Several years ago, we were able to purchase Polhill Bank with the generous help of the public. We took what was arable land and, through reseeding and conservation work, have now restored it to beautiful wildflower meadow. Visitors can now enjoy views of the wildflower meadow, pond, and hedgerows we worked to create! Over time and with ongoing management we hope to restore this site to rare species-rich chalk downland. 

Now, we have the fantastic opportunity to extend and connect nearby habitats with the purchase of additional land including 26 acres across the road from the existing reserve. 

What we need to raise 

A generous donor has committed to match funding the first £84,000 we raise, by donating £2 for every £1 received. But time is short – to secure the site we must have funds ready to purchase the site before June 1st. 

To restore this chalk downland, we need to raise a total of £195,000 in public donations.   

Funds raised will go towards: 

• the purchase of the land, 

• initial establishment costs, including; fencing installation, seed sowing, livestock grazing, tree safety and ash die back mitigation, provision of site information and set up of monitoring activities 

• ongoing delivery of the day-to-day management of the site. 

Or, support the appeal with an exclusive tour of Polhill Bank with Area Manager, Alison Ruyter. All profits go towards the Protect Polhill appeal.

Wilder Kent Safari: Protect Polhill

Ecological connectivity was once a foreign concept. If we go back far enough, habitats were connected by default – by nature. Nowadays, natural landscapes are fragmented and separated by human activity and development. That’s not to say we can’t live alongside nature, but we do need to work to restore natural corridors and larger habitats if we’re to have a chance at fighting the climate and nature crises. 

Habitat fragmentation directly correlates to species decline. After all, where do you go when you have no ‘home’ anymore, and when your food sources and nesting places have disappeared? Even in places where small pockets of ‘nature’ remain, ecological systems begin to break down because of a lack of connectivity. The turtle dove, for example, once commonly seen in the UK on their annual migrations from Sub-Saharan Africa, is being ushered into ever-shrinking areas that are increasingly hard for them to find and nest in. 

The more we extend and connect precious habitats, the more corridors and homes we give to at-risk wildlife – and the more, in turn, we create valuable carbon sequestration zones. 

Our hope is that by purchasing the additional 26 acres of chalk downland just across the road from our existing Polhill reserve, we’ll be able to boost biodiversity and implement nature-based solutions that contribute to a healthier environment for the area on the whole.  

We want to emphasise that while this extension will be just for wildlife (and not accessible to the public or physically ‘connected’), we expect our restoration work to have a positive impact on the existing Polhill reserve. Should we be able to purchase this land, you’d be able to see it blossoming as our work progresses from the vantage point at Polhill Bank! 

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Building on the work done at Polhill Bank 

The proof is in the pudding when it comes to Polhill Bank. We’ve undertaken some hugely important work there for biodiversity, including: 

• the creation of a large pond, great habitat for frogs, newts, dragonflies, and other insects 

• planting hedgerows, vital for many bird and small mammal species 

• seed-sowing with a mix that worked incredibly well to turn arable land into wildflower meadow – much loved by grasshoppers, lizards, crickets, bumblebees, and more 

• the installation of new boundary fencing, spanning all compartments in order to protect the area 

• the installation of a water supply for grazing animals’ troughs. 

From the top of Polhill Bank, you can really see the impact it’s had on what was once arable land.  

Our plans for the 26 proposed acres involve building on the work done at Polhill Bank. For one, we would love to create more space for wildflowers in order to capture the widest range of them. Seed sowing with our tried-and-tested mix should quickly introduce a range of species. 

One of the rare plants at the existing reserve is dodder, a curious specialist plant that it would be fantastic to see spread. 

The grazing and rootling behaviours of cows and pigs across the 26 acres would create more ground disturbance that would cater for plants specialised in this type of habitat. 

With ongoing management, we expect to see this arable land transformed into a much healthier, more biodiverse and abundant habitat – one that can also support the existing wildlife at Polhill Bank. 

Help protect Polhill

Learn more about the habitats, our work, and our plans

If you’d like to learn more, be it about the importance of these habitats or the creatures that call them ‘home’, be sure to check out the following pages: 

• Upland calcareous grassland | Kent Wildlife Trust 

• Lowland calcareous grassland | Kent Wildlife Trust 

• Woodland | Kent Wildlife Trust 

• A guide to chalk downland species: From plants to reptiles | Kent Wildlife Trust

• Our work transforming Polhill Bank into species-rich chalk downland | Kent Wildlife Trust

• How to enable landscape resilience | Kent Wildlife Trust

• Habitat fragmentation: Why it's an issue for nature & climate | Kent Wildlife Trust

• Our plans for Polhill | Kent Wildlife Trust