The Cuckoo Trail Arts & Heritage Project

Set against significant new housing development in East Sussex, Wealden District Council commissioned Prowse to help reimagine the 14-mile Cuckoo Trail - a former steam railway as a space for wellbeing, connection, and community identity.  The challenge was to turn this green corridor into a place that celebrated heritage, encouraged active lifestyles and foster a sense of community.

Working with a local artist and blacksmith, we designed and delivered a creative Arts & Heritage Programme that included new public art, publishing a children’s storybook about the history and nature along the trail, and we delivered 21 free creative workshops for 500+ school children and older residents.

To deepen connection with the natural environment, we worked with local community groups to make and install heritage-inspired bird/hedgehog boxes and we created an interactive augmented reality wildlife trail, linked to wildlife ‘characters’.

The project successfully blended placemaking, arts education and environmental stewardship. Schools praised the workshops for their cross-curricular value, while families and new communities have embraced the trail as a vibrant local asset.

We have subsequently been commissioned to extend the arts and heritage programme for 2025/6 to provide workshops for primary schools and seniors residential homes across Wealden District.