events
Many of the events below have been organised in conjunction with St Augustine’s Church Eco Team as the the two groups have a close working relationship.
Upcoming events
Life with a Heat Pump
10 July 2025
“Life with a Heat Pump” subtitled ‘Should you be considering it?’ is an overview of heat pumps, covering their development, how they work, the process of getting grants, the practical issues of installation and the ways to optimise their operation for maximum efficiency and minimum running cost. There will be plenty of time at the end for questions and discussion. Refreshments will be available.
Past events
Exploring Biodiversity
May 2025
Helen Hicks, an environmental educationist at Wakehurst gave a fascinating presentation looking at what we mean by biodiversity, why it is so important to our survival and how we can try to preserve it. The talk was illustrated by some of her personal experiences and was followed by questions and a discussion around the subject. As usual refreshments were provided.
Welcome to our Woods day
April 2025
There was a range of activities on offer to explore Costells Wood and to help everyone feel at home there.
- Using map reading skills to navigate the woods and find clues to complete the challenge
- All age craft activities using natural materials. Creating ‘bumblebees in flight’, clay plaques with leaf impressions to your own design, and story wands and ‘sticky pictures’ as mementos of the journey round the woodland paths.
- Getting a little way off the beaten track and taking the time to sit for a while and absorb the sounds and the stillness of the woodland world.
Village Litter Pick
March 2025
There was a good turnout for this community event to tidy up the village. Nearly 30 people spent an hour or so picking up litter around the village and then met in the Church Annexe for refreshments in the form of hot soup and cakes kindly funded by Lindfield rural Parish Council.
Community noticeboard
October 2024
The need was identified for a noticeboard in a well frequented place to advertise the existence of various not-for-profit community groups and the events which they put on. SHSG sought pledges from the various village groups, obtained match funding from Lindfield Rural Parish Council and liaised with the owners of the village service station to make this possible. The group identified and procured an appropriate noticeboard and put it up in a prominent location next to the ATM at the service station.
Climate Cafe Listening Circle
January 2025
A common reaction to contemplating the idea of the climate and ecological crisis is to feel overwhelmed by the rhetoric and the sheer scale of the issues. The purpose of the Listening Circle was to provide a safe space where people could share and explore their feelings about Climate Change. It was not about policy, politics or taking action and was run by trained facilitators.
Pete the Pond
Octiber 2024
The pub opened early so that people could grab some refreshments at the bar before Pete’s family-friendly talk, accompanied by Pete’s parrot Mango. Then people went outside to meet Pete’s pond creatures and check out the pond trays to discover what lives in the village pond. There was also an opportunity to plan your own pond or record what you had seen. Afterwards some people stayed for a pub lunch.
Living Lightly day
September 2024
A day of inspiration and encouragement to live more sustainably. There was lots to do, including apple pressing, talks on bees, coffee, wormeries, flour milling, electric cars and chat with their owners, Burgess Hill Shed – community craft workshop, children’s craft activities, displays and an ideas board to share practical tips on living more sustainably, renewable energy phone charging, and refreshments including light lunches and cakes. People brought apples to press, making their own juice.
River Ouse Project
June 2024
A fascinating talk was given by Margaret Pilkington, a local expert and project leader, on the River Ouse Project, which is combining ecological research with historical studies to achieve biodiversity objectives linked to flood alleviation.
The project focuses on woodland and grassland habitats in the upper reaches of the river Ouse in Sussex. Flood alleviation depends on temporarily holding back water here until water from lower down the system has passed through.
Talk on Swifts
April 2024
An audience of some 30 people, from Scaynes Hill and beyond, enjoyed a fascinating talk by David Bridges. David has done a huge amount to support biodiversity in his home area near Horsham. Since he initiated ‘Wild About Warnham’ a few years ago, the environmental group has been involved in many projects including putting 18 swift boxes in the village,
Energy saving in the home
February 2024
Graeme de Lande Long and David Woolley gave an interesting presentation on practical ways to save energy illustrated with examples of what they had managed to achieve in their rather two different aged houses. This was followed by a Q&A and discussion of others’ experiences. Click here for a copy of the presentation.
Barn Owls
November 2023
We were so pleased to enjoy a wonderful presentation by Terry Halahan on the work of the Sussex Barn Owls Trust, full of fascinating information and striking photos of these amazing birds. A good number of people joined us for the talk, some coming from as far off as Horsham and Burgess Hill.
The Common plant survey
June 2023
Margaret Pilkington led a second survey of plants of the Common, which was fascinating and much enjoyed by all. Nearly 30 different species were identified (up about 40% from last year) and the general state of the common as a wildflower meadow was assessed as reasonable.
Scaynes Hill Eco Festival
22nd Sep – 3rd Oct 2022
The ‘Great Big Green Festival’ organised by the Church had much to enjoy and discover. It involved local producers or food and businesses who are actively supporting the sustainability agenda. Enjoy storytelling and music, measure your carbon footprint, find out what children are learning at school, experience the fruit and veg preservation skills of our forebears and be inspired to become more environmentally friendly.
There were Eco focussed exhibitions, including an update on the Scaynes Hill – Lindfield cyle/walkway project, and a variety of Eco themed speakers committed to share their knowledge.
Recording flora on the Common
July 2022
Under the guidance of wildflower meadow expert Margaret Pilkington there was a gathering on the Common to have a close look at and record what is growing there. The Common is a designated Site of Nature Conservation Importance being managed by Lindfield Rural Parish Council as a wildflower meadow.
Dawn Chorus Walk
May 2022
There was a relaxed early morning wander through Costells Wood listening to the chorus of birds of many different varieties from the strident reverberations of the tiny wren to the melifluous tones of the blackbird with many variations in between. The walk was guided by bird expert Tim Squire with others on hand who had a good knowledge of bird calls. The morning finished off with a breakfast of coffee and croissants in the Church annexe.
Costells Woodland Nature Hunt
April 2022
Spring is a particularly beautiful season in Costells Wood, a feast of colour as the pale yellow primroses give way to a starry carpet of white wood anemones and vibrant bluebells, and the different trees begin to show their own distinctive shade of fresh green leaves. The Woodland Nature Hunt offered all ages the chance to experience the wonders of the woodland and to seek out what they could see, hear and smell as they followed the woodland trail. There was an activity sheet and small prizes to encourage younger participants and a range of fascinating facts were available for others. Afterwards tea and cakes were provided in the Church Annexe.
The event was supported by Action in Rural Sussex, a partner in the Lottery funded Lost Woods Project.
Village bulb planting
October 2020
The Sustainability Group invited villagers to plant nearly 1600 bulbs in a variety of verges around the village. The bulbs, consisting of 400 daffodils and 1200 crocuses were chosen to be early flowering native species in order to provide nectar for bees and other insect at a time when such resources are scarce.
Other events
The Sustainability Group meet regularly to discuss on-going projects and to plan future events and projects. If you have any suggestions or ideas that you think the Group could help implement or be involved in then do Contact Us to discuss as we would love to hear from you.
