Annual gathering - 2019
Guests attending the Official Opening of Spurrell's Wood - one of the highlights featured in the review of 2019 at last nights Felbeck Trust Annual General Meeting
It was the Annual General Meeting of Felbeck Trust last night. Around twenty, Friends, volunteers and trustees turned out to hear about what the Norfolk wildlife conservation charity had achieved during 2019 and its hopes for the coming year. The Chair, Trevor Williams extended a warm welcome before providing some general context to the charity and the meeting.
Felbeck Trust was registered as a Norfolk wildlife charity in 2016. It is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, CIO, which provides the legal and financial framework to own, lease or manage land. It is governed by a Board of Trustees, who are accountable for the Trust to the Charity Commissioners and oversee the day to day management. They are supported by the work of a Funding sub-group and the Habitat Management sub-group, each chaired by a Trustee. Felbeck Trust works in partnership with a number of other local organisations: Norfolk Rivers Trust, North East Norfolk Bird Club and Aylmerton Field Study Centre and receive support and advice from the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and National Trust. Felbeck Trust has an excellent website where you can find further information about our purpose, projects and events.
At this point the Chair paid tribute to the Trustees, recognising their enthusiastic and unfailing contributions and thanked the Friends, Volunteers and supporters - without their concern for the countryside, commitment and sheer hard work - nothing would get done!
In a break with tradition the Chairman then showed a few pictures to tell the story of Felbeck Trust in 2019. In March the Trust began working with North Norfolk District Council on a 20 acre site at North Walsham. Using a sizeable grant from MHCLG, the project would upgrade and improve the natural environment and amenities of Sadler's Wood for local people and the benefit of wildlife. Having raised the funds to buy Spurrell's Wood and completed the initial habitat management work, the official opening, attended by around 60 guests and visitors, was held in the summer. In September Felbeck Trust began work on an exciting new project to restore & create a four acre wildflower meadow near West Beckham. Work on various other sites and activities in the area continued throughout the year.
In 2020, whilst continuing its vital wildlife conservation work at nine sites across north Norfolk, Felbeck Trust hoped to be assisting NNDC to deliver it's ambitious tree-planting target, whilst engaging more with young people - helping them gain an understand of our rich biodiversity and contributing, in a practical way, to helping the environment.
