New information boards installed along the River Crouch

South Woodham Ferrers has recently gained some wonderful information boards along its River Crouch. They include important history about its landscape and abundance of wildlife.

This is part of a wider Essex Coast Project which is led by Essex County Council and funded by the Coastal Community Fund. The project aims to celebrate the wonders of the Essex Coastline and support businesses along the Essex coast. Many different partners are involved in delivering the project including:

• Essex County Council
• Visit Essex
• Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership
• Adult Community Learning
• Essex Highways
• Coastal Local Authorities in Essex

More on the boards…

To get this project underway, the team worked with local historian John Frankland, South Woodham Ferrers local history society, South Woodham Ferrers Yacht Club, and the Marsh Farm park ranger. Local photographers were also part of the project and provided the team with wonderful images for these boards. 

The boards include information on the Smith and Tucker Boatyard, the old river crossing that was destroyed in 1645 and some facts about smuggling in the area. As well as history, the boards also focus on the huge expanse of wildlife and the rare species that survive off the landscape. This includes information on the area of the river which is protected by Natural England.

These boards are also linked to the app Go Jauntly which is a free app. This helps to discover walks in your local area and will guide you through different routes. You can see what walks are available in South Woodham by scanning the QR code provided on the boards. Go Jauntly can also help you find walks in other locations too.

Networking event

A few months ago, a networking event took place to showcase these boards to the stakeholders involved. This was also a chance to support local businesses such as Phoebe's Pantry who provided the group with some delicious sandwiches and cakes for the occasion (as shown below). The event was a huge success and allowed people to talk about how beautiful Essex’s coastline is and how it should be appreciated in all its glory.

The hope for these boards is to attract more visitors to South Woodham Ferrers coast, as well as encourage visitors to support the Yacht Club and local businesses such as Phoebe's Pantry.