Ideas are being sought from members of the public for a name to give to a publicly accessible wildlife area which is being developed alongside the Gaywood River near Lynnsport. The area is owned by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, and is managed in conjunction with local volunteers from the Gaywood Valley Conservation Group, with advice from Norfolk Wildlife Trust. Over the last year the volunteers have worked hard to open out a circular path around the site, as well as creating wildflower meadows, and opening out sunny glades in the extremely dense hawthorn woods.
“It’s a fascinating area in many ways” said NWT Project Officer Mark Webster, “with an amazing tunnel of trees through the middle, along with open grassy glades and patches of wetland plants. We know that the area has been used in the past as a BMX track,” he continued, “and there are still lots of lumps and bumps where this used to be. It seems that dredgings from the river have also been added to the site in previous years, adding to the curiously diverse mix of soils here”. There are also lots of fruit trees in the area, suggesting that it was once an orchard.
Despite there being a well-trodden path through the site, which borders Salters Road and the riverside path, there does not seem to be an agreed name for the area. The winning name will be chosen by the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk, with a prize including a book token and a year’s free membership of Norfolk Wildlife Trust for the winning entry. Councillor Alistair Beales, Deputy Leader of The Borough Council, is looking forward to judging ideas for a name for the site from local residents. “It might commemorate a local naturalist or conservationist, or be a name that people are already using informally” he said. “We are looking for a name that will encourage people to visit the area and enjoy seeing wildlife on their doorsteps”. The name will be used on 3 interpretation boards explaining to visitors about the site and the animals and plants that they may see there.
If you would like to put forward a name for the area, or have any memories about the site’s use over the years, or would just like more information about the area - which is at the end of the Beulah Street car park - please contact Mark Webster on 07843 069 567 or
via email. The closing date for naming competition entries is 31st May 2016.
For details of how you can help wildlife at this site and others in the area,
visit the Gaywood Valley Conservation Group, who meet at Beulah Street car park at 9.30am on Mondays.