North Pennines National Landscape

Volunteer opportunities - plug planting
2025-11-27 10:00 - 15:30, 2025-12-03 10:00 - 15:30 (Europe/London) | Teesdale
This autumn we are looking for volunteers to help with plug planting on farms across Teesdale.
Plug planting helps to increase biodiversity, creates habitats for pollinators and conserves threatened wildflower species in hay meadows.
We will be plug planting at several locations across Teesdale throughout the autumn.
Plug planting dates:

23 September, 10:00 – 15:30
9 October, 10:00 – 15:30
17 October, 10:00 – 15:30
22 October, 10:00 – 15:30
29 October, 10:00 – 13:00 (followed by Bowlees Nursery drop in)
6 November, 10:00 – 15:30
27 November, 10:00 – 15:30
3 December, 10:00-15:30

All training and equipment will be provided
A general level of fitness is required, please wear outdoor clothing and sturdy shoes. The exact locations will be given closer to the dates.
Please sign up using the volunteer platform Better Impact.

Historic environment indoor working day
2025-11-28 10:00 - 16:00, 2025-12-12 10:00 - 16:00
These indoor working days follow each on-site working day, giving the opportunity to get involved with processing photogrammetry images into models, archiving condition assessment data, and undertaking historic research. You’ll have the chance to work with other volunteers and trained staff, while helping us to safeguard these important sites.
Please bring your lunch. Refreshments will be provided throughout the day. If you want to bring equipment with you, you are welcome to, but we will also have some equipment available for you to use.
You do not need to have attended the associated site day to join us for these indoor work sessions.
Dates – all at Stanhope from 10am to 4pm:
Friday 24 October
Friday 28 November
Friday 12 December
Please book using the Better Impact volunteer system

Saturday stroll - a guided walk
2025-11-29 10:30 - 14:30 | Bowlees Visitor Centre
Join us for a guided walk through a historic landscape at a relaxed pace on the last Saturday of each month.
The walk starting at Bowlees Visitor Centre, Teesdale, on 29 November will begin at 10.30am and finish at approximately 1pm. You are welcome to join us after the walk for free refreshments finishing by 2:30pm.
All ages are welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult and must be able to walk or be carried as the paths may not be suitable for pushchairs). Well behaved dogs on a short lead are welcome. The walks will be approximately 3 miles in length on mostly flat ground and with rest breaks along the way.
The final details of the walk are subject to change, please check back closer to the event for final details. There are likely to be a couple of stiles to climb over on this walk.
Optional donation – suggested amount £3. Your donation enables the North Pennines National Landscape team to protect and restore this special place and help people connect with nature.
Please use the Ticketsource link to book.

Tree and hedge planting
2025-12-03 10:00 - 15:30 | Bowlees Visitor Centre
Join us on farms across Teesdale to create more space for nature and improve habitat connectivity by planting trees and hedgerows.
There are several volunteer opportunities for tree and hedge planting throughout the winter, at locations across Teesdale.
Tree and hedge planting dates, 10am to 3.30pm:

14 November
19 November
25 November
2 December
3 December
10 December
16 January 2026
22 January
30 January
5 February
10 February
18 February

A light lunch will be provided but please bring any drinks and snacks. All ages are welcome, children must be supervised by adult. All training and equipment will be provided. Please wear outdoor clothing and bring waterproofs, and wear boots with a sturdy sole. A general level of fitness needed.
Volunteer opportunities may be postponed due to weather conditions, any changes will be communicated at least 24 hours before the event where possible.
For any enquires please email william@northpennines.org.uk
Please sign up using the volunteer site Better Impact

Westgate Village historical group meeting
2025-12-03 18:00 - 20:00 | Westgate Village Hall, Front Street, Westgate, DL13 1RX
Come along to the first gathering of the Westgate Village historical group, Wednesday 3 December, 6pm to 8pm at Westgate Village Hall.
As part of the Village histories project, we’ll be exploring and recording the natural and cultural heritage of Westgate and its surrounding area.
This exciting project aims to bring together local knowledge, memories, and research to create a lasting record for future generations and there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved. The group is aimed at residents of Westgate, those who live nearby, or simply have an interest in the history of the village.
At this session, you can:

Learn more about the project and how to take part
Share your stories, photographs, and personal memories
Contribute your ideas to help shape the project’s content and focus

Free refreshments will be available throughout the session.
Please use the link to Ticketsource to book

Introduction to QGIS workshop
2025-12-04 10:00 - 16:00 | High Forest Community Centre, Sinderhope, NE47 9SJ
Help us map historic sites by learning how to use this digital mapping software, QGIS (Quantum Geographic Information System). This can be used to look at how many historic sites we have in a particular area of the North Pennines, where they are located, and give insight into how the sites were used.
The QGIS workshop is on Thursday 4 December 10am to 4pm, at High Forest Community Centre, Sinderhope.
QGIS is a free digital mapping software that is commonly used in archaeology and heritage management. The programme can be used to gather, store and visualise data. You will also receive a copy of our QGIS manual that you can keep and use as you continue using the programme.
Please note, all attendees need to be over the age of 18 and will need to bring along their own laptop in order to be able to join the workshop.
Please sign up using the volunteer system Better Impact.

North Pennines historic environment forum: online
2025-12-06 10:00 - 16:00 | Online
Join us online for the North Pennines Historic Environment Forum on Saturday 6 December, 10am to 4pm, for a day of talks about the heritage of the North Pennines.
Talks will feature guest speakers and National Landscape staff and cover a range of work celebrating the history and culture of this unique landscape. The day will also feature a showcase of short films exploring the history of the North Pennines and the Land of Lead and Silver project.
Programme:
10:00 Arrival and housekeeping
10:10 Welcome – Steve Trotter, Chair of the North Pennines National Landscape Partnership) and
10:15 Ian Forbes remembered – Chris Woodley-Stewart, Director, North Pennines National Landscape and Greg Finch (Dukesfield Documents and Altogether Archaeology)
10:30 Recent excavations at Gueswick Hills – Rob Pearson, Altogether Archaeology
11:00 Roman and prehistoric metal mining in the North Pennines – a geoscience perspective – Ian Jackson
11:30 Tea break
11:40 Land of Lead and Silver – end of year 2 updates – Andie Harris, North Pennines National Landscape
12:10 Questions for session 1
12:20 Lunch – showcase of videos from the year playing during lunch break
13:00 Community archaeology in the Land of Lead and Silver – Colin Elder
13:30 Nenthead200: celebrating the industrial heritage of Nenthead – Rebecca Cadbury-Simmons, North Pennines National Landscape
14:00 Drawing The Weighman: the comic-book adaptation of Chester Armstrong’s Pilgrimage from Nenthead – Nick Dodds
14:30 Questions for session 2
14:40 Tea break
14:50 Lead and Silver: a community play inspired by the Allenheads miner’s strike – Jo Rendall, North Pens Playwrites
15:10 2025 consolidation works – Gary, Heritage Consolidation Ltd
15:40 Questions for session 3
15:50 Thank you and closing remarks
16:00 Finish
Optional donation – suggested amount £5. Your donation enables the North Pennines National Landscape team to protect and restore this special place and help people connect with nature.
Please book using the link to Ticketsource

Historic environment on-site working day
2025-12-09 10:00 - 16:00
Come along and get involved in recording historic structures on working days at sites around the North Pennines. This is a chance to use your skills related to recording historic features, including photogrammetry and condition assessment. You’ll have the chance to work with other volunteers and trained staff, while helping us to safeguard these important sites.
You will need to bring walking boots and clothing appropriate for spending the day outdoors in a variety of weathers. You will also need a packed lunch, snacks and a drink. You are welcome to bring equipment with you, but we will also have some equipment available for you to use.
Dates:
Tuesday 21 October – Allen Mill, near Allendale, Northumberland
Tuesday 25 November – Dukesfield Smelt Mill, Northumberland tbc
Tuesday 9 December – Nenthead Mines, Cumbria
Please book using the Better Impact volunteer system

Historic environment research workshop: unlocking the asylum archives
2025-12-12 12:30 - 17:00 | The Story, (Durham County Archives), Mount Oswald, Durham, DH1 3TQ
Come along to The Story (Durham County Archives), Friday 12 December, 12.30pm to 5pm, for an opportunity to develop archival skills and interact with historical material from The Winterton Hospital (formerly known as Durham County Lunatic Asylum) Collection.
The workshop will include:

A display class with historical material from the Winterton Collection (patient registers, illustrated casebooks, post-mortem reports) exploring how to use them and what they can tell us.
An illustrated history of Durham County Asylum.
Introduction to palaeography skills (reading old handwriting) session with an activity using original documents
Introduction to digital resources session with activity using Ancestry records.

This is the first archival skills workshop for up to ten volunteers as part of a new volunteer research project “Melancholy, Mania and Metallurgy: Unlocking the Asylum Archives” which be uncovering the stories of North Pennines lead miners and their families who spent time in County Asylums.
There will be similar workshops held at Carlisle Archives and Northumberland Archives early next year.
(Please note that this project is for adults only. Historical documents use outdated terminology to describe disability and mental health conditions and may also contain material that some people find offensive or distressing.)
Please sign up using the volunteer platform Better Impact
Image C Ninesergeants

North Pennines Young Archaeologists' Club
2025-12-13 10:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-17 10:00 - 13:00, 2026-02-07 10:00 - 13:00 | Alston Moor Recreation Ground and Pavilion, Alston, CA9 3HS
North Pennines YAC is open to everyone aged 8–16 years interested in archaeology.
Become a member of the North Pennines Young Archaeologists’ Club (YAC) and get involved in all sorts of activities, including visiting and investigating archaeological sites and historic places, trying out traditional crafts, taking part in excavations, and lots more.
The club meet once a month on a Saturday at Alston Moor Recreation Ground and Pavilion, 10am to 1pm. The first session of 2026 is 17 January. We encourage signing up for as many sessions as possible to get the best experience.
YAC is the place for young people who might want to become a professional archaeologist in the future, or just feel like taking up an amazing new hobby. It offers 8 to 16 year olds the chance to get their hands mucky, participating in archaeology and discovering why it matters. The clubs explore all eras of human history, including the Romans, Vikings, Ancient Egyptians and Victorians, and members take part in all sorts of hands-on activities, such as investigating archaeological sites and historic places, taking part in excavations, and working with artefacts.
The club also run lots of craft-based activities based on archaeological periods and technology, with members trying out many traditional crafts.
Please note that the location and timing of some sessions may change depending on the activities planned. Please check back closer to the date or email rebecca@northpennines.org.uk for more details.
Please use the link to Ticketsource to book.

The adder through movement workshop
2026-01-10 10:00 - 16:00 | Stanhope Community Centre, DL13 2ND
POSTPONED – A new date will be issued for this event.
Everyone is invited to a free full-day ‘Adder through Movement’ workshop, at Stanhope Community Centre, Saturday 10 January, 10am to 4pm.
As part of the North Pennines National Landscape Adders Up project, contemporary dancer Hollie Coleman and traditional folk dancer Gillow are offering a unique dance workshop exploring the Adder through movement.
The session will help shape the choreography for two large-scale adder puppets, which will “dance” at the Weardale Wassail in January, as well as develop a themed folk dance for participants to perform. The aim is that people will be able to follow the puppets in a lively, snake-inspired procession — dancing as they go.
Hosted by Weardale Together, the workshop will feature playful games, warm-ups, and creative movement exploration in the morning. In the afternoon, participants will learn traditional folk dances that weave and flow like snakes, creating beautiful, intertwining sequences ready for January’s celebration. No experience necessary. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
The workshop will also shine a light on local adder conservation, raising awareness of the species and the conservation efforts taking place across the North Pennines.
Please bring a packed lunch and drinks. Refreshments will be available.
Book using the link to Ticketsource

Silk painting workshop
2026-01-18 10:00 - 16:00 | Stanhope Community Centre, DL13 2ND
You are invited to to a free two-day silk painting workshop hosted by Weardale Together, at Stanhope Community Centre, Sunday 18 January, 10am to 4pm. The second workshop on Friday 23 January, at Root and Branch Café, Methodist Chapel School Rooms.
As part of the North Pennines National Landscape Adders Up project, artist Anna Harding is creating two large-scale adder performance artworks for the Weardale community, to be unveiled at the Weardale Wassail in January.
During the workshop you will learn the wax resist silk painting process and get involved in decorating the adder’s body silk.
The workshop will also raise awareness about adders, conservation, and snake symbolism in world culture.
Please note the workshop is suitable for 18+. Attendance at both sessions is encouraged. Please bring a packed lunch and drinks. Refreshments will be available.
Book using the link to Ticketsource

Historic environment on-site working day
2026-01-28 10:00 - 16:00
Come along and get involved in recording historic structures on working days at sites around the North Pennines. Held monthly apart from March and August, the first date is Wednesday 28 January, 10am to 4pm at Nenthead Mines.
Help document key features through structured field recording and targeted photography, and contribute invaluable data for ongoing conservation work. The photographs taken will also support the creation of detailed 3D models through photogrammetry and feed into Historic England’s Missing Pieces project, helping to build a richer national record of heritage sites.
You’ll have the chance to work with other volunteers and trained staff, while helping us to safeguard these important sites.
You will need to bring walking boots and clothing appropriate for spending the day outdoors in a variety of weather. You will also need a packed lunch, snacks and a drink. If you want to bring equipment with you, you are welcome to, but we will also have some equipment available for you to use.
Dates for 2026:
Wednesday 28 January – Nenthead Mines, Cumbria. Cancelled due to adverse weather conditions
Future dates with locations TBC:
• Thursday 26th February
• Tuesday 28th April
• Wednesday 27th May
• Tuesday 23rd June
• Thursday 30th July
• Wednesday 23rd September
• Tuesday 27th October
• Thursday 19th November
• Tuesday 8th December
Each day is from 10am to 4pm.
Please book using the Better Impact volunteer system

Historic environment: indoor working day
2026-01-30 10:00 - 16:00 | North Pennines National Landscape office, 1 Martin Street, Stanhope,, DL132UY
The monthly volunteer indoor working days at our Stanhope Office build on our historical research /field recording work and gives volunteers the opportunity to develop their skills further.
Historical Research volunteers
For volunteers working on historical research projects (such as “Unlocking the Asylum Archives” and “Caldwell Harpur: Diaries of a Crank”) these monthly research meetings are an excellent opportunity to meet others working on the same project to share exciting research findings, explore emerging themes, and work on any tricky transcriptions together.
Staff will be on hand to offer guidance on resources, answer questions, and help you work through any challenges and supply much needed tea and biscuits.
Photogrammetry and Archaeology volunteers
Photogrammetry volunteers can process the photographs collected on site to create detailed photogrammetry models, exploring how digital techniques can enhance our understanding of historic landscapes. Volunteers will also work with a range of sources—including written accounts, LiDAR data and QGIS mapping—to place the recorded lead mining sites in their wider historical context. Our findings will be added to Historic England’s Missing Pieces project, helping to expand and enrich the national record.
No previous experience is needed; these sessions are designed to support beginners while offering plenty of scope for those wishing to grow their research and digital heritage skills. You do not need to have attended the associated site day to join us for these indoor work sessions.
Refreshments are provided throughout the day but please bring a lunch if needed. If you want to bring equipment with you, you are welcome to, but we will also have some equipment available for you to use.
Dates for 2026 – all at Stanhope are drop in sessions from 10am to 4pm:
• Friday 1st May
• Friday 5th June
• Friday 3rd July
• Friday 7th August
• Friday 2nd October
• Friday 30th October
• Friday 4th December
• Friday 18th December)
Please sign up using the Better Impact volunteer system

Saturday stroll - a guided walk
2026-01-31 10:30 - 14:30 | Blanchland Village Hall car park, DH8 9UA
Enjoy the outdoors on a guided walk through a historical landscape on the last Saturday of every month. Join a small group of people taking in the surroundings, and learn about what shaped the landscape as well as the mining heritage.
Saturday strolls are approximately three miles in length on mostly flat ground and with rest breaks along the way.
This month’s walk starts at Blanchland, on 31 January will begin at 10.30am and finish at approximately 1pm. You are welcome to join us after the walk for free refreshments finishing by 2:30pm.
All ages are welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult and must be able to walk or be carried as the paths may not be suitable for pushchairs). Well behaved dogs on a short lead are welcome.
The final details of the walk are subject to change, please check back closer to the event for final details. There are likely to be a couple of stiles to climb over on this walk.
Optional donation – suggested amount £3. Your donation enables the North Pennines National Landscape team to protect and restore this special place and help people connect with nature.
Please use the Ticketsource link to book.

Adder survey training: online
2026-02-11 18:30 - 20:00 | Online
Join us for an online training session on 11 February, 6.30pm to 8pm, to develop your understanding of how to survey adders and help contribute valuable data to the North Pennines National Landscape’s ‘Adders Up’ project.
During the online webinar participants will learn how to safely and effectively survey for adders, how to identify and sex adders, and how to limit disturbance. They will also learn about their conservation status and threats as well as the current knowledge baseline of adders in the North Pennines.
There will be many opportunities in the future to join as volunteer adder surveyors for the North Pennines National Landscape.
Participants will also learn how to identify the other reptiles and amphibians found in the North Pennines.
The online session is open to all with the aim of adults (older children with adults) capable of surveying in the field in the future. Volunteer opportunities in the upcoming adder surveys are in April and May and are subject to having attended the online session.
There are also in person adder survey training sessions in March.
Book your place using the link to Ticketsource.

Family-friendly activity morning
2026-02-17 10:00 - 12:00 | Penrith Library, St Andres Churchyard, Penrith, CA11 7YA
Come along to a free family-friendly community activity morning at Penrith Library on Tuesday 17 February, 10am to 12 noon. Get involved with The Nest Project with a view to connecting with nature. This is a drop-in event with no booking required.
There will be a chance to try willow weaving with workshop leader Phil Bradley, make nests using playdough and share information and ideas about regenerative gardening and helping to restore nature at nearby sites around Penrith and Milburn.
Location: Penrith Library, St Andrews Churchyard, Penrith, CA11 7YA
Accessibility information: No nearby parking, wheelchair accessible and wheelchair accessible facilities.

Part of the Access to Eden, a partnership programme led by Eden Rivers Trust and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Garden club - volunteer opportunity
2026-02-24 10:00 - 12:30 | Bowlees Visitor Centre
Volunteer to help look after ‘Helen’s Garden’ at Bowlees Visitor Centre, and the raised beds and planters alongside the Centre on the last Tuesday of each month, 10am to 12.30pm.
General maintenance including weeding, dead heading, cutting back and planting. Watering the gardens when required. Tidying, sweeping the surfaced area around the Centre and painting garden benches. Hedge trimming and maintaining the willow arch in the car park.
Usually work for two to two and a half hours and finish with refreshments which are provided.
Sign up on the volunteer platform Better Impact

Volunteer day at Bowlees tree nursery
2026-02-25 13:00 - 16:00 | Bowlees Visitor Centre
Volunteer at Bowlees Wildflower and Tree Nursery on the last Wednesday of each month from 1pm to 4pm. There are also extra drop in sessions on 11 March, 15 April, 13 may and 10 June.
You can help with our nature recovery work by seed collecting and sowing, potting on, and watering plants. For more information email william@northpennines.org.uk.
Delivered as part of the Tees-Swale: naturally connected programme. Tees-Swale is funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and led by the North Pennines National Landscape team in collaboration with the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Sign up on the volunteer platform Better Impact

Westgate Village history evenings
2026-02-25 18:00 - 20:00 | Westgate Village Hall, Front Street, Westgate, DL13 1RX
As part of the village histories project, we’ll be exploring and recording the natural and cultural heritage of Westgate and its surrounding area. There are sessions every month on a Wednesday, 6pm to 8pm, starting 25 February in the village hall at Westgate.
This exciting project aims to bring together local knowledge, memories, and research to create a lasting record for future generations, and there will be plenty of opportunities to get involved.
The group is aimed at residents of Westgate, those who live nearby, or simply have an interest in the history of the village.
Free refreshments will be available throughout the session.
Please use the Ticketsource link to book.

Image (c) – Westgate Glebe Farm, Phillipson

Part of the Land of Lead and Silver project led by the North Pennines National Landscape team and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England.

Historic environment on-site working day
2026-02-26 10:00 - 16:00 | Rookhope Arch
Come along and get involved in recording historic structures on working days at sites around the North Pennines. Held monthly apart from March and August, 10am to 4pm.
Help document key features through structured field recording and targeted photography, and contribute invaluable data for ongoing conservation work. The photographs taken will also support the creation of detailed 3D models through photogrammetry and feed into Historic England’s Missing Pieces project, helping to build a richer national record of heritage sites.
You’ll have the chance to work with other volunteers and trained staff, while helping us to safeguard these important sites.
You will need to bring walking boots and clothing appropriate for spending the day outdoors in a variety of weather. You will also need a packed lunch, snacks and a drink. If you want to bring equipment with you, you are welcome to, but we will also have some equipment available for you to use.
Dates for 2026:
Future dates with locations:
• Thursday 26th February – Rookhope Arch
• Tuesday 28th April – Nenthead
• Wednesday 27th May – Beldon Lead Mine
• Tuesday 23rd June – Lady’s Rake Mine
• Thursday 30th July – Silverband Mine
• Wednesday 23rd September – Pike Law
• Tuesday 27th October – Middle Level Greenlaw
• Thursday 19th November – Stublick Colliery/ Langley Barony Mine
• Tuesday 8th December – Brandon Walls
Each day is from 10am to 4pm.
Please book using the Better Impact volunteer system

Saturday stroll - a guided walk
2026-02-28 10:30 - 14:30 | Eggleston
Enjoy the outdoors on a guided walk through a historical landscape on the last Saturday of every month. Join a small group of people taking in the surroundings, and learn about what shaped the landscape as well as the mining heritage.
Saturday strolls are approximately three miles in length on mostly flat ground and with rest breaks along the way.
This month’s walk starting in Eggleston, on 28 February will begin at 10.30am and finish at approximately 1pm. You are welcome to join us after the walk for free refreshments finishing by 2:30pm. Exact location to be confirmed.
All ages are welcome (children must be accompanied by an adult and must be able to walk or be carried as the paths may not be suitable for pushchairs). Well behaved dogs on a short lead are welcome.
The final details of the walk are subject to change, please check back closer to the event for final details. There are likely to be a couple of stiles to climb over on this walk.
Optional donation – suggested amount £3. Your donation enables the North Pennines National Landscape team to protect and restore this special place and help people connect with nature.
Please use the Ticketsource link to book.

Sculpture trail public consultation
2026-02-28 14:00 - 17:00 | UTASS, 9-11 Chapel Row, Barnard Castle, DL12 0SN, United Kingdom
Come and share your views on a new sculpture trail proposed for Middleton-in-Teesdale. The informal consultation, led by the North Pennines National Landscape team as part of the Land of Lead and Silver project, is on Saturday 28 February, 2pm to 5pm at UTASS.
This public consultation event will give you the chance to find out more about the proposed trail, hear how the artist plans to create the sculptures, ask questions and share your ideas or suggestions. Whether you’re interested in the heritage of Teesdale, enjoy walking in the area, or are simply curious about new ways to explore the landscape, everyone is welcome.
Free refreshments will be available. All welcome, children must be accompanied by an adult. No need to book.
This event is part of the engagement for a proposed sculpture trail celebrating the landscape, history and heritage of the Middleton-in-Teesdale area.

Mine site maintenance
2026-03-03 10:00 - 15:00 | TBC
Volunteer opportunities to undertake maintenance works to various mine sites across the North Pennines, on the first Tuesday of each month, commencing 3 March 2026, 10am to 3pm.
In this monthly activity you will join Gary and Arran of Heritage Consolidation, to undertake maintenance tasks at lead mining structures.
Steel toe capped boots and gloves are strongly recommended for this task, gloves can be provided.
More details will be provided upon signing up. Suitable for 18+
Locations will be decided closer to the date.
Dates are:-
3 March
7 April
5 May
2 June
7 July
4 August
1 September
6 October
3 November
1 December
Sign up using the Better Impact volunteer link

Historic environment research workshop: unlocking the asylum archives
2026-03-03 12:00 - 16:00 | Carlisle Archive Centre, Petteril Bank Road, Carlisle, CA1 3AJ
Join us for an exciting skills workshop at Carlisle Archives as part of a new volunteer research project “Melancholy, Mania and Metallurgy: Unlocking the Asylum Archives”. This project will be uncovering the stories of North Pennines lead miners and their families who spent time in county asylums.
The workshop, on Tuesday 3 March, 12 noon to 4pm, is an opportunity to learn archive skills and interact with historical material from the Garlands Hospital collection (formerly known as Cumberland and Westmorland County Lunatic Asylum). It will include:
• A behind the scenes tour of the archive
• A display class with historical material from the Garlands Hospital collection (patient registers, illustrated casebooks, post-mortem reports) exploring how to use them and what they can tell us
• An illustrated history of Cumberland and Westmorland County Lunatic Asylum
• Introduction to palaeography skills (reading old handwriting) with an activity using original documents
• Introduction to digital resources session with an activity using Ancestry records
Please note that this project is for adults only. Historical documents use outdated terminology to describe disability and mental health conditions and may also contain material that some people find offensive or distressing.
Please sign up using the volunteer platform Better Impact
Image (c) Ninesergeants

Pennine Way volunteer information sessions - online
2026-03-03 18:30 - 19:30 | Online
We are looking for volunteers to join our team of Pennine Way People – a team of volunteers who help us monitor and maintain a 73-mile stretch from Tan Hill on the Teesdale/ North Yorkshire border to Greenhead in Northumberland. We are holding two online information sessions, which will be for about an hour, on Tuesday 3 March and Monday 9 March, to share more details of how to get involved.
The route attracts thousands of walkers every year and when combined with temperamental weather conditions the trail can become a victim of its own success, with the ground underfoot becoming boggy and eroded, and stiles and gates becoming difficult to use.
How can you can get involved?
We are looking for:-
Champion volunteers – people who will ‘adopt’ a stretch of the Pennine Way. This involves walking a designated stretch of the route 3 to 5 times per year and reporting any problems.
Buddy volunteers – those who may be available to double up with a champion on certain stretches and help with transport logistics from the start to the finish of the route..
Maintenance volunteers – those that can help with a regular programme of practical works including stile repairs, drystone walling, path resurfacing and drainage works.
Join a session without commitment, find out about what is entailed with each of the roles, and to let you know how you can register your interest and what the next steps will be. No prior experience is required but an appropriate level of fitness suited to the volunteer role would be beneficial.
Please register to attend one of the two events here via our TicketSource platform.

If you have any other questions or are unable to attend one of the designated information sessions, please feel free to contact Adam Crolla at adamc@northpennines.org.uk or Emma Harle at Eharle@northpennine.org.uk
