26/05/2026
What a scorcher in so many ways! The White Stork & Nature Festival took place on the hottest day in May ever (before Sunday that is) and although we say it ourselves, it looked like a scorching success with very positive feedback from many of the hundreds of visitors.
In his opening words to the Festival, Charlie Burrell, co-founder of the White Stork Project and owner of the Knepp Estate was very positive about the festival itself and Storrington’s support for nature and sustainability through hosting this event, something he described as “inspiring” and “pioneering” noting that he fully expected the festival to grow considerably over time.
The theme of the day was nature and sustainability and there was an extraordinary range of stalls and activities. We cancelled the dog event, and the Dexter cows had to stay at home due to the extreme heat, but we were entertained by the birds of prey flying over the recreation ground. There was also a lovely fancy dress parade by children from Storrington and Shipley primary schools and a series of fascinating nature and stork related talks, wonderful singers, original stork songs, musicians and dancers.
The Leisure Centre was a hive of activity all day and thanks to the staff for their assistance from early until late. Both the cricket club and football club ran bars which were very popular as everyone tried to keep cool.
Special thanks to our major sponsors; the Hunter Group and GL & Co. There were many others who donated money and prizes, loaned equipment and gave us discounted rates; huge thanks to you all.
Our Neighbourhood Wardens, Chris and Dave, together with our Grounds Maintenance Team, Bruno and Stuart, were all magnificent in every way. The planning for such an event is intense, with months of hard work from the Knepp White Stork Project, the Parish Office Team and Parish Councillors.
There were many volunteers and we thank everyone who was involved in any way for their time, enthusiasm and good humour, despite the temperature. We could not have delivered the event without you!
