On March 6, 1926 Dr Sydney Long had a plan. Little though he knew it, it was a plan that would change forever the trajectory of nature conservation.
Sydney Long was a physician at the Jenny Lind and Norfolk and Norwich Hospitals. His passion, however, was for the natural world. He served for decades as an officer of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists’ Society and in 1912 he had been instrumental in the purchase of Blakeney Point, which he and his fellow contributors had gifted to the fledgling National Trust.
In March 1926, when 400 acres of grazing marsh at Cley came up for sale, Sydney Long had a new idea. He persuaded 11 friends to join him in buying the marsh and the next week, at a meeting in the George Hotel in Cley, he proposed that they create a trust to preserve the marsh ‘as a bird-breeding sanctuary for all time’. This trust, which came into legal being on November 5, 1926, was Norfolk Naturalists Trust, which has been known since 1994 as Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
Sydney Long’s trust grew quickly. ‘When one considers,’ he wrote in the Eastern Daily Press, ‘the changes in the face of the county that are being made or are being contemplated by Forestry Commissioners, Drainage Boards, speculative builders and the like, one is anxious to preserve for future generations areas of marsh, heath, woods and undrained fenland (of which there still remain a few acres in the county) with their natural wealth of flora and fauna.’
To this end, in 1928, a second reserve was purchased: 26 acres at Starch Grass, Martham. And on July 12, 1930, Alderfen Broad was added to the trust’s growing portfolio of reserves.
In 1939, a wheatear was chosen as the subject of NNT’s Christmas card, painted by celebrated artist J. C. Harrison. It was dedicated to Sydney Long, who had died in January. A note accompanying each set of cards read: ‘This bird has been chosen because it was a favourite of the late
Dr. S. H. Long, the founder of the Trust and its Honorary Secretary for 12 years. No one looked forward more eagerly than he to the arrival of the Wheatear in early spring of each year, and he was usually the first to record its appearance in Norfolk. The Trust has recently entered into arrangements to acquire an area of Breckland, where this bird nests, in order to preserve the land as a Sanctuary, and on this site it is proposed to erect a stone in memory of Dr. Long.’
That land was East Wretham Heath, where Sydney Long’s memorial stands to this day, overlooking the remarkable fluctuating wetland known as Langmere.
Sydney Long and his fellow founders would be richly proud of Norfolk Wildlife Trust in our centenary year. We have grown, to be sure, since their daring decision to buy Cley Marshes and create a trust to care for it. Indeed, we now manage 5,100 hectares of land in Norfolk for wildlife, people and the environment. We have grown enormously in scope too, but always in line with the vision of Sydney Long. ‘The objects for which the Trust is established,’ he wrote in 1926, ‘are purposely made very wide and comprehensive.’
Norfolk Wildlife Trust now counts on the support of 40,000 members and employs 160 staff (plus some 40 more in seasonal positions). A huge 1,500 volunteers annually contribute 45,000 hours to our work.
Beyond our own reserves, our Nature Recovery team maintains the register of County Wildlife Sites, advising landowners on the management of 1,400 important Norfolk sites for nature. Together they cover 16,000 hectares of grassland, woodland, fen and heath. Right across the county, the team helps landowners restore lost ponds, advises on planting effective hedges for wildlife, assists in the recreation of biodiverse meadows and draws up plans for the recovery of our rarest species.
Almost 5,000 children make school trips to our reserves each year or welcome us to their own school grounds. More than 600 nature-themed events are hosted in our visitor centres, on our reserves, or by our energetic Local Groups. And our programmes for young people are more ambitious by the year.
Better yet, we belong to a federation of 46 Wildlife Trusts across the country, working together for the good of wildlife and wild people. When Sydney Long conceived Norfolk Naturalists Trusts in 1926, it was a revolutionary idea, for no such organisation existed, dedicated to local nature conservation through managing and protecting habitat. While each subsequent Wildlife Trust has its own identity, its own skilled staff, its network of reserves, its own unique achievements, they all exist because of Sydney Long and his bold vision a century ago this month. Together we are stronger, more effective and farther reaching than we could ever be alone, achieving more for wildlife across the country.
From the very start of this adventure, we have depended on you – our members, donors, supporters, friends – for everything we have achieved. Every hectare of land we own and manage – at Ashwellthorpe, Barton, Cockshoot, Foxley, Hickling, Thompson, Sweet Briar, Wayland, Weeting and beyond – has come to us through the generosity of Norfolk people and Norfolk businesses. Every project we undertake relies on committed Norfolk partners. Our campaigns depend on Norfolk allies in the fight for nature and the environment. We will never take your century of support for granted.
Among the countless thousands of Norfolk people who have worked for us, volunteered with us, donated to us, stood with us on our campaigns, or simply joined us for the journey, 12 names stand out.
J. W. Castle, A. H. Macpherson, H. R. S. Birkin, O. Birkbeck, G. R. R. Colman, C. McLean, D. Gunn, G. H. Gurney, S. H. Long, T. G. Longstaffe, R. W. E. Allars and E. F. Norton: as your trust celebrates its centenary, Norfolk thanks you for all that it has achieved and for all that it will yet achieve..
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