Can you spare some time and help improve green spaces?
Any budding gardeners with some free time on their hands are being encouraged to get involved with volunteering opportunities to help improve sites around Maidstone town centre.
Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) is working with local charity - Involve Kent - on a ‘Green Spaces’ project. Funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which brings together local residents to help improve areas in their community whilst boosting their own wellbeing.
Volunteers are needed to help out at the Amphitheatre every Tuesday and Friday throughout the rest of November. Help is welcomed from as many volunteers as possible to plant bulbs, remove dead lavender plants and replace with new ones. The box hedge needs to be removed as it has blight and a new laurel hedge needs to be planted in its place. Gaps need to be filled in the existing planting with groups of new rose bushes and help with lots of weeding and to spread a layer of mulch to supress further weed growth.
Areas currently being improved include the courtyard spaces at Maidstone Museum, the gardens at Trinity, the Community Support Centre at Marsham Street and the Amphitheatre. The volunteer team has already been out and about in the town centre, refreshing the planters on Week Street and clearing the flowerbeds on the riverside to make them look tidier. In the coming weeks, the team will be starting at new sites including the wooded area at Camden Street / Woollett Street, where they will be planting bulbs and shrubs as well as adding some bug hotels to encourage wildlife.
Councillor Richard Conyard who worked with Involve Kent to make the Camden Street / Woollet Street site available said: "The work that Involve Kent are doing is fantastic. I would encourage anyone who would like to volunteer to contact them and we can each do our little bit to make Maidstone better."
Sam Phillips, Involve’s Partnerships and Community Projects Manager says: “Involve Kent is thrilled to be working in partnership with Maidstone Borough Council on this exciting project. It’s fantastic to be able to offer local residents the opportunity to get involved and play a central part in developing and improving town centre green spaces. We would love to hear from anyone interested in helping make a difference to a green space near you.”
To find out more about Green Spaces you can email: grow@involvekent.org.uk or call 03000 810 005.
This project – Green Spaces received funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Information about UKSPF can be found at: