How Margate volunteers transformed ‘moonscape’ into ‘wildlife haven’

By Anna Patton

A community woodland in Margate is set to hit 1,600 volunteering hours this year – double the hours it recorded just three years ago.

That’s despite a nationwide volunteer shortage, with many charities struggling to find regular helpers.

The impact of volunteers at Dane Valley Woods – previously a landfill and then a BMX track – is clear to see.

“This was a moonscape,” says volunteer Alex Benham. “There was nothing growing here, other than two or three trees. Now we’ve got nearly 7,000 trees here, dozens of bird species, hundreds of insects, and who knows how many plants.”

That’s all thanks to locals who jumped into action in 2003. Today, volunteers don’t just plant trees, they also maintain meadows, clear paths, pick litter, survey wildlife and host public events.

“Attracting and retaining volunteers is always a challenge,” says Steve Darling, the steering group’s secretary, who has been involved since the project’s early days. But momentum is currently strong: “We have a really good, really committed group”.

With Great Big Green Week coming up on 6-14 June, Steve is hopeful that the national week of action will see even more people discovering the joys of volunteering – particularly when it’s tempting to “feel a bit helpless” about what’s happening in the world today.

He said: “I think it’s really important for initiatives like Great Big Green Week to raise awareness of what people can do to help make a difference.”

Momentum is also building in other ways. Local business Curve Coffee Roasters has provided funding and in-kind support since 2021. Last year, Dane Valley Woods was designated a Local Wildlife Site, in recognition of its value for biodiversity.

More recently, the group scooped a gold award in the Wilder Kent Awards, with judges praising it as “a compelling example of community-led conservation”.

Trees are few and far between in Thanet, with just 4% canopy coverage, compared with the Kent average of 17%. Even parts of London boast 25% coverage.

Ensuring new trees survive can mean overcoming strong winds, salty air and poor soil. Saplings require “intensive work, and a lot of volunteer hours”, says Steve.

Today, the site, which sits on Thanet council property, is varied: some patches are very densely planted, others cleared. It’s all part of a 10-year land management plan working towards a “mosaic” of different habitats.

“I think people have a vision that a woodland should always be this big, closed canopy of 30 or 40 oak trees and then some smaller shrubs around it,” says Alex. In fact, woodland is most valuable when it’s “a whole mix of different habitats including patches of grassland, meadows, glades and lots of low scrubs mixed with bigger, broad-spreading trees like oaks.”

Alex added: “We’re in, historically, a very deprived area with very poor access to nature and very, very few trees.

“I think it’s immensely important that that is a resource that is owned and managed by the community, rather than restricted for people… this is urban nature.”

Perhaps the biggest crisis occurred in 2022, when a fire appeared to have damaged a quarter of the site. Even that had some upsides – the burning resulted in standing deadwood, an important habitat for many insects and birds, which the young woodland did not have before. It even led to the appearance of rare fungi a couple of years later.

Dane Valley Woods may be small, but there’s plenty to explore via the 2km of walkways created and maintained by the volunteers. Many locals are unaware of these paths, though special events such as bee walks and a recent May Day walk are bringing more and more newcomers to the area.

Volunteers benefit personally from the experience. Alex describes the work as peaceful and therapeutic. Steve highlights the opportunity to form friendships with like-minded people, while constantly learning.

Trevor Cooper, who chairs the steering group, says the project is as much about being with others who share “the same love of nature”, as it is about planting.

Witnessing the fruits of their labour is clearly a huge source of pride. Volunteers feel a sense of ownership, and often know exactly which ones are “their” trees – the ones they’ve planted, says Trevor.

Alex added: “[It’s] a sense of enormous satisfaction when you see a butterfly feeding on a tree that you’ve planted.

“It’s a beautiful thing to have those species move in on a site that you’re managing.”

Great Big Green Week 2026 will see more than a million people come together from 6 to 14 June to take action for their communities, for nature and for the climate.

More information is available on their website: https://www.greatbiggreenweek.com/