Bleyswycks Bank and Parkers Piece were purchased by the LOHP in autumn 2007 and named after their former owners. The sites, in the parish of Thelnetham, are adjacent to one another and contribute a further 5.3ha to the land managed for wildlife in the Little Ouse Headwaters. They have over 500m of river-front, including the only section that, although overdeepened, has not been canalised and still has meanders. These sites are particularly strategic for the valley's wildlife because they lie between Thelnetham and Blo'Norton Fens, two of the fragmanted sites included within the Waveney and Little Ouse Valley Fens SAC. Part of Parkers Piece was included within the boundary of the Blo'Norton and Thelnetham Fens SSSI to ensure that it could not be managed in a way that would threaten the hydrology of Thelnetham Fen.
On the 1885 Ordnance Survey map, part of Parkers Piece is labelled as 'Thelnetham Fen': it is clear that this area supported fen vegetation that was continuous with that on Thelnetham Middle Fen, one of the village 'poors' fens. Deep peat, characteristic of the other fens in the valley, underlies much of the area. However, aerial photograph evidence shows that both sites have been used for arable agriculture at some point in the last 60 years. In the 1980s free-range pigs were kept on Parker's Piece, resulting in enrichment of the peat. This, together with drying-out of the valley as a result of artesion abstraction, compounded by droughts, resulted in the development of tall, coarse vegetation, dominated by stinging nettles and creeping thistles. Wetter conditions in the valley since 2000, have resulted in the re-development of elements of fen vegetation amongst the coarse perennials - pond sedge and occasional plants of yellow meadow rue for example.
Over the last thirty years, a former tree nursery on Bleyswycks Bank has been allowed to grow unchecked and unthinned. When the LOHP bought the site it was so deeply shaded by rows of scots pine and other species that even stinging nettles struggled to survive. The tall pines on the river bank cast a dense shade over Bettys Fen on the north side of the river.
Restoration work began at the end of February 2008, with the felling of the former tree nursery on Bleyswycks Bank: only field maples, sallows, a clump mature oaks were left standing. A line of ash, parallel with the southern boundary, was pollarded to create a shady walk, screened from the rest of the site. 
This work has transformed the landscape: these views of Bleyswycks Bank, taken from Bettys Fen on the north side of the river, show how the removal of Scots pines has let much more light into Bettys Fen and opened up the view downstream.
In April culverts were installed in the ditches to allow vehicle and, eventually, pedestrian access along the river bank. The ditches were re-profiled to make them more attractive to water voles, which we hope will re-colonise the Little Ouse headwaters.
The road-edge of Parkers Piece was fenced in June to deter unwanted vehicle access: a wide-access kissing gate close to Thelnetham Ford allows pedestrian access. Stock fencing of the whole site will be completed later in the summer once the risk of disturbing breeding birds has passed.
Please visit this column again for updates on the restoration work during 2008.
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