CHALK IT UP

CHALK IT UP

If you are someone who loves the Downland around Brighton; its wide expanses, or a particular precious patch, the Brighton Downlands Alliance would like to hear from you.

We are looking for creative writing which expresses something of the writers’ personal view of and feelings for Brighton’s Downland landscape, or a specific aspect of it

Background to the project

A large arc of downland around our city, over 12,000 acres, belongs to the people of Brighton and Hove. These interactive maps show the extent of the estate; the extent of chalk grassland loss; and map out possible ways of reclaiming and restoring the chalk mantle. https://friendsofthebrightondowns.org.uk See also this short film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3r043Xzme04

Brighton and Hove City Council are currently running a public consultation process about the way the Brighton Downland Estate will be managed in future https://www.brighton-hove.gov.uk/city-downland-estate-plan-0

The Chalk it Up project

Chalk is formed from the skeletons of multitudes of tiny organisms laid down over millions of years. Over thousands of years our chalk grassland has become a unique landscape, thanks to a generally benevolent working together of managed and wild processes, but it’s fragile and its future hangs in the balance.  The BDA belief is that the Downs have been a landscape of freedom and should be again, cared for, regenerated and accessible for all the people of Brighton. 

We’d like to hear from a multitude of wide-ranging voices on behalf of our Downs.

This project is intended to complement the current public consultation, not replace it. You may also wish to contribute to the Downland Estate discussion portal here : (deadline closes on February 28th) https://climateconversationsbrighton.uk.engagementhq.com/city-downland-estate-plan?tool=story_telling_tool#tool_tab

How to submit/send in work

There’s no age limit and submissions warmly welcomed from within the BDA and beyond

• Submissions may take the form of poetry or short pieces of prose or flash fiction
• Submissions should be no longer than 200 words maximum
• You can include an original photo or photo of an image to accompany your writing, but we ask you to verify that it is your own work for copyright purposes
• You can submit up to two pieces of writing and / or up to two images 
• Writing is for a family audience and the BDA reserve the right to moderate or exclude pieces that contain inappropriate or offensive language or content.
• Please use this email address to submit chalktalk2021@gmail.com 
• Deadline for submissions is the 31st March.

All submissions will be read, and a selection of the best pieces will be published on our website from the end of March onwards. We’ll contact you to let you know if your piece will be included. 

The Brighton Downs Alliance (BDA) is an umbrella organisation for a number of organisations and individuals campaigning for landscape-scale restoration, public access and community participation in our Brighton Downs Estate. You can find more about us on our website:  https://www.brightondownsalliance.org.uk

The Brighton Downs Alliance (BDA) is an umbrella organisation for a number of organisations and individuals campaigning for landscape-scale restoration, public access and community participation in our Brighton Downs Estate. You can find more about us on our website: https://www.brightondownsalliance.org.uk