BFER August Newsletter 2023

Welcome to the BFER newsletter

1.2 – Sea to Chalk: Restoring Sea Trout & Eels

For the second successive year, the Environment Agency are supporting The Brecks’ Fen Edge & Rivers Landscape Partnership by providing elvers for the annual ‘Eels in the Classroom’ or ’Eels on Wheels’ project. Delivered by the Norfolk Rivers Trust, the project aims to educate children on the life cycle of the European Eel, an iconic Fenland fish species which is now critically endangered.In early June Ursula Juta, Senior Project Officer at Norfolk Rivers Trust, met Fisheries Officer Paul Wilkanowski on site to collect 30 elvers which would then spend the next few weeks visiting 6 schools across the Brecks area within Norfolk and Suffolk, as part of an education programme, before being released back into the river to continue their onward upstream migration.

In addition, the Trust will develop education packs celebrating the amazing lifecycle of eels, and the important role they play in Brecks biodiversity and local history. Additional support will help schools set up aquariums in schools to create a lasting focus for learning about our rivers and aquatic life.

We have 1 space available for schools to apply for a funded aquarium in their school, if you would like to know more, please email: BFER.admin@suffolk.gov.uk

2.4 – River Raiders

As the successful ‘The Vikings; history on your doorstep’ exhibition closes at Ancient House Museum in Thetford, a 360-degree tour is being created to continue to make this fascinating story accessible online, and BFER partners the Breckland Society publish the much-anticipated, and fascinating research report ‘River Raiders: Anglo-Saxon and Viking Breckland’, which features a new walking trail around the town.

With research workshops and report editing undertaken by Dr Richard Hoggett, the report is the result of many dedicated volunteers undertaking new research into the Anglo-Saxon and Viking history, bringing the discoveries together in a 128-page report that will be available in hard-copy (while stocks last) and online on the Brecks.org website, and that of the Breckland Society.

Head over to our website to view a PDF version of the booklet: https://brecks.org/bfer/projects/under-the-surface-discovering-heritage/2-4-river-raiders/

3.6 – Supporting Placement & Youth Training

On the 7 July 2023, Nick and Tracy from BFER went ‘back to school’ to meet over 85 biology and history students from Abbeygate Sixth Form College in Bury Saint Edmunds. Time was spent providing information about the BFER project and careers in Heritage. Students were able to sign up to volunteering and work experience opportunities and find out more about their local Brecks heritage.

Are you interested in volunteering or work experience with us?
Get in touch: tracy.harrison@suffolk.gov.uk or bfer.admin@suffolk.gov.uk

Also, check out our new career profiles page over on our website, featuring career profile cards from lots of our partners and the routes they took in their career. https://brecks.org/bfer/projects/working-waters-heritage-skills-for-the-future/3-6-supporting-placements-youth-training/heritage-careers-in-the-brecks/career-profiles/

4.2 – Celebrating River Heritage

Photo credit: Imogen Radford

It was great at to be Ancient House Museum last month with the team, a variety of BFER partners and VIPs for the Launch of the fascinating new exhibition ‘Made by The River’, as part of our Celebrating Brecks Heritage project.

Made by the River tells the engaging story of the town’s old riverside industries from the 1800s to the 1980s. Displays featuring evocative names such as Fison’s fertilizers, Burrell’s steam engines and Bidwells brewery conjure up the sights, sounds and smells of the town’s rich industrial heritage.

The Tales from the Riverbank exhibition, created by the history clubs, will be at the museum 1-9 September. It complements the industrious history by telling the story of recreation in the rivers of Thetford and the Brecks.

For more information and to visit, click here: https://www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk/ancient-house/whats-on/exhibitions/made-by-the-river

Also don’t forget to check out the list of events below happening at the Ancient House Museum.

4.4 – Healing Waters: Breathe in the Brecks

4.5 – Volunteer & Engagement Programme

In Other News

BFER are partnering with the Restoration Trust to launch a new job opportunity:  

Heritage Link worker-Bury St Edmunds 

This exciting new role will be hosted by the Restoration Trust in partnership with BFER. The post holder will assist both organisations to facilitate social prescribing to engage people with the heritage and nature of the Brecks, for the benefit of their mental health and wellbeing.

£14 per hour for 15 hours per week, September 2023 – May 2024

For more information, and to apply, visit: https://restorationtrust.org.uk/exciting-job-opportunity-heritage-linkworker-bury-st-edmunds/ 

Volunteer with us!

We are looking for volunteers to join us, see a list of our current opportunities:

BFER Blogger Volunteer – BFER is launching a new blog as part of its website and is seeking Blogging Volunteers to assist in writing engaging articles and content. BFER will use blog posts to reach both new and existing audiences. The BFER Blog will report on the diverse range of exciting heritage, wildlife, wellbeing, and art projects and events taking place across the BFER scheme.

BFER PR & Social Media Volunteer – We are looking for a driven PR & Social Media Volunteer to attract and interact with new and existing audiences. Volunteers should have a solid understanding of how each social media channel works and how to optimize content so that it is engaging on those channels.

BFER Video Editor Volunteer – Can you create and edit videos suitable for websites and social media? We are looking for a video editors to help create, edit and deliver content for our social media platforms, YouTube and Website.

BFER Events & Activities Helper – Events and Activities Helpers assist with one-off BFER events and activity opportunities throughout the year. Participants of these events hugely benefit from and value their interactions with volunteers. Volunteers serve as a ‘friendly face’ representing BFER: engaging visitors and participants, and generally being warm and helpful.

If you are interested in any of the above volunteer roles, please get in touch: BFER.admin@suffolk.gov.uk

Last month, volunteers joined forces to help conserve the Brecks heathland of Barnhamcross Common. Volunteers from Thetford Conservation Group, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, and Get Involved Norfolk, joined the BFER team and Thetford Town Council to help remove ragwort from the Common.

Ragwort is a plant that thrives in dry, open areas such as heathlands. The plant itself is poisonous, and therefore is naturally avoided by grazing animals (which are used to help manage vegetation). Barnhamcross Common, like many Brecks heathlands, is reliant on its very short vegetation, in which many unique and nationally rare Breckland species survive. Without management and control of a variety of other, more vigorous species (such as ragwort, gorse and bracken), these rare species would quickly become overwhelmed.

To help conserve the heathland habitat, volunteers assisted in removing ragwort plants by hand. This prevented the need for damaging chemical interventions, while helping to keep the plants to more manageable levels.

If you are interested in getting involved in conservation work in the Brecks, we’d love to hear from you! Email the team at: bfer.admin@suffolk.gov.uk