A quiet spot for nature

admin
, 02 September 2021
A quiet spot for nature
Fox and Cubs

By Huw Morgan

Community Action Officer

The Community Action team have just started out on a project looking to improve churchyards in Sussex for wildlife. The plan is to work with a number of churches and increase the biodiversity of the churchyards through appropriate management plans, which will be based on ecological surveys and the quirks of each site.  Key to this will be looking at mowing regimes in order to establish a wide range of wild flowers and other plants and help increase the numbers of butterflies, bees and other pollinating insects. Once suitable management plans have been drawn up we can look at how we can best help local groups through advice and practical support and create havens for nature across the county.

These churchyards will then act as models to show off what can be achieved and hopefully encourage others to get involved. We will be drawing on the previous experiences of projects such as DownTown Lewes and the work of other charities such as Caring for God’s Acre to help communities get involved with a selection of simple measures to increase the wildlife found in their local churchyards.

1000 Bill church

Leave a comment

Comments

  • James Howell:

    Great idea and very useful. Don’t forget about fungi, though – many Churchyards are great sites for Waxcaps, Earth-tongues and other fungi, and obviously the Autumn is the time to be looking. Actions to improve Spring flowers can have a detrimental effect on the fungi, so you need to know what is there already.

    02 Sep 2021 13:57:00

  • Claire Wyatt:

    I would live to somehow be involved in such a project, but wonder how?
    I am in Forest Row, E.Sussex. The Parish Church here is almost surrounded by busy roads.
    Can I help anyone in any way?
    Claire

    10 May 2022 11:23:00

  • Sussex Wildlife Trust:

    Hi Claire. We've passed your message and contact details onto Huw Morgan who will get in touch. Thank you 

  • Dawn Davidson:

    I am churchwarden at St Margaret’s church in Rottingdean, a village 4 miles from Brighton. I am keen to to turn the churchyard into a wilding and haven for wild life. How do we go about getting advice and guidance please?

    08 Sep 2022 12:13:00

  • Sussex Wildlife Trust:

    Hi there. We'd suggest you initially email WildCall https://sussexwildlifetrust.or...