Don’t Urbanise the Downs is thrilled to be taking part in the Riverlution festival in Lewes which is celebrating the new River Rights Charter for the Ouse.
A whole raft of events are planned during the festival – including talks, walks, workshops and community actions, but the key date for your diary is the Charter Celebration Ceremony procession taking place next Saturday (September 26).
The procession will be starting at the Cliffe Bridge in Lewes at 11am on Saturday, with a large iconic Sea Trout leading the way! All are welcome to take part and if you’re coming along, do bring a Don’t Urbanise the Downs placard (if you have one) or any signs supporting the environment and/or protesting Eton’s plans to build a huge new 3,000-house new town at East Chiltington.
Organisers are also saying “Please do dress up in blue, white and green” and flags and fanfare will be provided!
About the Sussex sea trout
The Sussex sea trout - the biggest sea trout in the country and a critically endangered species - spawns in the Bevern chalk stream, a tributary of the River Ouse, which runs right across the land where Eton is planning to build its town. Environmentalists are horrified by Eton’s scheme, saying that the trout is already on the brink of extinction.
Back in 2021, Sam St Pierre, then vice-chair of the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust, told us: “The Bevern catchment is a highly sensitive ecosystem. If the Bevern got further polluted, the trout here could disappear. And we’re not talking about acute pollution – we’re talking about the kind of general low-grade pollution that you would get as run-off from urban development. If it degraded the spawning area, the sea trout could just disappear and a vitally important sea trout population could be wiped out.”
The Bevern is also home to other rare fish and substantial mayfly and caddisfly populations which are also very sensitive to pollution.
Don’t Urbanise the Downs committee member Josie Peach said: “The sea trout is a flagship species which is not only very rare and at huge risk of extinction but its presence is also a key indicator of a healthy river system. Chalk streams are some of the planet’s rarest habitats and 85% of them are found in England. We’re encouraging as many Don’t Urbanise the Downs supporters as possible to come along on Saturday and join the procession. ”
The River Rights Charter identifies fundamental rights for the river including:
The right to flow naturally and sustainably
The right to be free from pollution
The right to support native biodiversity
The right to be actively restored and regenerated
To view the full programme of events being held during the Riverlution festival, please click here.
Donations!
We are actively seeking donations - to pay for our roadside placards, venue hires and other campaign costs. If you’re able to contribute - even a little bit - please do visit our donations page.