Newsletter
Heaths Countryside Corridor
November 2007
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Newsletter Heaths Countryside Corridor November 2007 |
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Funding For HCC Firstly we would like to apologise for the lack of newsletters in 2007. Instead of writing newsletters we have been writing grant applications and filling in forms. Fortunately, this time has proved to be worthwhile and we can celebrate that we have been awarded 10 years funding from Natural England. This funding can be spent on the cost of keeping our three sites open for public use. This funding is dependent on documented maintenance and use of these sites, (more paperwork) but does mean it should be easier to plan the management more efficiently. Our first tasks will be to reduce the overgrowth in the Chilston ice-pond, provide a path through Hurst Wood and to write an educational pack to encourage local schools to make the most of these sites. We will also be encouraging local societies and groups to take guided tours of the HCC sites (please contact an HCC trustee if interested in this). |
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AGM Thursday 6th December 2007 This year we have decided to hold our AGM at the Red Lion, Charing Heath Road, Charing Heath, with the hope of attracting a few more members to the event. The AGM itself usually lasts about 10 minutes, enough time to summarise the years activities, officially appoint trustees and accountants and to thank some of our supporters. There will be a few light refreshments available and a chance to chat with the trustees about the current, past and future projects, any suggestions for future projects welcome. Thanks go to Lesley Feakes, who last year gave a very interesting talk about local archaeology at last years AGM. |
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Going Potty at Chilston! Even rain and the occasional rumble of thunder didn't dampen the enthusiasm of families who came to ‘Go Potty at Chilston' in May! Attended by around 100 people the event was an archaeological fun day co-ordinated by the North Downs Young Archaeologists' Club and funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Rail Link Countryside Initiative and Kent County Council. Everyone had the chance to make their own pot by hand, just as prehistoric peoples would have done before the arrival of the potter's wheel in the first century BC. Some enthusiasts produced several pots, in an array of different shapes and sizes! |
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An archaeological illustrator worked with children to produce drawings of pots, both of replica artefacts and of their newly-crafted creations.The Iron Age living history group, Cantiaci, were on display. Their members explained how pottery was made and used 2000 years ago. Other Iron Age crafts and weaponry were also eagerly handled by visitors. Lenham Archaeological Group laid out a comprehensive range of finds that have been made in the fields surrounding Chilston Ponds, including pottery, flint tools and bone. |
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Swadelands Task Force A group of children from Swadelands School spent the week at Bull Heath helping to carry out a variety of different conservation practical tasks with the chance to unwind in the afternoons with fun and games. Leading the activities were two countryside officers from the Kentish Stour Countryside Project Matt Hayes the Canterbury Countryside Officer and Harri Goldsmith the Ashford Countryside Officer. Many tasks undertaken by the Swadelands group helped to improve access and to |
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maintain Bull Heath as an interesting wildlife haven: clearing footpaths, pulling up poisonous ragwort and invasive birch and then making fast work of bracken bashing. In contrast the more relaxing afternoons enable the children to learn more about the local wildlife through a scavenger hunt, which was very popular amongst the group,mini-beasting – collecting bugs in a pot and then working out what they had caught. Several of the children found very large beetles and slugs. The group also learned about many other types of wildlife that inhabits the site, such as butterflies, flowers, trees and reptiles and spent several hours orienteering as well as building shelters in the afternoon rain. |
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Helping hands Many Thanks to Annette Rutter, our membership secretary and trustee for her committement to raising funds for HCC over the last few years. Annette resigned this year and we wish her every success in her future ventures. Karen Gillett has been appointed as a new trustee and is already actively helping to improve the entrance to Chilston Ponds site. We would like to recruit more people to actively help with the running of HCC. This could involve becoming a trustee, administration tasks (new membership secretary required) or monitoring the sites, if you would like to help please contact Jon Heuch. HCC meets around 6 times a year (the meetings last around 2 hours) to discuss new activities or projects and we welcome anyone interested in participating
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Bull Heath Volunteer Task Day On the 3 rd of October KSCP volunteers undertook a day of scrub clearance at Bull Heath. As a warm October sun shone all-day the volunteers cleared a large area of birch scrub and roots in the area below the Sand Martin cliffs. Clearing areas of young scrub encourages the unique moss and lichen species to expand creating homes for numerous insects on which the Sand Martins can feed. A large number of young alders and birch were also removed from the basin of the pond and its fringes. The team of KSCP volunteers worked very hard all day and the area was left clear of debris by burning the scrub on site. HCC would like to welcome Debbie Adams, the new KSCP Officer, and look forward to working with her in the future. |
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------------------ Wildlife Focus ----------------- Coppicing – a history Coppicing is a centuries old woodland management technique that makes use of the way tree species such as oak, hazel, maple, sweet chestnut, lime, ash, alder and hornbeam, regenerate when cut to the ground. The cut stump, known as a ‘stool' sends up many new shoots rather than a single stem, from which rods, poles or logs can be harvested at 7 to 25 year intervals. The size of the stool increases with the age of the tree. By the medieval period, woods were mostly made up of coppice stools with tree ‘standards'. This provided a regular supply of smaller ‘underwood' and occasional larger |
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| trees for construction. The woods were enclosed with hedge bank and ditch, defining ownership and protecting new growth from grazing animals.
The commonest use of ‘underwood' was for fuel or fencing. Hazel was used to make hurdles, wattle work in housing (wattle and daub) sea defences and for protecting river banks. Alder charcoal was a greatly prized constituent of gunpowder, in high demand locally at the gunpowder works in Faversham. Sweet chestnut, brought over by the Romans, was also valued for its nuts and the quality of the underwood. In Kent from the 1860's these strong, straight, more rot resistant poles |
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| replaced oak and alder in hop growing. In recent times the loss of traditional markets, high labour costs, low wood price and general de-skilling, has resulted in the dramatic decline of the coppice industry. It is this system of rotational cutting, the mosaic of coppice at varying stages of regeneration, which leads to the rich variety of species that is so highly prized, and which all conservation woodland management strives for today. Ancient woodland Ancient woodland are woods that have been continuously wooded since AD 1600 (in England and Wales ). They are identified through the study of maps, landscape features and particular group of plants ‘indicator species'. The greater the number of indicator species present the more likely that it is an ancient woodland. Thanks to Naomi Betts, Mid Kent Downs Officer, for this article. |
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| Supporters of HCC | AvalonLandscapes – gardening & landscape Lenham Heath 01622 851713 CL2 – Hairdresser www.cl2.co.uk , Cranbrook 01580 715456 enquiries@cl2.co.uk Grafty Green Gardening Club JKW Alexander Ltd – local farm Sandway 01622 858348 kennethalexander@btconnect.com Lenham Ironmongers Ltd – Household Stores Lenham 01622 858286 Sharen Cain – certified accountant Lenham Heath 01622 851851 sharen.cain@btconnect.com White horse Taverna – local public house and Mexican restaurant www.tavernalatinos.com Sandway 01622 859511
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Bretts Environment Trust Limited |  |
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HCC contact details: HCC@heathscc.co.uk |
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| Jon Heuch | 01233 713466 |
| Ruth Lovering | 01622 842257, ruth_lovering@hotmail.com |
Become a Member
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Your support is essential to keep HCC running as a viable charity. We have more plans to enhance this area and by joining HCC you will help us make these improvements (and you will get a 10% discount at Lenham Ironmongers too). Please complete the attached form and send it to our membership secretary. Members receive a 10% discount at Lenham Ironmongers on non-sale items, 2 newsletters each year and invitations to special events. |
Form for HCC membership
Please complete and send, with a cheque made payable to Heaths Countryside Corridor, to:
Jon Heuch, Membership Secretary, Wrens Cottage, Charing Heath Road, Charing Heath, Kent TN27 0AU.
Name:
Telephone Number: |
Please tick annual membership required:
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Updated November 2007
Chris and Katie “going Potty!” photograph supplied by Lyn Palmer 
Children looking at historic artificats found in Lenham
Swadeland girls building a sculpture
Swadelands children coppicing
Coppicing at Bredhurst, photo supplied by Naomi Betts. 
Heath spotted orchid in Bull Heath