Communities in South Downs celebrate incredible climate action
July 29, 2024
A wave of inspiring climate action has been kickstarted thanks to a groundbreaking lottery-backed initiative in the Ouse Valley.
From scores of children learning to ride bikes, to new community vegetable gardens, climate hubs, river tours, volunteer training and energy-saving workshops, people across the Lewes, Seaford, Peacehaven and Newhaven areas have been busy doing their bit to help their local environment.
It comes as Ouse Valley Climate Action (OVCA) is celebrating the half-way mark of a three-year project after being awarded £2m from The National Lottery Community Fund in the autumn of 2022.
The East Sussex partnership, which covers 10 organisations, including the South Downs National Park Authority and Lewes District Council and over 50 local community-led projects, has an ambitious goal of empowering local people to help create one of the first communities in England to fully embrace climate action.
The Ouse Valley is a fragile landscape that has already felt the effects of climate change this millennium, including flooding, storm damage, coastal erosion and biodiversity loss.
Since OVCA swung into gear, there have been a number of significant achievements as the community-led partnership goes from strength to strength:
- The Community Energy England Conference was hosted for the first time in Newhaven in collaboration with OVCA Partner Community Energy South.
- Abandoned wasteland has become the new Peverals Community Garden in Seaford, nestled in the heart of a housing estate. The area has been transformed into a garden oasis by dedicated volunteers, now boasting an impressive array of planters and polytunnels. Project leader Miriam Thundercliffe and Dan Ori are using the site to host after-school clubs, community gardening sessions and women’s wellbeing sessions.
- Work to engage with schools and community centres about the amazing, but fragile, coastline is under way. KP Projects’ Living Coast Undersea Experience is bringing Seaford Bay and its wildlife into schools and community centres to teach people about this hidden underwater world, climate change and threats from issues such as marine plastic pollution.
- More than 1,000 people in the community have enjoyed the River People Tour, a roving celebration of the river, devised and delivered by community group Love Our Ouse. The source to sea tour, which culminated with a festival in Newhaven, has built a stronger network of people to help champion and care for the river and also increased understanding of the threats and challenges.
- There have been a series of afterschool “Wilder Spaces” sessions for children and families. Participants have learned about pollinators and the importance of insects, birds and small mammals especially hedgehogs and bats.
- The OVCA Energy Team, based with OVESCO at the Lewes Climate Hub has provided energy efficiency advice to over 1,800 residents, achieved through community engagement events and one to one advice via foodbanks, community outreach initiatives and targeted group talks and drop-ins. The team now work regularly in seven locations – Newhaven, Peacehaven, Seaford, two in Lewes, Bishopstone and Ringmer as well as expanding into Newick. In addition, they continue to run drop-in services at their Energy Room in Lewes three days a week. OVESCO continue to work closely with local churches, healthcare providers, warm spaces, community supermarkets and through the cost-of-living crisis group established by partner Lewes District Council.
- OVCA Community Ranger Jessie Rodriguez has drawn up a broad menu of nearly 40 training options that volunteers can sign up for. The aim is to upskill key volunteers and help community groups gain knowledge and learn about a range of topics such as carbon literacy, wildlife identification, community engagement, fundraising, first aid and health and wellbeing.
- Newhaven Green Centre has set up a popular monthly repair café, allowing people to fix household items ranging from jeans to a kettle to a lawnmower with the help of very experienced volunteers. This saves money, reduces carbon footprint and things going to landfill unnecessarily.
- More than 100 children have learned to ride a bicycle thanks to OVCA’s Learn to Ride sessions.
- The Railway Land Wildlife Trust (RWLT) developed targeted youth work alongside OVCA in Seaford, including training and supporting local people to run activities based on RLWT’s vibrant NatureLinks project, which provides opportunities for young people to connect with nature.
Steph Mills, Project Manager for OVCA, said: “It’s incredible what we’ve achieved in our first 18 months and all of it is down to the drive, determination, interconnectedness and goodwill in the Ouse Valley community.
“Climate change is one of the biggest threats facing this country and people have shown what can be done at a local level to address some of the issues in a really positive and creative way. Our response to climate change will be led by the upcoming generations and that’s why there’s been such a keen focus on engagement with children and young people, as well as embedding behaviour change across all ages. This project shows how everyone can play their part in climate action – no matter how big or small. It’s been an awe-inspiring journey so far and we can’t wait to see what the final half of the project brings!”
Among the focuses for the next year will be the expansion of climate action work among young people, a range of active travel initiatives, “citizen science” air and water quality monitoring and ensuring the legacy continues beyond the end of the OVCA project.
The project partners are: South Downs National Park Authority; South Downs National Park Trust, Lewes District Council, OVESCO, Community Energy South, Sussex Community Development Association, 3VA, Railway Land Wildlife Trust, Transition Town Lewes and Seaford Community Partnership, working with a range of locally-led community groups.
Follow the project at https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/climate-action-hub/ouse-valley-climate-action-ovca/
A video about the success of the project can be watched here:
- A total of 77,000 people live in the project area.
- Over 13,500 people live in areas that are identified as among the 20 to 30 per cent most deprived in England. The area is priority for health and wellbeing for the South Downs National Park and for investment to support adaptation to climate change.
- Thanks to National Lottery players, since 2016, The National Lottery Community Fund has awarded £397 million through more than 6,000 grants which involve environmental action, including action on waste and consumption, energy, transport, food, and the natural environment. National Lottery players raise over £30 million each week across the UK for good causes. To find out more visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk
