Poulton Wood redirects here.

The Canterbury Oast Trust is a registered charity which runs commercial operations that provide occupational opportunities for people with learning disabilities in Kent

Kent

Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

 and East Sussex

East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...

 in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, as well as providing homes, care and educational support.

Its major project is the South of England Rare Breeds Centre on the B2067 road at Woodchurch

Woodchurch, Kent

Woodchurch is a village and civil parish, 7 miles from the market town of Ashford and from the Cinque Ports town of Tenterden, in Kent, South East England....

, near Ashford, Kent

Ashford, Kent

Ashford is a town in the borough of Ashford in Kent, England. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom. It lies on the Great Stour river, the M20 motorway, and the South Eastern Main Line and High Speed 1 railways. Its agricultural market is one of the most...

, which is a farm tourist attraction. It also includes a restaurant, plant nursery and conference facility at the same location, all providing occupational opportunities for people with learning difficulties. The Trust also similarly run a restaurant in Rye

Rye

Rye is a grass grown extensively as a grain and as a forage crop. It is a member of the wheat tribe and is closely related to barley and wheat. Rye grain is used for flour, rye bread, rye beer, some whiskeys, some vodkas, and animal fodder...

, East Sussex

East Sussex

East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...

 (Coterie Tea Rooms), and a woodland management and wood crafts project at Poulton Wood near Aldington, Kent

Aldington, Kent

Aldington is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, England. The village centre is eight miles south-east of the town of Ashford...

, and run an educational facility for people with learning difficulties, Harrington College.

The South of England Rare Breeds Centre has displays of various farm animals, a children's petting barn, children's and toddlers play areas, discovery and wildlife gardens, walk through aviary and butterfly tunnel, falconry

Falconry

Falconry is "the taking of wild quarry in its natural state and habitat by means of a trained raptor". There are two traditional terms used to describe a person involved in falconry: a falconer flies a falcon; an austringer flies a hawk or an eagle...

 displays, woodland walks and the Granary Restaurant. Buildings from a Georgian

Georgian era

The Georgian era is a period of British history which takes its name from, and is normally defined as spanning the reigns of, the first four Hanoverian kings of Great Britain : George I, George II, George III and George IV...

 farm (Yonsea Farm) are being re-located to the site as a preservation project. The Centre offers National Curriculum-based activities for visiting school groups. It is one of sixteen Rare Breeds Survival Trust

Rare Breeds Survival Trust

The Rare Breeds Survival Trust is a conservation charity, whose purpose is to secure the continued existence and viability of the United Kingdom’s native farm animal genetic resources...

 approved farm parks, and features a variety of rare breeds. Sheep breeds include Manx Loaghtan, Jacobs

Jacob (sheep)

The Jacob sheep is a rare breed of small, piebald , polycerate sheep. Jacobs may have from two to six horns, but most commonly have four. The most common color is black and white, but they may also be blue and white or lilac and white in coloring. Jacobs are usually raised for their wool, meat,...

, Lincoln Longwool

Lincoln (sheep)

The Lincoln, sometimes called the Lincoln Longwool, is a breed of sheep from England. The Lincoln is the largest British sheep, developed specifically to produce the heaviest, longest and most lustrous fleece of any breed in the world. Great numbers were exported to many countries to improve the...

, Wensleydales

Wensleydale (sheep)

The Wensleydale is a breed of domestic sheep that originated in the Wensleydale region of North Yorkshire Possessing a blue–grey face, the breed was developed in the 19th century by crossing English Leicester and Teeswater sheep. One of the largest and heaviest of all sheep breeds, the...

 and Portlands

Portland (sheep)

The Portland is a sheep breed that takes its name from the Isle of Portland. This breed is raised primarily for meat.-History:Once common all over Dorset, the breed was once of the one rarest in Britain and is still at risk. In the 1970s, it was nearly extinct altogether, but has now recovered...

; Pig breeds include Berkshires

Berkshire (pig)

Berkshire pigs are a rare breed of pig originating from Berkshire in England.Herds of the breed are still maintained in England by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust at Aldenham Country Park, Hertfordshire, and by the South of England Rare Breeds Centre in Kent. The Berkshire is listed as 'vulnerable',...

, British Lops, Gloucestershire Old Spots, Middle Whites and Tamworths

Tamworth Pig

The Tamworth is a breed of domestic pig originating in the United Kingdom, with input from Irish pigs. It is among the oldest of pig breeds but as with many older breeds of livestock it is not well suited to modern production methods and is listed as "Threatened" in the United States and...

; cattle include British White

British White

The British White is a naturally polled British cattle breed, white with black or red points, used mainly for beef. It has a confirmed history dating back to the 17th century, and may be derived from similar cattle kept in parks for many centuries before that.-Characteristics:The British White has...

s, Gloucesters

Gloucester cattle

Gloucester cattle are a breed of dairy and beef cattle originating from Gloucestershire and surrounding areas in the West Country of England.- Description :...

 and Beef Shorthorn

Beef Shorthorn

The Beef Shorthorn breed of cattle was developed from the Shorthorn breed in England and Scotland in around 1820. The Shorthorn was originally developed as a dual purpose breed, suitable for both dairy and beef production. However different breeders opted to concentrate on one purpose rather than...

s; and there are also Bagot goat

Bagot goat

The Bagot goat is a breed of goat which for several hundred years has lived semi-wild at Blithfield Hall, Staffordshire, England. It is a small goat, with a black head and neck and the remainder of the body white...

s. Also located at the Centre is The Falcons Centre conference facility, which as well as providing for corporate meetings, is licensed for civil marriage

Civil marriage

Civil marriage is marriage performed by a government official and not a religious organization.-History:Every country maintaining a population registry of its residents keeps track of marital status, and most countries believe that it is their responsibility to register married couples. Most...

 ceremonies and caters for events such as banquets and dances. From 2008 the Centre will be the home of the annual Bilsington Craft Fair (28/29 June in 2008).
Poulton Wood is a 28 acres (113,312.1 m²) coppiced woodland and Local Nature Reserve

Local Nature Reserve

Local nature reserve or LNR is a designation for nature reserves in the United Kingdom. The designation has its origin in the recommendations of the Wild Life Conservation Special Committee which established the framework for nature conservation in the United Kingdom and suggested a national suite...

 renowned for its bluebells

Common Bluebell

Hyacinthoides non-scripta, commonly known as the common bluebell, is a spring-flowering bulbous perennial plant. -Taxonomy:...

. It has free public access. It is situated alongside Homelands, a listed building dating from the 17th century in Aldington which is used by the Canterbury Oast Trust as a residential building. The wood includes Ash, Hornbeam

Hornbeam

Hornbeams are relatively small hardwood trees in the genus Carpinus . Though some botanists grouped them with the hazels and hop-hornbeams in a segregate family, Corylaceae, modern botanists place the hornbeams in the birch subfamily Coryloideae...

 and Oak

Pedunculate Oak

Quercus robur is commonly known as the Pedunculate Oak or English oak. It is native to most of Europe, and to Anatolia to the Caucasus, and also to parts of North Africa.-Taxonomy:Q...

trees. Poulton Wood Works is run by the Trust to manage the woodland, and also produces craft products, wooden furniture and offers a local tree felling service.

External links

• South of England Rare Breeds Centre
• Rare Breeds Survival Trust
• Canterbury Oast Trust
• Blog run by a worker at the Rare Breeds Centre