Written by: James Hutchinson
2021
Resources from Whitley Bay Golf Club are used annually to undertake the cutting and collecting of large grassland areas, working alongside a group of local volunteers to improve a site of ecological significance. The addition of the club's equipment allows this work to be undertaken efficiently. Before our involvement in this project, all work was undertaken by volunteers using strimmers and hand rakes. The Brierdene is a small coastal dene, on the northern edge of Whitley Bay, the site is of ecological significance in the local area. It has managed to avoid agricultural and urban development and was probably once wooded. The banksides of the dene contain one of the best examples of semi-natural grassland in North Tyneside, with small areas of base flush meadows. The dene is also a locally important site for coastal migrants, mammals, herb-rich banksides and a number of butterfly species.
