The High Weald Joint Advisory Committee awarded £12,342 of grant support from its Community Landscape Fund (CLF) to twelve projects, to help achieve the AONB Management Plan objectives. These grants supported a wide range of community groups and local businesses. Projects included:
Rosie Earwaker: Rare Bee Survey
Project description: Rosie Earwaker from the RSPB led a series of surveys in four High Weald Woodlands and produce a species fact-sheet on the rare and solitary Fringed-horned Mason Bee (Osmia pilicornis). Amongst other valuable findings, Rosie established that the bee thrives in managed coppice woodland such as Fore Wood near Battle.
Daneshill Routeway Society: Heritage Interpretation
Project description: The grant was awarded to volunteers from Daneshill Routeway Society to research the heritage of specific ancient routeways within the Daneshill Parish. The routeways were initially surveyed through the 'Ancient Routeway Survey Project' and will be developed into a heritage walk.
Crowborough Town Council: Palesgate Lane Meadow
Project description: Crowborough Town Council, working in partnership with Crowborough Conservation and the Sussex Pony Grazing Conservation Trust, used the grant as a contribution towards the cost of stock fencing an ecologically-important wildflower meadow near Palesgate Lane. This will allow the introduction of pony grazing as a way of sustainably managing the meadow to ensure the habitat is protected for future generations.
Great Dixter Charitable Trust: Woodland Habitat Management
Project description: The grant supported woodland conservation work on Great Dixter's areas of semi-natural ancient woodland - coppicing areas that have fallen out of rotation, creating habitat piles and clearing south facing banks to create new habitats for invertebrates.
Petts Level Preservation Trust: Toot Rock Revival
Project description: The Pett Level Preservation Trust installed stock fencing around the area of Toot Rock, Petts Level, to secure long term grazing of the site. This was part of a wider project to clear invasive species and ensure a more sustainable method of managing the unimproved grassland.
Turners Hill C of E Primary School, Crawley: Bees and Chickens in the Woodland
Project description: Turners Hill Primary School (a High Weald Heroes school) used the award to develop their bee and local produce project. They used local coppiced wood to build a chicken shed and a bee hive. Teachers have been trained in beekeeping and the children are actively involved in caring for the chickens and using the eggs and honey in their curriculum work.
Little Gate Farm, Beckley: All Access Pathway
Project description: Little Gate Farm facilitates the development of woodland and farm skills for vulnerable adults in the local community. The award contributed toward building an all-access pathway to connect two training centres on the Farm. The new pathway will allow volunteers and staff of all abilities to access the centres.
Kent Wildlife Trust: The Gill, Calves Lodge Field
Project description: Installation of stock fencing and a rainwater harvesting system for an area of unimproved grassland at The Gill, a Kent Wildlife Trust Nature Reserve near Goudhurst. This will enable sheep to graze as a sustainable way of managing and protecting this important habitat. The pasture's history was discovered through an archaeology and heritage project supported by a previous CLF grant.
Cornford Lane Residents Group: Preservation of Sunken Routeways
Project description: Cornford Lane Residents Group used the award to raise awareness and develop ideas for protecting and enhancing ancient sunken routeways.
RGB Kew, Wakehurst Place: Meadows Folk Exhibition
Project description: The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew at Wakehurst Place developed interpretation materials for the Meadows Folk exhibition. This exhibition celebrate meadows both in the High Weald and across the wider British Isles. This will also involve a scything competition to highlight the heritage of haymaking in relation to modern harvesting methods.
The Holy Trinity Primary School, Cuckfield: Digital Weather Station
Project description: Holy Trinity Primary School in Cuckfield (a High Weald Heroes school) purchased a digital weather station. The weather station is part of a living classroom project to help the children understand climate change and its impact on their local landscape.
Rolvenden Farmers Line: Rolvenden Heritage Survey - Phase 2
Project description: Second Phase of the Rolvenden Heritage Survey brought together local archaeology groups and Rolvenden Primary School (a High Weald Heroes school) to conduct surveys at Halden Place, to widen understanding of historic settlement in Rolvenden. A geophysical survey searching for the remains of building once situated at the Halden Place site was conducted using resistivity and megnetromic methods.