All posts by Luke Geoghegan

South Downs gets star billing in new TV programme

February 14th, 2017

Britain’s newest National Park, the South Downs, takes centre stage in a new documentary presented by author and local parish priest Peter Owen-Jones. The programme will premiere on Tuesday 21 February at 21:00 on BBC 4 and has been a labour of love for its director Nick Stringer from international production company BigWave, based in […]

Most asked: ‘Dark Skies’ Dan Oakley

January 30th, 2017

Send us your questions about a particular area of work in the National Park to newsletter@southdowns.gov.uk Answering this month is: ‘Dark Skies’ Dan Oakley, Lead Ranger for the SDNPA. Why are dark skies important? The Milky Way is our home and without dark skies we can’t see it. I love being able to look beyond […]

On the Ground in January 2017

January 30th, 2017

Don’t forget to say hello if you spot our Rangers and volunteers out working in the National Park. Here’s a taste of what they achieved in January 2017. Installation of new tramper friendly kiss gates, improving access at Kingley Vale NNR in West Sussex. Volunteer spent 42 task days clearing scrub on chalk grassland and […]

Farming for the South Downs in post-Brexit Britain

January 27th, 2017

Since the early hours of Friday 24 June 2016 politicians, the media, economists and many of us ordinary, diverse Brits have been trying to understand or predict what life will be like after Brexit. For those of us involved with farming or the environment this future feels uncertain but, as with most change, life without […]

Championing our water

January 20th, 2017

You’re thirsty. You turn on a tap, the glass fills and you drink without a second thought. But did you know that if you live near the National Park – particularly on the southern coast – it’s the chalk of the South Downs we have to thank? Chalk is porous and holds water like a […]

Join our stargazing extravaganza – 10 to 26 February 2017

January 20th, 2017

South Downs Dark Skies Festival, 10-26 February 2017 In 2016 the South Downs National Park became the world’s newest International Dark Sky Reserve (IDSR), the 2nd in England and only 11th in the world. What better way to mark the occasion than a two-week festival in the dark winter months? Whether you live in or […]

Future of the Natural Environment after the EU Referendum

January 4th, 2017

Andrew Lee, Director of Countryside Policy and Management, for the South Downs National Park Authority: “We have read today’s report from the Environmental Audit Committee on The Future of the Natural Environment after the EU Referendum with interest. “The report sets out key challenges around the future of environmental land management. While setting out the […]