The Dutch Raid and more!

With the 350th anniversary of the 1667 Dutch Raid on the River Medway being commemorated in June, don’t miss monthly guided walks at Grain Coastal Park (and take a look at some of the damage caused to the village church by raiding Dutch seamen).

In the company of volunteer Michael Dale (a member of the Friends of Grain Coastal Park), pictured above, the walks offer the opportunity to get out and about in the fresh air and to learn more about our local history.

There's lots to explore at Grain Coastal Park - enjoy!

  

Seeing old Friends at Grain Coastal Park

I visited Grain Coastal Park last weekend and bumped into my old volunteering colleague Michael Dale.

Michael is now a leading-light in the park’s Friends group – a group of volunteers (mainly residents from the Isle of Grain) who spend many hours each week working hard looking after this increasingly popular and vast open space.

The Friends of Grain Coastal Park group has gone from strength to strength since it was created back in January 2012, following a successful community project undertaken by the Kent Wildlife Trust throughout 2011, in collaboration with St. James, Isle of Grain, Parish Council.  Those early project sessions were lots of fun and very interesting.

Michael and his volunteer colleagues have spent considerable time creating many great walks for visitors to enjoy.  In the noticeboard at the main car park (at the end of High Street, ME3 0BS) you will find a detailed map of the park showing all the walks.

If you’re looking to burn off some Christmas calories this weekend or during the festive period, or would simply like to get out of the house and enjoy fresh air and great views of the Essex coast and Isle of Sheppey – pop along to Grain Coastal Park.

  

Guided tours of Grain Coastal Park

My old friend Michael Dale, who served as Police Officer on the Hoo Peninsula from 1966 to 1992, is very busy these days organising guided tours of our fabulous Grain Coastal Park.

Having been involved with the Friends of Grain Coastal Park in their formative period, it’s great to see that so many improvements have now been made to enhance and improve the foreshore and surrounding countryside.

The guided tours are an excellent way to learn more about the history of Grain and its fascinating military past.

Last year the guided tours attracted 165 people - well done Michael and to everyone else involved.

  

Take a trip to Grain Coastal Park

If you’d like to experience our dramatic local landscape, you’re definitely spoilt for choice on the Hoo Peninsula.

The much improved Grain Coastal Park is a great place to begin and it’s perfect for appreciating some of the history and character of the Hoo Peninsula.

Enthusiastic volunteers have undertaken huge amounts of improvement work over the last couple of years, firstly as part of a Kent Wildlife Trust project and then in the form of the Friends of Grain Coastal Park volunteer group - set up specifically to promote and improve the park. The site is owned by the St. James Isle of Grain Parish Council.

I had a great time at Grain on Sunday afternoon, walking from one end of the park to the other, exploring many new and existing walks, paths and seating / viewing areas. The place is looking stunning and volunteers have done a remarkable job.

Take a look at the Friends of Grain Coastal Park website by clicking here. You’ll find details of organised walks planned for May, June and July - led by volunteer and local Parish Councillor Michael Dale.

Enjoy!

  

March volunteering at Grain Coastal Park

The monthly activity days at Grain Coastal Park have been going well since they were re-launched in January. Litter picking has been a key part of activities so far this year, and there is a good explanation for this that doesn’t involve litter louts.

The Isle of Grain is surrounded by open water, where the Thames Estuary meets the Medway, and litter is constantly being washed ashore. 

The next volunteer activity day was supposed to be held this Sunday (18 March), but as it is Mothers Day a good number of the regular helpers will spending time with their families. And rightly so! So just this once we’re going to have to cancel.

Diary dates for future chances to help out with the ongoing improvements at Grain Coastal Park are 15 April and 20 May. All sessions begin at 10.30am from our new meeting point: St. James Pavilion, Pintail Close (off Green Lane).

But if you are keen to help out sooner than that, my colleague Michael Dale is happy to hear from you. Get in touch with Michael on the number below.

More details will be included in the soon to be launched newsletter of the new Friends group. Watch this space, as a copy will be posted on this website.

In the meantime, if you would like to find out more about how to get involved with the Friends of Grain Coastal Park - contact Michael Dale on 01634 270314 or drop him an email here.

  

February volunteering at Grain Coastal Park

The second Grain Coastal Park volunteer activity day of 2012 took place today. And once again we were blessed with a lovely sunny morning.

12 people turned out to lend a hand, and just like last month we were also joined by ‘Dave‘ - very much top dog of the new Friends of Grain Coastal Park group.

We did more litter picking this time, around the back of the park. There’ll be an even wider range of important tasks when we next meet, on Sunday 18 March.

Rather unexpectedly, our activities this morning might form part of academic research! Portsmouth University Student James Crump (pictured second from left), has been in the area doing research. When told what we were up to he decided to join in. Thanks for your help James!

Diary dates for further chances to ‘get your hands dirty’ at Grain Coastal Park are 18 March, 15 April, 20 May, 17 June. All sessions begin at 10.30am and, from next month, the meeting point will be at the St. James Pavilion, Pintail Close (off Green Lane).

More details will be included in the soon to be launched newsletter of the new Friends group. Due out in the next couple of weeks, the newsletter will also be posted on this website - so watch this space.

In the meantime, if you would like to find out more about how to get involved with the Friends of Grain Coastal Park - contact Michael on 01634 270314 or drop him an email here.
 

Thank you to our new friend!

As I mentioned last month, Peel Ports agreed to donate equipment to the Grain Coastal Park volunteer activity days.

Michael Dale, who is one of the people trying to set up a Friends of Grain Coastal Park group, and I took a trip to Sheerness Docks to collect the equipment last week - and to thank Peel Ports personally for their generous support.

Me, Pete Smedley (Peel Ports) and Michael Dale.

It’s good that Peel Ports are supporting the work of volunteers at Grain Coastal Park. They’ve donated safety goggles, litter pickers, safety helmets and high visibility vests - all much needed items for our monthly activities.

If you’d like to ‘get your hands dirty’ once a month, or if you’re keen to find out more about becoming a Friend of Grain Coastal Park, the next activity day will be on Sunday 19 February. You can find out more by clicking the image below, or by getting in touch with Michael on 01634 270314 or by email here.

If you run a local business and want to get involved please get in touch. We’re always on the lookout for equipment and tools!
 

Cleaning up Grain Coastal Park

The first Grain Coastal Park volunteer activity day of 2012 took place last Sunday. There were almost 20 along to help out - of all ages, from across the peninsula.

We concentrated on litter picking this time and I'm sorry to say that we managed to fill 12 sacks of rubbish in just a couple of hours, from the area around the car park and along the beach. We also collected 3 tyres, a flower pot and an old fire extinguisher!

After a break for coffee and cake, the group had a quick tour of a proposed woodland walk, led by Michael Dale. On future activity days we'll be asking for help to create this walk, making this lovely area more accessible.

One of the volunteers was ‘Dave the Dog’.

Whilst Dave didn’t seem too happy to stand around posing for photos, he did manage to get his paws dirty - clearly much more fun!

Activity days are planned to take place every month. There will be a focus on a few specific tasks each month, but volunteers can choose what they would like to do.

Tasks will include more litter picks, clearing wooded walks, painting and clearing scrub etc.

So for those who think litter picking is a bit easy, there will be plenty of chances to get your hands dirty and burn off some calories!

And there will also be opportunities to learn about marine wildlife and local natural history - a great reason to bring along children or grandchildren and help them get interested in our unique and special environment.

Want to take an active role in organising activities?

A number of the volunteers are planning on setting up a 'Friends of Grain Coastal Park' group to help co-ordinate activities. Let me know if your are interested in this (contact details below).

The next activity day will be Sunday 19 February, from 10.30am onwards.

More information will be added to this website shortly, but it will probably include improving one of the woodland walks we looked at this time.

If you would like to know more about these Volunteer Activity Days, or if you are able to help in some other way, please get in touch with Michael on 01634 270314 (email) or Tony on 01634 255694 (email).
 

Thank you Peel Ports!

I’m pleased to report that Peel Ports (Medway) have kindly agreed to donate equipment and tools, worth £500, to the Grain Coastal Park volunteer activity days.

This donation will help volunteers with many important tasks and is therefore much appreciated.

If you’d like to ‘get your hands dirty’ at Grain Coastal Park, starting this Sunday (15 January), you can find out more by clicking here - or just click the image below.

I hope to see you there!
 

Volunteering at Grain Coastal Park - get your hands dirty!

If you're keen to get some fresh air and exercise following a mince-pie packed Christmas, why not come and join other volunteers at the Grain Coastal Park activity day on Sunday 15 January? More details can be found here, or by clicking the image below.

I hope to see you there!
 

New for 2012 - get your hands dirty at Grain Coastal Park!

The volunteering activities to improve and tidy up Grain Coastal Park that were led by the Kent Wildlife Trust earlier this year were a great success.

New signs, re-laid paths, extra benches and sack loads of cleared rubbish were testament to the hard work carried out by dozens of local residents.

The Kent Wildlife Trust, in partnership with St. James Isle of Grain Parish Council and Medway Council, previously organised monthly volunteering sessions - involving litter picks, landscape maintenance, painting, gardening and much more besides.

Many people from across the Hoo Peninsula (and beyond) were involved and everyone had lots of fun!

That project ceased earlier this year, as the funding arrangement was only for a set period. But there is still more to do to ensure this lovely part of the peninsula is maintained for the enjoyment of all.

So there is a new project launching in January 2012!

A good number of the original volunteers from this year's project have organised a brand new volunteering initiative - to continue the improvements and to create a ‘Friends of Grain Coastal Park’ group.

Click the image below to find out more about the volunteer activity days that are being launched in January 2012.

Please come along and ‘get your hands dirty’ - it’s a really worthwhile project and a great way to spend a couple of hours on a Sunday morning once a month.

There’s a promise of fresh air, ‘light’ exercise and free refreshments - not to mention some tasty cake!

The new volunteering activities are again supported by St. James Isle of Grain Parish Council.

Here’s a small selection of photos from the previous volunteering project:

If you’d like more information about the 2012 Grain Coastal Park volunteering sessions, or to confirm your attendance, please get in touch using the contact page.

I hope to see you at the first session on January 15!
 

The Battle of Grain

Many thanks to Michael Dale, a Parish Councillor at St. James Isle of Grain, who recently sent me a copy of an old newspaper article (pictured below), with the headline ‘The Battle of Grain’.

The article appeared in the Chatham Standard on 28 May 1980 and showed events that the newspaper described as 'Medway's most dramatic industrial clash'.

Michael was a Rural Police Officer here on the Hoo Peninsula, from 1966 to 1992, and has many stories to tell about his time on the beat, some of which I will try and share on this site very soon. If he’ll let me!
 

It’s a scorcher!

I was in Grain earlier this week enjoying the scorching late summer sun, whilst taking in some of the views around Grain Coastal Park. I had a good look around many of the new and existing walks in the area and things are shaping up nicely.

I then headed off to walking route RS361 (photos below), which passes Port Victoria Road and Smithfield Marshes (towards Cockleshell Hard) located to the south east of Grain Coastal Park. Many thanks to Grain Parish Councillor Michael Dale for letting me know about this particular walk.

The warm sunny weather looks set to continue this weekend, so definitely a good time for everyone to get out the house and explore some of the many walks on the Hoo Peninsula. OS Map 163 (Gravesend and Rochester) is a very useful resource!

 

Grain Coastal Park (Isle of Grain) - Michael Dale’s Photographs

Michael Dale (pictured below) is a Parish Councillor on St. James Isle of Grain Parish Council. He’s sent some of his photographs of Grain Coastal Park – kindly giving permission for their use on this site.

These photos show views of Grain Coastal Park, taken at different times of the year.

The old ‘dummy battery’ along Port Victoria Road.

A wintry scene with views towards Grain Tower and Queensborough Docks.

One of many walking routes.

Church Beach looking very calm at high tide.

A ‘Quay Crane Transporter’ passing Garrison Point at the mouth of the Medway (between the Isle of Grain and Sheerness).

Another crane transporter arriving for Thamesport from China.

Seaview Meadow.

Seaview Meadow with early morning mist.

These are really great photos and I’d like to thank Michael for allowing me to share them.

Do you have any photos of the area that you would like to appear on this site? Just get in touch via the contact page.