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Steyning Downland Scheme

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SDS

The Steyning Downland Scheme

The Steyning Downland Scheme has been initiated by The Wiston Estate, in partnership with A Rocha, a Christian conservation organisation. 160 acres of chalk downland adjacent to Steyning has been designated to be developed for the benefit of wildlife and the local community as the main focus of the Scheme. It is an area comprising of open grassland, a watercourse and ponds and mixed woodland, known locally as the Horseshoe, and the Rifle Range.
The scheme seeks to engage the local community, and young people in particular, in protecting, conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of their surroundings for the benefit of the community, the land and it’s wildlife.

Vision for Steyning Downland scheme

“This is a project about learning to see well. We are continually being bombarded with images from the media and advertising. Some are about global warming some are about what pair of jeans to buy. Often they pull our eyes away from what is happening right under our noses. We may know what happens one mile under the sea but have little idea as to what lives in the pond next to the rifle range. The purpose of this project is to encourage us to learn what is happening in the local environment and act from that starting point. Particularly we want to engage young people in understanding the world around them and how it is changing. The hope is to foster a meeting of different minds and people, coming together in the pursuit of seeing the everyday miracle of creation and being inspired to hope for the future in a slightly fractured and despairing world.”

Richard Goring January 2008
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