Donkey Lane Project

Relaunching of Friends of Donkey Lane – March 2023: In 2015 EVRA signed an agreement with the City Council to assist with the maintenance of the banks and verges on Donkey Lane. Since then, Rosemary Benton and her team of volunteers have done a great job planting 1000s of trees and bulbs and keeping the brambles and nettles at bay. They meet most weeks but eight years on the work has become physically too demanding for the team.

EVRA wish to continue to manage the lane as part of the green link between the adjacent SSSI site and Marston Marsh. We know that if we stop work on the lane that the City Council will only do the work necessary to maintain safety and all the hard work of our volunteers to create an attractive area will be wasted. Our thoughts are that we establish a new family friendly Friends of Donkey Lane group which meets monthly for a few hours on a weekend to keep the banks and verges under control. The tasks would depend on the season but include managing invasive plants, planting new trees and other suitable plants, clearing leaves in Autumn and litter picking.  The severe dry weather in 2022 highlighted that more drought tolerant plants should be planted along the lane which is mostly shaded by overhanging trees.  We already have some 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. You can register your interest by email to: evra.vc@live.co.uk or phone Chris Stebbing on Norwich 503301.