Celebrate our Swift-friendly town!

Saturday 26 April – 31 May, Lewes Climate Hub, 32 High Street, Lewes, BN7 2LU (Parade on 26 April starts at the Linklater Pavilion)

Celebrate the return of Swifts to Lewes this Spring with a parade through town on Saturday 26 April, plus a host of inspiring talks with guest speakers showing how we can help these marvellous red-listed birds (and other wildlife!) to flourish. Audrey Jarvis of Lewes Swift Supporters explains more.

One of the great joys of Spring is the return of Swifts to the UK, so Lewes Swift Supporters is hosting a month of events to celebrate these amazing birds.

To coincide with the Swifts’ likely return to Lewes (who will spot the first one?) on Saturday 26 April, we will first be hosting a pavement parade from the Railway Land Wildlife Trust up to Lewes Climate Hub. 

Swift lovers of all ages are warmly invited to meet outside the Linklater Pavilion at 10.30am and join in the parade to remind everyone of these wonderful but endangered birds. Bring a banner, placard or flag to represent your support for Swifts and other wildlife – feel free to be as colourful and creative as you like!

At the Climate Hub, you’ll be able to find out more about the Swifts of Lewes and how to take part in our Swift-Friendly Town projects. 

Then we’re delighted at 1.30pm to welcome Paul Stevens, Conservation Officer for House Martins UK, who will give an illustrated talk ‘A Summer with Swifts, Swallows and Martins’ about the colonies at his home and nearby.

The Swift-Friendly Town season then continues at Lewes Climate Hub until 31 May. Our aims are to raise awareness of Swifts and to encourage small actions that will boost biodiversity across our town – and help Swifts and other wildlife to flourish! 

All events and activities are free of charge, thanks to sponsorship from Chalk Cliff Trust, and no booking is required.

Some of the special events in our Swift-Friendly Town season:

  • Saturday 26 April, 10.30am – Pavement parade from The Railway Land to Lewes Climate Hub. Meet outside the Linklater Pavilion, BN7 2FG at 10.30am. Bring a banner to celebrate Swifts and/or your community group!
  • Saturday 26 April, 1.30pm – Paul Stevens, Conservation Officer for House Martins UK, will share his presentation – ‘A Summer with Swifts, Swallows and Martins’, including a video of the Swifts and House Martins visiting the colonies at his own home. 
  • Saturday 3 May, 1.30pm – Legendary landscape gardener Peter Birchall (better known as ‘Pete the Pond’) will explain ‘The Importance of Ponds for Wildlife’.
  • Saturday 10 May, 11am-3pm – Helen Meade, CEO of the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, will share the exciting ideas behind the Lewes Mosaic – a network for nature across Lewes that anyone can contribute to.
  • Saturday 17 May, 11am-3pm – Dylan Walker of rewilding consultancy Wilderlife will host events to share his vision of a People’s Park for Nature centred around the lower Ouse Valley.
  • Saturday 24 May, 1.30pm – Emily Thrift, PhD student at the University of Sussex and member of the Hedgehog Preservation Society, will show what steps we can take to protect our Hedgehogs and other wildlife.
  • Saturday 31 May, 1.30pm – Alice Parfitt from Buglife will explain the importance of working together to conserve all invertebrate life – for Swifts, for other wildlife and for us! 

For more details visit the Lewes Swift Supporters website here