The River Path The River Path
West Sussex Water Festival
Arundel, August 13, 2006. Drought rather than flood is the preoccupation in the South East where they have had below average rainfall since November 2004. The Sussex Water Partnership put on their first ‘Celebration of Water’, “to raise awareness of water in our daily lives” in Arundel on the River Arun on a rainy Sunday morning, the first spot of rain here for many months. But after a rather gloomy start bright sunshine illuminated the spectacular cloud formations.
Activities were dotted around the town, but mainly centered on the Jubilee Gardens and Town Quay by the imposing tidal river Arun, with stalls by water and environment groups and organisations, demonstrations of rainwater harvesting and other water saving devices by South East Water, storytelling and music. A stall run by West Sussex County Council exhorted people to sign up to the 10% Challenge – to reduce their consumption of water, energy and waste.
Arundel is fortunate to have a 1960s 25 metre lido where you can have the hilltop castle fringed by trees in view while laconically practising your breast-stroke. Ten minutes walk away is the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust’s new visitors centre. Favourite was a ride on a battery powered boat which glides silently among the reeds, water voles and reed warblers.
