South Downs wildlife gets a free online exhibition of poems and stories

The South Downs National Park^1,2 has put a free digital exhibition online about its butterflies, bats, birds and bees. Species Stories gathers poetry, stories, film and spoken word, and it was made in partnership with Writing Our Legacy, a Brighton-based arts and heritage organisation, along with the South Downs National Park Trust and the Foyle Foundation.

Eight writers and artists from Black and ethnically diverse backgrounds each made a piece about one South Downs species. One is the diary of an endangered potter’s flower bee, and another tells tales of the “Night Natterer”, a European vesper bat. The migrating turtle doves of the National Park get a song and spoken word piece.

The commissioned writers are Dulani Kulasinghe, Jess Murrain, Jose Hall, Marva Carty, Rawz, Rona Luo, Sense Turner and Tamara Lois Ansah.

“At the heart of the South Downs story are species – the amazing birds, bees, butterflies and bats that have survived for millennia,” said Anooshka Rawden, the National Park’s cultural heritage lead.

She said the project brings “a fresh perspective on what South Downs nature means amid the unprecedented challenges it faces.”

The exhibition is at species-stories.southdowns.gov.uk.