Many other opportunities to give nature a helping hand in the Valley, but more often further afield, are available through the Conservation Volunteers organised by Mark Webster. The July programme, and Mark’s letter of the month are here.
Conservation Volunteers June 2026
Another full progamme this month, with quite a lot of attention going to the Wensum River Valley. Mark Webster writes:
“…We are all about the flowers this month, protecting newly seeded wildflower areas by removing more aggressive weeds, controlling bracken to enable a much wider range of heathland plants to thrive, and (of course) visiting lots of beautiful riverside sites, many that the public don’t get to see, to remove the dreaded Himalayan Balsam from the Wensum catchment before it can affect the Broads. We really do get to see some of the loveliest parts of Norfolk from the upper tributaries to almost the heart of Norwich.
So I hope you can send us more people soon, as we go Way Upstream into the Heart Of Darkness Hellesdon and beyond…”
Mark’s full letter, and the June programme is here.
Conservation Volunteers May 2026
All are welcome to join in the conservation activities. This monthly the activities include dealing with invasive plants such as yellow archangel, and in the Yare Valley at Bluebell woods next to Eaton Park, giving some tlc to some recently planted trees. Mark Webster’s full letter and programme are here.
Norwich Community Gardens Festival
On the 25 to 26th April Norwich Community Gardens Festival will celebrate and make better known the work of many volunteers who give time to caring for green spaces around the City. You can come along and support the volunteers in a range of activities across the City. Included is an opportunity to meet volunteers at Danby Wood in the Yare Valley between 9am and 3pm on Sunday 26th.
Other attractions are a Norwich Tales and Trails Puzzle Walk, a bike ride, a herb propagation workshop and a children’s Spotting and Activity Sheet.
All the details can be found at here.
Conservation Volunteers April 2026
Mark Webster of the Conservation Volunteers writes:
“Not sure if it’s Spring or not yet? The weather is variable but we will be staying out all month, although we do have our semi-indoor Jolly Trips this month too: these are our much-loved and much-anticipated ‘works outings’ where we go to places chosen by some of our regular volunteers for a work-free day out. These ‘thank you’ days are open to all existing volunteers (including Easton students) although if any day is oversubscribed then preference will be given to those who have done the most task days with us already. Please do ask any eligible people to book for these days as soon as you can by contacting me ( 07740 899 691 / mark.webster@tcv.org.uk ) or telling their leader during a task day.
There are still some actual practical tasks to do as well though, including wildflower planting at two new Broadland sites, removing invasive species (no, not balsam yet!) and various jobs to keep pathways open across Norfolk so that people can get into their local green spaces even when the weeds start to grow up!
Whether volunteers are joining us at Sainsburys in Norwich or on-site, please can I suggest that you ask them to leave enough time to get to the meeting point BEFORE the minibus arrives. We usually have to get on to the work area as soon as we do arrive, and we don’t want them to miss their chance to join us. At some sites it can be difficult to find us once we have left the meeting point, but if they are lost or running late they can call or text (or whatsapp) 07740 899 691. I will see if I can direct them on to where the team are – or get someone to come and find them (if we can do this without disrupting the rest of the team too much). It is also worth noting that parking can sometimes be extremely limited near to where we are actually working, hence the need for a meeting point with spaces, but perhaps some distance from where we are working.”
The full programme can be found here.
Conservation Volunteers March 2026
The Conservation Volunteers are looking forward to Spring with their activities this month. The hedge cutting season will end shortly to avoid the main bird nesting season from March to August, but hedge planting will continue apace. There are plenty of other conservation activities as well. If you would like to give your support the monthly programme from Mark Webster is here.
Conservation Volunteers Programme February 2026
Learn a new skill of building a leaky dam. Is there a place for such dams on the river Yare?
Mark Webster of the Conservation Volunteers writes:
“I am particularly excited to announce the long-awaited start of the Leaky Dams project in the Tas Valley, where we will be making and installing natural flood defences, using trees sourced from the immediate area to create barriers to slow down floodwaters in a measured way. There’s also more chances to learn the ancient craft of hedge laying at Easton College, restoring a historic pond to how it was in the 1930s (we have the photographic proof of that!) and plenty of hedge and fruit tree planting – including a new community orchard in Cringleford, and new and old sites to see across Broadland. Plus there’s another chance to see the epic Blickling Hall estate.”
The full programme is here.
Conservation Volunteers Programme January 2026
The Conservation Volunteers go forward into the New Year as active as ever. Their first outing is on Monday 5th January to Flordon Common. They will be working in the Yare Valley on Wednesday the 14th and Friday the 23rd clearing brambles and planting trees in Bluebell Wood at the Junction of Bluebell Road and North Park Avenue, and now part of Eaton Park. Is this a remnant of the wood Kett’s army camped in on their march to Norwich before setting up camp on Mousehold Heath?
The full programme is here.
Urgent: The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
Please write now to your MP to give your strong support to the Lord’s amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill 94 and 130 due for imminent consideration.
The Green Infrastructure Corridor provided by the Yare Valley on the edge of South Norwich has important roles in promoting wildlife, limiting and combatting climate change, and as being a place for informal recreation for Norwich residents and beyond. Both of these amendments are importance to safeguard the well-being and continued existence of the Corridor.
The river Yare is one of the globally rare chalk streams capable of sustaining a rich and varied wildlife. Amendment 94 should help to safeguard these precious chalk streams, a responsibility we as individuals, but also as a nation, have towards the retaining this character of wildlife habitat in the world.
Amendment 130 should help to safeguard the Valley’s wildflower meadows and woodlands. Much work has been done in the Valley to improve both in recent years, thanks to the efforts of many volunteers including those with Yare Valley Meadow Makers, the Norwich Fringe Project, the Conservation Volunteers, and, joined most recently, by the UEA Biodiversity Heroes. This effort and goodwill in enhancing the Valley must not be threatened by development that does not properly recognise the value of green space for maintaining human and wildlife well-being.
Either email your MP directly of make use of the Wildlife Trusts website to forward your email.
PLEASE ACT NOW
Conservation Volunteers Programme for November
Several opportunities to promote the ecology of the Yare Valley this month. On the 7th the volunteers will be clearing back brambles in the Bluebell Woods (at the west end of Eaton Park), on the 10th they will be attending to the hedges in Eaton Burial Ground, and on the 26th and 28th they will be planting four mini forests (Miyawaki forests) in the Cringleford area. The “forests” can be expected to be similar to the one planted in Bowthorpe Southern Park a couple of years ago. The full programme is here.