Nature Games on Willesborough Dykes

The Kentish Stour Countryside Project has run almost 20 sessions of nature activities with local schools on Willesborough Dykes entitled - Nature on Your Doorstep. Willesborough Dykes is the low lying area to the south of Ashford on either side of the Romney Marsh Road and Bad Munstereifel Road . It is a large flo odplain area of 625 acres with over half being designated as a County Wildlife Site for its wetland interest to plants and birds. 

All schools participating in the environmental project were given a talk about the Dykes and surrounding farm land and looked at their importance as a green space and for wildlife. Debbie Adams from the Kentish Stour Countryside Project invited schools to participate in fun and educational activities on South Willesborough Dykes.  Activities included pond dipping, wildlife quizzes and camouflage games.  The project aimed to demonstrate the importance of the dykes through exploration of the different habitats and animals that live there. The activities form part of a bigger project concerned with improving the management of the dykes for wildlife and providing increased access.

Debbie Adams says ‘We wanted to involve children from the start of the Willesborough Dykes Project so that they can see the importance of their green space, especially for   wildlife. Although many people might view Willesborough Dykes as the wasteland on their way to work or shop, it is tremendously important to conserve and manage for the special wetland plants and animals it harbours. As Ashford develops it is important that its unique places, such as Willesborough Dykes, which also has a link to its agricultural past, are enhanced for people and wildlife.’          

The Project was supported by the Willesborough Dykes Steering Group and Ashford Cattle Market with financial support from the Department of Communities and Local Government and Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). 

Schools St Simons, Oak Tree Primary, Willesborough Junior, Beaver Green Community Primary, Kingsnorth C of E Primary School, and East Stour Primary School  who took part in the environmental education project on Willesborough Dykes demonstrated what they learnt and enjoyed most through art and writing.  The schools created large colourful collages incorporating many of the animals they studied on Willesborough Dykes including smooth newts, slow worms, lizards, orange-tip butterflies and various birds. A prize was given for the best collage.  Congratulations and a number of beautiful wildlife reference books were presented by Dr Hilary Moorby, Ashford Chairperson (CPRE), to the winning collage created by East Stour Primary School .

Debbie Adams from the Kentish Stour Countryside Project said, ‘The children have worked so hard on the collages and the detail clearly demonstrates that the environmental project successfully sparked their imaginations and educated them about the wealth of wildlife that thrives on their doorstep’. 

The activity sessions were designed to encourage pupils to get closer to the wildlife in their area and appreciate the principals of protecting endangered wildlife and safeguarding green spaces in a thriving and expanding town.