Arundel wetlands Centre – Communicating the Message of Nature

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Darren Cool – 07792308722 – www.dcoolimages.com

“The most effective way to save the threatened and decimated natural world is to cause people to fall in love with it again-with its beauty and its reality” This was the vision of Sir Peter Scott, the tireless broadcaster and naturalist who established the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust. We visited the WWT’s Arundel Wetland Centre in the year of its 50th anniversary, the WWT’s 80th, just before World Wetlands Day on 2 February, to investigate his legacy.  

We started our morning by meeting Marketing and Communications Manager Pat Warren and Reserve manager Suzi Lanaway in the impressive Visitors Centre. It’s a bright open space with huge picture windows looking out over a large lake bustling with all kinds of water birds such as geese, ducks and teals. As we sipped our coffee and talked, we couldn’t fail to notice the occasional blue flash of a kingfisher darting to the water a few feet from where we sat.  Read more

Birds in February: Challenges, Hope, and the Actions Homeowners Can Take

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February is a pivotal month for the UK’s garden birds. As winter tightens its grip and natural food sources run low, feathered visitors depend more than ever on the habitats and help we provide. And while the joy of watching birds brighten our gardens remains undiminished, the latest Big Garden Birdwatch reminds us that the broader picture is cause for concern. 

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Small but Mighty: Our Charity’s Ripple Effect Across Sussex in 2025

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Small but Mighty: Our Charity’s Ripple Effect Across Sussex in 2025

2025 was truly a bumper year for our small but mighty charity, one that has created powerful ripples of positive change across East and West Sussex. Guided by our three pillars – conserving resources, making food sustainable and restoring biodiversity – we’ve shown what a dedicated community can achieve with passion, collaboration and a shared vision for a greener future.

At the heart of our work is a highly effective team: seven willing trustees, several environmental educators, the equivalent of two full-time employees and a grant writer (not in a pear tree!) This brilliant team is strengthened by an incredible network of volunteers who bring our mission to life in towns, villages, schools and public spaces across Sussex.

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National Emergency Briefing held in Westminster 

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On 27 November 2025, Central Hall Westminster, London, was buzzing with an invite-only audience of around 1,250 politicians, scientists and leaders from business, culture, faith, sport and the media. Also in attendance were familiar faces like Chris Packham, Deborah Meaden, Jennifer Saunders, Mark Rylance, Brian Eno,  Roger Harrabin and four of the Sussex Green Living team.

They learnt about the latest implications for health, food, national security and the economy. They weren’t there for show. They came because the National Emergency Briefing, convened by brothers Simon and Nick Oldridge, brought together some of the UK’s most respected scientific voices to share the latest evidence on nature and climate risks — with the solutions already proving effective.

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Stress Awareness Week: finding balance through everyday choices 

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As Stress Awareness Week (3 to 7 November) begins, Sussex Green Living says concern about the environment is becoming part of the pressure many people feel in daily life. 

Many worry about our changing weather, plastic pollution, air quality and the loss of biodiversity. These concerns have become part of the background to modern living, adding to the usual stresses of work, family and finances. For some, it can feel as though the problems are too big to change. 

Sussex Green Living (SGL), a registered UK charity working with schools, community groups and businesses across West Sussex, believes that practical, positive action can make a difference. The organisation helps people find balance through small steps that connect personal wellbeing with care for the planet, from spending more time in nature and noticing wildlife in local green spaces to reducing waste or making conscious choices about what and where we buy our food. 

 

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Children’s Gardening Week, butterflies and beautiful salads

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24 May – 1 June 2025
 www.childrensgardeningweek.co.uk
 www.plantlife.org.uk/campaigns/nomowmay

Children’s Gardening Week arrives as May gives way to June, when the garden has found its stride and everything is stretching into summer. It often falls during half term, which makes it the perfect time to step outside and share the garden with the children in our lives. For those taking part in No Mow May, this is when the garden starts to look wilder, the grasses taller, and flowers that were once called weeds begin to feel like gifts. Buttercups, oxeye daisies and self-heal creep through the lawn, and the air starts to hum with insect life again.

It is a moment for noticing. Children are naturally tuned into the small things we often overlook. A curled leaf can hold a hidden insect, and a dandelion seedhead might spark a whole conversation. Being in the garden together does not need to be structured. A slow walk, time spent watching one flower, or simply lying on the grass and listening can lead to all sorts of shared discoveries. Read more

A Beekeeper’s View: Simple Ways to Help Sussex Pollinators

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In Britain there are around 250 different species of bees. A few of these are social insects living in large organised communities such as bumblebees and of course honeybees. All bees feed on nectar for energy and feed their larvae on pollen for protein, both collected from flowers.

Pollination is a vital part of how plants reproduce. Crops and wildflowers rely on insects like bees to transfer pollen, helping them set seed and grow the next generation. A large proportion of our food depends on this process. Apples, raspberries and peas all benefit from insect pollination. Without pollinators yields would be lower and we would lose much of the variety in our diets.

Bees are an excellent indicator of a healthy environment and sadly all of our pollinators are under threat. The reasons are complex and include habitat loss and climate change. But the good news is that there is plenty we can do to help and it often starts at home.  Read more

Exciting new family friendly event in Horsham

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Growing together – Food – Fun – Family – Free

From 10am-4pm on Saturday 26th April, Horsham will come alive to celebrate green living in Sussex – perfect for mums, dads, and little ones alike. It’s a day packed with local food, expert talks and eco-friendly fun that will inspire you and your family to live more sustainably. Spread across four unique venues in central Horsham, come along for a day of free goodies, family-friendly activities, and caring community vibes at the Plant to Plate Festival! Read more

Residents call on MPs to vote for landmark Climate and Nature Bill

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Residents in Arundel and South Downs are calling on local MP Andrew Griffith to vote for a landmark piece of environmental legislation at its second reading on 24 January 2025. Members of Greening Steyning, Sussex Green Living, and South East Climate Alliance gathered this weekend for a photo opp to raise awareness about the Climate and Nature Bill (or “CAN” Bill).

If made law the CAN Bill would ensure that the UK has a joined up, science-led and people-powered plan to tackle climate change and nature loss, together. It is currently supported by 187 MPs, 372 local councils, 1,000 organisations, and over 1,200 leading UK climate and nature scientists.

The CAN Bill is being championed by Dr Roz Savage MP (Lib Dems), a longtime environmental campaigner and world record breaking solo ocean rower. She is supported by 11 co-sponsors from Labour, Conservatives, Lib Dems, Greens, Plaid Cymru, and SNP. Read more

Sussex is Really Buzzing

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Getting Sussex Buzzing again!

Sussex is really buzzing in 2024 thanks to exciting new collaborations between Sussex Green Living and local businesses: a new way of combining practical solutions to current and future environmental issues with community outreach, fundraising and business wellbeing. The Pollination Education Stations and Green Business Network have been developed in collaboration with Billingshurst based agency PMW Communications as part of their generous gift of pro bono work with 30 local charities to celebrate their 30 years in business.

One week after Sussex Green Living launched these new endeavours at the Sussex Green Hub, the first Pollination Education Station (PES) has been installed. Horsham based business, Envitia Ltd, a digital and data services company based in Horsham, will focus on one charity each quarter and on Monday 4th March, as part of their fundraising and collaboration with Sussex Green Living, they set up their Pollination Education Station, a haven for pollinators, with a community herb bed and an information board.

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