River Festival - Lewes Railway Land Local Nature Reserve

Good news for the hard-working organisers of the Lewes Railway Land Local Nature Reserve: they have been granted planning permission for the Linklater Pavilion, the cutting-edge ‘Community Environmental Change Centre’ which they hope will become the hub of their operation. “We have already raised £250,000,” says spokesman John Parry, “out of a total of £750,000. It is crucial that we double that by Christmas. We’ll need all the hours in the day.”

This weekend they have organised an event-filled ‘River Festival’ to help them make a dent in that sum and raise awareness of their project. There’s plenty to do and see in the beautiful setting that the organisation has done so much to save for the town. Cult band Turning Green are playing a set, as well as the a cappella choir Angels with Attitude, who will be singing on the mound by the Heart of Reeds. Five primary schools are performing dances designed around photographs of creatures taken by David Bradford on the site. There will be pond dipping and workshops, the launching of a new poster designed by the group’s ‘Junior Management Board’ and a video yurt showing film footage of the site taken from a helicopter. “There will also be architects’ plans of the Pavilion, and a yellow ribbon laid out in the space it is to stand, so people can see what size it will be,” says John. “Even if people simply sign the petition to show they support the scheme, that will be a positive step,” he concludes.