Hythe Life_Spring_2022.qxp_Layout 1 27/04/2022 10:56 Page 24
Brockhill Country Park Update from the Rangers’ Hut By Ella Austin (Visitor Services and Events Officer at Brockhill Country Park)
At Brockhill Country Park Spring has arrived and we are so pleased here in the Rangers Hut after a long winter of site maintenance. We have packed our thermals away for the year and are revelling in the signs of spring appearing around us. The lambs are skipping in the field next door, buds have appeared on the trees and the park is awash with daffodils. Our storm Eunice clear up is nearly complete, thanks to the help of our Tuesday morning Little Explorers toddler group attendees, who set out armed with miniature brooms, wheelbarrows and buckets of soapy water to help clear the damage. Work on our new play area is underway and we can often be found eagerly peering through the fence counting down to its mid-May re-opening. The end result will be a more inclusive and accessible space for all age groups, featuring; swings, two new climbing structures, a tube slide, sensory features and an all-ability roundabout. The much-loved ‘big slide’ running down the embankment is of course staying, Brockhill Park simply wouldn’t be the same without it! Plans are also underway for our ‘Queen Bees @ Brockhill’ Jubilee children’s events over the May half-term, where we will be celebrating Her Royal Highness and nature in our wildflower meadows. We have been working hard to create a habitat for pollinators here at Brockhill by planting wildflower meadows, fruit trees and carrying out regular surveys with the Bumble Bee Conservation Trust.
24 | www.hythelife.org.uk
It’s great to be able to incorporate this into our events, hopefully inspiring children and building guardianship we can use to help to secure the future of these vital species. We are running events throughout the school holidays and are looking forward to inviting you along to ‘Poo Pioneers’ and ‘Noisy Nature’ this summer. Ranger Paul is furthering our conservation work by studying for his MSc certificate in Sustainability and Ecology, which has seen him working late into the evening at the park. While studying, he has been enjoying the company of a large Tawny Owl which has taken up residence in the oak tree accompanied by bats flying overhead! If you would like to get involved with our conservation work, we would love to welcome you along to our fortnightly volunteering days, held every other Thursday at the park. After months of restrictions, it’s been wonderful to host groups in our Badger Room again, getting teams connecting and spending time out in nature has been long awaited. The squirrels, it seems, have enjoyed this even more than us- so much so one mischievous squirrel in particular snuck into the Badger Room after we had left and was found tucking into the leftover refreshments! Needless to say, we will be keeping the Badger Room door shut from now on; we’re not sure custard creams and mini
muffins are the best diet for our furry friends. Brockhill Country Park is situated in Saltwood, just above Hythe. We are free to visit and open from 9am each day (closing times vary depending on dusk). Parking charges are in operation at a cost of £1.70 per day during the week and £2.70 per day on weekends and bank holidays. Why not be a green hero and use public transport to visit us? We are just a 15-minute walk from Sandling station and on the Stagecoach 10/10A & 18 bus routes. For more information on volunteering, venue hire, school visits, events, toddler groups or anything else please pop us an email kentcountryparks@kent.gov.uk or call us on 03000 42 09 93, we would love to hear from you.
