Lakes kids go landscaping
SCHOOLCHILDREN from Hebburn Lakes School spent the afternoon working with Tyne Rivers Trust to landscape the banks of the Bede Burn following work to reduce the risk of flooding by the Environment Agency and South Tyneside Council.
The year four pupils got stuck into planting species that thrive in wet areas such as yellow flag iris, yellow loosestrife and flowering rush to prevent bank erosion and create a green space for local residents to enjoy.
The landscaping will also provide new habitats for wildlife.
Liz Walters, Project manager at Tyne Rivers Trust says: “We’ve been working with schoolchildren and community groups to create an attractive area for people to enjoy. It’s great to get local people involved in the project and they’ve done a fantastic job in creating what will become a green space for everyone to use.”
The work on the Bede Burn is being delivered by the Living Waterways project, which uses environmentally friendly ways to reduce the risk of flooding and is part of the wider Monkton flood alleviation scheme.
The work next to Toner Avenue Primary School has involved opening up a section of the Bede Burn, a process known as ‘daylighting’ and creating a water storage basin to store run-off water during storms.
The whole project aims to tackle surface water flooding, which happens when rainwater does not drain away or soak into the ground, but lies on or flows over the ground instead.
Project Manager Tom Pitman, who is delivering the scheme for the Environment Agency and South Tyneside Council, said: “We’ve been working alongside pupils at the school to ensure they understand what flooding is and how we are working together with partners to protect their homes and local businesses, so it’s great they can get hands on at the site with Tyne Rivers Trust to help give wildlife a boost.”