In the last two years I have had the privilege of working and volunteering in green spaces around Seaford, Newhaven and Peacehaven. I see the results of people’s commitment to community and preserving the natural habitats around us. It warms my heart to see the passion, care and time people take in looking after each other and the green spaces around them.
In Seaford we have a dedicated Climate Hub with Seaford Environmental Alliance committed to reducing climate change, offering community educational events and being a point to collect and distribute food waste and school uniform. From here springboards the fantastic group On the Verge who have ensured many areas of Seaford have been left to rewild, allowing important habitats to remain and nourish our ever-declining insect population. I have loved walking through the Martello Fields, Salts recreation Ground and Crouch to name a few, all with dedicated wild areas, such a joy to watch the butterflies and hear the crickets happily enjoying the wild space.
We are blessed in Seaford to have so many people committed to preserving our green spaces, from the Rotary, Trees for Seaford, Seaford Repair Café, edible beds outside Morrisons, Seaford’s Swifts, the committed members of Seaford Natural History Society, the surveyors of The Last Wood and Meadow, to Community Growing Projects at The Downs, Peverells Community Garden, Seaford Community Garden and schools getting involved. With Renaturing Seaford committed to getting all local groups connecting with each other, Seaford’s green spaces will have people champions for years to come all protecting and enhancing the biodiversity of Seaford.
In the Havens, there is a wealth of community projects all supporting the need to preserve our green spaces and get the community growing. Fantastic projects like the Denton Community Garden, the Havens Community hub reducing food waste, preventing it from going to landfill and helping address community need. The group Riverside Park and its planting on land, once wasteland, has seen a huge increase of wildlife in an area that now sees new species and offers a beautiful walking route for all of the family. Next to this the beautiful Valley Ponds, a haven for all things amphibians. All over Newhaven BN9 Trees have been planting fruit trees in people’s gardens. Newhaven Green Centre offers a repair café, a sharing library and ingenious ways to reduce and recycle waste, all working towards fighting climate change. We at Greenhavens are committed to working with the community in educating adults and families in the need to get your garden/green space wilder. The past 6 months have seen Jessie and I engaging with community on wildflower walks, batwalks, Buglife and Froglife events. All learning and teaching each other on ways in which to make our gardens wilder and doing crucial surveys on what our green spaces contain and ways in which we can increase biodiversity. Fantastic to then see the community go out and use their new knowledge in their green spaces and helping others to go a little wilder.
Up in Peacehaven, the community garden and Orchard provide crucial green spaces offering the local community space to grow food, learn new tips on growing and are a haven for insect species. All run by volunteers aware of the pressing need to have areas that offer care for the earth and a space to grow and share food.
All of these groups/organisations work from the heart, responding to community and our Earths needs. Armed with the knowledge we all must do what we can to preserve the natural world. As climate change increases, we must all look to see what we can do to become green community advocates. Our insect loss and lack of wild spaces in England has meant we must look to alternative ways of living in our urban spaces to avoid the catastrophe that will come if our bees and insects become extinct. Our community green champions are all heroes many working voluntarily to preserve and make resilient systems that will support the community and the planet in years to come. To all the Green Heroes out there thank you for providing hope for all our futures.
By Miriam Thundercliffe (Coordinator at Greenhavens Network).
First published in Seaford Scene in October 2022
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