Wildlife in Maidstone is set to benefit from vital habitat restoration work after Kent Wildlife Trust was awarded £15,000 through Maidstone Borough Council’s Nature Recovery Fund.
- £48,000 has been awarded to local community organisations and environmental charities through the first round of MBC’s Nature Recovery Fund.
- The funding will support practical, on-the-ground projects to enhance wildlife, habitats and biodiversity across the borough.
- Five projects have received grants ranging from £1,000 to £15,000, covering both site-based and landscape-scale nature recovery.
- Funded projects include woodland and wetland restoration, wildlife surveys, and targeted action to support priority and declining species such as swifts and great crested newts.
- The Nature Recovery Fund supports long-term environmental benefits while encouraging community involvement in caring for Maidstone’s green and blue spaces.
- The second round is now open with up to £250,000 available for Maidstone projects.
Kent Wildlife Trust’s funding will support habitat restoration at Quarry Wood, focusing on improving wet woodland and pond systems to increase biodiversity, strengthen climate resilience and support priority species. The work will help create healthier, more resilient habitats for species including great crested newts, dormice and bullfinch, while improving conditions for a wide range of amphibians, invertebrates and woodland wildlife.
The project will include targeted woodland coppicing to improve light levels, restoration of springfed ponds through desilting and water retention measures, and repairs to leaky dams to help manage water levels during drier periods. Additional habitat features such as shallow scrapes will be created to increase wetland diversity, alongside ongoing ecological monitoring to measure improvements over time.
Funding will also support training and equipment for volunteers, helping to build longterm skills and capacity to manage Quarry Wood sustainably into the future.
The Nature Recovery Fund was established by Maidstone Borough Council to support initiatives that protect and restore the natural environment, strengthen ecological resilience and address biodiversity loss, while encouraging community involvement in caring for local green and blue spaces. Over a series of funding rounds, the fund will distribute £488,000, prioritising projects that deliver longterm environmental benefits and support priority habitats and species.
Across the borough, funded projects include woodland and wetland restoration, wildlife surveys and targeted action to support declining species such as swifts and great crested newts, delivered through both sitebased and landscapescale approaches.
A further round of Nature Recovery Fund grants will be opening soon, offering new opportunities for community groups, landowners and environmental organisations to apply for funding and contribute to nature recovery across Maidstone.
Max Goodwin, West Kent Warden at Kent Wildlife Trust, said: “This funding will enable us to carry out vital restoration work at Quarry Wood, improving habitats for wildlife while strengthening the longterm resilience of this important woodland for the benefit of both nature and people.”
Councillor Rachel Rodwell, Climate Transition and Nature Recovery, said: “These projects show the breadth of fantastic work being led by local organisations to protect and enhance nature across Maidstone. From community woodlands and urban wildlife to farmscale collaboration, the Nature Recovery Fund is helping to turn ambition into action on the ground.”
For more information about the Nature Recovery Fund and future funding opportunities, visit Maidstone Borough Council’s website.
Quarry Wood. Anne Waite