From little acorns…

Group/Individual: Lorie Lain-Rogers, Bergh Apton Conservation Trust
Location: Bergh Apton

How did it happen? In 1994 the then chairman of the Parish Council, Bernard Bobbin, heard that some four and a half acres of ex-gravel pit land was likely to come on to the market. In the space of three weeks he contacted everyone in the village he could think of who had some interest in the natural world, those who walked their dogs in the area and those he though might be sympathetic to the idea of a joint purchase of this land – and the formation of a conservation group to manage it. He consulted a solicitor living in the village who advised on the merits of setting up a charitable trust. He then called a meeting of interested parties and from thirteen people £4,500.00 was raised.

Three people cam forward to act as chairman, treasurer and secretary and took on the next steps of negotiation to purchase the land and setting up a charitable trust. None of us were ‘experts’ at that time, just people with a general respect and love for the natural world. Church Plantation, an area of woodland with grassy clearings on the sandy soils flanking the Chet valley, was thus procured for the community. A local policeman in his off duty hours compiled the first survey of birds on the site, but within a year we had found a very knowledgeable, self-taught naturalist who lived in the village. Shortly thereafter our present chairman, an ecologist, moved into the village and joined the trustees, becoming chairman in 1999.

There is no doubt that because the Conservation Trust is based in the village and we hold regular workdays and walks, talks and outings, the profile of all things natural has been raised in the community. The Bergh Apton Magazine, a free bi-monthly well-illustrated local newsletter that goes to every house in the village has largely facilitated this. We now have over 80 members (most living in Bergh Apton but a few from nearby villages and three from Norwich) and a core group of five or six with specialist knowledge, all of whom have shown themselves to be very happy to share their enthusiasm with the others. The workdays have also given us the opportunity to work with the Young Offenders organisation and various other groups, which has been mutually beneficial.

In 2006 we launched a village-wide appeal to raise £22,000 to by 5 ½ acres of  marshland adjacent to the original reserve in the Chet valley. We received large grants from the National Lottery Awards for All, Bergh Apton Community Arts Trust (which runs the well-known Bergh Apton Sculpture Trail every three years) and raised the rest ourselves. Valley Marsh was opened to the public in April 2007. It has greatly diversified the habitats we protect and is now an important wetland conservation area boasting a large pond, dykes and a riverbank, and with locally scarce species such as lesser teasel and stoneworts. We are currently negotiating further land acquisition to extend both Church Plantation and Valley Marsh.

As we look to the future we are confident that the trust will continue to grow an develop, and to aid this process we are building links with the local schools and are striving to recruit new members. This is exemplified by our recent production of an attractive brochure to publicise our activities to potential members.