Sussex Express Lewes, UK 18 Jan 07
LEWES IS GOING TO SEED! Seedy Saturday', a community seed swap organised by Lewes District Council, will take place on Saturday, February 3, at the Southover Grange in Lewes. The event starts at 9.30am and ends at 4pm. Seedy Saturday is an exciting opportunity to meet people interested in gardening, local food production and sustainability. A variety of speakers are attending. Plant 'doctors' will be on hand along with information stalls and children's activities. An expert panel including the Lewes town mayor, Merlin Milner, will judge the homemade chutney and pickle competition. Councillor Marina Pepper, Chairman of Lewes District Council and organiser of Seedy Saturday, said: 'Local food is best and home grown food is best of all. 'We at Lewes District Council are passionate about environmental and sustainability issues and hope this event will encourage people to be more aware of the role food production plays in human health, in conserving precious resources for future generations and helping to combat the disastrous effects of climate change. 'This seed swap is, we hope, the first of many to come.' The venue of Southover Grange is particularly relevant for this event as it was once home to diarist John Evelyn, who in 1664 wrote Sylva (or Discourse on Forest Trees) encouraging estate owners to plant timber for the navy. He also wrote the first gardening manual for the masses.
