French
conservation volunteers help plant a Kentish woodland
The Kentish Stour Countryside Project volunteers welcomed their French
counterparts Les Blongios (The Bitterns) for the 7th time, over
the weekend, through a project called ‘Landscapes and Nature For All’.
Fourteen French volunteers joined up with 17 English volunteers to
re-plant woodland on the top
of the
Downs
at Cold Blow Farm, Wye, in the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural
Beauty. Debbie Adams, Ashford
Countryside Officer, says ‘The woodland, which had largely disapeared by
1975, formed an extensive link from the Wye National Nature Reserve (NNR),
sweeping across the dry valley towards Crundale.
The new wooded area will consist of oak, beech and ash with an
understory including hazel, dogwood and spindle.
There was joint comarardery in withstanding the rain and snow
hurled at the volunteers and equal satisfaction with the venison stew
cooked up by the landowner for lunch’.
Mr
Crispin Beale, the landowner, says ‘It
was fantastic seeing so many volunteers working so hard, despite the
terrible weather, to re-create habitat that will benefit wildlife and the
community. Restoring what was once ancient woodland to provide food and
shelter for species as diverse as Dormice and Tawny Owls couldn't be more
important. The hard work of this weekend will outlive all of us and
provide a woodland corridor for hundreds of years to come, not only will
this look beautiful, but it will literally help give life to the
environment and the people of Ashford by cleaning the air we breathe. I am
extremely grateful to Debbie, Jon and the whole team from the Kentish
Stour Countryside Project for their hard work and encouragement - without
them this project would not have happened’.
Managing and promoting the finest landscapes and habitats of Kent and
northern France, the Transmanche Landscapes and Nature For All Project is
a partnership between 13 conservation bodies in Kent, including the
Kentish Stour Countryside Project, and 7 partners on the other side of the
channel, including the Parc Naturel Regional des Caps et Marais d’Opale
and Les Blongios. Bringing
landscape and wildlife benefits to the Transmanche Region the project is
supported by the European Regional Development Fund Interreg IV A
programme.
The partnership has recently received confirmation of a 2.3 million euro
grant to be spent over 4 years. The
partners will work togther to share knowledge and understanding of their
disciplines and deliver joint
landscape and wildlife habitat projects. The KSCP has worked with the Parc
Naturel Regional des Caps et Marais d’Opale for 15 years.
The Kentish Stour Countryside Project run volunteer conservation projects
every Wednesday around Ashford and Thrursday around
Canterbury
, if you are interested in volunteering contact the KSCP.
