Ponds and Rivers

Heathpatch is working on clearing ponds across the farm, guided by priorities set by Juliet Hawkins. Juliet is one of the country’s leading pond ecologists and pond historians. 

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In 2022 Juliet surveyed the flora and fauna and the general state of all the farm ponds, building on her previous work on the farm between 2006 and 2012. Her findings provided direction for restoration of some of the 44 ponds identified on the farm, and have been shared with Suffolk Biological Information Service. To date (2023) three ponds have been restored and all appear on OS maps from the 1800’s. 

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We also facilitated a river restoration project, carried out by the Environmental Agency, on a stretch of the River Brett through Heathpatch’s land.

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This has been deemed a success following a number of recent visits from interested parties (2023), most recently from the East Anglia Area FBG (Fisheries, Biodiversity & Geomorphology) Team Leader and Chief Technical Officer.