"There's so much green!" Young people enjoy exploring South Downs National Park

More than 650 children and young people from across Sussex and Hampshire enjoyed a visit to the National Park for “Explorers of the South Downs”.

Thanks to a donation of £10,000 from Friends of the South Downs, 20 activity days were delivered by Schools Without Walls (So Sussex), an outdoor education organisation, with the support of the South Downs National Park Authority and Forestry England.

The participants were all from schools with high levels of pupil premium funding and/or special educational needs.

The Friends of the South Downs is the only membership charity dedicated to protecting the South Downs. The Friends were able to make the donation from a recent generous legacy.

Among the beautiful locations for the activities were Truleigh Hill, Tide Mills Beach, Stanmer Park, Friston Forest, Seven Sisters Country Park, Kingley Vale, and Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

One of the key activities was an introduction to the South Downs National Park, the National Parks movement and the importance of protected landscapes.

Some of the comments from the young people were:

“I’ve never been anywhere where there’s so much green!”

“I’m proud of myself for doing the walk on the hills.”

“There were so many different types of habitats to explore.”

Gemma Dhol, from College Central in Brighton, said: “They all enjoyed the pond dipping as it’s something that they rarely have the opportunity to do. They learn about great crested newts and why they are important to protect. Everyone enjoyed a marshmallow treat too. They also really enjoyed the space and asked if they could return.”

Adam Marshall, from Milton Park Primary School in Portsmouth, said: “The trip was an excellent opportunity for children to contextualise project learning we are currently exploring at school about the diversity of habitats, food chains and predators.

“There were amazing opportunities for the children to get hands-on with bug hunting, searching different types of habitats and playing a really engaging, visual game about food chains.”

Andrew Lovett, a trustee of the Friends of the South Downs, said: “We were delighted to be able help over six hundred children learn about the South Downs. They are the people who will safeguard the Downs in the future.”

Caroline Fleming, Manager at Schools Without Walls, said: “We had a fantastic time supporting children and young people to discover and explore the beauty of the South Downs. For the vast majority it was their first time visiting locations such as Friston Forest, Truleigh Hill, Kingley Vale and the Queen Elizabeth Country Park.

“The generous funding from the Friends of the South Downs enabled valuable opportunities to connect to nature at a time when state schools face significant difficulties in affording transport for trips.