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Swift success
Maidstone residents install nest boxes for iconic birds
50 swift boxes have been successfully installed in Penenden Heath to support the swift population nesting there on their return this season. With 40 single boxes and 10 double boxes, this scheme provides 60 potential swift nests for the existing colony.
Swift populations in the UK are declining and they are now on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern. Visiting from Africa every year, they fly around 7,000 miles, which is one of the longest migration journeys. Arriving in late April to early May to mate, they will return to their nest site year after year. With suitable sites such as holes in roofs in houses being blocked up, these boxes will provide safe havens for future broods.
You may see swifts swooping low, feeding on invertebrates throughout the summer before they leave us again around August. You can report swift sightings on the Swift Mapper App to inform future conservation efforts www.swiftmapper.org.uk/about
Gardening for wildlife is another great way to support these birds. Growing wildflowers that attract pollinators and other invertebrates and providing insect-friendly spaces will help provide much needed food for the swifts during their visit.
A huge thank you to all the residents who volunteered to host boxes on their homes in this year's scheme and High Weald Swifts for their continued support, and the installer Orva Electrical, who successfully completed the installs ahead of nesting season.
Help decorate a giant swift
Free drop-in with High Weald Swifts
Creative Maidstone Community Arts Hub,
17 April 2026, 10am – 4pm
Local organisation, High Weald Swifts, is collaborating with Maidstone Borough Council’s Creative Maidstone Community Arts Hub, offering everyone the opportunity to decorate a giant swift made from willow and paper.
Join this free public drop-in event at the Creative Maidstone Hub, Units 2–4, Granada House, Gabriel’s Hill, in the centre of Maidstone, on 17 April 2026.
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2-Minute Clean-Up Stations in Maidstone
Keep an eye out for these litter picking stations that have popped up around Maidstone as part of a trial led by our waste contractor, SUEZ. You will find the boards, with litter picking equipment and tips on how to use them, outside Maidstone Museum and in the café areas of Cobtree Manor and Mote Park.
Designed by a UK company, these boards are made from recycled materials and form part of a nationwide campaign to tackle litter. 2-Minute Clean‑Up Stations provide free, clearly visible litter‑picking tools, encouraging people to take quick, positive action whenever they see a station. This delivers positive impacts, with some locations reporting a 60% reduction in litter.
We hope our new Maidstone boards will help keep our town centre and parks clean. Please have a go if you have two minutes to spare when you’re passing.
Did you know, you can borrow litter picking equipment from Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) for a voluntary litter picking?
This includes bags, hoops and grabbers and we will also pick up any litter collected from public areas.
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Recycle Tetra Pak cartons under new
Simpler Recycling Rules
You may have heard about 'Simpler Recycling' on the news, on the radio or even on social media. These new rules for household recycling came into force across England on 31 March 2026, aiming to standardise recycling collections and reduce confusion over dry mix recycling.
As a Maidstone resident, you will notice little difference. The only major change is that you can now put cartons, including Tetra Paks in with your other dry, clean recycling.
Like all recycling, please make sure the cartons are empty, rinsed, and placed loose in the recycling bin.
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Composting courses with Communigrow
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Members of Maidstone gardening and community groups took part in a composting workshop at Communigrow in March as part of an MBC scheme.
Participants learnt all the valuable tips and tricks for making the most efficient use out of their hot composters.
The course covered the basics of compost management, including the importance of layering nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials, keeping good moisture levels and aeration, and troubleshooting for common scenarios.
Thank you to the experts at Communigrow for an enjoyable and informative morning and to everyone who took part and shared their knowledge.
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Hot composter competition time!
Enter the prize draw for a chance to WIN a hot composter for your garden!
Following our Hot Composter offer for community groups, we have a remaining hot composter to be won by a Maidstone resident who enters our prize draw.
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International Compost Awareness Week 2026 will be from 3 to 9 May and one lucky Maidstone resident will be celebrating with their very own Hot Composter.
Hot composters are designed to maintain temperatures above 50 °C. Their insulated layers, combined with an aeration system, help compost materials break down more quickly, without the need for turning.
Each bin has a 200‑litre capacity and measures 117.5 cm in height, 51 cm in width, and 51 cm in depth. They can produce high‑quality compost in as little as 90 days and are designed to be vermin‑proof.
The composters also include a hose‑nozzle attachment, allowing the compost tea collected at the base to be used as a liquid fertiliser.
For your chance at winning the Hot Composter, complete with Hot Composting Guide, simply complete the form on the link below.
Entries close at midnight on
Sunday 3 May 2026
(Anyone unable to complete the online entry form can contact the Biodiversity and Climate Change team by telephone: 01622 602561)
Winners will be drawn at random and notified the following week.
Delivery will be provided.
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Free children's online composting course
Inspire the next generation of composters with this free online kids composting course from Garden Organic.
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Get ready for No Mow May
No Mow May is a great way to give wildlife a helping hand, simply by putting the lawnmower away for a few weeks. Letting grass grow allows everyday flowers like daisies and clover to bloom, offering much‑needed food for bees and other pollinators at a crucial time of year. The campaign, led by Plantlife, shows how even small gardens play a part.
A little preparation makes it even easier. Give your lawn a final cut before May, setting the mower a bit higher than usual, and clear away the clippings. If you like things to look tidy, mowing a path or leaving a neat edge can help. Then leave the grass to grow, see what appears, and enjoy watching your garden come alive over the month.
MBC is proud to support No Mow-May on several of our sites, as well as longer conservation mowing schedules. Keep an eye out for our new information signs which will be popping up at some of these sites soon.
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Celebrate peat-free April
With the growing season well underway, it's time to remind ourselves why choosing peat-free compost is so important for nature and climate. Only around 20% of the UK’s peatlands remain in a near‑natural state, yet they still cover about 12% of the country and store more carbon than all our forests combined. Choosing peat‑free helps protect these last bogs, fens and wetlands, which are vital habitats that lock away carbon, slow climate change, support wildlife, and are far easier to protect than to restore.
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Mote Park Art Competition 2026
Closing date:
20 September 2026
'On the Water's Edge' by Hillary Watson
Above is the winner of the Mote Park Art Competition 2025, Over 18's Category.
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MBC is delighted to announce the return of the Mote Park Art Competition for 2026. With the theme ‘Park Life’, artists of all ages are invited to take inspiration from the park’s wildlife, landscapes and changing seasons, celebrating the nature that makes Mote Park such a special place. Artwork can be in any medium except photography, with 3D nature-inspired pieces especially welcome.
The council hopes to see many first-time entrants. Shortlisted entries will be exhibited in the Mote Park Learning Space from 26 October to 8 November, celebrating creative responses to our Green Flag Award‑winning park.
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Switch Together Kent
Kent's solar panel and battery storage group purchase scheme returns under a new name
Switch Together is a solar panel and battery storage group-purchase initiative, brought to you by iChoosr. It enables householders and small businesses to install solar panels on their properties at competitive prices.
Solar panels can help you save money on energy bills, as well as reduce your long-term carbon footprint. You can also choose to install battery storage, to store excess solar energy for later use, reducing dependence on the grid.
Homeowners, landlords or small businesses in Kent can register for a free quote for up to 25 solar photovoltaic (PV) panels. If you already have solar panels installed, you can apply for battery storage to maximise the benefits.
Over a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions in Kent and Medway come from energy use in our homes. While insulation and other measures can help reduce our energy demand, upgrades such as solar panels can help protect us from fluctuating energy prices and reduce emissions.
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Free ‘Drive Electric’ event
This Friday, 17 April 2026, 10am – 2pm
Mid-Kent College Maidstone Campus
With fuel price uncertainty, more people are looking at electrification as a way to cut motoring and energy costs. The Drive Electric event, hosted by Mid Kent College and MBC, is a great chance to see over 20 electric vehicles up close, take test drives, and find out how charging, renewables and new funding can save money at home and at work.
Visitors can explore the 10,000 new public charge points coming to Kent, hear simple talks from trusted experts, and get questions answered by energy and charging specialists. Get up close to our new electric recycling vehicle: 'Bin-o-Saurus-Rex' and hear from the council's Transport Manager about the MBC’s electrification journey, all while enjoying free refreshments. Whether you’re just curious or thinking about making the switch, it’s a friendly, hands‑on way to see how electric could work for you.
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Green Open Homes Marden
Marden Village Club
Sunday 17 May 2026
10am - 1pm
Join this free event, organised by Marden Parish Council and Kent County Council, to learn more about home energy upgrades such as solar PV and heat pumps, and available support.
Visit a nearby home to see these efficient retrofit measures in action!
Contact climate.change@kent.gov.uk for more information.
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Dawn Chorus Walk
Hayle Park Nature Reserve
Sunday 19 April, 4:45am - 6.30am
Join local wildlife warden Steve Songhurst for a memorable early morning walk to experience the full glory of the dawn chorus.
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Inter-Faith 'Harmony' Celebration
Thursday 23 April 2026, 4pm - 7pm County Hall, Maidstone
Learn about different faiths and experience wonderful multi-cultural music and dancing at this free event. MBC's Biodiversity and Climate Change Team will be supporting the 'Harmony with Nature' theme.
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Photography Competition
‘Harmony in Nature with Maidstone’s Green Spaces’
Maidstone Inter-Faith Network are also running a photography competition as part of the celebration event with three winning entries on display during the celebration.
Photos must be taken in a Maidstone green space and showcase harmony with nature.
To enter simply complete the form on the link below and follow the instructions to upload your digital image entry
Closing date: 19 April 2026
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Come and visit the Maidstone Repair Café
2 May 2026, 10am - 4pm, Lockmeadow Market Hall, ME16 8LW
If you have broken items that you would like repaired for FREE, take them to the next Maidstone Repair Café.
There is no need to book, just turn up on the day!
Items that could be repaired include toys, jewellery, electricals, clothing, textiles, furniture, wooden objects, bicycle maintenance and computers and IT.
Let's save our items from landfill!
The theme for May 2026 is Recycling
Take a closer look at Maidstone Borough Council's new electric recycling vehicle 'Bin-o-Saurus-Rex'
There will also be a Swap Shop, reusable items, recycled art, battery safety advice and much much more!
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The National Emergency Briefing
Join Bearsted CAN for this important film screening and discussion
Tuesday 28 April, 7pm - 9pm, Thurnham Infant School
Featuring Chris Packham, this compelling 45‑minute film brings the climate and nature crises into sharp focus: explaining the science, the risks we face, and what we can do next. The film is drawn from the National Emergency Briefing, a landmark event that brought leading experts together in Westminster to brief MPs and national leaders on the scale of the crisis and the opportunity for action.
The screening will be followed by a friendly, facilitated discussion and a call to action, urging Government to deliver a prime‑time national emergency briefing so the whole country can hear the truth and be part of the solution.
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Thanks for reading our Climate Change and Biodiversity update. Why not sign up to our other newsletters to find out what’s happening across Maidstone Borough.
Environmental Services –parks, open spaces and waste services
What’s On in Maidstone – for all events
News – to keep up to date
Consultations – share your views
Visit Maidstone – the best places to visit and stay
Business in Maidstone – workshops, events and business support
Planning - see the latest planning applications in Maidstone
Maidstone Musuem - the latest news and updates from Maidstone Museum
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We want to improve our communication and engagement with you around climate change & biodiversity in Maidstone. If you want to contact us please email climateandbiodiversity@maidstone.gov.uk
If you have enjoyed reading our Climate Change & Biodiversity update, why not forward this email onto your friends and family so they can 'Stay Connected' to news from Maidstone Borough Council.
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