Natural England - Press releases 2009
Press releases 2009
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Trek off the turkey this Christmas at Brettenham Nature Reserve
Join Natural England’s Mike Taylor and Bill Nickson for a guided tour of Brettenham Nature Reserve on Monday 28th December and experience the wilderness of the heath in winter. Along the route, Mike and Bill will point out some of the indigenous plants and animals and there may be a chance to glimpse a herd of red deer.
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Natural England announces over £2.5 million to help create greater access to nature
(10 December 2009) Water-based activities, community woodlands and farms opened up and support for groups widened.
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Walking for Health group welcomes 1000th member
(7 December 2009) A Natural England accredited Walking for Health scheme toasted success in the tea rooms of Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk on Friday 4 December.
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More to learn from green developments
(3 December 2009) South Peterborough was chosen to showcase green infrastructure projects by Natural England at a special one day event.
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Christmas dinner doesn’t have to cost the earth says Natural England
(2 December 2009) Natural England has teamed up with celebrity chef and writer Prue Leith to tempt your taste buds with six of her seasonal and sustainable recipes for Christmas featuring the best of regional produce.
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Beetles, ponds and hedgerows under the spotlight at farm event
(1 December 2009) Beetle banks, pond restoration and hedgerow planting were just a few of the subjects discussed at a recent event at Thrales End Farm in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.
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White-tailed Eagle reintroduction is endorsed by Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB Partnership
(2 December 2009) The Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Partnership today voted to support plans by Natural England, the Government’s advisor on the countryside, and RSPB to reintroduce White-tailed Eagles to the Suffolk coast.
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Formal consultation starts on proposed European marine sites
(27 November 2009) A formal consultation on 12 proposed new marine conservation sites – three of which lie off the eastern coast - starts today (27 Nov 2009). The sites stretch from the Wash to the Thames Estuary and are being put forward as the latest additions to the ‘Natura 2000’ network of European protected areas designed to protect important habitats, species and birds.
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Dual benefits of A11 agreement
(19 November 2009) The RSPB and Natural England have today, formally withdrawn their objection to the dualling works planned to a vital stretch of the A11 in Breckland.
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Turning the Tide in the East of England
(12 November 2009) Natural England sees Marine and Coastal Access Act as once in lifetime opportunity for marine conservation.
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All England Coast Path starts here...in Norfolk!
(12 November 2009) Natural England launches consultation on its proposed approach and announces Norfolk as one of its priority areas for work to start.
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Natural Health Service tackles 21st century ills
Natural England and NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney are today (Monday 9 November) joining forces to launch a Natural Health Service for the East of England that will help tackle the diseases of 21st century living such as obesity, diabetes and depression.
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Region pioneers of ‘green farming’ for more than two decades
(4 November 2009) The concept of rewarding farmers for managing their land to deliver environmental benefits alongside food production was pioneered in the East of England over 20 years ago, and a new report out today analyses the impact they have made.
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Go batty in Norfolk this Halloween
(30 October 2009) A group of 25 dedicated bat enthusiasts have spent the last four years carrying sophisticated sound recording equipment around a pre-determined route to help protect a very rare bat, the western barbastelle.
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(23 October 2009) A major cash injection by Natural England – one of the largest ever made under its Environmental Stewardship Scheme - will give another boost to the environmental credentials of the world’s first Garden City.
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High Court judgment confirms conservation status of Easton Bavents cliffs
(20 October 2009) Homeowner encouraged to go through planning system to resolve coastal defence controversy.
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The colour of money just got greener
(15 October 2009) A major report published today, “No Charge? Valuing the Natural Environment”, shows how the natural environment is one of this region’s most valuable assets and highlights that investment in the natural environment is critical to long term economic prosperity.
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Declining farmland birds thriving on Suffolk farm
(1 October 2009) Grey partridge and lapwing are amongst the declining farmland birds that are bucking the trend by breeding in increasing numbers at Frostenden Hall, Suffolk, with the help of Natural England’s environmental stewardship scheme.
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Partridge family braced for visit
(28 September 2009) School dinners will take on a whole new meaning as ten primary school children visit the farm that grows the vegetables served up at their Suffolk school on Wednesday (30 September 2009).
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Suffolk coastal sites to be assessed for possible release of white-tailed eagles
(24 September 2009) Natural England, and the RSPB, assisted by the Forestry Commission, have been looking at the feasibility of re-introducing the white-tailed eagle - also known as the sea eagle - to East Anglia, and the Suffolk coast is being considered as a possible future home for white-tailed eagles
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Restoration project in the Broads celebrates a fantastic first year
On Monday 21 September, the RSPB and Natural England will come together to celebrate 12 months of dedicated work on a restoration project in the fragile fen habitat of the Mid Yare National Nature Reserve, near Norwich.
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(10 September 2009) Natural England’s survey highlights public demand for sustainable fisheries
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Step back in time with the Great Fen Project
(9 September 2009) The Great Fen Project is taking a step back in time and inviting everyone to come and celebrate the history of Ramsey and the Fens on Sunday 13 September.
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Putting £4 million worth of squelch back into the countryside
(1 September 2009) Natural England announces new funding for a ‘Wetland Vision’
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Gym’ll fix it – get healthy in our very own ‘blue gym’
(28 August 2009) The Blue Gym is an exciting new initiative which will promote the mental and physical health benefits of getting active along our coasts and inland waterways.
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Head for the coast this Bank Holiday!
(21 August 2009)
East Anglia’s coastline is spectacularly beautiful, rich in wildlife and hugely popular. To help you get the most from your visit to the coast, Natural England has identified some of the best coastal places to visit this Bank Holiday – walks taking in National Trails and National Nature Reserves (NNRs) and Sites of Special Scientific Interest that show England’s spectacular coastline at its best.
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Badgers & pesticides; report on court case of 20 August 2009
(20 August 2009) Essex Police and Natural England have today issued advice and guidance to those who store, transport and use pesticides to make sure that they comply with the law following the conviction on five charges of Richard Michael Butler of Pennypot Corner, Halstead, Essex. The case relates to a number of offences relating to fumigant products which can be legally used to gas rabbits, moles and rats.
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Suffolk ‘great lake’ gets makeover
(13 August 2009) One of Suffolk’s finest parks is undergoing major restoration work this summer. The lake at Sotterley Hall near Beccles is getting some much-needed attention, thanks to a Natural England grant.
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TV naturalist becomes new Great Fen Patron
(11 August 2009) TV presenter, dinosaur tracker and time traveller Nigel Marven has become the new patron of the Great Fen Project.
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Mapping the gaps in England’s coastal access
(31 July 2009) Natural England publishes region by region maps showing that the public do not have full access to over a third of England’s coastline
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Nick Herbert MP visits Great Fen Project
(23 July 2009) Nick Herbert MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, visited the Great Fen Project today (22 July) to hear how developments of the project can contribute to a more strategic network of green infrastructure.
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Prime Minister welcomes Fakenham environment volunteer to No 10
(23 July 2009) Today is National Volunteering Day so yesterday afternoon, the Prime Minister and Environment Secretary Hilary Benn welcomed 200 environmental volunteers to 10 Downing Street, to thank them for their work in keeping Britain beautiful.
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A mouse in the country – Britains tiniest mammals return to a Norfolk farm
(21 July 2009) With help from Natural England, Norfolk farmer and broadcaster Chris Skinner was delighted and surprised to find harvest mice, Britain’s smallest mammal, back in his fields at High Ash Farm.
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The elusive pimpernel will return to Cambridgeshire nature reserve
(20 July 2009) Rare orchids, the pretty pink bog pimpernel, Cambridge milk parsley and hardy saw-sedge are set to make a comeback in Cambridgeshire once Natural England remove invasive scrub and woodland that have taken over once-open hay meadows on the National Nature Reserve at Chippenham Fen.
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Help the environment and help your health
(7 July 2009) The East of England is being challenged to adopt a healthier lifestyle and, at the same time, do something positive for the environment by joining MuckIn4Life.
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Man ordered to restore destroyed area of nationally important conservation site in Cambridgeshire
(3 July 2009) A man has been ordered to restore an area of the Cam Washes Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) near Wicken after constructing a track and a car parking area through an important wildlife habitat.
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(2 July 2009) The Romans built Caistor town in troubled times – and now Caistor Roman town could be the last bastion for rare lichens and chalk-loving plants that have grown undisturbed for hundreds of year on the ancient Roman walls.
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Green schemes on show at Suffolk farm
(17 June 2009) A Suffolk farm demonstrated how productive farming and care for the countryside go hand in hand during an open evening last night (Tuesday 16 June).
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Measuring trees adds up to a forest of fun
(5 June 2009) A combination of woodland walks, bug hunts and pond dipping all add up to a great way to spend a school day yesterday (Thurday 4 June). That was the verdict of the 30 pupils from Copthill School, Uffington who swapped their classroom for the coppiced woods of Natural England’s National Nature Reserve at Castor Hanglands near Peterborough.
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What’s happening down on the farm?
(1 June 2009) Farmers in the East of England region will be opening their farm gates to the general public for Open Farm Sunday on 7th June - and Natural England’s farming experts will be on hand to help out at farms in Essex, Hertfordshire and Norfolk. The annual event will showcase the huge amount of work that farmers across the country are doing to care for the countryside.
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Time to put a rocket under alien invasive species
(22 May 2009) The Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership needs your help to put a rocket under invasive species in an effort to send the aliens packing.
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Local people in Norfolk and Essex set to benefit from nature grants
(13 May 2009) More people across the East of England will have the chance to enjoy parks, green spaces and woods thanks to three new flagship projects announced by Natural England as part of its national £25 million Lottery-funded grant programme ‘Access to Nature’ – a fitting celebration for its first year of funding.
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(13 May 2009) Natural England announces new options for the Environmental Stewardship scheme
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Essex nature man becomes naturalist of distinction
(8 May 2009) Natural England expert Dr Chris Gibson will be presented with a prestigious Naturalist Award on Saturday 9th May. The David Bellamy Award, presented by the British Naturalists’ Association, is given annually to ‘a field naturalist of distinction’.
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A piece of farming history restored in Norfolk
(7 May 2009) Restoration work at Whitehouse Farm in Oxborough, near King’s Lynn, has saved a particularly fine – and rare – collection of farm buildings, thanks to Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme.
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Walk your way to health at Hatfield Forest
(6 May 2009) Did you make a New Year’s resolution to do some exercise this year? If you haven’t made a start yet it’s not to late. Join the weekly Healthy Walk at the National Trust’s Hatfield Forest, and combine getting fit with enjoying the great outdoors. The first Healthy Walk is on Thursday 14 May at 9.45am.
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The East of England must tackle ‘ecological debt’, says Natural England
(16 April 2009) Natural England publishes its first comprehensive report into the state of the natural environment.
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Park users celebrate £1 million of investment
(9 April 2009) Users of the Lee Valley Regional Park are celebrating the completion of £1.1million worth of improvements to the park.
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Make an octopus at the Green Quay
(8 April 2009) Natural England is inviting children to make their very own octopus, at an activity day at The Wash Discovery Centre this Easter holidays.
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Natural England maps out a future for climate change in the Norfolk Broads
(31 March 2009) We must help the natural environment in the Norfolk Broads to adapt in the face of climate change said Natural England today as it published its report into the likely climate change impacts in the Norfolk Broads.
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New dating agency for grazing animals
(31 March 2009) East Anglia has a new kind of dating agency – one that pairs up farmers looking for new grazing land for their livestock with land owners who need help managing their meadows and grasslands.
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Walking, cycling and horse-riding given a boost in Bedfordshire
(20 March 2009) Representatives of Bedfordshire County Council yesterday (Thursday 19 March) received awards from Natural England, presented by Nicholas Crane from the BBC’s Coast programme, for improving access to the natural environment.
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Walking, cycling and horse-riding given a boost in Cambridgeshire
(20 March 2009) Cambridgeshire County Council representatives yesterday (Thursday 19 March) received an award from Natural England, presented by Nicholas Crane from the BBC’s Coast programme, for improving access to the natural environment.
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Bedfordshire's nude ewes boost knitting boom
(9 March 2009) Heritage breed sheep grazing the meadows of Bedfordshire are supporting the rural economy through a project to turn their fleeces into natural wool.
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Utility company fined for damaging great crested newt habitat
(6 March 2009) On 6 March 2009 at Chelmsford Magistrates Court, EDF Energy Networks (EPN) PLC, were fined £1,000 with £90 costs after pleading guilty to damaging or destroying a resting place of great crested newts at an electricity infrastructure site in Stansted Mountfitchet, Essex.
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Fenland farmers – your opportunity to make a difference
(2 March 2009) The RSPB and Natural England are inviting Farmers in East Anglia to attend a free event highlighting the benefits of Environmental Stewardship Schemes.
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Natural England announces new national conservation site
(11 February 2009) Ely Pits and Meadows in Cambridgeshire becomes the first SSSI to be designated by Natural England.
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(5 February 2009) Natural England’s web site has an updated web page for its proposed “White-tailed eagle reintroduction project” in its East of England section.
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Heathland may offer up history lesson on nature reserve
(14 January 2009) Conservationists and Suffolk County Council archaeologists are working together to strip back a thin layer of soil on an area of a Suffolk National Nature Reserve to produce the perfect conditions for heather and lichens to flourish. The work is being carried out in conjunction with Suffolk County Council and contractors May Guerney.
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Trek off the turkey this Christmas at Brettenham Nature Reserve
Join Natural England’s Mike Taylor and Bill Nickson for a guided tour of Brettenham Nature Reserve on Monday 28th December and experience the wilderness of the heath in winter. Along the route, Mike and Bill will point out some of the indigenous plants and animals and there may be a chance to glimpse a herd of red deer.