Centenary Park (The Big Park)

Welcome to Centenary Park

Boasting 11 acres of green space and situated within the South Downs National Park, it’s the perfect place to start a walk or ride, to stop and play or to take advantage of our Gateway Café.

For further details of Centenary Park’s and its facilities, please scroll down the page and click on the associated icon.

To report any damage or accidents please telephone Peacehaven Town Council on 01273 585 493, or in an emergency 999. The nearest A&E is Royal Sussex County Hospital, Brighton BN2 5BE.

Parkrun is a not-for-profit charity, which started in 2004 in Bushy Park Teddington, London, and now takes place in over 2500 locations worldwide with around 300000 participants. Parkrun’s purpose is to make the world a healthier and happier place, bringing together people of all ages.

The free Parkrun event in Centenary Park, Peacehaven, takes place every Saturday morning, with the junior parkrun taking place every Sunday morning; both start at 9am. The meeting place is place behind the football ground, at Parkrun’s storage container, where you will be able to talk to volunteers and participants. After the event the group head to the award-winning Gateway Café for food and drink.

You can choose to walk, jog or run, you can even have a dog accompany you or, as many do, you can just turn up and support others.

Children under the age of 11 can take part on Saturdays providing they are accompanied by a parent, guardian or designated adult of the parent’s choice, who must keep within arm’s reach.

It is important not to underestimate the vast number of benefits Parkrun brings to individuals, the community and to Peacehaven.

The many, many benefits of Parkrun include, (but are not limited to) the following:

Unlike gyms or some running clubs, it is free.
It champions inclusivity.
It continues to break down barriers.
It promotes confidence, positivity, diversity, inclusion and independence.
It is motivational, educational, inspirational and aspirational.
It provides individuals with a sense of purpose and personal achievement both as a runner, walker and a volunteer.
It is prescribed by GPs to support mental health and well-being.
It improves health, fitness, and can help to combat obesity both in children and adults.
It provides an opportunity for Duke of Edinburgh students to volunteer.
It takes place 52 weeks of the year, on bank holiday weekends, Christmas Day and New Years’ Day, providing some people with the only human contact they may have during what can often be periods of increased loneliness.
It is a free fun activity and one in which the whole family are able to participate, especially valuable during the current cost of living crisis.
It is nonjudgmental and welcomes people from all walks of life regardless of their background.
It creates lasting friendships and helps to prevent loneliness.
It supports the local economy especially the Gateway Cafe and other local establishments where many people meet afterwards for coffee and breakfast.
It provides an opportunity for those setting up new Parkruns to familiarise themselves with the procedures and roles required to set up a Parkrun.
It is a platform for celebrating volunteering, running and walking achievements.

Parkrun support students as part of their Duke of Edinburgh’s award.

Parkrun has a core team of volunteers always willing to help others, and there are several different volunteer roles, with training given to those who are new to the event.

To find out more and register for an athlete number and barcode please visit https://www.parkrun.org.uk/peacehaven

To email the Parkrun organisers, please contact them at one of the following email addresses:

[email protected]

The Community Orchard has been in development since around 2021 in partnership with Brighton Permaculture Trust. A shelter belt has been planted around the site, to protect the orchard, and includes over two thousand shrubs and trees including 33 different species.

These included fast-growing species such as Italian alder and Monterey pine, native trees like oak and beech, nut-bearing species such as walnut and chestnut; and fruiting species like cherry plum and crab apple. This should be of huge benefit to local wildlife as the belt grows outwards and upwards, and will hopefully eventually protect the orchard trees, and hide the view of the new (rather contentious) housing development which is now under construction.

Eventually there will be over a hundred apples trees planted, supported by partners/funders including Trees for Cities, Mothercare, Infinity Foods and private donations. The most recent batch of 19 trees, include 11 different varieties including 10 rare Sussex apples and a very late flowering French variety were planted this winter.

As the site is so windy and exposed, it was necessary to protect the young trees, by building a netting cage around each one, which considerably reduced the effect of the wind, but still allowed light through.

Sue Griffiths and her team of friendly volunteers have been guided on the tree planting and care by tree expert Bryn Thomas from Brighton Permaculture Trust. The volunteers were soon getting into the swing of the work, measuring and cutting the wires, threading the wire through the netting along the edging holes like a giant sewing needle, with the whole team coming together to put pressure on the cages, to ensure they are closed up as tightly as possible round the corner posts. The work was speeded up considerably this time by using “gripples” which can be used to join and tighten up wires.

There is always work to be done at the orchard, checking the trees, weeding, litter picking (and potentially watering which can be a challenge!) It’s a beautiful location to visit with benches where you can sit and enjoy the views, and listen to the skylarks. If you’d like to know more about the orchard and how you can help, you can find details on the Peacehaven Community Orchard’s facebook page.

orchard

apples-the-orchard

The South Downs National Park has it all – rolling hills, glorious heathland, river valleys, ancient woodland, thriving villages and market towns, and the iconic white cliffs of the Heritage Coast.

Covering over 1600 square kilometres of England’s most valued lowland landscapes in the busiest part of the UK, it has been shaped by the activities of its farmers and foresters, its large estates and communities, its charities and local businesses. It includes inspirational landscapes, internationally important wildlife, cultural heritage and lively market towns and villages. Explore the South Downs Discovery Map to find out more.

Our ancestors have been walking the ridgeline of the South Downs for as far back as we can discover, all sharing the views that found Virginia Woolf “overcome by beauty more extravagantly than one could expect.” Today, the South Downs Way is one of 15 National Trails in England and Wales and was the first bridleway National Trail in England. It is also the only National Trail to lie entirely within a National Park. Stretching from the ancient cathedral city of Winchester in the west, first capital of England, through to the white chalky cliffs of the Seven Sisters and Beachy Head at Eastbourne in the east, almost all of its stunning 160 kilometre length is blissfully off-road, so whether you travel on foot, in the saddle or on horseback, there are countless ways to enjoy this trail and all that it connects.

The South Downs National Park is home to some incredibly beautiful and rare habitats and wildlife. Our chalk grassland has up to 40 species in one square metre and our lowland heath is rarer than rainforest and home to all of our native reptiles and amphibians. Even here, nature is under pressure, and it needs our help. Since it came into being, the National Park Authority has worked with local partners to deliver ambitious projects, bringing together land managers, conservationists, planners and volunteers to conserve and enhance the landscape. These partnerships have not only restored habitats and reintroduced keystone species but also helped people better understand the history of the South Downs and the special role people have played in its changing character.

Together we can create a nature network spreading across the South Downs National Park making this an even better place for nature and people, where wildlife can flourish, habitats thrive and where everyone can experience nature and wildlife at their best.

Nature everywhere, for everyone.

Will you help ReNature the South Downs National Park?