Hoo Clean Up on Saturday 24 May 2014

If you can spare a couple of hours on Saturday 24 May, from 9.30am, join the Hoo Clean Up!

Meeting outside Hoo Library (Church Street, Hoo), the monthly litter picking session is always a great opportunity to meet up and chat with other villagers.

After the session, everyone goes back to the library for free tea, coffee and nibbles, as generously supplied by Spar Supermarket.

See you there!

  

Volunteer at Grain Coastal Park (Sunday 16 February 2014)

The next opportunity to volunteer at Grain Coastal Park will be on Sunday 16 February.

The Friends of Grain Coastal Park will meet at 10am at The Pavilion Car Park (Pintail Close, Isle of Grain, ME3 0DW).

Find out more about the work of The Friends of Grain Coastal Park by clicking here.

  

Get involved at Grain Coastal Park

I've had many happy times volunteering on the Isle of Grain with the very successful Friends of Grain Coastal Park group.

They're a great bunch and are completely devoted to making sure the parkland can be enjoyed by everyone.

The Friends group meet every month and the next volunteering session is this Sunday (19 May), from 10am. Take a look at the poster below to find out more.

 
If all this sounds a little too strenuous for you, please pop over to Grain for a leisurely stroll around Grain Coastal Park and enjoy one of the most dramatic foreshores in the area.

You won't be disappointed!

The website for the Friends of Grain Coastal Park can be viewed by clicking here.
 

Volunteering at Grain Coastal Park (Sunday 15 April 2012)

The next volunteering activity day at Grain Coastal Park is this Sunday (15 April), from 10am.

Click the poster below to find out more.

Those who come along to lend a hand will spend time clearing and cutting back a wooded walk - adding to the growing number of walks now available within the park.

To find out more about the Friends of Grain Coastal Park, or to get involved with volunteering, come along on Sunday - you’ll be made very welcome.

Let's hope it doesn't rain!
  

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!