All the fun of the fair

On Saturday we went to an event called 'Wild About Sussex', organised by the Friends of Burgess Hill Green Circle Network (I think they need an acronym or something...).

I'm not sure what I was expecting, but as it turned out it was one of the best gatherings of conservation organisations I've been to. And over 20 years I've been to a few, believe me.

The FBHGCN (a bit better, I suppose) had packed two floors of the Martlets Hall with stands representing around 40 conservation bodies, including some major players, like the RSPB. Plantlife had come from their HQ in Salisbury, and Pond Conservation had travelled all the way from Oxfordshire.


For a local conservation group to organise such a well-attended and professional-looking event is a fantastic example of what can be done at the grass-roots level. I just hope public attendance was high enough to do justice to the effort that had obviously gone into this event.