Lincolnshire farmers help Tennyson
The babbling brook immortalised in Alfred, Lord Tennyson's classic poem is being protected by two Lincolnshire farmers, with help from Defra.
Running through Bag Enderby and Somersby, the River Lymn - which local tradition claims is "The Brook" itself - will be restored with funding from the Countryside Stewardship Scheme to look much as Tennyson would have known it.
Under the Scheme, grasses such as fescues, foxtails and crested dogstail are being re-planted and the use of fertilisers and sprays has stopped. The work will turn the area into a haven for wildlife. It already attracts Curlew and there is now evidence that water voles and kingfishers are present. In surrounding fields, work is also taking place to attract lapwing.
Tenant farmer Anthony Brown of Hall Farm in Bag Enderby, and Farm Manager Andrew Read of Somersby House Farm, decided to get together to undertake the project across the Maitland estate to ensure that over four kilometres along both sides of the river were protected.
Anthony Brown said:
"We had both been looking into joining the Countryside Stewardship Scheme separately and then realised that it would make more sense to join together to protect the land. "The area already supports a wide variety of wildlife, as areas were previously set aside, but the Countryside Stewardship Scheme funding will help us to extend protection to cover the entire river banks under our control."
Andrew Read added:
"Visitors and ramblers will be able to see the river as it was in the late 1800s. There are two footpaths that provide access and a road that runs across it. Visitors may also catch sight of breeding Snipe on the land which we're hoping will increase."
Trevor Morris, a Countryside Stewardship adviser with Defra's Rural Development Service, said:
"Using a combination of pasture and grass margins, the Scheme will ensure the area is protected so that future generations, birds and other creatures can enjoy the tranquil, timeless atmosphere that inspired Tennyson."
