Following the very successful Friends of Lewes 25th Floods Anniversary Exhibition, we received a considerable amount of feedback that Lewes residents didn’t want any more homes to be built in the floodplain. In response we have developed a policy position on development in the floodplain, which we have sent to the South Downs National park in response to their latest version of the SDNP Local Plan.
Read the policy here …..
The Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes have launched a “Special Trees” Project to celebrate the wonderful trees in our Arboretum Town.
It is a first step towards developing a Tree Charter for Lewes that acknowledges the Rights of Trees.
We are inviting people of all ages to send us a photograph of a tree that they think is special. It could be special to you because of its colour, shape, because it welcomes you home every day, or for any other reason!
The tree must be in a public space in the town of Lewes – so that we may invite other people to visit it.
Email your photograph with a note of “what makes it special for you” to arboretumlewes@gmail.com
We plan to display the photographs at Lewes Climate Hub, 32 High Street, during Heritage Open Days, 12th-13th September 2026, and publish them on our website and social media.
The photograph shows the Ginkgo biloba in Abinger Place – a favourite tree of Brian Courage, Town Ranger
He told us: “The more I look, the more favourite trees I start to see which is, I suppose, the reason for acknowledging they are all special and need to have their rights acknowledged. The first one that came to mind is the Ginkgo biloba on Abinger Place. The leaves are such a lovely shape and particularly beautiful in the autumn. It’s one of many trees in the town that helps to frame its location and would change the landscape in the area if it weren’t there. The plaque in front of it states that it is the site of the Manor pound, across the road from the Town stocks so it is clearly a historical site despite the tree being a relative newcomer. The Ginkgo biloba can live for 1000 years plus, and I wonder what it might witness in its future.”
We look forward to hearing from you!
On Saturday 13th June the Lewes Tree Festival starts with a launch event from 11:00 to 15:00 at the Lewes Climate Hub with an exhibition from Lewes Urban Arboretum. Refreshments will be available.
The Lewes Urban Arboretum team has organised four guided walks in June to celebrate our trees and our status as an Arboretum Town – one of only two in the country! All the walks will be led by local arboriculturalists who are members of our Trees Committee. The walks are free but donations are always welcome to fund our tree-planting projects.
Presentation slides from Tuesday 25th November 2025
Peter Thurman of The Thurman Consultancy talked about how trees may ameliorate the effects of Climate Change and how humans can enable them to do this.
BBC South East have picked up on Friends of Lewes concerns over discharges of untreated Sewage into the river Ouse at Lewes and our call for an embargo on Housebuilding until the infrastructure is able to cope. Here is their investigation into the Ham Lane Pumping Station discharges.
In September 2024, Lewes Town Council formally approved a proposal from Lewes Swift Supporters to designate Lewes as a Swift-friendly town.
The aims of this initiative are:
Swifts can be seen as an indicator of good biodiversity – where there is a rich mosaic of biodiverse habitats, there will be Swifts too! The population of Swifts has declined by 58% since 1995. They live in the air and depend on airborne insects and invertebrates for food, but Buglife research estimates that numbers of insects have fallen by 78% since 2004.
Friends of Lewes have joined with other community groups to lend their support to this project. They have already given direct support through funding the purchase and installation of Swift boxes to expand existing colonies in De Montfort Road. One of these boxes was visited by Swifts in 2024. They also help by monitoring planning applications to safeguard existing nest sites. The trees and hedges planted by the Trees Committee provide food and habitat for a wide range of insects and invertebrates – in the evenings you may often see Swifts circling above trees to hunt for food.
Find out more about how you may help Swifts: https://e-voice.org.uk/lewesswiftsupporters/lewes-a-swift-friendly-town/
From 5th June to 15th June, open Wednesdays to Saturdays, 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m.
All events at Lewes Climate Hub, Lewes House, 32 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2LU
The Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes manage the Lewes Urban Arboretum Project, which has led to global recognition of Lewes by ArbNet as an “arboretum town”. Since 2012, the Committee has been working with the community, local councils, and schools to increase tree canopy cover in Lewes – both for wildlife and for their beneficial ecosystem values.
Their i-Tree Ecosurvey suggests that Lewes needs to almost double the existing number of trees to become resilient to climate change. Drop into the Climate Hub to find out more about their work, the importance of trees for wildlife, and browse their suggestions of trees you might grow in your garden.
PLUS: Saturday 8th and Saturday 15th June: Make your own tree medallion to celebrate the wildlife that depends on trees.
Saturday 8th June, 11.00 am-3.00pm, Join Rustic Tim to learn how to make your own beautiful flower decoration out of wood, (£2 a flower).
Saturday 15 June, 1.30pm, “Trees for your garden and how to look after them”, a talk by Keith Sacre, arboriculturalist and member of the Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes. Keith will share his knowledge to help us all know what to think about when choosing a tree for our gardens and the different steps to take to help it thrive.
On Saturday 24th February, 11.00 a.m. to 3.00 p.m., Western Road School will be hosting a special event at Lewes Climate Hub, Lewes House, 32 High Street. Come along and find out how they have been using their hedgerows, (planted with the help of the Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes), the Forest School area and their dye garden to improve the biodiversity of the school grounds and support the wellbeing, creativity and learning of the pupils.
On Saturday there will be free educational activities and seeds to take home and sow. Cards and badges, based on the beautiful art work of the pupils, will be on sale.
Visitors to the Hub may also preview the exhibition from Wednesday 21st to Friday 23rd February.
After extensive consultation, work is due to be carried out on trees in Blake’s Walk, South Malling between 12 February and 1st of March. The work will bring all of the trees into a size, shape and condition that will make it easier to maintain them in the long term and prolong the healthy life of the trees. It has been discussed and approved by the Blake’s Walk Tree Specialist Group which contains members of the Trees Committee of Friends of Lewes. Full details are below:
FoL’s Trees committee has been working closely with East Sussex Highways and others to develop an improved approach to the management of the trees along Blake’s Walk in South Malling. There had been a proposal for the poplar trees to be removed, but the new agreement is for the poplars to “be managed by pruning on a three yearly basis or as necessary” beginning with those on the east side in February 2023, with management of those on the west side planned for next winter. More details are attached.
