Discover our Orchard - click here
Update from Gateshead Council.
October 2024.
The weather is getting colder but the Park continues to look stunning in its autumn colours. We hope you have noticed the newly painted aviaries - black with silver finials. The tarpaulins covering the roofs have also been renewed and sign written. Over at the tennis courts work has continued at the new learn-to-ride track, with spinners added to the traditional games.
We will be adding fencing along the side of the multi-use games area to prevent children falling off the edge.
​
The NGS Buzzing Garden is now five years old and to celebrate this milestone it received a visit from the Swedish Consulate. The visitors declared the Garden beautiful and appreciated the work carried out by volunteers.
​
We are now starting to plan improvements for next year, which will include heritage signage.
​
I would like to thank the Friends and all the volunteers for everything they do in the Park.
​
Kevin Hills
Gateshead Council
What an Apple Turnover!
October 2024
National Apple Day, the UK’s annual celebration of apples and orchards, was made special once again this year by the children from Brighton Avenue Primary School.
The choir, led by music teacher Miss Morgan, sang songs about fruit and vegetables that they had learned for harvest festival.
The children’s families and the Friends of Saltwell Park greatly enjoyed their performance and some apple-themed refreshments were appreciated by all.
The children and their parents enjoyed posing for portraits in the decorative face-board.
We would like to thank Tesco Extra in Trinity Square who again donated an apple and a carton of apple juice for each child to take away.
Heritage Open Days in Saltwell Park - September 2024
Our Heritage Open Days events in the Park in September were a great success and well attended. The Friends’ heritage walk was led by Chair Ian Daley and involved a guided walk from the main gate to Saltwell Towers, taking in many of the historic buildings and structures that make our Park so unique.
The heritage walk also included some of the locations that feature in the works of famous local artist Charlie Rogers. Art gallery owner Brian Rankin (see photo) presented six enlarged images of Charlie’s paintings and explained the background to each.
During the ‘conversations with sculptures’ event Eric Nicholson and Stewart Fraser took the group on a tour of some of the Park’s key sculptures.
The aim was for participants to share thoughts and feelings. Each sculpture evoked many different responses resulting from our varied life experiences.
Brighton Avenue Primary School pupils enjoy a visit to the park - September 2024
In September two classes of year 2 pupils came to Saltwell Park to spot birds, animals, insects and plants.
Guided by teachers, family helpers and some volunteers from the Friends of Saltwell Park, the children were able to find most of the items on their check list - and many more living things!
First raised bed complete.
04th September 2024
Today's work in the Orchard has been both productive and satisfying. We have completed and planted the first of our 9 new raised beds. This bed now has herbs planted in it.
​
If you would like to volunteer and help us in our orchard and raised beds area, please get in touch about volunteering options, or become a full member and support our activities to ensure Saltwell Park is looked after and developed for future generations.
‘Gents and Aviary’ by Charlie Rogers
Following our earlier articles about local painter Charlie Rogers, we will be featuring one of Charlie’s Saltwell Park paintings on a regular basis.
​
Charlie painted ‘Gents and Aviary’ in July 1995. It has proved very popular with the school children who have seen Charlie’s Saltwell Park paintings. More examples of Charlie Rogers’ work can be seen at Come View My Art Gallery, 122 Sheriff’s Highway, Gateshead.
Living and Working with the Kasena People of Ghana
In July Philip and Judy Hewer gave us a fascinating talk about their time spent in rural Ghana between 1972 and 2015. They lived among a language group on Ghana’s northern border, developing written materials in Kasem and training adult literacy volunteer teachers. Working with local people, they helped publish foundational reading materials, traditional stories and books about health and farming practices. Key to their work was facilitating a translation of the Bible into Kasem.
​
Judy and Philip learned Kasem through immersion in the local culture, since there were no books about the language. They had to listen carefully and write down words and phrases phonetically in order to analyse the grammar and develop a consistent writing system. They learned from their mistakes. Since Kasem is a tone language, they had to learn to say words on the right pitch or they might be completely misunderstood.
​
Their first home in the village of Paga was rented from the Chief. An early task was to construct a separate building for a pit latrine and washing facilities. Women and children came to get water from the single tap in the courtyard when the supply came on for an hour or so at dawn. Most homes were built using dried mud blocks, with family rooms arranged around a central yard where animals were brought in at night.
​
During Philip & Judy’s time in Ghana, there were big advances in the infrastructure, with electricity supply and mobile phone coverage dramatically changing the way of life in rural communities.
The Kasem Bible was launched and went on sale in
2015.
Green Flag Winners 2024
This year Saltwell Park once again received a Green Flag Award, an international mark of quality for parks and green spaces, from Keep Britain Tidy.
The Award reflects the hard work of those tasked with maintaining the park and keeping it looking so good.
​
The park also achieved Green Site Heritage Accreditation, supported by Historic England, for the management of its historical features.
Nature workshops with young people
Over the past few months we have had several more visits from the pupils of Brighton Avenue Primary School. The workshops focused on trees, honeybees and wild bees, and birds in Saltwell Park.
During our tree walk in spring, Year 1 pupils were shown the difference between evergreen and deciduous trees and identified some of the trees in the Park. They learned about different parts of trees and did bark rubbings on the trunks. They also enjoyed measuring the height of trees using different methods.
In June children from Reception were given a tour of the honey bee apiary and learned about the different roles of the queen, worker and drone bees. An observation hive enabled them to see how bees lived and worked when not out foraging. Trying on the hood of a beekeeping suit (quickly dubbed ‘astronaut suit’!) proved very popular. The children also visited the pollinator bed in the Apple Bee Community Orchard to spot wild bees and learned about the many different species of bee and their lives and habits.
Also in June, a group of Year 1 pupils enjoyed spotting and identifying birds with local ornithologist Michael Turner. During a tour of the lake, Buzzing Garden, Dene and other parts of the Park, the children learned the different calls of native and migratory birds and learned about their habits and lives.
All the events were greatly enjoyed by the children, their teachers and the Friends who helped with the organisation and took part on the day.
If you know of a local school that would be interested in bringing pupils to the Park to learn more about its fauna and flora please contact us.
Update from Gateshead Council
July 2024
I think it’s fair to say that this spring has been one of the wettest for a very long time! Although this has helped the grass grow it has also put us a bit behind with our maintenance programme in the Park. The grounds management team have been working hard to strip, condition and plant out the formal beds. These will add colour and an air of grandeur along the top terrace, around our memorials and at other places in the Park. The raised beds in the Apple Bee Community Orchard have also been rebuilt and are ready to use.
May saw the completion of the Changing Places accessible toilet and wet room facility — you can find out more about the scheme at changing-places.org
Having this facility will allow more members of the community and visitors from further afield to visit our wonderful Park and stay longer.
We also have more improvements to look forward to. Tarmac has been laid between the multi-use games area and the tennis courts and will soon be marked up with a ‘learn to ride your bike’ track along with hopscotch, snakes & ladders and a ‘twister’ game. The aviaries will be getting a much-needed refurbishment. After cleaning and sandblasting they will be re-painted and new signwritten tarpaulins put on the roofs.
This year we will be ‘mystery shopped’ for the Green Flag Award. We don’t get to know the judges have been until we receive the results, so fingers crossed!
Enjoy your summer in the Park, Kevin
Tree Walk - can you help?
Saltwell Park is home to many beautiful trees, many native, some rare or unusual and others from different parts of the world. The Friends have been given a number of maps by Gateshead Council showing the location of all the trees and other vegetation and we would like to organise a guided walk for visitors. But we need volunteers to help! If you have an interest in and knowledge of trees and could talk about them to others please get in touch.
"Bandstand" by Charlie Rogers
Following our earlier articles about local painter Charlie Rogers, we will be featuring one of Charlie’s Saltwell Park paintings on a regular basis. This painting, from May 2010, shows a brass band performance at the bandstand.
More examples of Charlie’s work can be seen at Come View My Art Gallery, 122 Sheriff’s Highway, Gateshead.
Brian from the gallery is happy to talk to groups and can be contacted by clicking here.
We would like to thank Brian for the excellent talk he gave on Charlie Rogers’ work at our May event. The Friends are working with him to help promote Charlie’s legacy.
Conversations with sculptures
Taking time to relax and look at art in all its forms has been shown to improve mental health by lifting the mood, reducing anxiety and stress and increasing wellness and contentment.
With that in mind, a group of Friends walked around the Park one Saturday in June to explore some of its sculptures and discuss reactions to them. Led by Eric Nicholson, we examined structures in stone, iron and other materials from different perspectives, comparing their shape, angles, construction and tactile surfaces. Eric explained each sculptor’s intention and we all enthusiastically shared our thoughts and opinions of each piece.
While every sculpture was appreciated on its own merits, two stood out in particular. Our photo shows ‘Rise’ by Stephen Newby. The bright sunshine meant the clothing of some participants was reflected in its shiny surface, creating a colourful rainbow effect. Was this perhaps in the sculptor’s mind when he created it?
Blossom Day in the Park
“Few British sights are as uplifting or evocative as fruit tree boughs heavy with spring blossom, and nowhere is this more in evidence than in orchards. Partly man-made and partly natural, orchards are a meeting point of both worlds.” Orchard Network.
In late April the Friends met to see the abundance of blossom in the Apple Bee Community Orchard to celebrate Blossom Day, celebrated on 28 April in the UK. This is the third year of our Orchard and most of the trees are healthy and growing well. Their spring blossom provides pollen and nectar for bees and other pollinating insects, as our photo shows.
The Orchard is cared for by a team from the Friends, ably assisted by young people in our community who dug the planting holes and help with regular maintenance. Local schoolchildren also assisted with the planting and continue to visit and check on the progress of the trees.
After a tour of the Orchard and distribution of leaflets the Friends have produced about it, the group joined in a wassail, an annual tradition of blessing orchards to ensure a bountiful harvest. Our trees are still too young to produce sizeable apples but we hope wassailling will encourage them on their way!
“The creation of our Apple Bee Community Orchard was the brainchild of Judy Hewer, one of our members,” says Ian Daley, Chair, Friends of Saltwell Park. “ As well as providing a space for recreation and nature, the Orchard is an investment for younger generations who we hope will continue to look after it it for decades to come.
We could do with more volunteers to help with routine tasks in the Orchard – no special skills required! If you can spare a little time on a regular or ad hoc basis please get in touch!
Appealing apples in the orchard
11th June 2024
This years fruit is beginning to appear in our Apple Bee Community Orchard.
​
Thank you to all our volunteers who help to maintain and develop the orchard throughout the year.
New raised plant beds
June 2024
Our new raised plant beds have been installed, located close to our Community Apple Bee Orchard.
​
We plan to involve local schools in deciding what to plant and to look after them.
Amazing volunteers
May 2024
The wood chippings pile has now gone, distributed around the bases of the Orchard trees, thanks to the work of these young people.
​
Why not join the Friends of Saltwell Park and help out with our activities, gardening and also the maintance of our Apple Bee Community Orchard. Find out more - click here
Cygnets arrive
16 May 2024
This year's cygnets have made their appearance on the lake in Saltwell Park, Gateshead.
​
Normally the adult swans will look after their cygnets for about 5-6 months, before encouraging them to fly the nest.
​
Swans reach maturity after about 3-4 years and can often live for up to 20 years in the wild, some living in captivity have lived for 50 years.
More volunteers helping out -Thank you
More willing volunteers help Friends of Saltwell Park with essential maintenance in our Apple Bee Community Orchard, thank you from us all.
If you would like to help out, volunteers are always welcome. Contact us for details of when and where we meet.
“Ne’er cast a clout ‘til May be out”
…….is a proverb familiar to many of us. “Clout” is an old English word for clothing. Some say this proverb warns us to keep wearing warm winter clothing until May has ended, as this month often brings a surprise cold snap. Others will tell you that the true meaning of “May be out” is in relation to the flowering of hawthorn blossom. Once blossom turns the hawthorn hedges white it is safe to discard your winter clothing. However the end of May and the appearance of hawthorn blossom do not always coincide! Fluctuations in temperature, rainfall and sunlight determine when the hawthorn flowers.
​
Perhaps we could look out for hawthorn blossom this year and see if it appears before or after the end of May before we decide which interpretation of the proverb is correct!
​
On a serious note, hawthorn blossom provides nectar and pollen for insects in spring and hawthorn berries feed birds during the cold winter months.
Volunteers enjoying the fresh air and friendly atmosphere.
17th April 2024
These young people are helping Friends of Saltwell Park dig out metre squares around the Orchard trees and cover the soil with wood chippings. They work very hard and are cheerful all the time! We couldn't do it without them so a big thank you to them all.
​
If you would like to come along and help us in the Apple Bee Community Orchard, then please get in touch
Falklands adventure talk
March 2024
In March, Friends committee member Emma Fulton talked to us about living in the Falkland Islands where she worked for 18 months heading up court and tribunal services in all jurisdictions. Some 8,000 miles and 18-19 flying hours from the UK, the Falklands is made up of 778 islands and has around 3,600 residents from 71 different nationalities, almost 80% of whom live in the capital, Stanley.
​
While the weather is similar to north east England, albeit with less rain and more wind, the fauna and flora are very different. Penguin species King, Gentoo, Magellanic, Southern Rockhopper and Macaroni, together with many other land and sea bird species, including 70% of the world’s population of black-browed albatross, are found in the British overseas territory which is two-thirds the size of Wales. Marine life is plentiful and sei whales, orcas, dolphins, elephant seals, and sea lions can be spotted. There is no public transport on the islands and outside Stanley most roads are gravel tracks. Air and sea services are often disrupted by the strong winds.
​
Fishing and sheep farming are the Falklands’ main industries, with tourism also an important part of the economy. Emma’s role encompassed most elements of the legal system, including legal adviser to Justice of the Peace in the Summary Court, Registrar to the Supreme Court, Commissioner for Oaths for all probate applications and Legal Aid Administrator. She was also responsible for managing the budget, paying bills, recruiting and training Justices of the Peace and issuing liquor licenses and summonses.
Emma provided some other interesting insights into Falklands life: There is no dairy; fresh milk is sold direct from the farmer and normally in used vodka bottles; mail arrives only twice-weekly on military flights and has to be collected from the central post office (no home deliveries); hiking is a key leisure activity but there are no trails to guide walkers, only military maps, and no mobile phone signal. Patients are flown to Chile or Uruguay for more complicated hospital treatments as medical care is limited on the islands.
Thank you Emma for a fascinating account of a place that all of us have heard of but few have ever visited!
‘Saltwell Park Gates,
Gateshead-on-Tyne’
by Charlie Rogers
Following our earlier article about local painter Charlie Rogers, we plan to feature one of Charlie’s works on a regular basis. This painting, signed and dated October 2014, shows the main gates, opposite the Little Theatre.
​
More examples of Charlie’s work can be seen at Come View My Art Gallery, 122 Sheriff’s Highway, Gateshead. www.comeviewmyartgallery.co.uk .
Brian Rankin is happy to talk to groups and can be contacted by clicking here.
You can also read an article in the Chronicle about the gallery and Brian’s commitment to promoting great local artists and making art affordable to everyone https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/new-gateshead-art-gallery-showcases-27607974.amp
Brighton Avenue school pupils explore park’s history and heritage.
March 2024
One morning in March 2024, 29 pupils from Brighton Avenue Primary School visited the park. They were keen to learn more about the buildings and structures in the park, why they were built and how they are used today. The children worked in three teams and followed a trail to identify key landmarks and learn about their history. William Wailes used octagon shapes extensively in the design and construction of the park and the groups were asked to locate octagonal structures as they walked around.
​
The children were fascinated by the antics of the parrots in Pets’ Corner who mimicked their actions. Another highlight of their visit was the maze where they were happy to get lost while enjoying the fresh air and physical activity. The children’s enthusiasm was a joy to see and it gave volunteers from the Friends the chance to chat to young people about environmental and conservation issues. Saltwell Park is very much the People’s Park and by sharing experiences we hope stronger connections will be made which will help preserve it for future generations.
Fresh Air, Gentle Exercise, Good Company and an Edible End Result — What Could be Better?
You can get all of this by coming to help in our Apple Bee Community Orchard in 2024! No previous experience is necessary and we can supply tools but you might like to bring some gardening gloves with you.
​
We meet every Wednesday from 11am –12.30pm in the Orchard (between the tennis courts and dog exercise area). If this time is not convenient for you but you are interested in helping out please contact us as we may be able to arrange another time. There are always jobs that need doing!
Update on Saltwell Park - Gateshead Council.
March 2024
As the Park starts to wake up from winter to spring the bulbs are showing signs of life. The Almond Pavilion, now home to the popular Prism Café, has had a face lift with the painting now completed and is looking great. We've also carried out some internal repairs and paintwork.
​
Elsewhere in the Park we have lots of maintenance planned in the coming months. The aviaries are going to be repaired, repainted and re-roofed. The raised beds next to the Apple Bee Community Orchard will be reconstructed and the Belvedere Walls repointed. We are also beginning to work on the next round of signage, this time focusing on the history of the park.
​
Work on the main toilets near the children's play areas will soon be completed. This will include the opening of a Changing Places accessible wetroom to provide space for wheelchairs and/or carers and will be a welcome addition for some of our visitors. During the next financial year we will repair and repaint the perimeter fence and undertake repairs to the North and South shelters.
​
Looking ahead to the summer, event requests are starting to come in, which we hope will lead to activities that will attract more visitors. This year we will be mystery-shopped for our Green Flag and Green Heritage Awards. The judges will visit, look around the Park and maybe speak to a few people. Once they've reported back, we'll get to see the results.
​
And finally ... watch out for a new sculpture in the rose garden! Thanks again to the Friends and all volunteers for everything they do in the Park.
​
Kevin Hills
Gateshead Council
Blossom in Saltwell Park
As the days gradually get longer with the arrival of spring we can look forward to flowers starting to bloom in Saltwell Park. The Apple Bee Community Orchard should give us a better show of blossom than last year as the trees are now bigger and there are more of them. Our crocus bed is bursting with colour as you can see in our photo. We put in more corms at the end of 2023 to add to the hundreds planted in 2022. The flowers are excellent for attracting pollinating insects.
​
The Park has other spring bloomers too, particularly its cherry trees, which are a wonderful sight when all the pink blossom appears, usually between March and May. In Japan they celebrate the cherry blossom trees coming into flower by picnicking under them. This ancient celebration is called Hanami which means 'flower viewing' and is a traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers. You can read more about cherry trees, their beautiful blossom and where to see it in the UK by clicking here.
Charlie Rogers - "Gateshead's very own Lowry"
Our February 2024 event was a talk about relatively unknown local artist Charlie Rogers (1930-2020) who produced more than 100 paintings of Saltwell Park and lived a few minutes walk away in Westbourne Avenue. Brian Rankin, who gave the talk and is owner of Come View My Art Gallery at 122 Sheriff's Highway, started collecting works by Charlie Rogers a year ago and displays some of them at his premises. Rogers was a self-taught artist and only started painting while recuperating from a sports injury in the 1960s at the age of 34.
​
Many of his paintings depict areas of Gateshead and Newcastle that have since been demolished. His works provide a fascinating historical record of streets, back lanes and buildings that we will never see again, such as the Avenue Bowling Pavilion shown here that was destroyed by arsonists in 2022.
​
Charlie Rogers was a close friend of famous County Durham artist Norman Cornish, although the latter was 15 years older. The two produced sketches of each other and collaborated on at least one known piece. Brian's research is still uncovering new facts about Rogers' life and work. Local councillors recently visited Come View My Art Gallery and agree with Brian that Charlie has largely gone unrecognised and his work should be promoted, especially among the younger generations of Low Fell and Bensham.
​
"Some people have called Charlie Rogers Gateshead's very own Lowry because of the quality and subject matter of his work", says Brian. "We need to ensure his legacy is never lost."
​
Examples of Charlie's work can be seen at the gallery www.comeviewmyartgallery.co.uk Brian is happy to talk to groups and can be contacted by clicking here. You can also read an article in the Chronicle about the gallery and Brian's commitment to promoting great local artists and making art affordable to everyone. Click here to read the article.
'Pully String' Hancock - A forgotten hero of Gateshead
In January 2024 retired history teacher Guy Falkenau talked to the Friends of Saltwell Park about his grandfather, Peter Strong Hancock, who was a pioneer of improving sanitation and public health for Gateshead residents from the 1920s until his death in 1963. Born in Boldon to a family of railwaymen, Peter was employed in Boldon Colliery at age 13 for almost two years before becoming an apprentice signalman. He became an active trade union member and soon grew interested in local politics.
​
On becoming a local councillor in 1922 Peter was determined to help eradicate endemic diseases such as typhus, cholera and diphtheria. His persistence and determination were instrumental in replacing unhygienic earth midden toilets, which were prevalent in the slums of Gateshead, with modern plumbing and flushing toilets – which you can see being delivered in our photo. Peter's success earned him the nickname 'Pully String' Hancock.
​
He was also the driving force behind the creation of the Queen Elizabeth in 1948, a general hospital that could cater for the full range of the population's medical needs, and was awarded an OBE for his outstanding services to public health. A modest unassuming man, Peter also served two terms as Mayor of Gateshead in 1939 and 1940. In 1959 he was made the 9th Freeman of the County Borough of Gateshead.
​
When the 1940s Hancock Building in the grounds of Queen Elizabeth Hospital was demolished to make way for the new Accident and Emergency Centre, Guy was offered one of its two foundation stones which bore the names of his grandparents. Guy's fascinating account of both his grandfather's life and of his contribution to improving public health resonated with many attendees who had grown up in Gateshead. Peter Hancock's ashes are interred in the grounds of the hospital ... but no one is quite sure where!