Alarmed by the assault on our countryside? Join us on the Day of Action

CPRE Kent have a busy weekend ahead (Saturday and Sunday, April 18-19) as we support the National Day of Action calling for greater countryside protection.

On Saturday we will be at both Garlinge and Pegwell Bay in Thanet, while on Sunday we head for Lydd to team up with Hands off Our Marsh for the Big Countryside Day.

The day of action was set up by the Community Planning Alliance in a bid to show the Prime Minister and our politicians how much nature, parks and green spaces matter to voters. More than 170 groups have signed up.

Communities are at the core of the event, but other organisations to have got involved include the Badger Trust, Bat Conservation Trust, Woodland Trust, Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and National Federation of Parks and Green Spaces.

Activities will include human chains along threatened Green Belt land, peaceful demonstrations, nature and protest walks to sites facing development, litter-picks, community gardening, community celebrations and talks.

Rosie Pearson, chairman of the Community Planning Alliance, said: “Our green spaces are under unprecedented pressure with Keir Starmer’s deregulation agenda. This day of action shows that communities everywhere are ready to stand up against the unnecessary destruction of places that matter to them – for wildlife, for countryside, for food and for future generations.

“It is time for politicians to see how much they matter to voters. We urge people to join us to say ‘hands off’ and to vote for nature in the local elections.”

• The Gatehouse, Garlinge, Saturday, April 18: Meeting point for this event, set up by Westgate & Garlinge Action Group Against Housing on Farmland, is The Gatehouse at Dent-de-Lion Court, Garlinge (CT9 5LL). It starts at 10am with a Walk’n’Talk.
• Viking ship, Cliffsend, Saturday, April 18: A full day of events has been set up by Save Minster Marshes at the Viking Ship site (CT12 5JB). It all starts at 11am with the film and includes guided walks, forest bathing, face-painting and children’s drawing activities.
• Lydd Community Hall, Sunday, April 19: The Big Countryside Day is a social event with information and activities, plus timed talks by local experts. It runs from 10am-3pm and starts at the community hall on Manor Road (TN29 9HU).
• For more information on the National Day of Action, visit communityplanningalliance.org