Awards celebrate the county's green heroes
17 Jul 2025
The very best in community and voluntary environmental work across the county has been celebrated at this year’s LOVE Northumberland awards ceremony.
Community groups, organisations, schools and individuals were honoured with awards across seven categories in what is now the event’s 15th year.
From schools creating a walking bus through to a project encouraging sustainable cooking– award winners spanned the length and breadth of the county – and involved everyone from young children to those who have spent decades helping their community.
Representatives of all shortlisted entries attended the event at The Alnwick Garden hosted by BBC Radio Newcastle presenter Anna Foster, with awards presented by The Duchess of Northumberland
Councillor John Riddle, Cabinet Member for Environment and Rural at Northumberland County Council, said: “Once again all the entries should be very proud of their work - they are fantastic examples of communities working together across our beautiful county.”
“While these awards are now in their 15th year, the efforts of volunteers, local community groups and individuals to improve their local environment is invaluable in our county and it’s been great to recognise them through these awards.
This year’s winners were:
Schools Go Smarter Sustainable Travel Award (two winners)
Ellington Primary School: Staff and pupils had concerns about the volume of traffic, both at the school gate and in the surrounding residential streets.
There had been a number of incidents and complaints about parking and the school wanted to find a way to address these issues, so the School Council and Eco–Council took on the challenge! The school decided to form a Walking Bus which is simply a group of supervised children who meet and walk to school together along an identified route.
The aims were to reduce traffic congestion, increase active travel and also prevent the environmental damage caused by the number of vehicles on the school run. Children, staff and governors planned where to start the Walking Bus and decided which was the safest route to take to school and this was advertised to all parents. The Walking Bus started straightaway and has run constantly every single Tuesday and Thursday throughout the year, with the number of pupils taking part increasing steadily.
The Walking Bus meets at The Plough Inn, with some parents parking in the car park and many others walking their children to meet the bus. Staff then lead the children through the village to school. The school has designated Junior Road Safety Officers and Walking Bus Ambassadors who have all had training from Northumberland County Council and they help run the Walking Bus. Staff voluntarily support the bus, with the headteacher, senior leaders, class teachers and teaching assistants all volunteering to walk with the children. Parents and grandparents also join us regularly for the walk to school. The impact has been significant: reduced congestion outside of school, making the road safer for children and the community, parking problems have been reduced massively. Some days over 40 children join the walking bus, walking over two thousand steps each day before school, greatly increasing their daily activity.
Ellington’s next goal is to create a Cycling Club at school where they can take children out of school on cycle rides, teaching the benefits of cycling for themselves and the wider world and hopefully increasing the numbers of children cycling in Ellington and the surrounding area. Ellington Primary are committed to encourage sustainable travel for children, parents, staff and the wider community to help reduce our reliance on cars. They hope to ultimately encourage more children and their wider families to reap the benefits of regular walking
Stannington First School: The school is passionate about encouraging pupils and families to enjoy a sustainable journey to school.
To encourage this, they log school journeys daily using the Living Streets Travel Tracker, engage with many different initiatives including Walk to School weeks and themed events, treasure hunts, biker’s brunches and much more. But this academic year, they decided they needed to include something new to ensure these habits become daily choices for both the journey to school and for life. They decided that Cycling and Scooting break times would be the next step and could be included in the timetabled day for all pupils, the aim was that children who used a scooter or cycle to travel to school, could then use them at break times on the ‘road’ on the school yard or the school cycle track.
This proved to be a popular initiative, but they realised that to develop skills and build habits for life, every pupil needed to be involved, so they worked with their PTA and were able to fundraise for a whole class set of scooters so that going forward everyone could have scooter lessons, timetabled within the school day, specifically to teach safety skills, build confidence and get everyone moving. Since January 2025, every class has had dedicated timetabled lessons where pupils learn how to put their helmet on securely, control their scooter and also learn how to scoot safely when they are around other traffic. Stannington teach all of their pupils about different modes of transport and the benefits of active and sustainable travel and it’s inclusive too … everyone can get involved from nursery through to the oldest pupils in Year 4. Staff can also take part wThe school also remains committed to promoting sustainable travel and they are proud to tell everyone about this. Initiatives such as Walk to School month, Bling Your Wheels, Walking Rocks are now annual events, working with pupils and families to encourage them to make sustainable travel a daily choice wherever possible.
Best Children’s Project
Stannington First School: As an eco-school, Stannington First School are continually looking for innovative ways to engage pupils in caring for their beautiful local environment.
They identified a bare grassy patch of land outside the school that pupils felt would be much improved if it attracted more wildlife. As it was outside of the school perimeter, the children also felt that developing this space would be beneficial to our wider community providing a new wildlife corridor in the village that would provide shelter for a wider range of birds and insects and small animals such as hedgehogs. This area could be enjoyed by residents, passers-by and the children as they arrive and leave the school and hopefully inspire them to create a wildlife area in their own gardens. The children researched different ideas and drew up plans.
As a result of this the idea for their ‘Community Wildlife Garden’ took shape. Although the ‘Community Wildlife Garden’ is only just finished they have already spotted some butterflies and other insects in this space, which is amazing! The bare grassy patch is now planted with flowering plants and shrubs which, over the next few months, will start to flower and this will have further impact. They chose plants that will attract pollinating insects, and the children have learned about the importance of pollinators and are happy to share their expertise with visitors. They have planted seeds which were donated by the RHS ‘Grow With It’ scheme which challenged people all over the country to grow a small space with a big impact, and this has certainly been achieved. Every pupil in school has been involved in this project, in some capacity, from researching how to attract pollinating insects, planting seeds, filling the bug hotel and making sure the area is kept well-watered. The project was an ambitious one, and its success has been down to the children as well as the support received from the local community.
This project has demonstrated both innovation and enterprise as it has been shaped from the start by pupils and their enthusiasm for protecting the natural world. This has been matched by the passion and support from the wider community which has enabled the children to realise their goal.
Best Young People’s Project
Bede Academy: Personal Development week is an annual event in June where students are off normal timetabled lessons and they put Bede’s Core Virtues into action by showing how much tthey value their gifts and talents, their future opportunities, the local environment and heritage, and the people who make the community a better place.
Service to the community is a foundation of the academy and Personal Development Week, now in its fifth year, is one of many opportunities to make the county clean and green. All 240 Year 7 students take part in community engagement in public spaces, as well as 240 Year 9 students planting trees. In addition to community service, Year 7 students have taken part in sessions on Biodiversity (creating bird feeders) and Engineering (where they made bat boxes for Friends of Crofton Fields). Other aspects of the week include talks from local organisations such as the Environment Agency on flooding issues, the Time Bandits on local history, RLSS on water safety and the Blyth Wildlife Rescue. In additional to acts of service, Personal Development week provides students with a significant personal challenge.
These include a residential experience for year 8, completing the Duke of Edinburgh award in year 9 and completing work experience in year 10. With Friends of Crofton Fields the students and staff contributed to making the area beautiful for residents and tourists by weeding, cutting back bushes, footpath maintenance and painting of sheds and fences. Eco Club sowed seeds and nurtured plants to be part of a long border where different community groups adopted a plot, this was planted up during Personal Development week and judged in the Blyth in Bloom gardening competition in 2024 achieving a Gold award.
On an annual basis during Personal Development week over 500 students and 40 staff engage in community action. Each of the organisations they work with bring their own volunteers. Eco Club meets once a week with a regular attendance of roughly 8 students. The litter picking initiative involves one tutor group per day of 30 students. The strength of this initiative is the sheer number of people involved in community engagement over the last 14 years and how this project has evolved into what it is today. Their prize money will be used to continue to develop the sensory garden in the grounds of the school as a space for contemplation, prayer and appreciation of nature.
Best Urban Project
Northumberland Community Enterprise: The One Sky Project embodies a deep and active love for Northumberland, particularly the community of Stobhill in Morpeth. Through One Sky they are building resilience, dignity, and pride. The community-led green initiatives support local families while tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions.
They operate a school uniform bank, making good-quality clothing accessible and preventing unnecessary waste. The community fridge helps reduce food waste and food insecurity by redistributing surplus food to those in need. The community garden and two community allotments provide fresh produce, therapeutic outdoor spaces, and the chance for residents of all ages to reconnect with nature and each other. These spaces are tended by local volunteers and promote mental and physical well-being.
The Community Repaint scheme collects unused paint for reuse by local people and groups, reducing landfill waste and improving homes and community spaces. The community garden and two community allotments have transformed previously underused or neglected spaces into vibrant green areas that support pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.
They use organic growing methods, composting, and water conservation techniques, all of which contribute to healthier soil and local ecosystems. These spaces not only provide fresh produce but also act as mini-habitats, increasing biodiversity in the area. The One Sky Project is not just a collection of services—it’s a welcoming, supportive network that reflects the diversity of our community and builds stronger, more inclusive connections across Stobhill and the wider Morpeth area.
Volunteers are central to the One Sky Project. They currently have 40 active volunteers who contribute regularly on a weekly basis, and some daily. They support all areas of the project, including managing the community fridge, maintaining the garden and allotments, sorting school uniforms, redistributing paint, and engaging with local residents. Their dedication is key to the project's success and community impact.
They will use their prize money to purchase hand tools and materials for the Community Garden in Stobhill.
Best Coast or Countryside Project
Cresswell Pele Tower CIO: In Creswell the 250-year-old walled garden is adjacent to the recently restored 14th century Creswell Pele Tower and is the last surviving part of what was once a 6-acre kitchen garden for the Cresswell Hall estate.
In 2019, Parkdean Resorts, who own the garden, offered the group with a 25-year lease at a peppercorn rent. Volunteers began clearing decades of accumulated rubbish and weeds and started to plant the borders with home-grown herbaceous perennials. Once the necessary funds had been secured (circa £250,000) a landscape company was appointed to carry out all the main capital works and the result is a stunning, fully accessible community garden for both residents and visitors to enjoy.
The garden includes herbaceous borders, an orchard, a pond for wildlife, a vegetable patch and beehives as some of the volunteers have been trained in bee keeping. There is a greenhouse/coldframe and oak framed gazebo, ideal for events and other activities. The garden is open daily and is free to enter. This project has restored one of Northumberland’s most valuable but neglected historic and heritage features, making it accessible to a wide audience. The walled garden has been transformed from an overgrown monoculture of rosebay willowherb into a dynamic and colourful community space, full of beauty, bird song and the buzzing of insects. The garden is organic and has just become a composting demonstration site in association with Garden Organic. They have links with various local groups including the Full Circle Food Project in Ashington, to address food poverty and they run an annual bioblitz in partnership with ERIC (North East).
The group are especially proud to promote reuse, recycling and other aspects of sustainability which includes reuse of waste from skips.
They host school and group visits and have included some of these with joint tree planting initiatives with the Northumberland Rivers Trust. They host their own beekeeping group, with three productive hives. Their newly installed “brick” path, constructed from local colliery stamped bricks, has proven to be a great success, provoking discussion and nostalgia as well as reuse of waste materials. The walled garden is free of charge, and fully accessible including wheelchairs users for whom there is an adapted picnic table.
Plans for the future include welcoming new volunteers, nurturing existing ones and developing new opportunities for participation. They hope to develop the pilot arts project.
Their prize money will be used to offer garden volunteers the opportunity to visit similar projects and to assist the Living History Group who bring the restored walled garden to life.
Best Community Response to Climate Change Emergency Project
Full Circle Food Project: The Energy Outreach Project was developed in direct response to the growing pressures of the cost-of-living crisis and the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions at a community level. The project aimed to engage households across south-east Northumberland in practical, accessible ways to lower their energy use, with a particular focus on sustainable cooking methods.
In 3 months they delivered 15 interactive outreach sessions in community centres, family hubs, libraries, churches and local support venues. These sessions were designed to educate, empower, and equip residents with the knowledge and tools to reduce both their energy bills and their environmental footprint, as well as providing them with education on creating a quick, tasty nutritious, budget-friendly meal. In total, the project reached over 255 individuals and households, many of whom were vulnerable to fuel poverty.
The Energy Outreach Project contributed meaningfully to Northumberland’s local environmental quality by directly reducing household energy consumption, cutting carbon emissions, and encouraging more sustainable domestic behaviours. This shift not only lowers individual carbon footprints but also eases overall demand on the energy grid, contributing to cleaner air and reduced emissions at the local level.
The cumulative impact of hundreds of households adopting small, consistent energy-saving practices has a ripple effect across the community, supporting Northumberland’s broader climate goals. In essence, the project improved environmental quality not just through immediate reductions in energy use and emissions, but by planting the seeds of long-term, community-wide change, making sustainability a practical, everyday reality for the people of Northumberland. The sessions welcomed individuals and families of all ages and backgrounds. Participants left not only with new skills and knowledge but with a sense of connection and shared purpose, helping to build a more resilient, environmentally aware Northumberland.
Volunteers were central to the success of the project, helping to create a warm, supportive and well-organised environment at each session. Through fundraising the project raised just under £10,000 in order to give each attendee a free cooking appliance. What sets this project apart is its combination of climate education, behavioural change, and direct material support. Rather than focusing solely on advice or awareness, it empowers residents to take action immediately by providing free energy-efficient cooking appliances such as air fryers and slow cookers to those most in need.
Outstanding Individual Award (Three winners)
Jennifer Page: Jen is part of the Hexham and Tynedale Community Trust working on the Jubilee Garden at Hexham Community Centre. Jen has made a huge impact through being single-handedly responsible for breathing new life into the Jubilee Garden. As the initial construction phase came to an end the Jubilee Garden development was put to one side as staff capacity and funding was needed elsewhere. So, Jen began volunteering in January 2024 and came up with a plan that followed the environmental ethos of the garden and could be achieved with minimal monetary investment. Her dedication to the creation of the garden transformed it from a rather industrial and unpleasant space in January to a beautiful, tranquil garden buzzing with life by June.
Her work inspired the team at the Community Centre to look at more ways to use the space and spread the joy of the garden to hundreds of visitors over last summer. Jen has returned this Spring and will be working alongside Katrin to grow the garden’s engagement and continue to develop exciting spaces for use by the community in Hexham.
Alan Winlow MBE: Alan is a remarkable, unassuming, modest, and generous man who has quietly done a great deal of good work in the Rothbury area for many, many years.
The impact of this work is felt by all in the local community, who now enjoy seeing trees growing in verges and fields. They are able to enjoy the lovely tree walk he has created, and they benefit from the clever flood defences he also has introduced. Local people seek his advice on a range of “eco” issues, and he always helps freely and with great generosity.
Alan was an engineer, and he uses this knowledge and skill set, along with his wide knowledge of plants and trees, to improve the biodiversity in the local area. Not only does he work to mitigate the effects of climate change, but he also focuses on adaptation – that is adjusting to the climate impacts which are already happening, for example by creating innovative flood defences.
For many years Alan has been growing Christmas trees for Hospice Care to sell to raise funds or give away to those that need them. Alan always makes time for people seeking to learn more about trees, planting, and energy – he is extremely knowledgeable about solar, batteries, heat and air pumps. He is also part of the Northumbrian Basketry Group!
Helen Hindson: Helen has been nominated by her sister who tells us she is inspiring and remarkable, a real trailblazer and she is immensely proud of the amazing work she has done, which has improved her local environment and benefited the community.
Helen has been a Keep Britain Tidy ambassador since its inception. She began litter picking 13 years ago, whilst walking her new puppy in and around Seghill in South-east Northumberland.
Helen had already cleared decades of rubbish from the surrounding woodlands, but with this additional help decided that the Seghill Clean Team could really get stuck in and get even deeper down and dirty to clear the Seaton Burn at Seghill. They have also completed a variety of environmental projects.
Helen is secretary of Cramlington and District Red Squirrel group and is passionate about saving our red squirrels. She brings refreshments along to activity days including her home-made wild garlic scones, nettle cake and squirrel biscuits.
Helen is the groups mascot involved with fun community engagement. Helen chairs Seghill food hub, which is based in her local community centre. Popular with volunteers and customers alike, the cafe helps with social isolation and provides a warm hub in colder months. 3 years ago, Helen joined the Joint Local Access Forum for Northumberland, an independent body with an interest in public rights of way and access to the countryside in Northumberland. Recently she arranged a site visit to Cramlington nature reserve for the group, followed by a talk about ‘Cramlington Wild Spaces’.
Helen is also chair of Seghill Community Gala, an annual village parade and festival. Helen is obviously a very busy person, who simply wants the best for Seghill village, Seaton Valley and Northumberland in general. She started off walking alone with her dog but now works alongside groups of wonderful like-minded people who have become great friends.