Article
General update
The parks continue to be busy over the school holidays, with the public making the most of the open space and facilities the parks have to offer.
Kearsney Abbey and Russell Gardens are celebrating after receiving a Green Flag Award for the third consecutive year in July. The Green Flag Award is the international quality mark for parks and green spaces and recognises the hard work and dedication of the team of Dover District Council staff and volunteers who maintain the parks as high-quality community green spaces and a haven for wildlife.
A new tree trail has been launched to mark Love Parks week and copies of the self-guided Kearsney Abbey Tree Trail can be collected from the Kearsney Café where the trail starts, or downloaded online at www.kearsneyparks.co.uk. The trail is designed for all ages and is a great way to learn about nine standout trees in the park, including one of the oldest and largest Cedars of Lebanon in the country, and the tallest Italian Alder in Kent.
The café continues to be busy, serving light lunches and lovely home-made cakes. The café opening times until the end of August are 9am to 5pm (takeaway only until 9.30am). The billiards room is now available to hire for small private events, for more information, please see the Kearsney Parks website. We are also on the path to securing a licence to host wedding ceremonies, keep an eye out for more details soon.
Wildlife
The breeding season continues, and you can still see young mallards, coots and moorhens. At the end of July, we had a new family of Tufted ducks (Aythya fuligula). An adult cormorant has also been seen in Bushy Ruff with two juveniles drying themselves off on the island and fishing in the lake.
Parent birds continue to be protective of their young, so please be careful when you visit the park and keep a safe distance from all wildlife.
Despite the weather having been unseasonably cold recently, you can still spot the dragonflies and damselflies hovering over the water surfaces, which is most obvious on the lily pond in Russell Gardens.
Volunteers have started to carry out both butterfly and reptile surveys in the park, with exciting results. During one butterfly survey in July, 10 species of butterflies were spotted. These surveys will continue to be carried out over the next few months. If you are interested in volunteering, see email address below.
Flora
The grand border in Russell Gardens continues to have colour throughout the year. Flowering plants during July/August include Rudbeckia Goldsturm, Salvia Hot Lips, Hemerocallis, Buddleia davidii, Black Knight, Echinacea, and Penstemon.
Volunteering at Kearsney Parks
Volunteer tasks continue in the parks on a weekly basis. We continue to carry out general maintenance in the parks, including working on the grand border and orchard in Russell Gardens. In July and through into August, volunteers have carried out butterfly and reptile surveys. Volunteers are also needed for events that happen in the parks.
If you are interested in volunteering, and would like to be put on our database, please get in touch at kearsney.parks@dover.gov.uk.
Photography
There are always great opportunities for taking photos in the park, be it with a camera or on your phone.
We are always happy to receive photos taken in the park, so please feel free to send any photos in and we will try to use them, not only in our publications, but also in the Kearsney Parks Calendar.
Please send your photos to kearsney.parks@dover.gov.uk
Keep in touch
If you have any comments or questions, please email us at kearsney.parks@dover.gov.uk