Conservation

MVCP and the other Countryside Management Partnerships now have Community Toolkits which we can loan out to active community groups so they can make a difference by carrying out environmental work on their local patch.

The toolkits include a range of hand tools from bow saws and spades to loppers and we can also loan out some protective clothing such as steel toe capped boots and hi-vis vests. In addition we can advise you on the task methodology and give you information about health and safety.

If you are part of a local Community Group and/or need some equipment in order to carry out some outdoor tasks in your neighbourhood then please get in touch to discuss your project and to borrow a toolkit. Call 01622 683695. Click here to download a form book direct by emailing us at medwayvalley@kent.gov.uk

Valley of Visions and the Community Rail Partnership are delighted to inform you of a new way to explore the stunning countryside and rich heritage of the Medway Valley through a series of fantastic new walks from train stations along the Medway Valley Line – the Medway Valley Rail Trails pack. Download them free here Rail pack

The pack offers 13 distinctive trails varying from 1.8 to 7.1 miles which cater for a range of interests and abilities. There is one walk, either circular or linear between two adjacent stations, from each of the 13 train stations along the Medway Valley Line between Strood and Paddock Wood. Each walk has a separate leaflet with a clear map, easy to follow directions and snippets of interesting facts and information about what you might see along the walk.

Kent’s Countryside Partnerships are exploring ways to help restore traditional orchards and create new community fruit-growing open spaces in Kent. We need your help to;

Build up local knowledge of existing traditional orchards and community fruit growing open spaces.

Locate potential new sites for fruit growing community open spaces (publicly owned or privately owned land where the landowner is supportive).

Let us know the skills and knowledge you could share with the project.
Let us know how you would like to be involved in the project

If you can help with such information in north or west Kent only, please take a couple of minutes to complete the on-line questionnaire. For more information contact Caroline Drewett on 01622 683695.

Interreg projects

In partnership with several conservation organisations across the channel in the North of France, MVCP are in the midst of an exciting range of projects funded through the European Regional Development Fund. Projects have focussed on two discrete areas, namely bats and ponds, but there have been a wealth of events, education, surveys and training leading to habitat management advice and practical work on the ground to help protect a whole range of species. This earlier press release gives a flavour of the work:

Going batty on the Kent Downs
This year’s MVCP Interreg funded Bats on the Downs Project has been a success. After a start up meeting in the spring, 15 volunteers signed up to help with the project. The volunteers were provided with training on how to recognise bat sounds and flight patterns and were then given a site to survey throughout the summer. All of the results of the surveys are now in and being analysed. Some of the volunteers were lucky enough to be involved in an exchange trip to France to see the work carried out with bats over the channel. A rather chilly night was spent sitting
in a cave watching the experts trap and tag a number of bats during the swarming season.
If you are interested in becoming a batty volunteer then please get in touch with Mary on 01622 683695.

Even small plots of land can help our increasingly threatened wild plants and animals. Whether you have a community space, a back garden, a roof-top, or even a window box, they call all provide vital habitats and linkages to the wider countryside. For a wealth of ideas, have a look at the Creating Areas for Nature website, right now.

MVCP can also carry out wildlife surveys and write site management plans. Whether this is for an existing designated site such as a Local Wildlife Site, at Yalding Fen below.....