Hambrook Marshes - Another Busy Month

Hambrook Marshes have had a very exciting month of progress and change, and have been able to utilise the natural materials found at the site to create structures and useful tools.


April has seen the arrival of a minibus, which was funded by Natural England (NE), who .provide practical advice, grounded in science, on how best to safeguard England’s natural wealth for the benefit of everyone.

Their remit is “to ensure sustainable stewardship of the land and sea so that people and nature can thrive. It is our responsibility to see that England’s rich natural environment can adapt and survive intact for future generations to enjoy.”

NE gave Hambrook Marshes £1,000 under their Aggregates Levy Sustainability Fund (ALSEF), an incentive .to provide funds to tackle a wide range of problems in areas affected by the extraction of aggregates. The minibus will improve community use of the site by involving specialists who may have previously been unable to reach the site.

Work with Kent Council for Addiction and Kent Refugee Action Network continued, with aspirations of re-establishing work ethics, outdoor skills and team work. Activities to support these skills on site have included wood crafts, dam building and creating a structure out of locally grown willows.

The wood crafts included the creating of a chair made from wood collected on site. The process includes creating rough planks using a froe, which is a tool that splits wood down the end grain to create planks.

The creation of a willow structure will be a useful resource for the volunteers on site, as it will provide a shelter for them during rain and somewhere for them to congregate on much needed tea breaks in wet weather.

One issue which is plaguing Hambrook Marshes is ongoing acts of vandalism. It seems that the work being done there is not respected by a certain element of society. Fences have been uprooted, and litter strewn in the rivers. The enthusiasm of the volunteers and employed staff at Hambrook Marshes has not faded, however, and they are taking this in their stride.