Creating Tina’s Haven nature reserve
A new nature reserve at Warren House, Horden, is being created in partnership with local community groups. Named Tina’s Haven in memory of a young North East woman, Tina Robson, it will be a place where people and nature can recover and thrive.
In 2023, grant funding from the North East Community Forest Trees for Climate fund helped us purchase a 34 hectare (84 acre) field at Warren House on the edge of Horden. For scale, that’s about the size of 52.5 football pitches. Planted with crops and farmed for many years, it’s now being restored to a natural state, with the aim of enhancing recovery for both people and nature.
Remembering Tina
The new nature reserve has been named Tina’s Haven in memory of Tina Robson – a young woman who lost her life to trauma-based addiction in 2020. In 2022, Tina’s mum, Dr Sue Robson, founded and collaboratively developed a groundbreaking arts and nature-based programme (also named Tina’s Haven) in East Durham, designed to nurture self-empowerment and support women’s recovery from addiction and trauma.
Sue is now working closely with us and local organisations including Addictions Northeast, The Barn at Easington, Women in Empowerment and Recovery (WiRE) Project, No More Nowt, Durham County Council’s Horden Together, the Coalfields Regeneration Trust, Free Women’s Community, Recovering Justice Women’s Group, Steps into Recovery and Rainbow Promise, to ensure the Tina’s Haven site embodies strength in community. The project provides a place for people to connect with each other, spend time outdoors and work together to create the nature reserve.
Monday 31 March 2025, chosen to mark Tina Robson’s 40th birthday, began a week of tree-planting at Tina’s Haven. Community groups, partner organisations and schools planted saplings along with their messages of hope, written on heart-shaped biodegradable paper.
Through the Tina’s Haven project, women are achieving self-empowerment and well-being from being immersed in nature; effectively connecting their recovery to that of the land. Collectively working towards the creation of Tina’s Haven widens and extends these connections, spreading a message of hope across East Durham communities and beyond.
A Tree of Hope from Sycamore Gap
In total, 21,575 trees will be planted within the nature reserve. That number will include a ‘Tree of Hope’ – one of 49 saplings grown from seed from the illegally felled Sycamore Gap tree at Hadrian’s Wall and gifted to communities across the UK.
The planting of the Sycamore Gap sapling on the land later this year will symbolise that even after the worst adversity and tragedy, there can be recovery, healing, new beginnings and hope can grow in abundance.
Creating connections for nature and people
Thanks to grants from the North East Community Forest, Species Survival Fund (a partnership between Defra and the National Lottery Heritage Fund), additional funding from HSBC UK, and work carried out by TilHill Forestry, local residents and visitors will see a nature reserve with a mix of woodland, wood pasture, grassland, hedgerows, ponds and wetlands develop over the coming years. This forms part of a wider programme of local nature and habitat restoration work. Nearby, a project at White Lea Farm in Easington Colliery began in 2024 with the creation of 8.2km of hedgerows, woodland and wood pasture that now connects Hawthorn Dene and Foxhole Dene.
Purchasing the field at Warren House brings amazing opportunities for habitat improvement and nature recovery on the coast. We now care for a continuous six mile stretch between Seaham and Horden. It’s like another piece of a jigsaw, and managing land on a larger, joined-up scale brings many benefits.
As well as nature restoration, the funding and support received means we can improve public access to this part of the coast. A circular path around the field will be created, joining up with the King Charles III England Coast Path along the cliff edge, fulfilling a hugely important aim of the project - connecting people and nature.
Thank you
With your ongoing support, we're able to continue our vital conservation work. Thank you for helping to protect these special places.
Our partners
A ground-breaking arts and nature-based programme in East Durham, designed to nurture self-empowerment and support women’s recovery from addiction and trauma.
Creating liveable, sustainable communities, helping to tackle climate change and biodiversity collapse, supporting regeneration, and providing opportunities for relaxation and leisure.
From Sunderland to Hartlepool, the Durham Heritage Coast has emerged from its industrial past to an area worthy of Heritage Coast status with one of the finest coastlines in England.
A partnership between Defra and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help halt and reverse the decline in species abundance, by preserving vital habitats.
We’ve partnered with HSBC UK to create carbon-rich habitats.
The UK’s leading sustainable forest and timber harvesting company.
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