EKC Sheppey College – Faversham Travel Training Trip


On the 26th November 2024, a group of 10 students from the Level 2 Business Course at EKC Sheppey College, their Tutor Tania Rea, Student Mentor Nadine Havill and Kent Community Rail Partnership Officer Vicky Wright, travelled from Sheerness to Faversham to visit the Abbey Physic Garden and learn about sustainable gardening.
It was a glorious day with the sunshining, and we were joined by Southeastern Representative Matt Fraser on our journey there, who is an advocate of support travel training and education events.
The walk from the station to the community garden showed us some of the quieter streets of Faversham, filled with some hidden gems of old architecture, beautiful rose gardens and eclectic engraving shops.
When we arrived at the Abbey Physic Garden we were welcomed by Suzanne Campbell (Manager) and Louise Gray (Assistant Garden Manager). They led us to the Moon Garden to form a community circle and begin the session, with a brief movement warm up to tune us into our senses, hear the birds and let the busy-ness of the journey fade away.



The Moon Garden is a particularly calm place, specially planted in a circular pattern, it is a place to relax and notice the subtle presence of nature that is around us (and sometimes unnoticed) in everyday life.
We split into two small groups, and leaving the moon garden were taken on a bespoke tour through each garden area, sharing with us the projects and people which have shaped each space, along with the different species of plant and their preferred conditions.
This visit to the garden and exploration of sustainable gardening practices forms the foundation of a future project, with ideas forming for the class to plant up an area of ground at Kemsley Station into a garden.
As we toured the Abbey Physic Community Garden, we began to think as a group what type of plants we would like to plant there.
There are some special aspects to consider when creating a station platform garden, as the area may not get consistently watered, particularly if we have a hot summer.



The students wanted to introduce colour to the platform and a sensory experience. At the Abbey Physic Garden, we smelt the lavender, rosemary, sage, lemon verbena (a particular favourite) and the curry leaf plant, and for colour discussed dahlias and climbing roses.


It was a really fantastic learning experience. A very big thank you goes to Suzanne and Louise for showing us around and sharing insights into the inspiring community projects going on at the Abbey Physic Community Garden.
After the tour, we stepped into the community café which they have onsite and enjoyed some delicious hot chocolate and teas. The Café is community run and serves wholesome lunches, using produce from the garden all year round. It is well worth a visit.
Thank you Abbey Physic Garden, we left inspired with many idea seeds planted for the Kemsley Project ahead. Watch this space in Spring 2025 to see the project bloom.
For more information on the Abbey Physic Community Garden in Faversham, you can visit www.abbeyphysic.org