Welcome

We achieved some extraordinary successes in 2024, including the purchase of Furnace Farm right at the beginning of the year; the acquisition of the extension to our Polhill reserve off the back of a successful summer appeal; the first breeding attempt of reintroduced red-billed choughs in Kent for over 200 years; the installation of our first two bison bridges in the Blean; and the successful campaign to force the government to commit to cleaning up the industrial-scale rubbish dumping at Hoad’s Wood.

It is this last example that really shows the grit and determination of our team at Kent Wildlife Trust, who – working with local campaigners – forced this outrageously overlooked criminal activity onto the desk of the Secretary of State to get appropriate action.

This type of activity spans multiple departments at the Trust. It is only possible through your support, which is why we’re launching our winter Chough Appeal. 2025 will mark the third year of chough releases to the wild, but this will only be possible if we raise vital funds needed to support our next cohort of chough chicks this winter. We are closer than ever to a self-sustaining population of red-billed choughs in our skies, and we can’t stop now.

You’ll notice that this edition of Wilder Kent is smaller than previous editions – rest assured, we’re focused on making every page as impactful as possible.

We are constantly reassessing what we spend on different parts of the business and are always trying to prioritise on-the-ground implementation given the tough economic times that we all continue to face. We have therefore pared back the magazine to focus more firmly on Kent action – although we will continue to share news with our sister Trusts when their activities mesh with our own.

Now we have reached the mid-point of this decade, and our Wilder Kent 2030 strategy. We have been reflecting on how much more we want – and need – to achieve in the next five years, and how we can increase our chances of doing so.  This comes off the back of looking at our impact over the last five years – something that is being turned into an impact review which will be a key feature in next year’s magazines.

As we look ahead to the next five years, your continued support is more vital than ever. Thank you, as always, for continuing to back us as members.