How this resident is helping Suffolk wildlife.

East Anglia is as old as civilisation itself. The forests, foliage, and flowers have served us well, but if we do not take action East Anglia will suffer, the forests will be cut, and the foliage will die. For Terence Maxwell this is the worst possible outcome, and his aim is for east Anglia to bloom and flourish.

For three hundred years, the Old Forge has sat in rural East Suffolk, living a charmed and accomplished life: a forge, a bed and breakfast, a dog breeders and, of course, a family home. But now The Forge is blossoming into something completely new. The aim, according to project manager Terence Maxwell, “is to strike a good balance between the commercial side... and the conservation of the natural habitat.”  

Maxwell’s first project for the forge was to renovate the old greenhouse and kitchen garden to be used “for seedlings to start planting, with the hope to begin replanting the natural habitat” but also to appease the cutting garden wishes of the owner, to keep the home self-sufficient, but also beautiful. 

“We have a three-year plan to have everything reinstated, hopefully after that it is just the case of maintaining what is there.” 

This “three-year plan” includes. Reinstating a large pond to create a liveable habitat for aquatic plants and creatures alike, with the hope of homing ducks to once again help the household become more self-sufficient. 

Another aim is to “complete the planting of fruit trees for the orchards before March”, then in the autumn to introduce hibernation boxes for the pollinators, just another way to reduce the eco-footprint of the home and business. 

Finally, Maxwell hopes to create sectioned areas specific to the business and family home as a way for the family to distinguish between work and play, something they have struggled with up until now. 

But Maxwell’s main message, to everyone reading this, is that it is not hard to do your part in helping the environment: “shop local, support local farmers, don’t make unnecessary car journeys.”