Heritage lottery funding will support huge celebration of chalk landscape

Heritage lottery funding will support huge celebration of chalk landscape

April 12, 2023

A five-day celebration of history, landscape, wildlife and the arts will take place later this year after major grant funding was announced.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £213,800 to deliver Walk The Chalk, which will be a huge extravaganza among nine national events to mark the opening of the England Coast Path.

The South Downs section of the England Coast Path opened last year and further sections will be opened across the UK. When completed the path will be a 2,700- mile coastal trail around the country, and the longest of its kind in Britain.

The celebrations are being delivered by LYT Productions in partnership with Lewes District Council.

The event is set to take place in late September at a number of locations, including South Hill Barn, Seaford Head Nature Reserve, Cuckmere Haven and the Seven Sisters.

Walks, talks, and exhibitions will be among the line-up of activities.

Phil Rose, Artistic Director at LYT Productions, said: “This generous funding gives another golden opportunity for young people to engage in heritage in new and exciting ways, and to feel connected to their spectacular environment. We can’t wait to start work on this amazing project.”

Helen Browning-Smith, Tourism and Arts Manager at Lewes District Council, said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project will benefit local communities and fill them with a sense of pride and ownership of this world-famous and fascinating section of England’s coast.”

The 33-mile (53km) stretch of the England Coast Path, linking Shoreham-by-Sea to Eastbourne, opened in May last year. Find out more here.