Category: Natural Environment

Lewes Tree Festival 2026

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.

  • Tuesday 16th June, 11.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. Railway Land Nature Reserve. No need to book – just meet us at the entrance to the Linklater Pavilion.

Lewes is now a Swift-friendly town!

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: 

  • To spread the word about Swifts so that more people learn about these marvellous, red-listed birds.
  •  To encourage people to become “biodiversity champions” and take an action, however small, which will help to increase biodiversity across Lewes.

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/

“Tremendous Trees” at Lewes Climate Hub

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.

  • Add to our “Taking Steps for Wildlife” collage by sharing your ideas for improving biodiversity in Lewes.
  • Have a go at our Tree Quiz for a chance of winning a £25 garden token – you may check all your answers by looking at the displays!

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.

The Benefits of Trees – a talk by Keith Sacre

Plant Power! 24 February 2024

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.

Update on Blake’s Walk, South Malling

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:

blakes-walk-update-jan-2024Download

Blakes Walk, East Side

Blake’s Walk – New Tree Management Plan

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.

BLAKES WALK future tree managementDownload

Friends of Lewes plant trees on Offham Road and Brighton Road, December 2023

On Saturday 16th December, members of the Trees Committee planted seven trees beside Offham Road, near where the magnificent old Beech tree had to be felled. There are three Ulmus Lutece, (Elms), two Acer campestre, (Field Maple), and two Crataegus persimilis prunifolia, (Cockspurthorn). Thank you to East Sussex County Council for giving us planting permission. These trees are planted in memory of Paul Fouch and were sponsored by his family and friends.

Then, on 19th December, the Trees Committee met on at Brighton Road to plant five trees on the verge near the Hope in the Valley bus stop. The trees are three Ulmus Lutece, (Elms), and two Crataegus persimilis prunifolia, (Cockspurthorn).

Thank you again to East Sussex County Council for the planting permission. Thanks also to Trees Committee member Matthew of Bonny’s Wood for kindly sending a team to set up the barriers, lending their truck to bring the trees to the site, and then staying to help us to plant them.

Over November and December 2023 we have planted 51 trees altogether which brings the total number of street trees we have planted around Lewes since 2014 to 222.

Offham Road, and Brighton Road planting, all finished
Offham Road, and Brighton Road planting, December 2023

 

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Friends of Lewes plant trees in Ham Lane, 9 December 2023

Another wet but enjoyable day for our fourth working party this season – in Ham Lane. We planted five Alnus glutinosa, (native Alders), and five Populus nigra, (Black Poplars), between the Scout Hut and the Cockshut.

At the same time, the 6th Lewes Beavers and Scouts were busy doing a great job of weeding and mulching their wildlife hedge of mixed native whips. Thank you very much to their parents and troop leaders for helping us to carry the trees and the mulch to where they were needed – and then sharing their soup with us!

Thanks again to Lewes District Council for the planting permission and to Matthew for all his patient work in CAT scanning each site.

Today’s team was Nick, Peter, Chris, Jill, Keith, Duncan, Jamie and Audrey. Well done everyone!

Tree planting at Ham Lane, December 2023
Tree planting at Ham Lane, 9 December 2023: team photo, and Audrey with the 200th tree, a Poplar

 

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