A reed cutting day, country crafts and bat and moth evenings on boats are just some of the celebration events planned for the year, as the Trinity Broads Partnership celebrates 25 years of restoration and conservation work.
Situated north-west of Great Yarmouth, the
Trinity Broads make up 14% of the open water within the Broads. They are owned by Essex & Suffolk Water and provide 5million litres of high quality drinking water per day to 80,000 homes in the area.
They are managed in partnership with Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Broads Authority, Natural England and Environment Agency. For 25 years the Partnership has restored the five Broads, including biomanipulation of Ormesby Broad in 1994.
Keeping the water quality in good condition not only benefits wildlife and all those who want to enjoy it, including anglers, but also cleaner lakes mean less processing at the Water Treatment Works.
This has included working with farmers to reduce the fertilizers that find their way into the broads; clearing scrub from reedbeds to keep the habitat open for reed warblers and bitterns; and conservation cuts of reed (traditionally used for thatch) to encourage rare plants to grow. The Trinity Broads has now been described as one of the best restored lake systems in Europe.
Eilish Rothney, Trinity Broads warden said “The Trinity Broads support a wealth of wildlife, from the tiniest rare snail to stands of bulrushes, which have virtually disappeared from the rest of the Broads. NWT has been helping look after these beautiful broads for six years and, as warden, I would not have been able to achieve the huge amount of conservation work needed without the dedicated group of volunteers who work with me. Many live nearby and the local community are an integral part of the success of the Trinity Broads in providing habitat for wildlife, recreation opportunities and excellent drinking water.