BWAG

Despite torrential rain and gale force winds, the BWAG Carol Concert was a great success. Thank you to the Cantium Singers who gave another excellent performance at the Church and to all the helpers at Green Court. With ticket sales up on previous years and many raffle prizes generously donated by a range of businesses and BWAG Members, the grand raffle lived up to its name. Thank you to all who braved the elements to support the event which raised nearly £1,100.

Lyn Palmer and Vivienne Blandford from the South East Woodland Archaeological Forum (SEWAF) gave details about what archaeological features may be present in Bredhurst Woods. They also explained about possible training for BWAG members to understand the archaeology of Bredhurst Woods and to record and identify archaeological features. . Andrew Mayfield, Community Archaeologist for Kent, brought along the new LiDAR survey for the Medway Gap. This survey currently omits Bredhurst Woods but BWAG will explore the possibility of a LiDAR survey our site. SEWAF will be returning to Bredhurst early in 2012 to help BWAG get started on the survey of Bredhurst Woods.

The BWAG Trustees attended the Hempstead Valley Farmers Market to promote the work of the group, to sell wood products and the BWAG 2012 Calendar. This generated much interest, some new members and several sales. Another visit is booked for December.

Tricia Moxley led this popular event which was over subscribed. Many species of fungi were recorded and full details will be added to the BWAG website soon.

Thank you to all participants and helpers. The sun shone (a great improvement on last year’s torrential rain) and we rose over £1300 which will be used for further improvements in Bredhurst Woods.

In association with BWAG, Richard Emmett from The Historical Research Group of Sittingbourne (HGRS) presented the group’s initial findings from their recent archaeological dig in Bredhurst. Also on display were historical maps and documents relating to Bredhurst Woods and artefacts from St Peter's Church. Over 70 people attended the talk and Richard said “it was pleasing to know that there was quite a lot of interest in local history and archaeology”.

BWAG welcomed Mike Phillips of the Kent and Reptile Amphibian Group (KRAG) for a repeat visit to Bredhurst Woods where a reptile monitoring scheme is in progress. Several species were observed by BWAG members.

The BWAG task days regularly attract 20 - 30 helpers. On this occasion seats were erected in Day Valley and Strawberry Banks.

Simon Ginnaw gave a guided tour of the woods to 22 BWAG members. He explained the history and folklore associated with many of our native woodland trees, the many roles they play in our everyday lives and the ecosystems they help support.

Botanist Mervyn Brown led a wildflower walk with 28 BWAG members attending. It was a sunny day and Mervyn highlighted many interesting, unusual, and rare plants now thriving in Bredhurst Woods.

Mary Tate and colleagues from the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership led two successful bat walks with over 60 people attending. The walks formed part of the Bats on the Downs Project which is funded by Interreg. Several Bat walks are planned which will examine various habitats and identify the different species of Bats that live on the Kent Downs.

BWAG were pleased to attend the annual Kent Wildlife Trust event at Queendown Warren.

Trustees were pleased to attend the headquarters of Kent Wildlife Trust at Tyland Barn to receive an award from the British Horse Society. Tracey Crouch, MP for Chatham & Aylesford presented the award in recognition of BWAG's work to upgrade several miles of paths for walkers and horse riders.

BWAG took part in the ‘Garden Show Week’ at Hempstead Valley. Many new members joined and the bird boxes and decorative wooden garden mushrooms proved very popular. Thanks to all the volunteers who helped man the stand, the management of Hempstead Valley Shopping Centre and ‘Theme Events’, the company who organised the show, for allowing BWAG to participate free of charge.

Thanks to help from the Mid Kent Downs Countryside Partnership, BWAG has been awarded £10,000 from Awards for All and £2,500 from Interreg Funding. This will be spent on various items including;

43 people attended the AGM. Two Trustees stood down; Melanie Fooks, Treasurer since the group was formed in 2005, and Membership Secretary, Ann Callen, who is emigrating to Australia. Both have given a tremendous amount of time and hard work to BWAG. They are replaced by Dr Kevyn Wightman, who has her PhD in Forestry and Roy Hopkins, an ex-Forestry Commission manager. Larry Brooks is taking over the roles of both Treasurer and Membership Secretary. After the formal part of the evening, Neil Coombs, Kent Wildlife Trust, gave a presentation on the management of the woods and Cliff Hansford, BWAG Member, gave an update on the research he is carrying out into the history of the woods.

BWAG held bluebell walks followed by cream teas at Arran Bank Farm over two days this year. The event proved extremely popular with 174 guests over the two days. There were also bird and bat boxes, garden ornaments and firewood for sale. The event raised nearly £1,500.

Great concern has been expressed for the future of the hazel dormouse as its numbers across the country have declined by at least a half in the last 100 years. Dormice are a ‘flagship species’. Where they occur the habitat is usually very suitable for a wide range of other species. Many Dormouse nest boxes were erected last season in Bredhurst Woods and monitored from April to October. Blue Tit, Marsh Tit and many others were found to be nesting in the boxes and, on the last survey day in October, a dormouse nest was found although the resident was nowhere to be found. However, on the first survey of this year, the team were delighted to find a female dormouse fast asleep.

Funds raised from The Bell’s successful firework night in November were handed out to several local charities. Trustees Vanessa Jones and Ann Callen were very pleased to accept £250 on behalf of BWAG.

BWAG was invited to speak at the Natural Connections Conference held at the University of London. Academics and eminent environmentalists heard how Bredhurst Woods has been transformed from an unpleasant site full of fly-tipping and very little wildlife to an area used daily by many people and thriving with wildlife. The presentation was warmly received and the audience appreciated the achievements of BWAG and resulted in many offers of assistance.

BWAG are very grateful to the Public Rights of Way Team at Kent County Council for organising more path restoration in Bredhurst Woods. The work has made access to the Detling side of the woods much easier. The total cost of the work was £13,600 which included a contribution of £2,500 from BWAG.

BBC South East filmed in Bredhurst Woods a piece which was broadcast today regarding the implications of woodland being owned by numerous owners. Bredhurst Hurst is split into 139 plots which are owned by 104 owners. Many owners now live across the UK and abroad and had to be traced by BWAG to ask permission to access their land to remove fly-tipping, burnt out cars and, more recently, to carry out coppicing and to manage the site for wildlife and other users. This was a major task for BWAG but the majority of owners have now been traced and BWAG are very grateful that most are happy for BWAG to manage their land in their absence. Industry experts recognise that fragmented and multiple ownership of any site causes huge problems for the management of an area. The example of Bredhurst Woods and the work of BWAG are often cited to demonstrate the problems this can cause. To view the broadcast please click here.

BWAG has got the year off to a good start with the planting of 200m of hedging adjacent to byway KH94. Thanks to the many volunteers who helped with the planting; to the landowner for allowing BWAG access to his land and to PTES (People's Trust for Endangered Species) who provided the plants free of charge. Once established, the hedge will provide an excellent habitat for dormice, birds and other animals. It will also help create a link from Church Woods (Hurstwood Road) to Bredhurst Woods and help wildlife to travel freely between the two sites.

Following heavy snowfall, this year’s concert was postponed from the 2nd to the 9th December. Despite a lot of snow still on the ground, we had a record attendance of 169 guests and record takings of £1,564, an increase of £606 on last year’s takings. All proceeds will go towards further restoration of Bredhurst Woods.

BWAG Trustees are extremely grateful to all the businesses and individuals who generously donated raffle prizes click here for details; to Kent County Council who, following our request, gritted Hurstwood Road; to Martyn & Kerry Hughes for bringing their much admired Malamutes & Huskies (www.staggansleddogs.com); to Stephen and Jane Page for the use of Green Court and, of course, to The Cantium Singers, whose support over the last five years has turned the annual BWAG Carol Concert into a village tradition. Last, but not least, thank you to all the guests who braved the cold!

Despite torrential rain, 53 riders took part in the BWAG Sponsored Horse Ride raising over £1,100. The course, approximately a 10 mile circuit, took participants over private land to which they would not normally have access. Thanks to Deana Foulds for organising the event, landowners, riders and marshals. Money raised will go towards more path restoration in Bredhurst Woods.

Representatives from Bredhurst WI officially unveiled information boards for which they kindly contributed £500. The balance of the funding was provided by the Mid Kent Downs Countryside Partnership Fund. The boards are located at Day Valley and on the approach to Strawberry Banks.

Mike Phillips, Kent Reptile & Amphibian Group (KRAG), led walkers on a tour of Bredhurst Woods. Earlier in the year Mike assisted BWAG to set up a reptile monitoring scheme and walkers were taken to examine sites where reptiles are now known to live. Species identified included adders, slow-worms and lizards. The highlight of the day was finding a black adder basking in the sunshine. These adders, whilst not common, are relatively abundant in some adder populations and Bredhurst is one of only two sites inKent where they can frequently be found. For more information on the work of KRAG please visit http://www.kentarg.org/news/

A visit from various Parish and Maidstone Borough Councillors was organised by the Mid Kent Downs Project (MKDP). A tour of Bredhurst Woods highlighted the work undertaken by BWAG, assisted by the MKDP, Kent Wildlife Trust and other organisations. The walk was followed by lunch at Arran Bank Farm, courtesy of Pam & Dennis Newman.

Weekly bat surveys, started earlier in the year, have been conducted by BWAG and other groups across the North Downs as part of the ‘Bats on the Downs’ project. The project, organised by Medway Valley Countryside Partnership and the Kent Bat Group, is examining data collected from the North Downs and partner groups in France. The project culminated in an exchange visit with colleagues from France and their visit to the UK included a bat survey of Bredhurst Woods where several species were identified.

Further to the award of funding by KCC, tree maintenance work has been carried out. Where BWAG has landowner consent, dead, diseased and dangerous trees and/or branches have been removed if they were overhanging or adjacent to paths.

BWAG had a stand at the Abbotts Court Horse Show to promote the work of the group and forthcoming BWAG events. We also displayed a number of tools which have been donated following our recent appeal asking for old, unwanted items. Rusty and broken tools have been restored to new and will be used on our monthly task days.

KCC’s Countryside Partnership Small Grants Scheme has provided funding towards the further restoration of Bredhurst Woods. The total project cost is £6,000 and includes essential tree maintenance work to cut back dangerous and overhang branches; updating the Bredhurst Woods Management Plan which will identify action needed over the next five years and further coppicing, necessary to rejuvenate the site and to encourage more wildlife to the area. Thanks to Kent Wildlife Trust who prepared the bid on our behalf and the Mid Kent Downs Project who are partners in this project.

Fred O’Hare led 45 guests on a very informative and enjoyable tour of Bredhurst Woods and the surrounding chalk grassland identifying butterflies, plants and wildlife. This was followed by lunch in the grounds of Green Court.

We are pleased to announce that BWAG has been awarded £1000 by Kent Community Foundation, Grassroots Grants towards the purchase of tools needed for our monthly volunteer task days. In addition to the new tools which we can now purchase, BWAG would be glad to accept any unwanted tools you no longer need, even if they are old and rusty we can restore and recycle them. Please contact Jim Chalmers on 07870 878907 who can arrange local collection.

As part of ‘HSBC in the Community’, Branch & Area Managers from across Kent came to Bredhurst Woods to help BWAG. They worked tirelessly all day and helped install two horse gates, erect fencing, and did some scrub clearance. Their efforts saved BWAG in the region of £1,000 and in return they got a day in the countryside and plenty of exercise! A big thank you to HSBC!

Viewers of BBC Springwatch may have seen the recent programme from the South Downs explaining that chalk grassland is a habitat as rare and as threatened as tropical rain forests. We are fortunate that Bredhurst Woods is surrounded by superb chalk grassland which is extremely rich in plant and wildlife. A variety of orchids including Bee, Lady, Fragrant, Pyramidal, Greater Butterfly and Fly have been identified. During a wildlife survey in June, we also recorded the presence of the Adonis Blue butterfly, the rarest of the downland blue butterflies and an excellent find.

A spring bird walk was held on 9 May, led by Owen Sweeney of the Kent Ornithological Society (KOS). Owen, who regularly leads bird walks for BWAG, gave an interesting tour of the woods pointing out birds, plants and other wildlife.

30 people attended this year’s AGM, 28 members and 2 non-members. In accordance with the BWAG Constitution, three of ten Trustees were required to stand down but were eligible to put their names forward for re-election. David Olver, Deana Foulds and Ann Callen were unopposed and unanimously re-elected by members. In addition, Robin Grimble stood down as a trustee as he has now moved out of the area, although he will still be a BWAG member and support the group. The Chairman thanked him for his support over the last five years. This post will be filled co-option once a member comes forward who wishes to take on the role. Following the formal part of the evening, Mike Phillips of the Mid Kent Downs Project & Kent Reptile and Amphibian Group gave a very interesting presentation on how both projects have supported BWAG.

BWAG AGM

Some of the trustees

Julie, Cliff and Owen

Although the bluebells were a little late coming out this year, thankfully enough were in flower for our annual event, which was attended this year by 102 adults and several children. Two guided walks took slightly different routes through Bredhurst Woods, followed by a Cream Tea at Arran Bank Farm. Thanks to our hosts Pam & Dennis Newman and to all BWAG members and supporters who made the day such a success. The event raised nearly £600, which will go towards further restoration of the woods.

BWAG held its first photography event on 11 April. ‘Bredhurst in Focus’, a photo competition, workshop and exhibition of 'Bygone Bredhurst' with village photos from the 1900s onwards. It was well attended with approximately 250 visitors to the show.

The photo competition had 6 categories - Street Scenes, People & Pets, Nature, Wildlife, Scenic and Village Events. There were 178 entries and visitors to the show voted for their favourite photo in each category. The winning entrants were:

Issy Whatrup - Village Snow Scene (Street Scenes)
Suzanne Hidson - Grandad (People & Pets)
Peter Randall - Bredhurst Bluebells (Nature)
Peter Randall - Robin in Bredhurst (Wildlife)
Peter Randall - Bredhurst Sunrise Vapour Trail (Scenic)
Jack Picknell - Christmas Lights at Green Court (Village Events)

The overall show winner was Jack Picknell for his photo of 'Christmas Lights at Green Court'.

The ‘Bygone Bredhurst’ exhibition had over 200 exhibits with much more material being offered for future events. As a result of the huge amount of information handed to BWAG the Parish Council has now formed the Bredhurst Archive Society which will collate all of the material collected.

A task day was held on 21st February and, despite pouring rain, 8 hardy souls created a small glade within the wood. This will allow more light and offer a varied habitat benefiting both wildlife and ground flora. Thanks to Mike Philips, Mid Kent Downs Partnership, who led the event. Following requests by members, regular task days are now scheduled for the 3rd Sunday in every month, the next to be held on 21st March. If anyone wishes come along, please meet at 10am in Hurstwood Road, Bredhurst. For details please call Vanessa Jones on 07813 785940 or email bwag@vanessajones.plus.com

Despite deep snow and freezing temperatures the small mammal survey went ahead as planned. It was led by Dan Bennett of the KMG who informed helpers that the bad weather may actually encourage more mammals to seek refuge in the traps. 50 traps were set on the first day and were monitored twice the following day. On the last day, the traps were monitored and collected. On each monitoring visit, the traps were emptied, the occupant (if any) identified, weighed and released. The traps were then re-set with fresh bedding & food - a welcome sight in the cold weather and, on one occasion, a wood mouse caught earlier in the day, sneaked back to the trap for 2nd helpings! A successful 3 days with five species identified including wood mouse, yellow necked mouse, short-tailed vole, bank vole and pygmy shrew plus evidence of larger mammals including fox, badger, rabbit and grey squirrel.

The annual BWAG carol concert was held on Thursday 3rd December and was well attended. The evening began at St Peter’s Church where the 60 strong Cantium Singers from Rochester put on a superb concert. This was followed by mulled wine and mince pies at Green Court. Thanks to Staggan Kennels for attending with their beautiful team of huskies which attracted a lot of attention and of course to Santa for fitting us into his busy schedule! The marvellous Christmas lights were thanks to Neil Chalmers and his helpers who worked extremely hard to make sure the village looked very festive. Raffle prizes were generously donated from a wide range of individuals and businesses including The Potted Garden Nursery (Bearsted), Akhursts, John Lewis (Bluewater) and many more. The evening raised £958 which will go towards further restoration of the woods. See the publicity page here for a press report.

Today saw the arrival of 2 Exmoor Ponies - Merlin & Elfin on loan to BWAG from Kent Wildlife Trust. They will be with us for a couple of months and will take over the grazing of land where we previously had sheep. KWT hope that they will be tempted by the tougher vegetation which the sheep did not eat!

Many BWAG members helped out with further hand clearance of the scrub area following the departure of the Wiltshire Horn Sheep and in preparation for the arrival of KWT’s Exmoor Ponies - Elfin & Merlin.

An interesting evening of moth trappings led by David Gardner, Chairman of the Kent Butterfly Conservation Group, Ian Ferguson, County Recorder for Moths and Tony Witts from the Kent & Medway Biological Records Centre was attended by about 25 BWAG Members. It was fascinating to see the woodland lit at various locations attracting moths and other creatures.

From 4 traps, 189 individual moths were caught covering 105 different species. Of these species, 4 are recognised as being in decline nationally and are listed as priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. There is 1 moth yet to be identified and has the experts puzzled - we await their findings……

Click here for a full list of species identified. For more information on moths visit www.kentmoths.org The ‘Checklist’ section contains a document, ‘Kent Lepidoptera Checklist V1’ by Ian Ferguson, which gives lots of information on moths in Kent.

In addition to moths, a dung beetle from the ‘Dumbledor’ group Geotrupes mutator and classified as nationally rare was also found.

Members joined Fred O’Hare for a tour of Bredhurst Woods and the surrounding chalk grassland identifying butterflies, plants and wildlife. A good discovery was Ground Pine found in the scrub clearance area, a plant which is classified a ‘rare to decreasing’ in SE England.

For a list of sightings, provided by Issy Whatrup and Fred O’Hare, please click here.

Around 20 members joined the walk, led by Owen Sweeney. It was a lovely sunny morning, perfect for the birds and walkers. For a list of sightings, provided by Tony Witts, please click here. The group also observed Fly Orchids, Early Purple Orchids and Lady Orchids.

Lady Orchid

Fly Orchid

Early Purple

Coppiced Area - An Improved Habitat for Birds

This year’s AGM was attended by 25 members and 3 non-members. In accordance with the BWAG Constitution, three of ten Trustees were required to stand down but were eligible to put their names forward for re-election. Robin Grimble, Wendy Hinder and Rob Attwood were unopposed and unanimously re-elected by members.

It was announced (after many months of form filling!) that BWAG has been approved as a registered charity (No. 1129178). Since it began in 2005, BWAGs official status has been as an Advisory Committee to the Parish Council. Now with nearly 350 members and funding secured of almost £85,000 BWAG will operate independently of the Parish Council. This will hopefully open up more funding opportunities enabling the preservation of Bredhurst Woods for future generations.

Following the formal part of the evening, Neil Coombs, Kent Wildlife Trust, gave a very interesting presentation on the Trust’s involvement with the site and advice on further restoration projects.

This year 81 guests (double the number of last year!) went on the Bluebell Walk through Bredhurst Woods. This was followed by a Cream Tea at Arran Bank Farm, thanks to our hosts Pam & Dennis Newman. It seems to be an exceptional year for Bluebells with the woodland floor completely covered with flowers. Also, many new patches of Orchids have been discovered this year. Thanks to all Members and Supporters who made the day such a success and raised nearly £500, which will go towards the Path Restoration Fund.

20 Field Squadron of Maidstone-based 36 Engineer Regiment have restored another path for BWAG. It's the third time recently that the REs have supplied labour and machinery to bring the paths in Bredhurst Woods up to standard. BWAG secured funding for materials, supplied by Gallaghers at a third of normal price. About 500m of woodcutters' track has been reinstated and links up with a longer section of bridleway that was restored by colleagues from Brompton barracks last year which now creates a circular route for users.

The scrub clearance area saw many BWAG members turn up to help with further hand clearance of some of the smaller items of vegetation. This work is necessary to restore the area back to chalk grassland. The initial clearance work, undertaken last year, has already proved beneficial as the site this spring was full of primrose.

BWAG committee members attended the Kent Community Foundation Awards Ceremony and were presented with a ‘Grassroots Certificate of Merit’ in recognition of the achievements of BWAG.

BWAG members attended ‘Bats on the Downs’ a presentation given by the Medway Valley Countryside Partnership at Bredhurst Village Hall. MVCP gave details of forthcoming survey work and announced that Bredhurst is to be one of 13 site chosen across the region where detailed surveys will take place. There will plenty of opportunities for BWAG members to get involved. Details of survey dates will appear on the BWAG ‘Forthcoming Events’ page.

BWAG Awarded £4000

We are pleased to announce that BWAG has been awarded £4000 by Kent Community Foundation, Grassroots Grants towards the cost of materials for further path restoration. Together with £3000 secured on our behalf by the Mid Kent Downs Project and funding raised from various BWAG events, path restoration can now proceed in the New Year. We are grateful to the Royal Engineers who once again will be providing their manpower and machinery free of charge.

The annual BWAG carol concert was again very well supported. As bad weather was forecast, the Cantium Choir performed in St Peters Church and guests returned to Green Court for Mulled Wine, Mince Pies and the raffle. Thanks to Rev. Graham Lewis for his support and to Jane & Stephen Page for the use of Green Court. Over 200 people attended the event and we raised over £1100. Thanks also to numerous businesses and residents who generously donated many raffle prizes.

Today saw the arrival of 12 Wiltshire Horn sheep, on loan to BWAG from Kent Wildlife Trust. They will be with us for a 3 week trial period to graze an area of land which we are trying to restore to chalk grassland. The sheep will keep the scrub encroachment to a minimum and allow the site to rejuvenate and flourish. The field is located adjacent to KH56, the bridle path which is now restored, close to Strawberry Banks. Can all dog owners be aware that sheep are in the vicinity and please keep your pets on a lead - thank you.

BWAG would like to thank the many volunteers who will be checking the sheep twice daily and to KWT for their continued and strong support of our project.

This event attracted over 40 people, including many children. The walk was led by Tricia Moxley, author and Natural History lecturer. Almost 300 species of fungi have been recorded in Bredhurst Woods over the years, which experts consider to be higher than average for the area.

Thanks to the hard work of BWAG, Bredhurst has scooped another award. Competition judges said that the work of BWAG was of national significance in terms of environmental achievements and was the best environmental project they had ever encountered. BWAG representatives attended the awards ceremony and were presented with a cheque for £250.00. This will go towards the path restoration fund. Click here to view Kent Messenger article.

Thanks to all the BWAG volunteers who made this, our fourth year at the County Show, our most successful by far. We had numerous visitors and more members joining BWAG than at previous years

We had an excellent turn out for this informative guided walk, led by Fred O’Hare, whose in depth knowledge of wildlife and nature made the afternoon very enjoyable. Unfortunately, we did not encounter many Butterflies, but we all learnt a tremendous amount about plants and other wildlife in the area.

To view a list complied by Fred O’Hare and Issy Whatrup (BWAG Member) of species identified during the walk please click here

To view other photographs and list of species observed in Bredhurst Woods, visit Plants and Wildlife

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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/

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.

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.

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!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!

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!

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

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!

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!!

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.

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!!

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!!

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.

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!

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!!

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.

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

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.

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……..

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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!!!!

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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