If you don't have time to meet up or find it difficult to get to places then let us know and we can collect poppies from your homes or please take items to the collections points.  Thank you for your support the Poppy Posse!

Thanks to the support of the High Weald National Landscape team, who awarded Kent Wildlife Trust the Farming in a Protected Landscape (FiPL) programme. Kent Wildlife Trust are delighted to share that this has enabled them to commission a full building inspection and historical survey of the Hopper Huts and Cook House at Furnace Farm. This important milestone gives them a strong foundation as they plan the future of these much‑loved heritage buildings.
The survey has provided a figure of £52,000 for the remedial work required to safeguard these unique structures, giving us a clear target to work towards as we explore funding opportunities. It also identified that the lightweight roof material on the Hopper Huts is likely asbestos cement, so further testing will be carried out. Any restoration work will have to include replacing the roof to ensure long‑term safety and resilience
Over time, sections of the hopper huts roof have been damaged, with some areas missing altogether or fallen inside the huts. To protect visitors and prevent any additional deterioration, we will be installing temporary Heras fencing around the structures while we focus on securing the support needed to progress with a restoration project.
We recognise the deep cultural and historical importance of the Hopper Huts and Cook House to both the local area and the wider community. As we move forward, we’ll be working closely with local residents and Lamberhurst Parish Council to shape the future of these cherished buildings together.
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Keep Saturday 29 August free as we are looking to celebrate the Hoppers Huts again!
For more information, please contact: [email protected]

 Conservation grazing is a natural and effective way to restore and maintain biodiversity across a variety of habitats, including grasslands, woodlands and heathlands. At Furnace and Hoathly Farms, Kent Wildlife Trust's regeneration project is focused on bringing back species diversity and helping ecosystems recover by restoring habitats and enhancing biodiversity.

As the next step in this work, they will be installing essential fencing to enable us to introduce around six longhorn cattle (you can read more about why we chose longhorns in this newsletter) as conservation grazers. The first phase will begin at Furnace Farm in early March and is expected to take around three weeks. These improvements will enable us to reinstate grazing on the existing grassland, protect hedgerows, and create buffers around several woodlands to support their natural expansion and regeneration.
This project has been made possible thanks to support from the High Weald National Landscape Partnership, through its Defra-funded capital programme, which invests in initiatives that create a thriving, beautiful landscape for everyone to enjoy.

​Public rights of way will remain open throughout the works. We’ll also be installing new kissing gates to ensure continued, easy access for visitors. Well‑behaved dogs are still very welcome onsite—we simply ask that they are kept on a lead near the grazers.
This map shows where the fencing and gates will be.
If you have any questions about the project,
​please contact: [email protected] 
​A new identity for Hoathly & Furnace Farms