A Swift-Friendly Town for Nature Recovery
Wednesday 23 April – Saturday 31 May
Lewes Climate Hub, 32 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2LU
As we continue to welcome Swifts back to Lewes, join Lewes Swift Supporters for a month of talks, ideas and practical activities to help keep Lewes a Swift-Friendly Town – and boost diversity for ALL wildlife in the process!
10.30am – Pavement parade from The Railway Land to Lewes Climate Hub. Meet outside the Linklater Pavilion at 10.30am. Bring a banner to celebrate Swifts and/or your community group!
Paul Stevens, Conservation Officer for House Martins UK, will share his presentation, including video of the Swifts and House Martins visiting the colonies at his own home.
Saturday 3 May – Pond Power
11am-3pm: Make your own Pebble Frog
1.30pm: Talk: The Importance of Ponds for Wildlife
One of the challenges to Swifts is the fall in the population of the insects and airborne invertebrates that they feed upon. Ponds are great for Insects, invertebrates and other wildlife, and at 1.30pm Pete Birchall, (‘Pete the Pond’), will talk about “The importance of ponds for wildlife”. During the day you may make your own Pebble Frog!
Saturday 10 May – Connecting Habitats
11am-3pm: The Lewes Mosaic Project
To sustain our wildlife, it is essential that we cultivate bigger, better and well-connected green spaces. The Lewes Mosaic Project is a collaboration between the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, Common Cause Cooperative, Wildflower Lewes, Lewes Urban Arboretum and Lewes Swift Supporters. Its goal is to build a mosaic of habitats right across Lewes, providing homes and food for our wonderful wildlife and bringing the town to life!
Helen Meade, CEO of the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, will explain how you can help to make this a reality by adding to the Lewes Mosaic for Nature. https://www.railwaylandproject.org/lewes-mosaic-map
Saturday 17 May – Restoring Ecosystems
11am-1pm: Step into the Wild Time Machine!
1.30pm: Talk: Building a People’s Park for Nature
Join the People’s Park for Nature team at Lewes Climate Hub and help build a Wild Time Machine – powered by your wild memories and dreams for the future!
Dylan Walker, ecologist and community rewilding expert from People’s Park for Nature, explains: “At the People’s Park for Nature, we’re on a mission to reconnect people and places with the wild. Join us to dream big and build a wilder future! What wildlife once roamed our local spaces? What creatures could return? How might nature flourish?
Share your stories and ideas, and together we’ll create a magical, sensory experience that brings the wild past and future to life – the sights, sounds, and even tastes!”
Dylan will bring an interactive display so you can share your ideas. He will finish the day with a talk about how we can all help to reintroduce lost species and restore ecosystems. https://www.peoplesparkfornature.org/
Saturday 24 May – Hedgehogs!
11am-3pm: Craft a Hedgehog with Rustic Tim
1.30pm: Talk: Protecting our Hedgehogs
We all love Hedgehogs – but we don’t see them as often as we used to do. At 1.30pm, Emily Thrift, PhD student at the University of Sussex, will share her research into steps we can each take to help protect our remaining Hedgehog population (and a range of other wildlife). Rustic Tim will be joining us from 11am to show how to craft your very own Hedgehog out of wood.
Saturday 31 May – Why Bugs Matter
11am-3pm: Make your own Bug Hotel
1.30pm: Talk: Why Bugs Matter with Buglife
Did you know our population of insects and invertebrates has fallen by 79% since 2004, according to Buglife research? With parent Swifts needing an estimated 20,000 insects a day when they are feeding their chicks, this could be a huge factor in Swifts’ decline. 
So, to round off our Swift-Friendly Town season, we’re delighted to welcome Alice Parfitt from Buglife for her very timely talk “Why Bugs Matter”. Earlier from 11am, drop into the Climate Hub to make a bug hotel to put in your garden. https://www.buglife.org.uk/