Kent Wildlife Trust has successfully purchased Hoathly Farm - over 400 acres of land in Lamberhurst - in its largest land purchase appeal to date.
Thanks to the generosity of supporters, who helped raise £500,000 to unlock vital match funding from major donors, the charity can now launch one of Kent’s most ambitious wilding projects, creating a near-continuous landscape for nature where biodiversity can flourish.
The acquisition will see the intensively farmed arable land at Hoathly Farm transformed into a wilding corridor that connects Kent and Sussex, creating a landscape of wood pasture, species-rich meadow, ancient hedgerows and thriving woodland. Opportunities to re-wet the landscape and reestablish the old meanders of the River Teise will also form part a plan that will see this landscape wilded and help to improve air and water quality, store carbon to combat climate change, and reduce local flood risk.
Major donors and organisations who provided generous financial support for the land purchase include Lund Trust, GJ2S and individual donors Melissa and Stephen Murdoch, and Katie and Patrick Hargreaves.
Paul Hadaway, Director of Conservation and Engagement at Kent Wildlife Trust, said:
“We are incredibly grateful to all our generous supporters, donors and the local community surrounding Hoathly Farm - for helping KWT secure this land. Their support has laid the foundation for a nationally significant wilding project here in Kent.
“Our focus now is on returning this land to nature, creating a dynamic reserve where vital habitats and wildlife can thrive. By allowing the landscape to recover, we open the door for lost species - such as the pine marten - to return, alongside a greater abundance of the wildlife that makes Kent special.
“The success of this appeal shows what is possible when people come together for nature’s recovery, bringing us closer to a wilder, more resilient Kent and our Wilder Kent 2030 vision.”
Hoathly Farm is the latest site to be acquired by Kent Wildlife Trust and surrounds Furnace Farm, which the charity already owns. This acquisition forms a cornerstone of its Wilder Kent 2030 Strategy, which calls for at least 30% of Kent’s land and sea to be connected and protected for wildlife by the end of the decade.
@Kent Wildlife Trust
@Kent Wildlife Trust