Our 2024 Highlights

As the year draws to a close and we set our sights on 2025, we want to take a moment to reflect on just some of the achievements we’ve celebrated this year. Here are a few highlights that showcase our commitment to creating a more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable future for the Kent Downs and beyond:

Opening doors with Putting Down Routes

1. Launched the Putting Down Routes project to improve accessibility and inclusivity. Focused on equity and diversity, this project is making the Kent Downs and North Downs Way National Trail more welcoming. We ran 21 events with partners like Wild With Wheels and Black Girls Hike, attracting 260 attendees, and trained 13 ambassadors in equity, diversity, and inclusion. We also recruited 17 new ambassadors, with 50% from underrepresented communities, and gained valuable insights from a lived wheelchair experience led by Cinque Ports Mobility.

Accessible paths and new opportunities

2. Enhanced the Darent Valley through art and access improvements. Around 15,000 people enjoyed the Samuel Palmer: Visionary Landscapes Exhibition and its immersive virtual reality film. Additionally, we upgraded 700m of riverside pathways, resurfaced the Darent Valley Path at Horton Kirby, stabilised riverbanks to mitigate flooding, and installed the ‘Ripple’ seat by James Tunnard at Lullingstone Country Park. 

Connecting through art and history

3. Engaged more than 4,500 people through the Geoadventures programme. Launched at Easter, Geoadventures has supported 39 events across the region, deepening participants’ connection with our unique local geology and landscape.

Restoring heritage ponds

4. Launched the Heritage Ponds Project’s volunteer recorders have identified and mapped more than 1,000 pre-1900 dew and sole ponds across the Kent Downs, feeding valuable data into Kent County Council’s Historic Environment Record. Moving into the restoration phase, we aim to revive at least 20 ponds in areas where wildlife like turtle doves or rare aquatic species will benefit. 

Welcoming new ambassadors

5. Welcomed 17 new Cross-Channel Geopark Ambassadors. After comprehensive training, our new ambassadors bring diverse skills to our team, from tourism expertise to local produce knowledge, helping us reach new communities and enrich our storytelling across the landscape. 

A vision for nature in North Kent

6. Applied for National Nature Reserve status for the North Kent Woods and Downs National Nature Reserve, an expansive 20km2 reserve, stretching from Gravesend to Medway. Showcasing ancient woodland, chalk grassland, and wood pasture, this new National Nature Reserve is set to become a haven for wildlife and a cherished destination for nature lovers.  

Driving Big Chalk’s bold mission

7. Celebrated the launch of the Big Chalk Programme. As a key partner, we are uniting expertise to restore habitats, championing the unique biodiversity of southern England’s chalk and limestone landscapes, and driving impactful change at speed and scale to secure a thriving future for nature and people. 

Celebrating geology across borders

8. Launched the Cross-Channel Geopark and invested more than £350,000 in Geosites. This year, we celebrated our shared geological heritage with the first-ever Cross-Channel Geopark Festival and Official Launch Reception. Investments in Geosites and greenspaces have enhanced access and interpretation, making it easier for everyone to explore our fascinating geological story. 

Farming for nature and community

9. Invested more than £1 million, through the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, in sustainable farming and local communities. From mentoring farmers and new grazing programmes to restoring chalk streams and establishing a barn owl project, this funding has achieved remarkable progress for people, places, climate, and nature. 

Shaping our future

10. Started the search for our next Joint Advisory Committee Chair. We’re looking for a passionate leader to guide one of England’s most iconic landscapes into the future and elevate its recognition on a global scale!