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News | Sponsored parish council Boxley Parish Mail


CHAIRMAN: Ivor Davies CLERK: Pauline BowderyASST CLERK: Melanie Fooks Parish Office, Beechen Hall,Wildfell Close,Walderslade, ME5 9RU


Tel: 01634 861237 email: clerk@boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Website: www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained fromthe parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website Flora and


fauna return IT is now three years since the Weavering Diamond Jubilee Or- chard was opened and it is slowly maturing. Some trees have needed replac-


ing but as anyone visiting the area will see there are apples, damsons, hazel and cobnuts. The top orchard part of the site is gradually being re-colonised by wildflowers and grasses creating diversity and habi- tats for wildlife. Itwas a deliberate decision of the


parish council to allow this part of the site to return to meadow and it maintains grass walks through it for residents and dog walkers. To some people it may look neglected, but in fact it is a wildlife haven. The play area iswell used and in


their regular visits to check the safety of the equipment and site, councillors and office staff are often approached by residents saying howwelcome the site is. Prior to the parish council taking


over the site, the grass was regu- larly closely mown which meant there were fewer habitats to sup- port much wildlife. Due to the change in the maintenance regime, wildlife recently spotted includes green and lesser-spotted wood- peckers, bullfinch, starlings, grass hoppers, moths and blue tits. The site has some reptile and hedgehog areas and an insect hotel is soon to be added.


Grant for hall


GROVE Green Community Hall has been awarded a £500 grant to- wards the cost of a defibrillator for resuscitating victims of cardiac ar- rest when at the hall. Training will be undertaken, but defibrillators can be used by un- trained people as the machine gives step-by-step verbal instructions and it won’t allow anyone to shock someone who has a pulse. Many villages and commu- nity/public buildings are installing these units and the parish council’s own hall and office has one.


Allotments THERE are vacant plots at the parish council’s allotments for res- idents interested in growing their own fruit and vegetables. Details can be obtained from the parish councilwebsite or the parish office.


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Discover nature with latest walks leaflet


BOXLEY Parish Council and KentWildlife Trust have launched another walk leaflet which takes in BoxleyWarren and The Larches.


It can be purchased for £1 from


KWTTyland Barn and thewalks can be done individually or combined, so you can do three miles, 5.5 miles or 7.5 miles. The leaflet also has a “What to look for on thewalks” sec- tion, which is handy if you are un- sure about plants etc. Representatives of the parish council had a preview of part of one of The Larches walks. One council- lor said: “We had a delightful time learning about the various plant species and grass chalkland man- agement on this site. It did meanwe didn’t do as much of thewalk aswe expected because we were con- stantly stopping to see interesting plants and insects, including or- chids, scarlet pimpernel, stemless thistles, ground pine, butterflies,


Members of the parish council enjoy a preview of the walk at The Larches


buzzards and many more species.” The chalk grasslands at the North Downs are extremely precious and covered by local and European leg- islation so KWT's management is vital for these habitats. Parish council chairman Ivor Davies said: “The parish council is proud to have the headquarters of


Volunteers’ storage boost


WALDERSLADEWoodlands Group(WWG) has had its new storage unit in- stalled at Beechen Hall. The group,


which under- takes volunteer work in Walder- slade Wood- lands, obtained a National Lot- tery grant to- wards the cost of an additional storage unit. Rob Burrows, chairman of the group, said: “The support of the National Lottery is vital for small com- munity groups like us. The new unit allows for secure and safe storage. The parish council’s grant supports the day-to-day costs of the group but every now and again there is a large scale project where we try to source addi- tional funding and of course we were delighted to receive this.” The photograph shows the team taking a break from improving access to the new store.


New date for next meeting


THERE is a change to the date of the next meeting. It will now be on Friday, September 11 at the European School of Osteopathy, Boxley, starting at 7pm. MP Helen Whately will attend.


Maidstone East September 2015


KWT in the parish and the work of the wardens, officers and especially the volunteers is to be applauded. “Special thanks must go to Helen


Knell for producing thewalk leaflets as she has done a fantastic job and walked all of the routes.” The parish council gave a grant toKWTfor pro- ducing the series ofwalk leaflets.


Wifi at hall THE estates committee agreed that equipment could be bought to allow free wifi at its hall and parish office. With the increasing use of the hall, hirers and trainers will find the facility very useful. Provision of this service needed careful investigation to ensure that the council’s financial and admin- istrative systemswere kept secure. Councillors and members of the


public attending parish council meetings will have internet access if they want, say, to check sources of information or to email informa- tion to their own accounts.


Facebook page DURING the school holidays the parish office has been using its Facebook page and website to ad- vertise events in the area that might be of interest to families. This will be repeated close to and during every school holiday. The parish council also uses thewebsite to notify residents when the freighter service is in the area etc. The parish office would welcome comments, via email, on how the service could be improved.


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