The SDA team environmental day

On Wednesday 28 September, the SDA team took part in a conservation volunteering team day with The Downlands Partnership at Chipstead Downs. The task for the day was cutting back and raking up the brushcut scrub. The objective of clearing the targeted sections was to open up the habitat in order to let light in so the rare chalk grassland species can thrive.

The Chipstead Downs location is a lovely Local Nature Reserve and Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in North-East Surrey. The SDA team got together in the summer for a walk around the area, so it felt special for us to be back again contributing to the biodiversity in this particular location.

The day began with an educational talk about the rare flora and fauna, what and where to clear, and how to correctly use the hand tools provided. Once we had all the knowledge and skills, everyone was keen to get stuck into the work.

The sun shone for the majority of the day, which helped motivation with the backbreaking work. It also proved an enjoyable change of scenery, in comparison to working at the computer the majority of the day! We even got to see some animals grazing alongside us.

At the end of the day, we could see the hard work we had done and were pleased with our small contribution back to the environment.

https://twitter.com/ExploreSurreyUK/status/1575488051480268802?cxt=HHwWhMDUhaOCod0rAAAA