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Ranscombe Farm Reserve celebration is a hit with visitors

More than 200 people visited Ranscombe Farm Reserve near Cuxton over the weekend (18th / 19th June) to enjoy guided walks, an open afternoon with activities for families and the official launch of a new community project.

June 21 2011

Ranscombe warden Ben Sweeney leads a walk at the 2011 Members' Day. © Beth Newman/Plantlife

The Ranscombe Community Heritage Project aims to encourage local people from nearby villages and towns including Strood, Rochester and Chatham to spend more time at this lovely nature reserve, which is owned and managed by conservation charity Plantlife.

Funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and Medway Council will help Plantlife make the reserve an even better place for wild flowers and for local people to visit in future.

Deputy Leader of Medway Council, Cllr Alan Jarrett, spoke at the launch of the Ranscombe Community Heritage project. He said: “We look forward to seeing Ranscombe Farm Reserve go from strength to strength over the next few years, as more events and activities are held here. Medway Council is delighted to be working with Plantlife to encourage more visitors to enjoy this very special place in the heart of Medway.”

Other invited guests included Medway councillors Josie Iles and Ray Maisey, representatives from partner and funding organisations including the Heritage Lottery Fund, National Trust, Valley of Visions Landscape Partnership Scheme and Kent County Council, plus more than 100 members and supporters of Plantlife. Plantlife’s President Philip Mould (presenter of the new BBC1 series Fake or Fortune) also spoke at the launch.

Plantlife’s Chief Executive Victoria Chester said: “Thanks to our new grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, Plantlife is improving the management of the reserve to help its wonderful array of wild flowers and also to develop better access, information and activities for visitors from the communities close to the reserve.

“The HLF funding, together with a generous contribution from Medway Council, has also bought a beautiful chalk grassland field next to the reserve. Brockles Field was potentially under threat but will now be managed as part of the reserve.”

Guided walks and activities

During the celebration weekend, visitors had a taster of the guided walks and activities that will be on offer more regularly at Ranscombe in the future. Plantlife staff led groups on walks through Ranscombe’s woodland, arable fields with their glorious displays of poppies and to the lovely open grassland of Brockles Field.

During Sunday’s open afternoon, families with children had a taster of wild flower games and activities including wild flower bingo, making hay and flower garlands and finding different coloured leaves and petals.

For more details of forthcoming guided walks, ideas for self-guided walks on the reserve and other information click here. You can also email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or phone the Ranscombe office on 01634 292062.

For more information and images, please contact:

Sue Nottingham T 01722 342757 / M 0786 1655438 / E .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).