Did you know that the University of Kent will be celebrating its 60th Anniversary in 2025? That means students starting on a three-year course this year will graduate in our Diamond Anniversary year!
To mark the occasion, the University are creating a Diamond Orchard of over 300 fruit trees at the Canterbury campus on the Southern Slopes (near the bottom of Eliot footpath), as well as a garden space at the Medway campus on Rochester Lawn. The Diamond Orchard at Canterbury will become a space for all our Kent community members to enjoy.
It will also provide a complex habitat that we do not already have on campus, to boost biodiversity in the area. Because orchards are mosaics of trees, grasses, shrubs and wildflowers, they support a wide range of wildlife. As fruit trees age quickly, they create the perfect habitats for invertebrates and birds, such as the lesser spotted woodpecker.
Co-creation is at the heart of the project. The orchard space will incorporate distinct features, suggested and chosen by students, and will represent the six divisions. These could include seating areas, performance spaces, quiet areas, and anything else you can come up with.
How should we make use of the space for Kent Business School? Email sustainability@kent.ac.uk with your ideas!