Great Yarmouth
Welcome to the Great Yarmouth Green Gym.
BTCV Green Gym is a unique FREE scheme to help you become physically and mentally healthier by taking part in nature conservation activities to improve your local environment, such as woodland management, visiting nature reserves, and making pathways. As well as improving your health, you can meet new people, learn new skills and become more self-confident as you make a positive contribution to your local area.
A minibus will collect you from one of our pick-up points around the town, and return you afterwards (over the page). A friendly experienced leader provides all the training you need, you can work at your own pace, we have a chat and a laugh while we work - and there is even a tea-break halfway through. There is a range of different activities, so you can start gently and build up to more challenging tasks if you wish. The sessions last for 3 hours, but you can do just an hour or so if you prefer. Anyone over 16 years old can join, whatever your capabilities. You do NOT have to be physically fit to join us! The activities are suitable for people with a range of disabilities and/or learning difficulties.
Interested? here's what you need to know...
What you need: old outdoor working clothes suitable for the weather, and reasonably sturdy shoes or boots if you have them. We provide all the necessary tools and personal protective equipment. Either have lunch first or bring your own. Tea/coffee is provided. Please check if your tetanus inoculation is up-to-date.
When to join us: All sessions run from 1-4pm at the sites. Minibus collection times are listed on the next page. These are approximate, so please aim to be at the pick-up point at least 5 minutes early, stand outside and wave when you see the BTCV minibus coming! Return journey by the same route leaving the site at 4pm. You do not have to book, just turn up, although if you are coming for the first time please feel free to ring me to confirm where your nearest collection point is. If you want to bring a group please let me know beforehand.
Task days: On Wednesdays we work at Beacon Park in Gorleston. This is a huge ongoing project to turn a neglected belt of trees into a asset for the local community to enjoy. We will be thinning out the trees, cutting back scrub, building “minibeast hotels” and aiming to make a pathway around the entire area. There will also opportunities to learn more about wildlife and identify animals and plants. On alternate Tuesdays we will be going further afield, seeing a wide range of beautiful local sites on the coast and inland - sometimes we will be working to improve the habitats for wildlife, other times just to visit and enjoy.
Great Yarmouth Green Gym Minibus Pick-up points
Great Yarmouth Green Gym Minibus Pick-up points (please book to be sure of a place):
Wednesdays (all timings approximate) in April, May and June.
**** NO SESSIONS on Wednesday 11th April, 23rd May, 6th June ****
12.00midday Caister Tescos car park, Yarmouth Road (near bypass southern roundabout).
12.10pm Golfers’ Arms Pub, North Denes Road by junction of Salisbury Road.
12.15pm Albion / Great Eastern pubs, Nelson Road Central / Trafalgar Road (near shops).
12.20pm Lusa Shop / St Spyridon Greek Orthodox Church. Deneside / St Peter’s Road.
12.25pm Matalan car park, Southtown Road near A1243 Bridge Road (for Cobholm).
12.30pm Rumbold Arms, Southtown Road.
12.35pm 3 Tuns Pub, High Street Southtown/Gorleston, by junction of Garnham Road.
12.40pm Church Lane Gorleston, by junction of Roslyn Road (near shops and Library).
12.45pm Methodist Church, Magdalen Square, Gorleston.
12.55pm On site - Beaufort Way at junction with Excalibur Road, Beacon Park, Gorleston.
Tuesdays (all timings approximate) in April, May and June.
12.00midday Recycling area, Rainbow Superstore, Mill Road / Burgh Road, Bradwell.
12.05pm Crab Lane by junction of Forsythia Road, Gorleston.
12.10pm Rumbold Arms, Southtown Road.
12.15pm Matalan car park, Southtown Road near A1243 Bridge Road (for Cobholm).
12.25pm Great Yarmouth Train Station.
12.55pm On site – see below...
• Tuesday 10th April – NO SESSION
• Tuesday 24th April – Can you dig it? Creating a new town centre garden. Meet opposite “Goldstar” on King St near junction with St Peters Road (just to South of Town Centre).
• Tuesday 8th May – Solving a monumental problem. Clearing overgrown parts of St Nicholas Cemetery to protect historic graves and rare plants. Meet at Kitchener Road near junction with Belvedere Road, at cemetery gates.
• Tuesday 22nd May – tour and boat trip at Hickling Broad **** separate booking required for boat trip - call 01603 598 333 (Norfolk Wildlife Trust) ****
• Tuesday 5th June – NO SESSION
• Tuesday 19th June – Fen-tastic! Working session to restore the wetland habitat at Hickling. Bring wellies if you have them! Meet at nature reserve visitor centre, Stubb Road (follow the brown badger signs).
You can see more details about the upcoming tasks by clicking: here
Contact us:
If you have any questions or would like more details, please do contact me (I'm the one of the left in the picture):
Mark Webster
Great Yarmouth Green Gym Project Officer
MESH
Shrublands Y&A Centre
Magdalen Way
Gorleston
NR31 7BP
MESH Office phone 01493 604 739
My mobile phone: 07843 069 567 (please use the mobile number only on task days)
m.webster@btcv.org.uk
You can also see a bit more about what we have been doing below...
Getting creative with willow
We really enjoyed a trip to Norfolk Wildlife Trust's Upton Broad nature reserve - and took away some souvenirs too! Flexible willow branches from the trees were pollarding (cutting back to allow regrowth) were put to good use in Beacon Park to make living sculptures - a bower (pictured), a gothic hedge, and an archway along the path. Thanks to Headway's wood wrokshop, we will also be using oak and ash trunks felled at Beacon Park to make benches for Bure Park in Yarmouth, and hazel from Beacon Park is also being fashioned into a grand entranceway.
The first three months...a summary
Great Yarmouth and Gorleston seem to have very quickly taken to the idea of a Green Gym, with much more volunteer than we had at a similar stage in Noriwch or Cromer! Our regular sessions at Beacon Park are already attracting at least 15 volunteers each time, as a result of which we have already completed a circular walk linking Beaufort Way to the path towards Hobland woods.
Tuesday sessions have included visists to Horsey Gap, Stokesby riverside, Burgh Castle Roman Fort and a super boat trip - courtesy of the RSPB - to their reserve at Breydon Water, where we saw this windmill (pictured) along with lots of birds including redshank, lapwing, avocet, oystercatcher - and a really great view of a pair of marsh harriers.
