Wickhambrook WI Walking Group meets every Wednesday at 10am for walks in the village or slightly further afield. We walk for about two hours and cover about five miles, depending on how much chatting is taking place and there are usually six of us, although we have had a dozen occasionally, and dogs are welcome too.

We were very pleased to be invited to Ashfield Green Farm last week. It is the home of one of our members and is being developed with conservation and wildlife habitats in mind. We were shown round the farm by Roger Draycott, who explained that the Government was encouraging farmers to enter environmental stewardship schemes and that 20% of the land on the farm would soon be managed differently. An ancient hedge is to be replaced, a new pond dug and a small wood of native trees will be planted after a deer fence is erected. Headlands of fields will be planted with tussocky grass to encourage insects to overwinter and hedges are to be cut every two years so that there will be food and cover for birds and small mammals. This was an excellent walk on a beautiful day and Roger answered many questions on our way around the fields. We ende up in an ancient meadow where walnut trees have been planted to replace some very old ones. We were shown a badger sett and were lucky enough to see a hare in the distance.

We very much hope to return in the Spring or summer to see the changes which are planned.

Roger is happy to show other groups around the farm and can be contacted on 01440 821325.