Staff Funding

For more than 50 years the Friends have contributed to the costs of staffing the nature reserve. This enabled the team to increase from a summer warden, to a full time one in then 2, then 3 wardens, then a full time education role. During this time the staff were first employed by the Management Committee, then in 1992 by East Sussex County Council, then from 2011 by Sussex Wildlife Trust.

Now a larger team works on the nature reserve and another team in the Discovery Centre to deliver more habitat management and more public engagement, education and other activities.

Fencing

Much of the success of increasing the numbers of ground nesting birds has depended on developing fencing to exclude most Foxes and Badgers from the core areas. This has been a great investment in materials and staff and volunteer time, and it will be an ongoing commitment to retain much of the bird breeding interest of the area.

This fencing also enables the 400,000 visitors and their many dogs to visit the reserve and have little impact on the nesting birds.

Land Purchase

When Castle Water came up for sale in 1992, the Friends were able to make a significant contribution that enabled Sussex Wildlife Trust to become the new owner. Together these two charities have improved the site for people and wildlife – it’s now a diverse wetland with many rare and endangered species, that can be explored by a network of permissive paths that lead to the reedbed viewpoint, a birdwatching hide and several benches.

Vehicles and Equipment

The Friends have funded the purchase of vehicles and equipment that have enabled the staff and volunteers to be more effective in managing the nature reserve.

The have included: LandRover, utility vehicles, trailers, pedestrian cutting machines, brushcutters, generators and water pumps.

The utility vehicle above was purchased in memory of a loyal supporter, Lynn Jenkins, who left a legacy to help the place she loved and spent so much time enjoying nature.

Education Shelter

The Friends and their 833 Lottery Club helped to finance a new shelter for the grassland area to use during education activities. It’s so helpful for really hot, sunny days or for during a light shower. It means groups can stay outside as much as possible, which is why the children are coming here in the first place.

It is situated next to the path down to the Discovery Centre.

The shelter was designed by Joseph Williams and is made of sustainable eco-friendly materials including bamboo for the uprights and a stretchable fabric awning. The awning can be taken down and packed away easily when not in use, which makes the shelter almost invisible.

The Friends shared the cost of the shelter with the 833 Lottery, and SWT. We hope that lots of groups will be glad of its shade and shelter during our increasingly hot summers.

Sound Trails Workshops

The Friends arranged a Sound Recording Course, comprising three workshops, experimenting with a variety of commercial and improvised recording devices to capture the natural sounds of the reserve.

See the event report for more details of what went on. It is intended to repeat the course in the future.

Writer in Residence

The Friends provided the seed funding for the first Writer in Residence project. This was led by the award-winning nature poet Jane Lovell who organised monthly meetings to walk the reserve and to write about nature. The pilot project was so successful that the writing group produced an anthology of poetry and artwork, New Ways of Looking, inspired by the reserve. The book is on sale for £15 at the Discovery Centre and has proven so popular that it is already on its second print run.