The Darent Valley Landscape Partnership Scheme (DVLPS) has provided funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help enhance the Enchanted Woodland site, both as a community greenspace and for the School’s Forest School programme.

The funding has enabled NWKCP to undertake multiple volunteer task days to help the Enchanted Woodland Rangers with tasks including tackling scrub encroachment, maintaining the site’s firebreak and replacing fencing to secure the site’s boundary. A natural seating area for the pupils' Forest School sessions has been created along with a circular waymarked trail to explore the site and additional tools and training for the Rangers have been provided. A management plan helps coordinate conservation activities to ensure wildlife, plants and trees thrive at the site now and into the future.

Plans are underway for a family-focused community celebration event at the site during Autumn 2021 and a self-led family activity trail. DVLPS is also keen to highlight and communicate the rich and unusual heritage of the Enchanted Woodland’s links to Joyce Green Hospital and the Dartford Marshes and will look to use audio accessed via QR codes to do this.

The site even has its own geocache! Have you discovered it yet? Download the geocaching app to help locate it (and discover many other caches in the surrounding area and further afield). Let us know when you find it!