The first trees by H Parkinson: Bedingham Hall Farm kicked off our tree planting campaign in February with the farm owner joining our volunteers - she received many compliments on her healthy worms!
Old and New by H Parkinson: Our young saplings at Bedingham Hall farm will grow surrounded by healthy hedgerows with interspersed mature trees to create corridors between habitats for local wildlife such as hedgehogs. Check out our
spotter survey to record your sightings of selected iconic Claylands species that depend on these corridors for food and shelter.
Volunteers hard at work by H Parkinson: We are not just celebrating the farmers who have become a part of our Claylands Wilder Connections project, but our volunteers too. Working as a team, our volunteers covered hundreds of meters with saplings. This image shows just the beginning of their wonderful work.
The Sunny Claylands by H Parkinson: The sun shining on the new Claylands saplings at the end of a long first day of tree planting. We faced high winds, heavy rain, and a very long walk for the biscuits but everyone had a wonderful day connecting with the land and with new friends, whilst reconnecting the landscape for wildlife.
Saplings by H Parkinson: The first day of March marked the start of another farm making a home for our saplings. Clayland farm Darrow Green welcomed 8 native species for planting - hawthorn, blackthorn, field maple, hazel, holly, crabapple, dogwood and oak. We look forward to watching them grow and, with effective management, they will become healthy new habitats for wildlife.
The finishing touches by H Parkinson: Our volunteers making great progress at Darrow Green Farm, with conservation intern Lydia Kittle helping them along, enjoying every muddy minute. After a morning tea break, they were full of fuel to power off into the distance to finish the first line.
Clay land by H Parkinson: The distinctive land that is made up of boulder clay makes for very muddy, sticky work! With many stuck wellies and near-buried spades, we really enjoyed our day at Darrow Green farm.
One dig one plant by H Parkinson: Our wonderful volunteers worked amazingly throughout the day, whether it was for a couple of hours or for a full day. We welcome anyone with some free time and the will to take action for nature to join us for future habitat work or surveying.
Talking over trees by H Parkinson: At the end of the day we all like to congratulate our volunteers for all their amazing work. We just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has supported us whether by coming to an event, by helping us plant trees, or by learning something new about wildlife.
Lydia Kittle at Old Hall Farm by R Osbourne: Intern Lydia Kittle has swapped the Brecks for the Claylands in her new internship, and she has been hard at work planting trees and helping our volunteers.
Heyward Farm by H Parkinson: Our last day of tree planting ended on a sunny note and took us up to 6,750 trees planted by volunteers, plus an additional 1,500 planted by contractors.
Working Together by R Osbourne: Our volunteers have been tremendously helpful and had so much fun working together to rebuild these hedgerows.
Biodegradable Tree Guards by R Osbourne: Norfolk Wildlife Trust is committed to making every part of our project as good for the environment as possible, therefore, we are using tree guards that will both protect the young saplings from animals such as deer who may eat them and that will degrade over time. Made of biopolymers from waste corn and beet, these tree guards will break down over 3-5 years, so we don't need to remove the guards at a later date.
The Group by R Osbourne: Smiling and muddy, our volunteers ended the day with a happy group photo. A great end to a productive day!
If you would like to find out more about the Claylands Wilder Connections project or have any questions, please feel free to get in touch via email at
[email protected]. Alternatively, you can call our team on
01603 598333 or reach our Claylands Community Engagement Officer, Sue Grime, on
07393 807897.