Country parks

Join one of the groups listed below to meet new people, learn new skills and enjoy fresh air and exercise.

The Friends of Riverside

This group of volunteers carries out:

• countryside management projects, such as reedbed cutting, pond clearing and footpath maintenance;
• wildlife surveying and recording;
• helping at events, from the annual country fair to children’s nature day;
• staffing the reception desk at the Riverside Country Park visitor centre.

The Friends are affiliated to the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV) (www2.btcv.org.uk) which provides free training in leadership, emergency first aid and practical conservation. The group is co-ordinated from the Riverside Country Park visitor centre.

The Medway Towns Conservation Volunteers This group carries out conservation and ground maintenance and trains new members in countryside management. The group was involved in a project at Berengrave Local Nature Reserve to manage plant growth and build boardwalks. The group won the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2006 for its conservation work in the countryside and in recognition of the interest it instils among environmental volunteers. The group is co-ordinated from Capstone Farm Country Park visitor centre and is affiliated to the BTCV.

Other conservation groups

• Capstone Park Volunteers
  Capstone is the ideal place for anyone wanting to take part in conservation. It offers a chance to get away from everyday stress and discover long-lost muscles. Based at Capstone Farm Country Park, the group meets on Monday and Tuesday mornings weekly and one Sunday a month. Tasks include scrub clearance, coppicing, hedge and tree planting, hedging, surveys, woodland management and park events.
  Contact: Gill Drew, phone: 01634 818909
• Cherries Orchard Volunteers
  Cherries Orchard is a small but important site for nature, which the volunteer group hopes to maintain as a wildlife haven. Based in Rainham, the group meets every other Sunday at 9.30am. Tasks include path clearance, habitat creation, carrying out wildlife surveys and litter control.
  Contact: Jacque Manington, phone: 01634 373801
• Cuxton Countryside group
  This voluntary community group helps in the conservation and promotion of the countryside and public rights of way within the parish of Cuxton. Based around Cuxton, the group meets monthly on Saturday and Sunday mornings. Tasks include footpath maintenance and woodland work.
  Contact: Rita Hunt, phone: 01634 295580 or email ritahunt06@tiscali.co.uk.
• Friends of Rede Common
  This group helps to preserve Rede Common as a community resource. Tasks include litter picks and restoring the flora and fauna of the Common.
  Contact: David Gay or Diane Neale, phone: 01634 713876 or 01634 713717
• Leafy Lordswood Volunteers
  This friendly group works on a variety of sites throughout the Lordswood and Walderslade area. Everyone is welcome. The group meets once a month on Sundays at 10am. Tasks include hay raking, coppicing, fencing, path maintenance and litter picking.
  Contact: Gordon Wallace, phone: 01634 312286
• Levan Strice Volunteers
  This small, friendly community group cares for a vital woodland area in an urban setting. They meet every three weeks from September to May on Sundays, from 10am until 12.30pm. Tasks include woodland management, path maintenance, nest-box maintenance and creation and litter control.
  Contact: Capstone Farm Country Park
• Luton Millennium Green Trust
  This volunteer group would welcome more volunteers to help maintain Luton Millennium Green as an open space for the benefit of the local community. The group meets approximately once a month. Tasks include planting and some general maintenance of the green as well as the organisation of events and work with local school children.
• Thursday Woodland Group
  This friendly mid-week group is looking for new recruits to help with its interesting and important tasks at various sites in Gillingham and Chatham. The group meets every Thursday between 10am and 3pm. Tasks include coppicing, scrub and path clearance and litter control. Sites are often steeply-sloped or with paths that may be difficult for some people to use.
  Contact: Capstone Farm Country Park
• Watts Meadow Volunteers
  This community group helps to maintain Watts Meadow as an urban wildlife park in the heart of Rochester. The group meets approximately every four to six weeks by arrangement. Tasks include hay raking, pond maintenance, path maintenance, tree planting and litter control.
  Contact: Capstone Country Park

^ (back to top)