WILD FOR WILDLIFE: SEVENOAKS STATION

Volunteers at Sevenoaks station have helped create a mini nature reserve, leaving plants in the long grass bank near the taxi rank to grow, monitoring all the species – flora and fauna – that emerge. So far volunteer Laura Duncan has noted no fewer than 37 plant species, with a bug count underway too.

It turns out that one of the Southeastern station staff is a bug enthusiast so will be helping the group log these with his equally keen children too. The volunteers are using citizen science app iRecord to give precise locations for flora and fauna found. Laura has been writing a blog (https://lauraduncangreenimpact.substack.com/) about all that she has found and we have been designing signs to let the public know about our work, with QR codes linking people to our website and Laura’s inspiring writing. We hope the public will understand why it all looks a bit overgrown while this work is carried out. Who knew nature could offer us so much when given a chance?

If anyone else would like to help us, do take a photograph of anything you notice (flora and fauna!) at the station and upload it to iRecord (using this link) giving the time and place (using What3Words) you saw it.

And if anyone would like to help with station volunteering, or have suggestions for the other stations along the valley, please get in touch with Sarah Newman, local rail officer for the Darent Valley Community Rail Partnership (sarah.newman@sevenoaks.gov.uk) coordinating all projects.