About Us | BenfieldLNR

Our story so far...

Benfield Wildlife Group was formed in 1991, and by 1992 had successfully campaigned for the creation of Hove’s first Local Nature Reserve (LNR) on Benfield Hill. The Benfield valley forms one of the very few remaining green tongues of open land remaining in Brighton and Hove, linking the town to the Downs.

With only about 3% of the species-rich chalk grassland remaining over the whole of the South Downs, it becomes increasingly important to preserve this environment by management. The special chalk grassland plants have great difficulty in competing with the long grass and shrubs shutting off their light. Without the natural lawn mowing assistance of sheep and cows, the invasive growth needs to be kept back by hand.,

t is noticeable that, in those areas where it has been kept under control, the plants and small fauna, including the glowworms, take advantage of the opportunity to grow and flourish. In 1999 the Conservation section was included to combat schemes proposed to develop Benfield Valley, and its historic Listed Barn and farm buildings.

Our aims and objectives are:-

To protect and enhance Benfield Hill and Valley, including the Reserve.
To encourage community involvement in conservation.
To survey and monitor wildlife and habitats.
To enhance the ecological value of the Reserve.
Management of the Reserve, to encourage the chalkland plants, butterflies etc to flourish.

The current Officers are:-

Chairman: Sally Wadsworth
Treasurer: Gerry White
Secretary: Sally Milne
Webmaster; Gerry White

The Group carry out regular weekly downland maintenance from September to March. each year. However, management is an ongoing process. Without it, even after a short time, the invasive bramble and long grass starts to re-grow, trying to overpower the flora.

It is an impossible task to cut it all back by hand, and we are delighted to have Shetland and Herdwick sheep on the reserve in December and January. Such grazing is usually carried out in roped off sections, and so as not to over graze, each section is only grazed for about a month, before the sheep are moved on to another site.

The success of the sheep grazing can be witnessed by a good increase in chalk grassland flora growing.

If you are interested in joining our sheep “Lookerers” please contact us and we’ll explain what is involved.

We need support to preserve the character of this important area, and if you would like to help in any capacity, such as monitoring any aspect of wildlife, scrub clearing, typing, administration, or in any other way, please contact us as below. New members are always welcome and we hope you will want to join us.:-

Individual £6.00
Family £10
Unwaged £3

As members we aim to provide you with these benefits:

Colour newsletter three times a year.
Talks on wildlife/country crafts etc at our AGM.
Flora & fauna identification walks
Playing a part in preserving the Benfield Valley and Nature Reserve

To enquire about joining our group or for more information please contact us using the button below