Clan Trust donation helps Norfolk wildlife at Bryant's Heath

Bryant's Heath is a registered common comprising 17 hectares of dry and wet heathland west of North Walsham, owned by Felmingham Parish Council.

It is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its diversity of rare plants such as the round leaf sundew, which functions like a Venus fly trap.

The heath is also rich in local history, and was the scene of a wartime aircraft crash.

Conservation volunteers are working to preserve this valuable site, aided by a £1,000 donation from Norfolk-based rural charity the Clan Trust.

Bryant’s Heath's vice chairman Neil Thrush manages the area alongside Felmingham Parish Council.

He said the donation has enabled the mechanised flailing of gorse and the purchase and maintenance of tools and equipment including two short-bladed scythes to cut back denser areas of bracken and bramble - as well as paying for transport and insurance for volunteers.

The Clan Trust has donated funds to Bryant's Heath, an area of dry and wet heathland owned by Felmingham Parish Council (Image: Bryant's Heath)

“It is unique to have dry and wet health land together, especially on uneven mounded glacial sand," he said.

"It is important the area is maintained so trees, plants and wildlife have room to thrive.

“Poor soil state is essential in encouraging the rare plant species we have at the heath to thrive. The vegetation that has been cut down is raked up by volunteers and burnt rather than made into compost, or is offered to parishioners if they’d like it."

The heath’s management plan is guided by Natural England. Mr Thrush said the team works mainly in the late autumn and through the winter to ensure as little disturbance to wildlife as possible.

The Clan Trust has donated funds to Bryant's Heath, an area of dry and wet heathland owned by Felmingham Parish Council (Image: Bryant's Heath)

"Some trees naturally fall - we leave these as they make an ideal habitat for fungi and beetles to thrive," he added. "The heath regularly has visits from fungi and wildlife specialists who, in the past, have recorded 75 different fungi."

The heath was given to Felmingham Parish in 1807 as a Poors allotments, for use by the parishioners to graze livestock, take firewood, and remove sand and shingle for home use.

During the two world wars, much of the heath was taken over by the army for military use and, in the 1940s, a US bomber crashed onto the site after a mid-air collision, leaving behind debris which volunteers are still extracting to this day. The aircraft parts are preserved at the Museum of Norwich.

Today, parishioners still use the heath alongside BMX enthusiasts, the Norfolk Orienteering Group, local Scouts and other groups.