Maidstone West Station Adoption
Introduction – The year since April 2026
It has been busy as always at Maidstone West Station. Looking after the gardens and keeping
up with promotional material is time consuming, but we have made progress with our plans.
Raised Bed Planters
Our application to obtain funding from the Community Rail Network’s Small Grants Fund:
England, was approved and we ordered the planters for delivery in April.
By the 19 th of April we had gathered a team to transfer all the materials required for the
installation, including soil, compost, plants and the pre-constructed Raised Bed Planters from
the station yard to Platform 1.
A couple of days before the installation it was finally agreed that we could use the Barrow
Crossing. This proved to be much easier and a lot more fun than the alternative of carrying
everything up and over the bridge. Our small team made quick work completing the job and
we have enjoyed watching the plants grow.
The Planters are full of Pollinator friendly Herbs which have proved to be drought resistant and
are still going strong on minimal watering; a point that supports our idea of gardening for
biodiversity, the general environment and to improve the biodiversity and local community
involvement.
Gardening for biodiversity is the principle we follow, so we ‘leave well enough alone’ by
applying ‘minimal intervention’ and it is working! We continue to monitor the plants and
insects, birds and mammals we see at the Station; in what we hope will become a vibrant and
biodiverse environment in the future.
We are passionate about biodiversity and the environment, and we strongly believe they are
interdependent. So, we selected ten of the best Herbs for Bees & Other Pollinators for our
planters.
Why This Matters…
Our actions aim to improve the sustainability of our local spaces, creating secure habitats for
the pollinators we depend on.
By planting herbs that are rich in nectar and pollen, we support bees, butterflies, moths and
other vital species — and we can show how easy it is for everyone to make a difference.
Look out for our new posters on the station explaining why we are doing what we are doing.
(C – Insert Picture of poster here)
BIG Butterfly Count 2026
Butterfly Conservation’s BIG Butterfly Count is taking place between 17 July and 09
August. Perhaps you will be able to find time to join us in counting butterflies, simply
download the APP, which is simple to use, very informative, and you only need to spend 15
minutes at a time counting, which will add masses to the data base.
Where are all the butterflies?
We are in a butterfly emergency and we need your help more than ever before. By taking part
in Butterfly Conservation’s Big Butterfly Count – a UK wide survey, you can help assess the
health of our environment simply by counting butterflies.
Go on, get out for the count! (add link here Home page | Butterfly Conservation )
Call to gardeners and Wildlife enthusiasts for Station Gardening
Maidstone CAN always need helpers to carry out the gardening at Maidstone West Station. It is
ever more important to have a group of people to call upon to undertake regular watering and
to keep the plant beds topped up. Especially in the last few months.
(D – Insert picture of garden helpers here)
Could you spare an hour or so to help us? If so, would you let us know by email to
MaidstoneCAN@gmail.com then we will add you to the roster. We would love to meet you ?