conservation Archives - Friends of the South Downs

Posted on 18th August 202519th August 2025 by Press

A walk on the wild side at Westerlands

Henrietta, Trustee and Marketing Communications Expert, recounts the guided tour of Westerlands Farm in Graffham, Petworth, led by farm manager Oliver Hancock.

Farming is no longer what it once was. With changes in UK tax and government policy, global tariffs and increasing complexities of a fast-changing climate, farmers are having to adapt, and fast.

The new sub-industry arising in the world of agriculture is regenerative farming, which has received media attention recently as farmers and land managers up and down the country look to work in different ways with nature. Understanding the role of regenerative farming within the agricultural industry is an area of fascination for me and so it was with great enthusiasm that I joined the Friends of the South Downs for a guided walk at Westerlands earlier this week.

A group of walkers being addressed by speaker in an outdoor setting next to a horse stable outbuilding. — Oliver Hancock, farm manager at Westerlands Farm addresses Friends of the South Downs walkers.

If we look at some current farming statistics (sourced by gov.uk, Sept 2024), there are 209,000 farms in the UK with an average acreage of 82 hectares. In 2023 this made up around 70% of UK land. However, almost half of all farms are less than 20 hectares in size and this marks the key difference to many international competitors, namely those in the US. The main source of income from UK farms is dairy and beef which contribute £6B and £3.9B respectively to our country’s economy.

And yet in the 12 months to June 2025, 6,365 businesses in agriculture, forestry and fishing closed – the highest figure since data tracking began in 2017. Farmers are at a crisis point.

Oliver Hancock is bringing a new approach to farming at Westerlands, building a business around what one might term ‘agricultural tourism’. His goal is to make Westerlands a wellbeing destination to help overcome our modern-day ‘nature deficit disorder’, a view supported by scientific data. The Mental Health Foundation found that during the pandemic, 45% of people in the UK reported visiting green spaces such as parks helped them to cope with the challenges of lockdown. Their research went on to find evidence of the power of ‘connectedness’. This refers to the way we relate to, and experience nature, creating a strong emotional attachment to our natural surroundings. They found that people connected with nature are more likely to be happy in life with a greater sense of calm, joy and creativity with improved concentration levels. Full immersion in nature and staying in one of the properties at Westerlands is therefore recommended.

More information about the study is available here.

Other ways that Westerlands is looking to expand is through the use of horses, particularly relevant given the farm’s history. Until recently, a racing stud, the farm was first bought in the early 1900s by the founder of Black and White Whisky, Lord Woolavington. He converted the farm to equestrian use for breeding and producing horses for racing before changing hands to its current owners. The farm currently runs a pony trekking centre but will soon expand to take advantage of a new British Horse Society (The) funded programme called Changing Lives through Horses. This aims to help and support disengaged young people to develop life skills and engage positively with society.

Horses on the farm are given as natural a life as possible, and the farm is proud of its herb kitchen which uses natural herbs for remedial purposes. They even run a herb buffet where horses are allowed to pick and choose for themselves! Elly Middleton, manager of the equestrian centre explained that the horses are so sufficiently in-tune with their own needs that they pick out herbs that will replenish a vitamin or mineral deficiency they may be experiencing. The herbs the horses need taste sweet, the rest provide a bitter taste and so the horses leave what they don’t need, restoring their physical equilibrium. Such remedies may include lemon balm as an antihistamine, turmeric for arthritis, burdock root, nettles for iron or linseed oil for sweet itch.

From using a more varied crop of plants in new hedgerows, to the biomass boilers for providing hot water to homes and borehole water from underground aquifers, the farm is embracing every aspect of regenerative farming and sustainable living. Their small herd of Dexter cattle mean small animals with light feet which massage organic matter back into the soils, and a supply of beef to local and visiting customers. As an aside, the farm screened the film Six Inches of Soil so Oliver understands the value of mob grazing and restoring biodiversity through healthier soils.

The talk ended with Oliver saying they are still trying to find a break-even position for the farm, but he is determined to create a wellbeing destination, democratising access to nature, positively changing lives and using natural capital to improve mental health and happiness. It was an uplifting walk, full of interesting insights, and inspiring to see how many people wanted to learn more about this new source of income for an otherwise vulnerable industry. Westerlands plans to transition to a fully-fledged Social Enterprise later this year.

Learn more about the work being done and offerings at Westerlands.

Henrietta Lacey-Gutsell

Trustee, Friends of the South Downs

Posted on 30th June 202530th June 2025 by Press

Launch of the Free Young Adult Membership

Friends of the South Downs are excited to announce the launch of a new, free membership targeted to people aged 18-30.

A new membership programme, aimed at young adults, has recently been launched by the Friends of the South Downs. The aim of the programme is to broaden and expand the membership base and strengthen community engagement among Generation Z. By opening up its membership, the Society hopes to hear from a more diverse audience and respond to the growing concerns posed by the climate crisis among young people.

David Green, Chairman of Friends of the South Downs commented, ” Young adults must be given the chance to influence what we do. We want to create a vibrant and inclusive member-based organisation that delivers on the expectations for all those who share our love in the South Downs.”

A serene landscape at sunset with rolling green hills and a distant village. Two people sit on a grassy slope, enjoying the warm, orange sky.

Collage promoting 'Friends of the South Downs' Young Adult Membership. Top image shows birds flying over a lake. Bottom left features a group seated in a hall with a speaker. Bottom right shows three people smiling in front of a banner for national park campaigns. Background includes a bee, flowers, and a map outline. Tone is welcoming and nature-focused.

Posted on 11th June 202511th June 2025 by Press

South Downs for All Project in Hampshire Update

After a busy few months of delivering workshops, Chris Hare, Project Manager, and Michael Blencowe, Local Wildlife Expert, reflect on their experiences working with schools across Hampshire.

Visiting Hampshire Schools: Chris Hare, Project Manager

What a busy start to the year we have had with our new South Downs for All Project with Hampshire Schools. Between January and April I delivered eight heritage workshops to our participating schools, while Michael Blencowe delivered workshops on the wildlife of the South Downs.

Six of the eight schools are in the Portsmouth/ Gosport area and many pupils who come from homes with low incomes and other challenging circumstances. The Friends of the South Downs believe it is vitally important that all children, whatever their backgrounds have a chance to experience the beauty of this outstanding landscape and to learn about its abundant heritage, including both history and natural history.

The good news is that both mine and Michael’s workshops have been very well received, with the children showing great enthusiasm and a real desire to learn. At every session we have run, eager hands have gone up in answer to questions from myself and Michael, or to ask us questions. There can be no doubt that we are doing very necessary work in promoting a love and understanding of the countryside and the South Downs in particular.

Wildlife expert leading a presentation on otters to a class of children. — Michael Blencowe, Sussex wildlife expert leading a presentation. https://michaelblencowe.com/. Credit: Mr Lofty

However, there was an aspect of these workshops that did rather surprise, even shocked me, and demonstrated the real need for this project. I would start my school sessions by asking the children if they knew what the South Downs were, where they were, and whether they had visited them. Only at one school – Buriton – which is in the heart of the South Downs – were the children able to identify the South Downs, or to even know they were hills. This should be a big wake-up call for all of us: we cannot rest on our laurels and assume that the rising generation will have the same joy and empathy for the downs that we have.

Yet, this should not be taken as a counsel of despair: we are addressing the problem and addressing it very successfully. I would like to share with you some of the feedback we have had from the teacher in the schools and from the pupils.

Man standing at front of classroom delivering a lecture to a group of schoolchildren facing him sat on the floor.

From the Teachers

“Chris had a lovely manner with the children and kept them all engaged throughout the talk. Thank you- it was a great session.”

“Michael was so enthusiastic and shared many of his own experiences with the children. his passion for the wildlife on the South Downs shone through.”

“Chris Hare adapted vocabulary to age of children. He engaged them and took time to listen to their ideas and answer their questions.”

“Michael was absolutely fabulous – he was so engaging and captured the children’s attention with his humour and wit and this made for a very interesting and informative talk.”

From the Children

“It was a fun talk and interesting to learn about the chalk and the flint! Chris was very nice and was really passionate about this topic”.

‘” thought it was fun to learn about different types of animals I didn’t know about, where they live and what they eat and even how fast they can fly or move.”

“I really want to go the South Downs national park now!”

“The man was nice and the facts were nice. I didn’t know about the South Downs before and I liked that he knew about dinosaurs.”

“He was so funny and it was really good fun to listen to him talk about the ants nest which are lumps in the ground. I have actually seen this as I fell over one and they all crawled up my leg!”.

Chris Hare, Project Manager. Credit: Samuel Hare

Michael’s Feedback:

It’s been a real pleasure visiting schools across Hampshire as part of the ‘South Downs for All’ project. I’ve been giving the children an illustrated lesson all about the amazing wildlife that can be found in the South Downs National Park. The children have learned all about Adders, Glow-worms, orchids, Hares, moths and Adonis Blue butterflies and they have been amazed with my tales of the record-breaking Peregrine Falcon and the unbelievable life of the Swift.

For these sessions I have been reunited with Dusty, the stuffed Otter, who is on her last tour of duty before retiring to the Booth Museum. This has given the children a hands-on experience with one of the South Downs rarest resident species. The children have been great and their questions are so much more interesting than the ones I get from adults! “Do Hedgehogs eat Pizza?” “Am I allowed to pick up a Smooth Snake if I’m taking it to the hospital?” and “Is King Charles allowed to keep an Otter as a pet?”

For the Future

Having run the initial workshops, we are now working with our partner schools to arrange visits to our three partner museums: Butser Ancient Village, Weald and Downland Museum, and Gilbert White’s House. It is our good fortune not just to live so close to a wonderful landscape, but also to have three outstanding centres of downland interpretation on our doorstep. This project ensures that children from less affluent areas do not miss out on the opportunity to visit these places.

The South Downs National Park offers grants that help with cost of school transport and school visits. We are encouraging all our partner schools to apply for this funding, as this will allow us to extend what we can offer further to the grant we have already received from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

To find out more information about the project and to look at the work we have already done with Sussex schools in previous years, please look at our website, www.southdownsforall.org.uk

Chris Hare, South Downs for All Project Manager.

Michael Blencowe, Sussex Wildlife Expert

Posted on 9th April 2025 by Press

South Downs for All Project Launched in Hampshire

Having concluded our South Downs for All project with Sussex schools last year, we are now delighted to bring the same heritage learning opportunities to seven partner schools in Hampshire.

These schools struggle financially and have many pupils with special learning needs or from homes classed as being low income or with issues of family stress. With a grant of £70,700 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and £15,000 contribution from Friends of the South Downs, the aim of the two-year South Downs for All (Hampshire) is to engage with these children and introduce them to the wonderful heritage of the South Downs.

To do this, we have also partnered with three living heritage museums, all situated in the South Downs, either in Hampshire or close to the Hampshire border. Butser Ancient Farm, Gilbert White’s House, and the Weald and Downland Museum are all outstanding centres of heritage conservation and heritage learning, celebrated for their achievements in the UK and internationally. All three have dedicated education officers and run learning programmes tailored for children and the requirements of the National Curriculum, particularly Key Stage 2.

The funding we have secured means we are able to offer our partner schools the opportunity to send their pupils to each one of these centres of heritage excellence. Not only does the funding allow us to cover entry costs and hands-on workshops, it also covers the cost of transport, which will generally mean the cost of coach hire (an ever increasing cost for schools). Without this funding, most of our partner schools would never be able to offer their pupils such wonderful learning opportunities.

Children will be able to visit Butser and see recreated homes from the Neolithic to the Saxon period in which our ancient ancestors lived. They will learn how these people lived, worked, and socialised. Weald and Downland at Singleton, takes up where Butser leaves off, offering children unique learning experiences from Saxon to Victorian times, in real period buildings, rescued from redevelopment and rebuilt at the Museum. To complement these historical experiences, Gilbert White’s House, the home and now museum of the great eighteenth century naturalist in Selborne, will introduce children to the exceptional flora and fauna of the South Downs.

Our Chairman, David Green, said, “The Friends of the South Downs are delighted that this generous funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will afford more children the opportunity to experience and learn about the wonderful South Downs. The Friends believe that such opportunities are vitally important to instil in children an appreciation of the natural world and an interest in this nationally important countryside on their doorstep.”

We are delighted that we have again been fortunate in securing the services of Chris Hare of History People UK to manage this project, with his deep experience of researching local and regional history and teaching both children and adults. Chris feels there is something rather special about this project, saying, “The feeling of anticipation and enthusiasm, both from the schools and the museums is palpable and bodes very well for the progress of our work over the next two years.”

In addition to the visits to each of the external learning centres, the partner schools will benefit from in-school workshops as part of the project. As well coordinating all the activities, Chris will also be delivering heritage workshops tailored to the needs of each school e.g. an overview of South Downs heritage, from the earliest times to the present day, or specific presentations on the Romans or Saxons. Michael Blencowe, formerly of the Sussex Wildlife Trust, will be delivering workshops on South Downs flora and fauna and taking the children on field trips in the summer and autumn terms.

Hundreds of children will now be able to visit and enjoy learning about the heritage of the South Downs in outstanding learning environments, all situated within the heart of the South Downs. We will be updating our South Downs for All website, which will record all our activities with our partner schools. The website also records our previous work with schools in Sussex, and is well worth a look, www.southdownsforall.org.uk. We will keep members updated on the project’s progress as it develops this year and next.

Martin Small, Trustee Chris Hare, Project Manager

Chris Hare, Project Manager leading a school trip on the Downs

Posted on 2nd April 20253rd April 2025 by Press

Storrington and Knepp Wildland: The UK’s only European Stork Village

In 2024 Knepp Wildland applied to have the Knepp Estate and Storrington jointly designated as a ‘European Stork Village’

This was in recognition of Knepp’s reintroduction and breeding success of the white stork. The application to Euronatur was accepted and announced in mid-March 2025. Only one area per country may be granted this status. Euronatur is a charitable foundation who run the ‘European Stork Villages Network’ initiative. Their aim is the protection of wildlife and its habitats in Europe.

The formal conferment of European Stork Village will take place on Bank Holiday Monday 5th May 2025. This honour will be celebrated by a “White Stork and Nature Revival” Festival organised by Storrington and Sullington Parish Council. Representatives from Euronatur will come to Storrington to formally award the certificate jointly to the owners of the Knepp Estate and the Chair of the Parish Council on behalf of the Storrington community. There will be a variety of family-friendly activities, stalls and talks in and around the Chanctonbury Leisure Centre between 10:00 and 16:30, with the naming ceremony at 10:30am. Parking will be at Hormare Field, just off the A283 and only a short walk away.

It is worth reading on to learn about the background to these festivities.

The association of Storrington with storks is clear, although there are alternative interpretations. It is often stated that the Saxon name for Storrington – ‘Estorchestone’, means ‘the village of the storks’. In the 12th century it was known as ‘Storketon’, or ‘Storcatun’ in old English, meaning ‘homestead with storks’. Others claim that Estorch may have been the name of the local chieftain, and that Estorchestone meant Estorch’s village or homestead. Another theory is that the area may have supported a significant population of stork-like birds such as herons and egrets and that these were referred to as storks. Though it’s doubtful our ancestors, with a much closer connection to nature, couldn’t tell the difference! Whichever way, Storrington celebrates its storks and the village sign, unveiled in 2002 at Place Villerest in the heart of the village, has two storks as its emblem.

Around Storrington, particularly north and east of the village, there are a number of wet and marshy areas around the Arun Valley, which could have supported large numbers of wetland birds. Before storks became extinct in the UK, about six hundred years ago, there may well have been a population of storks in the area. There is strong evidence that white storks are native to the British Isles and were once widely distributed. Habitat loss e.g. due to draining of wetlands, hunting and persecution led to their decline so that they became extinct in the British Isles, at least as a breeding species, in the early 15th century. After that date, they remained irregular visitors to Britain, flying over but no longer settling to form colonies.

L. Kadava

In recent years storks have again become associated with the area through the reintroduction of storks at Knepp Wildland. Its ‘White Stork Project’ seeks to re-establish a wild, breeding population of white storks in the UK. Knepp’s new generation of storks now once again migrate to Southern Europe and Africa in the late summer and early autumn and return in the spring. Storks are increasingly seen foraging on sites such as the RSPB reserve at Pulborough Brooks and around Amberley. As the Knepp population of storks increases, it is likely they will seek new nesting sites outside of the Knepp Estate.

Habitats that support white storks also support other species. Also, their nests can provide:

a habitat for other species, including invertebrates that are a food source for other species, and
nesting sites for other birds, such as sparrows and starlings which will inhabit the stork nests while the storks are using them, but also other birds.

Keep an eye on the live 24/7 stork’s nest webcam at Knepp.

A recent initiative by the South Downs Trust is to raise funds to support the restoration of dew ponds across the South Downs. This ‘Pounds for Ponds’ initiative has enabled the South Downs National Park Authority to restore a number of dew ponds in the South Downs landscape to help nature thrive, and it aims to restore many more. Dew ponds support amphibians like frogs, toads, and newts, as well as insects, birds, and small mammals, all of which are a food source for foraging white storks. Locally, one such restored dew pond is at Chantry Hill, just above Storrington. We could be seeing white storks on this site and a number of other sites on the South Downs in future years.

Storks and wetlands belong together and thus the white stork is the European ambassador for the protection and restoration of wetlands, wet meadows and pastures. A nature festival will be held in Storrington each year from now on in celebration of the white stork as a symbol for nature recovery and to inspire people to take further action to restore the natural environment.

Written by Joan Grech, Storrington resident and conservation volunteer,

Horsham District Councillor for the Storrington & Washington Ward,

HDC’s representative on the South Downs National Park Authority

Posted on 21st March 2025 by Press

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 17^th 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 which sites are allocated for development.

The FSD therefore took an active interest in the preparation of the original Plan in 2017 and we have carefully scrutinised the Review. In particular, our District Officers, who keep an eye on planning applications in the National Park, have assessed each of the 48 proposed new housing allocations.

We have submitted over 100 comments of varying detail. We have agreed with many of the policies, including those on landscape character, design, tranquillity and biodiversity. However, we feel that the Vision for the National Park should be more robust and that the Plan should refer to the strengthened duty of relevant authorities to seek to further National Park purposes. We also consider that the Plan fails to set out an adequate strategy for the undeveloped coastline within the Park.

We accept that some development should take place in the National Park to meet the needs of the communities within it. However, we have objected strongly to some of the proposed housing allocations, including those west of Liphook, east of the A286 at Cocking and west of the village hall in Rogate, because of the harm we believe that development on these sites would cause to the special qualities of the National Park.

We are now looking to the National Park Authority to take our comments into account in revising the Review.

View the full document with our comments here.

Posted on 3rd December 202411th March 2025 by Press

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 prizes were awarded, that we are sponsoring, as part of Brighton University’s main graduation ceremony.The Robert Thurston-Hopkins award, named in honour of our founder, is for the highest-achieving BSc/BA final exam result in the Department of Geography, Earth and Environment. It was won in 2024 by Haari Aswat.Also awarded was the Richard Reed award, in memory of the thrice Chair and recently departed stalwart of the FSD. This is for the most improved BSc/BA student in 1^st/2^nd year in the GEE Department. This was won by Dom Jarvis.

Our trustee Janet Goody was present at the ceremony, accompanied by both Joanna Thurston Hopkins (granddaughter of RTH) and Julia Reed (Richard Reed’s daughter).

Janet and I caught up later with Haari Aswat, whose BSc was in Environmental Sciences, and he told us about himself.

Interview with Haari

Q: Where did you grow up?

Haari: In Coleorton, a village in northwest Leicestershire near Loughborough.

Q: Why did you decide to study Environmental Sciences?

Haari: The natural landscape was always important to me – my home was near two amazing places, Coleorton Wood (part of the National Forest) and Charnwood Forest Geopark. Plus, Coleorton sits in a former coal mining district, and so I became interested in the environmental challenges of all sorts of mining.

Q: Why pick Brighton University?

Haari: Firstly,I’ve always had a hankering to live near the sea. My Dad comes from Yorkshire, but my Mum is from Devon, and I have very happy memories of family holidays near the Devon coast. Also, it’s a great city for young people. And finally, the Geography, Earth and Environmental department at Brighton is, rightly, very highly regarded.

Q: What exposure did you have to the South Downs whilst in Brighton?

Haari: First year has a lot of field trips, and the memory of one visit to the Seven Sisters will stay with me for a long time. My roommate and I also enjoyed doing all-day hikes on the South Downs.

Q: What’s your view on how we should protect such landscapes?

Haari: Well, it’s important we do protect them. And the best way to encourage everyone to value their importance is to experience them directly. So, anything that can be done to enable people to do that is vital to winning the case. I’m really into rock climbing, and that has really strengthened my commitment to beautiful natural landscapes.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

Haari: I’m off to St Andrews University in a few weeks to study for an MSc in Geochemistry. Beyond that, I’m clear we will need increasing amounts of minerals like cobalt, lithium and copper to move to a low carbon world, but the challenge is to do this in a green way. It would be marvellous to have a career involved in helping to solve that puzzle.

Paul Wilkinson

Vice Chairman

Posted on 9th July 20249th July 2024 by Press

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 forest of Kingley Vale, the western end of the Park contains a variety of landscapes and important wildlife habitats. Amongst the latter are areas of chalk grassland, including Noar Hill, a special sanctuary for nature, a 63-hectare biological Site of Special Scientific Interest and part of the East Hampshire Hangers Special Area of Conservation, near Selborne.

A 20-hectare section of Noar Hill is managed by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust (HIWWT) which, with the support of thousands of members, supporters and volunteers, has protected and cared for wild spaces and places in Hampshire for more than 60 years. The Trust manages more than 65 nature reserves across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, while also working with partner organisations and landowners to protect and connect wildlife sites across the two counties and inspire local communities and young people to care for wildlife and take action for nature’s recovery.

Noar Hill is one of the Trust’s most important and well-known sites, being one of its ‘Chalk Gem’ nature reserves. The Nature Reserve is nationally renowned for a wonderful array of chalk downland flowers, such as Juniper and Pyramidal Orchid. Every spring and summer, the vibrant flowers and butterflies which nectar on them create a magnificent canvas of colour against the backdrop of surrounding crop fields. Once the site of medieval chalk workings, a walk through this landscape always offers a fascinating experience with its ridges, banks and hollows creating niches for a wide variety of wildlife.

Our Support of this Special Sanctuary for Nature

Friends of the South Downs Council has agreed a donation of up to £20,000 during this year to support the Trust’s vital work at this popular and special sanctuary for nature. This donation will help fund a range of works with benefits to wildlife. These include surveys that will enable the Trust’s team to record and monitor the rarer species at the site, helping to guide practical habitat management to ensure these species are protected. A programme of scrape creation will prevent scrub from dominating open areas, provide conditions for early, pioneer plant species, and create micro-climates offering warmth, protection and the right conditions for butterflies, an array of orchids and other chalk flora. Some species require scrub (e.g. Brown Hairstreak, Duke of Burgundy, and rare hybrid roses), so scrapes will be sited away from the most sensitive areas.

The provision of ‘no fence’ cattle collars will optimise conservation grazing efforts for the benefit of wildlife, whilst new and updated signage and interpretation will help to deepen awareness, connection, understanding of, and support for, Noar Hill its wildlife, the HIWWT and the Friends.

These works will directly further the first purpose of National Parks: to increase the enjoyment of the landscape and help preserve the South Downs for future generations. The project also represents our first truly environmental project and one of our first in Hampshire. We are therefore delighted and excited to be working in partnership with the HIWWT on this important and ground-breaking project.

For further information on Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, visit hiwwt.org.uk

Martin Small

Trustee

Fragrant orchid and Common twayblade photo courtesy of Mike Read

Posted on 11th March 202411th March 2024 by Press

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, the National Park is re-energising its “Take The Lead” campaign, which encourages responsible dog walking with simple actions, such as keeping canines on leads around livestock and bagging and binning dog poo. Since the National Park Authority came into being in 2011, the number of dogs in the UK has significantly increased – from around 8m in 2011 to around 13m today – meaning it’s more important than ever to follow some simple guidelines when walking your dog in the countryside.

The four messages for Take The Lead are:

Keep dogs on a lead near livestock
Bag and bin your poo, any public bin will do
Stick to the path. Protect ground-nesting birds by sticking to the paths, especially between 1 March and 15 September during the breeding season.
Do not enter military training areas when the red flags are flying

To mark the campaign, the National Park is inviting dogwalkers to enjoy the stunning views and snap a picture of their pooch on the lead and sticking to the path in the South Downs. The competition starts on 15 March and runs through the Easter Holidays and Discover National Parks Fortnight, finishing on 14 April. The prize for the best image will be an amazing dog hamper full of tasty treats for your four-legged friend and a “poop scoop” Dicky Bag – an award-winning neoprene bag that’s lightweight, airtight, washable and leak proof to store your dog poo bags until you find a suitable bin.

To enter simply post a picture with #PawsOnThePath and #TaketheLead on Instagram or facebook. Dr Marc Abraham OBE, or ‘Marc the Vet’ as he’s usually known, a multi-award-winning veterinary surgeon, author, broadcaster, and animal welfare campaigner, will be judging the entries.

Unfortunately there have been several reported incidents of sheep worrying in the South Downs over the past couple of years and statistics from the National Sheep Association show that 70% of UK sheep farmers have experienced a sheep worrying attack in the past 12 months. It’s not only young lambs that are are risk from being chased by dogs, pregnant ewes can abort their unborn lambs if scared by dogs. For any farmer it’s devastating emotionally and financially to discover any of their flock has been injured, or worse, killed, in a dog attack.

Sticking to the paths is particularly important at this time of year as many birds, such as nightjar and curlew, lay their eggs directly on the ground and can easily be disturbed by a curious canine. Mothers will often abandon a nest and her eggs if disturbed.

Andy Gattiker, who leads on access for the National Park Authority, said: “Our focus at the National Park is on education and engagement when it comes to dogwalking.

“Responsible dog walking is a great way for people to get out, get fit and experience the National Park. However, we also understand that having dogs off leads can potentially have a devastating impact on farmers, as well as fragile wildlife-rich habitats.

“The aim of our ‘Take The Lead’ campaign is to help everyone, including dog walkers, to have an enjoyable and safe experience in the National Park.”

One of the “myths” that often arises at the National Park’s engagement events is that dog poo enriches the soil and helps plants and animals.

Andy said: “Many of the habitats in the National Park, such as chalk grassland and heathland, have actually developed over thousands of years because of soil that is low in nutrients. This gives the amazing array of specialist species that we see today. Introducing dog poo can change this soil profile and interrupt these fragile ecosystems. It’s also very unsightly when you’re trying to enjoy this beautiful landscape and carries the risk of serious bacterial infection to humans.”

Sussex-based vet, animal welfare campaigner, and South Downs enthusiast Dr Marc Abraham OBE said: “Once again it’s a huge honour to judge the South Downs National Park’s #TakeTheLead and #PawsOnThePath photo competition. Dog ownership is at an all-time high post-Covid, so it’s never been more important to make sure our four-legged friends are kept under control at all times, which means sticking to the paths during ground-nesting bird and lambing season, as well as picking up their poop and disposing of it safely and responsibly, plus highlighting a new online ‘toolkit’ for communities looking to set up their own dog ambassador schemes.”

If you’re looking to raise awareness in your local area about responsible dog ownership you may want to think about setting up a dog ambassador scheme. Having regular dog walkers in your area talking to other dog walkers can be a great way of helping educate people about how they can ensure they have a fun and safe visit to the countryside with their pooch. The National Park has created an online toolkit, full of useful information on setting up a dog ambassador scheme, and it can be seen here www.southdowns.gov.uk/take-the-lead/dog-ambassadors-set-up-your-own-scheme.

For more information on Take The Lead visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/take-the-lead/

Posted on 9th October 20239th October 2023 by Press

Your Opinion Matters

Friends of the South Downs was established 100 years ago by ordinary people taking action to protect our precious Downland landscape. Over the past 100 years, our charity’s growth and the achievement of National Park status has been down to the continued involvement of people who care. Now, as we make plans for the next 100 years, we are keen to discover your views on our charity and the issues that you feel most deserve our attention going forward. Your opinion matters to us. We value your contribution to our future planning and look forward to sharing the results with you in future.

The Friends of the South Downs is owned and run by its members and there are many ways in which you can help. We have many volunteering opportunities for people of all ages, abilities, skills and fitness levels. If you are able to give up some of your time to help us, you’ll meet many interesting and sociable people who really care and work hard to help protect the landscape and heritage of the South Downs.

We are almost totally reliant on our volunteers in helping us achieve our aims and objectives so anyone offering to become a volunteer is always made very welcome.

Here is an example of some of the typical activities you can help us with:

Walks & Strolls Leaders

If you have local knowledge of the South Downs and are good at organising events you can help research our annual programme and lead one or a few of our over 200 walks and strolls.

Trustees / Council Members

If you want to be part of setting the strategic direction of the Society and making sure that its aims are achieved then you would be welcome as a Council member. Your opinion matters. Council meets four times a year but in addition, most members are active in other areas of the Society’s work.

District Officers

Help us keep an eye on and comment on planning applications in your own locality.

The only membership organisation dedicated to protecting the South Downs

Tag: conservation