Suffolk Wildlife Trust has raised £775,000 to secure Worlingham Marshes as a 154-hectare nature reserve, restoring grazing marsh, fen and we
Suffolk Wildlife Trust has confirmed the successful purchase of Worlingham Marshes after meeting its £775,000 fundraising target, securing 154 ha of marsh, fen, wet woodland and grazing land in the Lower Waveney Valley.
The acquisition was made possible through a matched-funding scheme linked to a major National Lottery Heritage Fund grant, supported by donations from members, volunteers, local communities and businesses.
Formerly privately owned and managed for grazing and wildfowling, the site will now be restored as a mosaic of wetland habitats. The trust intends to enhance grazing marsh, fen, scrub and wet woodland, improve water management and re-establish traditional dyke systems – part of a long-term ambition to reverse wetland loss in this corner of the Broads National Park.
Restoration work showing early results
Early restoration work is already showing encouraging results. Water levels have been raised, scrub management undertaken and neglected dykes brought back into use. Wildlife is already responding – for example, Common Snipe numbers have risen sharply from three birds prior to intervention to 72 by the end of the 2024-25 winter season.
Worlingham Marshes will eventually open to the public, with the most direct access via the Angles Way long-distance path from Beccles or through the neighbouring Carlton Marshes reserve. The trust says the site will offer visitors an immersive wetland landscape experience as restoration progresses.
The successful appeal represents a significant step towards Suffolk Wildlife Trust's wider goal of restoring more wild areas across the county – expanding space for nature and strengthening ecological resilience in one of East Anglia's most important river valleys.
