Fantastic news for Lewes! Town Council has approved a Tree Charter designed to protect the rights of trees across the town, a brilliant milestone for the community. The charter was developed by the Rights of our Trees group (ROOTs), a partnership formed in May 2026 between Friends of Lewes’ Trees Committee, the Railway Land Wildlife Trust, the Environmental Justice Law Clinic at the University of Sussex, and the Environmental Law Foundation, with input from the Town Ranger and SDNP Biodiversity Officer. The initiative drew on a Rights of Trees, Woodlands and Forests toolkit created by Dr Joanna Miller Smallwood and her students, and was inspired by the inspiring “Voices of the Wild” conference held in April 2026. Councillor Dinah Morgan proposed the adoption motion at full council on 10 September 2026, which passed with unanimous support, a wonderful show of commitment to Lewes’ green heritage. The ROOTs team will now continue working with the council to put the charter’s proposals into action. We hope this inspires more councils to adopt similar policies and champion the rights of trees in their own communities.
Read the full article → https://friends-of-lewes.org.uk/2026/09/13/lewes-town-council-approves-a-tree-charter-for-lewes/ and https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwvgy1rpr4r2o and the original documents https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1XEZzpexTvWL8AnadF1QktbRe-eyMUAbO