Viva Lewes Issue #119 August 2016

TRADE SECRETS
So Sussex
Nigel Greenwood, founding director
Photo by Lizzie Lower
My wife and I established So Sussex about
eight years ago. We both left our careers, in the
corporate and social work sectors, to set up an organisation
that would encourage people to spend
more time outside, learning something new and
developing an appreciation for the natural environment
in Sussex. There’s a whole generation
who haven’t had the same opportunities that we
had to discover and enjoy nature.
I’ve always been an outdoors person and my
wife is Swedish and grew up with easy access to
the natural world around her. We’ve travelled
a lot, and the best experiences are always when
you’re taken off the beaten track and under the
skin of the place you’re in. That’s how So Sussex
began - searching for an expression of that.
We dipped our toes into mountain biking,
mushroom walks, fishing trips, trying to work
out what works and what doesn’t. Elderflower
Fields Festival is the culmination of all that we’ve
learnt so far. One thing that England does well
is festivals, so Elderflower was the perfect way to
provide families with an opportunity to spend
quality time outdoors together.
Most festivals book big bands and then add
on a few family and kids' activities around the
music, but we did it the other way around. We
designed our festival specifically to engage kids
- giving them more than 50 activities to choose
from - then we developed things for the parents
to enjoy whilst the kids are off trying new things
in a wonderful wild part of the Ashdown Forest.
Elderflower is now one of our most established
projects - and we’re already well on the
way to selling out again for 2017 - but we’ve got
other events on the go too. We’re running Into
the Trees for the second time, a two-day event,
expanding on the environmental themes of
Elderflower. There are different areas to explore;
Wildlife in the Trees, Playing in the Trees,
Working in the Trees, Art in the Trees, Living
in the Trees and Surviving in the Trees. We are
particularly excited about the environmental art
trail created in partnership with local artists that
visitors can add to.
We’re also developing our Schools Without
Walls scheme; a programme to get outdoor
education incorporated into the timetable as a
regular feature in local schools. There’s no doubt
that being outside builds confidence, and kids
that don’t necessarily do so well in the classroom
can really come to the fore. Your brain works
differently outside.
I’m also working on a project together with
the South Downs National Park Authority to
develop a park-wide bike-hire scheme. It will
join up the thinking of a number of small businesses
that enable people to enjoy the National
Park by bike. As told to Lizzie Lower
sosussex.co.uk
into-the-trees.co.uk Sat 3rd & Sun 4th September,
Pippingford Park, TN22 3HW
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