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Welcome to the Dedham Vale National Landscape
Welcome to National Landscapes – the new name for the UK’s designated Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Dedham Vale National Landscape sits along the Suffolk-Essex border and was designated in 1970 with the purpose of conserving and enhancing the habitats and biodiversity.
National Landscapes are the places where our stories come to life. The places that make us who we are. A living patchwork where outstanding beauty isn’t only found in nature, but in communities working together to grow and change and thrive.
Our mission is to protect and regenerate these special landscapes and to make sure everyone can enjoy them. Because there’s space for so many more stories to be told. The Dedham Vale National Landscape is cared for by a Partnership, a team, and the thousands of people who live in, work in and visit it.
Brand new 2024 National Landscape newspaper
Our brand new 2024 National Landscape newspaper is out now! It's completely free and has lots of useful information about the Dedham Vale and Stour Valley, including:
- Walking guides & maps
- Visitor highlights
- Photography
- Dark skies
- Volunteering opportunities
- Birds and wildlife updates
- National Landscape news
The free newspapers can be collected from over 100 locations across the National Landscape, or can be read online now!
Sustainable Development Fund grants available
Got an idea for an environmental project? £30,000 of grant funding is available through our annual Sustainable Development Fund.
14 projects were funded last year including guided walks, bird boxes, primary school wildlife areas, art workshops & more.
Grants awarded are typically between £500 - £5,000. The closing date for applications is Friday 24th May 2024.
Annual award open for nominations
Nominate your environmental hero to win the 2024 Robert Erith National Landscape Award
This annual award recognises the outstanding achievements that have been made by individuals, groups or organisations in the Dedham Vale National Landscape.
It could be a wildlife advocate, a litter picker, an inspirational teacher, a stalwart volunteer, or a community group that does great work.
Wilder Together is a partnership project that has been created between the Suffolk and Essex Wildlife Trusts, RSPB Flatford Wildlife Garden and the National Landscape and Stour Valley team.
The partnership has been established to support parish and town councils to work with their communities to create wildlife friendly villages and towns in the Dedham Vale and Stour Valley.