In 1997 a group of mammal enthusiasts in Kent got together and set up the Kent Mammal Group, with straightforward yet important aims: To raise awareness of the plight of the County's mammals, promote recording and study of mammals in Kent, help to conserve mammals and to provide a forum for those interested in wild mammals.

This year therefore marks the 25th anniversary of the founding of the Kent Mammal Group. To celebrate this significant milestone a special anniversary event has been organised for Saturday 22nd October. It will take place at Lenham Community Centre, Lenham between 10am and 4.30pm. Invited speakers include keynote speaker Hugh Warwick, the well-known hedgehog loving ecologist and author, notable Kent based ecologists Jon Bramley and Richard Andrews, plus members of the Kent Mammal Group committee Steve Kirk, Will Hughes and Stephen Hedley. Lunch will be provided.

Register at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/393625122337

Kent Field Club was fortunate enough to be invited to the awards ceremony for Kent Wildlife Trust’s Wild About Gardens competition.

The Annual General Meeting of the Club was held on 18th March at Kent Wildlife Trust's HQ Tyland Barn. Aterwards, the attendees enjoyed the President's Address from Dick Vane-Wright on 'Mimicry - with some reference to British Insects' and presentations on the Shrill Carder Bee Recovery Project from Rosie Earwaker and the Wild Orchids of Kent by David Johnson

On 15th March, Kent Field Club was amongst the many organisations represented at Kent Wildlife Trust's 'Wake Up The Season' event marking the launch of this year's Wild About Gardens Awards scheme (http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/discover-learn/wild-about-gardens-awards). This occasion enables new and existing volunteers, who provide advice to gardeners and visit entrants, to meet each other, awards sponsors and other relevant organisations and to share knowledge and ideas. The event was very busy and this year's scheme is already shaping up to be one of the biggest yet.

Fourteen members of the Kent Field Club and Kent Botanical Recording Group met for a joint meeting at Tutt Hill on 16th July to record the arable flora on field margins close to the HS1 railway.