Breaking News Newsletter for Breaking New Ground Landscape Partnership Scheme
Apr 2017
A newsflash for project partners and participants with news items, project updates, special features and forthcoming events.
Just some of the events and projects still The end of March was the planned finish date to come: for all the Breaking New Ground projects and Journal of Breckland Studies for the team. However, as we’ve mentioned in All the articles have been received and are a previous newsletter, we’ve been granted a currently being proofread. The Journal is to short extension period and so a few projects be published in May and contains some will now be running until the end of June so fascinating articles about Brecks history and that they can complete their outputs and in wildlife. We’ll let you know where you can get some cases deliver a few more things than your copy in the May Newsletter planned. The BNG team will be around for a Birds of the Brecks (Spring Birdsong) couple of months beyond that to complete project administration and reporting work. Last few months for BNG!
This means that we’ll not have as much new content to share with you either here or on our social media channels. So, as well as looking back at the successes of past projects and the legacy we’ll leave behind, we would love to help promote your events, volunteering opportunities and other news in and around the Brecks. If you have anything you’d like to add to our newsletter then please 20th May, Lackford Lakes send us details so we can send it out to our network of Brecks enthusiasts! 10-4 Free but booking essential Thank you to everyone who has been involved with BNG over the years, and look Engine House Restoration out for more exciting projects coming up in the Brecks (more details on page 3!) The Engine House restoration is expected to be complete by the end of the summer. See page 2 for an update on progress Thetford Station Interpretation Boards
The interpretation boards at Thetford station have been printed and will be in place very soon. They tell the story of the station’s history and also explain about the wildlife haven being installed on the platform by the Friends of Thetford Station. Look out for Steve Mead’s wonderful artwork on the board as well.
Project Focus A5: Engine House Update The work on the Engine House at Brandon Country is still going well, we are pleased to report. Inside the main building, all the timber roof joists have been either repaired or replaced, and the flooring has also been repaired, with the old floorboards being kept where possible. Outside, the link building walls are going up, and work continues on the roof of both the main building and the bothy.
Inside the Engine House
Replacing the slates on the bothy
D1: Archaeological Training As the BNG scheme enters its final months, a one-day conference is being held to report on and celebrate the results of the numerous heritage-related projects which have been undertaken by volunteers as part of the scheme. It will be held at the Carnegie Rooms in Thetford on Saturday 24th June, 10:00-16:00 Subjects include archaeological test-pitting at West Stow Anglo-Saxon village, the military heritage of the Brecks and new sites revealed by a Lidar survey of the forest, amongst other things. You can book your ticket to this FREE event here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/revealing-the-heritage-of-the-brecks-conference-tickets-31996765186
Archaeological dig at West Stow
Grimes Graves from above (Norfolk County Council)
Project Focus Fantastic News for the Brecks as new Lottery funded project announced We’re excited to report that the Brecks will get nearly half a million pounds from a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) national award of £4.6 million for the Back from the Brink project to rescue 20 rare species in danger of extinction, announced last week. In the Brecks the local project is called Shifting Sands –Securing a Place in the Brecks which reflects the unique and special character of the Breckland landscape. This HLF award to a partnership of organisations in the Brecks will enable them to carry out research and management projects to rescue some of these rare species and the habitats they live in, as well as engaging with landowners and the public to engage their interest and support for the work. Some 16 rare species (5 plants, 5 invertebrates, 2 reptiles and 4 bird species) will benefit from the project over 3 years with a legacy of 10 years and beyond. The project will be delivered by Natural England with key partners including; Plantlife, University of East Anglia, Forestry Commission, Butterfly Conservation Trust, Norfolk Wildlife Trust and Buglife, plus local land managers. We will be bringing you news of this exciting new project as they gear up, and look out for lots of fantastic opportunities to get involved yourself! For more information contact Karen Kramer Wilson at Natural England on tel 02080 264934 mobile 07527 421970 email Karen.Wilson@naturalengland.org.uk
Events Coming Up: Birds of the Brecks (Spring): 20th May, Lackford Lakes Archaeological Conference: 24th June Carnegie Rooms, Thetford Find out more and book at http://www.breakingnewground.org.uk/events
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Picture of the Month A c1900s tin found at the Engine House during restoration
What the Brecks Means to Me... Some extracts from pieces written by those involved with Breaking New Ground over the last three years, writing about what the landscape means to them:
I am always amazed by the surreal sense of place evoked when I visit. The ethereal quality of the Scots and Corsican pines, the pungent aroma of pine heathland, a wide array of puffballs and other fungi, the stone curlews and nightjars calling and the soft sandy soils all contribute to a unique and identifiable sense of place. Steph Hartick. Landscape Patterns project At every turn in the Brecks there are new discoveries and new delights and who knows what still lurks beneath the beet fields or behind crumbling plaster. Peter Tolhurst, author of Norfolk Parish Treasures
It felt like I was always destined to be a part of this landscape. The colours and textures, the people, the wildlife, everything just seemed to 'fit right'. And so I slotted in to my new life. Like a hand slipping into a well worn glove. Since my arrival here, my senses seem heightened. I see and hear more than I ever did before. Being here is the best move I ever made in my life, for me and for my family. I only wish I'd got here sooner! Alison Barnes, workshop participant Then there are stone curlews, which I spend my time working with. With their long yellow legs, knobbly knees and large yellow eyes, they creep across the flinty ground doing their best not to be seen. On the farms and heaths on which they nest, I see them as ‘my’ birds. I want to know what they are about, I want to know whether their eggs are hatched and if their chicks are fledged. I am delighted when chicks I have colour ringed return safely to breed themselves. I grin as I pass a field, knowing that a pair of these birds are in there, guarding eggs, bringing up young. Jo Jones, RSPB Volunteer What does The Brecks mean to me? It means walking across wide open heathlands, under big blue skies, before diving into dense pine forests. It means exploring miles of footpaths, going on invigorating off-road cycle rides, and birdwatching for elusive birds. David Falk, Brandon Country Park Manager The Brecks to me is all about discovery and intrigue; a landscape steeped in history and biodiversity so close to where I live and yet so unexplored by myself and so many others. Rebekah O’Driscoll, former BNG Project officer Above all the Brecks for me is an escape – away from the Suffolk boulder clay landscape of cottages and oak trees where I was brought up, into a more aromatic world of pine trees and heather, a sandy surface where the flint tools of our prehistoric ancestors lie scattered as though they were dropped yesterday. Tim Holt-Wilson, Geodiversity projects lead The Brecks are my home, where I have lived since being brought here at three months old. The sights, sounds and scents of it's heaths, forest and river have helped form me, make me who I am. The Brecks are where I go for peace, when life is challenging. I can walk for miles, not seeing another soul. Alone with nature, the solitude allows me to think and be, finding my equilibrium again. Martina North, former BNG Business Support Officer To me, the Brecks means home—a home of peace and also a home of discovery. Who would want to live anywhere else? Sue Pennell, The Breckland Society
Get your Brecks-based event/project/news story/opportunity noticed!: If there is something that you would like included in the next newsletter, please send details to Amy : BNG.Admin@suffolk.gov.uk Breaking New Ground c/o Visitor Centre, Brandon Country Park, Bury Road, Brandon, Suffolk, IP27 0SU 01842 815465 e: bng.admin@suffolk.gov.uk t: @TheBrecksBNG f: TheBrecksBNG. w: www.breakingnewground.org.uk