Durham Wildlife Trust

Saturday 5th June 2010 11am – 4pm

Free Admission

Learn about wildlife and have fun, with displays and activities for all ages, including rare breed livestock, birds of prey display, conservation exhibits, face painting, tradition crafts, live music and daning, refershments and much more. FREE – no booking requried. Some activites may charge.

 

For further information call Cheryl Nicholson on 0191 512 8948

 

Event information may be subject to change or cancellation, please check before travelling. Sunderland City Council makes every effort to maintain the accuracy of the information on this website but cannot accept responsibility for any error or alteration to details which may occur.

  

FINDING yourself one on one in a cage with someone who wants to cause you severe pain would be most people’s worst nightmare.

But in that cage – and with that someone – is where arguably the North East’s most successful martial artist feels most at home.

Four months ago, Ross Pearson swept all before him in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s “Ultimate Fighter” event in Las Vegas, to earn a six-figure UFC contract.

Today, though, he is loosening up for a day’s training in a chilly, no-frills gym in his native Sunderland which more than lives up to its name: Spartan.

The surroundings also bear out Ross Pearson’s nickname. Never mind the glitz and gloss of Vegas, this guy really is the “Real Deal”.

At 25, Pearson is a relatively young fighter in UFC terms, but he came of age in winning the ninth series of The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas in June, overcoming fellow Brit Andre Winner in the final.

Having started fighting at the tender age of six when his mam took him to Taekwondo lessons, he has never looked back.

So much so that Pearson is one of the biggest names of the fastest growing martial arts sport in the world – if not the biggest physically.

For while the Fencehouses lad may pack a punch, he is officially a lightweight in the ultra-competitive, fast-growing world of UFC.

And, having cracked America, he is understandably delighted with his progress.

“To get into the UFC was a dream alone but to win The Ultimate Fighter, as prestigious as what it is, was massive for me. It was an awesome feeling to fight on a live stage in Las Vegas and a dream come true for me. Vegas is the fight capital of the world and to fight there is amazing.”

Pearson, who was an amateur boxer throughout his teens in Sunderland, became only the second Brit in the history of The Ultimate Fighter to be crowned champion and to earn the lucrative UFC deal.

The Wearside scrapper first started mixed martial arts as an 18-year-old and his dedication and desire for success has seen him reach great heights at such an early stage in his career.

After turning professional in December 2004, Pearson has claimed victory in nine of his 12 competitive fights, two of which were by knock-outs.

And Pearson currently finds himself in an intense training programme back in his home town as preparation for his next fight against American brawler Aaron Riley in Manchester on Saturday, November 14.

Riley has a wealth of experience, with 40 competitive fights under his belt, and Pearson knows he will have to be at his best to win what he describes as “the toughest fight of my career”.

“Aaron Riley is a tough competitor and is known for being able to take a beating and still come back and win. He gets in there and makes it messy and on paper it’s a very tough fight,” he added.

Pearson is putting all his efforts into November’s clash, training five hours a day, six days a week.

And although victory is his main focus, he also wants to show the fighting world exactly what he is capable of.

“I’m looking to win this fight and win this fight impressively. I’m just starting my career in UFC and I’m looking to improve and impress,” he said.

Victory would complete a fantastic year for Pearson, but he is keeping his feet on the ground, wanting to be a role model for younger kids and encouraging young fighters to stick in and follow their dreams.

“I feel like a bit of an inspiration to younger kids, and if you’ve got a dream go ahead and follow it. I just found something that I love doing and stuck at it.”

Catch Ross Pearson at UFC 105 at Manchester’s MEN Arena on 14^th November.

Tickets available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk or watch it live on ESPN from 8pm.

http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/sport

Enter the Forum

The Visitor Centre at Rainton Meadows offers a shop, café, informative displays, a classroom, conference room and a viewing station where visitors can spend time watching birds feeding in the winter months.There is also a Wildlife Garden with spring and summer meadows and examples of what can be done to attract wildlife to your own garden.

The Nature Reserve is a haven for wildlife and has a variety of habitats including grassland, scrub, mature woodland and ponds. Mute swan, skylark, short-eared owl, brown hare, lapwing and many types of wildfowl are regularly seen at the site.

Within Rainton Meadows is a 4 hectare Site of Specific Scientific Interest known as Joe’s Pond. A haven for bird watching, the hawthorn and willow scrub surrounding the Pond provides shelter for over 140 species of birds. Fox and roe deer can also be seen around the Pond.A series of events are hosted here throughout the year, details of which can be found on our events page, or in the visitor centres.

Rainton Meadows and Joe’s Pond can be found by following the brown signs from the A690 between Durham and Sunderland. By bus, the services 222 and 220 regularly leave Park Lane in Sunderland, or the bus station in Durham and set down at the nearby Mill Inn. There’s a short walk under the A690 continuing until you reach the last roundabout of the industrial estate. The entrance to the Reserve is called Mallard Way.

Contact us on 0191 584 3112 for more details

With thanks to  Mervtheswerve’s Photos from Fliker.

This Club plays in the Durham and District League.

The members train every Sunday morning 10.00 a.m hail rain or snow at there own

Ground next to the Burnside Working Men’s Club, ample parking available.

Gary Ellison is the clubs manager (a hard task master who gets results)

Over the past four seasons Gary’s team had to start in the fourth division, with hard work and motivation they became champions of division four.

Promoted to division three same result champions, promotion to division two again champions, (can you see a pattern?) last season division one again you guessed it CHAMPIONS

Next season they are promoted into the Premier league, a big step for a small club in Fence houses, what an achievement by these un-sung hero’s of our village.

Gallery

Fixtures

Recent News

2009 is the 80th Anniversary of 1st Burnmoor Scout Group. As part of this years Summer Camp at Bassenthwaite (22nd to 29th August) a birthday party will be held on the second Saturday. Details of further events to celebrate this landmark will be announced shortly…

Massive thanks to all those who gave up part (or in some cases all) of their Good Friday to help out at the Metro Centre to raise funds for the group.1st Burnmoor took over the charity stall near the cinema, offering face painting for the children (and the GSL), tombola, games, crafts and sweet shop. Well done everyone involved.

The Group would like to say a big thank you to DSGi (Curry’s) who donated £350 as part of their “Switched On Communities” scheme. This money has been used towards a laptop computer which can be used by all Sections. They also donated the same amount to the Group in 2006 and £500 in 2005.

We would also like to thank Howard & Elizabeth, proprietors of Strawberry Hill Farm, who donated a sit-on petrol lawnmower to the Group.

For More infomation Please Visit

1st Burnmoor

Keir Hardie Play Area, Fencehouses

Sunderland Council are currently working on redeveloping the existing Keir Hardie play area at Fencehouses. Consultation work is ongoing with local young, Dubmire Primary School, Barnardos, Community Police Team and local people in the area. The funding for the project is from a 106 agreement.

The photograph shows the current state of the play area, and Sketch Designs shows the proposed redevelopment designs.

Click Here To View the Plans

Please contact them to Have Your Say!

Sport & Leisure by telephone (0191) 5614590/4591 or e-mail sports.leisure@sunderland.gov.uk

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