Friends of Rede Common meet regularly to maintain and improve Rede Common for the benefit of all who use it. Locals are invited to attend our meetups on site and together we clear overgrowth, sweep paths, plant wildflowers, hold events and survey the wildlife on site.
Rede Common was originally farmland and when it was passed to the council in 1945 it was stipulated that the site be for the use of locals for their pleasure and enjoyment. In the coming years volunteers formed a group to protesting against the development of the land and secure this wonderful greenspace as a Local Nature Reserve.
Rede Common 11 hectares in area and the habitats it support are the rare acid grassland meadows, scrub and woodland. Many locals refer to Rede Common as Sandy Banks as the underlying Thanet Beds give rise to its sandy, acidic soils.
The woods support a good variety of trees, including oak, ash, hornbeam, field maple, sycamore, birch, fruit trees and abundant hawthorn. The meadows are left to grow wild with a good mix of insects, butterflies, and birds which volunteers photograph and document to monitor population trends. Records are submitted to organisations such as the Kent Ornithological Society and Kent Butterflies.
Now protected as a nature reserve, visitors can experience all the common has to offer by walking the Sandy Banks Walk or the Strood Community Trail.
Pictures are posted on Facebook and Instagram for the benefit of the public and to promote Rede Common. Visit our website to find out more, investigate opportunities to help out, or donate to our cause.
Medway Urban Greenspaces Forum 