An award-winning community conservation project near Diss has received a boost after the appointment of a new boss thanks to a £99,000 grant.
The Little Ouse Headwaters Project manages more than 192 acres of land for conservation and public access on the Norfolk-Suffolk border, including wetlands, woods and miles of public paths.
Ellie Beach has been appointed to the three-year full-time post of conservation manager overseeing the day-to day-running of the project following a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
The winding Little Ouse river delineates parts of the boundary between Suffolk and Norfolk.
The Little Ouse Headwaters Project has its origins in local voluntary groups that managed Blo' Norton and Hinderclay Fens on behalf of the two parishes in the late 1990s. It now incorporates six Suffolk and Norfolk parishes - South Lopham, Blo' Norton, Redgrave, Thelnetham, Hinderclay and Garboldisham.
'Working in wetlands is a real passion for me,' said Ellie, who spent a year training in the Broads as part of her degree course. 'The headwaters of the Little Ouse are a special place with some internationally important habitats, so I'm really looking forward to helping wildlife flourish and to encouraging people to come and enjoy this wonderful countryside.'
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