Nature Features

Summerhill activity centre in Hartlepool doesn't just cater for people with sporting interests, they're also keen on going green, as Tony Davison explained.

He said:

"Summerhill was developed in the mid 1990s by Hartlepool Borough Council.

"It's a 100 acre site on the edge of the town, and operates as both an outdoor sports centre and a local nature reserve.

The adventure playground

"Looking after the environment is a big agenda here, and we are always trying to be as energy efficient as possible.

"For example, the centre has a timber shingle roof which is a very good insulator, and we are also looking at installing solar panels and a small wind turbine in the near future.

"Even though we are providing habitats for wildlife, we also have to think about our own energy use.

"One of the key roles we have is that we run a variety of activities for everyone in which we mix the outdoor sport activities with environmental issues such as water conservation and recycling.

"As well as offering walking, horse riding, archery, cycling, orienteering, exercise and fitness and rock climbing activities, which are all free of charge, the other aim of Summerhill was to improve the habitats for wildlife in the region and put something back into the area.

"We also have meadows, ponds, wetlands and hedgerows, some of which are over 200 years old.

"We also have sites that are of archaeological interest, including an area behind the centre which we named Cat Cote village.

"After extensive digs in the area, it was revealed that the site was a farming settlement and trading village during Roman times, making it around 2000 years old.

"We also record the changes to the wildlife in the area, such as the species we host and the amounts of them.

"We have stoats, weasels and mice, but we also have a bird club that anyone can join, who monitor the ornithological changes on site.

"As well as having finches, blue tits and grey tits, the group have noticed that there has been a huge increase in the variety of birds we have nesting here.

"They recently discovered the hundredth species of bird, showing that there has been a dramatic increase in the presence of wildlife in Summerhill over the last decade."