Why we’re Kent Wildlife Trust members

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.