Town Talk
Talk paints picture of reserve wildlife
THE wildlife at Holborough Marshes nature reserve in Snod- landwas the subjectwhenStephen Weeks, the Medway Valley War- den, gave a talk to councillors at a meeting of the town council's Amenities and Recreation commit- tee. Stephen told Town Talk
after the meeting that the reserve was a very suc- cessful partnership be- tween the Kent Wildlife Trust and the landowners, Tarmac Cement. Access to a network of footpaths is free, and the site offers many fascinating oppor- tunities to see wildlife and enjoy the countryside. He said: “In the winter
months, the chittering of teal can be the first sound to alert you to the presence of the wildfowl taking ad- vantage of the grazing marsh. Other ducks such as mallards, gadwall and shovellers can also be seen. "Dazzling white little egrets stalk
through the water searching for prey, while their larger cousin, the grey heron, prefers to stand and
wait in the deeper ditches." Stephen said that in the summer,
the fields buzzed with the bright blues, yellows and reds of emperor dragonflies, four-spotted chasers and ruddy darters. If walkers were lucky, they might glimpse the metallic green and bronze of branded and beautiful demoiselles – large damselflies. He added: "Early and
southern marsh orchids put on a fine display in the fen fields alongside ragged robin, mead- owsweet and knap- weeds. "One of themost fasci-
nating plants is the aquatic
bladderwort
which, for most of the year, is hid- den below the water, where it catches tiny invertebrates in its bladder-like traps. In August it puts up large bright yellow flowers which give away its location in the ditches. "Water voles also use these
ditches as their homes and there is a thriving population of these shy mammals at Holborough."
SUEWalker, a community fundraiser for YouCan, the youth can- cer support charity, is pictured receiving a cheque for £355.99 collected in buckets on the route of the SnodlandCarnival parade in July. Also pictured are Debbie King, Chairman of Snodland Town
Council, Dave Keeley, chairman of the council's Amenities and Recreation Committee, and Karen Sowten, the chief executive.
Toilets ‘should stay open free’
SNODLAND Town Council wants the public convenience in the Rocfort Road car park to continue to be open 24 hours a day, free of charge. The council's Amenities and Recreation Committee considered a re-
quest from Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council asking about the value and need for the facility, the level of use, whether this is local or wider use and the condition of the facilities. It was pointed out to members of the committee that there are con-
veniences at theM&S BP site outside Holborough Lakes, but it was felt this was too far for residents to walk. It was suggested that the car park convenience could be closed in the evenings, but it would in- volve further costs to open and close the facilities each day. The meeting heard that if local businesses made their toilets avail-
able tomembers of the public, they would expect themto buy goods. Members thought it would be better not to make any changes.
Local news for Snodland and Halling
with every haircut in the months of October and November
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