Monthly Archives: July 2024

Breathing Space, Charity, Children, Environment

Woodland Wonders for children in August

The much loved Woodland Wonders children’s activities are back on 6, 7, 8 and 9 August 2024. The activity starts by meeting at St Michael & All Angels Church. This year the theme is ancient Egypt!

The sessions are organised through local charity Breathing Space and all the sessions are led by a Witton Gilbert resident who is a Level 3 Forest school qualified facilitator.

The sessions are free, and optional donations are very welcome. Spaces are very limited – booking in advance is essential see below.

All children under 8 years of age need to be accompanied by an adult. Activities are outdoor and you should dress ready for the weather. No dogs please.

Woodland Wonders can include:

  • Explore the woodland and churchyard
  • Play active outdoor games
  • Discover local wildlife
  • Learn simple green woodwork skills
  • Make crafts from natural materials
  • Listen to stories around the campfire

When and where

  • Tuesday 6 August 10am-12pm and 1pm-3pm “Little Wonders” for children aged 2-5 years.
  • Wednesday 7 or Thursday 8 August, 10am-3pm ages 6-12 years.
  • Friday 9 August 10am-3pm. Age 2-12 years. Woodland Wonders with Children’s Hopes and Dreams CHAD local children’s group.

How to book

Book directly at https://www.trybooking.com/uk/eventlist/breathingspace or email info@breathingspace.org.uk.

Places are very limited and booking is essential. All children must be registered using a consent form, which must be completed in advance: “This form will give us the information we need to run the session safely and support all the children, and includes vital information such as emergency contacts, allergies, and photo consent.  Please help us to run safe sessions by completing this form if you intend to bring a child to Woodland Wonders and have not done so this year.”



Community Hall, Environment, Whats On

Join a village clean up on 1 August

Here is a chance to get involved in village activities, make a difference in Witton Gilbert community and show your love for the environment. The clean-up will start from the Witton Gilbert Community Centre (Cooper Hall) on 1 August 2024 and last two hours, from 10am-12 noon.

Clean-up equipment is provided, or bring your own. Refreshments and biscuits are also provided. #litterheroes #nature #WittonGilbert.

For more information, contact Councillor Bev Coult on 07771-840947.

Poster for Witton Gilbert community activity clean-up on 1 August 2025.
Poster for Witton Gilbert community activity clean-up on 1 August 2025.
Charity, Children, Music, Whats On

Wittfest live music this Saturday

UPDATE: After massive success, enjoyment and rain, Wittfest 2025 is already booked for 5 July 2025 and the first 3 bands are lined up. Put it in your diaries.

Coming up this Saturday, 13 July, is Witton Gilbert’s local live music festival, the Wittfest!

It will be at the carpark of the Traveller’s Rest pub.  Doors open at 11am, and first band goes on at 1pm.

Entry is by wristband and tickets are on sale behind the bar at The Travellers Rest pub at £15 each (card or cash) or message John Nixon and Jon Reynolds on Facebook.

Here is the bands line-up for the Wittfest:

1-2pm Lightning Birds

2-4pm The Dee Tees

4-6pm Brit pack

6-8pm Mojoroller 

8-10pm Ha’waysis

Children under 16 are free, although the festival is quite crowded.

The festival raises money for Witton Gilbert’s own community group CHAD Children’s Hopes and Dreams. All of CHAD’s activities are funded through local contributions and events such as the Wittfest.

For more information contact Jon Reynolds or John Nixon via Facebook or the active Witton Gilbert page on Facebook.

Picture credit: Thanks to The Dee Tees for flyer.

Charity, Children

Children’s Hopes and Dreams village group

This is a Witton Gilbert fund-raising organization which supports lots of community and charity activities for children in the village and further afield.

Some of the activities for summer 2024:

  • Free football coaching on the field, usually every Wednesday evening through August.
  • A qualified CrossFit trainer puts on four sessions.
  • Supporting the much loved Woodland Wonders children’s holiday sessions with lunches and other support.

According to Jon Reynolds, one of the organizers: “We put a Halloween party and Christmas party on at the club, all free. We also do other things during the year like the pantomime horse race”. The horse race is an annual event since 2021 and the date is to be confirmed.

Jon added: “Last year we put guitar lessons on and supplied the instruments, but that is yet not confirmed for this year.

“We also designed a programme with suicide prevention charity If U Care Share to go into year 5 in Witton Gilbert Primary School for six weeks to prepare the kids for going to the “big” school. This went down really well with the kids and parents so we are raising money to do this again and want it be a yearly thing. This cost us £3,500 for the first year but will only cost us £2,000 moving forward as it is all designed.”

Children’s hopes and dreams was originally set up nearly 30 years ago in memory of a local serviceman, Michael Stephenson, who was in the Royal Marines and died from a heart embolism at the age of 23 years. Here is a story in the Northern Echo.

Since then they have organized a football tournament in his memory for many years and have continued to raise money for different causes, including the primary school, local playgroups and the Treetops children’s ward, at the University Hospital of North Durham.