South Downs

Mosaic’s newest area – the South Downs

The Seven Sisters in South Downs, credit S.Wilson, copyright Mosaic.

2011 sees Mosaic expanding into Britain’s tenth and newest national park, the South Downs in the south east of England. 

The South Downs is a long line of beautiful hills running from Winchester to Eastbourne and incorporates farmland, ancient woodland, open heath, rivers and coastline and many pretty towns and villages. It’s a great place to head for from London, Brighton or Portsmouth, providing a peaceful antidote to city life that is easy to get to on public transport. Of course, there is lots to do including walking, cycling and horse-riding along the network of paths and tracks. You can picnic in one of the many accessible open spaces, canoe along one of the rivers or take in some history at (amongst other sites) the Cissbury Iron Age hill fort or the Chattri monument, which stands as a memorial to Indian soldiers who lost their lives in the First World War. 

Mosaic is recruiting and supporting community champions in the South East, focussing on the coastal cities of Brighton and Portsmouth, along with many smaller towns bordering the park and within its boundaries. We’re also recruiting in London, from where you can be in the peaceful open countryside of the South Downs in under an hour. 

Farmland at Crowlink in the South Downs, credit S.Wilson, copyright Mosaic.

The South Downs National Park is brand new and the National Park Authority will begin formal duties in April 2011. South Downs community champions will be able to get involved in the National Park during its first days, while it formulates its strategy for the coming years, giving a unique opportunity to help make sure the South Downs is as accessible as possible to as many of us as possible. 

If you’re interested in becoming a community champion with the South Downs or would like to know more about it, please get in touch with Sarah Wilson, Mosaic’s project officer for the area. You can also find out more about the South Downs at the National Park Authority website www.southdowns.gov.uk or at www.southdownsonline.org