Guardians of the Wood: Preserving the Heart of Kent’s Ancient Forests

Guardians of the Wood: Preserving the Heart of Kent’s Ancient Forests

A Hayat Project Story of Hope, Stewardship, and Love for the Earth

Written By Rizwana and Tom Shelley

Kent, United Kingdom

A Forest in Peril

In the gentle hills of Kent lies an ancient woodland — a place where oak and hornbeam trees have stood for centuries, whispering stories to the wind. But in recent years, the quiet beauty of this forest has been under threat. Developers, driven by profit and government housing targets, have been eager to carve it up and sell it off piece by piece.

When we at Hayat Project learned that this ancient wood was at risk, we could not silently stand by. We chose to act — not out of ownership, but out of love and responsibility for a living ecosystem that could not speak for itself.

This woodland is no ordinary patch of trees. It is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) — home to nearly 200 species of moths, each playing an unseen but vital role in maintaining the forest’s balance. Many of these species are still a mystery to science, yet all are essential threads in nature’s web. To lose them would be to unweave part of creation itself.

Restoring What Was Lost

When we purchased the wood in July 2002, our first step was humble but meaningful: we cleared the rubbish that had been dumped over years of neglect. It was as if we were helping the forest take its first deep breath again.

From there, we began to restore what time and human carelessness had damaged. We created two natural ponds to invite back frogs, dragonflies, and birds. We widened forest rides to allow light to reach the ground and awaken dormant wildflowers.

And most importantly, we opened the wood to the local community. Together, we built a serpentine path that winds gently through the trees — now loved by dog walkers and horse riders. The riders pay a small toll, but it is the walkers who give back something priceless: their daily presence, their watchful eyes, their quiet care. They have become the wood’s faithful guardians.

Recognition of Love and Dedication

In 2004, our work was honored at the Royal Show in Stoneleigh with two awards from English Nature (now Natural England).

One recognized our outstanding achievement in managing Hoads Wood SSSI, and the other — the People and Nature Award — celebrated the connection we fostered between conservation and community.

These awards were deeply humbling, but they were never the goal. Our true reward is seeing life return — hearing the birdsong at dawn, watching children explore the woods with wonder, and knowing the land is safe for now.

Protecting the Future

Our mission is simple yet enduring: to conserve, restore, and pass on this woodland to future generations.

To ensure this, we have arranged for the land to pass to the Kent Wildlife Trust when our own stewardship ends — a promise that the forest will remain protected long after we are gone.

We have financed this journey largely ourselves, with only small grants from local partners. What sustains us is not wealth, but willpower — and a belief that healing the Earth begins with small, faithful acts of care.

Trials of Greed and Pollution

Yet, our work has not been without heartbreak.

A neighboring plot, illegally divided and sold, became a dumping ground for over 30,000 tons of waste, much of it plastic. The devastation was immediate and cruel — one of our ponds fell silent, insects vanished, and even the familiar sight of rabbits and foxes disappeared.

Authorities turned a blind eye. The local police said “no crime had been committed.” The Environment Agency claimed to be “investigating.” Months passed.

It took the courage of a local resident — a financier and friend we met through a dog walker — to demand action, even raising the issue in the House of Lords. Only then did the wheels of justice begin to move.

This chapter reminded us that protecting nature is not just about planting trees; it’s about standing up to power, greed, and neglect.

A Changing Climate

Over the years, we have also seen the subtle hand of climate change at work. Spring now comes three weeks earlier than it once did. Snow — once a quiet companion of winter — is now a rare visitor.

These changes are reminders that even as we heal one woodland, the greater Earth around it is transforming. Yet this truth only deepens our resolve: every tree, every pond, every species saved matters more than ever.

A Living Classroom

We maintain the wood with simple hand tools and open hearts. We welcome scientists, students, and Duke of Edinburgh Award participants to learn among the trees — to see, touch, and understand what true stewardship means.

The forest has become a living classroom, a place where people reconnect with nature and rediscover the sacred bond between humanity and the earth.

Our journey in the Heart of Kent is proof that with love, persistence, and community, even the most endangered places can be restored.

May this woodland stand forever — a green heartbeat in the soul of Kent — reminding all who walk beneath its leaves that hope, too, can take root and grow.

Life renewed. Life protected. Life shared.

Footnote:

Hayat Project will be offering customized ecotours of the area which will include Rizwana and Tom Shelley conducting a workshop for a fee on how to conserve and protect local ecosystems.

Contact Information for Rizwana Shelley: What’s App +44 7857 196560. Email: rizwanashelley@gmail.com.

Please contact Rizwana Shelley for permission to incorporate any information in this article for distribution and usage.

Contact Information: Hayat Project at www.hayatproject.org. Phone: 909-787-5652, Email: knaecoinc@gmail.come

The Meaning of Hayat: the word “Hayat” means “life” — and that is exactly what this project that Rizwana and Tom Shelley are preserving represents.