Breaking News Newsletter for Breaking New Ground Landscape Partnership Scheme
March 2016
A newsflash for project partners and participants with news items, project updates, special features and forthcoming events.
People’s Pot Applications Open
Iceni Botanical Art Watercolour Workshops
As part of the BNG scheme, a special fund has been set up to support additional projects in the This year’s series of area. Up to £5,000 may be awarded to watercolour workshops independent landscape and heritage projects. The will very soon be open for People’s Pot is open to everyone including booking! The workshops will take place at Santon organisations or groups from public, private, Downham Village hall voluntary and community sectors across The throughout the year, with Brecks. Whilst applications from individuals are each workshop starting not precluded, all projects need to demonstrate with a talk about an firm evidence of public benefit; it is expected that aspect of Brecks wildlife, and then moving on to in most cases applications will be submitted on painting it in a watercolour behalf of organisations or groups of people. workshop. Applicants need not necessarily come from, or be based in the Scheme area, but the proposed th project(s) must further the objectives of Breaking 7 MAY 2016 09:30-4 –“Painting a Wild Flower” New Ground. This year, we are particularly keen to encourage projects that help conserve or restore the natural and built heritage of the Brecks. This might include repair or restoration of natural, built heritage or archaeological features, or projects that contribute to the understanding and future preservation of such features.
Tutor - Christine Grey- Wilson Guest Speaker – Neal Armour-Chelu
9th JULY 2016 09:30-4 – “Painting Insects and their food sources” Tutor and Guest Speaker—Rob Dyke
24th SEPT 2016 09:30-4 – “Painting Pinelines” Tutor—Sheila O’Brien Guest Speaker—TBA
8th OCT 2016 09:30-4 – “Painting Fungi” Tutor – Reinhild Raistrick Guest Speaker Jonathan Revett
The deadline for applications is the 31st March ALL MATERIALS AND SPECIMENS SUPPLIED Interested? To find out more, download the guidance and application documents or contact us!
There is a registration fee of only £5 (non refundable) per person per workshop. Details of how to book and pay will be sent out very shortly!
Project Focus A1: Ground Disturbance The Ground Disturbance project explores a range of different disturbance treatments in order to increase populations of plants, invertebrates and birds through varied habitat management and mosaic creation. Traditionally the creation of bare ground was achieved through grazing and by the huge populations of rabbits the landscape once supported, but since the planting of the forests and the dawn of industrial agriculture, these natural processes in The Brecks no longer occur on the scale that they used to. To combat the loss of these natural processes, a huge transformation has begun using heavy machinery at sites in the Brecks managed by Norfolk Wildlife Trust. The machinery is being used to scrape away the surface nutrients and expose the bare mineral soil below, creating ideal habitat for rare Breckland plants, solitary bees and rare moths. Collectively over the project’s lifetime, more than 10Ha of new disturbed ground will be created in the heart of the Brecks. At Brandon Heath, the heather is prevented from rejuvenating naturally because many areas are dominated by mosses and grasses which would naturally have been kept down by grazing animals. A massive two hectares of bare ground will be created, made up of 60 small scrapes of roughly five metres in diameter each. These will allow space for the heather to grow and create a site with different ages of heather. In the coming months, work will also take place at Cranwich Heath; 10 larger scrapes will be created, each approximately 30 metres in diameter. Similar disturbance work has already been undertaken on Weeting Heath and on road side nature reserves in both the Norfolk and Suffolk Brecks. Norfolk County Council Historic Environment Service and Suffolk County Council Archaeological Service have been working alongside the conservation organisations to ensure the ground disturbance works do not damage archaeological remains. Initially existing records were studied, followed by field surveys of all the sites and many archaeological features were discovered, including a possible prehistoric burial mound, an Anglo-Saxon boundary bank, warren boundaries and locations of old quarries. We were also very excited to have the area filmed from above using a drone, by Ember Films. You can find the video and more about the project on our website.
Project Focus C11: Beastly Brecks Our Beastly Brecks project is coming along well, with a script written by the award-winning Tangram Theatre, actors cast and rehearsals well underway! This project will bring alive the amazing details of the Brecks landscape for kids (KS2 age) through a fun, interactive drama performance with facts and information about the Brecks landscape, wildlife, history and people. The first opportunity to meet the stars Bex and her dog Rex, along with a cast of animals and “Brexperts” will be at the Brecks Fest, held at West Stow this Easter (27-28th March), with performances at other events throughout the year, such as Forest Fest and will also be touring local schools Read more about the project here
Events Coming Up: Grimes Graves Talk: 15th March, Ancient House Museum 14:30-15:30 Brecks Military History: Archaeological Fieldwork Training: 19th March, 10:00-16:00 Brecks Fest: 27-28th March , West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, 10:00-16:00 Deadly Dinosaurs and Fantastic Fossils Discovery Day: 6th April Ancient House Museum 10:30-1 Easter Wildlife Hunt: 8-10 April, Brandon Country Park Brecks Building Skills—From the Ground Up: 9th April, West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, 10-4 Find out more and book at http://www.breakingnewground.org.uk/events
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Picture of the Month A flurry of snow covered the ground at Brandon Country Park a few weeks ago!
What the Brecks Means to Me... The Brecks to me…is a new and exciting chapter of my life. I have recently moved here from Mid Suffolk, and it was the contrast of dense forests, open heaths and the chance to walk throughout the landscape which brought me to the area. The Brecks to me…is early sunrise walks – watching in awe as the delicate morning colours compliment the dark, dense and mysterious forest. The marvellous frosty mornings, when the only sound I hear is the crunching of my own footsteps and the scuffling of my Springer Spaniel rushing around my feet. The Brecks to me…is watching the heathland ponies within the landscape around my new home, making me chuckle as they converge on the hilltop as the pink morning sun arises over the horizon. The Brecks to me…is my new home. Becky Sutton Visitor Development Officer, Brandon Country Park
Brandon Country Park looking beautiful in the winter sun
CONGRATULATIONS! to our partners the Iceni Botanical Artists, who won a Silver Gilt Medal at the Royal Horticultural Show Botanical Art Exhibition in London., for their collection of artwork entitled Breckland Wildflowers - Heaths and Grasslands.
Get your project noticed!: If there is something that you would like included in the next newsletter, please send details to Amy and Martina by 26th February: 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