Volunteers
Mote Park’s £2.5 million restoration is complete. The Mayor of Maidstone, Councillor Rodd Neslon-Gracie formally opened the park at last month’s kite festival. Improvements have included – new paths, restoration of parkland, 100 new trees, car park improvements, new bridges, restoring the 1840s waterfall, visitor hubs at Willington Street and School Lane with car parks and play areas, and restoring the neoclassical Volunteers Pavilion dating from the 1800s.
Mammal survey
Mote Park volunteers, fully trained by the Kent mammal group at Wildwood Animal Park, carried out a small mammal survey of Mote Park over the Easter weekend. The group set 50 humane traps in Mote Park and checked them regularly over the weekend. Over the weekend the group caught and released 19 wood mice, 3 yellow neck mice, 15 bank voles, 2 field voles, 1 common shrew and a pygmy shrew. The pygmy shrew is one of the smallest mammals in the world, weighing only 5 grams.
Volunteers have been hard at work in Mote Park creating woodland paths, building a bridge across the stream at Jenner’s Bank, creating wildflower meadows, planting trees, clearing woodland glades, removing debris from the stream and building bird boxes.
The group meets in the Mote Park Volunteers Office in the main park building every Wednesday and the last Saturday of each month. Activities start at 9:30am and finish around 1pm. Everyone is welcome.
If you would like to help with tasks, administration or stewarding events, contact Alan Frith, Mote Park Audience Development Officer by email -
alanfrith@maidstone.gov.uk – or by telephone – 01622 602119
Picture courtesy of Howard Marsh
A wood mouse in Mote Park courtesy of Greg Mantanle
The Mote Park restoration project was awarded £1.8 million from the The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) under their Parks for People scheme. The total cost of the improvement project is £2.5m.
Mote Park Volunteers have cleared vegetation and created new paths
Free events at Mote Park
July 14, 6.30-9pm. The Tales of Beatrix Potter theatre in the park. Call 0845 450 5157 or visit
www.quantumtheatre.co.uk for tickets (max. four per person).
July 15, 6.30-9pm. Midsummer Night’s Dream - Shakespeare in the Park. SOLD OUT
Cobtree Park improvements
Cobtree Manor Park, off Forstal Road, Aylesford is getting a £1 million makeover including a custom built play area, new paths, café and visitor centre centre.
The park was home to Maidstone Zoo for a number of years and was left to the people of Maidstone by 12 times former Mayor Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake.
Many of the improvements to the park will reflect its history. Cllr John A Wilson, Chairman of the Cobtree Manor Estate Committee said: “Cobtree Park will become one of the best family days out in the area. I think that Sir Garrard would have approved of the zoo theme for the play area.”
The new play area will be ready for this year’s summer holidays with the rest to follow in 2013.
July 17, 6-9pm. The History of Mote Park.
July 23, 12-4pm. Arts and crafts in the park.
July 28, 10.30am-1pm. Bushcraft cooking.
July 30, 12-4pm. Arts and crafts in the park.
July 31, 9 – 11.30pm. Bat evening.
August 4, 12pm-4pm. Teddy bears picnic for children 6 and under with - bouncy castles, face painting, arts and crafts, and lots more. No need to book.
August 6, 12-4pm. Arts and crafts in the park.
August 11, 10am–12.30pm. Reptile walk.
August 13, 12-4pm. Arts and crafts in the park.
August 20, 12-4pm. Arts and crafts in the park.
August 25, 10am–12.30pm. Nature detective walk.
August 27, 12-4pm. Arts and crafts in the park.
August 28, 8-10.30pm. Bat evening.
www.facebook.com/motepark moteparkevents@maidstone.gov.uk
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