The Headwaters Farm Cluster

We have set up a farm cluster to promote soil health and water quality across the ‘beads on a string’ landscape south and east of Bury St Edmunds. This area includes the headwaters of both the Lark and the Little Ouse, and includes the upper reaches of the Cavenham Stream, the whole of the Linnet, Hawstead Tributary, Pakenham Stream, Sapiston River/Black Bourne, Pakenham Stream, and Stowlangtoft Brook.  

It is likely that this landscape with its particular soil and water issues will generate common themes or concerns that this geographic group of land managers would benefit from working on together. This perception has been strengthened by the recent Fluvial Audit report, which describes the morphology of the waterbodies in this landscape - rivers, meres, wetlands, and apparently separatedponds – as ‘beads on a string’.  

The focus for the cluster will be improving water quality and soil health. Work begins in the spring of 2026 with detailed mapping, and we will be holding meetings and webinars about sustainability, both ecological and financial.  

There are currently 8 farms in the cluster, totalling about 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres), including two large estates and a farm with a beaver enclosure. More members will be welcome. Please contact us.