The group does meet up itself but is linked to Tarring Community Forum. The TCF meets every 2^nd Tuesday of the month at 7 pm. The venue for meetings is West Worthing Baptist Church, South Street, Tarring, Worthing. Any FoTP members who are not able to attend the meetings are kept up to date with forthcoming events and become involved where they can.

The main aim of Friends of Tarring Park is to help maintain the park, notify any problems to the appropriate authority, and to make good use of the park by arranging Community events. Events include Easter Egg Hunt/Easter Bonnet Competition, Picnic in the Park and Carols in the Park. Also, a new event this year is ‘An Autumn Walk n the Park’. This involves an interesting and informative talk by an expert about the various trees in the park.

We hold monthly litter picks on every 2nd Saturday of the month from 10 am. These are advertised as being friendly and sociable. We encourage members of the local community to join in including children.

Tarring Park is situated between Church Road and South Street , Tarring. It leads onto Church House Gardens which is the home to Tarring Priory Bowls Club. As well as the lawn bowls green there are adjacent tennis courts. Within the park itself there s a children’s playground and a MUGA.

Shoreham Beach Local Nature Reserve

The Shoreham Beach Local Nature Reserve extends along Shoreham beach from the land at Shoreham Fort to the Church of the Good Shepherd. It is approximately 100 m wide from north to south in most places and is around 25 times longer in length at 2.5 km total area 26.2 hectares. About half or slightly less is vegetated shingle which is an internationally rare habitat as most shingle moves and prevents growth of vegetation. It used to be the only UK site of the Starry clover plant but it is now growing on Lancing Beach and in Hampshire.

The Friends of Shoreham Beach Local Nature Reserve (LNR) work to protect the LNR, and educate and help people enjoy it. So they run Beach Cleans, an annual Flower Walk, Rock Pooling when conditions suitable, Bird Walks, Lectures, Stands at outside events and other educational events. A marine biologist runs educational events for schools on the LNR.

The LNR is owned by Adur District Council and the Friends manage the LNR with advice from specialists and the Adur-Worthing District Council parks department.

The Friends organise specialist surveys. In 2018 Graeme Lyons did the first extensive survey of the LNR invertebrates and in all he has found 249 species and over 10% of these have conservation interest. As some insects will only use one plant the maintaining of the habitat is important to for the continued support of this diverse population of insects.

Events notified by email to members and others requesting information about events.

Beach Cleans: friendsofshorehmbeach@gmail.com

Schools educational visits: stevep.savage@ntlworld

Secret gardens and wildflowers

We are a small group who came together because we are interested in improving Southwick and Fishersgate green spaces for the well-being of people and pollinators alike. Our primary focus is sowing wildflowers and planting trees.

We work on St Aubyns in Fishersgate and now have a base near Eastbrook Manor Community Centre called The Secret Garden-Fishersgate. We support Layland Court pocket park, Manor Court garden and the Friends of Southwick Square. We are waiting on Impulse leisure centre in Southwick to plant an orchard and a wildflower meadow.

Garden Therapy and Design

Breathing Spaces Garden Therapy and Design was founded by Lisa Leach and Claire Hunt in 2013, and have since been getting all sorts of people gardening together, but especially people who are struggling, because gardening lowers stress, gives purpose and connects people.

They have a therapeutic community garden and small flower farm in Worthing, and manage a wildflower site in Sompting – ‘breathing spaces’ – places for visitors and volunteers to find calmness, wonder and connection to nature and the seasons.

Breathing Spaces organise volunteer groups to tend to the garden, flower farm and wildflower site: These sessions are designed to improve the wellbeing of the volunteers including people with learning difficulties, with mental health challenges and in recovery from trauma, as well as benefit the community and the environment. They also run occasional therapeutic short courses and opportunities for the wider public to engage with nature and gardening.

• Wildflower Site, Dankton Lane, Sompting – Thursday 10-12.30.
• Welcome Woodland Garden and Community Flower Farm – Thurs 10.30-12.30 and Friday 2.30pm-4.30pm.