The children’s play area at Monkton Nature Reserve has received a £860 boost from housebuilder Barratt Homes.
The donation is for new pond dipping equipment for families and children to use during their educational visits to the reserve.
Monkton Nature Reserve is managed by the Thanet Countryside Trust. The reserve covers16 acres of land with 350 species of flowering plants, two ponds and a woodland area, and offers a number of educational activities that help children to learn and connect with nature.
The donation from Barratt Kent has helped to purchase 20 pond dipping sets, which include everything children will need to get acquainted with freshwater aquatic life, from nets to magnifying pots.
Anna Nicholls, Education and Outreach Officer at Monkton Nature Reserve, said: “This equipment forms a crucial part of our educational visits by local schools and families. The sessions we provide help children form a connection with nature and help them to realise the impact they can have on the environment. With the school year now underway, many local children will benefit from this upgrade from Barratt Kent.”
Natalie Perry, Sales and Marketing Director for Barratt Kent, added: “As a sustainable housebuilder, we always try to give nature a home at our developments, and some of our wildlife-friendly measures at Spitfire Green include bee-friendly planting, hedgehog highways, ornamental trees and new hedgerows.
“Monkton Nature Reserve protects local wildlife and encourages the children to embrace and protect the nature around us, and we are proud to support them with their mission to educate the next generation to protect our nature.”
The reserve has ambitious plans to renovate the educational dipping pond for users in 2023.
The Reserve is in an old chalk quarry, last excavated in 1958. It was rescued from becoming a county council rubbish tip in 1985 on the condition that it became a nature reserve and study centre.
The Reserve is open to both members and the general public on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10.30am-3.30pm (last entry 2.30pm). It is not open on Bank Holidays.
No booking is required other than for some family/children activity sessions during the main school holiday periods. Further information about these sessions can be found here.
