A popular campaigner who did much to preserve her local environment from over-development has been remembered with the planting of a woodland grove.

Barbara Skinner from Gatland Lane in Maidstone passed away suddenly from an aneurism on July 9, 2019.

She had been a determined campaigner for the Save Fant Farm action group, acting as its secretary and hosting meetings in her house.

She was held in high esteem locally as was demonstrated at her funeral at Barming Church a few weeks later, when the building was packed with mourners.

Today, six native species trees, flowering cherry and birch, were planted in Gatland Park, a few hundred yards from home, in her memory.

The trees were paid for by Fant Ward councillors Paul Harper, Keith Adkinson and Margaret Rose from their ward community budget, and will be added to later in the year with several scores of hedging whips.

Cllr Harper said: "Barbara was taken from us far too soon - she was only 67.

He said: "She had campaigned for more than 10 years to protect Fant Farm from development and would have loved to see these trees, I'm sure, overlooking Fant Farm as they do."

Cllr Harper was accompanied at the planting by Barbara's husband Brian Skinner and the chairman of the Save Fant Farm group, Gareth Owen.

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