Following on from the welcome change and events focusing on younger residents throughout the 2023 Year of Children & Younger People in Henfield (including the Skate Jam event and the appointment of our new Youth Coordinator), 2024 is planned as the Year of Biodiversity in Henfield.
We hope that by raising the profile of protecting our natural heritage in the village, the Parish Council and partner organisations can really make a lasting difference to local wildlife and our special Sussex scenery. Already pencilled in as potential events during the year are a BioBlitz in the Tanyard, a Bug Hunt for families on Henfield Common, and a community walk or trail in the summer. We also hope Henfield residents will engage with national events to support Biodiversity, like the RSPB Garden Birdwatch 26-28th January 2024.
One of the events we have created is a project within iNaturalist – an app which allows you to identify the plants and animals around you whilst generating data for science and conservation. Any significant records can be taken from this data and passed on to the Sussex Wildlife Trust’s Biodiversity Records Office which in turn, will help conserve the biodiversity within Henfield. We will be running an introductory session for this new app on Thursday 8 February in the Henfield Hall. You can find more information about this session under our events section.
Henfield Parish Council hopes that, by publicising its commitment to improving Biodiversity and assisting with coordination of community events in 2024, it can help local people and groups engage and enjoy our natural environment. The council can help arrange collaborations or offer expertise and publicity where it can, but we really hope to hear from interested parties who can contribute to making 2024 a successful Year of Biodiversity. We have already had some offers from local naturalists and community groups who hope to get involved by organizing events in 2024, or who are happy to add a nature-friendly theme to events they already put on annually.
Even if you cannot spare much time for volunteering or joining a walk, there will be other ways to take part, such as trying to spot our Henfield Plant of the Month and perhaps posting your finds on the website! Or maybe your club or community group can offer something topical in 2024 to help local nature recover. Details of this and more will be on the Parish Council Facebook page and at www.henfield.gov.uk/2024-biodiversity in due course.
If you care about the wildlife and environment in our lovely village, do join in with any, or all, of the planned activities… and watch out for further details.
Henfield Parish Council