We acquired Kettle Meadow in May 2023. The meadow is a 3-acre site on Forstal Road in Lenham Heath.  With its diverse habitats, this lowland meadow has a range of flora which distinguishes the site as a rare and valuable conservation location. Our team assessed the site in June 2023. On our visit, we saw many grasses and wildflowers including Oxeye Daisy, Common Starwort, Yellow Dock, Common Knapweed and Bird-foot Trefoil.  The meadow is bordered by mature hedgerows on all sides. 

We will put some cattle onto the meadow later in the year, to make sure that it doesn’t become too overgrown. Managing the growth with a small number of cattle is the best way to preserve the current range and extent of wildflowers. Cattle will graze both shorter and taller species, thus creating a varied sward height best suited to lowland neutral grasslands. There are two ponds in the meadow; we’ll be clearing some of the longer vegetation around the ponds to let more light into them. 

We have some great plans for Kettle Meadow. We’re hoping that the local schools will want to visit the meadow for educational visits, we will hold open days and a Bee Walk in conjunction with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.