Sixteen Tennis Courts of Trees!!

NOMAD Community Projects is excited & proud to announce its first delivery of tree saplings from our partners The Woodland Trust for the end of April 2021. Made up of hazel, blackthorn, crab apple, dog rose, rowan, birch, goat willow, oak, wild cherry, field maple & willow, these cover the equivalent of sixteen tennis courts or one hundred metres of double thickness hedging! The saplings & hedging will be used on three & half acres of 'set aside' land in Clopton, Suffolk, put aside specifically for the purpose of managed rewilding. In partnership with Cherrybank Estates, NOMAD Community Projects will clear the debris that has been dumped on the land over a period of fifteen & more years & begin planting in 2021 with guidance from the Woodland Trust.

The land is perfect for rewilding with already existing growth in bramble, nettle, young silver birch, some deciduous saplings, & plenty of long grass. Once cleared of all of the debris (plastic chairs, sofas & general refuse), the area will undergo a general environmental survey to ascertain what mammals, botany, & invertebrate life exist on & through the land. With the input & help of our partners at the Woodland Trust & Cherrybank Estate, we will plant saplings & hedging with the view to alleviating flooding, loss of topsoil & providing cover & food for breeding species of both songbirds & native predatory birds as well as mammals & invertebrates.

This is a long-term project with the overall objective of building & developing the land into a wildlife legacy for the local community & the county of Suffolk. 

The long term plan is to have a 'rewilded' area for visitors (school groups, scouts & guides, students & citizen scientists) to enjoy, study, learn & develop; an area abounding in visible insect life, small diurnal mammals, larger nocturnal mammals, songbirds & indigenous predatory birds alike, all in a thick abundance of natural growth from wide, tall hedges, tall hardwood trees & plentiful ground cover with small areas for visitors to visit & view (hides, benches & seats).

There is, of course, the question of happiness & health. Do you remember the 'happiness index' that David Cameron & the Tories referred to back in 2010? Well, as people who spend our lives working day to day in the great outdoors, we understand the benefits of fresh air & physical & mental exercise, particularly through & after the COVID-19 pandemic. Working in the outdoors, building a long-term sustainable legacy, with your loved ones & like-minded people, all with a common goal is not only physically healthy (digging holes & sawing logs) but also hugely beneficial for our mental health too. Of course, the land will rapidly develop into a beautiful, tranquil & life-sustaining area of natural beauty that we can all 'dip in to' & enjoy.

There is a huge amount of work to be done but at least we, through NOMAD Community Projects are making a start & making a stand for our environment. We are 'walking the talk' & getting on with positive action that benefits everyone from our volunteers' feel-good factor to cleaning our air, locking away carbon dioxide naturally & safely & at low cost & of course, saving & protecting our ever-dwindling British wildlife.

Guests to NOMAD Sea Kayaking can currently make a small donation to Community projects when they place their booking & later in 2021, guests will be able to purchase their very own saplings for planting & even the ability to volunteer to plant their saplings. This will work towards offsetting the carbon footprint for their event that they book as well as build a wildlife legacy for the future. There are no losers here; its 'win win' for everyone involved. The landowners get the satisfaction & kudos of really improving their land for the local community, our guests & volunteers offset their carbon footprint for their event as well as do their part for the local environment & NOMAD Community Projects.......well, we're not interested in any credit or kudos, we just want to do our bit to improve our beautiful home, planet earth. And that is enough for us.