Support Us
Donate
Be part of what we do by donating to our work to protect the South Downs and share our commitment to safeguarding the beauty of our land.
We carry out a wide range of work including nature recovery and environmental projects, activities to interest children in the Downs, monitoring planning applications and improving access to the countryside.
The cost of carrying out this work comes from donations, including membership fees. We are grateful for the donations that people have made in the past.
In order to continue the work in the future, we invite you to be part of what we do and donate to one of our projects or to the work of the Friends as a whole.
David Green, Chair of the Friends of the South Downs said “donations play a vital role in funding our activities. They have helped fund our work with children, nature recovery projects and installing gates and benches.”
Nature Recovery & Environment
We fund nature recovery projects at Noar Hill in Hampshire and Ebernoe in Sussex. Noar Hill is a beautiful chalk downland nature reserve and a site of special scientific interest. We are funding a survey invertebrates, the creation of scrapes to encourage wildlife, and no-fence cattle collars to make grazing easier.
Ebernoe is a varied ancient wood pasture with ponds, streams, meadows and reclaimed arable land under conversion back to woodland. Here too we are funding no-fence cattle collars to facilitate grazing and scrub clearance to improve the habitat for nightingales.
We are supporting citizen science projects through funding and volunteers to monitor the water quality in the Ouse and Adur and Western Sussex rivers.
To help fund our nature recovery projects, please consider contributing £200, £50 or £20.
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Access
In addition to arranging an extensive programme of walks, we promote access to the countryside by replacing stiles with gates and providing benches.
To help install more benches, please consider contributing £200, £100 or £25.
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Children & Young People
We want schoolchildren, especially those who do not usually visit the Downs, to learn about the landscape so that they will value it in the future. We give over 1,500 children each year the opportunity to experience the Downs on day trips or overnight stays. We are running a project mainly funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to provide children with a greater insight into nature and the culture of the South Downs.
To help fund our projects working with children and young people, please consider contributing £200, £50 or £20.
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Planning
Our network of volunteers monitor planning applications across the National Park and we comment on those we feel would affect its special qualities. We object to those proposals we consider would be harmful but support others which we deem beneficial. We recently supported an application for a major development for Phoenix Causeway as it proposed an innovative, sustainable community on a brownfield site using green technology. We contribute to the preparation of policy documents such as the South Downs Local Plan to help ensure a robust policy of framework to protect the South Downs.
To help our vital planning efforts, please consider contributing £200, £100 or £25.
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Do you want to just make a donation?
Aside from the above projects we undertake many other activities for which we would welcome your support. Here are some options for you to choose from.
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Thank you for your support.
Leave a legacy
Make a gift that lasts forever
Many of us are unable to give as much to charities as we would like to during our lifetime, but by leaving a legacy or gift we can help our favoured causes.
If you have had a lifetime’s pleasure from the beauty of the South Downs, why not help to secure their future by leaving a legacy to the Friends of the South Downs in your will?
The Society is committed to protecting the beauty of the National Park for the enjoyment of future generations of young people and their families Legacies provide us with essential funds that we need to make long-term plans.
For example: A generous legacy received from the estate of the late Jean Matthews in 2009 enabled us to help fund an orchid conservation project, assist in establishing a new footpath linking two South Downs villages and support a forest garden project involving less advantaged young people.
How can I create a legacy for the South Downs?
We understand that decisions such as this are personal and that when making your Will the interests of your dependents must come first.
We recommend you seek the help of a solicitor on how to leave a legacy to the Friends of the South Downs. You will need to give your solicitor the name, Registered Charity Number and address of the Society as follows:
Friends of the South Downs,
Registered Charity Number 230329 of
3 Swan Court, Station Road, Pulborough, West Sussex, RH20 1RL.
If you have already made a will a simple codicil can be added. Whatever your choice, we suggest you consult your solicitor.
For further information or to receive a copy of our “Guide to making a Legacy to the Friends of the South Downs” please contact us.
More to explore
Volunteering
Members’ volunteering opportunities to support projects that help improve access and preserve the landscape of the South Downs.
Campaigning
Vital campaigning work to respond to and influence the outcome of planning applications and environmental issues.
Membership
We rely on membership to help fund the work we do, to restore nature and improve access to the South Downs.
Support us
The only membership organisation dedicated to conserving and enhancing the South Downs National Park.