Welcoming everyone into the Lost Woods

One of the missions of the Lost Woods project is to help more people to access and enjoy beautiful ancient woodlands in the Low Weald, because nature should be for everyone. This especially includes people who might find it harder to visit natural spaces without our support. Mark Whitaker, Lost Woods Community Development Worker, explains:

A huge amount of research tells us that spending time in nature, and woodlands especially, is good for our immune systems and sense of wellbeing. You may have felt this yourself, just how much better you feel after listening to birdsong, breathing in fresh woodland air, noticing the earthy scent after it rains, or the peacefulness of spotting wildlife.

However, for some people in Sussex, simply being able to access nature can come with a whole host of challenges. Throughout 2025 we’ve supported adults with mobility needs, families with children with Special Educational Needs, and people with learning disabilities, to get outdoors, explore, and enjoy local ancient woodland habitats.

Mobility-aid accessible walks

We were delighted that so many people joined us on a wheelchair-accessible guided wellbeing walk around Bedelands Nature Reserve in Burgess Hill. It was great to introduce people to the woods and meadows - many of whom had never visited before. The group were pleased to find the paths were passable in their wheelchairs (the dry ground this summer made more of the reserve paths accessible), and that there's a Radar gate to access the woods. With their new knowledge of the reserve, we hope we’ve given people the confidence to go back again and explore further and at their own pace.

Families with children with special educational needs

In August, with support from volunteer Belinda (you may know her as King of the Woods), we had a fun afternoon in West Park, a small but diverse nature pocket in Burgess Hill. Along with local families with children with Special Educational Needs we explored the nature reserve to get our bearings and see the meadow and woods. The children then followed their interests: relaxing in hammocks; designing sticky art with found natural objects (with some beautiful results); or getting fascinated by bug hunting to study intricate details under our digital microscope. The children really enjoyed the different activities and didn’t want to go home!

Adults and young people with learning disabilities

In September we ran a session all about British bats for the No Limits group of adults with learning disabilities (organised by the Kangaroos charity). After a bat facts quiz and lively discussion, and some bat bingo, we walked together to nearby Ashenground Woods in Haywards Heath. Equipped with our handheld bat detectors we listened to bat echolocation calls and saw lots of bats flying nearby as we explored in the gathering darkness. As we left we were fortunate to see a Pipistrelle flying in a loop just a metre above our heads. The group described it as ‘a truly magical session!’ which made it all worthwhile!

With another Kangaroos group, for teenagers, we took nature to them with a bird-themed session in Burgess Hill. The group got creative making bird feeders, cardboard birds, clay hedgehogs, and autumn collages, all while listening to calming bird songs. They even made ‘bird burgers’, tasty treats for the birds along with colourful nature decorations to finish off a fun, hands-on afternoon. A group leader told us: "I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the wonderful sessions you ran with our members over the past month. We've received such positive feedback from both the members and the staff.

"The sessions were engaging, fun, inclusive, and refreshingly different — everyone not only had a fantastic time but also learned a lot!"

Would your group like support to access nature? 

If you would like support for your community group in the Low Weald and Downs to access nature, or to hold inclusive nature-friendly events, please email lostwoodsteam@ruralsussex.org.uk.

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