Our Journey
2014
Newcastle City Council, National Trust and National Heritage Lottery Fund research new ways to manage city’s green spaces.
2017
Newcastle City Council agrees to create new charity, Newcastle Parks Trust (later renamed Urban Green Newcastle), to manage parks and allotments.
2018
NCC appoints Board of Trustees and Chief Executive for new charity.
2019
April
Urban Green Newcastle takes over the management of 33 parks, 61 allotment sites, and 57 buildings. Charity begins work of establishing the organisation and setting priorities.
Autumn / Winter
Commenced programme of works to tackle backlog of repairs and maintenance.
2020
March
First national COVID 19 lockdown in the UK. Major maintenance works delayed. Events programme cancelled.
Summer
New volunteering opportunities introduced, and partnerships developed to provide work and training for young people.
Corporate Strategy published for the next five years and over £250,000 spent on maintenance of trees and play areas.
Autumn
Four city centre parks are awarded with Green Flag Awards.
The Newcastle Allotment and Garden Show moves online due to COVID 19, with a weekend of celebrations, talks and events.
November
Second national COVID 19 lockdown, followed by Bird Flu outbreak. Planned work and events cancelled, and Pets Corner closed to public.
2021
January
Third COVID 19 lockdown. Planned work and events cancelled.
Spring
£200,000 investment in park play areas commenced.
First Urban Green Cafe opens in Exhibition Park, closely followed by Paddy Freeman’s Café.
July
£697,800 awarded from Green Recovery Challenge Fund for Beelines North East project – creating improved wildlife corridors across parks.
October
Four Green Flag Awards retained at Jesmond Dene, Walker Park, Exhibition Park and Leazes Park.
November
Second Bird Flu outbreak. Pets’ Corner closed to public and allotments activity curtailed.
Winter
Severe winter storms hit UK. Significant damage to Newcastle’s parks and green spaces, with over 500 trees uprooted or severely damaged, fences down and buildings harmed.
Funding is also secured for six Kickstart training placements, helping young people get into employment.
2022
January
New volunteering opportunities introduced, expanding ways people can support the charity.
February
Urban Green Newcastle and The Skill Mill host Her Royal Highness Princess Anne in recognition of their ground-breaking partnership.
Spring
Urban Green Newcastle surpasses target of planting 5,000 new trees across the city by 2026 – four years early.
April
Newcastle City Council introduces new conditions on events in Newcastle’s green spaces. Despite the restrictions UGN developed an Events Strategy and went on to facilitate a diverse events programme including major music, cultural and food festivals across multiple parks.
Summer
Over £310,000 awarded in grants to improve biodiversity in parks, promote arts and culture, and make parks feel safer for women and girls.
Four Green Flag Awards retained at Jesmond Dene, Walker Park, Exhibition Park and Leazes Park.
Conservation Management Plan produced for Havannah and Three Hills Nature Reserve.
September
Springbank Pavilion opens in Leazes Park, as centre for nature, arts and health projects in partnership with LGA Foundation and Newcastle Hospitals Charity.
2023
Spring
Partnership launched with Probation Service to help maintain city’s parks.
Review of water safety in conjunction with The Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service.
£477,000 secured for improvements to Hadrian’s Cycleway in Tyne Riverside and Walker Riverside Parks.
Partnership with Newcastle United Foundation and Prince’s Trust to offer valuable work experience and training for young people across the parks.
Summer
Coronation weekend celebrated at Gosforth Central Park, with outdoor cinema and launch of community fundraising for repair and replacement of play area.
Four Green Flag Awards retained at Jesmond Dene, Walker Park, Exhibition Park and Leazes Park.
£68,000 grant from Premier League, The FA and Government’s Football Foundation, for improvements to football pitches in Walker Park and Paddy Freeman’s Park.
Autumn
£188,000 secured from Lawn Tennis Association, for improvements to seven park tennis venues.
Newcastle Allotment and Garden Show held in Leazes Park.
60th birthday celebrations at Pets’ Corner.
New play equipment unveiled in Elswick Park following previous arson attack.
Winter
£222,000 NLHF grant to support charity in developing business plans, grow income and volunteering, and become more robust as organisation.
£190,000 secured from Countryside Stewardship for improvements to Tyne Riverside Country Park and Havannah and Three Hills Nature Reserve.
December
£21,000 raised by Northern Lights Newcastle, partners, and the local community, to repair Leazes Park play area in celebration of the green space’s 150th birthday.
2024
February
Local community plants ‘Tiny Forest’ in Westerhope Park.
March
£701,417 funding awarded from the governments Species Survival Fund following successful partnership bid to develop and improve pollinator pathways across the city.
Newcastle City Council announces a review into the future funding of city’s parks and allotments. Growth of charity and fundraising halted.
May
Free tennis festival to celebrate the opening of the refurbished tennis courts across the city’s parks marks the largest LTA refurbishment launch in the country.
July
New creative space, Mushroom Works, unveiled in Gosforth Central Park, bringing the original park pavilion back into use
September
The traditional allotment show is transformed into the Newcastle Allotment & Garden Festival, a free, community event in Exhibition Park which is enjoyed by over 4,000 visitors.
November
Newcastle City Council’s Cabinet approves bringing management of parks and allotments back under local authority control.
December
Northern Lights Newcastle returns to Leazes Park, bringing additional income into the city in run up to Christmas.
2025
March
The management of green spaces and allotments in the city transfers to Newcastle City Council.
June
Urban Green Newcastle closes charity, returning circa £350,000 funding to Newcastle City Council, and returning £416,000 to funders which cannot be transferred to the local authority.