RSPB Lakenheath Fen reserve expands with Morgan Sindall help

The RSPB has acquired the site to restore its wetlands and incorporate them into the conservation charity's Lakenheath Fen reserve, on the Norfolk/Suffolk border.

The purchase, for an undisclosed sum, was aided by a financial donation from construction firm Morgan Sindall Group and a grant from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.

It will unlock the expansion of Lakenheath Fen, which was made into a nature reserve by the RSPB in 1995 after 400 hectares of arable land was re-established as reed beds and wet grassland.

The RSPB's Lakenheath Fen nature reserve will grow by 54 hectares after construction firm Morgan Sindall helped to buy neighbouring land - Picture: RSPB (Image: RSPB)

Now, the fen is home to a number of threatened bird species including the bittern and the crane - a bird that disappeared from the UK about 400 years ago but returned to breed at Lakenheath in 2007.

Jo Gilbert, RSPB’s conservation programmes director, said: "We’d like to say a huge thank you to the Morgan Sindall Group – with their support, we will be able to return a large section of land to nature, enabling endangered species to recover and also locking away carbon to help preserve our own future against the climate crisis.

"Lakenheath Fen is a very special place - it saw the first cranes fledge in the fens for about 400 years, and we can’t wait to see what other wildlife comes to make it their home."

Graham Edgell, director of sustainability and procurement at Morgan Sindall Group, said: "We are proud to support the RSPB in protecting and restoring their land for wildlife, the climate and future generations.

"Our partnership is part of a long-term ambition to support wildlife and environmental projects, engage our colleagues and increase our sustainability commitments in association with the UK’s leading nature conservation charity."