The Sinfield Nature Conservation Trust
White House Farm

Background Information

Stanley & Grace Sinfield
1983

Stanley Sinfield
GYMercury, 1989

Stanley & Grace
presenting cheques
GYMercury, 1987

Stanley at Belton
Conservation Area
GYMercury, 1989

Stanley and Grace Sinfield were born and lived in London, until they moved to Norfolk in 1954.  They had powerful and beautiful singing voices and worked for ENSA during the war as well as singing at clubs and for the BBC.  When they saw some land advertised for sale at Belton in Norfolk, they went to investigate and purchased it in April 1954.

Stan and Grace formed Sunfield Caravan Site there, developing it over the years into a thriving business.  Their beloved dogs enjoyed living in the country and they were joined over the years by further generations of RSPCA rescue dogs.  One of our trustees, Amanda Daniel, worked with Stan and Grace as a professional adviser from 1971 until Grace’s death in 2004.  Amanda has had a life long interest in nature conservation and was on the committee of the Alde and Blyth Valleys Branch of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

During their years at Sunfield, Stan and Grace raised over £30,000 for charities, in particular St. John’s Ambulance, the RSPCA and Dr. Barnados and there are many tributes to their generosity over the years.  They provided 18 beds for the James Paget Hospital in Gorleston before their retirement in 1992.  Stan was a trained plumber and he was involved in the building and plumbing works on the caravan site.  He built indoor bowls rinks in the club house and acquired an array of trophies for winning the singles, doubles and triples, bowls competitions.

Stan Sinfield was a colourful character and there were many amusing incidents at Sunfield Caravan Site.  When the Belton village bowls green was closed he provided a new green for the bowls club and championed their cause when they had planning permission refused for toilet facilities.  He and the bowlers appeared on Esther Rantzen’s ‘That’s Life’ programme in 1988 prompting press articles entitled ‘Bowlers Inconvenienced' and ‘Belton Bowlers a little flushed as Esther rants on.’

Adjoining the caravan site was some heath land which had been split into small plots by a property developer, selling them with development hope value.  Amanda recognised the nature conservation potential of the heath land and discussed this with Stan and Grace who took to the suggestion of creating a nature reserve.  Stanley began to purchase the plots, individually and in blocks. A concrete pill box was removed and with the help of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust and a stalwart band of  Norfolk Conservation Volunteers a management plan was agreed and work began to restore the heath.  Stan, Grace and Amanda became the founder trustees of The Sinfield Nature Conservation Trust and it was registered with the Charity Commissioners in 1994.   Stanley and Grace had no children and had made Wills leaving the bulk of their Estate to the Sinfield Trust. 

The conservation area was visited by many naturalists and became a County Wildlife Site.  In 1993 the Sinfield Nature Conservation Trust took part in a University of Sussex project to reintroduce the Natterjack toad and a special pond was built on the heath.   Because the Trust was not able to buy all the small plots it was not possible to put a fence round the conservation area and unfortunately, as the population of Belton grew and more people became aware of the heath, problems began to occur with habitat damage by public access on foot, on motorbikes and in cars.  When Stan and Grace moved from Belton on their retirement the Natterjack toad pond was vandalised, gorse set on fire and litter left around the heath.  Motorbikes used the heath as a scramble area and it became impossible to protect this nature conservation site.  At the end of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme in 2004 the Sinfield Nature Conservation Trust trustees felt it would be too difficult and costly to continue trying to preserve the conservation area.  Reluctantly the decision was taken not to continue the conservation work at this site.

In late 1998, at the age of 81, Stanley Sinfield became ill with cancer and eventually was admitted to the James Paget hospital in Gorleston-on-Sea, to which he and Grace had donated so many beds.  Stan wanted to die at home and Amanda took him back to his retirement house in Mill Lane, Corton to spend his last days with Grace.  Stan died on 1^st May 1999 and is buried at Corton churchyard.  As he requested, Amanda looked after Grace who continued to live at 12, Mill Lane until her final illness.  Grace died in the James Paget hospital, aged 91, on 30^th December 2004 and she is buried next to Stan in Corton churchyard.