Suffolk Secrets pledge £24,000 over two-years to support Suffolk's nature charity, Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

In 2018, the World Wildlife Fund and Zoological Society of London’s Living Planet Report estimated that the total population of the world’s wild vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds) fell by 60% between 1970 and 2014. Within living memory, more than half of our wildlife has been lost. With these staggering figures in mind, and as 2020 approaches, the following decade is going to be crucial for the natural environment.

However, across the world, the UK and, of course, in Suffolk, there are many people working to reverse these trends. This week, it has been announced that Suffolk Secrets, one of the county's leading agencies for holiday cottage lettings, has pledged £24,000 over a two-year period to help support the county’s wildlife charity, Suffolk Wildlife Trust. These much-needed funds will be used to build a new all-weather, fully accessible boardwalk at Share Marsh at Carlton Marshes Nature Reserve near Lowestoft and a variety of other conservation projects across Suffolk Wildlife Trust’s 52 reserves. 

Proudly independent and family-owned, Suffolk Secrets puts enormous stock in being ‘truly local.’ As such, community support and involvement are at the heart of the business. Over the past three years, the company has donated over £50,000 to local community and environmental projects and initiatives, this year providing financial support to the Southwold Arts Festival, Aldeburgh Carnival, Theatre on the Coast, Suffolk Walking Festival and Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB amongst others.  

Sally Owen, Suffolk Secrets Brand Marketing Manager says, “We’re delighted to be supporting Suffolk Wildlife Trust in 2020 and 2021 and are thrilled to be contributing to the exciting work at Carlton Marshes. We know how important wildlife and Suffolk's beautiful landscapes are to our customers.  When asked why they holiday in Suffolk 80% said they enjoyed walking, 43% liked to visit our nature reserves and 26% expressed a love of bird watching, so our support of Suffolk Wildlife Trust is a great fit. We’re proud to be doing our bit to protect and nurture what makes our county so special for residents and visitors alike.” 

Michael Strand, Community Fundraising Manager at Suffolk Wildlife Trust says, “We are so excited to be partnering with Suffolk Secrets over the next two years. We are in the process of building a brand-new visitor centre at Carlton Marshes with fully accessible paths, so we’re looking forward to welcoming many more people to this outstanding Southern Broads reserve. We’ve been converting former arable fields to create a stunning new 1,000 acre wetland to support the county’s precious wildlife and, by next summer, it’s going to be fantastic. Some of the funds from the Suffolk Secrets partnership will help turn our vision into reality.” 

The new boardwalk supported by Suffolk Secrets will be officially opened on the weekend of June 6th and 7th 2020. 

Pictured, Left to Right: Michael Strand, Community Fundraising Manager, Suffolk Wildlife Trust; Sally Owen, Brand Marketing Manager, Suffolk Secrets; Louise Gregory, Visitor Experience and Centre Manager, Carlton Marshes.