Friends of Preston Park

Weather permitting, ranger Mike and volunteer ranger Gail will be hosting a series of Family Friendly Safaris at Waterhall Local Nature Reserve on Wednesday mornings during the holidays from 10.00 until 12.00.

These events will all include a selection of weather-dependent activities such as moth trapping, identifying wildflowers and hunting for bugs, beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers & reptiles.

The activities are generally suitable for all ages but youngsters under 18 must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

If you’d like to attend, please book a ticket for each person using the following links. Tickets are free but at the end of the event you’ll be given details of how you can make a small donation to support the educational work of the rangers, if you are able and willing to do so.

Jul 29: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1994418423192?aff=oddtdtcreator

Aug 05: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1994418573642?aff=oddtdtcreator

Aug 12: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1994419208541?aff=oddtdtcreator

Aug 19: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1994419382060?aff=oddtdtcreator

Aug 26: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1994419423183?aff=oddtdtcreator

Individual events will only be cancelled if the weather forecast is really terrible – please check “Friends of Waterhall” facebook page .

We advise wearing sturdy footwear, long sleeves and trousers.

Directions to Waterhall Local Nature Reserve:

By car:
Put Waterhall Golf Course into a sat nav or post code: BN1 8AX.
We’re just off Saddlescombe Road to the north of Hove. From the A27 exit at Hove, take the Saddlescombe Road north towards Devil’s Dyke.
After a short distance take the right hand fork and it’s first on the right at the brow of the Hill (Waterhall Local Nature Reserve). There is a free car park for those attending events/activities.

By bus:
Weekends and daily during summer months (mid-Jun to beginning Sep) No. 77 to Dyke Approach
Any time: No. 27 to Green Ridge.
Get off at the windmill on Green Ridge, then follow the walking instructions below.

Walking or by bike (safe route, avoiding the busy roundabouts where Dyke Road meets the A27):
Find you way to Dyke Road. Head north (up hill) to the Hilltop Café (just before the big roundabout at the A27). Cut across the field (called Green Ridge) behind the café to the windmill. Go through the gate in the hedge on the left just before you reach the windmill. Cross the road (Mill Road) and take the path opposite. Go down the hill (it is steep so you may want to push your bike), over the footbridge which crosses the A27 and continue down the path to the track at the bottom of the hill. Turn left, go past the rugby club (which is on your right), through the gate & up the bridleway to Waterhall clubhouse (You’ll need to push your bike up the bridleway – or alternatively lock it up at the rugby club and pick it up on the way home).

Map is here: https://goo.gl/maps/CHTwpxF37QexXsar5) What3Words: ///lined.future.orchestra.

On a sunny and very hot afternoon around ten people were led by Alister Peters, expert arborist, on a very interesting and enjoyable walk to look at many of the different trees in Preston Park. 

We started at the northeast corner of the Rose Garden by a tall elm and green and purple beeches. The chalky soil and salty air of Brighton do not provide conditions in which many native trees will thrive, the notable exceptions being elms and sycamores, both of which were planted by the Victorians throughout the city.

Just north of the Rose Garden a clump of trees includes a purple-leafed plum. It flowers in late January and is a good choice for smaller gardens. Nearby is an acacia, a tree that bees love, and a black mulberry that was already producing fruit. We stopped to look at a common walnut and a black walnut, and a sweetgum that is beautiful in the autumn when its leaves turn red and purple. 

Approaching the Chalet Café we came to a very large elm that is only 50 years old. It is one of the numerous different types of elm in the park, some of which have been bred to be resistant to the elm disease that has been decimating elms in the UK since the 1970s. Many trees have been destroyed in Preston Park but the surviving trees can now be vaccinated every April/May.

Among other trees of interest on our walk were a silver pendant lime and a plane tree. The latter is a tree that can grow to a height of well over 135 feet and, very unusually, can cope with temperatures of up to 45 degrees centigrade.  The park also has a few of the approximately 800 varieties of oak tree, including the Turkey (which thrives on chalk) and Hungarian, and one English.

Our walk ended at the black mulberry tree in the Walled Garden, soon to be laden with berries like its companion near the start of our walk.

Community Meeting Agenda Preston Park

Date: Friday 29th May 2026

Time: 5-6:30pm

Location: Knoyle Hall, Knoyle Rd

Chair: Cllr David McGregor

Brighton & Hove City Council would like to hear your feedback on events held in outdoor public spaces. We welcome open conversation about what the community would and wouldn’t like to see, and how events can work in harmony with the local area. This meeting continues discussions from previous sessions and provides another opportunity for people to share feedback, ideas, suggestions, or concerns.

1. Review of previous actions

2. Review & feedback from past events

• Brighton Marathon (11-12 Apr, citywide)

• Foodies (2-4 May)

• Ladyboys (9-31 May*current)

& Gandeys Circus (26- 31 May*current)

3. Upcoming events overview

• The Weakest Link Run (24 June)

• Coles Funfair & Kite Festival (4-5 July)

• Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (31 July)

• PRIDE on the Park (1-2 Aug)

• Magic of Thailand (15-16 Aug)

• Brighton Comedy Gardens (9-13 Sept)

4. Any Other Business

A resident has lost a black ladies jacket in Preston Park on 1st April with 2 sets of car and house keys (lego and pink keyrings). Please get in touch if you come across them.

CPRE Sussex are delighted to announce their annual Tree Festival photo competition is back for a third year! I Love This Tree Because… invites you to celebrate the trees you love through photography. They are looking for photographs that capture a meaningful moment with a tree – something that inspires, informs, or simply makes you smile. Entries could show a dramatic landscape tree, a hidden woodland gem, a favourite climbing tree from childhood, or the tree that brightens your daily walk. Whether you are an experienced photographer or simply enjoy taking pictures on your phone, everyone is welcome to take part. Alongside a photograph, they invite you to complete the sentence “I love this tree because…”.

The submission deadline is 11.59pm on 28 May. Click here for more information and entry forms.

The photo competition forms part of the annual Tree Festival.

This year’s festival will take place on:

Sunday, May 24

Friday, May 29 to Sunday, June 7

Saturday, June 6, to Sunday, June 7