Environmental Enhancements

Ashington Town Council is proud to announce our participation in the 2025 Great British Spring Clean, a nationwide environmental campaign aimed at combating litter and preserving our shared spaces. As representatives of our community, we take the issue of littering throughout Ashington very seriously and are committed to creating a cleaner, safer, and more beautiful town for everyone.

Ashington Town Council has demonstrated its commitment to support local stakeholders and woodland users by pledging just under £4,000 from dedicated project funds towards the Project Development Phase of Ashington Community Woods. This investment, combined with additional funding from Ward Councillors’ Environmental Enhancements budget, will support comprehensive consultation, steering group management, and the preparation of funding applications to help realise the community’s vision for this cherished space.

The Town Council has appointed Groundwork NE & Cumbria, a leading environmental and community charity, to lead this exciting initiative. Groundwork NE & Cumbria brings extensive experience in delivering community-led environmental projects and has a proven track record of working collaboratively with local communities to create lasting positive change. Their approach focuses on empowering local voices and ensuring projects are shaped by those they benefit, while championing practical action to combat climate and nature emergencies. This expertise will be invaluable in developing the woodland’s future while ensuring the community remains at the heart of decision-making.

A fantastic community effort yesterday resulted in an incredible 38 bags of litter collected!

As we move through the winter months, we wanted to share an update about our town’s sustainable planting schemes and acknowledge the dedicated work of our Neighbourhood Services Officers, Mark and Ryan, who maintain our public spaces along Station Road, at our town gateways, and alongside our memorials.

You may notice that our planted areas look different from previous years. This is intentional - we have moved away from seasonal bedding plants that, while providing bright bursts of colour, require frequent replacement and have a larger environmental footprint. Instead, we have embraced sustainable, climate-friendly planting that provides year-round interest through varied textures, forms, and seasonal changes.

While winter gardens may appear less manicured than summer displays, there is beauty in seeing plants through their natural cycles. Our officers work hard to maintain these areas, ensuring they remain healthy and well-tended, even as the plants enter their dormant period. The structural elements of our chosen plants - seed heads, architectural stems, and evergreen foliage - create winter interest while providing valuable habitat for wildlife. Spring bulbs will start appearing soon!

A project will take place in Ashington next year to mark the 80th Anniversary of the ending of World War II.

Ashington Town Council has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining town assets with a recent tidy-up and planting project at the iconic Mining Wheel on Rotary Parkway.

Ashington Town Council has recently installed locally made seating at two bus shelters in the town. This project highlights the Council’s commitment to sustainability and utilising local skill, with the seats expertly crafted by Mr Tony Webster of Websters Workshop, based at Green Lane Workspace.

Ashington Town Council is carrying out essential housekeeping and maintenance work on local play areas, aligning with our priority of ‘improving the environment and providing a safe and pleasant place to live’. These activities are being carried out in preparation for the busy school holiday period.

Our dedicated Neighbourhood Services Officers, Mark Air and Ryan Appleby, have worked hard to upkeep several play areas, including Peoples Park and North Seaton Colliery. Their efforts demonstrate our workforce’s commitment to maintaining our community spaces. We’re also working collaboratively with teams from Northumberland County Council Neighbourhood Services, who have provided valuable assistance with some of the maintenance tasks.

Ashington Town Council is pleased to announce the installation of new secure gates at Nursery Park Allotment site. This improvement, brought forward by the Council’s new allotment officer, Alan Bunker, addresses longstanding concerns raised by allotment holders and enhances the security and management of the site.

The new installation includes both vehicle and pedestrian entrances with lockable gates, resolving parking issues that have frustrated the site.

Despite budget constraints, the Council prioritised this project to fulfil its duty of maintaining and securing allotment gardens. Haydon County Cllr Brian Gallacher, and Haydon Ward Town Cllrs, Marjorie Chambers, Graeme Wright and John Tully collaborated to share costs, demonstrating a commendable example of cooperation for community benefit.

We are plesed to commend the swift response of our Neighbourhood Services Officers (NSOs) when faced with vandalism to several Haydon ward litter bins. Our team demonstrated that we won’t be deterred from maintaining our town’s cleanliness and despite the sweltering heat sprang into action, swiftly reinstalling and upgrading litter bins in the Haydon Ward. Their quick response ensures that these isolated incidents of vandalism do not impact our services for long.

Despite the hot weather, our NSO team worked efficiently to replace the affected bins. The new installations are now secured on concrete plinths for improved durability.