Forest Heath Dial-a-Ride YS02 UCF in Mildenhall - 27 Jun 2004

Sunday 27 June 2004 - ‘The Brecks Warrener’ was a project sponsored by a number of conservation and community bodies to enable people to visit the Breckland Forest area located between Brandon and Thetford. As part of the project a scheduled mini-bus service offered four round trips linking Thetford-High Lodge Forest Centre-Brandon-Brandon Country Park-Weeting-Hockwold-Lakenheath at weekends/holidays in May and daily from 29 May to 5 September 2004.

In addition there was also a ‘Demand Responsive Service’ during the same period which operated at weekends until the end of October capable of carrying bicycles and wheelchairs. This was provided with YS02 UCF, an Optare Alero licensed as a community bus in the care of Forest Heath Dial-a-Ride. It was first registered in April 2002 to Optare possibly for use as a demonstrator. Seen parked on the forecourt of what had been Bridge Farm Dairies in Worlington Road, Mildenhall.

The logos of various local authorities were carried on the sides (Suffolk Coastal, Babergh, Forest Heath, Mid Suffolk and St. Edmundsbury on the offside. Those of Suffolk County Council and the East of England Development Agency were carried on the nearside. On the rear were those of Suffolk Business Link and Waveney Borough Council and on the front Suffolk Acre).

The ‘Brecks’ (Breckland) is the name for the area on the Suffolk/Norfolk border that has a history going back to the Stone Age. From Neolithic times flint was mined in the area and around 2000 years ago it was the heartland of the Icenci people led by Queen Boudicca.

Rabbits were introduced to the area by the Normans in the 12th century farmed for their meat and fur nurtured in special enclosures called Warrens. The largest concentration of warrens in Britain was in the Brecks where the dry sandy soil was easy for making burrows. The Warrener provided skilled management of the warrens.