Engaging People Safely
In addition to the 40 members of the Green Team, who are drawn from across our community, we have engaged with local schools, charities and businesses. We were also fortunate to have 30 temporary volunteers from two schools and a government agency lend a hand for a day. We are also grateful to local primary school children, who grew plants from seed.
A number of presentations were made to the Chamber of Commerce. These were well-received and led to further engagement with members of the local business community. Several cafes are involved. This has been discontinued due to the municipal collection of food waste from 2026. Neighbouring businesses, residents and the museum took on responsibility for watering beds and troughs. Our public events attracted over 1000 people, some of whom have become active participants in our wildlife initiatives. We have also established a partnerships with the Aldingbourne Trust, with Brent Lodge Wildlife Trust, Greenwood Plants and Volker Highways.
Through our WhatsApp group, we keep members of the Green Team updated about developments. We share updates with the wider community through our Facebook page and the monthly Arundel Update. We also present annually at Arundel Town Council and at Town Hall meetings. We have had several articles published in the Sussex Express and The Bell. In addition, articles about our work have appeared in the South Downs and RHS newsletters. In this way, we are working to keep the community informed and engaged.
The Green Team
The people that bring the ideas to life. This growing team of wonderful volunteers is what makes the projects happen and continue to thrive. With over 40 active volunteers and 25 projects underway or in the pipeline there is always plenty of rewarding work to do.
Weald to Waves Corridor Champions
Nature recovery requires a comprehensive approach locally that is connected to a wider vision at the regional and national level. The Weald to Waves (W2W) initiative
provides just such a regional context. It’s goal is to extend and consolidate nature recovery efforts along a
100+ mile corridor. In 2025, Greening Arundel was delighted to be offered the role of Corridor Champion.
This enables us to share our experiences with and to learn from others, as well as to draw on the expertise
and equipment of the Knepp Wildland Foundation. We encourage everyone to join the corridor. Sign up here.
Community Allotment
The ACA (Arundel Community Allotment) is a place for people to meet and get to know each other. It is also a place to teach each other about growing organic food, avoiding waste, reducing grocery bills, and making the most of what we grow. The ultimate goal being that we can grow as much of our food as possible. It already has asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, rhubarb, fruit trees and berries. We will develop sustainability by saving our seeds, taking cuttings, grafting, layering and splitting. A path for mobility access has already been created by the Green Team with help from ADC using woodchips donated by WSCC.
We are delighted to be embarking on a partnership with
Home Start from spring 2027. We look forward to supporting local families grow, harvest, and process
nutritious fruit and vegetables, which will in turn help to reduce food bills.
Those interested in joining should contact: greenteam.arundel@gmail.com
“It’s been a fabulous community project, connecting all ages of Arundellers in art and nature.” Mary Peach
Sunflower Festival
All Year Round at Arundel Station
The festival initially focussed on Arundel’s two schools – St. Philip’s Catholic Primary School and Arundel Church of England Primary School. With the support of the Green Team along with parents and teachers, hundreds of pupils engaged in a range of sunflower-related activities including planting seeds (5kg of seeds donated by Arun District Council, RHS donating the soil to plant them) to take home and nurture; making labels for the plant pots; painting a sunflower mural; learning about Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflowers and making clay sunflower petals and leaves. The next step involved the Green Team and other volunteers working with ceramic artist, Ali Pacey, to paint and prepare the petals, leaves and sunflower centres for their later transformation.
One by one, the mosaics emerged, created by volunteers and sponsored by local businesses. They were installed to the delight of passers-by until, by the end of November, all were in place ready for the official opening of the Sunflower Parade.
“The Sunflower Parade is such a fabulous addition to the station, and its collaborative nature perfectly represents the essence of what we are trying to achieve,” Katrina Murray
Great Big Green Week Artwork
Nature Notes
Building on the Sunflower Parade and inspired by the Blossom Arc planted at ACE, children from both schools painted nature-based images on a canvas designed by volunteer artists to represent flint bricks. The resulting “Nature Notes” was then displayed and much-admired on the fence next to the Blackfriars Ruins in Jubilee Gardens for the summer of 2025.
Disc Decoration
In 2026, pupils from both primary schools joined Guides in decorating CDs, which were then transformed into Disc Decorations by local volunteers. The art installation was displayed in the Pollinator Garden for GBGW and stayed there for the rest of the summer.
Wild about Gardening
A project to encourage local people to change the way they garden. An event was held in May 2024, in which 59 people attended. There were 4 speakers who gave insightful and interesting talks in relation to this topic.
This spawned a plan within the town – transforming a very well-manicured garden into a more wild and animal-friendly space….With advice and design input from a member of Green Team, Andy and Janet Batty have created a beautiful urban space that works equally well for people and wildlife. Locals were invited to visit during GBGW to be inspired as to just what can be achieved in their own backyard.
No Spray Streets
The No Spray Streets initiative aims to bring about a reduction in the use of harmful chemical pesticides and herbicides through residents taking over responsibility for maintaining their streets from West Sussex County Council. It is being piloted in three streets – Kirdford Road, Kings Arms Hill and Baker’s Arms Hill. The idea is to demonstrate that health and safety hazards standards can be maintained, whilst allowing space for nature grow, in a way that should be aesthetically pleasing for the community. A training session was delivered to those taking part. The pilot will be reviewed by WSCC before determining a long term plan.
Plot holders in all three local allotments have been encouraged to use alternatives to chemicals. This has been well received by the growers and we hope will be a long term change to adjust local growing habits.
St Philip's School Allotment
In 2025, a small group of Green Team members has been working on a weekly basis with pupils from St. Philip’s Catholic Primary School. After clearing the school’s allotment, they helped the children grow vegetables and flowers from seed. Thanks to the Weald to Waves BioBox, an ink tunnel was installed to capture wildlife tracks and the children then used ID charts to identify the animal tracks. A refuge for reptiles was installed and a slow worm identified.
Nature in Art
As an historic town located in the South Downs, Arundel is well-known for the beauty of its location and for its vibrant artistic community. We have decided to broaden our scope, by highlighting how local artists feature nature in their work and showcasing that art in natural settings.
The nature-based installations should educate, inspire and engage those who visit Arundel as well as those who live and work here.
In 2024, the loan of an Arun Valley landscape painting by Frances Knight enabled us to feature the South Downs in the Waiting Room at the station. Frances’ painting was replaced in June 2025 by an Arundel Railway painting by Sarah Semplay, which was on loan for a year. In May 2026, it was replaced with two prints by landscape artist Tony Veal. It is accompanied by a Nature in Art display from the South Downs National Park.
Poetry Trail
Local poetry groups, Swanbourne Poets and Chichester Stanza, partnered with Greening Arundel to create a Poetry Trail that not only showcases the creative talent of local poets, but also highlights nature recovery initiatives undertaken by Green Team volunteers. Sixteen original poems were selected for a trail that starts and ends at the train station to encourage sustainable travel. All on the flat, the 4.5 mile trail extends to Swanbourne Lake in one direction and to Ford Rd cemetery and the Community Orchard in the other with shorter options outlined. Each poem was recorded by the poet for the creation of multicoloured NaviLens codes which allow access to the recording for those with sight loss and anyone else who scans the code. Lydia Bevan designed the hand-drawn Trail Map which has been installed at the station and is available as a hand-held guide.
After following the Trail, Year 6 pupils from St. Philip’s were inspired to write a series of nature-based poems, which have been compiled into an anthology with the support and encouragement of Maria O’Brien
Arundel Town Council - Poetry Trail
Visit Arundel - Poetry Trail
Arun District Council Facebook Reel
Sculpture Benches
Local chainsaw artist, Simon Groves was commissioned to design and sculpt a bench for the train station that would sit in nature and represent the South Downs, the Arundel Wetland Centre and Arundel Castle, as well as Mullets swimming in the River Arun. The bench was funded by donations from Arun District Council, Network Rail, Arundel Town Council, Lyminster and Crossbush Parish Council, the Norfolk Estate and the Roseland Group.
He was later commissioned to design and sculpt a sheltered bench for the station that would celebrate the 200 th anniversary of passenger rail travel. That bench – funded by GTR – depicts a steam train travelling through the South Downs and includes the Railway 200 logo. The bench was dedicated by the Duke of Norfolk during the Green Welcome to Arundel event on 13 June 2025.
Screaming Swift Sculpture
Simon Groves was also commissioned by Greening Arundel to create a Screaming Swift Sculpture to recognise and celebrate the commitment of Arundel residents to the Bring Back Our Birds initiative (B-BOB). The sculpture was carved from Western Red Cedar sourced locally from Steyning. Funds were contributed by The South Downs National Park, Arun District Council, Arundel Town Council and National Highways.
Installation was not an easy process – having obtained planning permission from Arun District Council (ADC) and a license from National Highways (NH), installation took place on one of the hottest days of the year (32C) on a verge that is mostly solid chalk, but the result is absolutely stunning. We have received a huge amount of positive feedback.
