Wilder Kent Blog

Learn more about the wildlife and wild places in Kent and beyond.

Talk on the Wild Side St Clement's churchyard volunteers posing with rob smith for the talk on the wild side podcast episode
Tim Horton

Rewilding a churchyard in Sandwich

A run down and overgrown medieval churchyard in Sandwich has been restored to a beautiful wildlife haven by a group of local volunteers who live locally and are part of the congregation at the church. In this amazing story, you'll hear from the people who brought this churchyard back to life and find out what they discovered when you peeled the ivy back from the tombstones.

Talk on the Wild Side

Farming through natural systems with Iain Tolhurst MBE of Tolhurst Organics

Iain Tolhurst NBE is a pioneering organic farmer and owner of Tolhurst Organic Farms. This farm has made quite a name for itself because it is able to feed 350 families on 14 acres of what is classified as poor quality agricultural land up to now, without any government subsidies. He manages this land with minimal external inputs to the farm. This means no chemical fertiliser or pesticides. He also does this without any livestock or external fertility from animals. Nearly 20% of his farm is trees and an additional 40% set aside for green manure. So how does he do it?

Talk on the Wild Side

Why Bugs Matter & what you can do to help

This is Talk on the Wild Side. I'm Rob Smith, and in this episode, bugs matter. And bugs really do matter. Don't just take my word for it. As Sir David Attenborough no less puts it, if we and the rest of the backboned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But if the invertebrates were to disappear, the world's ecosystems would collapse.

Talk on the Wild Side

The not-so-common nightingale at Moat Farm, Kent

Rob Smith heads to Moat Farm Kent to visit a farmer who's lucky enough to live in a stronghold of a rare and elusive bird species - the nightingale. Find out the facts about Nightingales, listen to their beautiful song and learn how Michael Bax makes sure they have the right habitat to keep coming back year after year.

Talk on the Wild Side

Conservation Management at Scotney Castle and Gardens

Join Rob Smith as he walks around Scotney Castle and Gardens learning how the team here are managing the land for nature whilst welcoming 180,000 visitors a year. Scotney manages 788 acres of land with 30 acres just dedicated to formal gardens and 300 acres designated as a SSSI.