TCV Sussex

26/08/2026

Watch Carrie splitting this bit of chestnut, hear that fabulous sound as it just falls apart!
We’re going to be running some woodworking workshops soon, making rustic gates and hurdles, garden stools or benches, mallets, all sorts of things that can be fashioned out of the timber we are creating as we open up areas of overcrowded chestnut woodland. Get in touch if you’d like to know more or watch this space for details.

26/08/2026

I spent the afternoon picking up bags of dog poo in South Wood in Ninfield, a site our conservation volunteers look after for nature.
Not my favourite activity!
Please, please, please…bag it and take it home.
“Why aren’t there bins?” Because who will empty them? We cannot ask our volunteers to take responsibility for dog poo bins and we have no budget to pay a commercial waste contractor.
Please, just take your own dog’s poo home. Even kicked in a hedge, it begins to mount up, smell disgusting and create a health hazard for volunteers doing conservation tasks there later.
Help us keep the countryside lovely for everyone.

- Lorna

24/08/2026

On Friday, we were in Ringmer clearing the area around their pretty little pond on the village green. We’ve been brought in by the Parish Council to open up the area for nature and wildlife.
TCV’s Aimee led a team of 10 conservation volunteers - some regulars from our Hastings base and some local volunteers met us on site.
We cleared several large laurel from the back of the pond, an invasive species that crowds out the light and suppresses native plants, and we started to dig out a huge clump of bamboo which would just spread and spread if left unchecked. We also picked 3 large bags of litter from in amongst the shrubs and brambles and made habitat piles out of native offcuts.
Thank you to everyone who came along and helped!
We’ll be back this Friday to carry on with the tasks to make this important little nature spot an even better home for birds, insects and invertebrates.
Get in touch if you’d like to get involved!
[email protected]

Ringmer Parish Council Ringmer Village News

24/08/2026

🦋Conservation volunteering sessions this week🦋
Minibus from our base in Hastings or meet on site. Please get in touch to do registration form first.

17/08/2026

Here's where you can join us this week for a bit of woodland management, pond maintenance or healthy gardening...

16/08/2026

123 Walks - Eastbourne/Lewes area
One, two and three mile nature walks - simple maps for short self-led walks for people who are not super strong walkers or who want something that does not take too long.
Here are the pages of the Eastbourne booklet of maps. We're out of stock of printed copies but I thought I would share the images so you can print your own maps if you like.

Active Sussex Active Eastbourne and Lewes

16/08/2026

14/08/2026

123 Walks - Hastings
Simple maps for one, two and three mile nature walks.
We're out of stock of the printed booklets now but I thought I would share the pages for anyone who is looking for new nature walk ideas this summer.
Or you could pop over to the 123 Walks website for all the maps in even simpler one page B&W form for easiest home-printing.

Active Hastings Hastings Voluntary Action Biodiversity Hastings Hastings Urban Greenspaces - HUG Friends of Alexandra Park, Hastings.

12/08/2026

We can't believe we have to say this, but please do not have fires or barbecues in dry woodlands.
We were astonished to find the remains of a disposable barbecue in South Wood (Ninfield) on Monday.
At a time when the countryside is tinder-box dry and we have all seen footage of wildfires causing devastation, this is incredibly irresponsible. In South Wood, the floor is covered with crispy brown leaves, the paths are lined with dry dead-hedging and there are numerous piles of timber and wood shavings. No matter how careful you think you are, one stray ember or spark could start a fire with devastating consequences for the trees, the wildlife, the neighbours and beyond.
There is another serious concern. South Wood is owned by National Grid and is adjacent to the substation. We're the leaseholders, looking after it for nature. But we cannot even use a small kelly kettle because of the danger of electrical arcing from the heat source to overhead lines or infrastructure. It is simply not worth the risk.
For your own safety and the safety of others, for the protection of the trees and the wildlife, please do not light fires or use barbecues in dry woods during a heatwave. And you should never do so on a nature site or on a National Grid site.
In fact, in general - if you're planning a day in the woods, leave the barbecue at home.