A new website for High West Jesmond

Welcome to High West Jesmond!

Today we are launching our new High West Jesmond website, which aims to bring together information on several different community groups plus local information and news for residents living in High West Jesmond and for those with a connection to High West Jesmond.

A thriving urban community

Many of you will already know that High West Jesmond is a thriving urban community in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. We are well situated between Jesmond and Gosforth – and between the Town Moor and Jesmond Dene.

Our great situation means that our residents engage easily with the wider city and its wonderful hinterland.

Community groups

You may have noticed on our home page that we have featured on 4 aspects of High West Jesmond and this website contains some information on the following groups:

High West Jesmond Residents’ Association (HWJRA)

HWJRA was established to support the residents of the local area: to promote the benefit of the inhabitants of High West Jesmond by working to maintain and improve the quality of life, preserve the character of the area and ensure that development does not adversely affect the local environment; and to assist residents in exercising their rights as members of the community including empowering them in dealing with statutory and other relevant authorities.

Blue House Roundabout

We represented High West Jesmond residents in their opposition to the original plans to build a ‘motorway style’ Blue House Roundabout on the green land of the Town Moor in 2016 and we have been actively representing residents views as a core member of the Blue House Roundabout Working Group since this was established in autumn 2016.

Communal bins

We have also been representing residents views on the proposal to introduce communal bins into High West Jesmond. It is fair to say that this proposal has not been popular – in fact 95% of High West Jesmond residents voted AGAINST communal bins in a recent poll.

Streets for People

We are also involved with work that the council has initiated for streets for people as Jesmond is one of three areas of Newcastle where this project is to operate.

We aim to continue to represent and support our community.

Friends of the Valley and Little Dene (FOVALD)

FOVALD was established to manage, maintain and protect the open spaces in High West Jesmond known as The Valley and Little Dene.

FOVALD has a vision for a local park that provides opportunities for local residents, including children, families, young and older people, to play, relax and socialise and also where the surrounding vegetation, including trees, shrubs and plants, and the stream, are managed and maintained to not only provide an attractive setting but also to encourage nature conservation and wildlife.

Lending a Hand to maintain our green spaces

In addition members of our community have been Lending a Hand to maintain the green spaces in High West Jesmond – a group of volunteers now meet every week and have made a real difference to the quality of live in our community. FOVALD oversees this work and we are grateful to the volunteers for their time and hard work. You can read more about the work of Lending a Hand on this website.

Allotments

High West Jesmond has three seperate allotment sites at:

Little Moor Allotments
Triangle Allotments
High West Jesmond Allotments

Our allotments are an inegral part of our community and we aim to add further information on them in the coming weeks.

Businesses

If you operate a business in or from High West Jesmond and you are interested in being featured on our businesses page then please get in touch with us.

Whether you operate from one of the retail outlets across High West Jesmond or your business is run from your High West Jesmond home this is your opportunity to reach your local community and set out the products or services that your provide.

News

We will update information on our standing pages from time to time, but the best place to find out the latest information is via our News pages.

Heritage

We have included a number of posts on this website regarding the heritage of High West Jesmond, including memories and photographs from some of our current and former residents.

You can see these items by selecting Heritage from the Categories side bar on this webpage.

If you have any old photographs and memories relating to High West Jesmond we would love to heard from you! Please contact us via the Contact page.

New digital communications

As part of the work to create this website we have reloaded a good number of ‘back stories’ – these are things that did happen and communications and news that was circulated around our community over the past year. You can see these on our News pages.

In the past as we did not have a website to anchor our content on at the time our earlier communications were by:

hard copy newsletters/leaflets through the door;
by email for those who had signed up to distribution lists; and
via the community noticeboard outside the shops on Newlands Road.

This website now provides a further digital platform to share information with High West Jesmond residents and those with a connection to our community.

In addition you can follow us on our social media accounts.

Our social media accounts

Facebook

In addition High West Jesmond Residents’ Association (HWJRA) has a Facebook group – if you are a High West Jesmond resident you are welcome to join us at the following link – www.facebook.com/groups/HWJRA/

Twitter

You can also follow us on Twitter – if you are a Twitter user then our handle is @highwestjesmond and you can read our tweets on a computer at the following link – https://twitter.com/highwestjesmond

Instagram

We are on Instagram too – and we would love you to share your photographs of High West Jesmond with us! if you are an Instagram user then our handle is @highwestjesmond and you can read our tweets on a computer at the following link – www.instagram.com/highwestjesmond/

Thanks for visting our website

Thank you for visiting our website. We hope that you found it useful finding out more about our High West Jesmond community in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne.

September 16, 2017September 16, 2017

2017 – history of the Little Moor paths

Maintenance of Little Moor paths by resident volunteers.

FOVALD’s Lending a Hand group recently undertook maintenance work on the paths across Little Moor which you can read about elsewhere on this website.

Here is some history of those Little Moor paths from Chris Morgan

This is the older of the two paths across the Little Moor, possibly constructed about the time the estate was being laid out around 1900-10.

Until at least the 1970s there was a dark blue vitreous enamel sign facing town beside the gate at the Great North Road end to announce arrival at High West Jesmond.

In those days Moorfield did not run through to the Great North Road beyond the Lodore Road junction. There used to be cows on the Little Moor so gates were essential.

The trees planted alongside the paths were probably planted about the 1920/30s when the second, longer, path was constructed. Most of them haven’t survived!

January 18, 2017August 24, 2017

Moorfield trees mysteriously chopped down

Trees on allotments felled

Three beautiful trees that have stood alongside the fence next to Moorfield just inside the allotments were mysteriosly felled yesterday.

The trees have stood there for decades and there was no consultation with local residents and other members of the High West Jesmond community who have appreciated the trees.

“Tidying up”

Local residents have noted that there is no justifyable reason for their removal and have been told by the council’s Allotments Officer that he “was tidying up the allotments“.

Look at theses photographs before and after and judge for yourself.

Please protest and make your voice heard and join us in making sure no more vandalism like this takes place in our community.

January 2, 2017September 10, 2017

2016 FOVALD Annual Report

Friends of the Valley and Little Dene Annual Report

2016 Committee Annual Report

Compared to 2015, which we celebrated as the centenary of the first use of the Valley by residents of High West Jesmond, we decided that 2016 should be a quieter year.

Council rejects our application for Village Green status

Our only event in the summer attracted more rain clouds than customers and in October we received an official letter from Newcastle City Council (who itself was the only objector against our application) informing us that following review by Newcastle City Council our application for Village Green status had been rejected – 2 years and 4 months after it was submitted!

Despite all the hard work of the High West Jesmond community we decided not to appeal.

The Landscape

Despite this, the Valley bloomed as usual.

Snowdrops – looking towards Lodore Road, High West Jesmond

Loads of snowdrops (2017 versions out now!), followed by all the daffodils in the spring and the wildflowers later in the summer.

The “field maples” continue to grow and extend the colour show every autumn; no obvious signs of “ash die-back” have been spotted; fruit trees, and a couple of “lime tree whips”, have been introduced along the northern edge (thanks to Frank S and Jon R).

In the Little Dene, the holly & hawthorn understory is growing very slowly but the fallen ash trees help to provide a protective environment for insects and small mammals.

In the summer months the Dene is almost impenetrable for us humans!

Wildlife

Our 4th bird survey was carried out on 9 May 2016 – and proved to be the most productive.

A total of 22 separate species were recorded, including goldfinch, goldcrest, dunnock, blackcap, chiffchaff, coal tit, great tit and blue tit to name but a few!

The report suggested ways to further improve the Little Dene and the Valley surrounds for the bird population. Minimising disturbance is always beneficial.

Several bird boxes have been placed on trees on the edge of the Little Dene and there are 1/2 bird feeders close to the Valley (thanks to Paul W for making them and Frank S for placing them!).

Apart from finding a dead male fox inside a hollow tree trunk early in 2016, we had no reports of foxes having been seen on the Valley or in the Dene.

However, grey squirrels remain present, no doubt attracted by the abundance of hazel nuts! The other sad note to report was the finding of a deceased hedgehog in the middle of the Valley. Let’s hope that some are still surviving in the Valley surrounds and gardens.

Works on the Valley

The “hollow” in the centre of the Valley showed signs of further deepening last summer. After fencing it off for a couple of months, the Council deemed it safe and filled it with topsoil – so, it’s a “hollow” no more!

Maintenance work on the culvert underneath the Valley also meant that a chunk of the Valley next to Newlands Road was used as a site compound for several weeks in October. The work was successfully completed.

Use of the Valley

The only event that was promoted, the Hog Roast, was sadly a wash-out. However, those that did attend received good value for money –“ plenty of pork in the butty”!

A big thank you to the usual band of helpers, plus the individuals and organisations that supplied equipment.

The Valley appears to be attracting more dog walkers – either because more people have dogs or because it’s just a popular venue for dog walking or perhaps both! In terms of community connections that’s probably a good thing, but, on the other hand, dogs and wildlife are not the best partners.

The honesty plants (lunnaria annua) that emerged after the daffodils along Newlands Road. A sprinkling from Mother Nature or a resident’s packet of seeds?

The Valley remains reasonably well used by students, young people and children during the warmer months. It would probably be helpful to quantify usage by carrying out a usage survey in 2017.

The Valley remains a much used and valued community open green space that we all agree must remain available for use of the community.

Committee of Friends of the Valley and Little Dene
December 2016

August 21, 2016August 25, 2017

Residents unite to oppose Blue House Roundabout plans

Complete opposition from all sides to council plans

Today residents’ associations in High West Jesmond, Jesmond and Admirals 5 (Matthew Bank) held a meeting and agreed to unite in their complete opposition to the proposed plans put forward by Newcastle City Council for revised road layouts and junctions around Blue House Roundabout and Jesmond Dene Road.

99% of respondents all all 3 MPs opposed

Residents, businesses, motorists, cyclists, pedestrians, environmental organisations, local and national road traffic organisations, 99% of all respondents on the council’s own consultation website, all 3 local MP’s and the majority of local ward councillors are all unanimous in their rejection of the proposed plans for Blue House Roundabout/Jesmond Dene Road.

Council must now listen

The feedback has been of a high quality, constructive and very clear. The council must now listen to this feedback.

We therefore call on the council to:

immediately shelve their plans for Blue House roundabout/Jesmond Dene Road;
scrap their plans for a revised proposal to be presented in mid- September as this simply will not allow enough time for feedback to be properly evaluated; and
restart the whole process, engaging in proper, meaningful consultation with local residents, businesses and interest groups to ensure that the needs and wishes of all local stakeholders are properly taken into account before any future proposal is put forward for consideration.

August 21, 2016August 25, 2017

Thousands protest over Town Moor roundabout plans

Almost 2,000 residents attended march to oppose Blue House Roundabout plans

The weekend march for the Town Moor received front page coverage in the Newcastle Journal today (and you can read the article on ChronicleLive) following the overwhelming show of opposition by the local community to the council road building plans for Blue House Roundabout and Jesmond Dene Road.

This follows coverage on Sunday’s BBC Look North evening news programme on BBCOne with local news coverage on ITV Tyne Tees News as well.

Nick Moore, of the High West Jesmond Residents’ Association, said:

“We are delighted to see such a cross section of people come out and show support for this campaign.

“The council have no option but to scrap this plan, they need a complete rethink.”