recognised for their contribution to biodiversity. The assessment covers the organisation's performance under the headings of "Commitment, Planning, Implementation, and Monitoring and Review". The Wildlife Trusts are one of
350-440: Is fissured, dolerite forms strong columns. This gives the islands their steep, in places vertical cliffs , and the sea around the islands is scattered with stacks up to 19 metres (62 ft) high on Inner Farne and 14 metres (46 ft) on Staple Island. Many of the small islands are bare rock, but the larger islands have a layer of clay subsoil and peat soil supporting vegetation. The rock strata slope slightly upwards to
385-477: Is now maintained by Trinity House via its local lighthouse attendant, George Shiel, who provides guided tours inside the lighthouse. Ruins of some of the older lighthouses may be seen, for example on the Brownsman, which has two. Before the lighthouses, beacons were on several of the islands. The prominent white streak on the cliff facing the mainland (see photo) is similar to bird droppings; although many parts of
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#1732793386558420-637: The Promotion of Nature Reserves (SPNR), which was formed by Charles Rothschild in 1912. It aimed initially to draw up a list of the country's best wildlife sites with a view to purchase for protection as nature reserves, and by 1915 it had drawn up a list of 284 (including the Farne Islands and the Norfolk Broads ), known as Rothschild Reserves. During the early years, membership tended to be made up of specialist naturalists and its growth
455-550: The Trusts have a combined membership of over 870,000 members. The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts (RSWT) is an independent charity, with a membership formed of the 46 individual charitable Trusts. It acts as an umbrella group for the individual Wildlife Trusts, as well as operating a separate Grants Unit which administers a number of funds. King Charles III serves as the patron of the Wildlife Trusts. David Bellamy
490-419: The UK's natural heritage, by becoming involved in planning matters and by national campaigning through the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts . The Trusts rely heavily upon volunteer labour for many of their activities, but nevertheless employ significant numbers of staff in countryside management and education. Thanks to their work promoting the personal and social development of young people, The Wildlife Trusts
525-493: The cell. Known as St Cuthbert's Chapel, it is described as a "single-cell building of four bays". The remains of a second chapel have been incorporated into a later building. The Farne Islands are associated with the story of Grace Darling and the wreck of the Forfarshire . Grace Darling was the daughter of Longstone lighthouse-keeper (one of the islands' lighthouses), William Darling, and on 7 September 1838, when she
560-525: The coast of Libya and migrate to West Africa for the winter; "Elsie" is thought to have taken a wrong turn at the Straits of Gibraltar on spring migration. An Arctic tern from the Farnes, ringed as a chick not yet old enough to fly in summer 1982, reached Melbourne , Australia, in October 1982, a sea journey over 22,000 kilometres (14,000 mi) in just three months from fledging. This remains one of
595-830: The coast of Northumberland , England. The group has between 15 and 20 islands depending on the level of the tide . They form an archipelago, divided into the Inner and the Outer Group. The main islands in the Inner Group are Inner Farne, Knoxes Reef, the East and West Wideopens (all joined on very low tides), and (somewhat separated) the Megstone; the main islands in the Outer Group are Staple Island , Brownsman, North and South Wamses, Big Harcar, and Longstone. The two groups are separated by Staple Sound. The highest point on Inner Farne
630-659: The first urban Wildlife Trust (now the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country ) was established in the West Midlands , rapidly followed by others in London, Bristol and Sheffield. This was a watershed for the movement that strengthened its focus on wildlife and people. It was during this period that some Trusts changed their names from Naturalist Societies to Trusts for Nature Conservation. In 2002
665-589: The geographical areas they served. Encouraged by the growing number of Trusts, the SPNR began in 1957 to discuss the possibility of forming a national federation of Naturalists' Trusts. Kent Naturalists Trust was established in 1958 with SPNR being active in encouraging its formation. In the following year the SPNR established the County Naturalists' Committee, which organised the first national conference for Naturalists' Trusts at Skegness in 1960. By 1964,
700-456: The group changed their name to The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. The badger logo was adopted by the movement to establish its common identity. Also in 2002, the newest wildlife trust was formed, in Alderney . As the number of Trusts grew, so did their combined membership, from 3,000 in 1960 to 21,000 in 1965. Membership topped 100,000 in 1975, and in that year Wildlife Watch was launched as
735-576: The islands do exhibit this colouring during the breeding season only, in this case it is the result of chalk deposits from the many years of spent calcium carbide from the lighthouse being thrown down the cliff; this calcium carbide was used to generate acetylene , which was used as fuel for the light before electricity came. The Farne Islands are an internationally important wildlife habitat. In summer eider duck, cormorant, shag, fulmar, kittiwake, Arctic tern, common tern, Sandwich tern, guillemot, razorbill, and puffins all breed here, while in late autumn
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#1732793386558770-468: The islands until he was called to the bishopric of Lindisfarne, but after two years, he returned to the solitude of the Inner Farne and died there in 687, when Saint Aethelwold took up residence, instead. Among other acts, Cuthbert introduced special laws in 676 protecting the eider ducks , and other seabirds nesting on the islands; these are thought to be the earliest bird-protection laws anywhere in
805-464: The islands were sold to Charles Thorp , who was at the time Archdeacon of Durham . In 1894, the islands were bought by industrialist William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong . The islands are currently owned by the National Trust . Remains still exist of the seventh-century anchorite cell used by Saint Aidan and Saint Cuthbert, as do the remains of a 14th-century chapel associated with
840-403: The longest known distances travelled by any bird. The Farnes are resistant igneous dolerite outcrops. These would originally have been connected to the mainland and surrounded by areas of less resistant limestone . Through a combination of erosion of the weaker surrounding rock, and sea level rise following the last ice age , the Farnes were left as islands. Because of the way the rock
875-492: The number of Trusts had increased to 36 and the Society for the Promotion of Nature Reserves had changed its name to The Society for the Promotion of Nature Conservation. In recognition of the movement's growing importance, its name was changed to The Royal Society for Nature Conservation in 1981. The movement continued to develop throughout the 1970s, and, by the early 1980s, most of today's Trusts had been established. In 1980,
910-583: The site and monitoring wildlife. They live in Prior Castell's Tower on the Inner Farne (the largest and closest inshore of the islands), Lighthouse Cottage on Inner Farne and the lighthouse cottage on the Brownsman in the outer group. The pele tower was built during the early part of the 1494-1519 tenure of Thomas Castell as Prior of Durham . The lighthouse would not have been painted red and white in Grace Darling's day. The first lighthouse
945-563: The south, giving the highest cliffs on the south and some beaches to the north. One classic view of the Farnes, very popular with photographers, is that from the harbour at Seahouses, but they are closer to the mainland further up the road northwards towards Bamburgh , and excellent views may be seen from here, in the vicinity of the Monks House Rocks, as well as from Bamburgh Castle and beach The Farne Islands are popular with bird watchers, and as scuba diving locations, with
980-494: The steering group partners of Neighbourhoods Green , a partnership initiative which works with social landlords and housing associations to highlight the importance of, and raise the overall quality of design and management for, open and green space in social housing. Kathryn Brown OBE was appointed as the charity’s first director of climate action in January 2022. Today's Wildlife Trust movement began life as The Society for
1015-487: The world. The islands were used by hermits intermittently from the seventh century. These included Saint Bartholomew of Farne . The last hermit was Thomas De Melsonby, who died on the islands in 1246. A formal monastic cell of Benedictine monks was established on the islands circa 1255. The cell was dependent on Durham Abbey, now Durham Cathedral . A very small cell, it was usually home to only two monks, although on occasion this rose to as many as six. The cell
1050-515: Was aged 22, with her father she rescued nine people from the wreck of the Forfarshire in a strong gale and thick fog, the vessel having run aground on Harcar Rock. The story of the rescue attracted extraordinary attention throughout Britain, and made Grace Darling a heroine who has gone down in British folklore. By the eighteenth century, picnics were being held on the Farne Islands. A picnic
1085-529: Was built on the islands in 1773; prior to that, a beacon may have been installed on Prior Castell's Tower, permission having first been given for a light on Inner Farne in 1669. Currently, two lighthouses are operated by Trinity House on the Farne Islands: Former lighthouses on the islands include: All the operational lighthouses on the Farnes are now automatic and have no resident keepers, although in former years, they did. The lighthouse
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1120-894: Was comparatively slow. The first independent Trust was formed in Norfolk in 1926 as the Norfolk Naturalists Trust, followed in 1938 by the Pembrokeshire Bird Protection Society which after several subsequent changes of name is now the Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales and it was not until the 1940s and 1950s that more Naturalists' Trusts were formed in Yorkshire (1946), Lincolnshire (1948), Leicestershire (1956) and Cambridgeshire (1956). These early Trusts tended to focus on purchasing land to establish nature reserves in
1155-582: Was dissolved in 1536 as part of King Henry VIII 's Dissolution of the Monasteries . Following the dissolution of the monastic cell on the islands, they became the property of the Dean and Chapter of Durham Cathedral , who leased them to various tenants. The islands remained a detached part of County Durham until 1844, when the Counties (Detached Parts) Act transferred them to Northumberland. In 1861,
1190-407: Was held in 1778 on Pinnacle Island by Dr Kayne and his house party which consisted of ten persons and one dog. The picnic was illustrated by S.H.Grimm who made a drawing of the house party and a separate drawing of the accompanying seven servants enjoying a picnic meal. The islands have no permanent population, but National Trust rangers live on the islands for nine months of the year, maintaining
1225-518: Was president of The Wildlife Trusts for ten years between 1995 and 2005, and was succeeded by Aubrey Manning . Sir David Attenborough, Simon King and Tony Juniper are all Presidents Emeritus. Stephanie Hilborne OBE was chief executive for 15 years, and left in October 2019. Craig Bennett became CEO from April 6, 2020. Wildlife Trusts are local organisations of differing size, history and origins, and can vary greatly in their constitution, activities and membership. However, all Wildlife Trusts share
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