Awakenings: Celebrating 60 years of the Sussex Wildlife Trust

, 03 March 2021
Awakenings: Celebrating 60 years of the Sussex Wildlife Trust
Wren and blossom © Roger Wilmshurst

By Lucy Townsend

Guest blogger

Do you enjoy creative writing? We are creating an anthology to celebrate the Sussex Wildlife Trust's 60th Anniversary in 2021 and would love you to get involved.

Months of lockdown has made us all at Sussex Wildlife Trust keenly aware of how important wildlife has become to many of you, and as we celebrate the Trust’s 60th anniversary, we want to mark this very distinct moment by creating an anthology of works, written by you.

Whether you write poetry, or fiction, or something in between, you are invited to contribute to our community project and help to create a unique collection of work

Has there ever been a spring more longed-for than this one? A first bud more celebrated? I have always felt joy when the Skylarks return to the Downs, and when the fat leaves of a bulb poke up from the earth, but after the darkest of winters, this year’s spring makes me want to dance.

Maybe you are inspired by small details – the silvery trail of a slug or the first bee of the year. Or maybe it’s vast, open spaces that float your boat - the power of waves, of white cliffs. Having spent months only being allowed out of the house for a walk , I have watched the seasons pass with more attention than ever before, and I know that many of you feel the same. So let’s celebrate all the good things we know, and have seen, because of this time.

It’s a perfect happy birthday to the Trust.

Throughout the coming weeks I will be blogging and suggesting writing tips to help you get started, and we will be posting some of your submissions onto our social media channels.

How to submit your work

Your work needs to be a maximum of 14 lines of poetry or 150 words of flash fiction, previously unpublished, that mark this specific time and the uplifting role of wildlife. A Sussex Wildlife Trust panel will then pick a selection to publish in our online anthology.

Closing date: 12 April 2021

Upload your work here

Lucy Townsend is a writer, journalist and wildlife lover based in Sussex. She has worked for the BBC and Sky, among others, and is currently flexing her writing muscles on a MA in Creative Writing at the University of Brighton.

LucyTownsend

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Comments

  • Suzanne:

    What a wonderful idea,
    Good luck Lucy Townsend with your MA.

    04 Mar 2021 15:15:00

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