A Field Guide to the Brecks

Episode 13 - A Tour Around the Brecks with the Landscape Partnership

This week, in the final episode of the series, Timo talks to Landscape Partnership founder, and Suffolk County Council’s Natural Environment Manager, Nick Dickson, and current Project Manager of the Landscape Partnership, Nicole Wade. In this episode, they explore three different places in the Brecks: * the Great Eastern Pingo Trail across Thompson Common, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve distinctive for hundreds of ice age pingo ponds * Warren Lodge, outside of Thetford, where rabbits were historically farmed – even supplying fur to Catherine of Aragon * the Anglo-Saxon village in the Country Park at West Stow. Timo, Nick and Nicole discuss: * the many opportunities for learning and getting to know the Brecks, whether it’s unusual geology, rare species, the very long human history, or the planes that fly into the airbases! * how the poor soil in the Brecks has dictated what can and can’t be done here and created an unusual history of humanindustry in the area * the pingo ponds of the Brecks, why they’re here and why they matter * why are the pines that criss-cross farmland in the Brecks so twisted? * stories of rabbit farming in the Tudor Brecks and why rabbits are still essential to the landscape today * why isn’t the Brecks a designated landscape? And should it be? * the impact of volunteers in the Brecks and for the Landscape Partnership itself * how is the Landscape Partnership creating experiences for people to connect with and learn about the landscape? * how much we can learn from error in “trial and error”? * Nick’s background and how it influenced the development of the Landscape Partnership * Nicole’s background and her vision for the Landscape Partnership as a long-term, self-sustaining entity. You can find out more about the Partnership at www.brecks.org [http://www.brecks.org]. This is the final episode in series 1  - we will be taking a short break but will bring you series 2 very soon – thank you for listening!

Episode 12 - Archaeological Play and Experimentation

This week, Timo talks to Lance and Alfred from West Stow Country Park and Anglo-Saxon Village. Their exploration of the park starts with Æppel and Æcern, two wild-boar-mix pigs rootling beneath the trees, then wanders through the Anglo-Saxon village to the river where the team have created a log-boat or dug-out canoe and used cleared materials as resources for living history projects. On their way, they discuss: * what can two pigs today teach us about ancient history * the evident 10,000 years of human history on the site and how the river Lark is key * how the team’s work with previous Landscape Partnerships helped put the river back at the centre of the exploration of human history in the Country Park * the importance of playful learning * the fascinating experimental archaeology taking place on site, including the trial-and-error process of creating a dug-out canoe * recipe development for replicating iron age paint * navigating potential conflicts between historical materials and modern ideologies * the wellbeing and mindfulness benefits of escaping into history * Lance’s hopes for the Country Park and the Landscape Partnership in the future.   Find out more about the Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.org [http://www.brecks.org] and West Stow Country Park and Anglo-Saxon Village at www.weststow.org [http://www.weststow.org].

Episode 11 - Art for Community Resilience

This week, Timo talks to Maddie Exton, Artist and Creative Producer at MarketPlace Arts, an Arts Council funded Creative People and Places (CPP) charity. They discuss: * Maddie’s working-class, rural Suffolk background and how it has influenced her artistic practice and work in social engagement * exploring heritage and the environment through art and the interplay between research, nature, storytelling and creativity * should we explain our art or leave the audience to attribute their own meaning? * what rural creativity looks like compared to creativity in urban settings * the lack of working-class backgrounds in the arts and how to identify and overcome the barriers to art to make creativeopportunities accessible to everyone, no matter their background * the development of the annual Light up the Town events in Brandon and Mildenhall and how they started with reflecting on the seasons and planting bulbs * the impact of bringing communities together through art * what Maddie would like to see in the future of the Brecks. Find out more about the Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.org [http://www.brecks.org], MarketPlace Arts at www.marketplacearts.org.uk [http://www.marketplacearts.org.uk] and Maddie’s creative work at www.maddieexton.com [http://www.maddieexton.com].

Episode 10 - Farming in Partnership for Biodiversity

This week, Timo talks to Richard Evans, co-founder of the Breckland Farmers Wildlife Network (BFWN). They discuss: * the ingredients that formed the BFWN, from Richard’s background and network, to the Breckland Biodiversity Audit in 2010, evidencing nearly 13,000 species, around 2,000 of which are priority species, in the Brecks * how working collaboratively for ecology improvements has brought together otherwise isolated and competitive farms and businesses * the importance of facts and science when talking to farmers and how the standard advice for improving ecology is often a bad fit for the Brecks * the nitty-gritty of what farmers in the BFWN are doing on their land to improve connectivity and restore and protect the natural seedbank and biodiversity * the impacts this work can have such as visibly improving biodiversity and inspiring young people to explore agricultural careers * the Hampshire New Forest as a strange sort of sibling to the Norfolk and Suffolk Brecks * the Landscape Recovery Project the BFWN is proposing for the Brecks, and how it is unusual to have such a project run byfarmers rather than a conservation NGO * what Richard would like to see in the future of the BFWN and the Brecks Landscape Partnership. Find out more about the Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.org [http://www.brecks.org] and the Breckland Farmers Wildlife Network  at www.brecklandfarmerswildlifenetwork.org [http://www.brecklandfarmerswildlifenetwork.org].

Episode 9 – Collaborative Working for River Health

This week, Timo talks to Becky Carter, Catchment Engagement Manager and Martin Bowes, Strategy Manager for Anglian Water. They discuss: * how the word “heritage” applies naturally to water in the Brecks because it is the reason humans have lived in the area for so long * how being part of the Landscape Partnership was fundamental to Anglian Water creating the concept for their current way of collaborative working * the power of a network when balancing corporate business, innovation, and meeting regulation, with environmental improvements and community engagement * the importance of a hub-based structure for delivering large and complex projects * how Anglian Water works with its environmental regulator * the Cam Ely and Ouse Partnership (CamEO) and the Advanced Water Industry National Environment Programme (A-WINEP) as ways of pursuing environmental priorities through collaborative working across 11 different catchments * the aim of the A-WINEP programme to involve and train local catchment groups and stakeholders to improve the environment and social prosperity * working to combat the bad press water companies have and disprove negative preconceptions * the role technology might play in future water restoration projects, and the impact technology is having on water demand * the role of citizen science * what Anglian Water wants to see for the Brecks in future Find out more about the Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.org [http://www.brecks.org] and visit Anglian Water’s A-WINEP [https://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/enhancing-the-environment/advanced-winep-a-winep] and CamEO [https://www.cameopartnership.org/] collaborative project pages to find out more about their work in local communities.