Yahoo News Dozens of North Tyneside nature reserve volunteers complete work on new path and steps ahead of busy summer
Volunteers at a North Tyneside nature reserve have finished a new set of stairs and a path in time for the warmer weather.
Weetslade Country Park, between Wideopen and Dudley, attracts more than 75,000 visitors each year, many of whom walk up the steps to the drill head structure. From there, views stretch to Newcastle city centre, the coast, and even the Cheviot Hills.
More than 60 volunteers have worked on the 123 newly refurbished whinstone filled timber framed steps and 40 metres of newly-laid path. Over the course of the refurbishment, volunteers filled 3,500 buckets with whinstone to complete the work.
Northumberland Wildlife Trust, which manages the site, hopes that the work will enhance the public's visitor experience on the site. Weetslade is home to several habitats including wildflower meadows, grassland, scrub, reed bed and woodland, while wildlife including otters can be spotted on the site.
It's also a popular spot for birders and twitches, with skylarks breeding in their enclosure during the spring, and swallows, swifts and martins giving aerial shows in the summer. Towards the end of summer, flocks of goldfinches can be spotted, while grey partridge and kingfisher also visit the site.
Peter Ernst, Northumberland Wildlife Trust reserves officer, said: "Our work on the site never ends and we are so lucky to have a wonderful team of volunteers who turn up whatever the weather to ensure visitors have a wonderful experience every time and the wildlife have a safe place to live."
