All this sun and rain makes the grass grow so fast! It becomes a full time job to keep on top of it! Things are hotting up at Path Head, next month (September) with our Heritage open days on the 14th and 15th and a Vintage Tractor Rally on 28th and 29th. On the Saturday of the Heritage open days there will be people spinning and working with wool and fleece at The Mill, who of course will be delighted to talk about all aspects of this skill of knitting and weaving.

The Tractor Rally later in the month will we hope be an annual event. Also this year we have a Wind Orchestra from Ryton Comprehensive School, a marquee from Alan Fairburn, fuel from Brett Oils, overalls from Arco for the best turnout and a very modern machine from Lloyd's Tractors at Throckley who are also contributing a donation to the event. If you know of anyone with an agricultural relic that is their pride and joy, which could be displayed at the event, please ask them to get in touch with Trevor. These events I am sure will be very interesting - come along!

We are still hoping to extend our pond area this Autumn and create a walkway over the water, improving and increasing our disabled access to all parts. The project will involve all our volunteers in various trades. The derelict allottments look lke becoming part of our patch, enabling us to create water cleaning reed beds and also creating a cascade from a higher pond (only if our old pumping mill is commissioned in time). This will give a whole new aspect to the site - more news of that in the Autumn. As we approach November 2002 it will have been six years since we first started to restore the old mill and bring it into working order. Visitors' comments are suffice to prove that it has been a worthwhile project and we have enhanced this area of Gateshead with all the good and hard work that has taken place.

As a result of long term negotiations with Nexus and the Countryside Agency, we now have a Sunday bus service linking the various attractions in the west of Gateshead, this service includes August Bank Holiday. Further details are available from The Mill if required.

Looking back at the various newsletters it has been a struggle with regards to funding, but what was described as perhaps a barren contaminated site at the outset is now described in our brochure " a quiet and tranquil del, 10 minutes from the hub-bub of the Metro Centre - with beautiful mown lawns, wildflower gardens, willow house and colourful borders". So what of the future, we hope to expand not just our pond but also the site itself, to the two derelict allottments adjacent to the west end of our stream. this would form a header pond for a hydro scheme with alternative energy and also room for a filter bed of reeds to clean our incoming water enabling fish to be introduced to The Mill Pond.