1. THE KENT COMPENDIUM REVIEW PROJECT
Recruiting and keeping volunteers
The Kent Gardens Trust Experience

3. PROJECT OUTCOMES A group of trained volunteers
28 sites researched and recorded
Owners more knowledgeable
Greater awareness of designed landscapes
Good publicity for KGT
Project set up as a pilot in Tunbridge Wells with full support of David Scully of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

4. THE KENT COMPENDIUM OF PARKS AND GARDENS
62 English Heritage Registered Sites
150 Sites of local significance
150 Small Gardens
47 Municipal Parks
Document compiled in 1995 for Kent parks and gardens

5. HOW WE FOUND OUR VOLUNTEERS
2 KGT newsletter
1 heard talk on Local Radio
3 heard about it through KCC heritage team
3 picked up leaflets at events or in library
1 personal contact
5 read article in local newspaper
1 read note in U3A newsletter

6. TRAINING THE VOLUNTEERS
Internet Training day
Visit to National Record Office at Swindon
Visit to Kent Record Office
Site survey training at Finchcocks historic garden
Further training at Hole Park historic garden
Site survey and report writing training at Marle Place
Two meetings to discuss progress
Tree identification day
Training on inputting data onto the Parks & Gardens Database
Celebration at Finchcocks

7. Launch Day at Bedgebury

8. The Cost Consultants fees and expenses £18,562 Events £ 3,961
Volunteers’ expenses £
Total £22,758
Grants received £17,375

9. Sevenoaks Project Estimate of Cost per site
Volunteer’s travel expenses £40
Copying £50
Editing the report £100
In addition the cost of two training days must be added
Next step – taking project forward to do the same with Sevenoaks but entirely led by volunteers with only final edit being done by consultant to ensure reporting consistency.

10. Some Suggestions DO publicise the project as widely as possible
cherish your volunteers
link recruitment to a specific project
give your volunteers something to look forward to
make it fun
DON’T
allow too much time between recruitment and getting on with the job
ask to much too early
be mean over expenses

11. Report on the Tunbridge Wells Project
Report on pilot and individual site dossiers for downloading