Last Saturday, 22 June 34 members enjoyed a serene glide along the Wey & Arun Canal whilst enjoying a chat, cuppa and cake.  A volunteer provided information about the canal and also about the flora and fauna to be found riverside.  The weather was glorious and, as you can see, everyone had a jolly good time.

One of the guests asked why there were no ducks or other birdlife on the canal, the answer is sadly – Minks!  Since their release they have bred uncontrollably and being aggressive carnivores will and do eat everything.

The safety instructions from the crew were that in the unlikely event you were to fall in they would shout  ”STAND UP” – the water is only a few feet deep.

Thanks go to Heather Aitken for organising this event and to Gordon Jackson for the photographs.

On Sunday 9th June, The Amber Foundation held its Hike on the Hill tackling Box Hill as part of a stunning 10km route while fundraising for Amber’s work.  Christa Emmett, our Project and Volunteer Manager, organised the route and led the group.

Amber supports young adults (aged 18-30) facing complex problems and offer homeless support to transform their lives by helping them move away from homelessness, out of unemployment and work towards better, brighter and healthier futures.  Amber have four centres and their third centre is Farm Place which opened in April 2010.  Near Horsham and Dorking, Farm Place enjoys a parkland setting in 9 acres of grounds in the Surrey Weald.

Together they have fundraised a bed space at Farm Place for a young homeless person to transform their life.  The group covered around 12km, 16,000 steps, equivalent to 63 flights of stairs and raised (so far!) £5,670 towards a bed space and thank everyone for their support and kindness.  Louise Cheung, Fundraising Manager for Amber.

On Monday 10 June we organised another successful visit to Goddards, one of Lutyens most important early houses built in traditional Surrey style.

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The house and gardens remain unaltered and unspoilt and the house hase many interesting and quirky features and with the furniture still intact.

The famous indoor skittle alley was built to amuse the” ladies of small means” who repaired there for a holiday.

Beautiful gardens including the courtyard garden designed by Lutyens and planted by Gertrude Jekyll restored using her original plants.

Many thanks to Chris Abbott for the photographs.

Mark and Virginia Turner

Yesterday, 6 June 2024, Mark and Virginia Turner led a group of 21 members on our visit to the beautifully designed 6 acre garden in the folds of the Surrey Hills.  Lower House dates back to the mid-16th century and in 1916 the then owner Lady Guillemard commissioned Gertrude Jekyll to design a plan for the garden.

The owner, Georginal Harvey has raised thousands for many different charities and last year made over £4,000 through open days and group visits.

Here are some photos taken by our Chairman, Gordon Jackson during our visit.

One of our members very kindly sent us the following message:

“I’m writing to say a big thank you to everyone involved in arranging the visit to Lower House today. It was fascinating to look round such a beautiful garden and Mart was a wonderful guide. The tea and cake were amazing, one of the best high teas we’ve ever had! My wife and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Please say thank you to Georgina Harvey as well for allowing us to visit, we felt very privileged!”

Christa Project and Volunteer Manager

Rebecca

Rebecca Worley, a Year 12 student from St John the Baptist school in Woking, joined Christa Emmet for a week of work experience. 

We thought you would like to see what she got up and here’s her account. 

Monday:
Today was the first day of my week’s work experience with Surrey Hills Society. First, I got to meet the team, who introduced themselves on the Monday morning Zoom meeting and explained a bit about their role for me. After this, I did a task to begin collating the ideas and themes from the ‘Postcards from the Future’; which is a scheme where Surrey Hills is asking people to write in and share their hopes for how our future will look in 75 years. They will use this to create their management plan. At midday, Christa and the team took me up Box Hill to have lunch with a view! In the afternoon I got to sit in on a couple more meetings and format some ideas for Friday’s meeting at Astolat House.

Tuesday:
This morning, Christa and I attended a forest bathing session at Newlands Corner, led by Justine with a group of women from the Shifa network. It had been organised by Christa, using funding from the Nextdoor Nature project. It was an amazing experience, I felt very calm and relaxed afterwards, and when we did a group reflection at the end of the session it was so lovely and inspiring to hear how these women felt after reconnecting with nature. After a quick lunch we then met with Sam to put up signs along the Gomshall to Dorking Rail to Ramble route, which is where you walk the trail, then you can catch the train back to your car. It was a stunning route, with gorgeous views of the rolling hills. I saw some Belted Galloways and I saw some Roman Snails for the first time! Unfortunately, we ran out of time to put up all the signs and ended up missing our train, but that was all made up for by the lovely walk.

Wednesday:
Today I went to the Surrey County Council networking event, where I met many different people in many different careers, all of which were very friendly and willing to answer any questions about the different jobs they all had. In the afternoon, Christa and I met with students from Box Hill School to do some more Postcards from the Future with them. We had lots of good discussions about the current state of our planet and the impacts of climate change, and it was really valuable to hear their input.

Thursday:
Today I was lucky enough to attend an event organised by Community Rail and Surrey Choices, with support from Surrey Hills. We met at Redhill station, where a representative from Community Rail spoke a bit about the different ways to buy a ticket, how to use a ticket machine and the ways to book or ask for assistance boarding the train. On the train to Farnborough North, we did some drawing activities to engage with the landscape we passed through, and the wildlife that lives there. When we arrived at Farnborough North we went to Reggie’s Garden, which is a lovely community green space created in the garden of the old station master’s house. Some members of Blackwater Valley Trust led a walk to the nearby fishing pits and pointed out some of the wildlife along the way. After a tour of Reggie’s Garden, we had lunch, then I got to see the Surrey Wildlife Trust offices when Christa and I popped over to pick up some resources for tomorrows activities.

Friday:
Today we went to Astolat House to discuss ways to improve the green spaces around the building. We met with some people from the organisations that worked in the office block, along with several members from Surrey Coalition for Disabled people. Once introductions were made, we walked around the building to see the spaces available which quickly pinpointed some accessibility issues that were a quick fix, but also sparked some good ideas. On the walk we also spotted a bee orchid, the first one I’d ever seen, which was an inspiring reminder that even the act of not mowing the lawn can make our green spaces a little bit wilder. After that, we reconvened in the board room to share ideas over lunch. It was a very constructive and productive session; many ideas were presented, and everyone got involved.

When the meeting ended it sadly marked the end of my work experience with Christa the Project and Volunteer Manager and the Surrey Hills Society, but I am so grateful to have had this amazing opportunity and to have met so many incredible people.

Rebecca Worley

Our Surrey Hills needs everyone’s help to keep it special for the future 24 April 2024.

We are thrilled to announce we have received a grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund of just under £145,000 for our project ‘Growing Together: Inclusion and Conservation in the Surrey Hills’. A big thank you to all National Lottery players for helping to make this happen.

The core objective of ‘Growing Together’ is to establish a legacy into the future for inclusive environmental conservation. The Society is employing a dedicated project officer, who will seek out, encourage and nurture a diverse community of environmental champions to actively participate in conservation projects. We are committed to engaging with the community and believe that everyone should have a chance to learn about, care for and preserve our special Surrey Hills National Landscape for the future.

In 1949 the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act stated that protected landscapes should be preserved as spaces for physical and mental wellbeing for all. However, a 2023 survey of green volunteering opportunities for disabled people in Surrey concluded that they face significant barriers to being able to participate in activities. Our project is a proactive step towards bridging these gaps.

Gordon Jackson, Chairman of the Society says:
“Over the last couple of years, The Society has developed an extensive programme of local conservation and countryside activities, aiming to inspire people of all abilities and backgrounds to learn about the environment and help to conserve our varied habitats. ‘Growing Together’ is a natural extension of this work and we are delighted, thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players, to be able to work alongside our new partners to promote accessiblecountryside pursuits and to increase confidence in being outdoors.”

We already work closely with a number of charitable organisations in the sector. Representative from Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum, Surrey Coalition of Disabled People and Surrey Choices have made the following statement:

“We are delighted to be partners in a project that holds inclusion at its very core. ‘Growing Together’ will provide important opportunities for those who traditionally face barriers when accessing the countryside. We believe this project will help the people we support to enjoy new experiences, learn new skills, build relationships and connect with the heritage of the Surrey Hills National Landscape.”

The project will run for 18 months and will be monitored for success by The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The Surrey Hills Society is delighted to have received a grant from the Mental Health Investment Fund (MHIF) a joint fund from Surrey Heartlands and Surrey County Council to implement an East Surrey Care Farm Pilot Project. This funding will enable the implementation of the care farming programme, an initiative aimed at enhancing mental well-being through visits to farms.

In collaboration with Growing Health Together and the Surrey Hills National Landscape, the Surrey Hills Society has appointed Katie Daws as the Project Officer. Katie will work closely with local farmers to orchestrate farm visits designed to promote therapeutic care for individuals facing physical, mental, and emotional challenges. This not only includes farming activities, but also nurturing the special relationship that artistic activities can bring during visits to the farms.

Katie Daws, Project Officer for the East Surrey Care Farm Project said.

“This project is a unique opportunity to develop a new, supportive environment on local farms. I have seen from my previous experiences on farms supporting vulnerable people with mental health needs that the impact goes beyond a sense of comfort for the participants. The positive impact extends to the farmers in regard to their well-being and a new source of income.”

These sessions are tailored to support the mental health of people across all ages and backgrounds. The project recognises the profound benefits of connecting with nature and farming practices, particularly for groups that have historically been underserved by conventional services. It seeks to engage individuals currently struggling to access holistic support for their mental well-being, offering a new approach for mental health and social prescribing in Surrey.

Dr Gillian Orrow, GP, Co-founder and Director of Growing Health Together said.

“I am excited for the launch of the Care Farm Pilot in East Surrey, which will offer children, young people and adults with a range of health and care support needs, opportunities to connect with nature and animals on local working farms. The initiative responds to calls from our patients and their families for a more diversified local offer to support mental health and wellbeing, one that centres nature connection and the active role people can play in their own recovery. I am excited to see the impact this project will bring”.

This grant marks a significant milestone in the Surrey Hills Society’s commitment to fostering improved well-being through connection to nature.

Rob Fairbanks, Director of the Surrey Hills National Landscape said.

“Farmers in Surrey are the custodians of our countryside, helping to maintain our landscape, provide food and create space for nature. This project is to pilot the health benefits for some of the most vulnerable members of society through therapeutic contact with farm animals. We are so grateful for the funding from Surrey County Council for our Surrey Hills Society to pilot this approach. It is an opportunity to evidence the impact so that we can work with the farming community and partners to extend the programme in future years.”