West Sussex 'abode of the storks' lives up to its name in first for Europe

The Saxons knew the West Sussex village of Storrington as Estorchestone, the "abode of the storks". But the graceful birds disappeared from its skies more than 600 years ago, when they became extinct in Britain.

- Patrick Barkham

Following the white stork's successful return, Storrington and the nearby Knepp estate have been designated a "European stork village". The accolade means the communities are now part of the European stork villages network, a transnational initiative by the EuroNatur foundation to combat habitat loss for the birds. Together, Storrington and Knepp are the 16th place in Europe to be recognised as a stork village, and the first in the UK.