Writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall speaks at Cuckmere Haven celebration

It took place on Thursday, September 7 (5pm-9pm), at South Hill Barn and celebrated the beauty, wildlife and history of Cuckmere Haven.

Other guests included: the Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex, MPs, the Mayors of Seaford and Lewes, the South Downs National Park, leaders of Natural England, the Environment Agency, Seaford Town Council, Lewes District Council, Eastbourne Town Council, Wealden District Council, the RNLI, the National Trust and trustees from the independent charity Cuckmere Haven SOS.

Nigel Newton, founder and chief executive of Bloomsbury Publishing, said: “The writer and campaigner Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall was our guest of honour and he gave a good interview to BBC TV Southeast News, which was broadcast the next day. He then spoke about biodiversity and the future of the planet at our gathering of councillors, agencies, park officials and others with a stake in the future of Cuckmere.”

The aim of the event was to bring together councillors, officials, agencies and others who play a part in looking after Cuckmere Haven and the coastline so they could discuss its care and preservation. Visit cuckmerehavensos.org to find out more.

Nigel thanked everyone at the event for their support and said the Cuckmere community had recently undertaken two projects to defend Cuckmere Coastguard Station. He said the community also rebuilt the failing eastern flank of the defences facing the beach at Cuckmere, as well as the garden of one of the Coastguard Cottages, which had a fall in winter.

In his speech to the crowd he said: “We have been battered by the sea, we have been buffeted by the wind, we have been lashed by the rain which has been frozen in the chalk and exploded. We have suffered cliff falls, our gardens are shorter, and we have had our very roofs lifted by the wind.”

He continued: “We support the work of the Sussex Wildlife Trust. Their Director of Conservation Policy and Evidence, Henri Brocklebank said to me yesterday that they recognize that Seaford Head is a really important site for so many reasons, including the many of the species of bees which will be covered in the forthcoming book The Bees of Sussex to be published in February 2024.”

Nigel also briefed the audience on the work of the Cuckmere Haven SOS Trust, which he said is ‘forging ahead with developing a scheme to repair and strengthen the sea defences that will have minimal environmental impact’.

He said: “The engineering design is being led by Haydn Evans Consulting and the planning application is being developed by the team of Gareth Giles and Luke Austin from Whaleback Planning & Design in Brighton.”

Nigel added that the work is essential for preserving the area’s views and cultural heritage. He said the Seven Sisters has previously been used in TV series and films like Harry Potter, Atonement, Foyle’s War, and Luther, and he said the cottages will be in Netflix’s new major show The Three Body Problem.