VisitWoods in East Durham

VisitWoods works with partner organisations representing children and young people, older people and people with disabilities to bring woods to new audiences. VisitWoods aims to inspire people to discover woods across the whole of the UK, but particularly in East Durham where there are lots of fantastic woods in an area which has a high level of deprivation.

The VisitWoods outreach officer, Chris Affleck, hopes to be able to show people in East Durham what a fantastic, free resource the woods on their doorstep are, whether you want to improve your health, spend more time with the family or simply enjoy some peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle of urban life.

The VisitWoods East Durham outreach officer post is funded for three years. In this time, the outreach officer will work with small groups on a series of community-led pilot projects which will then be rolled out throughout the East Durham area.

By working with the local community and providing a wide range of activities and resources, the outreach officer will continually strive towards improving access to woods in East Durham whilst highlighting key benefits including leading a healthy lifestyle, preserving existing woodland and ongoing learning about nature and the historical background of East Durham.

VisitWoods will compliment services currently available with in East Durham and offer a variety of opportunities to visit woods, especially for those who don’t currently take part in woodland activities. Working with existing services and volunteers means VisitWoods can continue after the end of the three year funding period, and people in East Durham can continue to enjoy their local woodlands.