Ancient woodland nature reserve to expand

Foxley Wood in North Norfolk is an ancient woodland, with some areas that are 6,000 years old

A conservation charity has acquired 100 acres of ancient woodland to expand an existing nature reserve.

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust said that the new land would increase the size of its reserve at Foxley Wood, in North Norfolk, by more than a third.

Parts of the woodland are known to have been there for 6,000 years, and it has been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its value for wildlife.

Steve Collin, an area manager for the trust, said they intended to use the expanded area to create a "mosaic of habitats".

The Norfolk Wildlife Trust said they would create a "mosaic of habitats" at the site

The Wildlife Trust said that the purchase of the land next to their existing reserve was made possible by several donations.

They said that the most significant of these had come from legacies left to the trust by Graham Churchyard and Adrian Gunson.

Tricia Gunson, Adrian's widow, is a "wildlife guardian" for the Trust.

She said she was "very happy to release Adrian's legacy to help with this purchase", because they had "always loved Norfolk, and its rich and varied wildlife".

Tricia Gunson, whose late husband's legacy helped the Norfolk Wildlife Trust buy the new area of woodland, with Steve Collin from the Trust

Foxley Wood is Norfolk's largest area of ancient woodland.

As well as using the expanded area to increase visitor access, the trust said it also hoped to create new habitats for rare plant life.

Steve Collin, from the trust, explained that the wildlife they hoped the resulting plants would encourage included "butterflies such as purple emperor and silver washed fritillary and birds including tree creepers and nuthatches".

"We will create new and eco-friendly ways for people to enjoy some of Norfolk's most special wild places," he said.