21st February 2026

An excellent morning at Ash Wildlife Day. First off, an interesting review of the achievements of AWFV over the past year and their future plans. This was followed by a fascinating talk on swifts, a species whose future success is sadly threatened in the UK. After a short break, an excellent overview of the challenges faced in opposing the inappropriate planning application for the proposed Ash Levels Solar Array. The level of effort and commitment invested into this challenge by the community group is inspiring to say the least. Minster Marshes is another very local and immensely important habitat for nature which is also currently under threat by proposed development for energy infrastructure. A screening of a film on the marshes by a young, local film-maker brought the morning to a conclusion. It was also great to see several stalls representing these, and other local campaigns and organisations, on site. Also good to see support from our MP Roger Gale and local Staple Parish and Dover District Councillor, Trevor Bartlett.