Village Diary

This page is to keep you up to date with events around Marden parish (in black) and a little beyond (in blue). If you know of an event that is not listed, please email the diary editor
Places to visit outside Marden are grouped together at the foot of this page.

1. Regular Events

Church Services on Sundays – See 'Current Services' for more details.
Every Tuesday 2.30 Sporting Memories, Marden Cricket & Hockey Club
Every Wednesday in term time 9.30–11am 'Little Fishes' playgroup, Vestry Hall
Every Wednesday 10.00–2.00 Winter Warmers, Marden Village Club
Every Friday 10am Village Café in the Vestry Hall
Every Saturday 2.00 pm Marden Walking Group walks from the Library (approx 2–3 miles)

2. Diary Dates

Sunday 14 April
11.30 Church Annual Meeting, Parish Church
6.30 Taizé Service, Parish Church

Monday 15 April 12.30 Community Lunch, Vestry Hall

Saturday 20 April
10.00–1.00 Tennis Open Day, Cricket & Hockey Club
2.00-5.30 Cranbrook Choral sing day, St. Dunstan's Cranbrook

Sunday 21 April 5.00 Concert for Marden Charities, Parish Church

Wednesday 24 April 7.30 Marden Society, Vestry Hall

Saturday 27 April 7.30 Cranbrook Choral Concert, St. Dunstan's, Cranbrook

Sunday 28 April 3.30 Messy Church, Vestry Hall

Thursday 2 May Local Councils Election Day, Memorial Hall

Friday 3 May 12.30 Christian Aid Lunch, Vestry Hall

Thursday 9 May 2.30 Come & Sing, Vestry Hall

Saturday 11 May
8.30 Men's Breakfast, Memorial Hall
9.00–11.00 Plant Sale, Vestry Hall

Monday 13 – 19 May Dementia Action Week

Tuesday 14 May 7.30 Horticultural Society, Vestry Hall

Saturday 18 May 7.00 Kent Chamber Choir Concert, Church

Monday 20 May 12.30 Community Lunch, Vestry Hall

Wednesday 22 May 7.30 Marden Society, Vestry Hall

Thursday 23 May 2.30 Come & Sing, Vestry Hall

Saturday 25 May 1.00–3.30 Motor Show, Southons Field

Sunday 26 May Open Day, Bowls Club

Sunday 2 June
9.30 Russet Runners 10k Run, Cricket & Hockey Club
3.30 Messy Church, Vestry Hall

Thursday 6 June
2.30 Come & Sing, Vestry Hall
9.15 Lighting of D-Day Beacon, Southons Field

Sunday 9 June 8.00 onwards, Weald Rotary North Downs Charity Walk, Harrietsham Village Hall

Friday 17 June 12.30 Community Lunch, Vestry Hall

Thursday 20 June 2.30 Come & Sing, Vestry Hall

Friday 21 June Rude Mechanical Theater Company, Southons Field

Sunday 30 June 1.00–5.00 Marden Garden Safari

Thursday 4 July 2.30 Come & Sing, Vestry Hall

Sunday 14 July 3.30 Messy Church, Vestry Hall

Saturday 13 July 8.30 Men's Breakfast, Memorial Hall

Thursday 18 Juky 2.30 Come & Sing Summer Party

Saturday 7 September Bulb Sale

Saturday 14 September 8.30 Men's Breakfast, Memorial Hall

Saturday 5 October Scarecrow Safari

Saturday 9 November 8.30 Men's Breakfast, Memorial Hall

Sunday 22 December Tractor Run

3. Places to visit with children

NOTE: National Trust properties (marked NT below) all have special Easter egg hunts and other children's events over the holidays.
Also Garden Centres are also often a good place for free holiday attractions.
Please check opening times of all venues on line.

Adventure Kidz, Aylesford
Allhallows beach Allington Lock next to Kent Life. It's a lovely wander by the river, has a big Beefeater style pub and you can jump on a little boat to take a trip to Maidstone and back. FREE
Badgers Hill Farm
Beaney Institute Museum, Canterbury FREE
Bedgebury Pinetum with new Gruffalo Trail and code cracking Quest trail
Bewl Water
Bluewater nature trail
Bodiam Castle NT
Botany Bay FREE
Broaditch Farm
Buttercups goat sanctuary
Buzy bees, New Ash
Canterbury Cathedral web site
Capstone Park
Chatham Dockyard
Cheeky Dino, Maidstone
Chatam Ski Centre, there's the toboggan run and sometimes the inflatable donuts on the mini slope. It's right next to Capstone Park
Cliffe Pools is amazing
Cobtree Park - next to Kentlife (big play park £1.50 parking).
Curleys Farm
Cyclopark
Danson Park - has play park & water play
Dartford Central park is free! Mini splash play area. FREE
Diggerland
Dover Castle EH
Dunorlan Park, Tunbridge Wells FREE
Drusillas, near Alfriston
Eagle Heights
Eltham Palace grounds FREE
Eynesford stream FREE
Folkestone Lower Leas coastal Park and the fountains at Folkestone harbour make a good free day out FREE
Folkestone Museum
Friars Aylesford FREE
Gillingham Strand FREE
Godstone Farm
Guildhall Museum in Rochester
Grain seaside is always good FREE
Gravesend has the fort gardens. Chantry House Museum is FREE and the bunker tunnels are £1! There's the prom and the park. A little cafe. A pretty, short walk around. It's lovely there. It's also part of the wheels of time trail around Kent.
Greenwich Ecology Park is free and often has special events in the holidays FREE
Groombridge Hall place - lovely, FREE to enter and beautiful grounds. Lots of trees and shade plus a little stream running through it
Hemsley Conservation Centre
Hempsted Forest FREE
Herne Bay - good for crabbing FREE
Huguenot Museum - Quite small but might be interesting, particularly to older children, and is part of the Wheels of Time
Hobbledown Farm Hop Farm
Howletts Wildlife Animal Park
Hythe has a flat promenade perfect for bikes and scooters. FREE
Ightham Mote NT
Jeskyns Park
Kearsney Abbey is a fab day
Kent Life
Kingsdown beach FREE
Knole Park, Sevenoaks NT
Leeds castle
Little Fant Farm, Little Street, Maidstone
Loose village stream FREE
Lower Leas costal Folkestone FREE
Lullingston Country Park
Maidstone Family Nature Trail, Allington to Teston FREE
Maidstone Leisure Centre - has soft play and Ice Hills. It's also right next to Mote Park in Maidstone so great for a morning of activity then a picnic and a wander in the fresh air
Maidstone Museum web site.
Manor Park
Marsh Farm Marsh Maze and fun yard
Milton Creek country park
Minis Bay FREE
Monkeybizz, Medway
Mote Park
Owletts
Oxleas Woods is lovely
Penenden Heath play area and woods FREE
Rare Breeds Centre , Woodchurch
Richborough Roman Fort and Amphitheatre - Younger children may be bored, but older ones who can listen to the audio commentary and read the panels might find it interesting. Really good for any kids learning about Romans.
Riverside Park
Rochester Castle EH
Rochester Cathedral web site
Ruxley Manor - check out events
Shorne Woods Country Park
Sissinghurst Castle Gardens NT
Southwater country park. Has a mini beach, dinosaurs, kids park etc and it’s FREE
Swanley Park
Teapot Island, Yalding
Temple Manor (weekends only)
Teston Park FREE
Tilgate Park (fantastic)
Trosley Park - lots of shade (Trottiscliffe) FREE
Tyland Barn - Kent wildlife trust
Union Windmill, Cranbrook
Upnor castle
Walmer paddling pool
Wildwood, between Canterbury & Herne
Wingham Wildlife Park
Woodland Trust, Bearsted
Yalding River Path FREE

A D V E R T I S E M E N T
The Vestry Hall in the centre of Marden Village is normally available for hire.
Click here for more information.

Contact diary editor