NatureLinks is a 3 year National Lottery funded project providing young people with opportunities to connect with nature and take part in creating more vibrant and sustainable places to live, work and play in and around Lewes District.
The project aims to bring youth voices and ideas to the heart of environmental action in the local area.
Aged 14-24 ?
Come along to our Youth Action Group!
The Youth Action Group meets on the third Tuesday of each month between 4 and 6pm at the Linklater Pavilion.
Upcoming dates are:
20th February 2024
19th March 2024
16th April 2024
21st May 2024
18th June 2024
6th July 2024
Youth Action Group 2022 - 2023 Going on a bat walk with Sussex Bat Group, meeting the legendary Pete the Pond (and his parakeet, Lottie), coming together for the Summer Summit
If you'd like to find out more about the group, or to book a place, please contact Ali on 07579 852961
or Email: naturelinks@railwaylandproject.org
Free courses for 14-24 yr olds
Each year we organise free courses based on the suggestions made by participants of the youth action group.
We have the following courses coming up - places are limited and booking is essential.
TEXT 07579 852961 or EMAIL naturelinks@railwaylandproject.org
Traditional Craft Skills - Basket weaving/Upcycled clothing/Natural Dyes
Tuesdays 4.15-6.30 - 27th Feb, 5th Mar, 12th Mar, 26th Mar
Come and make a basket, learn how to turn old clothes into new ones and use plants to dye your materials.
You can mix and match the skills to create your own unique project.
Gardening for Wildlife
Saturdays 11am-1pm - 23rd Mar, 20th Apr, 25th May, 22nd June
Learn how to create a nature-friendly garden and encourage more wildlife by creating welcoming habitats.
Film and Photography for Nature
Dates tbc
Wildlife Discovery series - Botanical surveying/Bird watching/Rewilding/Pollinators
Dates tbc
The NatureLinks Project - Our First Year
The first year of our NatureLinks project has been a vibrant explosion of activity, bringing people together to share their passion for the environment, learn from each other and create positive ways forward!
A few highlights include:
A thriving Youth Action Group, welcoming young people who want to explore actions they can take that have a positive impact on the environment, and supporting them to turn their ideas into reality. The monthly sessions culminated in a 'Summer Summit' at Frog Firle Farm, bringing young people from different initiatives across Sussex together
“It has given me new skills and a newer outlook on life which has benefitted my mental health” - Youth Action Group Particpant
A series of free, accessible courses in wildlife discovery, land management skills, traditional crafts and podcast creation. The areas covered by the courses were led by suggestions from the Youth Action Group... some of them, such as the wildlfie discovery sessions, were so popular we made them available to much wider audiences.
‘This is the best thing ever!’ - participant on bat walk
Work to plan, create and learn from new habitats, both within school and college grounds and elsewhere. From the new chalk butterfly banks on the Railway Land and the East Sussex College campus in Lewes to the creation of a raingarden and wildflower meadow at Chailey School and massive tree and hedgerow planting efforts, the NatureLinkers have been supporting biodiversity and resilience across the District!
“ I’ve enjoyed the teamwork aspect – all working together doing individual jobs and then the outcome comes to life!” - Chailey School student
Providing support for young people interested in pursuing Green Careers, through work experience, enrichment days and practical opportunities.
"I learnt a lot about the environment and how land can be managed for wildlife's welfare, and it led me to change my path towards zoology which I am really excited to study in future" - Railway Land work experience particpant
We're looking forward to building on these and other intiatives ... get in touch if you would like to know more!
GET INVOLVED!
Are you a young person and would like to get involved with:
Meeting and working with experts to develop regenerative solutions in your local area
Developing skills and experience working with the local environment
Green wellbeing activities in beautiful natural spaces
If you’d like to find out more about any of these, get in touch.
Are you involved in a local environmental group and would like:
Support to develop learning and community engagement resources
Training to support your delivery of learning sessions for schools and community groups
Support with outreach and collaborative work with other organisations to strengthen our blue and green infrastructure locally?
If so, get in touch.
The project is supported throughout by volunteers. If you would like to share or develop skills in:
Running events and workshops
Supporting practical environmental activities
Communications, publicity and building networks
Underpinning the project is the concept of Blue and Green Infrastructure and the many benefits it brings to our local communities.
Blue and Green Infrastructure - What is it?
BLUE – refers to the water body elements in our local environment. Examples include: rivers, lakes, canals, reservoirs, ponds, rainwater collection butts and raingardens.
GREEN – refers to the land-based elements: Trees, fields, parks, woodland, hedgerows, street verges, soil, community gardens, window boxes, compost heaps, green walls and roofs to name a few.
INFRASTRUCTURE – is how these elements are designed to interconnect within a multifunctional network providing multiple uses and benefits such as:
Increased biodiversity, severe weather adaptation, carbon capture, active travel facilities, wildlife habitat and wellbeing.
