Fleam Dyke – protecting the past for the future
Fulbourn Forum is pleased to help publicise the Wildlife Trust’s current land purchase appeal to bring into their ownership a significant length of Fleam Dyke that runs along the Fulbourn parish boundary from 500m before the Fleam Dyke Pumping Station up to Mutlow Hill, close to the A11.
Steps leading onto Fleam Dyke 250 metres from the Appeal site.
Living in Fulbourn, you are most probably aware of Fleam Dyke, a huge earthwork scheduled ancient monument, and perhaps walk it on a regular or occasional basis. It has been part of the Cambridgeshire landscape for centuries. The current owner of this section is willing to sell it to the Trust, together with another 7.6 hectares of arable land on the north east side in the form of a 50 metre wide strip. This will allow the creation of new chalk grassland habitat for the benefit of chalk flora, wild birds, and other wildlife, enabling a more sustainable management of the Dyke.
This valuable expansion of habitat together with the Fleam Dyke itself, both to be managed through conservation grazing with a mixture of cattle and sheep, will result in the Fulbourn Fen Nature Reserve and Fleam Dyke being better connected and help contribute to the Nature Recovery Networks project. Over time, expert management will first help restore and maintain the footpath and upper slopes, followed later by the middle and lower slopes.”
Fleam Dyke footpath. Photo: Wildlife Trust
Raising the funds
This is a wonderful opportunity for the future long-term management of Fleam Dyke, preserving the monument for both people and wildlife, and will be a further asset to the expanding range of wildlife sites both in and adjacent to the parish of Fulbourn. But it comes at a cost. Could you help with a donation, however large or small, towards the £150,000 needed to purchase and manage Fleam Dyke?
For more information on Fleam Dyke and the project, and with information on how to donate online, please visit:
You may also post a donation to:
Wildlife Trust
Freepost RTKE-REZU-YRLZ
The Manor House
Broad Street
Great Cambourne
Cambridge
CB23 6DH
It is possible to purchase a copy of the excellent booklet Fleam Dyke & Roman Road Walk, published by the Friends of the Roman Road and Fleam Dyke, at our next Community Market on Saturday 18 November 2023.
Extension to Fulbourn Fen Nature Reserve
We are pleased to report that work has begun on an extension to the Nature Reserve. This is the field on the left just after the entrance to the Reserve in Stonebridge Lane and will be managed by the Wildlife Trust. Martin Baker, the Conservation Manager (Cambs) at the Trust outlines the work being done:
“The Wildlife Trust has taken on the management of an additional field from Fulbourn Manor Estate as an extension of the Reserve. Flack Field was arable until last summer, but it has now been sown as a wildflower meadow. The seeding took place last autumn with a seed mix specifically designed for the soils and it is hoped that there will be good germination this spring, though the wildflowers won’t be seen flowering until summer 2024. In 2023 the field will be mown three times to promote establishment of a good meadow sward and prevent colonisation by undesirable species. From summer 2024 onwards we are planning to manage the new meadow with a single hay cut, followed by autumn grazing.
Alongside the meadow creation, the Wildlife Trust will be installing fencing and gates to allow the field to be grazed. We have also started the process of restoring the boundary hedgerows though this will be a longer term venture undertaken over a number of years. Unfortunately, a number of the larger ash trees along Stonebridge Lane and the public right of way have ash dieback, so we have had to arrange tree surgery or felling of these ahead of installing the new fencing.
The meadow won’t be open to the public, but will be visible from the adjacent rights of way and existing access routes, so we hope it will be a place that visitors can enjoy as well as the historic fen in the years to come. We would like to thank Fulbourn Manor Estate for helping to bring about this exciting addition to the nature reserve.”
Lower Valley Farm, Fulbourn, New Grassland and Woodland
We are pleased to report that work has begun on the ‘phased and extensive’ Biodiversity Net Gain programme by Cambridgeshire County Council whose County Farms own Lower Valley Farm. The land is all in the parish of Fulbourn and, on two of its sides, is bounded by the Roman Road (up as far as the A11) and, to the west, by the public footpath that runs between Balsham Road (starting opposite Hindloaders) and the Roman Road. A large area of grassland will be established together with significant tree and hedgerow planting. This, together with fencing and a water supply, is in preparation for a grazing plan that includes native breed beef cattle and sheep at appropriate times.
Half of the farm has already been sown with Perennial Rye Grass, the most common pasture grass in lowland UK, with the other half of the farm planned to be sown this autumn. This project is an opportunity to increase biodiversity with the pasture being ‘enriched’ by sowing in wildflowers and creating fairly species-rich neutral grassland (‘neutral’ refers to the soil pH, which is about 7, the surface soil being rich in clay, but with many chalk fragments). One object of the conversion from arable to pasture is to increase the soil organic matter, thus effectively sequestering carbon,which would otherwise be in the atmosphere as extra carbon dioxide. Also planned are new permissive footpaths allowing access to parts of the land from the Roman Road.
Once established, these new habitats will be a significant addition to Fulbourn’s natural landscapes with easy access by public footpaths from the village.
A New Reservoir in the Fens
Consultation open: 12 October to 21 December 2022
A new reservoir in the Fens, near Chatteris, is proposed to secure water supply to their customers and for future generations.The aim is to provide significant additional resilience for the public water supply, agriculture and the environment. If this is successful, it could lead to the restoration of the natural water environment in Fulbourn and the Wilbrahams.
To find out more about the plans and to provide your feedback, visit:
Water Resources Plan for Eastern England – Report
Water Resources East (WRE) has been given the task by the government of developing a long-term water resources plan for Eastern England. The entire region is designated as seriously water-stressed, and climate change is already taking hold. One of the aims of the plan is to help improve the management of water resulting in the restoration, protection and improvement of the environment, and facilitate environmentally
sustainable agriculture.
The report can be found here:
The Draft Regional Plan – Water Resources East (wre.org.uk)
Carbon Neutral Cambridge
Greater Cambridge Decarbonisation Report: assessing progress 2015-2020
Fulbourn Forum is keen to promote carbon reduction and climate change issues. Linked here is the above report, produced by Dr Anne Miller and Isabela Butnar, which aims to assess the progress made in decarbonising Greater Cambridge and make recommendations for accelerating decarbonisation in the region.
Fulbourn Forum 