Members of the public have donated around £900,000 since the scheme was unveiled six months ago.
And, it has earned the backing of one of the natural world s most respected and recognisable voices - veteran broadcaster and naturalist, Sir David Attenborough.
He said nature was capable of extraordinary recovery - if given the chance. We are facing a global extinction crisis which has implications for every one of us, warned Sir David. It s tempting to assume that the loss of wildlife and wild places is a problem that s happening on the other side of the world.
Thompson Common and the surrounding habitat is to benefit from a multi-million pound investment
Ice Age pingo ponds to be brought back to life as part of £8m nature restoration scheme
The ponds were created when ice covered by earth melted into the ground, forming a dip filled with water
Northern pool frog species found at Thompson Common
Credit: Jim Foster /Norfolk Wildlife Trust
Hundreds of Ice Age pingo ponds are to be brought back to life as part of an £8m Wildlife Trust scheme.
Norfolk conservationists plan to re-dig lost chalk ponds which provide habitats for threatened creatures including the pond mud snail and the northern pool frog, England’s rarest amphibian.
The charity has identified 400 covered-over ponds on its Thompson Common site near Thetford in Norfolk, and believe there are another 70 to be found on the land next to it, which they are raising funds to buy.
Robert Morgan
Bluebells in Foxley Wood, a Norfolk Wildlife Trust reserve
- Credit: David Tipling
After enduring The Second World War and suffering one of the hardest winters of the 20th century, 1947 delivered to a weary population a very special spring: warm, peaceful and full of hope.
It was said that one could hear a deep collective sigh at the smell of the first mowed lawn.
It would be a grave disservice to equate our current situation with then, but the comparisons are quite compelling, and I’m sure that we’ll be equally relieved at the lengthening days and warming sun of this spring.
Published:
5:56 PM April 6, 2021
One of the boards about East Anglian Drop Spiders which appeared on Mousehold Heath on April Fool s Day.
- Credit: Dan Grimmer
Signs for an elaborate prank about drop spider introduced at a Norwich beauty spot have been removed.
The professional looking boards said the East Anglian Drop Spider (Araneaus occumbo) has been introduced into the Norwich woodland.
Many were quick to note the boards appeared in time for April Fool s Day - a sigh of relief for arachnophobes.
A Norwich City Council spokesman said they were not aware of any complaints being made about the prank but confirmed the signs have now been removed.
Waiting for movement on the ground layer, the drop spider typically looks for gaps or crevices into which it can drop, wiggle and hide away in wait for its prey. An open bag, pocket or loose clothing near the nape of the neck can often be mistaken by the drop spider as a safe place to land and has, in the past, been a source of conflict amongst humans and these generally gentle creatures. Although their bite can be incredibly painful, they only do so when provoked and there have been no fatal cases in the last 100 years.
The information board shows pictures purporting to be from medieval times.