Dane Valley Woods recover from an extensive fire

Hi, my name is Kashmir and I am a long-term volunteer and committee member of community-run Dane Valley Woods, a wildlife haven in the heart of Margate.

Like much of the UK, the intense heat of this summer had left our woodlands vulnerable and our nightmares came true when a large fire ripped through the site on Wednesday 31st August, attended by six fire appliances. It is estimated that around 25% of the site has been affected.

Dane Valley Woods was established in 2003 and has had upwards of 6,400 native trees planted across the 12 acre site. As a result, the site has become a refuge for wildlife, with dozens of species being recorded, including lizards, voles, foxes and kestrels. The loss of habitat and food sources (e.g. fruiting trees and shrubs) will likely have a detrimental impact on our wildlife through the coming seasons, as well as the likely loss of life directly from the fire.

Upsettingly, the fire also spread through a newly planted area, where saplings had recently been planted with our local sponsors.

The set back that this fire has caused for our flourishing woodland is major, and our entirely voluntary-run team are devasted by its impacts. We are fundraising for some new equipment that will enable us to deal with large areas of burnt vegetation, such as hedge cutters. Further equipment and services may be needed to address other potential hazards, such as larger unsteady trees that have been burnt. These are new challenges for our committee team and we are in the process of assessing the situations and seeking advice when needed.

In addition, much of our behind-the-scenes work is dedicated to fundraising for our yearly running costs, but with these new challenges, we are less likely to have spare time to dedicate to this aspect of our work. Our yearly running costs are around £500 each year, and this is the amount we are hoping to raise with donations.

We have already been flooded with messages of sympathy and encouragement and we are ever thankful for our community who love the Woods as much as we do. Thank you in advance for our support and please do reach out for more information. An additional thank you for Frank Leppard who supplied us with aerial photographs to help us assess the damage.