Other local groups and organisations
Transition Town Lewes works with, promotes and supports a wide range of environmental organisations working in Lewes, East Sussex and across the south-east of England. If your group would like to work with TTL, email us here.
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Umbrella groups
Lewes Climate Action Forum – An online forum set up by Lewes District Council where residents, businesses and local groups can discuss how to take action on climate change.
Lewes Climate Hub – A physical hub in the heart of Lewes providing information and ideas on tackling climate change and signposting to local groups and projects.
South East Climate Alliance – A coalition of local environment, community and faith groups across South East England uniting for urgent action on climate change.
Direct action groups
Divest East Sussex – An umbrella group of organisations campaigning to get the East Sussex Pension Fund stop investing in fossil fuel companies.
Extinction Rebellion Lewes – Part of the international non-violent direct action group campaigning for governments to take urgent action on climate change and environmental breakdown.
Keep It in In the Ground Lewes – Part of Divest East Sussex, campaigning to get large investors such as local pension funds not to invest in fossil fuels. Tel: 01273 480011.
Climate and environmental action groups outside Lewes
Cuckmere Valley Transition – Aiming to find inspiring ways to increase resilience in this East Sussex community in the face of climate change
Greenhavens Network – A collaboration of 100 groups working in green spaces from Seaford to Saltdean
HKD Transition – The transition group for Hassocks, Keymer and Ditchling
Seaford Environmental Alliance – A not for profit organisation focusing on building a local network and organising local events to help educate and enable residents to take action on climate change and biodiversity loss
Energy and energy efficiency
BHESco – Brighton & Hove’s community energy co-operative, promoting energy efficiency and locally owned low-carbon energy.
Community Energy South – An umbrella group to enable local community energy groups grow as sustainable low-carbon businesses.
Ovesco – Award-winning community group creating and delivering community-owned low-carbon energy projects across East Sussex.
Warm Home Check Service – Offers advice and support to anyone who struggles to keep warm at home.
Warmer Sussex – a not-for-profit organisation, partnering with community groups and fully-vetted local tradespeople to help residents make their homes more energy efficient.
Finance
East Sussex Credit Union – A savings and loans co-operative owned by its members and providing simple, ethical financial services.
Ethex – An investment and savings platform giving access to a wide range of socially and environmentally positive investments.
Lewes Pound – Complementary currency supporting the Lewes economy by keeping money in the town.
Triodos Bank – A sustainable bank aiming to manage its customers’ money transparently, ethically and to deliver positive change for people and planet.
Food
Common Cause – A not-for-profit social enterprise supporting the local food growing economy in Sussex – e.g. through Lewes’ fortnightly weekend Farmers’ Market.
Ecological Co-operative – Works to provide affordable opportunities for ecological land-based businesses in farming, forestry and other rural enterprises.
Green Cuisine Trust – A local food education charity encouraging ways of growing and eating that nourish people without harming the environment.
Lewes Friday Food Market – Weekly market held in Lewes’ Market Tower for local food growers and producers.
Nature and biodiversity
Knepp Wildland – A 3,500 acre estate in West Sussex devoted to a pioneering rewilding project.
Lewes Urban Arboretum – The trees committee of Friends of Lewes, finding locations to introduce and replace trees throughout the town.
Railway Land Wildlife Trust – Aims to inspire environmental sustainability by bringing nature to the heart of Lewes .
Sussex Wildlife Trust – A conservation charity managing 2,000 hectares of land for nature across East and West Sussex.
Wildflower Lewes – A community group introducing wildflowers across urban areas of Lewes.
Repair and re-use
Freecycle – An international online platform to get and give stuff for free .
Freegle – A UK-based service to find free stuff you need and give away stuff you don’t
Furniture Now – Lewes-based service to recycle donated furniture and other household, providing it to those on low incomes at low cost.
Lewes Repair Café – A (normally) monthly event where a wide range of household items can be mended for free (donations welcome) by local skilled people.
Lewes Library of Things – A service that allows anyone to borrow an item or piece of equipment for a few days without the unnecessary expense of having to buy it. To use the service, you need to sign up as a member.
Transport
Cycle Lewes – Campaigning for more safer, more enjoyable cycling in and around Lewes.
Lewes Living Streets – Working to make walking and cycling in Lewes easy and enjoyable by making roads safer, easier to cross, less noisy and less busy.
SCATE – South Coast Alliance for Transport and the Environment, seeking cleaner and more efficient alternatives to more road-building.
Local Authorities
What powers our councils to take action on climate change?
Finding out how green your council is
Lewes Town Council
Lewes Town Council is responsible for a range of venues and green and open spaces around Lewes, providing grants to local groups, and the Neighbourhood Plan, to which TTL contributed and whose guidelines must be taken into account in any development in the town. It declared a climate emergency and looks align its actions and decisions with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Lewes District Council
LDC’s Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy sets out how the district Council addresses the causes and impacts of climate change. LDC has announced a climate emergency and aims to get the council and as much as the district as possible to net zero carbon emissions by 2030.
East Sussex County Council
ESCC oversees rubbish and recycling and transport and highways and so has a key role to play in addressing climate-related issues. Many TTL supporters have contributed to strategy documents, such as its Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan.
South Downs National Park (SDNP)
Lewes is one of the largest towns in the UK to be sited in a National Park. As it has overall responsibility for planning decisions in the Park, the SDNP Authority has a critical role to play in how Lewes plans for a resilient future – from flood management, supporting biodiversity and creating sustainable development.
