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Harleston Greenspace
Greenspace News
Grapevine Article - September
It has been extremely hot weather, but the meadow is surviving. It is wonderful what nature can do for herself. However, she does need some help at times. We are planning to remove the weeds and top up the mulch to the Miyawaki forest area when it is not quite as hot, and the ground is not baked hard. There will be the equivalent of about 200 small bags of mulch to lay. So, if you can spare some time to wheelbarrow much, and help protect our mini forest it will be greatly a
Sep 1
Grapevine Article - August
There was a steady flow of visitors to the meadow during our bioblitz day in June, many of which were visiting for the first time. People were very positive and wanted to learn more about wildlife and what we are doing at the site. It was also encouraging to see enthusiastic youngsters who just wanted to learn more. We recorded 149 species of birds, plants, insects, and animals on the meadow during the day. This is an amazing start for our records. We will soon publish a
Aug 1
Cutting back Brambles
Many thanks to Ben Grief, project manager of Dove Meadow in Dickleburgh, for brush cutting the brambles and thistles which were encroaching on our Miyawaki forest. Without intervention they would have invaded and strangled our trees. The next task is to remove those that have managed to get into the mini forest.
Jul 2
Grapevine Article - July
It has been a very busy time. We held two action days. Firstly, an Introduction to Wildlife Recording where we learned how to identify and record what we see in the natural world, even at home. We are looking to add a monitoring section to our website. This was followed by the ‘Bioblitz Day’ where we held sessions in search of birds, moths, butterflies, flowers, and bats at the meadow. Thank you to Norfolk Wildlife Trust for running the event and to everyone who turned up
Jul 1
Events on the Meadow
It has been a very bust couple of weeks, working with people from Norfolk Wildlife Trust. On 30 May, we held an introduction to wildlife recording session in The Swan Hotel and then headed out to the meadow to put it into practice by recording what we found on site. The new knowledge can also be used to map what we have in our own gardens. On 13 June we held a bioblitz day. We identified and recorded birds, butterflies, and flowers on the site. We opened up moth traps whic
Jun 14
Grapevine Article - September
It has been extremely hot weather, but the meadow is surviving. It is wonderful what nature can do for herself. However, she does need some help at times. We are planning to remove the weeds and top up the mulch to the Miyawaki forest area when it is not quite as hot, and the ground is not baked hard. There will be the equivalent of about 200 small bags of mulch to lay. So, if you can spare some time to wheelbarrow much, and help protect our mini forest it will be greatly a
Grapevine Article - August
There was a steady flow of visitors to the meadow during our bioblitz day in June, many of which were visiting for the first time. People were very positive and wanted to learn more about wildlife and what we are doing at the site. It was also encouraging to see enthusiastic youngsters who just wanted to learn more. We recorded 149 species of birds, plants, insects, and animals on the meadow during the day. This is an amazing start for our records. We will soon publish a
Cutting back Brambles
Many thanks to Ben Grief, project manager of Dove Meadow in Dickleburgh, for brush cutting the brambles and thistles which were encroaching on our Miyawaki forest. Without intervention they would have invaded and strangled our trees. The next task is to remove those that have managed to get into the mini forest.
Grapevine Article - July
It has been a very busy time. We held two action days. Firstly, an Introduction to Wildlife Recording where we learned how to identify and record what we see in the natural world, even at home. We are looking to add a monitoring section to our website. This was followed by the ‘Bioblitz Day’ where we held sessions in search of birds, moths, butterflies, flowers, and bats at the meadow. Thank you to Norfolk Wildlife Trust for running the event and to everyone who turned up
Events on the Meadow
It has been a very bust couple of weeks, working with people from Norfolk Wildlife Trust. On 30 May, we held an introduction to wildlife recording session in The Swan Hotel and then headed out to the meadow to put it into practice by recording what we found on site. The new knowledge can also be used to map what we have in our own gardens. On 13 June we held a bioblitz day. We identified and recorded birds, butterflies, and flowers on the site. We opened up moth traps whic
Grapevine Article - June
Join the Norfolk Wildlife Trust for a series of wildlife recording sessions ‘Putting Wildlife on the Map at Magpies Meadow’ on Saturday 13 June, 9am to 4pm. Plus a special late-night session. A bird in the hand - 9am to 10am Join Jono Forgham, local naturalist, as he explores Magpies Meadow in search of our feathered friends. Hawks, pugs and snouts - 10.30am to 11am Join us as we open moth traps set the night before to catch a glimpse into the fantastic world of these nocturn
Grapevine Article - May
Our sponsors came along on Saturday 11 April to plant the final tree in their w3w Miyawaki forest square. We used a special spade which was previously used by the late Queen Mother in planting a tree at the Recreation Ground. Photos of the day can be found on our website. We look forward to a series of guided walks and nature recording sessions. Here are some dates for your diary An introduction to wildlife recording Saturday 30 May, 10am to 1pm Join us and Norfolk Wildlife
Grapevine Article - April
We continue our work in the cold and mud, further tidying the brambles. But the main thing you will notice is a wider bridge for improved access and a kissing gate to control access. This was part of the agreement we have with South Norfolk Council. We will soon create a gradient to the approach to the bridge on the land we manage, and we will discuss what can be achieved on the land managed by South Norfolk Council. There remain other things to do such as to cut the circu
Grapevine Article - March
Our big reveal is that the nature conservation field has been named Magpies Meadow in recognition of an historic use as the home ground to Harleston Magpies Hockey Club. We would like to thank the Hockey Club for sponsoring two w3w squares in the new mini forest, and we are very pleased to announce that all 24 available squares were snapped up by generous sponsors. A full list can be found at: www.harlestongreenspace.co.uk/miyawaki-sponsors It has been a busy month. We hel
Fundraising Evening
There was a fun social evening in The Swan Hotel on Thursday to allocate the w3w squares to our Miyawaki forest sponsors. A big reveal was that the conservation area will now be called 'Magpies Meadow' in recognition of it being a previous home to the Harleston Magpies Hockey Club. We were honoured to welcome Pat, who remembers playing hockey on the meadow. The Magpies Hockey Club at the Meadow, that one deserves a special photo when the weather is better. County Councillor
South Norfolk Council Press Release
We are in the headlines. South Norfolk Council have issued a press release on the great community work in Harleston. The big reveal in this one is that the nature conservation field off Rushall Road has been named Magpies Meadow. https://www.southnorfolkandbroadland.gov.uk/news/magpies-meadow-project-takes-off-in-harleston?fbclid=IwY2xjawQORvZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEeKK2s8PKVgTQ10r0uORkuwqNKnDsRib5g5lL5rbA4JuQVVJR38QOpbjkuiUQ_aem_3nUQ2W7_9lEcOU
Grapevine Article - February
Enthusiastic volunteers continue with groundwork. The Waveney Volunteers for Nature (WVfN) tackled a formidable area of well-established bramble and Russian vine as well as removing a considerable amount of dumped rubbish. Thanks to The Conservation Volunteers, most of the trees have been planted in the Miyawaki forest, and all that remains are the trees which will be planted by the sponsors. February is going to be a busy volunteer and fundraising month. Thursday 19 February
Quiz Evening
We are holding a quiz on Thursday 19 February at 6pm in The Swan Hotel. This is a fundraising event and all proceeds will go towards the project. Everything will have a nature and environmental theme. Tickets are £5 per person with maximum team size of 6 people. There will be a lottery style draw to allocate the Miyawaki squares to our sponsors and the big reveal will be the name of the Harleston nature conservation field.
The Work Continues
Enthusiastic volunteers continue with groundwork. The Waveney Volunteers for Nature (WVfN) tackled a formidable area of well-established bramble and Russian vine as well as removing a considerable amount of dumped rubbish. Thanks to The Conservation Volunteers, most of the trees have been planted in the Miyawaki forest, and all that remains are the trees which will be planted by the sponsors. The next WVfN volunteer day is 23 February starting from 10am to 2pm when we will be
Grapevine Article - January
Last month the real work started. The Waveney Volunteers for Nature (WVfN) held a day to clear some of the grass for the hay meadows. While it was quite chilly, it was a great way to exercise in the open air. Later in the month, The Conservation Volunteers carried out the heavy work. A digger was used to dig the area for the Miyawaki forest to a depth of 1.4m and turn it over. Mycorrhizal fungi will be added when planting and the area will be covered with woodchip as a mu
Digging Deep
The Conservation Volunteers have been on site with the heavy equipment. The Miyawaki forest is taking shape. A digger was used to dig the area to a depth of 1.4m and turn it over. Most of the trees have been planted with mycorrhizal fungi added to enrich the soil and woodchip as a mulch. A fence has been installed to protect against deer and rabbits and we will mark out the w3w squares. The final trees will be planted by our kind sponsors in their w3w square, in the new y
Grapevine Article - December
Last month, we held a seminar at the Masonic Rooms to officially launch the project. An enthusiastic full house heard about our vision and more generally what is being done for the environment across our district and parliamentary constituency. A special thanks to all our guest speakers including: Adrian Ramsay, MP for the Waveney Valley; Cllr Daniel Elmer, Leader of South Norfolk Council; Mark Webster from The Conservation Volunteers (TCV); Christine Douglas from Waveney Vol
The Work has Started
It has taken a long time to get to this point, but we are very pleased to say that work has now started on the field to create a nature conservation site. Local people joined the Waveney Volunteers for Nature on a crisp Saturday morning for the first round of cutting the grasses for the hay meadows. It is hard work but very satisfying and a good way to exercise and enjoy the open air while helping nature to recover. We spotted our first vole. So that is another one for the b
The Launch
We held a seminar at the Masonic Rooms to officially launch the project. An enthusiastic full house heard about our vision and more generally what is being done for the environment across our district and parliamentary constituency. A special thanks to all our guest speakers including: Adrian Ramsay, MP for the Waveney Valley; Cllr Daniel Elmer, Leader of South Norfolk Council; Mark Webster from The Conservation Volunteers; Christine Douglas from Waveney Volunteers for Nature
Launch of the Greenspace Project
The team ay Harleston Greenspace CIC are holding a public presentation to launch the project to create a public amenity space in Harleston. This will be held in the Masonic Rooms on Thursday 6 November at 5:00pm. We would like to share our vision for this exciting conservation project and how you can be a part of it. There will be presentations from local groups who are helping with the project as well as South Norfolk Council, the main sponsor. These will be followed by a
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