Donkey Lane Project

Relaunching of Friends of Donkey Lane – March 2023: In 2015 EVRA signed an agreement with the City Council (later transferred to County Council Highways) to assist with the maintenance of the banks and verges on Donkey Lane. This was to soften the effects of a new metal fence to protect the SSSI and bat colony in the adjacent Eaton Chalk Quarry and provide a more species rich environment. The banks were cleared of nettles and brambles and a team of volunteers did a great job planting 1000s of trees and bulbs and keeping the brambles and nettles at bay. They met mid-week but eight years on the work became physically too demanding for the team.

EVRA wished to continue to manage the lane as part of the green link between the adjacent SSSI site in the old Eaton Chalk Quarry and Marston Marsh and knew that if we stopped work on the lane that the Council will only do the work necessary to maintain safety and all the hard work of our volunteers to create an attractive area would have been wasted. We therefore decided to establish a new family friendly Friends of Donkey Lane group which met periodically for a few hours on a weekend to keep the banks and verges under control and manage these in more environmentally friendly way. The tasks would depend on the season but include managing invasive plants, planting new trees and other suitable plants, clearing leaves in Autumn/Winter and litter picking.  The severe dry weather in 2022, and since, and shading from overhanging trees highlighted that more drought tolerant planting should be undertaken along the lane. In 2024 a further 125 hedging trees were planted as a contribution to the Million Trees for Norfolk initiative and many of these have survived. We have a range of tools such as loppers and a wheelbarrow we can use.

We aim to make this a family friendly and sociable work session so why not join in and bring the children. Work sessions are publicised on the EVRA website and Facebook pages and on posters placed on Donkey Lane.

You can register your interest by email to: evra.vc@live.co.uk or phone Chris Stebbing on 07798 571914.