The Kentish Stour Countryside Project is offering advice and grant aid towards projects that improve landscape quality and/or wildlife habitats.

The Project has managed to source grant aid for projects since 1997 and this year it is due to a successful application to the European Regional Development Fund Interreg IIIa.

Projects in the past have included work to restore and create ponds, plant and manage hedgerows, plant trees and woodland, sow and restore wildflower meadows, manage roadside verges rich in wildlife and improve riverside habitats. The Project covers about half of the Ashford Borough, most of the Canterbury District and the northern part of Dover District.

One scheme in the Ashford area is in East Brabourne, which is adjacent to the Kent Downs AONB. The landowner applied and successfully received grant aid to restore an old hedgeline, plant a new hedge and create a large pond. The owner Jennifer Roberts said," We had a dream, it was the Kentish Stour Countryside Project who had the expertise, contacts and support to make our dream a reality"

The Project will only offer its own grant when other grant schemes such as the Government’s Countryside Stewardship Scheme do not apply, the Project can advise on these other schemes. It is not intended for gardens but the wider countryside and grants will not be offered to projects attached to planning consent.