Home
Latest News
About Us
Maps
History of the Woods
Plants and Wildlife
Trees
Membership
Forthcoming Events
Past Events
Achievements
Funding
Publicity
Newsletter
Gallery
Contacts
Business Supporters
Links
Guestbook

Past Events
(Click on a picture to see a larger version)

11th, 12th & 13th July 2008

BWAG at the Kent County Show

Details to be updated soon…………

29th June 2008

Butterfly & Nature Walk

Details to be updated soon…………

7th June 2008

BWAG Visits the Valley Conservation Society - Tovil

BWAG Members visited the Loose Valley Conservation Area for a very interesting tour, led by Bryn Cornwall, Chairman of The Valley Conservation Society; a conservation group similar to BWAG.

The Valley Conservation Society exists to "Protect and enhance the valleys of South Maidstone for the benefit of residents, wildlife and visitors."

Founded in July 2000, the Society was formed initially by residents of the Lower Loose Valley in Tovil, near Maidstone, Kent, but has since grown to encompass members in Loose, Boughton Monchelsea, Coxheath and much wider afield.

To view notes of our visit click here or to find out more about the project visit http://www.valleyconservation.org.uk/

4th May 2008

Spring Bird Walk

A spring bird walk was held on 4 May, led by Owen Sweeney of the Kent Ornithological Society (KOS). Owen, who has now led many walks for BWAG, gave an interesting tour of the woods pointing out birds, plants and other wildlife. It was very well attended and members requested that a Dawn Chorus walk be arranged - details coming soon!!

26th April 2008

Bluebells and Cream Tea

BWAG led a Bluebell Walk through Bredhurst Woods on 26 April. This was attended by approximately 40 members and their guests. The walk was followed by a cream tea at Arran Bank Farm, by kind permission of Pam and Dennis Newman. The event raised almost £200.

25th April 2008

German TV - Filming Day at Bredhurst

ARD, a German TV company visited Bredhurst Woods on 25 April and spent the morning filming BWAG volunteers at work. The programme was screened in Germany on 5 May.

Click here to view footage - all in German though! - Please email postmaster@vanessajones.plus.com if anyone has a translation………

20th April 2008

KRAG - Guided Walk

The Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group (KRAG) held a survey day on 20 April. Despite the not too friendly weather about 25 members of KRAG & BWAG recorded a number of sightings including, adders, lizards and slow worms. The walk was led by Kevin Johnson and Dr. Rick Hodges of KRAG. A full report can be viewed at www.kentarg.org/content/view/53/45/

1st April 2008

BWAG AGM

The BWAG AGM was held on 1 April 08 and 21 members attended. Neil Coombs, the guest speaker from Kent Wildlife Trust, spoke about the history of the woods from medieval times onwards. The new constitution was formally adopted and BWAG will now proceed with its application to become a registered charity. Our current status is as an Advisory Committee to Bredhurst Parish Council, a role which we have outgrown. It is now time to become a separate conservation charity which will be more beneficial and help BWAG to develop further.

30th March 2008

Official Opening of Renovated Paths

Over 100 people attended the official path opening ceremony, conducted by Nigel Wheeler, High Sheriff of Kent, Cllr Paul Carter, Leader of KCC and Cllr Denise Joy, Deputy Mayor of Maidstone. This was followed by lunch at Arran Bank Farm.

BWAG also received good coverage of the event on ITV Meridian News. Following the event, the High Sheriff of Kent granted BWAG with a special award for ‘great and valuable service to the community’.

BWAG are extremely grateful to the Royal Engineers, who completed the 1st phase of the path restoration project on 12th March 08. Thanks also to Gallagher Aggregates Ltd and McVeigh Parker for supplying materials at cost - without their support and the help of the Army costs would have doubled. The total cost of the project was just over £30,000.

18th February 2008

Rescue Mission for Orchids and Wildlife

An area of about 1 hectare, which was once chalk grassland, began to return to its former glory this week. Over the past 30 years or so this site, which used to be covered with wild flowers and herbs, had become neglected and overgrown making it uninviting for nesting birds and wildlife. Kent Wildlife Trust advised that the area needed to be cleared, fenced and grazed.

BWAG raised sufficient funds to pay contractors to clear the site, but volunteers decided to do the fencing. Thanks to the generosity of McVeigh Parker, agricultural suppliers in Headcorn, the materials cost BWAG very little.

Starting on 18th February, Kent Wildlife Trust led a team of up to 20 volunteers who erected approximately 350m of fencing - an incredible achievement as, apart from KWT staff, virtually nobody else had any fencing experience. The ground was uneven, hard and full of flints - not ideal for the novice fencers! Amazingly, the task was completed in just four days.

Kent Wildlife Trust will shortly be providing a small flock of Wiltshire Horn sheep to graze the area. This will keep the scrub encroachment to a minimum and allow the site to rejuvenate and flourish. Hopefully, we may even see Nightingales return to nest here once again……..

An enormous thank-you to Neil Coombs and his colleagues at KWT, McVeigh Parker and of course to all the volunteers!!

Scrub Clearance Begins	A Bare Patch of Land	The Experts at Work
The First Hole	A Fencing Lesson.	It Will Fit...!!
Its a Long Way	A Job Well Done	Who Measured the Wire - The Only Piece Left!

6th December 2007

CAROLS AT GREEN COURT

For the second year running BWAG held a carol concert at Green Court. Thanks to our hosts, Jane & Stephen Page and to the Cantium Choir for another excellent performance. We were also pleased to welcome the Mayor and Mayoress of Maidstone, Cllr Richard Ash and Mrs Christine Ash and thank them for officially opening the evening. Over 200 people attended the concert and we raised almost £1200. Thanks also to the numerous businesses who generously donated many raffle prizes.

3rd December 2007

GATES INSTALLED TO DETER ILLEGAL ACCESS

After over two years of campaigning, BWAG has succeeded in restricting access to Bredhurst Hurst. Only permit holders and landowners are now allowed to use the byway. Gates have been installed at both the Bredhurst and Detling ends of the byway, which will hopefully deter illegal access to off-road vehicles and fly tippers. Legitimate (taxed, insured and road legal) off-road vehicles may apply to KCC for a permit to enter the area. They must agree to keep to the byway and must not stray onto private land, footpaths or bridlepaths or their permit will be withdrawn. CCTV has been installed and the Police are patrolling the area daily. They will confiscate any vehicles without a valid permit.

We hope that Bredhurst Hurst can now be enjoyed by all - walkers, horse riders and responsible off-road drivers.

Any sightings of vehicles straying from the byway should be reported immediately to the Police on 01622 690055.

24th November 2007

WINTER BIRD WALK

About 15 BWAG members, led by Owen Sweeney of the Kent Ornithological Society (KOS) toured Bredhurst Hurst and the surrounding areas. Members were also very pleased to welcome several non-BWAG member bird enthusiasts who had seen the walk advertised in the local press. It was bitterly cold and unfortunately not much bird life was spotted - nevertheless a very enjoyable winter walk.

12th November 2007

ROYAL ENGINEERS HELP WITH PATH RESTORATION

The REs began path restoration on bridlepath KH56, which links byway KH94 to White Hill (click here for more info and a map of the area).  They provided their manpower and machinery free of charge, plus over £2000 towards the cost of materials.  BWAG secured an additional £18,000 and are grateful to Gallagher Aggregates Ltd for supplying the road stone at a vastly discounted rate. The REs were on site for one month, but could not complete the task in this time.  They will return to Bredhurst Hurst on 18 February 2008 for an additional month to complete the project. Once completed, other paths in the area will be repaired and substantial fencing will be erected to protect The Hurst from off-road vehicles.  Access will remain for horse riders and walkers.

The work generated a lot of media interest including articles on BBC South East and Radio Kent.

1st November 2007

BWAG VOLUNTEERS HELP INSTALL 45 STEPS

BWAG volunteers, guided by Ian Hayes the KCC Public Rights of Ways Officer, installed 45 steps on footpath KH9. This path leads from Dunn Street to Monkdown Wood and, until the steps were in place, took walkers down a very steep and slippery slope - now this route can be enjoyed by all.

27th October 2007

BWAG VISIT TO BERENGRAVE LOCAL NATURE RESERVE

Several BWAG members visited this fascinating site, designated as a LNR in 1984. We learnt much about the wildlife and history of the area from our guide and Chairman of Friends of Berengrave (FoB), Brian Baker.
For more information about FoB visit www.friendsofberengrave.btik.com

6th October 2007

BREDHURST FUNGI FORAY

We had a good turn out, despite clashing with the Rugby World Cup Semi-Final!! Our fungi expert and guide Jo Weightman led us around the woodland and we discovered many common and not so common varieties. Click here for details and photos of some of the species found.

28th & 29th July 2007

BWAG ATTEND THE NATIONAL WOODLAND TRUST CONFERENCE

Several BWAG committee members travelled to Grantham, Lincolnshire to the national Woodland Trust Conference. This was a packed weekend with a number of informative presentations, workshops and a tour of a local woodland. Speakers included Sue Holden, Chief Executive of the Woodland Trust and Tim Scoones, BBC Executive Producer of ‘Springwatch’. We also had speakers from France, Sweden and of course Bredhurst!

13th, 14th & 15th July 2007

BWAG AT KENT COUNTY SHOW

For the third year running BWAG had a promotional stand at the Kent County Show. Our pitch was kindly provided free of charge by the showground to support our community project and in recognition that part of Bredhurst Hurst falls within the parish of Detling. We had many visitors to the stand, some of which we had met at previous shows who popped in to check on our progress since last year!

23 June 2007

CREAM TEA & CLARINETS

The rain stayed away (well for most of the afternoon!) and the gardens of Grove House looked splendid. Music was provided by Ad Hoc Ebony, a local clarinet quartet, which was thoroughly enjoyed by all. The event raised £581.00

6 May 2007

SPRING BIRD WALK

We had a glorious sunny day for our ‘Spring Bird Walk’, led by Owen Sweeney of the Kent Ornithological Society (KOS). It was very well attended and many sightings were recorded including Nightingale, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Long Tailed Tit, Skylark, Chaffinch, Thrush and Mistlethrush. See our Flora and Fauna page for more information about what you may encounter in our woodland!

28 April 2007

MP HUGH ROBERTSON ATTENDS SPRING EVENT

BWAG invited Kent Wildlife Trust to hold their 1st Local Wildlife Site Owners Day at Green Court, Bredhurst, courtesy of Stephen & Jane Page. The event was very well attended by landowners from across Kent and was opened by Hugh Robertson, MP. Hugh stressed the importance of protecting our environment and praised BWAG for its many achievements. During the morning guests listened to presentations on woodland management issues and this was followed by lunch, prepared by BWAG members. During the afternoon, Neil Coombs of Kent Wildlife Trust took guests and BWAG members on a tour of our woodland, highlighting the many improvements that have taken place - then back to Green Court for tea & cakes!!

(Photographs courtesy of Issy Whatrup & Kent Wildlife Trust)

Dr Peter Black & John Bennett, Chief Executive, KWT	Dr Peter Black talking to Group	Walkers at Strawberry Banks
	Neil Coombs, KWT Talking to Walkers
Helpers Preparing Lunch	John Bennett, Chief Executive, KWT; Vanessa Jones, Chairman, BWAG & Hugh Robertson, MP	John Bennett Thanking Jane & Stephen Page

14 April 2007

ADDERS IN THE VALLEY!

About 25 members of BWAG and The Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group (KRAG) examined Day Valley, Strawberry Banks and the surrounding areas for evidence of reptiles. We found adders, lizards and slow worms. It was a beautiful sunny day - perfect conditions for a spot of reptile sunbathing! We even spotted two male adders in combat!! Thanks to Martin and Sophie Hendy from KRAG for some action shots and to Kevin Johnson for more photos and for leading the walk - making it a most enjoyable morning.

April 2007

BYWAY REPAIRS - AT LAST, NO MORE MUDDY PUDDLES!

BWAG has secured £5000 from KCC Public Rights of Way to enable an initial section of the byway, from Day Valley to Arran Bank Stud Farm, to be resurfaced. This was required to allow easy access to the area for contractors, who are carrying out extensive maintenance work throughout the woodland - It will also make walking and horse riding in the area much more enjoyable!!

Before:

After:

March / April 2007

COMPLETION OF RENOVATION WORK AT WHITE HILL

White Hill, a favoured spot for fly tippers, has been smartened up! The work includes the clearance of existing fly tipping; new fencing, and the installation of a substantial metal barrier to deter fly tippers and the illegal access by off road vehicles. In addition, two bridle gates have been erected on the bridleway at the top of Strawberry Banks. This work was funded by KCC Public Rights of Way; Kent Downs AONB Unit; KCC Clean Kent and BWAG at a cost of approximately £5400, of which BWAG provided £1200. Over £2000 of these costs were for the removal of the rubbish!!

Before:

After:

March 2007

COPPICING WORK BEGINS…………..

BWAG has obtained a felling license to allow areas of the woodland, selected by Kent Wildlife Trust, to be coppiced over the coming two years. The first phase of this work is funded by the Kent Downs AONB Unit and KCC, Local Grants Scheme. Coppicing is essential to allow the woodland to rejuvenate and is beneficial to both plant and wildlife. Hopefully, this work will encourage more wildlife into the woodland next season, including Nightingales, a bird that has been missing from the area recently.

(Photographs courtesy of Issy Whatrup & Robin Grimble)

25 March 2007

SPRING BADGER EVENT

The West Kent Badger Group & BWAG held a very successful badger survey day. About 20 volunteers, assisted by experienced badger people, examined various sites for evidence of badgers. We all came away with a lot more knowledge of badgers and their habitats!

7 December 2006

CHRISTMAS CAROLS, MULLED WINE & MINCED PIES

GREEN COURT, THE STREET, BREDHURST.

A good time was had by all drinking mulled wine, eating mince pies and listening to The Cantium Singers, a 50 strong Rochester based choir. We had a very good turn out and raised £916 for BWAG. It was great evening and quite a task supplying mulled wine and mince pies for nearly 200 - a big thank you to all helpers!! A magnificent end to a very successful year!!

26 November 2006

BWAG Presented with Volunteering Award

BWAG were one of over 650 nominations from across the county for the KCC 'Awards for Volunteering Excellence'. We were nominated for the award by Bredhurst Parish Council chairman and Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, Suresh Khanna. There were 24 'Winners' and 23 'Highly Commended' (47 in total) and BWAG were one of three winners in the environmental category. Several of the BWAG committee members attended a splendid presentation ceremony on Sunday 26 November to receive the award.

This is a real honour for our group, especially when you consider the relatively short time we have been going - many of the other winners had been working with their projects for many decades.

There is more information about the awards on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/kent/6185844.stm.

18 November 2006

Kent Wildlife Trust - Visit to Bredhurst Hurst

On 18 November 2006, KWT held a training day, Woodland Management for Wildlife, aimed at landowners and those responsible for managing woodland. The afternoon session included a visit to Bredhurst Hurst and several BWAG members joined in for a very enjoyable and informative afternoon

5 November 2006

Autumn Clean Up

A very successful day, with support from around 30 volunteers and machinery, ensuring that Bredhurst Hurst is completely rubbish free!! Thankfully, we found no evidence of any recent fly tipping and the rubbish removed, including car tyres, builder’s rubble and scrap metal was mainly that which we were unable to clear in April.

25 October 2006

Badgers in Bredhurst

Dave and Dorothy Witherspoon from the West Kent Badger Group gave an informative and entertaining talk to nearly 50 BWAG members, providing a fascinating insight into the lives of badgers. WKBG & BWAG hope to jointly conduct a full study of Bredhurst Hurst shortly - watch this web site for news on how you can help……..

1 October 2006

BWAG Sponsored Horse Ride

Thanks to Deana Foulds for arranging a very successful sponsored horse ride. A record number of riders took part, coming from as far as Ashford and Whitstable to support us. Over £1200 was raised for BWAG.

13 August 2006

'Pimms at Green Court'

We held our first social event at Green Court in August. Over 80 people enjoyed Pimms and canapés and luckily the rain stayed away!! Many local businesses generously donated some lovely raffle prizes, which helped to make the evening a great success, raising over £700.

14, 15 & 16 July 2006

BWAG Stand at the Kent County Show

For the 2nd year running, BWAG manned a stand at the Kent County Show to raise public awareness of the problems faced in Bredhurst Hurst.

11 July 2006

Kent Bat Club Visits Monkdown Wood

Shirley Thompson from the Kent Bat Club and almost 40 BWAG members visited Monkdown Wood for a night of bat spotting. The evening began with a short talk on bat identification and then a circular walk around Monkdown Wood, finishing back at Boxley Grange.

27 & 28 May 2006

THE BREDHURST WOODLAND WEEKEND

This was a two day event……

On the Saturday the village hall was filled with nature and wildlife exhibits. Also on display were relics found within the village by a local metal detecting club and artwork completed by the children of Bredhurst CE Primary School. The prize winning artwork has been made into brass rubbing plaques that will be mounted onto kissing gates throughout the area. There was also a presentation by Bredhurst WI to BWAG of a cheque for £500 towards our project.

On the Sunday, a guided walk by the botanist Dr Peter Black was well attended by over 50 BWAG members. Peter made this a most enjoyable walk, giving us all lots of information about woodland plants and wildlife.

May 2006

LAUNCH OF THE BWAG MEMBERSHIP SCHEME

We have grown from six founder members to nearly 200 and still rising!!! This includes many businesses.

24 April 2006

KENT WILDLIFE TRUST & BREDHURST SCHOOL

KWT visited Bredhurst Junior School, which was funded by BWAG. They gave a talk to the children on the wildlife to be found in our woods, then took the older children on a nature walk. They were to think about ideas for an art competition, with the winners to be announced at the Bredhurst Woodland Weekend in May.

19 April 2006

FLY TIPPING CLEAN UP DAY

On 19 April we organized a fly-tipping clean up day. This was a huge success, with about 60 volunteers, tractors, trailers and a JCB! We removed over 100 tons of rubbish including tyres builders’debris and an Abbey National cashpoint machine!!!!

6 April 2006

BWAG GETS THE BACKING OF OUR MP

Hugh Robertson MP visited Bredhurst on 6 April and was handed a 1500 signature petition demanding that action be taken to preserve our woodland. This has now been formally presented to Parliament.

30 March 2006

LEADER OF KENT COUNTY COUNCIL VISITS WOODLAND

Paul Carter, the Leader of Kent County Council visited Bredhurst Hurst and the surrounding area to see for himself the damage caused by off road vehicles and fly tipping.

25 March 2006

MERIDIAN TV VISITS BREDHURST

Filming took place on 25 March, and BWAG made headline news on 1 April. The article summarised the problems in our woodland and the efforts of BWAG to address these issues.

24 March 2006

FENCING OF DAY VALLEY

The fencing of Day Valley to protect this valuable area of chalk grassland was completed. This was part funded by the landowner and the Mid Kent Downs Project.

November 2005

FENCING OF HURSTWOOD ROAD & BYWAY

Approximately 400 meters of fencing erected - from village hall and along the byway, to stop vehicles trespassing onto private land. This was funded by the Mid Kent Downs Project.

July 2005

BWAG AT THE KENT COUNTY SHOW

BWAG manned a stand (well actually a table!) to promote the activities of the group. Many people signed our petition in support of action required to preserve Bredhurst Hurst.

May 2005

FORMATION OF THE BREDHURST WOODLAND ACTION GROUP

The group initially started with six people who came together with the aim of stopping further destruction of our ancient woodland.