We believe that community engagement is the key to managing any greenspace to its full potential. To achieve this, the Kent High Weald Partnership works alongside local ‘Friends of ...' groups to help fundraise, and organise and carry out practical conservation work on their local greenspaces. At Barnett's Wood, a full program public events is held each year, which aim to engage people in activities that describe and explain the diversity of life on a nature reserve. In 2008 these included pond dipping, minibeast hunts, and bird detective day, as well as survival skills and a summer festival. Activities like these serve to promote an understanding of how fragile our native wildlife and their habitats can be, and the level of care needed to protect and look after them. Volunteers from the local community carry out almost all of the practical works and surveys organised by the KHWP, and also help out with events and other tasks, such as regularly checking livestock when a site is grazed for conservation purposes. The KHWP trains, supports, and supervises volunteers in all of this. Without the ongoing commitment of volunteers and local ‘Friends of ...' groups, it would not be feasible to carry on managing nature reserves like Barnett's Wood, and a significant loss of biodiversity would result.

To find out more about how you could get involved, visit our volunteering page, or download our latest work and events program.

Friends of Barnett's Wood

The Friends of Barnett's Wood were established in 1998 by a group of local residents, keen to see the site managed for their community. As well as carrying out practical conservation work and wildlife surveys, the Friends run public events and help to raise funds in support of the work needed to look after the reserve. If you would like to know more about their work, and how you could help out, please get in touch with Jane Frostick via the 'contact us' page. You can download a copy of the group's constitution, and the minutes of their latest meeting, from the Friends of Barnett's Wood page.