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Village gardens are re-opened


THE new owners of a former or- ganic garden in Yalding are hop- ing it is going to be a case of third time lucky. Rod and Nikki Clark bought


Yalding Organic Gardens in 2013, and have been working behind the scenes ever since to restore the gar- dens to their former glory. The Gardens in Benover Road,


were opened by Amanda Cottrell OBE, patron of Visit Kent and will be available for weddings and events but open to the public only on certain dates. Mr Clark, who runs the Hadlow building company Marpaul, and his wife hope to run the gardens as a wedding and events venue, so it will only be open to the public on selected open days. The 12.5-acre gardens were cre-


ated by the Henry Doubleday Re- search Association – now Garden Organic – following a gift of land and money by Donald and Pixie Cooper, who had farmed organi- cally at Yalding for many years. Garden Organic was forced to


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New Avenue Stores – Charlesford Ave, Kingswood Haven Farm Shop– North Street, Sutton Valence. Stanley's of Marden – Albion Road, Marden Post Office – High Street, Yalding ME18 6HS Station Newsagents – Station Road, Staplehurst Headcorn Post Office – High Street, Headcorn Shop on the Green– Chart Sutton The Cock Inn– Boughton Monchelsea


24 Maidstone South January 2014 Pick-up your


leave in 2008. Since then, the site’s owners – the Congelow Organic Educational Trust – have twice leased the site to local businesses. Both were unable to make the businesses profitable. Although the gardens’ certifica-


tion as organic has long since ex- pired, the new owners say they hope that the growing will be as sustainable and chemical-free as possible. Mr Clark said: “Some of the cur-


rent planting is not from the origi- nal scheme and was added at a later date, so over timewe may re- move some of this. Aswe have un-


covered and reclaimed the garden, we have been discovering many plants and bulbs which have sur- vived the wilderness years, so we want to take our time to ensurewe give everything a chance to fully recover.” The new owners hope the busi-


ness will provide not only jobs but also a sustainable business model to ensure the long-term survival of the gardens. They are also hoping to organise training courses in conjunction with local schools and colleges so that young people can get hands- on experience. A spokesperson for the Friends


of Yalding Organic Gardens said: “We do hope the owners will not forget the obligation that attaches to the stewardship of the site...to promote and educate the public about organic farming and grow- ing.


“That was the reason for the original bequest of the site by Don- ald Cooper.”


MPhears growers’ concerns


FRUIT growing and farming in the Garden of England is under threat, with- out major changes within the industry, growers havewarned. Farmers fromMaidstone and theWeald metMP Helen Grant,


representatives of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and senior officials fromDefra inWestminster to discuss the dangers to the rural community. Mrs Grant called the meeting to discuss a range of issues including


packaging costs required by UK supermarkets, pesticide regulations, the escalation in the cost of seasonal workers and export barriers. She said: “These are conspiring to prevent our farmers frommaking a


fair and reasonable profit. Iwill not see them face ruin, when they are very good and viable commercial entities being thwarted by nonsense.” NFU member Clive Baxter, ofWesterhill Farm, Linton, said: “With our MP behind uswe’re hopingwe’ll see more in theway of action.”


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