Images are organised in a clockwise tour of the county in 12 stages.
It’s billed as a photographic journey around England’s oldest county – and we’re sure you’ll love Old Bunyard’s Tour of Kent, a selection of more than 1,000 images taken in our home acres.
They were “extracted from the many more the author took while compiling Old Bunyard’s Kent Pride”, itself presented as a Kentish compendium put together from March 2020 to provide morale-boosting distraction during lockdown.
Do you want to help protect the Kent countryside from ever-increasing development pressure?
CPRE Kent, the countryside charity, is strengthening its efforts to keep the county beautiful and expanding its team across the county. It is looking to take on assistant planning volunteers to help act as our eyes and ears across Kent and Medway.
Dr Hilary Newport, CPRE Kent director, said: “The rural environment of Kent is under siege as never before. We campaign hard for both the protection of our countryside and the appropriate levels and types of housing that local people need.
“At the moment, sadly, we are seeing eye-watering levels of housing that respect neither our countryside nor our residents, many of whom are still finding it impossible to get a foot on the housing ladder.
“Anyone in the county who would like to join us in our fight for all that is good about the Kent countryside is very welcome to get in touch.”
If you are interested in any of the above roles or simply in the work of CPRE Kent, you can email info@cprekent.org.uk, phone 01233 714540 or visit the website www.cprekent.org.uk/about us. You can also find the charity on Facebook and Twitter.
Although 30 years old, Oxney Walks hosts a wealth of ideas and information
It’s a lesser-known delight of Kent, but the Isle of Oxney comprises one of the county’s most unspoilt stretches of countryside – and a locally-produced booklet shows us how to make the best of it with a series of walks.
The isle sits between Tenterden and Rye just over the county border in East Sussex and is an area of high ground rising from flat, marshy surrounds that are in effect a western extension of Romney Marsh.
It reaches five miles from east to west and two and a half miles north to south, with two parishes – Wittersham and Stone-cum-Ebony – included within it.
Once surrounded by the sea, which has receded and is now held back by sea walls, Oxney is still an island encircled by waterways, even if some of them are just a few metres wide.
Happily, it is possible to walk alongside many of these waterways, while a range of circular walks can be started from one of Wittersham, Stone or Ebony churches, heading out to and along a waterway and returning via another course.
The booklet offers 14 routes – the shortest is just two miles, while if you choose the combined Three Churches Walk be prepared to take on some 13 miles.
It was put together 30 years ago, so it’s worth bearing mind that some aspects might have changed in that time, but the application of a little common sense should be all that’s needed to enjoy a lovely day out in a delightful part of the county.
Oxney Walks is available to buy at Wittersham Village Store in Poplar Road. Proceeds go to the Isle of Oxney.
Members of the group listen to the fascinating story of the medieval-cum-Victorian wall
The weather was kind as the first CPRE Kent outing in far too long was enjoyed by some 25 people on Saturday (June 11). Vicky Ellis reports on a superb day out…
The venue for our trip was the wonderful Franciscan Gardens in Canterbury and once we had all had gathered in the gardens, Josh, our guide for the day, began his talk.
We were told about the old greenhouse with an ancient vine growing through it and which would be the site’s next project; the wall that was medieval at the bottom and Victorian on top but now needed serious care and attention due to the medieval part collapsing under the weight of the Victorian part; the various stones that had been found on site; and the beautiful cutting garden with its culinary delights.
We ambled through the gardens to the old chapel that had, in its time, been a schoolhouse, a private residence and a prison, with graffiti scratched into the wood panelling still visible today.
After the talk we wandered at will around the gardens admiring the rose wall and insects and enjoying the wildflowers in the meadow.
We then popped over the road to The Old Weavers restaurant, where Jon, the head chef, treated us to a wonderful lunch. We were seated upstairs in the amazing restaurant, which was like a time capsule, and we felt we had all been cast back to the bygone days of the early 1800s.
All in all, it was a very relaxing and enjoyable day in beautiful and historic surroundings. Who would have thought that just off Canterbury High Street lies a place of such tranquillity, beauty and peace?
John Wotton, CPRE Kent chair with Sir Robert Worcester (and plaque)
Earlier this month (May 11-12), trustees and senior staff of CPRE’s national charity visited us in Kent.
Their visit started with a tour of Ebbsfleet, followed by strategy discussions and a networking reception and dinner in the evening. The patron of CPRE Kent, Sir Robert Worcester, kindly made his home, Allington Castle, available for the evening. This was a magnificent venue for a gathering of representatives of national CPRE, CPRE Kent, several neighbouring CPRE branches and many other organisations concerned with protecting or promoting the Kent countryside.
Sir Robert, Simon Murray (chair of national CPRE), John Wotton (chair of CPRE Kent) and Sarah Barker (chair of the Kent Association of Local Authorities) all spoke before the dinner.
As a gesture of thanks to Sir Robert for his generosity and stalwart support for CPRE Kent over many years, he was presented with a plaque from CPRE Kent’s Historic Buildings Committee.
The plaque recognises Allington Castle’s quality and importance as a historic building. It is a moated, fortified, medieval manor house built on the site of a Norman castle and has been lovingly restored by Sir Robert after a long period of neglect. It was a truly magnificent venue for the evening.
Star Count began on Saturday (February 26) and there’s plenty for us all to get involved in over the next week or so. This year, we’re putting a particular focus on north Kent’s Swanscombe peninsula, a site home to a fantastic range of wildlife but threatened by plans for the London Resort theme park. As part of the campaign to save the peninsula from development, we aim to count the stars on-site and more broadly in the local area to demonstrate how much of a dark oasis the peninsula is – and how its wildlife could be affected by the blinding lights of a theme park. Together with our friends at Save Swanscombe Peninsula, we are asking people in the area from tomorrow (Tuesday, March 1) to get involved by turning off their lights and turning up the stars. This involves:
Choosing a clear night
Counting how many stars you can see within the constellation of Orion
Sharing your photos on our social-media pages with the hashtag #starcount
If you don’t know where Orion is, you can download a free CPRE Star Count family activity pack, which includes a checklist and star-finder template, here Finally, we can all meet up in person for our Dark Skies Event on Saturday, March 5, when we will be gathering on the peninsula at 5.30pm to experience the magic of the stars, count them and just enjoy the beauty of the site. To sign up to the Swanscombe Star Count use the QR code on the poster below or click here
To join us for our Dark Skies Event at Botany Marshes, Northfleet, Swanscombe DA10 0PP, on March 5, phone 01233 714540 or email info@cprekent.org.uk for more information. Also check out the poster at the top of this story. If you would like to come along, please print off, read and sign the risk assessment form here If you are unable to do that, we will have forms at the event itself. CPRE Kent and Save Swanscombe Peninsula are also working with Buglife, the RSPB and Kent Wildlife Trust in a combined effort to protect this wonderful site. To keep in touch with what we’re all doing, visit the CPRE Kent website
People are being asked to take part in the annual Star Count to record how clear our view is of the night sky. CPRE, the countryside charity, is working with the British Astronomical Association’s Commission for Dark Skies to map light pollution levels across the country. In the biggest citizen science project of its kind – which began on Saturday (February 26) and runs until Sunday, March 6 – people are being asked to count the number of stars they see in the Orion constellation to help map the best and worst places in the UK to enjoy a star-filled night sky. The results will be compared with 2021’s findings, gathered during lockdown, which revealed a notable drop in the number of people experiencing severe light pollution given urban areas were much quieter and fewer large buildings were in use. A clear view of a star-filled night sky has a hugely beneficial effect on our mental health and, like access to other forms of nature, helps reduce stress and increase a sense of peace and well-being. Research has even shown that regularly spending time looking at the stars can lower blood pressure and reduce depression. Yet, the night sky, which is a hugely significant part of our natural environment, has no legal protection. Tom Fyans, deputy chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, said: “The night sky is one half of our experience of nature, but we don’t often think of it like that. In and of itself, it helps balance our mental health and boost our emotional well-being. Recollect that experience of a starry sky and you instinctively know it soothed you. “But our view of the night sky – and all the benefits it undoubtedly brings – is being blotted out by light pollution. Like all forms of pollution, it is damaging our mental and physical health and also having a severe impact on wildlife. Yet it is a form of pollution that is allowed to increase year on year without any effort being made to control the damage it is causing.” In 2021, more than 7,000 people took part in CPRE’s Star Count. The proportion of people reporting ‘severe light pollution’, defined as 10 stars or fewer being visible to the naked eye in the Orion constellation, had declined from 61 per cent to 51 per cent. The proportion of ‘truly dark skies’, defined as more than 30 stars being visible within the Orion constellation, had increased from 3 per cent to 5 per cent. This was likely due to the count taking place during lockdown, with reduced levels of artificial light leading to a clearer view of the night sky. Now people are being urged to once again come together for one of the nation’s biggest citizen science projects to help discover if light pollution has increased since the end of lockdown – and where the best views of the stars can be found. Emma Marrington, dark skies campaigner from CPRE, the countryside charity, said: “We need your help to find out if light pollution has increased over the past year and if more people are experiencing darker night skies. The results from Star Count will help us create a map of where star-spotters are enjoying deep, dark star-filled skies. By showing on a map where light pollution is most serious, we can work with local councils and others to decide what to do about it. “Star Count is a great way to switch off from the distractions of daily life and reconnect with nature – and by taking part as a citizen scientist, you can help us protect and improve everyone’s view of a clear, sparkling night sky.” Light pollution means many people only experience a limited view of the night sky, while it also disrupts wildlife’s natural patterns. By showing where views are most affected by light pollution, the evidence can be used to help protect and enhance the nation’s dark skies, improving our health, well-being, wildlife and the environment. Bob Mizon, of the British Astronomical Association’s Commission for Dark Skies, said: “The night sky is a great antidote to the stresses of modern life – you go out, look up and suddenly everything is calm. “Just as we have an affinity with trees and the rest of nature, we have a connection to the night sky. It is literally 50 per cent of our environment – from east to west – and it is the only part of our environment that has no protection in law. “People are very rapidly coming to the conclusion that what we do to the environment has a direct impact on our well-being. The same as coral reefs dying off and rivers clogged with plastic bags – one more aspect of our impact on the environment is our pollution of the night sky and yet it is completely unprotected.”
For more on Star Count and how to take part, see here
For two weeks in February and March 2022, we’re again asking for your help in looking up at the heavens. Can you help us by counting stars to measure our dark skies? We think that dark and starry skies are a special part of our countryside. Nothing beats looking upwards to see velvety blackness, with twinkling constellations as far as the eye can see. Our buildings and roads emit light, though, and this can affect our view of truly dark skies. We want to make sure that we can all enjoy starlit nights and we need your help in measuring what effect light is having on our views of the galaxy.
What is Star Count? The best way to see how many stars we can all see in the sky is… to count them! So we’re asking people from all across the country to become ‘citizen scientists’ and look heavenwards for one night. Join in by choosing a clear night between Saturday, February 26, and Sunday, March 6, and becoming a stargazer. Pop the dates in your diary now! With brilliant support from the British Astronomical Association, we’re asking you to look up at the constellation Orion and let us know how many stars you can count. Don’t worry: we’ll give plenty of support on how to do this. Once you’ve done your star-spotting, we’ll share a form with you where you can quickly and easily send us your count – and then we get busy with our number-crunching. Your results from Star Count will help us make a map of where star-spotters are enjoying deep, dark skies. By showing on a map where light pollution is most serious, we can work with local councils and others to decide what to do about it. Better still, Star Count is also a great way to switch off from the distractions of daily life and reconnect with nature. Look up at the cosmos and… breathe.
How to take part in Star Count Here are a few top tips for a brilliant Star Count evening:
Try to pick a clear night for your count, with no haze or clouds, then wait until after 7pm so the sky is really dark.
Looking south into the night sky, find the Orion constellation, with its four corners and ‘three-star belt’.
Let your eyes adjust to the darkness for as long as possible (we recommend at least 20 minutes), then count the stars that you can see within the four corners of Orion (check out the picture above, which shows you how).
Make a note of the number of stars seen with the naked eye and submit your count on our website when the results page opens that week.
Share your experiences (and any photos) with others on social media using #StarCount
And don’t forget to check back to see the national results and how your area compares to the rest of the country!
Get ready to count! Remember, you can do your 2022 Star Count on any night between February 26 and March 6. Make a note of the dates now and keep your eyes peeled for weather forecasts nearer the time to pick a night with skies that are as clear as possible.
Sign up now to take part and for more information about Star Count, including top tips for the best times to see Orion and more information about why we care so much about our magical dark sky views.
A powerful rule allows local communities to ringfence their green spaces from development (pic Daniel Greenwood)
There is huge untapped potential to level up access to nature for people living in our towns and cities by giving local parks the same sorts of protection from development as national parks. A little-known yet hugely powerful rule allows local communities to ringfence their recreation grounds, community gardens, fields popular with dog-walkers and other locally-valued green spaces from development. And yet this provision – contained within the National Planning Policy Framework and designed specifically to protect the pockets of nature most valued by local people – is, curiously, close to unknown. That is why CPRE, the countryside charity, is calling on the government to encourage all local authorities to promote the use of the Local Green Space designation as widely as possible. It is a unique clause in planning rules that empowers local people to apply national park-style protection from development to their most valued local green spaces. And yet, in the most nature-deprived neighbourhoods, where it could have huge value for poorer communities, it is a tool that is barely ever used. New research by CPRE has, for the first time, mapped the total number of Local Green Spaces protected. More than 6,500 have been created since 2012, often to protect valued land on the edge of villages. But the research shows that inner cities and densely-populated urban areas, which are more likely to be populated by poorer communities and people of colour, are the least likely to have benefited. Wealthier parts of the south and midlands had the majority of Local Green Space designations, while the poorest regions in the north had the fewest. That’s why this is such an important mechanism for levelling up – much more needs to be done to help all communities, and particularly those in the north, preserve their last, and often only, patches of green. Local Green Spaces are small parcels of land, close to where people live, that are demonstrably special to their community for reasons that can include their beauty, historical significance, recreational value, tranquillity or richness of wildlife. It is a neighbourhood planning tool with unique power because it implies that being valued by local people is in itself a strong enough reason to protect small patches of green space. Crispin Truman, CPRE chief executive, said: “This is a solution to levelling up that has been hiding in plain sight – a planning superpower in the hands of ordinary people. “All that people have to prove is they use and value the land for it to be eligible to be protected like it’s a national park. Unfortunately, there is a sliding scale of injustice when it comes to who is benefitting. Put simply, the poorer you are and the more nature-deprived your neighbourhood already is, the less likely you are to have any protected Local Green Space. It’s time to address this imbalance and level up everyone’s access to nature. “That is why we’re calling on the government to promise the equivalent of a national park for every neighbourhood. Local Green Space designation is a powerful way to protect vulnerable slices of nature, particularly in deprived areas. It has the added benefit of nurturing neighbourhood planning groups so that residents get more of a say in what gets built locally. “Our iconic national parks are rightly celebrated and protected. But research repeatedly shows they are not accessible to all – and that the poorest in society benefit the least. That’s why it should be a national priority to protect our local parks and green spaces so that everybody, no matter where they live, has access to the benefits of nature.” Despite its fantastic potential as a tool to protect recreational or nature-rich urban areas, much more could be done to improve the usefulness of Local Green Space designation.
Key recommendations to ensure Local Green Space designation delivers on levelling up urban areas include:
• Making climate change adaptation and mitigation an explicit reason for land to be locally valued
• Embedding compulsory standards for access to nature within planning law
• Strengthening of protections against development on sites with Local Green Space designation
• Furthering support for neighbourhood planning across England, particularly in areas with low take-up, and encouraging public participation throughout the planning process.
Thanet’s attractive coastline has made it an attractive proposition for the growing Airbnb industry
A surge in the number of homes marketed for Airbnb-style short-term lets is crippling the residential rentals market, new research shows. The problem is most acute in staycation hotspots, where hundreds of homes previously available to rent to local people have been switched to short-stay holiday rentals. The worsening housing crisis – which is particularly acute in rural areas – has seen thousands of families added to social-housing waiting lists. A steep decline in the number of new social-housing projects completed since 2013 is compounding the problem. That is why CPRE, the countryside charity, is calling for tighter controls on second-home ownership, including higher council tax on second homes and the requirement for short-term lets to have planning permission. Additionally, the definition of ‘affordable’ must be changed in national planning policy, with rents being tied to local incomes rather than market prices. To level up our rural communities, changes to planning law and policy should be committed to in the government’s forthcoming Planning Bill, requiring at least one new genuinely affordable home for every market home built. Alex Macintyre, 37, from Plymouth, was evicted by her landlord because he would make more money listing her flat on Airbnb. “I lived in my last flat for five years until the landlord decided to renovate and do the place up to perfection so he could rent it out on Airbnb,” said Alex. “Plymouth has become a city of holiday lets. Fewer homes available for residents means higher rents, and people being priced out of their local areas in search of a home. That erodes local communities and starves local businesses of workers. The only people who benefit are the landlords.” In many areas, social-housing waiting lists could be drastically reduced or even eliminated if the number of properties advertised for short-term let were available for local families instead, the analysis shows.
• In Cornwall, which saw short-term listings grow 661 per cent in the five years to September 2021, there are some 15,000 families on social-housing waiting lists and the same number of properties being marketed as holiday lets
• In South Lakeland, which saw a 1,231 per cent increase in short-term listings between 2016-20, about half the families in need of social housing could be accommodated in properties exclusively available for holiday rentals
• In Cumbria, a 4 per cent decline in the number of privately-rented properties coincided with a 14 pe cent increase in families on social-housing waiting lists since 2016
• In Devon, short-term lets appear to be worsening an existing housing crisis, with almost 4,000 homes taken out of private rent and 11,000 added to short-term listings since 2016
Crispin Truman, chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, said: “Across our most traditional rural communities, from the beaches of Cornwall to the lakes of Cumbria, homes that used to be rented to local families sit empty for much of the year. “More people are pushed on to social-housing waiting lists, which have been stretched to breaking point by years of underinvestment. Hard-working people are suffering and they will not easily forgive a government that promised to level them up if it leaves them falling through the cracks of a broken system. “It’s clear the government needs to act fast to avert a growing housing crisis. With the cost of living set to hammer people’s finances in the coming year, this is a problem that’s quickly getting out of hand. There simply has to be a government response to the fact that our rural-housing supply is disappearing into an unregulated short-term rentals market that simply didn’t exist six years ago. “Ministers must introduce tighter controls on second-home ownership, including higher council tax on second homes and the requirement for short-term lets to have planning permission.” Separate analysis by CPRE found the demand for social housing was growing almost six times faster than the rate of supply in rural areas. At current rates, the backlog of low-income families needing accommodation would take 121 years to clear. Figures show 8,898 households were added to social-housing waiting lists in 88 rural local authority areas between 2019-20, the last year for which figures are available, with just 1,453 social homes delivered. In total, 176,058 rural families were waiting for accommodation in 2020, up from 167,160 in 2019. Selaine Saxby, Conservative MP for North Devon, said: “We need to make the long-term rental market more sustainable and attractive. We cannot rely on building ever more homes if they are not going to be lived in by local residents. “Our excellent housing associations in North Devon do great work in building modern affordable homes, but they will not be able to keep up with demand if the balance between short-term and long-term private rental markets is not restored.”
Cyril Chettoe was chairman of the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural Kent, a forerunner to CPRE Kent
One of the Kent countryside’s greatest champions was honoured in the summer through the unveiling of a new memorial. Cyril Chettoe was chairman of the Campaign for the Preservation of Rural Kent – a forerunner to CPRE Kent – and a memorial in the form of a tablet on a stone with trees planted around it had been placed at Hubbards Hill on the Greensand Way overlooking Weald village after his death in 1963. With the passing of the years, the stone became almost hidden by surrounding undergrowth and the Sevenoaks committee took on the task of creating a more permanent memorial. With the help of Weald Parish Council, undergrowth was cleared, a new plaque was erected and on Wednesday, July 7, a ceremony took place where John Wotton, chairman of CPRE Kent, unveiled it. Nigel Britten, chairman of Sevenoaks CPRE, described how the right solution had been found, for which he thanked Dr Susan Pittman, the committee’s secretary, who had designed the memorial. He then introduced the CPRE Kent chairman, who paid warm tribute to Cyril: “He was a dedicated supporter of CPRE, chaired the Kent branch and is credited with its revival. Whether he was one of our founding members in 1929, when he was in his mid-30s, is not recorded in our archives, but if he was living in Kent at the time it is quite likely that he was. “He evidently had broad historical and environmental interests, as the list of his activities on the memorial demonstrates, reflecting the range of considerations we have to bear in mind when we seek to protect the countryside. “These include landscape and natural beauty, archaeology, the historic built environment, care for our country towns and rural villages, the natural environment and biodiversity, housing, infrastructure, sustainable transport and combatting climate change. “Cyril Chettoe concerned himself with many of these issues, through the organisations he supported, in particular CPRE Kent. “If he is to be credited with our revival under his active chairmanship, then we indeed have cause to be grateful and I hope that, if he were to see CPRE Kent at work now, he would be gratified and feel that his efforts were worthwhile.” Cyril was a busy man and, aside from being heavily involved in CPRK, was also founder of the Sevenoaks and District Civic Society (later to become the Sevenoaks Society) and chairman from 1945 until he died. David Green, the present chairman, was present at the ceremony and also paid tribute. A civil engineer by trade, with special talents in bridge-building, Cyril had worked for both the Ministry of Transport and Ministry of Health, while he was involved in the routeing of the Sevenoaks bypass, which you might know better as the A21. It was perhaps in the 1950s that his contribution to planning in his hometown of Sevenoaks was most marked as he battled to ensure protection of its most historically and architecturally valuable buildings. While that town has special reason to celebrate Cyril Chettoe and his work, his love of Kent – its countryside and built environment alike – gives us all reason to be grateful.
The new memorial highlights the wide and varied interests of Cyril ChettoeThe original plaque was showing signs of wearCPRE Kent chairman John Wotton, left, and Sevenoaks CPRE chairman Nigel Britten both spoke at the ceremony
Well, that was a year! It was of course tough on many for any number of reasons, but the Covid-19 pandemic has continued to dominate proceedings and our thoughts go to those who suffered personal loss.Through it all, CPRE Kent has been here fighting to keep our county special and we thank everyone who has been alongside us to give their support. Now, though, it’s time to share time with our loved ones and perhaps even take a well-earned breather… Happy Christmas!
They came from Cliffe, they came from Eccles, they came from Tunbridge Wells, they came from Folkestone, they came from Thanet… north, south, east and west, they came from across the county to join Kent’s Day of Action. More than 1,000 people gathered on Sunday, November 28, for the Save Kent’s Green Spaces protest organised by Dave Lovell. All were expressing their anger and upset over the loss of so much countryside to development. The turnout of more than 30 groups on a bitingly cold day was an extraordinary result, especially given the short notice of the event. Mr Lovell, who had been so involved with the Save Capel group, said: “At least 30 groups came out, some of them joining up together. Most sent us photos and many of these have placed in a digital photo album.” Highlighting the staggering onslaught facing Kent in the coming years, Mr Lovell said: “We’ve estimated that 17,000 acres are under threat of widespread development – an area larger than Manhattan Island – but we know that’s nowhere near the true figure and that is scary. “The figures don’t cover just housing – they include solar farms, for example. And there’s the concern that those solar farms are the thin end of the wedge, paving the way for housing that will theoretically get its power from them. They can be a trigger for further development, which is happening around Capel [near Tunbridge Wells].” Sadly, many reading this will concur wholeheartedly with Mr Lovell’s view that “there is a huge scale of destruction coming like nothing we’ve seen before”. “This counting of the destruction of countryside is not being done by councils – no one is actually counting how much is being lost,” he added. He was understandably delighted that so many people came out: “It was a fantastic response. Anyone can put ‘likes’ or emojis on social media – it’s much harder to get feet on the ground. “When we started this, we had no idea what the response would be. But on the day itself we were sitting in the pub after our walk and the phones were going ballistic as the pictures came in. Then we had an idea of what we had achieved.”
CPRE Kent director Hilary Newport hands over a prize to lucky Geoff Meaden
Well, who doesn’t like a Christmas party? Last year, of course, we at CPRE Kent – like so many others – were not able to meet friends and colleagues for a festive gathering due to Covid-19 restrictions, so this year’s event seemed all the more uplifting. Our Christmas lunch at The Wagon & Horses near Charing on Friday last week (December 3) was a joy as members, supporters and staff joined to eat a sumptuous meal and – if they were ultra-lucky – take home gifts from the raffle. Let’s hope we can all do it again next year – seeya there!
Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Christmas (and the Santa hat) comes but once a yearAfter a difficult couple of years, the laughing faces were a welcome sightCPRE Kent chairman John Wotton addresses the merry throng
The front bench… director Hilary Newport and, from left, patron Sir Robert Worcester, treasurer Mike Moore and chairman John Wotton
This year’s AGM was notable perhaps as much as anything for the fact that members were able to join us in person at Lenham Community Centre.
After holding last year’s event in virtual form, using Zoom technology, it was good to get back to our regular venue and catch up with CPRE Kent friends, as well as deal with the more formal matters.
The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic meant some chose not to join us, so a YouTube link was set up for them to follow proceedings, vote and ask questions – 21 people used that option. With 24 signing in at Lenham, along with five staff members, we hit the half-century on the nail – a wholly creditable effort given still-trying circumstances.
County director Hilary Newport delivered her annual report, chairman John Wotton gave his take on affairs and Lee Dance, head of water resources at South East Water, gave a speech entitled Can Nature Based Solutions help with our Water Challenges?.
As ever, a delightful lunch and cheery conversation rounded off another wholly successful AGM.
We will publish the AGM minutes on this website in due course.