Blofield & District Conservation Group (BADCOG) has been involved in the conservation management of wildlife habitats since 1984.
The group was initially formed when a small band of volunteers took on the task of restoring Holly Lane Pond, Blofield. The pond had over time become overgrown and neglected and was in need of some attention to restore it back into a haven for wildlife. Since this first ground-breaking project, the group has grown in membership numbers and now manages a wide range of rich and diverse habitats within the local area.
BADCOG now looks after 13* conservation sites, two of which are owned by the group (Jary’s Meadow and Railway Wood). Sites range from fen meadow, dry meadow, woodland (old and new), ponds, and churchyard conservation areas, together with a number of other sites, some of which are designated ‘Local Nature Reserves’ and ‘County Wildlife Sites’. All of which have a rich and diverse habitat for flora and fauna.
To maintain our sites, regular work parties are held on alternate Saturdays from 10:30 am until 1:00 pm. Forthcoming activities are listed on the work parties page.
In addition to the management of our own sites, BADCOG has been involved in numerous conservation management projects within the local community since its foundation. These include woodland and new boundary hedgerow planting schemes, together with ‘one-off’ projects to benefit the environment or the local community. Some of these projects require sporadic involvement (tree care, weeding, etc), whereas many no longer require any further involvement by BADCOG.
Illustrated talks and meetings are held during the autumn and winter months along with the occasional events. These are all listed on the events page. To keep our members up to date on all of our activities and events, we have a bi-monthly Newsletter, which also contains articles by members. The Group also has a stand/display which gets taken along to environmental and wildlife shows and fairs.
Over the years, groups, organisations and individuals have carried out surveys or recorded the species found on our sites. These recordings have all been entered in to the BADCOG Database which now has over a 1000 records.
BADCOG has been awarded or been nominated for an award on a number of occasions over the years such as:
1988 – Shell ‘Better Britain’ Campaign Award.
2010 – Norfolk Biodiversity Partnership – Local Group Award
2010 – CPRE Norfolk Award.
2018 – Broadland Biodiversity Award – Nominated
2023 – Broadland ‘Community at Heart’ Award – Nominated
2026 – Broadland Community Award – ‘Environmental Champion’ winner.
2026 – Norfolk Churches Trust – Churchyard Conservation Award – Winner Hemblington Church, runner up, Blofield Church both managed by BADCOG.
*Up until 2013 BADCOG managed Panxworth Church. Now being managed by ‘The Friends of Panxworth Church’ Group, BADCOG no longer has an active role at this site.
