Staff at Kent Wildlife Trust say they are delighted to have walked away with a trophy for Animal and Environmental Charity of the Year at the Kent Charity Awards.

The awards presentation was held at the Mercure in Hollingbourne on Thursday, 21 September and saw twenty-one charities from across the county celebrating their achievements over the past year.

The Trust were thrilled to share the evening with long-serving volunteer Bill Hickmott, who was shortlisted from over 35 nominees in the Volunteer of the Year Category. Bill, who is now into his 80s, has been volunteering with the charity since the 90s and commits his time weekly working on the Wild About Gardens project, in addition to his other volunteering duties.

The Kent Charity Awards showcases the hard work and perseverance that charities and voluntary groups undertake to make the lives of others better. It is open to both small and large charities and the gala evening was hosted by the BBC’s Rebecca Kenyon and Phil Harrison.

The nomination for the trust covered all aspects of the work of the charity from flagship projects like the Wilder Blean Initiative to Nextdoor Nature, Wild About Gardens, Education, Volunteering, Conservation and Advocacy.

Charlotte Lewis of Kent Wildlife Trust said: “It was an honour to be recognised for all the incredible work our staff and volunteers do at Kent Wildlife Trust to create a wilder Kent. Nature is in crisis and with recent government announcements threatening to reduce our net-zero commitments it has never been more urgent to highlight the need to protect our wildlife and wild spaces.

“In particular, we were delighted to see Bill shortlisted for Volunteer of the Year, he has been selflessly giving up his time to benefit wildlife for decades. He is part of a wonderful volunteer team, and one of many who want to see nature thrive in our beautiful county.”