Whilst the practical delivery of the Changing Chalk project was completed in Spring 2026, the project team led by the National Trust have been busy over the summer wrapping up all the reporting requirements and capturing as much of what has been learned through the project as possible.  As part of this we had the chance to showcase some of what we have achieved through our Changing Chalk – Greening the Cities project to the team from the National Lottery Heritage Fund who provided £2.23 million to enable the project to happen.

Having been part of the Changing Chalk development and delivery partnership since 2019, The Living Coast team were really pleased to have the chance to show the group from the National Lottery the new wildflower bank that has been created in Vale Park, Portslade, as part of the project.  We were met at the site by some of the amazing volunteers from the Friends of Vale Park and the Wildflower Guardians who have contributed so much to the creation of the new bank and will also be looking after it into the future, who kindly shared some of their experiences of the project with the National Lottery team.

The new bank at Vale Park is just 1 of 7 new wildflower areas across the Biosphere that have been created as part of Changing Chalk – Greening the Cities over the last 4 years.  Other new wildflower areas include:

• Queens Park, Brighton
• City Cemetery, Brighton
• Saunders Park, Brighton
• Ashton Rise, Brighton
• Patcham Infant School, Brighton
• Craven Wood Wildflower Meadow, East Brighton

These new wildflower areas sit alongside 19 existing wildflower sites that have also been receiving improved management and maintenance as part of the Greening the Cities project.

To find your nearest wildflower area please have a look at our map: Greening the Cities map

To learn more about the Greening the Cities project please have a look at our: Greening the Cities project pages.

Huge thanks is due to all the volunteers across the Biosphere who have made the Greening the Cities project possible and who are continuing to support the biodiversity of the Biosphere using some of the new skills and techniques they have learned as part of the project.

If you would like to volunteer as part of the Wildflower Guardians group, please get in touch via email: wildflowerguardians@brighton-hove.gov.uk

If you would like to connect with volunteers in a green spaces in Brighton & Hove you can reach them through the Brighton and Hove Green Spaces Forum

For volunteering opportunities in the Lewes District area please see the Lewes and Eastbourne Councils website.

If you would like to volunteer in the Adur and Worthing area have a look at opportunities with Green Tides.