Village joins continental network alongside nearby Knepp estate as birds previously extinct in Britain flourish The Saxons knew the West Sussex village of Storrington as Estorchestone But the graceful white birds disappeared from its skies more than 600 years ago Storrington and the nearby Knepp estate have been designated a “European stork village” The accolade means the communities are now part of the European Stork Villages Network, a transnational initiative by the EuroNatur foundation to combat habitat loss for the birds Storrington and Knepp are the 16th place in Europe to be recognised as a stork village The storks are thriving again on the Knepp wildland the first major lowland rewilding project in England A record-breaking 53 white storks fledged from wild nests here in 2024 fibrous dung from Knepp’s free-roaming ponies White storks reach maturity at about three years old and can live for 20-40 years Photograph: Knepp estateStorks are finding the rewilded former farmland of Knepp ideal habitat with its insect- and earthworm-rich rough meadows and wetlands providing plenty of food Pairs are also bonding at another site in Wadhurst and are frequently seen flying across the region The scheme to bring white storks back to Britain began in 2016, with the White Stork project, a collaboration between the Roy Dennis Wildlife Foundation, Cotswold Wildlife Park, the Knepp estate and Wadhurst Park. First, a group of birds were introduced from Warsaw zoo to Knepp. These drew in wild birds, and the first free-flying pairs hatched chicks in the wild in 2020. Free weekly newsletterThe planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential Read moreThe expanding colony migrates to Morocco for the winter months before returning to Sussex to nest More than a thousand schoolchildren visit Knepp each year to learn about storks and rewilding. This year, a webcam is also following one of the 15 nests already recorded this breeding season Isabella Tree, the owner of Knepp with her husband said: “I’m hoping we can get the webcam feed into hospital waiting rooms It’s the kind of soothing thing we should be watching instead of wall-to-wall news.” This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Close this message to accept our cookies, or find out how to remove them some services on our website including online forms and payments will be unavailable from 3pm on Friday 2 May until 9am on Wednesday 7 May The Storrington & Sullington and Pulborough Neighbourhood Warden teams recently started a Dungeons and Dragons Gaming Club at Storrington & Sullington Parish Hall was the Dungeon Master and guided the group of 19 young people through the setting up of their characters and running a game The club is for young people aged 11 and over and although it was originally intended as an Autism and SEN event it was decided to open it up to all young people The session was enjoyed by all who attended. If you are interested in attending future sessions, please email Storrington-Sullingtonwardens@horsham.gov.uk or pulborough.wardens@horsham.gov.uk The Neighbourhood Wardens would like to thank Oscar for acting as the Dungeon Master and Domino’s Pizzas who supplied the group with free sustenance Read the latest news Read the latest edition of Our District magazine for Horsham residents Horsham District Council media enquiriesCommunications Teampress@horsham.gov.uk Site and content © Horsham District Council 2025 Measures to improve air quality in the Horsham District moved up a gear recently with the introduction of new improved air pollution sensors As part of a four-year initiative to trial new air quality monitoring technology Horsham District Council has acquired three Zephyr® air pollution sensors The sensors have been installed across the District in the existing air quality management areas of Cowfold and Storrington close to industrial processes in north Horsham The Zephyr® sensor has been specifically designed to measure key ambient pollutants known to be hazardous to health when inhaled Ozone (O3) and particulate matter (PM2.5) which are reported live on a real time air pollution portal The sensor in north Horsham can measure other harmful pollutants that we have previously not been able to measure with our current monitoring systems Horsham District residents now have access to Brighton & Hove and Sussex Real-Time Air Quality Portal in which they can view air quality results from the Zephyr® units which are updated every 15 minutes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  Data from our existing morning network continues to be available on the Sussex Air website The new Zephyr® monitors will improve our understanding of how pollution levels change throughout different times of the day or week and what causes these changes This additional data will allow more detailed modelling of air quality so we can identify the measures that will be most effective in reducing air pollution and the damage it can cause to our health and the environment Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Environmental Health Air pollution is the biggest environmental health risk in Europe As a council we are dedicated to doing all we can to prioritising good air quality for our residents and the natural environment I very much welcome the introduction of a new monitoring area and this investment in new monitoring technology to more accurately measure air pollution and make the results more accessible to the general public.” The sensors have been funded by the Defra air quality grant and Brighton and Hove City Council Carbon Neutral Fund The first phase of an ambitious programme to reduce the carbon footprint of West Sussex County Council’s buildings has been completed The £8.2m programme has introduced a range of measures to make seven libraries and a day centre more energy efficient and environmentally friendly It’s estimated the work will prevent almost 200 tonnes of carbon being released into the atmosphere each year the equivalent of travelling over 600,000 miles in a petrol car The work included replacing gas boilers with air source heat pumps and installing solar panels as well as upgrading windows and improving insulation West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change said: “The works mean we no longer need to use gas at most of the sites which significantly reduces our reliance on fossil fuels and means the buildings can operate using renewable energy sources “This decarbonisation project supports our Climate Change Strategy target to be a carbon neutral and climate resilient organisation by 2030 and we are already considering how to fund and carry out further work to reduce the carbon footprint of many other county council buildings.” The programme has been supported by just over £1.4m funding from the Government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme administered by Salix Finance and run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero said: “Since adopting our Climate Change Strategy in 2020 we have focused on reducing our carbon footprint making sure we are ready to deal with a changing climate and protecting the natural environment here in West Sussex “We have already reduced our carbon emissions by 11.4% against our original baseline and by 2026/27 we aim to reduce our carbon emissions by more than a third compared to an updated baseline which now includes more detailed information on our emissions.” recently gathered at Storrington Library to see the improvements made to the building Deborah Urquhart said: “I’m pleased to say Storrington Library with its two air source heat pumps and solar panels is now capable of running entirely on renewable energy This saves more than 12 tonnes of carbon from being released into the atmosphere each year the equivalent of driving from Chichester to Horsham 1,200 times in an average petrol car.” Duncan Crow further commented that: “The work at Storrington also includes a stunning rooflight and fresh new interior to welcome our library users thanks to funding from housing developer contributions.” attended a celebratory event at the library He said: “It was fascinating to visit Storrington Library and delighted to see so much enthusiasm for this project “It was so satisfying to talk to local people and to hear what they think of the upgrades and hearing all the positive responses “It was great to see how the library is clearly a more comfortable place to enjoy as well as being more energy efficient.” The buildings included in this programme of work were: Sharon Sadler from Storrington & Sullington Parish Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change Let us know if this page was helpful so we can make improvements Leave your feedback below to show how useful you found this page West Sussex County Council will only use this email address to respond to any issues raised West Sussex County Council is working in partnership with Biffa and UKHarvest to run monthly Community Food Hub events across the County to reduce food waste and provide affordable food using rescued produce The Hubs are open to everyone and set out to reduce food waste by providing accessible and affordable food using recued produce from supermarkets This food would have gone to waste but UK Harvest rescues the food and redistribute this Volunteers will also be on hand to help you to make the most of your weekly shop by sharing recipes and tips to reduce the amount of edible food which ends up in the bin Community Food Hubs are open to all residents you do not need a referral that some food banks require Just bring along a shopping bag and fill it from a selection of mixed groceries for a suggested donation of £3.50 Last year's pilot programme saw Community Food Hubs established in Bognor Regis they prevented over seven tonnes of food going to waste and provided food to almost 3,000 people The programme has now been extended across the County and will be running once a month across the County including Storrington until April 2024 To find out more visit UKHarvest food waste minimisation project Where: Storrington Chanctonbury Leisure Centre Wednesday 24th May Wednesday 28th June Wednesday 26th July Wednesday 23rd August Wednesday 27th September Wednesday 25th October Wednesday 22nd November Thursday 14th December 3-4pm 2024 Wednesday 24th January Wednesday 28th February Wednesday 27th March Wednesday 24th April See all Community Food Hub locations and dates Sign up to our Climate Change Action email newsletter to receive the latest news updates on our progress as well as tips and advice on how to get involved Sign up to our Climate Change Action email newsletter