22 Orford Street, Ipswich, IP1 2NS
Telephone: 01473 251632 Fax: 01473 217178
A partnership between:
Suffolk East Federation of Women's Institutes (SEFWI)
Suffolk West Federation of Women's Institutes (SWFWI)
Suffolk Local Authorities
Suffolk Coast and Heaths Project
The aim was to devise a way of monitoring landscape change.
Each of the 211 WIs making up Suffolk East Federation and Suffolk West Federation was asked to study a square of land 1 km x 1 km, near to their own Institute and to record its characteristics through a simple mapping and photographic process. The landscape recording was to take place on two occasions during 1999, in January/February and again in July in order to provide information at two seasonal extremes.
The whole exercise is to be repeated after five years.
During November/December 1998 a 1 km square was chosen, this had to be at least 500 m from a village or built up area but not more than 5 km from the WI meeting place. The prettiest area was not to be chosen but one typical of the local Suffolk landscape. It had to be accessible by footpaths, minor roads or where the landowner would allow access. The Grid Reference at the centre of the 1km square had to be noted.
Each participating WI was given a recording pack consisting of:
a) 3 copies of a survey map at 1:2500 scale
1 for 'in-field' survey work
1 for completing and returning to the local Authority after all survey work was completed
1 for competition entry and exhibition purposes
b) 2 cassettes of 35mm, 24 exposure colour print film
c) 2 sticky address labels for return of films after processing
d) An authorisation card for use if necessary when surveying
e) Details of the telephone help line
Each WI's remit was to note the presence of linear features such as hedgerows, fences and ditches and copy them on to their 'in-field' maps. Ponds, trees, groups of trees, telephone and electricity poles and any other point features were all to be included on the maps. A record was made of land use, arable or wooded and what crops were planted. Notes were made and photos taken of flora and fauna encountered and any tracks seen. All this was carried out in January/February and again in July. Fixed point photographic monitoring was carried out at 4 points as near as possible to the 4 corners of each square, looking into the square. The exact position had to be noted so that the exercise could be repeated on future occasions. It was recommended that a 35 mm camera was used, mounted on a tripod. When finished the films were sent to the Federation Office, 2 sets of prints were then returned to each WI for use later. 1 set were mounted on card and along with 1 of the finished maps they were taken to the Local Authority for assessment by 1st October 1999. The other set was to be mounted on card and used in March 2000 for the competition and exhibition held at BT, Adastral Park, Martlesham Heath, Suffolk.
All the above comprised the landscape audit.
A Millennium Record also had to be compiled for the competition and exhibition. The whole of the local community were invited to join in on this project. The aim, along with the map and panoramic photographs, was to capture the 'flavour' of each landscape square in 1999, so allowing future generations to fully appreciate and understand its 'local qualities'.
Typical survey photographs (reproduced by kind permission of Ufford WI)