Changing Chalk - Connecting Downs and Towns

We want to make the countryside more accessible. This means removing barriers, both physical and cultural. In particular, we are promoting access to the Downs directly from the urban fringes with new information and guides. We're helping visitors to find unexplored areas of the Downs and raising awareness of the new Countryside Code. 

The projects that under our 'Connecting Downs and Towns' theme are:

Creating Connections

Lead partners - National Trust & Railway Land Wildlife Trust

Railway Land Wildlife Trust Chalk Life Rangers

There are two Chalk Life Rangers at the Railway Land Wildlife Trust who work at various sites in East Sussex including: Landport Bottom, outside of Lewes; Butts Meadow near Eastbourne; and Riverside Park, Castle Hill and Drove Park all near Newhaven.

The rangers are running various chalk grassland habitat management projects, working with volunteers. They also organise a range of events and activities aimed at engaging new urban fringe audiences with the wonders of the chalk downland on their doorstep, enabling them to take action to protect it and enjoy the wellbeing benefits it provides. Part of this work involves recruiting local  Chalk life / Dog life Volunteers, who help combine their usual dog walks with care of the landscape.  

For more information please email the Railway Land Wildlife Trust Chalk Life Rangers or you can read more here.

National Trust Chalk Life Rangers

The two National Trust Chalk Life Rangers run projects on Southwick Hill outside Brighton and at Gayles Farm near Seaford. 

Southwick Hill

Southwick Hill is on the western edge of the urban conurbation that stretches from Brighton to Shoreham. This was long regarded as one of the best chalk grassland sites on the Brighton Downs. However, the biodiverse chalk grassland of Southwick Hill is being rapidly lost to encroaching scrub and rank grasses. Together with the help of volunteers, our Chalk Life Rangers are helping to restore some of the habitat so that the local communicty can continue to enjoy the hill that they have long known and loved. There are a range of volunteer activities and nature walks that run here throughout the year.

Gayles Farm

Gayles Farm, high on the Downs, above the Seven Sisters Country Park, was once the site of RAF Friston where the skies rang with the sound of Spitfires and Hurricane aircraft. Now it’s a farm again with just the sound of skylarks, lambs and the occasional tractor. This part of the South Downs is famous for its rare chalk grassland habitat with the grassland near the cliffs and surrounding the farm supporting orchids, special chalk grassland plants, and downland butterflies such as the 'blues' and dark green fritillaries.

For many years Gayles Farm has been an arable farm but, as part of the Changing Chalk project, we’ve been changing its use, so it provides a biodiverse stepping-stone for the chalkland wildlife. We have planted the old runways with a meadow grassland mix full of wildflowers. This will help wildlife move across the landscape while the farm provides good food for its animals that maintain the chalk grassland.

July 2023 saw a successful festival that celebrated the nature and history of Gayles. You can read about it on our Events page or, if you'd like more information about Gayles Farm or want to get involved as a volunteer, please contact Chalk Life Ranger, Thyone at thyone.outram@nationaltrust.org.uk 

in summer 2024 we celebrated at at Southwick Hill with a bug hunt, and some bat and archaeology walks and talks. If you want to get involved with volunteering at Southwick or to find out more, please contact Chalk Life Ranger, Thyone at thyone.outram@nationaltrust.org.uk 

Farm School

Lead partner - Brighton & Hove City Council

Brighton & Hove City Council are running a series of farm visits and educational sessions for local Primary School children to help them get to know their local environment. Linked to the school curriculum, these sessions support education about nature conservation, protection of the chalk grassland and understanding about farming and food production.

For more information or to get involved please email Hannah.Tedman@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Find Your Future

Lead partner - National Trust

With activity days to facilitate wellbeing, support learning, and maximise career opportunities, 'Find your Future' is a series of workshops and activity sessions for young people who live on the urban fringe of the Downs .

Our Countryside Skills Sessions are aimed at young people to help them feel a stronger connection to the chalk grasslands while learning new skills for work and life. Young people can see what life is like working in countryside management by participating in a range of outdoor activities and getting involved with different Changing Chalk projects.

There are also additional one-off workshops and activtities being run throughout the year.  

For more information or to get involved please email josie.jeffery@nationaltrust.org.uk

Gateway to the Downs

Lead partner - National Trust

This project is about making the Downs more accessible to urban fringe communities and to people with disabilities. We've created a Changing Chalk Travelling Hub - an engagement van designed to explain more about the Downs and the chalk grasslands. It will move between various sites across the Downs. In addition, the travelling hub will bring free-to-use off-road mobility vehicles to various sites. There will be special paths and tracks and maps for people who borrow these vehicles. 

For more information or to get involved please email josie.jeffery@nationaltrust.org.uk

Greening the Cities

Lead partner - The Living Coast Biosphere

This project will be bringing Downland wildflowers into urban areas by creating new areas of wildflower planting in city parks. We have been busy liaising with local communities and finding local volunteers to grow plants and seeds for the project. Over the summer of 2023, we will be running training courses for local community members to ensure the longevity of the new plantings.

For more information or to get involved please email jess.mead@brighton-hove.gov.uk
 

Wildflower Guardians – various sites in Brighton and Hove

Lead partner - The Living Coast Biosphere

The Wildflower Guardians create and maintain chalk wildflower areas across Brighton and Hove. From collecting wildflower seeds at beautiful sites on the South Downs, right through to hands on maintenance of B-Banks in our city centre parks; this friendly group of volunteers have a wonderfully varied role, all focussed on bringing the incredible chalk wildflowers of the downs into the town.

No previous experience is needed as you’ll learn on the job, sharing knowledge and experience with other enthusiastic and like-minded volunteers. There will also be the opportunity to attend training days covering subjects like wildflower identification and surveying. Find out more about the Wildflower Guardians Here

For more information or to get involved please email jess.mead@brighton-hove.gov.uk

Growing New Roots

Lead partner - Brighton & Hove Food Partnership

The Brighton & Hove Food Partnership are running programmes of therapeutic outdoor activities for vulnerable people in the project area at beautiful chalk grassland locations. As well as improving ther peronal wellbeing, participants learn about the heritage and conservation of chalk downlands and build up confidence to visit independently.

You can find out more about these sessions here.

For more information or to get involved please email info@bhfood.org.uk

Sussex Grazed

Lead partner - Brighton & Hove Food Partnership

Sussex Grazed aims to get locally-grazed sheep and cattle back into the local food system, sharing the meat between interested residents. Not only does this reconnect people with local food production, reduces food miles and supports local farmers, it raise awareness of the importance of grazing to managing chalk grassland. 

Working with Sussex landowners, farmers, residents and food businesses this is a local meat buying scheme that benefits local people and the environment. There are collection hubs along the coast between Shoreham and Eastbourne for a local meat box scheme of grass-fed lamb, hogget, mutton, beef, and even goat.  

Read their blog here where they pose the question 

“Can livestock, grazing for nature recovery on the South Downs, also be part of a sustainable local food system?”

You can find out more about the project here or, to get involved, please email sussexgrazed@bhfood.org.uk