High Weald Nature and Community Fund grants awarded in 2025

Residential camps for primary school children, bumblebee monitoring, hedge laying and meadow management are among almost 30 projects accepted for funding by the High Weald Nature and Community Fund in 2025.

The projects are being run by charities and community groups across Kent, Sussex and Surrey and all of them will benefit the High Weald National Landscape. They include:

• Nature-based creative workshops for men with mental health issues, drawing inspiration from the High Weald, run by charity Fabrica
• Training volunteers and running events to encourage habitats for bumblebees and record their numbers, run by the Bumblebee Conservation Trust
• A  residential camp for primary school children with high levels of need, run by The Garden Classroom
• Workshops to explore the importance of soil health and the soil food web, run by Soil Craft
• Transformation of a 500m² area of unused school grounds into a space for growing, conservation and learning for 630 students at Silverdale Primary Academy in St Leonards-on-Sea
• Traditional hedge laying of a 157m historic hedgerow beside the Bell Field sports ground in Ticehurst  
• Beach experiences for children who never normally go to the seaside, to help them learn about our marine environment and take part in beach-based activities, run by a partnership between Strandliners and Sussex Underwater community groups
• Walks for women from ethnically diverse backgrounds who would not otherwise get out and explore the wonders of the High Weald countryside, run by Diversity Resource International

Other projects funded this year include the Hastings Edible Open Gardens, a Green Map of Chiddingly and a new area of community garden at Ashburnham Place near Battle.

The total grants awarded will be £275,000, ranging in size from £335 to just over £60,000. The largest grant will be given to the Waterlife Recovery Trust for a collaborative project between 80 landowner and volunteers seeking to eradicate non-native, invasive American mink across 3,200km of the High Weald’s watercourses.

The aim of the Nature and Community Fund is to support work that benefits nature and people across the High Weald, including the villages and towns in and around it. It is managed by the High Weald National Landscape team, and funded by the Lund Trust.

Jason Lavender, Co-Director of the High Weald National Landscape team, said: “Our stunning High Weald National Landscape has been shaped for over a thousand years by the people who live in, work in, and love it. These grants are a way to celebrate all those who help make it such a special place.”

“The funding is open to non-profit organisations, community groups, landowners and anyone who cares about improving and enhancing the High Weald and encouraging others to enjoy it. Application for awards for 2026 will be open in March, so keep an eye on our website, or follow us on Facebook or Instagram to find out more.”

Further information about the grants, including a full list of awards agreed in 2025, is available from High Weald Nature and Community Fund – High Weald National Landscape

Some of the projects awarded funding in 2025: volunteers working on Greening Chiddingly; encouraging habitats for bumblebees; Garden Classroom residential camps for children with high levels of need; beach experiences for children who never usually go to the se

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