Friends of Stainton and Thornton Green Spaces – Tees Valley Wild Green Places

: Stainton series 1

About the sites

Stainton Quarry and Kell Gate Green straddle Stainton Beck, between the villages of Stanton and Thornton, Middlesbrough. Stainton Quarry is a reclaimed whinstone Quarry that became Middlesbrough’s first Local nature Reserve in 2002. It has a mosaic of habitats, including woodland, meadows, copses and orchard which can be explored on a good network of footpaths. A footpath with a footbridge over the beck joins to Kell Gate Green. Leased from the Pennyman Estate the Green is managed by the local community as an attractive green spaces which provides a venue for village events, local walkers and families.

Stainton Wood, to the North of Stainton is a young woodland and playing field. Planted in 1999 t5he woodland is now thriving and providing an attractive landscape feature and habitat for birds.

About the Group

The Friends of Stainton and Thornton Green Spaces are along established group committed to the care and improvement of green spaces around the two villages. They care for Stainton Quarry and Stainton Wood in partnership with Middlesbrough Council and manage Kell Gate Green which is leased to the Parish Council. Over the years the group have managed substantial improvements to wildlife habitats and access to green spaces in the villages, including footpath work, bridges, woodland management, pond restoration, interpretative sculptures, walks leaflet and interpretation panels. They also organise family wildlife events in partnership with the Tees Valley Wildlife Trust.

The group welcome new members to take an active part in their work.

Photographs by Elizabeth Revett and Pat Burton.