Ashford & Dover Volunteering Update - July 2022
New Ashford Volunteer Trainee Warden - Back to my roots
"Hi I'm Kelly the new volunteer trainee warden based in the Ashford area. I have only been with KWT for the past four weeks and what an amazing start to my traineeship it has been! Originally from Ashford and brought up on a farm not far from Hothfield it is really nice to be back and to see how the landscape has changed over the past 25+ years, it's been an absolute pleasure meeting and working with the volunteer team who amongst them have a wealth of experience and knowledge, I look forward to learning more from them all. The past four years I have spent helping run conservation sessions in Hastings Country Park and I will be welcoming my former volunteers and participants on the John Muir awards soon to Hothfield and the rest of the Ashford area."
Kelly Morgan
Dover Team Update from Karen Weeks
The Dover volunteers have been busy completing fencing and gate repairs on Lydden Temple Ewell, Lydden Hill RNR and Old Park Hill. Banging fence posts into hard chalk soil is painfully slow work but the volunteers persevered and got the fencing jobs done. This allows us to continue with the grazing management of the reserve, benefiting the chalk downland management and restoration works. Many thanks again to the Dover reserve volunteers!
The livestock checker teams in Dover have recently had new volunteer checkers joining to cover the gaps in the rota. Welcome to those who have joined! The Dover Castle team have been busy feeding the sheep, getting them ready to be moved into the woodland compartment in the next couple of weeks. The Old Park Hill team have the usual enjoyment in finding 6 Highland cattle scattered far apart from each other amongst the woodland and scrub areas. They are always harder to find than you think! The Longhorns at Nemo have been constantly forcing the checkers to climb to the top of the steep slope where they always lurk. The Konik horses are often kinder and stick to the bottom of the slope. Summer is always a busy time with grazing in Dover and the checkers have done a great job at covering the many checks that are needed.
