The award-winning Pensthorpe Natural Park is situated about a mile from Fakenham, just off the A1067 road, in the heart of Norfolk.
The Pensthorpe of today was created by a visionary conservationist, Bill Makins, who designed a truly sustainable gravel extraction process that formed one of the most biodiverse nature reserves in England. The then 200-acre reserve and its associated habitats were created as an integral part of this huge undertaking, which saw over one million tonnes of gravel extracted.
In 2003, Bill and Deb Jordan purchased Pensthorpe from Bill Makins, in order to preserve its special character and to take its development to the next level, to ensure that the business would be sustainable. Having grown up in Norfolk, Deb Jordan was keen to return to the county to raise her children and for many years, Bill Jordan had promoted working with nature in the family-owned breakfast cereal company.
In 2008, 2009 and 2010, Pensthorpe became the home of the BBC?s Springwatch programme, playing host to Bill Oddie, Kate Humble, Chris Packham and a host of local wildlife stars all born at Pensthorpe in the last 20 years.