Our family have been active members of the Kent Wildlife Trust since the 1950’s. My father was a warden for Orlestone Forest for many years and many of our weekends have been spent at nature reserves around Kent. 

Standing at the top of Blue Bell Hill, ambling through Collingwood, and listening out for woodpeckers in Hoads Wood – we cherish these experiences that make us feel more connected to local wildlife. 

Making a difference locally 

Sadly, it’s increasingly hard to find untouched areas, and it can even be a challenge to fully immerse yourself in nature in the knowledge that our species and ecosystems are declining. We think it’s absolutely heartbreaking how our natural habitats and wildlife are being devastated by deforestation, developments, and climate change. All of these things - the fresh news of climate change predictions, seeing habitats at home and abroad being destroyed, etc - can make you feel a bit helpless. But while we aren’t personally able to implement big changes, we take comfort in the fact that we can actively do our bit to help our local wildlife. 

Having a Kent Wildlife Trust family membership, for us means we are able to do just that. Not only does having a membership mean we regularly donate towards the upkeep of our local nature reserves, it also means we have access to volunteering, which is a great way to help save our local precious wildlife. Getting involved in this way definitely takes some of those feelings of helplessness away – it is possible to make a difference. 

A family connection to nature 

Our son Charlie is a keen naturalist, and from a young age has spent countless hours reading wildlife books and searching for beetles. All of us are inspired by my father, John Parry, who was a pharmacist by trade but a coleopterist by heart – although it never paid his bills, he contributed to the mapping of the distribution of beetles in Britain. So much so that the Natural History Museum recognised his name at his passing and happily picked up his collection to look after in their archives! As you can imagine, our love of wildlife comes, in part, from his influence on all of us. 

Following in his footsteps, Charlie created a wildlife area in our garden, which we feel very lucky to enjoy – particularly in the spring and summer when it’s teeming with beetles, newts, dragonflies, and even snakes.

Being a member and volunteering 

We’re also really happy to regularly volunteer at Hothfield Heathlands, which contributes towards our son’s Duke of Edinburgh Gold award. These volunteering days get us out in the fresh open air, where we’re surrounded by nature and can spend time with like-minded, friendly people. Some of the things we’ve helped with include: 

• ‘Tree popping’ to control the population of invasive species (like silver birch) that would drastically change the precious peatland habitat by taking up all the water and shading the heather. 

• Herding the highland cattle which help keep the undergrowth under control. 

• Building leaky dams which slow down the flow of water, allowing it to spread out and create more bog habitat. The build-up of sticks and leaves in the stream further slows the water while still allowing it to flow, but without damaging the banks – performing the role usually taken up by beavers in the ecosystem. 

There’s actually nothing quite like warming yourself up round a fire built by the fellow volunteers in the middle of winter out in the fresh air. We eat freshly baked jacket potatoes and cheese - the perfect reward after a hard morning’s graft - and chat and laugh about our efforts. It’s a great group of people and we’re so pleased we can be a part of it. 

Another part of being a member involves receiving magazine packs through our door. We really enjoy reading these – they're always filled with lots of really interesting facts about wildlife and beautiful photography.  

Membership also gives us priority booking for selected events such as Wildlife Study Days & Wilder Kent Safaris. We’re really looking forward to the ‘Wilder Kent Safari: Bats and Amphibians’, which we are booked onto later this spring!  

We’d really recommend membership to anyone considering it. For the cost of a coffee or beer each month, you can feel good knowing you’re supporting local wildlife for the future of our planet and generations to come.