As part of the Changing Chalk Partnership project, The Living Coast and Brighton and Hove City Council have welcomed a new Education Ranger to the team. Jess Mead will be working to help deliver two exciting projects within the Living Coast Biosphere: Wilding Waterhall and Greening the Cities. Her role will focus on connecting the residents of Brighton and Hove with the incredible Downland landscape that surrounds the city.

The Wildling Waterhall project will see the creation of a new Local Nature Reserve with the former Brighton and Hove City Council Golf Course at its heart. The site will return to the wild side with a heard of livestock helping to restore the globally rare and threatened chalk grassland habitats that make the South Downs so special. Our new Education Ranger will be developing a program of varied and engaging activities to encourage people to visit the reserve and spend time connecting with nature. School children from Brighton and Hove will have to opportunity to visit site where Jess will be delivering curriculum linked lessons in this fantastic outdoor classroom. If you’re a teacher and you’d like a free day of outdoor education at Waterhall for your class, please contact Jess on wildlingwaterhall@brighton-hove.gov.uk.

Greening the Cities will bring a slice of the South Downs into Brighton and Hove through the creation of Downland wildflower areas to help pollinating insects. Jess will work with local green space volunteer groups and the Brighton Wildflower Conservation Society to create these urban wildlife havens. The project is an excellent opportunity to bring the Downs to people’s doorsteps and spark conversation about the biodiversity loss and climate change emergencies.  There will also be lots of opportunities to get directly involved in this project in your local area – keep an eye on our volunteering page for details of volunteering events near you.

Jess has joined us from the South East Rivers Trust, where she organised volunteering and community engagement activities focussed on enhancing and protecting rivers like the Cuckmere and other river catchments across the South East.

Changing Chalk is a partnership of organisations led by the National Trust who are working together for the future of the South Downs.  The aim of the project is to reverse the decline of the fragile chalk grassland and to further connect local communities to the nationally significant landscape on their doorstep. This project has been developed with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund and has been awarded funding to deliver the project over the next 4 years.