News | Vinters Nature Reserve


downsmail.co.uk Volunteers’ appeal for plants


THE custodian of a new wild- flower garden in Maidstone is hoping plant lovers will step up to the plate and donate flowers and foliage to benefit their nature- loving friends, writes Jane Shotliff. Together with an army of volun-


teers Steve Songhurst, warden at Vinters Valley Nature Reserve, off New Cut Road, has created an ar- bour where visitors can rest and ab- sorb the peace and tranquillity of the park, just minutes from the bus- tle of Maidstone town centre. While much of the park is a trib-


ute to the planting of the Whatman family – papermakers of Maidstone whose relatives owned the stately mansion up to the 1950s – Steve’s efforts in recent years have turned the former formal gardens into a


TuesdayClub volunteersinthelogstore theybuiltatVintersNatureReserve


veritable treasure of flora and fauna, still largely undiscovered by many in Maidstone. Not far from the main entrance to


the nature reserve Steve has now created a garden where visitors can relax on a newly made wooden bench beneath a honeysuckle-cov-


ered arbour, admiring the busy work of the bees and butterflies in this latest wildflower garden. Called Naomi’s Garden, after the


latest grandchild of one of the Tuesday Club volunteers (pictured above), this is the newest piece of “work in progress” for warden


Steve and his team of volunteers. He is hoping local gardeners and


nature enthusiasts will donate sur- plus or unwanted plants which will attract pollinating creatures – plants such as delphiniums, echi- nacea, foxgloves, hollyhocks, laven- der, verbena, globe artichokes, chives and borage. Steve said: “We have made great


strides in improving and adding to the reserve in recent years, but funds are always limited and we rely heavily on our volunteers and on donations so any help, however small, is always greatly appreci- ated.”  To donate plants for the wildflower garden, contact Steve Songhurst on 07801 231 674 – or leave them by the main store in Lodge Road.


Insects check in as bug hotels spring up


VOLUNTEERING at Vinters has taken off among local schools and businesses this year. A magnificent bug tower was cre-


Changes from


dawn to dusk IN the summer months, Steve Songhurst leads local historywalks and talks in the reserve, speaking about the history of the Whatman family at Vinters. For early risers, he also leads a


dawn chorus walk, kicking off at 5.15am. He said: “Hearing the dawn cho-


rus is one of life’s moving mo- ments. We have an expert bird-spotting team to help identify the different species and their songs, which make up the dawn chorus.We also get to see some ac- tivity in the bird boxes at this time of the morning.” At the other end of the day, Steve


takes torchlight nature safaris through the reserve – these are par- ticularly popular with children, who love the excuse to stay up late. Some visitors find the reserve so inspiring they have written poems while soaking up the atmosphere by the lake – another facet to the re- serve which changes with the sea- sons – frogspawn and tadpoles in the spring, young ducklings, coots and moorhen, aswell as swans and geese nest on the banks and float- ing “islands” that Steve has created in the middle, safe from predators such as foxes. He said: “It is through the sup-


port of the community – and espe- cially Boxley Parish Council – that we can ensure this wildlife oasis is available to the community.”


28 Maidstone East October 2014


ated by funding and volunteers from the Sony Corporation Playstation Team, providing a home for beetles, spiders, centipedes, ladybirds, woodlice and earwigs. KCC’s human resources team was


quick to follow their example, build- ing a second bug hotel in Mac- Grory’s Meadow. Seven spiders and one wood louse were seen checking in, even before the roofwas finished. “The highlight of the opening cer-


emony was a few verses of ‘The Ugly Bug Ball’ accompanied by ukulele!” said Steve. Earlier in the summer, the team-


erected rabbit-proof fencing around the wildflower area. More recently, Anthea Mitchell


and the team fromHair Professional in King Street gave up an afternoon to help out at the reserve and build a new bug hotel in the mini beast area, which is visited by many local schools and youth groups. Anthea, who held a murder mys-


tery evening to raise funds for the nature reserve last year, said: “I live near the reserve and walk there all


the time, so when Steve said he needed help, I asked the girls. They all got stuck in and really enjoyed it.” The Stone Street Club has been supporting Vinters Valley as its cho- sen charity for the year, while an- other supporter is local company Boxley Timber. When not clearing and planting,


Steve is kept busy monitoring the movements of small mammals and wildlife in the nature reserve. How- ever, this is not always plain sailing – already this autumn he has found a grey squirrel interfering with his small mammal footprint survey, plundering the peanut butter de- signed to entice mice and voles across an inkpad and paper.


Bale to stop the developers How to get there


VOLUNTEERING at Vinters is nothing new. Lida and Donal MacGrory, after whom Mac- Grory’s Meadow is named, set about saving what remained of the site after the building of the Vinters housing estate. The couple gained the support


of other residents, fighting off planning applications, until KCCbought the remaining land. This was opened up as a park


in 1987 and Lida was employed as a warden. In 1987,VintersVal- ley was transferred to a trust with a 99-year lease. It was awarded local nature re-


serve status in 1992 and has since become a thriving and much- loved nature reserve. Today, the land is leased from


KCC and Maidstone Council while the reserve is managed by a trust set up by local people.


VINTERS Valley Nature Reserve can be reached by a number of en- trances, the main being in Lodge Road, off New Cut Road, where there is free parking. Other entrances are in New Cut


Road, Bargrove Road, Newenden Close, Netley Close or the footpath between Huntsman Lane and New Cut Road. For further information, visit


www.vintersvalley.co.uk or follow Vinters Valley Nature reserve on Facebook.


Anthea Mitchell and staff from Hair Professional with the bug hotel they built, and below, one of the bug logs Steve Songhurst makes and sells to raise funds for the nature reserve


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64