Help us to buy & restore Worlingham Marshes

Help us to buy & restore Worlingham Marshes

£291,474 of £775,000 goal
A map illustrating the location of Worlingham Marshes in Suffolk, and an aerial photo illustrating the location in relation to Suffolk Wildlife Trust's other nature reserves along the Waveney Valley.

Our vision for Worlingham Marshes is to restore a classic Broadland landscape, with a wildlife-rich mosaic of grazing marsh, wet woodland, fen, scrub. Water levels will be managed to restore wet fen on the peat soils, that will lock-up carbon and reduce the impact of flooding - harnessing the power of nature to combat climate change.   

Please help us to raise £775,000 to buy the land and to restore Worlingham Marshes for nature.

Thank you to National Lottery Heritage Fund, and National Lottery players, for supporting Suffolk Wildlife Trust to initially secure the land for Worlingham Marshes - and to begin early conservation and community works.

Made possible with Heritage Fund

John Collins / Russell Savory

FAQs

Can I visit Worlingham Marshes?

Yes, the public can access the reserve, however there is no parking and there no reserve trails yet. As part of the Heritage Fund works, we will be installing visitor viewpoints.

By foot: visitors can access the reserve from the popular Angles Way trail which runs through the reserve, and can be joined from Beccles and Carlton Marshes. The walk to Worlingham Marshes from Beccles is approx. 1hr, and approx. 2hrs from Carlton Marshes. 

By car: for visitors looking to drive to the reserve, we recommend parking in Beccles or at Carlton Marshes, then walking.

By boat: the reserve can be accessed from the River Waveney via a mooring on the northern boundary of the reserve.

By train: visitors can walk to the reserve from Beccles station or Oulton Broad South station. 

What was the land previously used for?

Before the Trust purchased the land, it was privately owned and used for private grazing and wildfowling. Under our care, with Worlingham Marshes established as a nature reserve, wildfowling will not be allowed, and we will have a schedule of conservation grazing across the site. 

Why does Suffolk Wildlife Trust need to raise £775,000?

The £2million grant the Trust has received from The National Lottery Heritage Fund is only part of the total costs of buying and restoring Worlingham Marshes.  
 
We need to raise £775k to complete the funding of the land purchase and to fund habitat creation, conservation management, and our programme of community engagement. 

Will fishing on the River Waveney be affected? 

The creation of Worlingham Marshes won't affect fishing rights or access to the river. 

Some sections of the river bank along the northern edge of Worlingham Marshes are within the new nature reserve, however not the river itself. Fishing along this stretch of the River Waveney remains under the licensing and regulations of the Environment Agency.