Long Man of Wilmington repainted by volunteers

Volunteers restore the iconic hill figure known as the 'Guardian of the South Downs'

Volunteers have repainted The Long Man of Wilmington on the South Downs in East Sussex.

The re-painting is the finale of a £10,000 fundraising campaign to support the work of the Sussex Archaeology Society, which owns and cares for the iconic hill figure known as the ‘Guardian of the South Downs’.

An archaeological investigation in 2003 found evidence suggesting that the Long Man figure dated back to the 16th or 17th Century, Sussex Past said.

A previous plan to repaint the figure had to be postponed due to poor weather conditions.

But Sussex Past said the maintenance work was able to go ahead last week due to more favourable conditions.

The repainting is the final part of its fundraising campaign.

The 235ft (72m) chalk carving is thought by some to be an ancient fertility symbol

It was launched in December 2022 and saw nearly 300 donors pay £30 each to adopt one of the 770 blocks that make up the outline of The Long Man.

In 2021 a facemask was painted on the figure, which is on a hill on the South Downs.