High winds are once again wreaking havoc on Friarscroft Wood.
It’s hard to see the positives when two trees come down overnight, making seven we’ve lost since January. South Norfolk council had just removed a dead tree and several suspicious branches – and now this.
The problem seems to be that, unmanaged over the years, the self-seeded trees have grown too close together and are therefore more spindly and weak. The ground in the woods is reliably damp because of the springs, but this could mean some younger trees have less purchase.
It will mean more brush piles for wildlife, our own wood chip, and even trunk seating for the open areas. We are nothing but optimistic, Greening Wymondham.
Sometimes you have to be optimistic. After the rolling back of environmental protections in the name of strategic development and house building under this government – a little of which has been rowed back on – it was good to hear Helen Sibley’s talk at the council offices recently.
Helen is the Green Infrastructure Officer for South Norfolk and Broadland, and she outlined the Green Infrastructure Policy for the area. It will guide councils and groups like Greening Wymondham in resisting or ameliorating development proposals and shaping their own projects for public benefit.
It’s been created using mapping to show ideal green infrastructure for existing towns and villages. This is based on data indicating what’s best for mass physical and mental health. It includes quiet roads, cycleways and paths alongside access to open spaces, both green and blue. The latter is access to rivers, ponds and the sea. It is also a guide for ideal future development, which none of us would deny will be necessary.
Sadly, it is neither statutory nor funded, but together with the Local Nature Recovery Plan for Norfolk and Suffolk, it could give councils leverage to ensure development is kinder to both people and the environment. And guide groups like ours to significant projects.
For more tangible good news: we’re delighted to have been summoned to the Ex-Serviceman’s Club recently for the presentation of a very generous cheque from the Wymondham and Attleborough Darts League. We were nominated by Belinda Sheldrake of the Wymondham Ladies’ Team, and are very grateful to be among the lucky recipients.
We’ll be meeting groups like ours at the Biodiversity Fair at the Forum in Norwich on 4th October. If you’re in Norwich that day, pop into the Forum and visit our stall – it runs from 10am to 2pm. We know there will be lots of friendly faces but it would be good to see some from Wymondham!
We stay on for the county-wide Biodiversity Awards later that day: we’ve been nominated in two sections - and we’re crossing our fingers! It would be truly great to have recognition for the inspirational work done by all the Greening Wymondham volunteers, but we know that there are some excellent projects and teams throughout Norfolk.
Which is why, later in the month, we’re hosting a day-long meeting at Fairland Hall for community groups from all over Norfolk, under the aegis of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Wymondham Nature Group will be with us to talk about what has been achieved so far in Wymondham. The first of these meetings was held in Great Ryburgh last year and was hugely useful and illuminating. It gave us all a chance to hear about projects people had started, what the pitfalls and positives were, and to discuss solutions.
And just in case you think it’s all talk and no action, the first fork will go into the ground at Rothbury Park on October 27th for the start of the replanting scheme. We’ll be working with the Conservation Volunteers and local people who’ve already let us know they’d like to help. If you’d like to join us – and be among the first to see the planting plans devised by Groundwork East – email us at greening.wymondham@gmail.com. We’ll be featuring all this exciting work on Instagram and Facebook.
