A former colliery is now reclaimed by wildlife. The industrial past, plants and fungi have all shaped this region and its edges.
What makes a space ‘wild’? What does it mean to be ‘natural’ in a place shaped by exclusion and extraction? If we pause to consider them, what might plants teach us about belonging, or fungi about community?
Guided by the season’s turning and a queer lens, the group will think with the landscape: its history of extraction, its ongoing processes of regeneration, and the land’s invitation to think about transition. Together, we will ask how queering our understanding of nature can become a tool for disruption and remaking. Whose voices have been erased or excluded here, and how can we find them again?
This is a gentle walk, around two miles long, with pauses for discussion and observing the wildlife we encounter. The group will take time to capture thoughts and feelings in words or drawings.
Getting there
This walk is off-site at Watergate Forest Park, Gateshead, NE11 9RQ. The group will take public transport there together from Shieldfield, meeting at The NewBridge Project entrance at 9am, taking the 301 bus directly to Watergate Park.
You are also welcome to make your own way there, meeting at the Watergate Forest Park car park by 10.15am for the start of the walk at 10.30am. There is an accessibility fund to support you to join this walk if you need financial support in order to attend. Please consider making an application. There are further details in the ‘Accessibility’ section below.
