recreational area consisting of a pathway between a great number of fine trees. There is also a nature reserve towards the border of Winlaton at "Blaydon Burn", mentioned earlier for mining. The burn is now a popular walking/cycling track for locals which occupies a disused railway line, the tracks of which have long since been removed. However, portions of buildings and platforms still remain. The track is roughly a mile-and-a-half long and ends near the Path Head Watermill. Blaydon contains the following districts, some of them have been swallowed up by urban sprawl. Blaydon town centre Blaydon Haughs South Blaydon (Winlaton) Axwell Park Shibdon Stella and Winlaton Mill are outer suburbs of the town, as they are not within Blaydon's boundaries but are nearby. Demography Blaydon had a population of 15,155 in the 2011 census, which increased from 14,648 a decade earlier. Economy Once the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Gateshead, Blaydon's traditional industry was coal mining. However, since the decline of mining in the 1950s and 1960s, the economy has diversified. As well as a small number of commuting professionals, residents of Blaydon are often involved in engineering and manufacturing with many businesses operating from premises in Blaydon Haughs (or 'The Spike'), on the banks of the River Tyne. Blaydon was for a time the head office of Associated Cooperative Creameries (later renamed ACC then ACC Milk). ACC Milk was sold to Dairy Farmers of Britain in 2004. On 3 June 2009, Dairy Farmers of Britain went into receivership and the dairy in Chainbridge Road closed shortly afterwards with the loss of 300 jobs. In 2010 the dairy was acquired by Medina Dairies and reopened, but closed again just a year later. Blaydon has a shopping centre, known locally as the precinct. A brutalist 1970s creation, it contains the town's major shops including newsagents, Greggs, Costa, Iceland (supermarket), B & M, Blaydon Carpets and Furnishings, Ladbrokes, Superdrug, Boots (chemist), Boyes and, at the nearby car park, a McDonald's. There are also several food and grocery outlets. The precinct underwent redevelopment in 2012–2014, with the installation of a lift, and the demolition of the Geordie Ridley pub to make way for a new Morrison's supermarket, a new day-centre and doctors' surgery, and roof-top parking. There is also a Co-op Funeralcare just outside the precinct on Bridge street. The area underwent a significant programme of housing regeneration between 2009 and