Winterbourne Poems We’re thrilled to announce that the beautifully illustrated Winterbourne Poems book has now been printed,...
Read MoreWinterbourne Festival
Love our Ouse and many local partners delivered Winterbourne festival on the 1st to the 9th March 2025. We were absolutely delighted at the success of the Festival to celebrate, learn and act for the globally rare chalk stream that flows through Lewes. The festival was packed with a variety of events for the local community to take part in drawing upon the stream’s rich heritage, ecology and source of creative inspiration. A staggering 1000 people connected with the stream across the 9 events (see below programme) which exceeded our expectations.
We certainly gave the Winterbourne the pride of place in our hearts and landscape we were hoping for and long may it continue!
“A river is only as strong as the tributaries that feed it” Timothy Bax
A HUGE thank you to all the project partners, collaborators and volunteers for making it such a vibrant programme and to everyone who participated.
The Festival was generously supported by the National Trust and the Changing Chalk Community Grants Scheme, and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, with thanks to National Lottery Players and with grant funding from Lewes Town Council and Friends of Lewes. Thanks also to the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust, Lewes District Council, Ouse Valley Climate Action and Litter Free Lewes!
Saturday 1st March
Winterbourne Stream Poetry Walk
Love our Ouse & Chalk and Stream Collective
Times: 10.30 – 12pm
Free ticketed – booking essential
Booking link
Join us on a special wander along the Winterbourne Stream’s route with poetry reading pauses along the way. All poetry is inspired by and written about this exceptionally rare ephemeral chalk stream that weaves a watered song-line through Lewes. This walk starts at Haredean Allotments and ends at the Linklater Pavilion, Railway Land Nature Reserve, Lewes.
Talks Programme
An afternoon journey through the history, ecology and art of the Winterbourne
Linklater Pavilion (upstairs), Railway Land Wildlife Trust, Railway Lane, Lewes BN7 2FG
Drop in for all sessions – no need to book.
Short but significant – the history of the Winterbourne Stream
Marcus Taylor 12.30 – 1.15pm
Who would have thought that a stream so short in length and part time in its very existence could have so much of an influence and impact on the town where it ends? It helped shape how Lewes developed and on many occasions has flooded with great effect on those living near it. Marcus Taylor draws on a range of visual sources to show how varied and powerful this small watercourse is.
Restoring the Winterbourne – The Challenges and Opportunities
Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust 1.30 – 2.30pm
Although designated as a chalk stream priority habitat, the Winterbourne has been significantly impacted by human activities and faces multiple ongoing pressures. Despite these challenges, there are significant opportunities to restore and rejuvenate sections of the Winterbourne. This session will explore both the obstacles and the potential solutions for revitalising the stream, benefiting both local communities and wildlife alike. Find out how you can get involved.
Tributes to the Tributary – celebrating the creative flow
Times: 3 – 4pm
A collection of creative works by local artists inspired by the stream on their doorstep including poetry readings by Chalk and Stream Collective, Adam Luszniak’s seasonal observational photography project and a screening of the short film Attention is the Beginning of Devotion directed by Railway Land artist in residence Ruthie Martin.
Sunday 2nd March
Echoes of the Stream
Ruthie Martin, Railway Land Wildlife Trust 10-1pm
Free ticketed workshop – booking essential
Booking link
14yrs+ No previous experience necessary
Linklater Pavilion (upstairs), Railway Land Wildlife Trust, Railway Lane, Lewes BN7 2FG
A community art workshop dedicated to exploring the sounds of the Winterbourne chalk stream and translating its voice into art. What would the stream say if it could speak? Rivers and streams are lifelines, storytellers and witnesses to change.
Through their sounds, they speak of their journey, their struggles and their resilience. We will spend time by the stream listening from above as we walk, and from under the water using hydrophones to catch the special murmurs of thin-lipped grey mullet, which gather at the mouth of the Winterbourne each spring. Afterwards we’ll return to the Linklater Pavilion, to interpret our experience in watercolour and chalk. Letting our recorded sounds guide our creative instincts, we’ll translate sound into vision through colour, shape, texture and line!
Stream Clean! Community Action
Meet at: Bell Lane Park – next to the playground 10-1pm
Join us bankside to clear away litter from along the stream’s route. Materials and equipment will be provided. Dress in practical clothes and be ready for inclement weather. Buckets of community spirit and learning opportunities while doing something useful for your local waterway. Everyone is welcome – all creatures great and small!
Winterbourne Stream Poetry Walk
Love our Ouse & Chalk and Stream Collective
Times: 1.30 – 3pm
Free ticketed – booking essential
Booking link
Join us on a special wander along the Winterbourne Stream’s route with poetry reading pauses along the way. All poetry is inspired by and written about this exceptionally rare ethereal chalk stream that weaves a watered song-line through Lewes. This walk starts at Haredean Allotments and ends at the Linklater Pavilion, Railway Land Nature Reserve, Lewes.
Instructions and guidance can be found on the booking page.
Wednesday 5 March
Pure Clean Water –
Film and panel discussion
Depot cinema
Booking link: https://lewesdepot.org/film/pure-clean-water
For 250 years a chalk stream, diverted into the town centre, provided Cambridge with drinking water. Today, pumping from underground chalk aquifers brings potable water at great convenience. But in the process springs are drying up and precious chalk streams are disappearing. Can Cambridge have a reliable water supply without further damaging the environment?
Followed by a panel discussion hosted by Natasha Padbury, Director at Love our Ouse with Peter King Director at Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust, Jan Knowlson, Biodiversity Officer at South Downs National Park, Christopher Bibb, Senior Specialist Green Consultancy at Lewes and Eastbourne Councils and Helen Meade, CEO at Railway Land Wildlife Trust who will draw parallels with our local stream the Winterbourne and emerging restoration opportunities.
‘A brilliant, passionate, poetic piece of activist film-making’
Robert Macfarlane
Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th March
Of the Winter Born
Exhibition and community mapping
Old Gorringe’s Green Auction Huts, Garden St, Lewes, BN7 1RU – Next to Grange Gardens
11 – 4pm daily
Free drop in
‘Of the Winter Born’ – A year in observation
by Adam Luszniak
A body of photographs revealing the beauty of this ephemeral chalk stream and in doing so reconnect it to the communities who live alongside it. By studying the ebb and flow of the Winterbourne, Adam champions its beauty, records its current state and examines the many challenges it faces. Photographs are grounded in research and extensive consultation with local ecologists, historians and geographers.
Winterbourne Prints
by Michelle Hockey
Local printmaker showcases the beautiful linocut prints designed for the illustrated Winterbourne Poetry Book commissioned as part of the Winterbourne Festival. The prints depict key locations, species, flora and fauna along the stream’s route. Special edition prints and the poetry book will also be on sale.
Community River Mapping – we need you!
By Love our Ouse
Take part in our interactive Winterbourne Stream mapping activity. Contribute your personal reflections, memories, stories, hopes and concerns about the stream. Bring in your stories, photos, objects or archive materials to contribute to our Winterbourne Legacy Report which will be made publicly available.GardenBN7 1RU
Programme partners and contributors are warmly thanked for their generosity and enthusiasm in making it such a vibrant festival.
Supported by:
