BFER October Newsletter 2022

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Welcome to the BFER newsletter

Work has begun at West Stow Country Park to restore a stretch along the River Lark to it’s natural chalk stream state. This has been a joint project working with West Stow Country Park team, Bury Trout Club, Wild Trout Trust, RCLP and Timber Force who has been constructing the works.

The work will see 5 alternating tree/brash ledges created to push the flow for side to side in an overwide reach of the river. The ledges will be topped up where necessary with gravel and some will be placed on the bed. By increasing the flow of the river this will scour out deposited silt and restore the river to a gravelly river for spawning grounds and improved habitat. 
 

 

BFER are pleased to announce a series of fascinating Earth heritage talks with our speaker Tim Holt-Wilson from the Norfolk Geodiversity Partnership!
 
Learn about the Palaeolithic history of the Brecks and Fen Edge, and what rocks, fossils and sediments tell us about the story of human settlement and environmental change.
 
The series of Earth heritage talks include:

• Bones and Stones
• Beneath our Feet
• Burnt Mounds and Bog Oaks

Click the links above for more details!
 
To find out more, and be the first to hear when the dates are announced, follow us on social media @TheBrecksLP, OR send us an email at BFER.admin@suffolk.gov.uk to register your interest.

2.2 – Tales from the River

Photo credit: Imogen Radford

Tales From The Riverbank Summer Club: 23-27 August 2022. This project worked with Ancient House Museum, Thetford and a filmmaker on a week long summer club where young people learned new skills. They worked with oral history extracts, archival documents, images and artefacts (including stories gathered in the project so far) to create a short film on how the river has been used for fun in the past. The Summer Club was free, including refreshments, and was held at Ancient House, Thetford Library, and outdoors along the riverbank. The week was great fun and very interesting, discovering new material and creating animations, film footage and content.

Young people in the Ancient House history clubs will be putting together an exhibition, to be displayed in Thetford Library running from 15th October to 6th November, then to tour other libraries and locations before returning to Ancient House Museum.

We are pleased to announce the launch of the ‘Industrious Rivers’ project delivered by the Breckland Society.

The Industrious Rivers project will explore the history of trade and development along the waterways of the Brecks. There will be opportunities for volunteers to learn more about the history of the area, and to acquire new skills and insights into a lesser known aspect of local heritage. Training sessions will help volunteers to understand the characteristics and significance of the Breckland rivers and to carry out their own research.

If you would like to get involved, please come along to our free launch event at Brandon Country Park on 17th October

For more information and to book your place, please visit our website: Brecks.org

If you are unable to attend the launch, but are still interested in getting involved, please click here to email Helen Leith, our Project Manager.

 

We are now excited to announce that after receiving 3 quote submissions, in September 2022 we awarded the contract to Wessex Archaeology and InfoPoint.

 

The first workshop has been arranged for Friday 28^th October at West Stow Country Park and will be hosted by Ian Atkins from Wessex Archaeology and Dan Boys from InfoPoint. Dan will demonstrate the wifi hotspot equipment and Ian will discuss the heritage interpretation content generally and with each partner.

Partners are in the mean time submitting their content and design ideas for interpretation panels and digital content. We are excited to get started!

We are excited to announce that we are looking for volunteers to take part in archaeological geophysical survey training and fieldwalking at Suffolk Wildlife Trusts Lackford Lakes. There is also an opportunity to take part in the finds washing and identification of the objects found during the activities.

 

This is a fantastic opportunity to get involved in some hands-on history, exploring what lies hidden beneath our feet. Geophysics allows us to build up a picture of the past landscape, detecting archaeological features below ground. You do not need to have any previous experience, just an interest in archaeology and history. 

If you are interested, please see links below to book your place, there are limited spaces so book your place as soon as:

Geophysics Training (Tues 11th to Fri 14th October): Book now!
Geophysics Training (Tues 18th to Fri 21st October): Book now!
Fieldwalking Session (Tues 25th October): Book now!
Fieldwalking Session (Wed 26th October): Book now!
Finds Identification Sessions (Thurs 27th October): Book now!

4.3 – Accessible Rivers

Next month we are launching these waymarking discs around Honington and Troston which will create walking and running routes following footpaths and byways. This new running route has been developed by Suffolk County Council’s Rights of Way and Access Team, to help introduce people to local landscapes and rights of way they may not have visited before. 

To kick off the launch of these new waymarking discs, we are hosting a 7.5K organising by Run Breckland. The launch will also be officially opened by the Duke of Grafton.

If you are interested in taking part, click here

BFER Volunteer Opportunities
 

Become a BFER Events Volunteer:
 

We are looking for volunteers to assist us at our exciting range of BFER events!
As an Events Volunteer, you will be helping the BFER team to celebrate the fascinating freshwater habitats of the Norfolk and Suffolk Brecks. Whether it’s the history, the unique biodiversity, natural tranquillity, or activity opportunities, we are looking for volunteers to assist us in advocating the Brecks and the work of the BFER scheme to wide audiences. As an Events Volunteer, you be given opportunities to assist at BFER events, from setting up, greeting and talking to the public, to running activities. These could include community events, children’s activities, outdoor swimming events, and information stalls.
Location: Various (dependent on the event). Reasonable out of pocket expenses will be offered.
Required skills and abilities: No required skills but volunteers should enjoy engaging with the public.
Dates/times: Various (This is a flexible volunteer offer. Dates of events will be circulated to all events volunteers to choose from).
Contact details: bfer.admin@suffolk.gov.uk

Join our new team of BFER Blog Writers:

Would you like to write content for a BFER blog? Whether you want to write about the history of an area in the Brecks, celebrate local wildlife, talk about your experiences of outdoor activities such as paddle sports or outdoor swimming, or simply share what makes the Brecks special to you, we would love to hear from you! Blogging Volunteers would have flexibility to choose the topic of their Brecks blog post, and no prior experience is required.
Location: Remote
Dates/times: Flexible. Volunteers will be asked to produce at least one blog post.
Contact details: bfer.admin@suffolk.gov.uk

 

The Icknield Way Association is looking for more members, officers, and wardens. They need your support as the Association continues to be the only voluntary organisation looking after the interests of the route as a whole, monitoring any actions that may threaten its integrity. They work in co-operation with highway authorities and other stakeholders with an interest in the route to carry out improvements. The Association co-ordinates a team of voluntary local wardens who are its ‘eyes and ears’ along the route.

Further information on officer & warden opportunities: Join Us – Icknield Way Path
 

 

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