Sussex festival raises money for Cuckmere Haven SOS campaign

Profits will be donated to the Cuckmere Haven SOS campaign, which seeks to save the cottages from coastal erosion.

WEEKEND spoke to the organiser Anthony Albrecht about the event.

What made you want to start Lapwing Festival three years ago?

In 2015 I discovered Cuckmere Haven with my parents and newborn baby girl by Googling “best views of Sussex” while my heroic partner was busy playing double bass at Glyndebourne. I’ve been in love with the place ever since. After being fortunate to befriend some of the cottage owners I volunteered for the Cuckmere Haven SOS campaign, which aims to save the cottages from coastal erosion and preserve the landscape for the next generation.

One of the suggested public activities was a musical event, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to curate something at such an iconic place. I’m interested in the celebration and preservation of beautiful things, and there is nowhere quite like Cuckmere Haven.

How have you seen it grow and evolve over those short years?

We kept it small for the first two years to suit the cottage location and to create an intimacy that was quite magical. As the campaign is growing we decided to expand the festival this year, and thus it will be the first time a marquee has ever been set up at Cuckmere Haven. We can now accommodate double the audience (approximately 60), but we won’t lose the intimacy or the views.

What makes the festival so unique?

The combination of the Coastguard Cottages, the Cuckmere Valley and the Seven Sisters make the view from your seat at the festival one of the most amazing of any concert venue in the world. It’s also unique for a festival to focus on solo recitals, allowing each performer to tell their own personal story. The artists I’ve chosen to perform represent very diverse musical styles and backgrounds, and they are all world-class players and great human beings.

It takes place at Cuckmere Haven, that must be an incredibly scenic place for this type of festival?

At any time of day, in any weather, Cuckmere Haven can take your breath away. I’m Australian, and often daydream about the beaches, forests and even the desert landscapes back home. Cuckmere Haven is one of those awe-inspiring places however that heals the soul and makes me feel happy in England. Add music, food and wine in the mix, as well as a beautiful community of people, and it’s a recipe for an unforgettable weekend.

And with only 60 tickets available per show it must be fantastic to provide such intimate showcases?

Having such a limited number of people in attendance gives the events a cosy, exclusive feel. You get to know the other audience members, who in past years often decided to book for the rest of the festival events after experiencing the first concert. Everyone gets the chance to meet and talk to the artists, as well as the team behind Cuckmere Haven SOS, some of whom have lifelong, multi-generational connections to Cuckmere.

You say the profits are donated to Cuckmere Haven SOS. Tell us about the work they do and why you chose to support them?

Cuckmere Haven SOS is a registered charity that was set up with the goal of preserving the outstanding natural and built environment of this iconic place for the next generation. Government policy is currently one of “managed retreat” for the Cuckmere Valley, with the eventual goal of returning it to flooding estuary that will support mangroves and a much greater diversity of plants, animals and birds than the carefully maintained meanders and canals that are there today.

This policy however does not account for the fact that the Coastguard Cottages are in danger of eroding into the sea, and that they represent one of the most beloved coastal views anywhere in the world.

They have been featured in countless films and commercials, and appear as Windows screensaver images worldwide. They are an icon of England, but for now there is no Government funding for their preservation. While the cottage owners have historically contributed all repair works to the seawall with their own funds, Cuckmere Haven SOS has been set up to bring in the wider to community to preserve this place, a form of conservation crowdfunding.

How important do you think it is the festival provides entertainment but also support for a worthy cause?

Any fundraising campaign needs public events that celebrate its values and goals, while building and strengthening the community of people who are passionate about seeing that goal achieved.

Lapwing Music Festival is a chance to celebrate some of the best things about this part of the world, from the diversity and brilliance of the artists that live and thrive in the UK, to stunning pastoral landscapes with white cliffs and the windswept, almost mystical cottages.

What can fans expect?

Everything from “the Queen of the Qanun”, Maya Youssef, to a “rockstar” of the lute, Thomas Dunford. Our lunch features guest speaker Juliet Nicolson, the renowned author based in Alfriston.

Guests can enjoy beer from our supporters at Hepworth Brewery, delicious wines from across the Channel, those unbeatable views, and a temporary sense, while listening to the cry of birds, the waves lapping against the beach at Cuckmere, and some stunning music, that all is well with the world.

Finally, why is this the festival to attend in 2018?

The Lapwing Music Festival features some of the finest young artists on the planet that you would otherwise only hear onstage with Bjork or at Wigmore Hall, in a setting that defies the imagination. You will remember these concerts for the rest of your life.

For more information visit www.lapwingfestival.com.