Talks and Visits
We arrange talks and visits throughout the year drawing on local expertise and the natural beauty that surrounds us. Most of the talks are provided in local village halls along with refreshments. Contribution and collections are often taken to support local and national charities. For example, our meeting in 2023 given by Geoff Preston raised a donation of £160 for the Kent Air Ambulance – a worthwhile sum for a good cause.
During 2021 we had a talk by Tom Reid of the EA on Otters and Beavers in the Stour catchment area. Also a tour of Historic Sandwich to learn more about this important Medieval port.
February 2022 – a talk was given at Littlebourne War Memorial Hall by WilderBlean on the aims and objectives of the planned introduction of European bison to Blean woods.
April 2022 – a talk by John Bennett about his rural childhood in Ickham
September 2022 – a walk on along the Little Stour led by Lauren Baker of Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership to look at some of the wildlife and in particular, for signs of beaver
July 2022 – a visit to Nonington Farms to learn about their sustainable farming practices and plans for the future
April 2023 – a social evening at Ickham where Geoff Preston talked to us about ‘My Farming Life’.
In July 2023 – we enjoyed a tour of Goodnestone Park Gardens led by Head Gardener, Paul Bagshaw, who spent a lot of time with us and answered all of our questions.
In November 2023, Cressida Williams, the Cathedral Archivist, provided a fascinating talk entitled ‘Capturing Our Past: The 4 Villages in the Cathedral Archives’. This  introduced the archive collection held at the Cathedral and provided examples of resources for the history of our 4 villages. Wickhambreaux Hall was filled to capacity.
Events in 2024
Little Stour Chalk Stream – 26th FebruaryÂ
Lauren Baker (Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership) and Tim Bostock (4 Villages’ Conservation Society) jointly presented at Littlebourne War Memorial Hall on the theme of the Little Stour Chalk Stream.Â
The talk focused on threats from local development and agriculture and what we can do to mitigate these. Â
A YouTube video of Tim’s presentation can be found here.Â
The talk was very well attended and by popular demand, was repeated in Wingham in May. Â
Windows, Walls and Weathervanes, an architectural wander round our villages – 10th May
In May Dick Bolton did a fascinating presentation on local architectural features focused on windows, weathervanes and so on.
Walk around Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve – 9th October
Stefan Barton, the warden, led a walk for members round the Stodmarsh National Nature Reserve
Hopping in Kent – 9th October
October saw Geoff Doel and Richard Bone give a fascinating talk in Wickhambreaux on Hopping in Kent, interspersed with hopping folk songs rendered masterfully by Geoff without accompaniment!
Events in 2025
Our first event in 2025 was a talk by Sue Kittle from Goodnestone on Asian Hornets.
Sue has kept bees for over 15 years and is an experienced member of the British Beekeeping Association, and holder of the General Certificate in Beekeeping Husbandry. She has over 25 colonies in the local area.
She explained why and how the Asian Hornet is a major threat in Kent and how we can become more aware of its devastating effect on our colonies of honey bees and our other native pollinators.
Sue explained how to recognize one, who to notify, how the nests are tracked and even how to set traps. The queen hornets emerge soon, so the next few months will be important in stopping the spread of this alien species.
