12 May 2007 - this page to be soon updated
Some Wensum Valley Project activities in 2006
We have divided these up into the following categories:
Biodiversity and Habitat Management, Landscape enhancement, Access Improvements, Community work, Promoting Understanding and Co-ordinated management. However, much of our work could easily be placed under two or more categories. For example, people from local communities often help us carry out biodiversity and habitat work.
Biodiversity and Habitat Management
In January and February 2006, scrub clearance took place on Goward's Meadow,
Gressenhall, a neglected County Wildlife Site. I
t
is an old grazing meadow that hasn't been managed for over 40 years. As
a result, scrub has encroached onto the meadow and is shading out the
valuable wildflowers, including yellow rattle, bog bean and
orchids.
We have advised the landowners (parish council) and volunteers from
Gressenhall Environment Group (GEG) on how to restore the site,
including helping write a management plan. Two community scrub clearin
g
days (total 21 volunteers) have been held to start off the restoration process. We
have also been loaning tools and equipment and supervising the work. The
volunteers have done a fantastic job and the site is once again looking
like a meadow. Delicious soup made by GEG volunteers and jacket potatoes cooked in
the bonfires have helped keep energy levels up during the work days!
In December the WEVOLS (Wensum Volunteers) Christmas workday was held at
Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve. Each year this event is
hel
d at different a different location in the valley and brings together WEVOLS from all along the valley that don’t usually see each other. Everyone always works hard but is also treated to jacket potatoes cooked in a bonfire
and other Christmas fare. This year we were clearing scrub to help restore the important open fen
habitats on this Site of Special Scientific Interest. Some of us were also lucky enough to see a ghostly barn owl hunting at the end of the day.
Along the Marriott’s Way at Mile Cross in Norwich is a County Wildlife Site full of interesting meadow plants including bee orchids. Wildflowers thrive on the poor soil conditions created when the old railway line was constructed, as they do not have to compete with more vigorous plant species such as nettles. The area had begun to be invaded by scrub, which if left unmanaged would shade out the wildflowers. To prevent losing them we helped organise a scrub cutting day with volunteers from BTCV and our own WEVOLS. Norwich City Council (who own the site) are going to start taking a hay cut each year so the scrub will no longer be a problem.
Guist Common (Site of Special Scientific Interest). Highland
Cattle that 
usually
graze the grounds of Wayland Prison helped
to restore important wetland habitats here. Over the past few years,
there has been a programme of scrub and reed cutting, fencing and dyke
clearance, and the Common is now getting back to a diverse mixture of
reedbed, wet woodland and fen habitats. For a year, the hardy
Highland cattle grazed Guist Common, helping to maintain the balance of different plant
communities. The cattle have now returned to Wayland, so we are on the
look out for some new ones.
Sparham Pools, County Wildlife Site. Over a number of years
the WEVOLS (Wensum Volunteers) have
helped the Voluntary Warden with habitat and access improvements at this
site. Most recently they have coppiced a block of leggy gorse as part of
a rotational coppicing cycle. Coppicing involves cutting stumps low so the
gorse re-grows with a bushy structure, which diversifies the habitat.
The Costessey Allotments are located on the floodplain of the Wensum Valley. We have been working with local people to manage some derelict allotments as wildflower areas. The site is very interesting as it contains a lot of wetland plants and is crossed by many small drainage ditches, which create some excellent habitat.
Work has included clearing rubbish left behind by previous allotment
holders, removing self-sown tree seedlings, and cutting and raking
vegetation to allow existing wildflowers to flourish. These include
figwort, purple loosestrife, fleabane and ragged robin.
Wensum Local Nature Reserve, Norwich. WEVOLS (Wensum Volunteers), the Housemartins Rivercare Group
and BTCV have coppiced dyke-side trees to reduce shading on the banks and water, to improve habitat for water voles (an endangered Biodiversity Action Plan Species). The increased light reaching the dyke has encouraged lush vegetation to grow, which is a food source for them and also helps them to hide from predators such as the American mink.
Wensum Valley, Norwich. We surveyed for signs of water voles in the wedge of undeveloped Wensum Valley that reaches right into Norwich. We were pleased to discover that they are still present! Locations we found signs included the ditch that we had previously coppiced alongside (see paragraph above), which means the management is having a positive effect. We also found signs of otter and American mink. As a result of the survey we know it is worth continuing to improve habitat for water voles.
Hoe
Common, County Wildlife Site, near Dereham. WEVOLS (Wensum
Volunteers) have been helping with the annual control of bracken
and birch seedlings that are invading parts of this heathland we are
restoring.
Hellesdon riverside land (site owned by local residents’ group) – we worked with the residents’ group to erect bat boxes in riverside trees. This is good habitat
for bats as some species eat insects emerging from river edges at night (over 500 gnats each per night!) and drink by swooping low over the river and snatching a sip in flight. We also identified it was a good site for a barn owl box. As we had erected the bat boxes for free, money that the group had put aside for them was instead used to pay for supply and installation of a barn owl box from the Hawk and Owl Trust.
In March 2006 a number of fresh owl pellets were found beneath the box,
showing it is being well-used!
Landscape enhancement 
Wensum Valley, Norwich - There have been regular Wensum
Rivercare Group clean-up mornin
gs
since the first was held in January 2004. Even a small amount of litter can have a significant impact on the landscape and this group that we helped set up have achieved excellent results! They have collected hundreds of bags of rubbish and cleared up piles of dumped items including mattresses, tyres, shopping trolleys and old bikes.
Access Improvements
At
Costessey High School's brilliant wildlife garden, we constructed
a ramp to improve 'access for all' to the dipping platform. Previously
anyone using the dipping platform had to negotiate a steep step.
At Hempton Common Ponds, Fakenham Area
Conservation Team and Fakenham Young Naturalists constructed a new
footbridge across a ditch to improve access on the site. We supplied
them with the timber for the bridge, having salvaged it from a
children's play area in Norwich that was being dismantled.
Dolphin path area, Norwich – We cut back a path that had become dangerously close to the riverbank and another that had become too overgrown to use.
Train Wood, Norwich – we have had the overgrown path (through the woodland and alongside the river), cut by a contractor to keep it accessible throughout the year.
Community work
Saturday 8th April saw the second Wensum Rivercare Group
meeting of 2006. Over 30 volunteers took part, with regular Rivercarers
being joined by members from
two Norwich Scout groups. About 40 bags of rubbish were collected plus
two bikes, a wheelbarrow, 2 oil drums and 1 shopping trolley!
In February 35 Rivercarers cleaned along the banks of the Wensum
between Mile Cross Road and Sweetbriar Road in Norwich. About 30 bags of
rubbish were collected, and 4 shopping trolleys, a bike, a fridge and
four car tyres were amongst the larger items found. 1st Hellesd
on Scouts
joined the group for the second time, and are working towards their
Community Challenge and Environment Award badges. We help organise the
Wensum Rivercare Group, which is made up of local people
in Norwich who have ‘adopted’ a stretch
of the Wensum and carry out regular litter-picks. We have also loaned the group a bicycle trailer so that the litter-picking equipment can be transported around easily and rubbish bags can be ferried to the collection point.
In November we helped supervise a com
munity tree planting event at
Eastfields, Taverham. We had previously given the parish council advice on which trees to plant and the locations to plant them. About 25 children and adults took part. Our ‘Green Spaces near Norwich’ leaflet was also well received by the people that took part.
At the Gressenhall Social Club fete in September we publicised habitat work proposed for Goward’s Meadow, (a neglected County Wildlife Site), in partnership with Gressenhall Environment Group. To attract interest to our stand we had a tray of water invertebrates (such as cased caddis fly larvae and freshwater shrimp) that we had ‘dipped’ from the nearby stream. They certainly attracted much attention and created a variety of responses from people, ranging from ‘yuk’ to ‘wow’!
1st Drayton Scouts were led on an
evening guided walk at local beauty spot Drayton Green Lanes, looking at the landscape, geology and wildlife of the Wensum Valley. During two workdays, they then helped to maintain the boardwalk and steps that enable the public to safely enjoy the site.
Nearly 30 1st Beetley Scouts helped to manage wildflower areas on Beetley Meadow, County Wildlife Site. Armed with a rake each, the scouts collected up the already cut plant material into habitat piles in the woodland edge. As the habitat piles rot down, they provide hibernating sites for many wild animals. Removing the cut plant material from the meadows reduces the amount of nutrients in the soil, making it easier for flowers to compete against more vigorously growing grasses. If the meadows were not cut they would soon be invaded by tree seedlings, which would eventually shade out the valuable meadow vegetation.
Promoting Understanding
On July 2nd Project Officer Robin Goolden led several 'Secret Safaris' for children and their parents. They looked for evidence of local wildlife and found feathers, bones, nibbled nuts and leaves, Little Owl pellets a Heron skull and an interesting array of different animal droppings (always popular with the under 10s). They also had clear sightings of Wolf, Lynx, Barbary Ape and Meerkat. This was not the result of a sudden surge in biodiversity, but because the activity was part of a 'Bugs Galore' event held at Norfolk Wildlife Centre in Great Witchingham. More 'Secret Safaris' will take place at Gressenhall Farm and Workhouse during the school holidays (see home page).
In
June, Breckland Council tree wardens were led on a guided walk
along part of the valley at North Elmham and Bintree. The Project
Officer related how trees in the landscape can have very different uses
such as for fuel production, wildlife value, commemorative planting and
aesthetic value. Other aspects of the landscape history were also
revealed, including why there is an old train station (County School
Station) that appears to serve only a few houses and why there are
remains of a cathedral at North Elmham.
In May, about 150 people enjoyed Wild About Hempton on Hempton Green. The event was run by a partnership of local organisations working towards a shared goal - encouraging local people to learn about the nature on their doorstep, to explore it by themselves in the future and to get involved in helping to manage it too. For one of our activities we 'dipped' a nearby pond to show people the amazing creatures that live in the water. People were fascinated and many kept coming back to see what new mini-beasts we had found! They included great diving beetle larvae, damselfly and dragonfly nymphs and young newts, to name but a few. We also led families on 'Secret Safaris' where detective skills are used to search for evidence of animals. An old birds nest and a rat's jawbone were amongst the evidence spotted by the young nature detectives. The other organisations involved included Fakenham Learning Community, Fakenham Area Conservation Team and Fakenham Young Naturalists.
In April, volunteers from the Taverham Woodland Group were led on a guided walk. They visited two woodlands in nearby Costessey, looking at the wildlife, landscape and history of the woods. Children and adults alike enjoyed carrying out 'Secret Safaris' where detective skills are used to search for evidence of animals. Amongst the evidence found was a pile of beech masts on an old tree stump described by one young girl as 'a squirrels dinner table'! This conclusion supported when a grey squirrel dropping was also found!
In February and March the Project Officer gave presentations to students taking a National Diploma in Countryside Management at Easton College and students from the University of Cambridge. He also took the students from Cambridge on a site visit to look at countryside management issues.
In December and January the Project Officer gave evening slide presentations about the Wensum Valley and the work of the Wensum Valley Project for 2 local branches of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and the Blofield Conservation Group. Seventy members of the public attended the NWT talk in Wymondham and 35 in Dereham. A letter received from the Wymondham group said ‘Thank you for a really superb talk and for sharing your knowledge and expertise’.
At ‘Wild About Norfolk’ (Thetford), the Environment Fair at UEA, (Norwich) and Apple Day at Gressenhall Rural Life Museum (near Dereham), we had a stand publicising the value of the Wensum Valley, the work we do to help maintain and improve that value and also how people can enjoy the valley. This included distributing a selection of our own walks/cycle leaflets and those produced by other people that promote recreation in the Wensum Valley. The leaflets proved very popular, especially those promoting circular routes. At Apple Day (over 2300 visitors) we also devised a self-led activity on Union Farm for children, called the ‘Seed search’, which looked at how seeds disperse.
Beeston Primary School near Dereham – on this field trip the children
visited a number of locations along the Wensum Valley to learn about water in the landscape, how rivers work and man’s influence on them.
See the Education page for more information.
Co-ordinated management
We suggested that the voluntary warden at Sparham Pools (Norfolk Wildlife Trust owned County Wildlife Site) might be able to get some help with practical work from NEWS (Norfolk Environmental Weekenders). As a result, volunteers from NEWS carried out a very enthusiastic day of bramble clearing and birch felling which enlarged the area of rare acid grassland habitat on the site.
Hellesdon Pastures (County Wildlife Site), Norwich – we worked with a local landowner to
i
nclude measures to improve water vole habitat in to the ditch restoration work they were already planning. Water voles are a Biodiversity Action Plan species. We also involved the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and a local ecologist for advice.
Sculthorpe Moor Community Nature Reserve – We introduced the charity
‘Business in the Community’ (who amongst many other things organise Team Building events for businesses), to the folks at Sculthorpe Moor. The result has been a number of days of Team Building exercises for employees from Norwich Union. These include boardwalk construction, kingfisher nest box installation and reed and sedgebed management. By March
2006, 144 people from Norwich Union had already taken part.
ARCHIVE OF ACTVITIES – From Winter 2003 / 2004