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Navigate's role in launch celebration
25/03/2011
Exciting plans for the main launch event for the South Downs National Park (SDNP) on 1 April are in their final stages. This is the only major event being staged on 1 April for the new National Park opening.
The event has been organized by Gareth Gammon, of Navigate, and Philip Haines, of HainesNet. "It’s wonderful how the whole Park community has come together to organize this unique event in a very short space of time,” says Gareth.
Philip Haines adds: "This puts the National Park on the national map. This is a celebration and it is just nice to do something that is all good news in the current climate.”
Margaret Paren, Chair of the SDNP Authority, will lead the celebrations, in the company of Damian Hinds, MP for East Hampshire, other local dignitaries, schoolchildren and activity groups from across the South Downs.
The Square, Petersfield, will throng with exhibition stands, local schoolchildren, a giant map (pictured) of the South Downs, a marquee, a gypsy caravan, canoes, hang-gliders, zorbers, and a large Mongolian yurt (provided by the Sustainability Centre at Droxford).
Exhibitors from many activity groups will have set up stalls round the Square. These include walkers, runners, ramblers, cyclists, hang-gliders, zorbers, and nature conservationists.
Among these exhibitors are: Hampshire Fare; the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust; the SDNP and the South Downs Society; Butser Ancient Farm; the Weald & Downland Open Air Museum, near Chichester; the Seven Sisters Canoe Centre in East Sussex; Orb 360; the Ashford Hangers Volunteers; Petworth House; Shipwrights’ Way; South Downs Hang Gliding; the Steyning and District Partnership; Forest Knights Bushcraft; and the Museum, the Round Table, the Food Festival and the Tourist Information Centre from Petersfield.
The programme starts at 10am with the opening of a riverside walk in Liss by Margaret Paren. Then the focus switches to The Square, Petersfield, for the ceremonies, which begin at 11.45 with pupils from Petersfield Infant School singing a song.
The opening is at noon by Margaret Paren and includes the unfurling of the new National Park flag from St Peter’s Church tower. Then Mrs Paren will ring a handbell to set off a peal of bells from Petersfield to more than 20 churches across the South Downs – from Petersfield to Eastbourne.
At 12.15 Philip Young, Chairman of the Petersfield Musical Festival, will conduct a choir of 140 pupils aged between 9 and 13 from various local schools in a song which he has specially composed to celebrate the new Park – the 10th National Park to open in England.
