Norwich Fringe Project

Norwich Fringe Project Managing our natural heritage & green spaces 🌿

The Norwich Fringe Project is a local authority funded countryside management partnership that makes natural conservation happen.

Over the past few months, we have been leading a fabulous group of Greening Wymondham volunteers at Moot Hill - believed...
10/08/2026

Over the past few months, we have been leading a fabulous group of Greening Wymondham volunteers at Moot Hill - believed to be a Norman ringwork fortification from the late 11th or early 12th century.

We have been carrying out safety works as part of the Norfolk Archaeological Trust's journey to get this mysterious site formally opened to the public. Our main task has been the creation of a dead hedge to act as a barrier preventing people from falling down the steeply-sloped earthworks. The hedge will also have the secondary benefit of providing excellent wildlife habitat. In addition to this, the team removed sections of old barbed wire fencing and picked litter.

A massive thank you to all of the brilliant volunteers that worked so hard to make this site safe for future visitors. For more information on this ancient monument, head to https://www.norfarchtrust.org.uk/project/moot-hill/

This Wednesday, the team were at Fiddlewood woodland to give the area some TLC. This involved cutting back overhanging v...
07/08/2026

This Wednesday, the team were at Fiddlewood woodland to give the area some TLC. This involved cutting back overhanging vegetation in the woods and along the pavement, clearing mud and leaves washed down onto two flights of steps and carrying out a thorough litter pick. Super work by our NFP makeover team.

On Thursday, we pitched up at Whitlingham Marsh, tasked with making a start on clearing Alder scrub. Scrub clearance is carried out across our marshes to ensure that our species-rich wet meadows remain as such, rather than succeeding to woodland, which they would if left unmanaged. As the team worked away removing the young trees, it was great to see the amount of invertebrate life that the marsh is supporting, including rather exotic species like Wasp Spiders and Hummingbird Hawk-moths. After our tea break, we also went and had a nosey at a pond that we had dug at the far end of the site last October. Again, it was brilliant to see this full of water during such a dry period and already home to such a wide variety of plant and animal species – build it and they will come! We will return to the marsh over the coming months to continue our scrub removal.

Norwich City Council

It was another scorcher last Wednesday, so we headed to the shade of Danby Wood where we tackled some overgrown footpath...
04/08/2026

It was another scorcher last Wednesday, so we headed to the shade of Danby Wood where we tackled some overgrown footpaths. A great job well done and an important reminder of the critical role woodlands play in providing refuge for both wildlife and people during hot weather.

On Thursday, we were at Bowthorpe Southern Park. Some of the team set to work on repairing two sections of damaged stock fencing, which required digging down into extremely dry and stony ground to set the new strainer posts. Others were tasked with vegetation cutting, giving the entrance footpath from Swallowtail Close an overdue knock-back and tidying up a section of riverside trail. Paths cut, new posts in and wire re-strained – a brilliant day’s work by our super volunteers.

Norwich City Council

Last Wednesday, we were at Cooper Wood for some more work on the boardwalk. As well as replacing another three-metre sec...
28/07/2026

Last Wednesday, we were at Cooper Wood for some more work on the boardwalk. As well as replacing another three-metre section of timber with recycled plastic, we also dismantled and removed a dilapidated fishing platform that had become dangerous.

Whitlingham Marsh was the location of Thursday’s workday, where we had a whole range of jobs to get stuck in to. Some of the team set about on the stock fencing, taking down temporary sections, repairing a broken length of post and rail, replacing wobbly line posts and re-straining slack barbed wire. Others set off in all directions for various plant management jobs – bashing a patch of Himalayan Balsam by the river, popping White Poplar suckers on the woodland edge and pulling Ragwort, which threatens to become over dominant after thriving in the disturbed ground and dry conditions of this summer. We were sure to leave some Ragwort, especially those home to hungry Cinnabar Moth caterpillars.

Norwich City Council

It was more path cutting for the team this week, starting with Eaton Common on Wednesday, where we tidied up the site’s ...
17/07/2026

It was more path cutting for the team this week, starting with Eaton Common on Wednesday, where we tidied up the site’s entrance and cattle corral, as well as opening up the footpath that runs down to Keswick Mill.

Then on Thursday, we moved nextdoor to Marston Marshes. As well as cutting the paths, our other main task was to repair a damaged section of stock fence, caused by a fallen Alder tree. After cutting up the tree and making a habitat pile with the logs and brash, we fixed the fence, ensuring that the boundary remains secure to keep our grazing Belties safe. After also cutting around one of the ponds for some upcoming restoration work, giving the site entrance a lick of paint and pulling some invasive Orange Balsam, it was job done.

Norwich City Council

An extremely well-earned evening out for our volunteer team last night.These guys give up their free time every week, wh...
15/07/2026

An extremely well-earned evening out for our volunteer team last night.

These guys give up their free time every week, whatever the weather, to help us make Norwich's natural areas the best they can be. Absolute legends!

Norwich City Council

This week, it was two days of path cutting for our team, with a trip to Three Score on Wednesday, followed by Whitlingha...
10/07/2026

This week, it was two days of path cutting for our team, with a trip to Three Score on Wednesday, followed by Whitlingham Marsh on Thursday. A huge amount of credit must go to our superhero volunteers for turning out in stiflingly hot conditions to ensure these sites remain open and accessible to the public.

At the beginning of the week, many of our volunteer team also attended training courses, with seven gaining their hedgecutter tickets on Monday and eight undertaking an emergency first aid course on Tuesday. Training, for both our staff and volunteers, is a vital part of what we do, ensuring that as a team we possess all the knowledge and experience necessary to tackle the challenges that come with managing Norwich’s natural areas.

Norwich City Council

After a heatwave-enforced week-off for our volunteers, we were back at it last Wednesday at Earlham Millenium Green. Wit...
06/07/2026

After a heatwave-enforced week-off for our volunteers, we were back at it last Wednesday at Earlham Millenium Green. With brushcutters and hedgecutters, we cleared along the boardwalk and around the pond and opened up the nearby green lane. We also gave the area an extensive litter pick, filling numerous bags with rubbish, much of which had been left along the banks of the River Yare – disappointing to see. A big thanks to our brilliant team for doing such a fantastic job.

On Thursday, it was back to Drayton Green Lanes to finish off our meadow management work. After brushcutting the remaining sections, it was all hands to the pump raking and forking the cuttings into a pile at the edge of the site, removing nutrients from the meadow to continue the improvement of the area’s wildflowers. After lunch, we turned our attention to pulling patches of invasive Himalayan Balsam growing along the nearby River Wensum, hanging the uprooted plants on tree branches so that they don’t have a chance to re-root. A great two day’s work at this lovely site to support our native marshland plants and battle invasive species.

Norwich City Council Drayton Parish Council

Back in April, our volunteer team were lucky enough to be given the opportunity of a tour around the Norfolk Rivers Trus...
22/06/2026

Back in April, our volunteer team were lucky enough to be given the opportunity of a tour around the Norfolk Rivers Trust's Beaver enclosure at the headwaters of the River Glaven in Bodham. After releasing a pair of Eurasian Beavers in September 2021, the animals have successfully bred to establish a small population, and they certainly haven’t hung about in transforming the landscape. As our guide Ursula, Senior Project Officer at the NRT, walked us around the site, it was hard not to be taken aback at the sheer amount of work carried out by the industrious rodents, with a vast network of dams, pools and wetlands spreading through the woodland and signs of tree-felling everywhere we looked. Living up to their billing as ‘ecosystem engineers’, the ecological benefits were obvious to see, but, as our guide explained, their activity can also improve water quality, mitigate flood risk and regulate water temperature. A huge thank you to Ursula for organising a fascinating visit.

Address

Norman Centre, Bignold Road
Norwich
NR32QZ

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm

Telephone

+441603989311

Website

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