The aim of this page is to recognise, celebrate and encourage the self-empowerment of community agency networks (CANs) and community groups' activism for climate, environment and many other sustainability topics across Malling. It's an introduction to local networks, groups, and events. Other pages are shown in the navigation box towards the end of each page.
The neighbourhood of East Malling, West Malling & Trottiscliffe, in the constituency of Maidstone and Malling, is one of the one in four neighbourhoods across England that breach multiple nature pollution thresholds, friendsoftheearth.uk (Sep 03, 2024) — New research by Friends of the Earth shows 1 in 4 neighbourhoods classify as nature pollution hotspots. Pollution hotspots are areas where air, water, noise and light pollution levels all exceed safe thresholds for wildlife. Friends of the Earth is calling for the right to a healthy environment to be enshrined in a new Environmental Rights Act. The law would empower communities to hold regulators and public bodies to account to reduce the multiple layers of pollution affecting their areas to better protect wildlife and people.- Over 25,000 oppose quarry extension into ancient wood, woodlandtrust.org.uk (Aug 02, 2023) — "Over 25,000 of you joined us in responding to the consultation on the shocking proposal."
- Oaken Wood: The largest destruction of ancient woodland this century, stuartjeffery.net (Jul 17, 2023)
Networks and sustainability initiatives[edit | edit source]
- Kings Hill and West Malling Eco Hub on facebook.com, added 13:04, 27 June 2021 (UTC)
- Kings Hill and West Malling Eco Community, Private group on facebook.com, added 09:09, 30 November 2021 (UTC)
- Friends of the Earth Kings Hill on twitter, added 09:45, 15 October 2021 (UTC)
- Tonbridge and Malling Friends of the Earth on facebook
- Sustainable Malling on - Twitter @greenmalling - pinterest (sign in maybe required). This wiki page can also be viewed as a resource and information page for Sustainable Malling.
Events[edit | edit source]
Sep 21, 2024 (Sat) — Malling and District Repair Café, East Malling Village Hall, mallingrepaircafe.co.uk- Sep 22, 2024 (Sun) — West Malling Farmers Market, westmallingfarmersmarket.co.uk
- Sep 28, 2024 (Sat) — Apple Fest (West Malling), At Macey's Meadow Community Orchard, facebook.com
- Oct 19, 2024 (Sat) — Malling and District Repair Café, Larkfield Village Hall, mallingrepaircafe.co.uk
- Oct 27, 2024 (Sun) — West Malling Farmers Market, westmallingfarmersmarket.co.uk
Regular events
- Malling and District Repair Café, 3rd Saturday of the month, mallingrepaircafe.co.uk
- West Malling Farmers Market, usually on the 4th Sunday of each month, but may be different in December
- Aylesford Farmers Market, 3rd Sunday each month. Aylesford Farmers Market on facebook.com
- Sep 2 - 6, 2024 (Mon-Fri) — Zero Waste Week, zerowasteweek.co.uk
- Sep 6 - 15, 2024 (Fri-Sun) — Heritage Open Days, celebrating our fantastic history and culture. Your chance to see hidden places and try out new experiences – all of which are FREE to explore, heritageopendays.org.uk
- Sep 20 - 29, 2024 (Fri-Sun) — Great British Beach Clean, mcsuk.org
- Sep 30 - Oct 6, 2024 (Mon - Sun) — Good Money Week, campaign to raise awareness of sustainable, responsible and ethical finance to help people make good money choices, goodmoneyweek.com
- Oct 1 - 7, 2024 (Tue - Wed) — National Vegetarian Week, discover delicious dishes and see how a veggie diet is a great choice for the planet, nationalvegetarianweek.org
- Oct 06, 2024 (Sun) — Homeless Sunday, oasiscommunityhousing.org
- Oct 06, 2024 (Sun) — Silver Sunday, The national day for older people. People of all generations can come together by hosting fun and free activities for older people, silversunday.org.uk
- Sep 15, 2024 (Sun) — Free Money Day, Global invitation for people to explore, in a liberating and fun way, what it might be like if our relationship to money was a little different. Sep 15, annually, freemoneyday.org
- Sep 21, 2024 (Sat) — International Day of Peace, Globally shared date, Sep 21 each year for all humanity to commit to Peace above all differences and to contribute to building a Culture of Peace, internationaldayofpeace.org
- Sep 22, 2024 (Sun) — World Carfree Day, worldcarfree.net
- Oct 01, 2024 (Tue) — World Vegetarian Day, Oct 1 each year, bringing awareness to the ethical, environmental, health, and humanitarian benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle, worldvegetarianday.navs-online.org
- Oct 02, 2024 (Wed) — International Day of Non-Violence, observed each year on 2 October, the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, un.org
- Oct 07, 2024 (Mon) — World Day for Decent Work, ituc-csi.org
- Oct 10, 2024 (Thu) — World Homeless Day, Oct 10 each year, drawing attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, worldhomelessday.org
- Oct 10, 2024 (Thu) — World Mental Health Day, Oct 10, annually, wmhdofficial.com
- Oct 12, 2024 (Sat) — World Migratory Bird Day, worldmigratorybirdday.org
- Oct 13, 2024 (Sun) — International Day for Disaster Reduction, Oct 13, annually, promoting a global culture of natural disaster reduction, including prevention, mitigation, and preparedness, un.org
- Oct 16, 2024 (Wed) — World Food Day, celebrated every year around the world on 16 October, often with a focus on food security, fao.org
- Oct 17, 2024 (Thu) — International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, Oct 17 each year, honouring victims of poverty, hunger, violence and fear, with participation by the poorest of people an important aspect of the observance of the Day, un.org
- Oct 19, 2024 (Sat) — International Repair Day, "Repair for Everyone", openrepair.org
2021-2030, UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, International community action events
Communities online[edit | edit source]
- eastmalling.net, independent project providing information and news for residents and visitors of East Malling
Social inclusion[edit | edit source]
- Pilsdon at Malling, community, based in West Malling. Christian-based Community with its ideals and ethos taken from the Pilsdon Community in Dorset. The first Pilsdon Community was founded in 1958 as a refuge for those in crisis.
- Spadework, independent training organisation, based in Offham, which undertakes tuition in a number of subject areas for adults with Learning Disabilities.
Local concerns[edit | edit source]
Overdevelopment
In common with many areas across the the South East, the constant threat of overdevelopment or inappropriate development, for example locking us into yet more car dependency, pollution and carbon emissions, loss of green space, lack of genuinely affordable housing and imbalances against community interests in the current top down planning system is a concern for many people locally.
14% of Tonbridge and Malling is 'Built on', compared to 6% nationally, Nov 9, 2017.[1] Because of recent and planned new housing the disparity is likely to be growing, with even more of a disparity for some parts of the Borough. It wold be interesting to know what the figure is for Malling and how this has increased over recent years...
New: Via this Land Cover Explorer map, you can see changes in land use / land cover, for example the built up area, 2017-2023: livingatlas.arcgis.com, added 14:41, 8 September 2024 (UTC)
See also: Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England
Campaigns
- Kent quarry extension is one of the biggest threats of the 21st century. Hermitage Quarry expansion plans: If approved, the loss could even surpass ancient woodland losses from the Lower Thames Crossing and HS2 schemes combined, woodlandtrust.org.uk, added 14:04, 9 August 2023 (UTC)
- Broadwater Action Group, based in East and West Malling,[2] added 12:35, 27 August 2021 (UTC)
- Protect West Malling, public group on facebook
- Ryarsh Protection Group, an action group working alongside Ryarsh Parish Council. "Our priority currently (2018) is to object to the proposed 'West Malling Sandpit' which is a large sand quarry located in Ryarsh."
see also: Towards a more democratic and climate friendly way of meeting housing need across England#Campaigns
About Malling[edit | edit source]
Past events
- Nov 5 - 27, 2021, Kings Hill and West Malling Eco Hub's Pledge tree. Every small change we make has a ripple effect influencing and inspiring our friends, families, colleagues and shops and businesses.
- Our Eco Hub is creating a pledge tree in West Malling Library. We hope to get lots of schools, businesses and groups involved to make a pledge to take one step greener and be part of a bigger community movement.
- Make your leaf or leaves from some waste paper or card (preferably in autumn colours!) Write your pledge on it and post the leaf into the library during November.
- We will add the pledges to the tree and share how the tree is growing on our Facebook page @KingsHillandWestMallingEcoHub. Kings Hill and West Malling Eco Hub on facebook.com
- 2010, Malling Harvest Festival Supper (link no longer available)
West Malling is an historic mediaeval market town based in West Kent. Malling, West Malling and hinterland consists of the parishes of Addington; Birling; East Malling; Kings Hill; Larkfield; Leybourne; Mereworth; Offham; Ryarsh; and Trottiscliffe.
The area is unusual in that East Malling, Larkfield and Kings Hill are substantial communities with their own shops and facilities – however they provide the main commercial and industrial estates, leaving West Malling as a traditional market town offering retail shops, services and hospitality to the surrounding area. There are more than 500 businesses in the Malling area.
The parishes are within the Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council (offices at Kings Hill). The town is actually closer to Maidstone, County Town of Kent, than to Tonbridge; however both are substantial centres accessible to West Malling car drivers, but Tonbridge much less so for car-free households.[3]
See also
- Topic overview: Networks, Communities online
- UK context: Networks UK, Communities online UK
Near you[edit | edit source]
Gravesham - Maidstone - Medway - Sevenoaks - Tonbridge
External links
References
- ↑ bbc.co.uk
- ↑ Press release, broadwateractiongroup.co.uk
- ↑ MAP Action plan 2009-2011, Introduction (link no longer available)
