Wymondham Local Group

From The Chair

As Chair, I would like to welcome everyone to come to our local group. We hold ten evening indoor illustrated talks a year on subjects covering all aspects of wildlife. These are held in Wymondham on the 2nd Thursday of the month at 7.30pm, not July or August. We run a friendly committee which you could get involved with or help out with our conservation teams. We maintain a healthy 70-80 people to each monthly indoor meeting with people attending from all over Norfolk. As a relatively new Chair I look forward to running a group that informs about nature, conserves biodiversity, educates about wildlife whilst enjoying ourselves and engaging with the local planning system.
Ann Roberts

Our Local Area

The local area of South Norfolk is made up of a several historic market towns set in typical South Norfolk ‘Claylands’ farming countryside to river valleys/broad areas towards the Suffolk border. The ancient Abbey and town in Wymondham is set in a valley of two rivers, the Tiffey and Bays and surrounded by a Local Nature Reserve, 15 County Wildlife Sites and several small woodlands that are valuable habitats for both flora and fauna. Water vole, otters, kingfisher, great crested newts and various species of orchids are often to be spotted along the river valleys and on many of the natural sites surrounding the town.

About the Group

Apart from the indoor meetings we run several market stalls a year, hold raffles, and produce a group magazine to fund raise for the Trust. The group also carries out conservation work on two sites, Ashwellthorpe Lower Wood (ancient wood owned by NWT) and Tolls Meadow (fen meadow owned by Wymondham Town Council). We also help out at ‘Wild About Norfolk’ by running the Sensory section with ‘hands on’ displays of wildlife objects, sounds and smells of nature.

Wymondham Nature Group members were pleased to represent NWT when charity trustees opened the Abbey Meadows to the general public on Saturday 9th May. Volunteers manned a stall with information about NWT and the local group, and gave advice about local wildlife to members of the public.

This was a rare opportunity for people to visit this meadow, a designated County Wildlife Site alongside the River Tiffey. The meadow includes the remains of the monastic building associated with Wymondham Abbey and experts from English Heritage and Norfolk Landscape Archaeology Department were present to provide guidance. More than 250 people attended.

The Abbey Meadows are cared for by trustees of the Rev William Papillon’s Charity and the site is not normally open to the public. There are plans for another open day in the autumn.

Contact Us


Chair: Ann Roberts 01953 604311
Secretary: Ann Carpenter 01508 488337
Conservation:Ann Edwards 01603 812309