Rural experts swapped the confines of the office for the open air of the countryside when they lent a hand at a Norfolk nature reserve.
Green-fingered volunteers from Savills Norwich visited
Hickling Broad and Marshes to help Norfolk Wildlife Trust with its ongoing wetland restoration project.
Mark Little, a director with the rural team at Savills Norwich, who helped organise the work, said: “Despite some fairly persistent rain it was a hugely enjoyable afternoon and a great excuse to spend some time away from the office.
“We travelled by boat to a remote part of the reserve to help the wardens with their restoration programme – removing dominant scrub species in an area of mixed deciduous, wet woodland to help make room for a more diverse range of vegetation.
“The benefits of spending time in the countryside for both physical and mental wellbeing are well documented so we were only too happy to visit the reserve and lend a hand with this important project.”
The afternoon was organised as part of the Savills ‘Time for the Environment’ initiative which promotes sustainability and environmental wellbeing.
Nik Khandpur, Head of Development with Norfolk Wildlife Trust, said: “A big ‘thank you’ to the volunteers from Savills. It was a real pleasure to have the team on site and to be able to show them some of the rarely-seen parts of the reserve - but nonetheless valuable for so many of our specialist wetland species.
"It was fantastic that, in spite of the weather, everyone rolled up their sleeves and helped us take care of one of our flagship sites in the Broads. Volunteer support plays a huge role in helping us care for our many nature reserves. It is also a great way for
companies to make a positive and practical difference to local wildlife “