It was a cold blustery day back in May 2025 when Storrington and the Knepp Estate jointly received the Certificate for becoming the first (and only!) European Stork Village in the UK. This was granted by a European charity called EuroNatur, and had not been awarded to any country for almost 10 years! It was a memorable day for Storrington and Knepp, recognising the achievements of the White Stork Project in the re-establishment of white storks to this country.
To read The European Stork Villages Network’s article about “our” storks see:
https://www.storkvillages.net/news/detail/english-stork-village-honoured-storks-back-on-the-island
The celebratory festival was hosted by the Storrington & Sullington Parish Council and its, Chair Mark Cramer, proudly opened the Ceremony. Isabella Tree, co-owner of the Knepp Estate, gave a moving speech and this was followed by EuroNatur offering the background: Justine Vansynghel had visited the area a few days before and felt it offered the perfect habitat for storks.
It was a day to remember with its many and varied stalls, engagement of children and adults alike in crafts, mini-talks, music, dance, entertainment and a whole host of talks held indoors where the room remained packed throughout the day. Refreshments were all to hand around the Chanctonbury Leisure Centre in Storrington which offered the perfect venue.
The positive heart-beat of the day was palpable. You went home with an uplifting vibe that showed we care for our community, we care for our natural surroundings, and we care to have those big charismatic birds in our skies once again.
Watch the full opening ceremony with a short video recording of this historic event:
The creator of the video is Jane Mote, a former BBC producer with her own production company in Sussex, beechtobeach. It is amazing to know that this was shot and edited all on an iPhone! Jane used @filmicpro’s DoubleTake app (which allows you to record two camera angles at the same time) and a Zoom audio recorder in front of the PA system. The edit was on KineMaster on her phone. It shows what can be done with just a tripod and iPhone! Jane offers @pocketstories training sessions: @janemote on Facebook and @beechtobeach on Instagram.
Submitted to the Storrington Community Website using the News Item contact form.