Our vision for the future

By harnessing the knowledge of local farmers, landowners, land managers and conservation organisations, Tees-Swale will be the national exemplar of nature-friendly upland farming on a grand scale. This ancient cultural landscape will be enhanced and restored for the benefit of wildlife and the people who live, work and play there. Easier to access and explore, with a wealth of natural heritage to enjoy and stories to inspire people, it will be the natural destination for audiences old and new.

Our objectives

1. Enhance, expand and connect priority habitats on a landscape-scale, showcasing how public funds can deliver multiple public benefits.
2. Work in partnership with the farming and landowning community to generate sustainability of our High Nature Value farming systems.
3. Create opportunities for high quality learning and training connected to the special qualities of this landscape.
4. Enable more people, and more diverse audiences, to discover, explore, enjoy and understand the Tees-Swale landscape, how it is managed and the wider benefits it provides.

These objectives will be delivered through three strands:

• Nature Recovery

• Training and Skills

• Access and Engagement

Delivery partners

The North Pennines AONB Partnership and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority are working in partnership to deliver this major natural heritage programme. Other delivery partners include:

• Environment Agency
• Yorkshire Peat Partnership
• Tees Rivers Trust
• Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust
• RSPB
• The Coal Authority

Programme Board

The Board comprises an independent Chair (Sir John Lawton), representatives of those who own and manage the land, the Delivery Partners, and those bodies with strategic oversight of some of the areas of work:

• Independent Board Chairman – Professor Sir John Lawton
• Countryside and Community Research Institute (Delivery partner for continuous evaluation)
• Environment Agency
• Natural England
• Northern Hill Farming Panel
• North Pennines AONB Partnership
• Raby Estate (representing landowner interests)
• Welcome to Yorkshire
• Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

Funders

Funding for Tees-Swale predominantly comes from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.

Other Tees-Swale funders include:

• Arts Council England
• Environment Agency/The Coal Authority
• Natural England via the Countryside Stewardship Facilitation Fund
• Northumbrian Water
• Richmondshire District Council
• The Esmée Fairbairn Foundation
• The North Pennines AONB Partnership
• The Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority
• Yorkshire Dales Millennium T​rust
• Yorkshire Water

In kind contributions also come from a range of partners including the Tees Rivers Trust, Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, RSPB, the Environment Agency, the Coal Authority, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust and Visit County Durham.

Find out more

Keep up to date with Tees-Swale news by subscribing to our e-newsletter here, joining our project group on Facebook or searching the hashtag #TeesSwale on Twitter and Instagram.