A South Downs Alphabet

A South Downs Alphabet celebrates the creation of the South Downs National Park (SDNP), the latest region in Britain to be honoured and protected in this way. Our inspiration came from the 1924 collection of poems by Eleanor Farjeon, A Sussex Alphabet - verses written to reflect her enduring love of the county. We invited 21st-century students of all ages to create poetry as their response to the SDNP. In two significant ways the poems here present a wider perspective than those in Farjeon's original book. Firstly, they cover the three counties of Hampshire, West Sussex and East Sussex - the span of the park. Secondly, and most importantly, they are the work of a diverse range of people. Some authors are young; others by no means so. Some have written poetry before; for others it was literally their first attempt. For some the exercise was a solitary one while others collaborated with family, friends or classmates. Yet for all their diversity these wonderful poems echo Farjeon's interest, imagination and sheer delight in this most alluring of regions.