The Adur & Worthing Wildflower Trail

Goring Road Community Road Verge

Posted on 10 June 2021 by Michelle

Worthing Climate Action Network (WCAN) in collaboration with XR Worthing began a ‘Wilding Worthing’ petition to mark No Mow May in Spring last year, asking Adur & Worthing Councils and West Sussex County Council to stop mowing road verges so often and instead allow the wildflowers and grasses to grow. When the petition reached 1000 signatures last June it was presented to Worthing Council where it was accepted. Negotiations began with West Sussex Highways with the first trial Community Road Verge in Worthing being established on Goring Road.

The site is comprised of several grassy verges along Goring Road between the Goring Shops and Shaftesbury Avenue, pedestrian accessibility is good due to the adjacent pavement. No seed has been sown at this site as it is hoped that the natural seedbank present in the soil will have the chance to establish with the reduced cutting regime. Already species such as Common Mallow, Birds Foot Trefoil, Ribwort Plantain and Daisies can be seen flourishing.

There will be only one cut a year to be undertaken in September. Volunteers will take away the grass cuttings in order to help keep the ground infertile, providing the best conditions for the wildflowers to thrive. Other verges are now being planned across the area.

For more information please contact WCAN Worthing Climate Action | Facebook .

Lancing Railway Station

Posted on 27 May 2021 by Michelle

Lancing Railway Station on Sompting Road and South Street, is home to two areas of planting maintained by the community group Keep Lancing Lovely. Established in 2014, Keep Lancing Lovely have 100+ volunteers from the local community engaging in many different projects to improve the appearance and environment of their local areas. In 2017 they were able to plant up two areas (totalling approximately 10M²) at the north side of the station with a selection of wildflowers, herbs and green manure plants like Phacelia. This has provided both habitat and forage plants for many different species of butterflies, bees and other insects. The rather rare Long Tailed Blue butterfly has been spotted in recent years. Area One is a brick built deep bed and Area Two is a fenced in area near the level crossing at the station.

A brick built flower bed planted with a variety of wildflowers

The areas are easily accessed by the public as the beds are situated on the outside boundary of the station grounds. There is a colourful display all year so there should be something to see most seasons.

Keep Lancing Lovely are formal “Station Partners” with GTR/Southern Trains at Lancing Railway Station where they promote public and sustainable transport, the local environment and their own projects. To learn more about the work that they do and to explore volunteering opportunities visit their website Keep Lancing Lovely – volunteers boosting the West Sussex village (weebly.com) and their Facebook page (Keep Lancing Lovely | Facebook .

Heene Cemetery

Posted on 16 March 2021 by Michelle

Heene Cemetery is located on Manor Road, Worthing. Within the now closed cemetery (burials no longer occur there) there is an extensive wildflower meadow that is managed by the Friends of Heene Cemetery group. A team of volunteers carry out maintenance of the land by removing invasive species and replacing them with suitable native species, such as Common Bird’s-foot- trefoil, Meadow Crane’s-bill, Primrose, Wild Teasel and Yarrow. A comprehensive list, supplied by the Friends of Heene Cemetery can be found here: Heene Cemetery Flowering Plants List

Volunteers celebrating their 5th anniversary

Access to the site is normally restricted to the public, however voluntary work is carried out on Tuesday and Saturday afternoons between 2pm-4pm during which members of the public are allowed to enter. New volunteers are welcome to visit on these working days and learn what the group does and where help is needed. Throughout the year volunteers run 4 open days and several tours. Visits by arrangement can be organised with the Friends of Heene Cemetery.

Mats are available to place on the paths suitable for wheelchair and impaired access.

The last year has been challenging, but Friends of Heene Cemetery have managed to keep the basic maintenance of the grounds under control with dedicated volunteers attending in pairs throughout lockdown by working in isolation and adhering to social distancing rules.

Even with the restrictions that have continually been changing this year, as a team they have managed to maintain, record, research and begin many different projects:

A new website was launched in July 2020 where the group celebrated 5 years of working together with a picnic.
Green Flag Award judging by Keith Percival
Two publications in the local paper, Worthing Herald.
A visit by Kate Greening WBC Cemetery’s manager and Harriet from Caring for God’s Acre
Rescued slow worms and lizards were introduced
Survey of mosses etc by Sue Rubenstein from Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre
Survey of Fungi by Nick Aplin from Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre
Introduction to identifying headstone materials by West Sussex Geological Society

The best time to see the wildflowers is from February to October.

For more information please visit Heene Cemetery – A closed cemetery in Worthing, West Sussex

St Aubyns Garden, Fishersgate

Posted on 25 January 2021 by Michelle

The St. Aubyns Garden is formed of a 30m² wildflower verge at the corner of St. Aubyns Crescent and St. Aubyns Road, Fishersgate. It is maintained by the Eastbrook Community Gardeners, a small team of residents improving the appearance of their local spaces.

wildflower verge st aubyns — A vibrant selection of Californian poppies and cornflowers

A vibrant selection of Californian poppies and cornflowers

The garden was sown with wildflower seed in May 2020, however after a challenging year, in spring 2021, an elderly resident did a Captain Thomas Moore style sponsored Walk for Wildflowers and raised over £1000 which paid for perennial wildflower turf called ‘Treasure Chest’ by Pictorial Meadows. The turf was laid by local residents replacing a grass verge and has been flowering successfully since 2021. The mix is drought tolerant and the best time of year to see it is around May and June.

This site is easily accessible as it is in a residential area.

Visit the St. Aubyns Garden Facebook page for more information.

The Gallops, Findon Valley

Posted on 21 January 2021 by Michelle

The Gallops is an open greenspace that features several important habitats on its fringes, including chalk grassland and semi-natural woodland, as such it is listed as a West Sussex Area of Nature Conservation Importance and is a part of the South Downs National Park. Good access to the site is located between Bost Hill and Vale Drive in Findon, wheelchair users and the walking impaired may need support in accessing the site.

Findon Valley Residents’ Association work in partnership with their local park rangers to enrich The Gallops with a patch of pollinator friendly wildflower mixes. As part of this partnership, in the Autumn local school children, volunteers and park rangers clear the ground and then begin sowing seeds in the Spring, an area approximately 60m² is used for this purpose.

Among the various species found here you can spot Common Spotted Orchids, Eyebright and Field Scabious, the best time to see the wildflowers in full swing is during the summer months.

To find out more about the volunteering opportunities with Findon Valley Residents’ Association and the work that they do, visit: Welcome to the FVRA (findonvalley.org)

Lancing Ring Local Nature Reserve

Posted on 5 January 2021 by Michelle

Lancing Ring is a 23.5 hectare nature reserve, located to the north of Lancing and situated within the South Downs National Park. It is owned by Adur District Council and maintained in partnership with the Friends of Lancing Ring.

The reserve is comprised of many different habitats that support wildflowers, for instance: woodland areas that support species such as violets, early purple orchid and wood anemones; chalk grassland that supports round-headed rampions, cowslips, small scabious, birdsfoot trefoil, and pyramidal orchids; and meadows where you can find knapweed, yellow rattle, various vetches, eyebright and many more…

The site is open countryside and not really suitable for wheel chair users. Paths are generally dirt or grass and can be uneven, so may not be suitable for people with walking difficulties, depending on impairment. It can get muddy during very wet periods. There are flowers at most times of the year, but the greatest concentration of flower are in the summer months. Access is via Mill Road through the main car park situated there and also at Halewick Lane, which also has parking located beside the play area at the foot of the hill.

During the summer, Friends of Lancing Ring host guided flower walks, although currently these are on hold due to coronavirus restrictions.

Volunteer sessions run on the 3^rd Sunday of the month between 10am and midday when a variety of tasks are undertaken. For insurance purposes, new volunteers are asked to become members at a cost of £3 for the year and 50p for children. Members also receive 3 newsletters a year to keep them informed of what is happening and growing on the reserve.

Find out more about the work being undertaken by the Friends of Lancing Ring at their website: Friends of Lancing Ring | Your local nature conservation group (wordpress.com)

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