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Beachy Head guides aim to boost cliff's reputation

Lucinda Adam
BBC Sussex, political reporter
BBC On the left Anna has long brown hair and wears a pair of sunglasses on her head. On the right, Susan's hair is a blond bob. Both are wearing turquoise polo shirts with the Beachy Head Ambassadors logo. They are smiling enthusiastically. Behind the women you can see the footpath along the cliff edge at Beachy Head and the view out to sea. BBC
Anna Hoad and Susan Taylor are part of the new team of ambassadors encouraging visitors to enjoy history, nature and wellbeing at Beachy Head

Volunteer guides have been introduced at Beachy Head to encourage visitors to enjoy the famous landscape for its beauty and history and to improve their mental and physical wellbeing.

New activities include guided walks encouraging birdwatching and photography, yoga sessions and 'dance groove' where visitors can dance together in the landscape with music played through headphones.

The Beachy Head Ambassadors is a two-year pilot project run by the charity 3VA and funded by East Sussex Public Health.

Beachy Head is an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Sussex coastline but has become associated with suicide attempts.

Anna Hoad, Beachy Head Ambassadors volunteer manager, said: "This place is so special because whether you're from the other side of the world or from Eastbourne you can come up here and enjoy this space for walks, coming for a picnic, watching the sunset in the summer.

"Even on a windy, blustery day in December it has its beauty.

"We've spotted peregrine falcons flying over the cliffs here which are the fastest birds in the world and you can often see groups of seals in the sea from the Bomber Command memorial."

Beachy Head Ambassadors We see around 15 people doing a yoga class. We see them from behind with their hands above their heads and their palms together in a prayer pose. They are on the clifftop at Beachy Head and they are silhouetted against the sun setting out to sea on the horizon.Beachy Head Ambassadors
New activities include free yoga classes on the clifftop with views out to sea

Volunteer ambassador Susan Taylor said: "We're excited to have some fantastic, free activities going on here to positively promote this breathtaking landscape.

"We really want people to come here and be connected with this iconic landscape and really have an understanding about sustainable and responsible tourism and safety."

East Sussex County Council is following in the footsteps of the authorities who manage San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge and Sydney Gap in Australia where footfall has been successfully increased.

Darrell Gale, director of public health for East Sussex, says research from those areas has led to new ways of helping a large number of visitors move around Beachy Head safely.

He said: "It's about people getting the benefits of being physically active and the mental health benefits of being out in nature, enjoying exercise and enjoying the green space. That's really important to us."

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