Earth Day 2024 celebrated in Sunderland with  picnic in Backhouse Park

DOZENS of visitors to Backhouse Park browsed stalls and exhibits and were taken on nature walks to mark Earth Day 2024.

The annual global event is held to demonstrate support for environmental protection and this year the International Community of Sunderland (ICOS) started what they hope will become an annual event to draw visitors into the park and raise awareness of the need to look after the planet.

Agnieszka Cielecka, project worker at ICOS, said: “Care for the environment is something which brings people together and we would like to make this an annual celebration in the park which grows over time.

“We were encouraged that even though it was arranged at late notice, we had interesting exhibitors, there was food and drink, face-painting and walks and loads of people showed interest.

“We’re already making plans for next year to be bigger and better and we would love it to become part of the Spring calendar for people in Sunderland.

“ICOS cares for Backhouse Park every week of the year and we made sure that once the event was finished everything was tidied up and taken away and the site was returned to its natural, well-cared for condition.”

Among the exhibitors at the weekend event was the Durham branch of CPRE, the Countryside Charity, which has Sunderland and South Tyneside in its jurisdiction.

Chair of the branch, Andrew Thompson, said: “I’d like to congratulate ICOS for marking Earth Day in a fun and friendly way.

“Our charity exists to give a voice to the English countryside, protecting it from harmful development but,so much of the planet’s countryside will be under threat if global warming and the climate crisis is not addressed.

“And issues as big as that will not be solved unless so many organisations, backed by the public, come together.”

Other exhibitors included Back on the Map, The Sea We See, Motion 4 The Ocean and Regenerating Dawdon, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) as well as  Sunderland Council’s Low Carbon team.

Jane, of the Back On The Map team, talked about efforts to make a Hendon a greener, more environmentally friendly place.

Georgina Fuller, spoke up for the work being done by The Sea We See around the Seaham area and the campaigning that Motion 4 The Ocean does to raise awareness of the crucial role the marine environment plays on the planet.

Richard Cowen, of CPRE Durham, but also of the RSPB, led a walk around a sun-dappled Backhouse Park, pointing out items of interest among the flora and fauna in the park which borders Ryhope Road in Grangetown.

The highlight was views of the park’s colourful ring-necked parakeets with their green plumage and red beaks swooping and plunging across the tree tops.

Richard said: “Backhouse Park is a lovely old park and it was great to see the walkers appreciate and enjoy learning about its natural attractions in a  little more detail.

ICOS’s Daniel Krzyszczak, helped co-ordinate and organise on the day and said: “Whenever you hold an outdoor event, easily the most important on the day is the weather and luckily for us it was a mild and pleasant day with very little wind.

“We had wanted to set up the stalls next to the play area but that was still too muddy so we moved to just inside the Ryhope Road entrance which had the benefit of also being visible from the road.

“The face-painting was very popular, as was the guided walk, and the environmentally friendly food and drink was also a hit with park-goers.

“It was great to see youngsters taking away plants to care for, colouring and drawing and hearing good messages about looking after the environment.

“It is definitely something we’ll look to do again next year.”