Donations to National Trust 2021-22
£200 to Anglesey Abbey for their Rose Garden
£700 to Paycockes for fencing to keep sheep in
£2,100 to Hatfield Forest for fencing to keep muntjac out.
Donations to National Trust 2020-21
£500 to Anglesey Abbey for the Rose Garden Appeal
£2,500 to East of England Emergency Appeal.
Donations to National Trust 2019-20
£1,000 to Anglesey Abbey for the Rose Garden Appeal
£3,000 to East of England Emergency Appeal.
Donations to National Trust 2018 - 2019
In 2019 we donated a total of £4,329, details below:
Oxburgh Hall. The late 17th Northern French Oak Armoire (large cabinet) was at Oxburgh till 1951 when it was sold at a large sale of contents that depleted the house of much of its furnishings. Our contribution of £1,500 completes 50% of the purchase price enabling NT to apply for a grant for the other 50%. There will be a feature of this in a new display at Oxburgh in 2020.
Flatford Mill received £251 as the final monies for our 40th Anniversary Bird Hide.
Peckover House received £1,500 towards repairs in the main hallway floor.
Sutton Hoo £1,066 for two travelling loan boxes - these contain replica artefacts found during the excavations in 1939. The Anglo-Saxon helmet, original in the British Museum, is probably the most iconic feature. The idea behind these boxes is that they are taken to schools, some as far away as Devon, and used by the pupils for their projects on our history.
Ickworth £12 slate. One of around 7,000 of the new slates being used to replace the existing 200 year old roof. We have inscribed it with a message for the future!
Donations to National Trust 2017 – 2018
Two bursaries to Brancaster Activity Centre- £708 This will enable children from a less affluent background to experience an opportunity of a lifetime. Have a look at: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/brancaster-activity-centre.
Wildlife Discovery Cabin at Hoe Fen, Anglesey Abbey- £500 Once used as an area to rear game birds, Hoe Fen was a seldom visited part of the gardens. In just a few short years its been transformed into a haven for wildlife and an area for creative natural play. A few minutes walk from the Visitors’ Centre.
Fen Cottage at Wicken Fen (Repairs) - £500. Forever, for everyone means exactly what it says. Our donation helped in repairing the Cottage.
Picnic Table at Hatfield Forest- £699. You can never have enough picnic tables and seats in general, especially in such lovely surroundings!
Braille Guide for Felbrigg- £250. It’s easy to forget that not all have the gift of good eyesight. NT tries to accommodate as many disabilities as possible.
ShireHorse Project at Wimpole- £200. The Shire horse is a rare breed,categorised as ‘at risk’ on the rare breed register, meaningthere are less than 1,500 breeding females left in the world.At Wimpole theyare very much working towards keeping this magnificent breed alive.Five Shire horsesare used for carriage rides, experience days and ridden work.The horses spend their days either out in the field, working, or on display at the farm so thatvisitors get a chance to say hello. Plans are to expand their work into agricultural jobs such as harrowing and ploughing. Pictures at:https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wimpole-estate/features/wimpoles-shire-horse-project
Drain Jetter for Blickling- £200. It’s not all exciting and picturesque at National Trust. As with any building, you have to look after the basics, and this Jetter will help to keep the drains clear!
And of course we gave money to Flatford for our Bird Hide – Further information in the next newsletter.
Donations to National Trust 2016 – 2017
Twice a year at our committee meetings, we decide where we are going to give the proceeds from our outings.
We receive a ‘wish list’ from our Regional Office with details of various projects that the properties would like to proceed with. Recently, we decided to donate £500 each towards the following National Trust Appeals, with the exception of the Horsey Windpump, which will receive £510.
Wicken Fen.
It's good to talk! With the ranger team out on all parts of the reserve, often lone working, whether checking our ponies and cattle, or engaged in tasks such as mowing, scrub clearing or clearing ditches, it is essential for safety that communications are reliable. A myriad of tasks will also be speeded up with good communications, information for visitors got through to the Visitor Centre quickly - e.g. where are the horses, interesting or rare bird sighted. A radio system will enable all staff and volunteers to contact each other and the offices, without falling foul of mobile 'no coverage' areas.
Melford Hall.
As Melford gets busier it is more difficult for us to offer facilities for getting visitors with mobility difficulties upstairs. We would like to develop a virtual tour so that no-one misses out on the upstairs of the house and its stories.
Hatfield Forest.
Following the loss of Molly, my own (our ranger’s) working dog a few years back, we have struggled to round our sheep up as efficiently without a dog. We are looking into the possibility of buying a trained dog for our sheep management.
Blickling.
With a growing group of volunteers in the countryside we’re finding that we need to buy more tools! We’re looking to buy a powerful new Stihl strimmer which will be a great help in managing our paths and verges and keep Blickling looking great for our visitors.
Horsey Windpump.
Horsey Windpump, in Norfolk, is being restored and our ambition is that it will be the only working windpump in the Broads and celebrates our engineering history. We are currently restoring the cap and sails. The next step is to install the shutters on to the sails (the blades which catch the wind and make the sails turn), install the gearing and metalwork - the ‘spider’ and ‘striking gear’ - which move the shutters, and overhaul the main shaft and cogs which will eventually engage with the turbine. We are seeking sponsorship of individual shutters (108 shutters at £170 each) and cogs for the brake and crown wheels (148 cogs at £45 each).
Enfield has donated £510 for three shutters.
Donations to National Trust 2015 – 2016
Danbury Common £100 National Appeal
Dunwich Heath £350 Weather Station Equipment
Flatford Mill £800 ‘Getting Retail Outdoors’, (Display Stand), & Litter Bins
Houghton Mill £360 Picnic Table
Melford Hall £540 Plant Display Table
Willow Road £350 *
Polesden Lacey £500 *
Petworth £500 *
Claydon £500 *
Chartwell £500 Churchill’s belongings Appeal
* We receive lists from the properties 4 times per year. We then decide which
particular appeal to donate to. Sometimes, the appeals are fully funded, so we
either decide to re-allocate monies (can be a time consuming process), or just
let the properties decide for themselves where to spend it. Rest assured, all
of our donations go to a very good cause!
Donations to National Trust 2014 – 2015
Anglesey Abbey £5,000 Skylight Garden (Includes £3,000 in Legacies)
East of England Region £200 International Conference
Brancaster £750 Wetsuits for Activity Centre
Melford Hall £1,000 Furniture Straps, Radios, Bits Boxes
Wicken Fen £260 Bird Monitoring Equipment
Sutton Hoo £500 Oak Bench and Cushions