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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Nature is Still Sleeping

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It’s nearly Spring and our natural inclination is to clean up, tidy away and be ready for relaxing in the garden. It seems ‘natural’ to spray weeds and reach for quick-fix garden cleaners — but actually it’s not helpful to Nature! 

If we think about the hidden life that quietly depends on those fallen leaves, last season’s stems, and the “untidy” parts of our gardens, we begin to realise that what looks like mess to us is lifeline to essential organisms.  Read more

Delay your big garden tidy-up: Nature needs the mess 

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Nature is still sleeping, so the best thing you can do is sit back and relax. Delay your spring garden clean-up until temperatures are consistently above 10°C for at least a week—often late April or when apple trees bloom. Top tips for an untidy garden and its benefits:

  • Wait and Observe: Let the garden “sleep in” to support local ecology. 
  • Protect Pollinators: Many butterflies, bees, and beneficial insects overwinter in dead, hollowed-out plant stems and fallen leaves. 
  • Delay Lawn Care: Avoid mowing, walking on the lawn or wet spring soil to prevent damaging its structure. Soil compaction restricts air and water movement, leading to poor drainage, waterlogging, and limited root growth. It is better to wait until the soil is dry enough to not form a ball in your hand.  

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Joy Carter

Do you “put your face on” before leaving the house?

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Make Up Recycle

Do you “put your face on” before leaving the house?

Most of us do. Going out bare-faced still feels like a bold move. Yet from Pamela Anderson and Alicia Keys to Helen Mirren and Bella Hadid, more people—including plenty of Sussex shoppers—are choosing to skip the make-up and embrace what’s already there. 

At the same time, the beauty industry has been quietly having a glow-up of its own—but not always the good kind. As demand has soared so has the environmental footprint. Self-care, it turns out, isn’t always kind to the planet. 

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New art hub at the Sussex Green Hub

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We are excited to announce thanks to a National Lottery Community Fund grant we have launched a new activity at the Sussex Green Hub led by ‘Em Makes’ read on….

As the weather turns colder, with the first signs of snow, December is fast approaching.  Shops are filled with bright baubles and tinsel and everywhere we go, there are signs that Christmas is coming.  At each shop we are encouraged to buy this, buy that, spend more!!!

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National Lottery grant helps local project look to a sharing future

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Sussex Green Living has received a National Lottery Community Fund award to expand its work with young people and families, while exploring the creation of a “Library of Things” for Sussex. 

SGL is best known for running the monthly Repair Café and Green Hub in Horsham. Since the Horsham Repair Cafe launched in October 2017, volunteers have repaired hundreds of household items and garments, saved residents thousands of replacement costs and prevented waste from going to landfill or incineration.  

The new funding will help the group target 17–25-year-olds and families with young children, with extra activities at the Repair Café, family friendly events and skills sharing opportunities. Champions will be recruited to take pop up repair cafés and skill swaps into colleges and community venues.   
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Repair Starts Here

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Across Sussex, people are proving that repair is not a thing of the past but part of the future we need to build. From Storrington to Horsham, Lewes to Brighton, Repair Cafés show what a circular economy looks like in everyday life: people coming together to fix broken things, share knowledge and stop waste before it starts.

Last weekend marked International Repair Day, but for the volunteers and visitors at Repair Cafés across Sussex, repair is not just a day, it is a habit that keeps growing. These monthly meet-ups are practical and sociable. A kettle, a radio or a pair of trousers comes in broken and often goes home working again. What stays behind is something less tangible but just as valuable: connection, confidence and community.

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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

Sussex Green Hub welcomes wider community

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Each month a special and very welcoming Horsham community event pops up, open to all: The Sussex Green Hub, and last month our warm-hearted community got even bigger and better as almost two hundred visitors attended throughout the day.

This month our busy volunteers refilled 140 bottles with personal hygiene and cleaning products, repaired 43 items, answered all manner of recycling queries and gave advice on energy, green books to read, eco-garden and generally how help the planet and save money at the same time.

We are also now running creative drop in sessions of afternoon workshops from 1pm till 3pm. These will usually be free although voluntary donations are always welcomed.

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Horsham Cape of Good Hopes

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At Sussex Green Living we often talk about our outreach with families, in the villages, in schools and with the Youth Eco Forum.  What people may not realise is that we also run community sessions with the elderly. Morag and I went along to the Kings Court Care Home in January this year, taking the Horsham Cape of Good Hopes along with us.

What is the Cape of Good Hopes?

The Cape of Good Hopes is a collaborative community project. It consists of the construction of mini artworks created by individuals and groups to bring the community together with the common cause of celebrating nature in all its wonderous forms and acknowledge that we can’t survive without a healthy planet to support us.

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