East Anglia Press Releases for the Norfolk & Suffolk Broads with Press Releases and Articles from the Broads Authority in East Anglia, and the East of England UK.

Five men and women from varied backgrounds have been selected to train as reed and sedge cutters in the first phase of a scheme to help keep Broads heritage skills alive.

They were among 47 applicants from all over the country who applied for five reed and sedge cutting bursaries, which are being managed by the Broads Authority with £714,500 funding from the Heritage Lottery.

The scheme is one of 10 training bursary schemes nationally that have been formed to improve the quality of skills available to the heritage sector by providing new entrants or existing staff with work-based training opportunities. The next phase of the project will see five trainees embark on a three year course in traditional millwrighting skills.

Traditionally reed and sedge cutters and millwrights skills have been handed down from father to son, and this is the first time a formal training programme leading to a qualification has been organised.

This ground-breaking project aims to bring new blood into important traditional industries where numbers have dwindled in recent years. As a lead partner the Broads Reed and Sedge Cutters Association will provide essential "on the fen" training for the bursary holders. This will take the form of important restoration work to neglected reed beds from now until the reed cutting season starts in late December. This will then be replaced with commercial reed then sedge cutting through the seasons. They will also learn habitat management techniques, bird identification, nesting protocol and water level management, including dyke clearing, sluices and tides.

This hands on training will be complemented by an NVQ in environmental conservation that will be delivered by Easton College. The Broads Authority and its other partners, including RSPB, English Nature and the Norfolk Wildlife Trust, will provide additional training.

Nearly 300 application packs were sent out by the Broads Authority and 110 people, from Inverness to Devon , applied to train as reed and sedge cutters and millwrights. The millwrights will be interviewed in October.

Graham Bayne, Heritage Lottery Project Manager, said:

" We are delighted and amazed we got such a huge response. The applicants came from incredibly diverse backgrounds. The new recruits will play a vital role in preserving and restoring the historic character of the area."

Reproduced by kind permission of Broads Authority.