What we do

The Broads Society was founded in 1956 to promote the future well-being of the Broads area and provide a focus for all who are interested in the region – navigators, naturalists, farmers, residents and visitors alike.

We campaigned vigorously during the 1960s and 1970s for this very special area to be given the national recognition it deserved and were delighted when it was afforded National Park status with the passing of the Norfolk & Suffolk Broads Act, 1988.

We have a membership of about 1,600 and are currently concerned with stimulating public appreciation and knowledge of the region thus helping to safeguard its landscape and ecology. This is achieved by monitoring environmental pressures, commenting on planning applications and developments, discussing important issues, and making recommendations for improving the facilities available for navigation in the rivers and broads.

There is regular communication with members on such issues, who have the opportunity to discuss them at meetings and a programme of social events.

We are particularly keen to promote an awareness of the region’s special features among young persons.

We work closely with the Broads Authority, the statutory agency responsible for planning the region and managing its waterways and are represented on its Broads Forum.

Many of our activities complement those of the Authority. For instance, our volunteer labour force, known as ‘Broadsword’, is actively engaged in clearing back the trees and bushes which are growing at the water’s edge, with the two-fold object of improving the sailing conditions of the rivers and ensuring that the banks can be recolonised by reedswamp. This plant community, which is intolerant of the shade cast by woody vegetation, helps to protect the banks against the erosion caused by waves generated by wind and passing craft.

The programme of social events which we organise for our members each year caters for a wide variety of interests, including guided walks and boat trips around sites of special interest in the region, trips to national events such as the Earls Court Boat Show and the Wooden Boat Show, evening talks and slide shows.

A few years ago, the Society decided to become a joint owner of the eel sett at Candle Dyke as it is the last working sett in Eastern England and perhaps the UK. Each Autumn visits to the sett are organised.

In 1993, the Society also pioneered an annual environmentally-friendly boating event, known as "Silent Sensation", where the emphasis is on non-polluting craft powered by oar, sail and electricity.  This has developed into "The Green Boat Show".

We run a fund-raising venture, the 500 Club, and our magazine, Harnser (the old Norfolk name for a heron) is published four times a year. It keeps members up-to-date with changes and developments in Broadland and contains illustrated articles about how the region was used and enjoyed in the past, as well as topical information about our activities, including forthcoming social events.

In December 1999, the Society was registered as a Charity (Reg No 1078434)