Recent news articles and up and coming events
Alun Griffiths sadly retires from KMOTT Committee
Alun Griffiths – Chairman 2003 to 2022 Alun Griffiths left for Malaya in 1960, having finished his post-doctoral studies at Oxford. He spent 8 years working at the leprosy hospital in Sungei Buloh, after which he re-located with his family to Melbourne, Australia, and there developed a group to study the ultra-structure of fungi. After…
Wildwood Trust and Blean Forest visit 14th June 2023
On one of the hottest days of the year to date, an enthusiastic group of 22 gathered at Wildwood Trust for a visit that – unusually for a visit by Kent Men of the Trees – did not focus on a specific tree collection. Our expectation on this visit was to understand more about the…
2023 AGM
This year’s AGM is to be held on Saturday 15th April at 2.30pm. Please note that this year it will be at a NEW VENUE, Lenham Community Centre, 2 Groom Way, Lenham, Maidstone ME17 2QT All our members are invited to attend the proceedings, enjoy the presentation and to socialise over refreshments afterwards. Our speaker will be…
Save the Date 2023
In advance of the Green Card being finalised, we thought it may be helpful to circulate the PROVISIONAL dates for the KMOTT events this year, so that you can enter them in your diary. AGM on Saturday 15th April at 2.30pm. This year at a NEW VENUE, Lenham Community Centre, 2 Groom Way, Lenham,…
Long trip to Gloucestershire October 2022
KMOTT went to Gloucester – and did not step into a puddle at all! The long-anticipated excursion to Gloucestershire started on a miserable note – our pick-up points at Stop 24 and at the Mercure Hotel near Maidstone caught our travellers in an unexpected downpour, but your correspondent is happy to report that this was…
White House Farm 31st August 2022
White House Farm – Maurice Foster On another bright and sunny afternoon a group of nearly 20 members gathered in the garden of White House Farm, under the expansive boughs of a fallen very old Bramley apple tree; we were greeted and made to feel welcome by Maurice Foster and his [daughter] Claire. Maurice introduced…
Planting ceremonies in June 2022
Hole Park Lime Avenue KMOTT presented 70 Lime Trees to Hole Park near Rolvenden to celebrate HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the Prince of Wales’s tree planting initiative. The site is on both sides of an existing public footpath to form an avenue and the intention is to also plant daffodils between the trees…
Ladham House visit – 15 June 2022
On a perfect Summer’s afternoon, an enthusiastic group of two dozen members met as agreed at Ladham House near Goudhurst. Whilst the Kent Men have visited once before in 2009, we were excited to return to this beautiful garden and to observe the improvements made by the Johnson family. We were guided through the walk…
Sir Charles Jessel Obituary
The funeral of KMOTT’s former President, Sir Charles Jessel, Bt, took place on Wednesday, the 20th of April. He was 97. He studied PPE at Balliol College, Oxford and, after call-up, served in the final years of the war in the 15th/19th The Kings Royal Hussars. He was, in fact, the last surviving war-time officer…
2022 programme of events
We finally have a year packed with KMOTT events! 2022 looks set to be one of the best yet, with several long awaited get-togethers planned, including local day visits – and of course, the long trip, this year to Gloucestershire. Full details and directions for each event will be emailed to members nearer the time….