Coronavirus Update


Wednesday 13 May, 2020


Update Friday 19 June and Friday 26 June

The beach car park at Cley Marshes is now open. The visitor centre, toilets and hides remain closed.

The car park at Rollesby bridge (not an NWT car park) for Trinity Broads will re-open Saturday 27 June. Please note the toilets will still be closed.


Update Wednesday 3 June

The car parks at Cley and Salthouse Marshes Visitor Centre and East Bank will reopen on Thursday 4 June. The beach car park will remain closed until next week due to surface repair work. Please be aware there is still limited access for visitors at the nature reserve, because boardwalks, hides, the visitor centre and toilets remain closed.  If you do visit us, please be considerate as a sudden influx of visitors will put the fragile nature of the habitats and wildlife at risk.

As the visitor centre remains closed, if non-members are able to support the conservation of Cley Marshes with an online donation for using the car parks, we would be extremely grateful.

 


A message from our Chief Executive, Pamela Abbott, Wednesday 13 May 2020


Thank you so much for your support and patience during these difficult times. The stewardship of nature in Norfolk has become harder than ever during the pandemic. At the same time, it has been wonderful to hear so many of your stories of finding solace and delight in nature to relieve some of the hardship caused by lockdown.

At Norfolk Wildlife Trust we have continued to care for our nature reserves, both for the precious habitats and wildlife which they hold, and to ensure they are there for everyone once this challenging time has passed.

This week’s announcement from the Government that lockdown restrictions are easing means that the countryside is gradually to become accessible again. We are now looking carefully at ways we can welcome visitors to our nature reserves, keeping the protection of wildlife paramount and also the safety of our staff, visitors and local communities. 

We are pleased that many of our car parks will reopen from 20 May allowing you to visit some of the sites you love the most. At the moment we are arranging signs and other measures to ensure you can visit safely. Please bear with us as we do this, logistics such as these can take time and, as a result of COVID-19, we have fewer staff available to support this work. 

Our visitor centres, toilets and hides will remain closed and we will open them when it is safe to do so. The car parks at Cley and Salthouse Marshes will also take a bit more time to reopen, to allow us to coordinate with other sites along the coast. We will share this date with you as soon as we can.

In restoring access to these nature reserves, we are confident that the wildlife will not be negatively affected. At these sites you may see some temporary changes, which will enable us to look after the health and safety of our staff and visitors. There may also be areas at some nature reserves, such as our woodlands, where paths are narrower than the 2 metre recommended social distancing measure so please be considerate of other visitors. On sites where dogs are permitted, we also ask you to please keep them on a lead to reduce the disturbance to wildlife which may have spread into unexpected areas.

Steering the best course to safeguard both wildlife and people is at the heart of all our decisions. There are some nature reserves which we have decided to keep closed for the moment, so we can be sure that vulnerable wildlife is not affected by any sudden increase in visitor numbers. 

We are not able to open some nature reserves because people would not be able to visit them safely. For example, the boardwalk at Ranworth Broad is too narrow and the hides at Weeting Heath must remain closed. We hope that you can enjoy seeing the incredible wildlife at both of these sites via our webcams such as the terns on the raft on the broad. Do stay with them and us online as the chicks grow.

The list of nature reserves and car parks still closed from 20 May is below. 















Many of us have enjoyed our local wildlife: exploring new wild areas on our daily walks and hearing the sound of birdsong, which has been more apparent during the reduction in traffic and noise. We are fortunate in Norfolk that so much of our wildlife also exists away from nature reserves and we hope you continue to enjoy your local areas, from riverside paths to village commons. 

Nature near to where we live – in walking distance or short bike ride from home – is particularly important for our mental and physical health at this time. We know from national research that more than 60% of the population live within a 3 mile walk of a Wildlife Trust nature reserve. Please consider not using your car to visit a nature reserve, and also to stay close to home and enjoy the local places you have discovered. We feel that these remain important messages for us all at this time of change.

We will be in touch next week with further updates in our mid-month enewsletter, which also contains more ideas to stay wild at home. We will also continue to keep you up to date on our website and social media channels, where we have very much enjoyed sharing Norfolk’s wonderful wildlife with you. Thank you once again for your support.
 

Pamela Abbott, Chief Executive

    

Re-opening on 20 May  (alongside sites that have stayed open throughout) 

  • BRETT'S WOOD

  • EAST WRETHAM HEATH

  • FOXLEY WOOD 

  • HICKLING BROAD AND MARSHES - One way route only of 2.5km (1.5 miles)

  • LOWER WOOD, ASHWELLTHORPE

  • NARBOROUGH RAILWAY LINE

  • WAYLAND WOOD

 

Remaining closures from 20 May

  • COCKSHOOT BROAD 

  • CLEY AND SALTHOUSE MARSHES - car parks open, limited access to nature reserve only

  • HOLME DUNES

  • RANWORTH BROAD AND MARSHES

  • ROYDON COMMON AND TONY HALLATT MEMORIAL RESERVE – nature reserve is open but car parks are closed

  • THETFORD HEATH - closed at this time of year due to breeding birds 

  • WEETING HEATH 

 

Membership

We know that the priority for all of us right now is overcoming the immediate challenges we face. In this unprecedented crisis, we truly appreciate those members who feel they can continue with their subscriptions, and particularly as renewals may fall in these next few uncertain weeks and months. However, our greatest wish is that you do the right thing for you and your household and we appreciate that this may affect your decision to support us.

We hope new measures will help our members during this difficult time.

Share this

Top news stories

2023-11-14 Shared vision revealed for Nor Shared vision revealed for Norwich nature reserve
Tuesday 14 November, 2023
We have revealed the emerging long-term vision for our newest nature reserve Sweet Briar Marshes. Sketches,...
2023-11-06 We've purchased a popular Hick We've purchased a popular Hickling pub!
Monday 06 November, 2023
We have announced that we are the new owners of the Pleasure Boat Inn at Hickling Staithe.  ...
2023-11-02 There could be ‘catastrophic d There could be ‘catastrophic damage’ to nature if Wash Barrier plans go ahead
Thursday 02 November, 2023
Alongside a variety of other conservation charities, we are warning of catastrophic damage to one of the UK’s m...
2023-11-01 Drop into our Sweet Briar Mars Drop into our Sweet Briar Marshes exhibition this November
Wednesday 01 November, 2023
Norfolk Wildlife Trust will be sharing the emerging shared vision for its newest nature reserve NWT Sweet Briar Marsh...
2023-11-01 New appeal to inspire a love o New appeal to inspire a love of wildlife in the next generation
Wednesday 01 November, 2023
We're launching a fundraising appeal to raise £50,000 in the next few months to help ex...
2023-10-16 We raise concerns for funding We raise concerns for funding of the NWL with the Department for Transport
Monday 16 October, 2023
Following the government naming the Norwich Western Link among road projects that could benefit&n...
2023-10-04 Globally rare frog to benefit Globally rare frog to benefit from new Norfolk habitat
Wednesday 04 October, 2023
We are leading a partnership to protect and expand ancient landscapes in the Brecks to enhance the habitat of the rar...
2023-10-03 £5 million government grant to £5 million government grant to restore peatlands in the Fens
Tuesday 03 October, 2023
As part of the Fens East Peat Partnership (FEPP), we are excited to announce we have been awarded a substantial ...
2023-09-28 New report highlights need for New report highlights need for urgent action to save Norfolk’s nature
Thursday 28 September, 2023
Today, alongside leading wildlife organisations, we are publishing a landmark State of Nature 2023 rep...
2023-09-12 Nature photography competition Nature photography competition winners announced
Tuesday 12 September, 2023
Norfolk Wildlife Trust has announced the winners of their nature photography competition for 2023. Over 600 photograp...
2023-09-04 Coastal works to protect Norfo Coastal works to protect Norfolk’s wildlife from rising sea 
Monday 04 September, 2023
This week sees the start of major works at Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Cley and Salthouse Mars...
2023-08-29 Government's weakening of wate Government's weakening of water pollution rules spells disaster for Norfolk's wildlife and people
Tuesday 29 August, 2023
Today, Norfolk Wildlife Trust was shocked to hear the Government announce a process for weakening the legislation on ...