SDNPA/A.K.Purkiss

Bringing new life and meaning to nature through power of words

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The amazing butterflies, bats, birds and bees of the South Downs National Park are the focus of a new thought-provoking digital exhibition of poetry, stories, film and spoken words.

Species Stories is a fascinating creative exploration of the National Park’s most recognisable wildlife, bringing to life people’s reflections, feelings and imaginations. The collection has been produced by talented writers and artists from Black and ethnically diverse backgrounds, as well as children and young people from across the National Park. The free exhibition has been produced in partnership with Brighton-based arts and heritage organisation Writing Our Legacy, the South Downs National Park Trust and the Foyle Foundation. Read more

Alfomedeiros

Do More by Doing Less in your garden this Winter 

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We used to find comfort in a tidy garden, but for many people that has changed. As summer fades they no longer reach for the rake, secateurs and garden bags. They know that leaving the garden alone is not neglect, it is good sense.

What we used to view as untidy, we now know is often a winter lifeline for Sussex wildlife. Fallen leaves provide shelter for beetles, spiders and other invertebrates. The insects sheltering among autumn debris are part of the intricate web that keeps nature’s food systems thriving, providing food for birds and other wildlife, while the survivors of winter will return to pollinate flowers when the growing season begins again. By removing all the detritus, we may unknowingly remove their homes, and lives, too. Read more

Community Wellbeing Garden

“The Community Garden is Nature’s Samaritans!”

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Gardening and particularly gardening in a group can bring many wonderful benefits to all, regardless of health, age or circumstance. We’ve invited Kate Green from Petworth’s Community Wellbeing Garden to explain.

Kate, is the founder of the charity, a wheelchair accessible therapeutic garden which has been running for 21 years. She is a permaculture designer and teacher, and has designed, set up and run various gardens (school, elder care, market) as she finds joy in re-connecting people with nature through community projects. Read more

Picture of detail on the new mural GS Creative Photography

New youth project highlights care for local ecology in Westergate

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Students from Ormiston Six Village Academy have unveiled a massive (40m) new mural along with dynamic new signs for local bins, as part of a project they have designed to increase respect for the natural world in their area.

Developed with input from the whole school community, the project supported a number of students in Years 8 – 10 to work with two commissioned artists – selected by them – to create art interventions in the school’s local Westergate village intended to inspire greater respect for the natural world locally. Read more

Bees Needs Award 2026RHS

Sussex Green Living receive the Defra National Bees Needs Champions Award from Nature Minister Mary Creagh at RHS Wisley

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At Sussex Green Living, we are delighted and honoured to have been recognised at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) National Bees Needs Champions Awards at RHS Wisley on 14 July. Our Pollination Education Station (PES) Trail across Sussex received national recognition for its contribution to supporting pollinators and educating communities about the vital role they play in our environment.  Read more

How to help butterflies thrive

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Sadly, of the UK’s 59 butterfly species, 33 have been in decline in recent years, with favourites like the once common Small Tortoiseshell on the brink of disappearing altogether in parts of southeast England. But there are lots of ways we can all help our butterflies thrive. You can get involved by volunteering with a local conservation group such as Wild About Warnham, or your local branch of Butterfly Conservation. Or why not take some simple steps to make your garden more butterfly-friendly?   Read more

Geoff Hunt

Wild Gardening: creating a beautiful refuge for wildlife

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Across the UK, many natural spaces have become either overly tidy or ecologically depleted. Hedges and scrubland have been cleared, wildlife habitats have disappeared and large areas of farmland are regularly treated with pesticides and weedkillers. 

Our gardens can help fill this gap by providing much-needed refuge for wildlife. In fact, suburban gardens now support more hedgehogs than much of the surrounding countryside. 

With a few simple changes to the way we manage our outdoor spaces, we can help reverse this decline and create places where nature can thrive.  Read more

How to Develop Healthier Soil That Pollinators Can’t Resist

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Did you know a bee needs to visit 660 flowers to make just one drop of honey? And that a third of our food is thanks to the pollinators? Pollinators, which include bees, butterflies, moths, beetles and even birds and bats, are vital to our ecosystems and biodiversity.

Read more

Donations set to double in national campaign

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Following a competitive application process, Sussex Green Living has been selected to take part in the Big Give Earth Raise—a national match-funding campaign launching on Earth Day 22 April. 

From noon Wednesday 22 April to noon Wednesday 29 April every donation made through the campaign will be matched, meaning a £50 donation becomes £100 to support the charity’s work across Sussex. 

Run by Big Give, the campaign brings together philanthropists, foundations, and businesses to match public donations. Over the years, Big Give has raised approximately £427 million for thousands of charities. NOTE: 30th April – WE ACHIEVED OUR TARGET!

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Sussex Green Living

Collaboration for Nature: Charity and Business Partnership Creates Outdoor Learning Space at Thakeham Primary School

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As part of their action for World Climate Day on 23rd March, Sussex Green Living partnered in a brand-new way with local business to extend regional nature recovery efforts. Last week proved to be a very exciting time for Thakeham Primary School, as pupils became the proud recipients of a brand-new outdoor learning area thanks to a collaboration between Sussex Green Living, local business Mountjoy, and a network of community partners working together for nature.   

The project forms part of Sussex Green Living’s Pollination Education Station (PES) Trail, an initiative designed to improve food security, support pollinators and provide accessible environmental education. The trail is supported by the charity’s Green Business Network, which enables businesses to work alongside the charity, educate their staff about sustainability and use corporate volunteering days to take meaningful action for climate and nature.  Read more