Kent Downs self catering accommodation, England
How this holiday makes a difference
Environment
We are committed to providing a good, high quality service, whilst minimising the environmental impact of our activities. A symbol of this commitment is our membership of the Green Tourism Business Scheme. We have achieved a Silver award through the scheme.
We aim to adhere to good environmental practice in all our business activities. We recycle paper, magazines, junk mail, cardboard, glass, aluminium cans, steel cans, plastic bottles etc. Food waste is fed to the chickens or composted and our garden waste is also composted and grass cuttings are used as mulch. We use eco-friendly cleaning products and recycled paper. We use low energy light bulbs wherever possible, A rated appliances and double-glazing throughout with lowE units.
We have a fresh air and heat recovery system fitted in the farmhouse and “Sunset Lodge”. The lodge is heated by a ground source heat pump and cooled in the summer with heat being returned to the ground. We use our own organically grown raspberries and blackcurrants at breakfast. Other products are sourced locally. We provide of local maps to encourage guests to walk or cycle and leave the car behind.
We support the local community by being on the committee of the local Youth and Community Project, being a member of the Parish Council and by helping at the Local Riding for the Disabled. We also attend many local functions that are raising money for their various needs. We support the local primary school by helping at events and donating prizes etc. We buy local produce and use our own fruits and eggs for guests breakfasts. We make our own fruit juice for breakfasts. We use local services such as electricians, plumbers and builders or do the work ourselves, buying the materials locally.
Community
We support the local community by being on the committee of the local Youth and Community Project, by being a member of the Parish Council and by also helping at the Local Riding for the Disabled. We also attend many local functions that are raising money for their various needs. We support the local primary school by helping at events and donating prizes etc. We buy local produce from the local farm shops for the breakfast food. This helps ensure the continuation of the farming tradition in the area and also enables spreads the income generated by tourism further into the community. We use local services such as electricians, plumbers and builders or do the work ourselves, buying the materials locally.
The community has been supportive of the restoration of the wooden smock mill here in Stelling Minnis. It is a grade one listed building, built in 1866, and even with the damage it has suffered over the years from severe weather, still looked picturesque. The mills potency in telling the story of mills and millers and the local agricultural history was identified and we wanted to celebrate this past. With help from various philanthropic institutions (including the heritage lottery) and lot’s of local fundraising, we managed to raise the thousands of pounds needed to complete its restoration.
Landscape
The farm is wonderfully rich in biodiversity and we love to observe and converse. We plant many flowers and allow other areas to develop naturally to hopefully get the balance right and encourage the most birds and insects possible. In June 2006 over 60 species of moths were recorded in our garden. Guests will see many, many bird species including our regular visiting woodpeckers and wrens. At dusk one can go badger watching; they are quite large and very shy so it is thrilling to see them.
This part of the Kent Downs is actually very rural. We provide our guests with local maps of the landscape so they can happily adapt from urban life to a genuine engagement with the countryside. So leave the car behind and from the house you can easily walk (or cycle) to the Yockletts Bank nature reserve (cared for by the Kent Wildlife Trust). This is one of the best places (in England I think) to see rare and wild orchids which are best suited to the warmer climate here and the chalk underneath. There are in fine fettle until early summer normally, but this doesn’t mean the site is only worth a visit during the delightful spring months. Regular coppicing of the mixed woodland ash, beech and hornbeam allows wildlife to flourish throughout the year.
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