Don't take my word for it..

"On a beautiful Norfolk afternoon, last week, my birding and walking gang (Old Blokes on Tour), plus Helen, an Honorary OBOT for the week, had a walk-through of Sustead Common, led by Trevor and Jane. I hadn't seen the Common since the early Spring, my friends not at all, and so we were deeply impressed by the progress made - starting with the elegant timber pedestrian gate, the cut back of shrubs and trees, timber path across the least reliable surfaces - and the bridge, to the bat boxes (hope they are inhabited) and bird boxes, and fascinated by the help given by the North Norfolk Workout Group, and the Norwich Men's Shed. We were struck by the rich bio-diversity, whether it was bumble bees inhabiting a bird-box(surprise), or blue tits inhabiting a bird box (less of a surprise) and the three wonderful Broad-Bodied Chaser Dragonflies which rested very close to us as they dried out their wings. Trevor showed us the way in which water running off the fields nearby would be held up and filtered through the earth to remove nitrates and phosphates before finding its way into the Gur Beck - what a neat piece of thinking that is.

As we moved away to continue with my Captain Ahab-like pursuit of the Bearded Tit (we were successful, again thanks to Trevor and Jane for finding the right spot at Cley), we couldn't help reflecting on how significant and beneficial small, local environmental schemes are, especially when they are pushed along by knowledgeable, enthusiastic and committed volunteers, and that Felbeck Trust is an example that others can follow."