Save the welfare truck on Granary Staithe, Hoveton & Wroxham Riverside.

Over the course of ten years a clutch of individuals who worked on the river as a trade began supplying natural food for water birds on the riverbanks In Hoveton & Wroxham. Voluntary stewards became a familiar presence on and around Granary Staithe by Wroxham Bridge; picking up sick water birds and other animals and keeping them stable before transportation to specialist wildlife sanctuaries or veterinary practices. It is estimated around 100 living creatures have been collected by trust stewards, including a roe deer, heron, bats and gulls.

What began as a small simple water bird food booth evolved, year by year, into something far more valuable. We stopped selling bird food on the Staithe, placing preservation before profit and became a charitable trust focused entirely on wildfowl welfare, education, and outdoor volunteering opportunities for neurodivergent and disabled people. 

Today the welfare truck on the Staithe houses first aid equipment for injured birds, seasonal wildlife information boards, and a welcoming space for volunteers who find real purpose in caring for this stretch of the Broads. There is no commercial activity. No income. Just people who love this place and want to look after it.

The future of the truck on the Staithe is now uncertain. We are asking the community to show that it matters to them, to the swans, ducks and geese who depend on it, to the children and visitors who stop and learn from it, and to the neurodivergent volunteers for whom it provides a safe and meaningful place to contribute.

Please sign to show your support for the welfare truck and the work of the Hoveton & Wroxham Riverside Trust on Granary Staithe. Follow us @WroxhamWaterfowl on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. For enquiries please contact: HWRT2025@proton.me