The Rockland Wildfowlers’ Association has been given £3,000 by the Wildlife Habitat Charitable Trust (WHCT), a charity set up to help secure land for shooting and conservation.
The grant means that club members will be able to complete their restoration project for five acres of marsh and 12 acres of woodland close to Rockland Broad in Norfolk.
Charles Dowding, honorary treasurer for Rockland Wildfowlers, said: “As a small club, the generous support of the trustees is appreciated not only as valuable financial assistance towards our goals but also as an endorsement of what we are trying to achieve for shooting and conservation.”
Tim Russell, director of conservation at BASC and secretary of the WHCT, said: “I am delighted that Rockland Wildfowlers have approached the WHCT to help them towards their restoration project. The conservation work carried out by wildfowling clubs is very varied and not only helps quarry species but also species of conservation concern. The work carried out by Rockland Wildfowlers is a good example of what can be achieved by a dedicated group of people.”
The project includes dredging a flight pond, improving dykes, repairing sluices, planting pond margins with suitable species and erecting 20 nest boxes for barn owls and small birds such as nuthatches and tree creepers.
The WHCT is the grant-giving arm of the Wildlife Habitat Trust (WHT). The WHT was set up by the UK’s largest shooting organisation, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC). It is dedicated to raising and distributing funds to help with the acquisition of land for shooting and conservation. The WHT provides grants and loans to help manage sites for wildlife.
The trustees welcome any further applications via www.wht.org.uk or by calling 01244 573024.
ENDS