On Thursday 2nd October brasher headed to Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve to lend a helping hand for the day.
Situated in Houghton-le-Spring in Durham, Rainton Meadows is the headquarters for the Durham Wildlife Trust.

We didn't know what to expect until we turned up on the day but were soon informed that armed with rakes and pitchforks we would be helping to clear a field. 
Raking the grass and collecting it into heaps we cleared the field and the cuttings created habitat areas for the surrounding wildlife.

We even managed to rescue a few toads from the grass cutter and put them safely out of harms way!

After lunch we set to work clearing another field on the reserve to create a meadow which was to be planted with seeds from several species of wild flower.

We ended the day with a walk around the reserve and Joe's Pond before heading back to the visitors centre.

The day was a great chance for us to give some of our time towards the local environment and made us appreciate all the hard work the Durham Wildlife Trust does in our area.

You can see more photos from the day on Flickr.

By Sarah Shanley