The South Downs Local Plan Review
Our formal comments on the South Downs Local Plan Review The first public consultation on the Review of the South Downs Local Plan ended on 17th March. The Local Plan is a very important document for the South Downs National Park as it sets out both the policies against which planning applications will be assessed and…
Award Winning Performances at The University of Brighton
An interview with Haari Aswat, who won the Robert Thurston Hopkins Award for 2024. Two years ago, trustees decided to create links with Brighton University to foster interest in the Downs from high achieving young people who could make a difference during their future careers. As part of this initiative, on 1 August two important…
Special Sanctuary for Nature
Noar Hill The gentler landscapes of the National Park in Hampshire have their own special beauty. The open western Downs are some of the most tranquil areas in the Park. From the scarp slope north of Petersfield and the internationally important ‘hanger’ woodlands, to the chalk rivers of the Itchen and Meon and the Yew…
St Catherine’s Hill Nature Reserve
Something New in Hampshire Friends of the South Downs have recently funded the installation of replacement gates on the St Catherine’s Hill Nature Reserve, a beautiful chalk downland hill a mile or so south of Winchester. The Nature Reserve covers 47 hectares and is managed by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. High on…
Benches Project Latest
Seven Benches Our Benches project has installed seven benches along the South Downs Way! As members will know, we have now been running this project for several years. In fact, the decision to go ahead was made shortly before the pandemic. With not much else to do during the initial lockdown, my husband Tony and…
Stepping Out Smart by Avoiding Ticks
As the weather warms up, many of us look forward to spending more time walking and hiking on trails and in parks. However, a tiny menace awaits—Ixodes Ricinus, the blacklegged tick. Also known as the Deer Tick, these crafty parasites cling to vegetation waiting to latch onto passing animals or people, looking for a meal…
Responsible Dog Walking
The South Downs National Park encourages responsible dog walking to help farmers and wildlife. Take the lead and keep those paws on the path! That’s the call to action to dogwalkers from the South Downs National Park Authority as ground-nesting bird and lambing season starts this March. With dog ownership at an all-time high post-pandemic,…
Rother Valley Railway
Between Petersfield and Midhurst there is only one section of public footpath along the former track bed of the Rother Valley Railway, but there are several places where paths cross it. The Friends of Rother Valley Way (FoRVW) is a community group of local individuals and organisations who have come together to work alongside Shortcut…
The Richard Reed Award
The second of the Centenary prizes for academic work at Brighton University was awarded Thursday 5 October 2023 to Dom Jarvis, a Geography student, just starting his third and final year. Chairman David Sawyer and Paul Wilkinson were at Brighton University to present the Richard Reed Award, a newly created award, for most improved performance by…
Triumphs in Conservation
When an individual becomes 100 years old, they receive a birthday card from the King. But what happens when an organisation reaches that milestone? Well, in the case of our very own Friends of the South Downs, the answer is that its Centenary is celebrated by the publication of a book by Richard Reed. The…
