Mike Thatcher met Michael Nailard, Chairman of the Woodland, Flora and Fauna Group, to find out a little bit of the group’s history, what it has been up to and his hopes for its future.

The group was founded in 2004 at the invitation of Mid Sussex District and Parish Councils to have a look at the local countryside and how it could be protected, as it was suggested by the council that the low weald between Ansty and the edge of Hurst was going to be given particular attention for future

development. The Parish Council invited lots of groups to a meeting to initiate a biodiversity study of the whole parish in order to determine whether there was anything of value that needed special protection.

Michael Nailard (right) was elected as Chairman, and he estimated the study would take between 12-18 months
to complete. “However, there are 200 landowners in Hurstpierpoint parish, and they all had to be approached before any survey teams went on their land. After

a public meeting 120 people turned up, all very keen to stop any development and 60 volunteered to help with the survey.” These volunteers were trained, with the help of the Sussex Wildlife Trust, but then the number of volunteers dwindled when they realised it was hard work going round the fields identifying flowers and fauna. Numbers dropped to below 20 and the survey ended up taking six years.

He spoke at great length about the achievements of the group, which covered a multitude of areas. About 11 years ago it embarked on a bat conservation project in the woodlands. They also investigated where dormice were, and where they found indications they put in boxes, and there are currently six woodlands where they do monthly checks on them.

For the full story see page 14 of Hurst Life’s Feb 2020 issue.