A Field Guide to the Brecks

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 pondsWarren Lodge, outside of Thetford, where rabbits were historically farmed – even supplying fur to Catherine of Aragonthe 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 areathe pingo ponds of the Brecks, why they’re here and why they matterwhy 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 todaywhy isn’t the Brecks a designated landscape? And should it be?the impact of volunteers in the Brecks and for the Landscape Partnership itselfhow 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 PartnershipNicole’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. 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!

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 historythe evident 10,000 years of human history on the site and how the river Lark is keyhow 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 Parkthe importance of playful learningthe fascinating experimental archaeology taking place on site, including the trial-and-error process of creating a dug-out canoerecipe development for replicating iron age paintnavigating potential conflicts between historical materials and modern ideologiesthe wellbeing and mindfulness benefits of escaping into historyLance’s hopes for the Country Park and the Landscape Partnership in the future. Find out more about the Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.org and West Stow Country Park and Anglo-Saxon Village at www.weststow.org.

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 engagementexploring heritage and the environment through art and the interplay between research, nature, storytelling and creativityshould we explain our art or leave the audience to attribute their own meaning?what rural creativity looks like compared to creativity in urban settingsthe 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 backgroundthe development of the annual Light up the Town events in Brandon and Mildenhall and how they started with reflecting on the seasons and planting bulbsthe impact of bringing communities together through artwhat Maddie would like to see in the future of the Brecks.Find out more about the Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.org, MarketPlace Arts at www.marketplacearts.org.uk and Maddie’s creative work at www.maddieexton.com.

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 Breckshow working collaboratively for ecology improvements has brought together otherwise isolated and competitive farms and businessesthe importance of facts and science when talking to farmers and how the standard advice for improving ecology is often a bad fit for the Brecksthe nitty-gritty of what farmers in the BFWN are doing on their land to improve connectivity and restore and protect the natural seedbank and biodiversitythe impacts this work can have such as visibly improving biodiversity and inspiring young people to explore agricultural careersthe Hampshire New Forest as a strange sort of sibling to the Norfolk and Suffolk Brecksthe 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 NGOwhat 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 and the Breckland Farmers Wildlife Network  at www.brecklandfarmerswildlifenetwork.org.

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 longhow being part of the Landscape Partnership was fundamental to Anglian Water creating the concept for their current way of collaborative workingthe 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 regulatorthe 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 catchmentsthe aim of the A-WINEP programme to involve and train local catchment groups and stakeholders to improve the environment and social prosperityworking to combat the bad press water companies have and disprove negative preconceptionsthe role technology might play in future water restoration projects, and the impact technology is having on water demandthe role of citizen sciencewhat Anglian Water wants to see for the Brecks in futureFind out more about the Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.org and visit Anglian Water’s A-WINEP and CamEO collaborative project pages to find out more about their work in local communities.

This week, we’re kicking off 2026 with a conversation withGraham Wade, co-founder of Run Breckland. Timo talks to Graham in September 2025 on Butten Island, between the Little Ouse and the Thet in the centre of Thetford. They discuss:the running community in and around Thetfordhow Run Breckland got started and the building of their event calendar, including the first marathon in the areathe development of free, social runs outside of the big eventsthe connection Thetford has with large green spaces and its rich human heritagehow running opens people’s eyes to the area where they livevolunteering as a game-changer for the organisation and how they try to look after their volunteering communitythe challenges Run Breckland facethe impact of the Landscape Partnership on the organisationRun Breckland’s plans for the coming yearwhat Graham wants to see from the Landscape Partnership in future. Find out more about the Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.org and you can find Run Breckland’s upcoming events here: www.ticketsource.co.uk/run-breckland or connect with them on Facebook @BrecklandForestRuns orInstagram @run_breckland.

This week, Timo talks to Lou Mayer, Environmental Programme Manager at the Environment Agency. They discuss:the value of chalk streams the impact of rainfall, the historical human-shaping of rivers, and the hazards to river health common in the Brecksthe importance of a river to its local community and how spending time outdoors prepares you for accepting change in day-to-day lifethe art of respecting a community’s relationship with a river, whilst also working to modify it and Lou’s personal understanding of that through her love for outdoor swimmingLou’s role seeking out and setting up collaborative projects to improve water environmentsthe difference a forward-thinking and supportive County Council can make for environmental projectsthe projects the Environment Agency completed and started under the Brecks Fen Edge and Rivers Scheme and what happens next. Find out more about the Brecks Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.orgYou can also learn more about the projects mentioned in thisepisode via the links below:The fish and canoe pass at Brandon StaunchThe fish pass at Turf Lock, MildenhallGas Pool and Jubilee Fields Consultation DocumentLowering Barton Mills Sluice

{Apologies for the poor sound quality in this episode}In this episode, Timo talks to Tim Cowan, Brecks Conservation Officer for the RSPB. They discuss:Tim’s relationship with the Brecks and the changes to the landscape he has seen over the last 40 years the importance of building public awareness of the Brecks as one of the most important areas in the UK for biodiversitythe story of the Stone Curlew in the Brecks – one of only two areas in the UK the bird breeds – and the project Tim runs with local farmersthe new project underway to protect the rare Turtle Doves that nest in the Brecks and how supporting them here differs from other placesthe research being carried out by the British Trust for Ornithology as to how to protect the Common Curlew – a red list bird – of which the Brecks has the largest lowland grassland nesting populationthe essential role of Rabbits in Brecks habitat management and the work Tim wants to see done to protect declining populationsthe role Tim sees the Landscape Partnership playing as the representative of the Brecks as a whole. Find out more about the Brecks Landscape Partnership at www.brecks.orgYou can also learn more about the projects mentioned in this episode via the links below:The Stone Curlew Project – www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/stone-curlew-projects-anniversaryThe Accessible Rivers project at Lakenheath Fen – www.brecks.org/bfer/projects/revealing-the-rivers-connecting-with-communities/4-3-accessible-rivers-improving-accessRSPB Lakenheath Fen – www.rspb.org.uk/days-out/reserves/lakenheath-fenOperation Turtle Dove – www.operationturtledove.orgThe British Trust for Ornithology’s Common Curlew information page - www.bto.org/learn/about-birds/birdfacts/curlew The Mammal Society’s Rabbit information page (including their role as ecosystem engineer) – www.mammal.org.uk/british-mammals/european-rabbit

Timo talks to Imogen Radford about the role of water in one of the driest regions of the UK.Imogen is a volunteer who ran two projects for the Partnership: one collecting and sharing oral histories of river recreation and the other introducing people to outdoor swimming. She also supported the research for one of The Breckland Society’s projects under the Partnership, examining the history of river-based industry.This conversation takes place at Brandon Staunch, a popular river recreation spot. They discuss:how Imogen discovered outdoor swimming andstarted doing historical researchhow river access and generational knowledge ofriver has deteriorated over the last fifty yearsthe recent cultural rediscovery of the joys andbenefits of outdoor swimminghow outdoor swimming today connects people tolocal heritage and wildlifehow many people tried outdoor swimming for thefirst time in the Partnership and its impact for themthe differing feelings of swimming alone and incommunitythe stories of some of the people involved inher projectswhat Imogen wants to see in the future partnership.Find out more about collaborative working in the Brecks at www.brecks.org and you can view Imogen’s website at www.osbrecks.co.uk.

Timo talks to Pete Waters, Executive Director of Visit East of England about tourism in the Brecks. They discuss:how to work with what we have in attracting visitors to the areahow to curate the visitor experience to showcase the Brecks whilst still protecting itwhy storytelling is key and the hidden gems within the Brecks’ storyhow conversations can make or break a projecthow devolution could be a great opportunity for the BrecksPete’s favourite places to visit in the areawhat Pete would like to see next for the Brecks Landscape Partnership.Find out more about collaborative working in the Brecks at ⁠www.brecks.org⁠ and about Visit East of England at www.visiteastofengland.com