MWHG Newsletter: 13th July 2026

MWHG Team
1 day ago
6 min read

Dear Volunteers and Supporters,

Our project leaders have been focused on community engagement during May and June. Be sure to sign up to our Volunteering emails to hear about our upcoming sessions and events, and read on for some butterfly-friendly tips to help wildlife during the hot weather.

Wittering Area Community Conservation Project

By Jane Reeve | Wittering Area Community Conservation Project

This month has been very focussed on Family engagement days and Emma, the Community Conservation Project Education Officer, will be telling us about those in this newsletter. We have had lots of volunteer help to run these and the feedback from children and parents has been overwhelmingly positive.

I have also been checking the trees we planted over the winter and despite the hot and dry temperatures, they are doing well. I had a walk with the Chichester District Council's Trees Outside Woodland Project Officer, Paul Cordle, along the West Wittering cycle path in mid-June. He had approved the grant that paid for the trees and wanted to see them in-situ. I was able to show him they are growing well and that the thick layer of mulch was helping to keep the roots cool. The trees are doing well but of course some regular rain would help them enormously.

A visit to the Mundham hedge we planted in the winter of 2024 - 2025 shows that the trees are thriving, and you can see a proper hedge line developing. It is a joy to see and the mulch we shovelled under these trees has obviously done its job and provided moisture, organic material and protection. Please go have a look, it provides a great path across the field now.

Thanks as ever to all the volunteers and other people that support our work. Big shout out of THANKS to our funders, the Woodger Trust, who allow us to do this important work.

Jane, Project Officer, Community Conservation Project

Heritage News

By Bill Martin | Our Heritage, Selsey Tramway Project, Sidlesham Heritage Project

Land Settlement Association Project

A planning application to rebuild the LSA house at the Weald and Downland Living Museum has been submitted to Chichester District Council. I have had a meeting with members of the interpretation team, the newly appointed funding manager and Dr Anna Clement, who is leading on telling the story of the house.

An LSA presentation in Sidlesham, the first since 2013, was attended by 80+ people. 20 people have signed up for an LSA walk on 18th July.

Selsey Tramway Project

Last chance to see the Tramway exhibition at the Novium with our film as it finishes at the end of July. A presentation was given to members of Selsey Gardening Club in June. A successful application to Selsey Town Council means that the damaged information boards at Golf Club Halt and Chichester Station can now be replaced.

Not the answer we wanted, but following meetings and discussions with the Church Commissioners, our plans to restore Chalder Station and its track have not received their support. However, we are looking at ways to reinstate the platform, retain its visibility and reduce the amount of ongoing maintenance. Landlink, part of the Langmead Group, have offered volunteers to start the work later in July.

Chalder Station in July 2025 after volunteer work (Left) vs July 2026 after re-growth (Right)

Sidlesham Women's Institute

Sidlesham WI finished in March, 2 years short of its 100th birthday. Highlights of a 98 year history included 20 minutes with a piece of tin (1928), Best dinner for a working man to cost only ninepence (£1.68 today) (1931).

A history of Sidlesham WI will be published in Sidlesham Parish magazine and in the Heritage Centre in the Memorial Hall. The balance of WI funds was donated to the Weald and Downland Museum as so many of the LSA women were members of the WI.

Nature Days

By Emma Horton | Wildlife Warriors

We’ve had a busy summer, with four ‘Nature Days’, at Sidlesham, Birdham, Itchenor and West Wittering, along with a series of ‘Wildlife Warriors’ children’s nature activities at Birdham and Sidlesham Primary Schools.

The weather has been a big challenge this month when organising these large-scale engagement events. Heavy rain and gale force winds at the beginning of June, led us to run the Nature Day at Itchenor from indoors, at the memorial hall, for fear that our gazebos would blow away! Also, our first Wildlife Warriors session at Sidlesham Primary School took place in a classroom rather than outdoors, as the amazing forest school area was out of bounds in the high winds. In contrast, in the last week of June we were subjected to record breaking hot temperatures which led to the cancellation of our school sessions for the first time ever, on advice from the schools.

Health and safety comes first and risk assessments are always made to ensure everyone involved stays safe. This being said, we’ve worked hard and adapted our plans to make our engagement events work successfully. The feedback that we received from those attending our Nature Days was very positive. Children found the activities fun, varied and educational, and parents/carers appreciated the fact that everything was free for all.

Youngsters were delighted to take home bird boxes that they had decorated and bug houses that they had filled with natural materials to make a habitat for minibeasts. A big thank you should be made to our amazing carpenter Graham, who has fashioned hundreds of unique wooden houses, from recycled wine crates, for these special events.

There were so many other things to entertain the children too, including crafts, seed bomb making, planting sunflower seeds, observing moths, dissecting owl pellets, making pine cone bird feeders, a books and games area and nature trails around the church yards. The children enjoyed collecting wildlife stickers for taking part in each different activity, which they could put in their own ‘Nature Day Passport’ which they could then take home as a souvenir of their day.

Many thanks to all of our dedicated and fantastic volunteers who gave up their time to help run stalls and prepare for the event, putting up gazebos, setting up tables and resources and tidying away at the end. We couldn’t manage without you and we are very grateful for all your hard work and effort.

Helping Wildlife in a Heatwave and Wildlife Survey Results

By Nikki Timney | Find Wildlife From Home Survey

In May and June, 64 wildlife records, including 74 individuals spotted, were submitted to us by our volunteers and supporters. Our wildlife survey has now received a grand total of 2,057 records - thank you to everyone who takes part!

We've had some great photos of butterflies submitted recently, some of which are shown below, and you may have noticed the hot weather bringing more butterflies to your garden. While this initial boost in butterfly activity may seem positive, drought from long heatwaves had a negative impact on caterpillar food sources. Butterfly Conservation's records show that summer UK droughts result in a decline in butterfly numbers later in the same season and in the following year.

If you have your own garden or green space, here are a few things you can do to help butterflies and other wildlife during these hot spells.

Allow a portion of your garden to grow wild over the summer. Stinging nettles, Birds-foot trefoil, dandelions and wild marjoram are just some of the native plants which are essential food sources for Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshells, Common Blue and other species.
When water is scarce, focus on watering nectar rich plants as a priority. Read the Wildlife Trusts' recommended list of plants which provide good sources of nectar for butterflies and bees.
To allow insects to access water safely in your garden, replicate a puddle using a shallow dish with some stones added for the pollinators to settle on. Keep the dish topped up with water, ensuring the stones are not fully immersed.

Take a look at some of the photos and survey results we received over May and June.

Survey Results for May and June

19 Dunnocks	3 Large White Butterflies	1 Buff-tailed Bumblebee
8 Red Admiral Butterflies	1 Bat	5 Peacock Butterflies
1 Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly	2 Holly Blue Butterflies	5 House Sparrows

Tell us about the wildlife you've seen in your garden, neighbourhood and surrounding local area and we will also submit your records to the National Biological Records Centre on your behalf.