Woodcarving expert and local artist Martin Brockman worked with the Ashford North Youth Centre on a woodcarving project to create rustic seating and a large sculpture at Singleton Lake. Local birds, reptiles and insects inspired the designs. The group also put their own stamp on the work by carving images of their hands and creating patterns on the pieces. The seating is found in the main car park at the end of Bucksford Lane, off Tithe Barn Lane, Singleton. New sculptural seating has been installed at Civic Centre Park North and Queen Mother’s Park. Local artist Will Glanfield was commissioned to create the seats. Will worked with a student from the Ashford School of Art and Design to create the piece at Civic Centre North. Two other benches can be found at Queen Mother’s Park which provide useful resting points along the lengthy pathway.

Cleaning up the Green Corridor

Kent Probation Service have provided invaluable help to clean up areas of Victoria Park. Several trailer loads of large items of rubbish including old washing machines and trolleys were removed from the river and ditches within the park. In addition the wildlife pond was cleared of rubbish and debris. The pond supports a population of smooth newts as well as a range of aquatic invertebrates such as dragonflies and damselflies; it is used as an educational resource in the spring and summer. KPS also joined up with the Ashford Angling Society to coppice willows and clear pathways around the edge of Singleton Lake, improving access around the lake. Tree thinning in the woodland area on the edge of Victoria Park also took place to increase the diversity of ground flora and remove large sycamores that shade out other more valuable native species. The South Willesborough and Newtown Environment Group are working with the Mobile CCTV unit and the Green Corridor Project and Ashford Borough Council to safeguard a small but important area of woodland in South Willesborough. The Spinney is a small copse that despite its urban location attracts a range of butterflies and birds. This year the Spinney has been subject to abuse including flytipping. Ashford Borough Council will clear away the flytipping, the Mobile CCTV unit will have a greater presence in the area and the Green Corridor project will assist the group by carrying out tree thinning within the woodland to make illegal activities in the wood more visible and hopefully reduce the number.

A water vole survey was commissioned by the Green Corridor Project to survey the South Willesborough Dykes. The Dykes are an important area forming part of the floodplain to the south of Ashford and are designated a SNCI. The area is made up of a network of ditches, as well as the main channels of the East Stour and Aylesford Stream. The area potentially offers good habitat for water vole. At the other end of the Green Corridor, willow trees were pollarded on the banks of the Great Stour at Great Chart. The work was carried out on land owned by the Wyvern School. The work restored two old willow pollards and created three new pollards.