Community Groups
Redesdale Ramblers
Redesdale Ramblers is a local informal walking group who meet up once a month for a walk of around 6 miles. For more information visit Redesdale Ramblers on Facebook or contact them via Messenger.
Redesdale Ramblers have published a series of Walks for the Corsenside area which are available in a short form leaflet from tourist information offices and local tourist spots.
The following single walks leaflets are available to download:
Walk 1 - Health Walk For those not used to walking or who haven’t walked for some time, this is a short easy walk with no stiles but still allows you to take in some lovely views of the valley.
Walk 2 - Children’s Walk An excellent family walk. Look out for herons, buzzards, and kingfishers as you walk along the Rede, and don’t forget to pack a picnic!
Walk 3 - Valley Ramble This is a longer day ramble that takes in the wider countryside around Corsenside, with excellent views down the Lisle’s Burn towards East and West Woodburn.
Walk 4 - Historical Walk Take a walk through time from the Roman Fort at Habitancum to the bronze age burial site of Bell Knowe and on to the remains of Ridsdale’s 19th century Ironworks. For historical notes to this walk, see or download the Redesdale Ramblers’ accompanying leaflet.
Friends of Corsenside
Friends of Corsenside are a local group who are working with the community to celebrate and protect the rich cultural heritage, landscape and wildlife of Corsenside Parish and the wider surrounding area.
The group started in 2018 when local people came together to create wildflower meadow areas at St Cuthbert’s Church, Corsenside, to enhance the churchyard for wildlife while simultaneously keeping traditional scything skills alive. With the support of Revitalising Redesdale, they participated in scythe training and started maintaining two areas of the churchyard as a traditional meadow.
Then, in 2020, the group decided they wanted to do more than just maintain the meadow areas. They planned to do a range of other activities too, including bird box building, reptile surveying, and a guided walk about some of the social history of the churchyard. They got as far as the bird box building…
Volunteers with their newly built small bird boxes
Assembling a kestrel box
…then the Covid-19 pandemic started and plans had to be put on hold.
With the pandemic came disruption, difficulties and changed priorities for many people, including some of those involved in creating and maintaining the wildflower meadow areas. However, the care of the meadow areas continued, supported by Revitalising Redesdale (read about Natasha’s experience here) and volunteers from Northumberland Wildlife Trust.
As the pandemic receded in 2021, the reptile survey planned for 2020 was rescheduled and management of the wildflower areas continued.
Then in early 2022, the group became Friends of Corsenside. They reiterated and formalised their desire to extend the scope of their activities, alongside keeping up the management of wildflower areas in the beautiful churchyard at St Cuthbert’s, Corsenside. They also extended their geographic range to Corsenside Parish and the surrounding area.
If you would like to get involved with Friends of Corsenside, and help to celebrate and protect the rich cultural heritage, landscape and wildlife of Corsenside Parish and the surrounding area, then you can sign up to their mailing list below. You can also find them on facebook or contact them by emailing friendsofcorsenside@gmail.com
Corsenside Parish Hall
(Registered Charity number 1067904).
In 2016 the new management committee (1) began a programme of development to secure the future of the building, with upgraded facilities serving the people living in or within reach of the parish of Corsenside, including Ridsdale, East and West Woodburn, the numerous dispersed dwellings within the parish and people from neighbouring parishes too. We are close to the boundary of the Northumberland National Park and we offer facilities and events of interest to visitors to the Park as well as residents of the parish. The hall is easily accessed from the A68.
NEWS Round-up 2016-2022
In 2016-2017 we tackled the worst urgently needed repairs to floors, window-frames, (now replaced with energy-efficient double glazing} and the roof (2).
In 2018 we installed new, well insulated and draught-resistant external doors, a new accessibility ramp, and widened internal doorways for safe and more convenient circulation between the Hall and Supper Room. And we made a start on improving facilities by installing a new electric cooker in the kitchen (3).
During 2019-2021 we completed a major upgrade of the toilets and kitchen, together with addition of a new ceiling, with upgrading of the supper room with insulation and safe access to the roof space above, new carpeting and decoration.
In 2022, we have completed removal of the old external metal cladding over the north-facing frontage and the west-facing gable end. Additional timber frame members were added to enhance the strength of the framework, the remaining voids were filled with sheep-wool insulation and new vapour-barrier sheeting was installed before fitting new metal sheeting, matching the former sheeting in appearance (5). The overhead power line attached to a gable-end barge board was removed and replaced by underground supply cables (6).
We are very grateful for all the support and advice received that has brought us to a final phase of fund-raising required to complete the insulation and replacement of cladding of the south and east half of the building.
- Training of members by Community Action Northumberland, with funding from Village SOS
- Urgent repairs funded by the Northumberland National Park Small Grants Fund, The Northumberland County Community Chest and Northumberland County Council's Members' Local Improvement Schemes through Councillor John Riddle, and The Sir James Knott Trust.
- Community Foundation (Vattenfall Ray Wind Farm Community Benefit Fund Small Grants)
- Funded largely by a grant from The National Lottery Community Development Fund/Community Action Northumberland Village Halls Partnership. Further internal improvements, including carpeting and decoration, completed in 2020-2021, were met from the Hall's small reserve funds.
- Funded by grant carried forward from The National Lottery Community Development Fund/Community Action Northumberland Village Halls Partnership, The Rothley Trust, CF-EDF Energy Green Rigg Windfarm Community Fund and from Hall reserves (including part of a government Covid recovery grant (through Northumberland County Council).
The Mission Hall Trust
The trust was founded in 1993 as a result of the mission hall being sold. It had been empty and unused for some years and was deteriorating at a very fast rate. It was built in 1853 as a school for the children of the “labouring, manufacturing and other poor classes”. In view of the distance from the village of St Cuthbert’s, Corsenside, the mission hall was also used as a Chapel of ease. This stopped once All Saints was built in 1907. The building was also used for Sunday School, and the last users were the local WI.
A Charitable Trust was established, and the funds from the sale of the building were invested and the income was to be applied as follows:
“Income shall be applied to the advancement of education and in particular the religious education in accordance with the principles of the Church of England, of persons resident in the Parish of Corsenside.”
In practice the trustees have awarded small grants to the village school and to younger members of the Parish who have gone on to higher education. This reflects the original aims of the building.
There are 4 Trustees who are resident in the Parish and the vicar is an ex officio trustee.
Parishioners applying for a grant should contact the Clerk to the Trustees bearing in mind that they meet only once a year around October.
The Mission Hall Trust clerk can be contacted on bti-uk@msn.com
The Ridsdale Juniors & Senior Citizens' Fund
The Ridsdale Junior and Senior Citizens’ Fund was set up in the late 1960’s to provide a Christmas Party and present for the children of the village, a Christmas Lunch for the senior residents and a trips to various other places. The Fund has continued to do this since then. We raise funds for these things by holding various fundraising events during the year. We advertise our events outside the village and people from other areas are welcome to attend. As well as continuing to carry on the tradition, these events and the Christmas festivities help to bring the community together.
Corsenside Parish Show
Corsenside Parish Show is held on the village green in West Woodburn on the third Saturday of September. The show has been running for almost 180 years and brings members of the community together for a fun day out. With something for all ages there are competitive classes for fruit, veg, flowers, baking, needlework, photography... and more. There's also the annual quoits competition, and attractions such as a bouncy castle, climbing wall, hot food van, ice creams, tea and cakes, children's activities, etc. The sale of produce at the end of the show is a great chance to take home some of the wonderful produce and there's always fierce bidding for the chocolate cakes!
A small committee of dedicated volunteers, with support from members of the local community, not only organise the show itself, but also a series of fundraising events which take place throughout the year. Committee members are appointed at the AGM, which takes place in early March. For details of the AGM, fundraising events and show day, watch out for posts on Clarion and Nextdoor, and posters in the Parish noticeboards. Alternatively, contact the show committee Secretary Maureen Johnson at mlj29@hotmail.co.uk.
