About the event

Close to the heart of Norwich lies Sweet Briar Marshes: 90 acres of fen, rough meadow, grazing marsh, old hedgerows, and young woodland.  The reserve sits by the River Wensum and forms a ribbon of green through an otherwise urban environment. It is a fabulous mosaic of wetland habitats, including grassland, tall-herb fen, veteran hedgerows and scrub, all of which was arable farmland until the late 1990s. Today it is a treasure trove of nature, wilderness, and peace, important for declining plant species such as early-marsh orchid, devil's-bit scabious and ragged robin.  With the vision of a wilder Norwich for all with Sweet Briar at its centre, NWT successfully brought the land into ownership in 2022, and the talk by Matt Wickens, Urban Nature Reserves Manager for Norfolk Wildlife Trust, highlights the range of habitats and wildlife to be found at Sweet Briar.  Matt explains the challenges for the reserve team in restoring its biodiversity and enhancing the habitat for people and wildlife alike.