Over £20,000 awarded to local groups in first round of Changing Chalk community grants scheme

Thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and the National Trust, grants totalling £21,828 have been awarded to six successful groups in the first round of applications, with awards varying from £1,000 to £5,000.

This round’s successful applicants demonstrated how their project would benefit their local communities and support the Changing Chalk partnership’s overall vision of creating a sustainable future for the eastern South Downs. The projects selected include nature and habitat conservation, programmes to connect people with the countryside, and wellbeing in nature initiatives to improve mental and physical health.

Congratulations to:

The Grow Project’s ‘Wellbeing in West Sussex’ project who will be providing an 8-week programme for residents in the Shoreham and Adur area who are struggling with poor mental health. They will be offering activities to connect people with nature and the rare chalk grassland habitat of the South Downs, including guided nature walks, meditation and mindfulness in nature.

The Wildflower Conservation Society (Brighton and beyond) who will be using their grant to purchase tools and equipment and recruit more volunteers to increase their capacity for growing native Sussex wildflowers to help restore and improve the chalk grassland of the South Downs.

The Network of International Women for Brighton and Hove’s ecotherapy sessions which will offer therapeutic activity sessions in nature giving women from all backgrounds, including migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, space to draw on the benefits of being outdoors to build confidence, become more active, and improve physical and mental wellbeing.

Albion Life will be buying tools and equipment for volunteers to create and maintain chalk grassland wildflower habitats for bees, butterflies and other insects in their local community.

Marlborough Productions’ ‘Radical Rhizomes’ project will be able to develop its practical support for members of the local QTIPOC (queer, trans and intersex people of colour) communities through a range of wellbeing and nature connection activities in the South Downs.

Wildwood Heritage, through its ‘Tracing the Lost Voices of Beachy Head’ project, will celebrate Beachy Head’s heritage as an international communications hub by surveying, recording and mapping the archaeology and history of the area to explore and share how these communications over the ages impacted the communities who lived on the Downs.

Chair of the Community Grants Scheme Advisory panel, Dr Jerzy Kierkuc-Bielinski commented: “I am delighted that the Changing Chalk Partnership, led by the National Trust, can support these wonderful community-led initiatives. Linking our urban communities to the natural beauty, heritage and history of the South Downs is a very important goal and something that the Trust and its partners are passionate about. I hope that the Changing Chalk Community Grants Scheme will, over the years, allow more people to appreciate, enjoy and, moreover, help to protect the amazing countryside that is right outside our doors here in Sussex.” 

Stuart McLeod, Director England – London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “It’s fantastic to see the first community grants awarded – they help communities across the South Downs to connect with the nature on their doorsteps. Projects like these highlight the importance of organisations coming together to make a real difference, sharing a common goal to protect our natural heritage, and saving it for everyone’s future.  At the Heritage Fund, we are committed to helping support nature’s recovery and are proud to be working with the National Trust along with the wider partnership team on this project.”

The Changing Chalk Community Grants Scheme supports local, community-led initiatives, awarding funding to groups who want to make a difference in the local area and support Changing Chalk’s overall vision of creating a sustainable future for the eastern South Downs. Projects funded under the scheme will deliver activities within the Changing Chalk project area and support delivery of the partnership’s objectives under three themes: Restoring Chalkland Biodiversity; Connecting Downs and Towns; and Hearts and Histories of the Downs. In total, the scheme aims to award £150,000 over three years.

The next funding round opens for applications in early autumn with grants of up to £5,000 available for community projects and up to £10,000 for priority chalk grassland projects. Expressions of interest for habitat projects between £5,000 and £10,000 are welcomed at any stage. For more information about the Changing Chalk Community Grants Scheme visit Community Grant Scheme | Sussex | National Trust.

Changing Chalk is a multi-million-pound partnership project led by the National Trust, which connects nature, people and heritage in eastern Sussex. It aims to restore and protect the internationally-rare chalk grassland on the eastern South Downs, bring histories to life, and provide new experiences in the outdoors to those who need it most. The four-year project is supported by a £2.23m Heritage Fund grant made possible thanks to National Lottery players; by players of People's Postcode Lottery; and The Linbury Trust.

For more information about the Changing Chalk Partnership, including how to get involved and the Changing Chalk Community Grants Scheme, visit: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/sussex/the-changing-chalk-partnership