The Otford Society

15/04/2026

Join us for this year’s Otford Society AGM, taking place on Friday 24th April at 7:00pm in the Otford Village Memorial Hall.

Come along to hear about the events and activities we have planned for 2026.

Following the AGM, we are delighted to welcome Richard Knox-Johnston, Chairman of the London Green Belt Council, who will be speaking on the proposed reclassification of the Green Belt as “Grey Belt.” This is an important issue for Otford and the surrounding area, particularly given the potential impact of large-scale housing developments.

Everyone is welcome. Otford Society members will be able to enjoy a complimentary glass of wine or soft drink before the meeting. If you're not yet a member but would like to be, you will be able to sign up at the event.

We hope to see you there!

05/04/2026

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!

Has the Easter Bunny been to visit you this morning? Are you already bouncing off the walls after eating too much chocolate?!!
Why not come and burn off some of the sugar rush and take part in our “EGGciting” Annual Easter Trail around Otford village! 🐣

Keep your eyes peeled for “disco-eggs” which you can find hidden:

🪩 In shop windows
🪩 Along the High Street and the Parade
🪩 On footpaths linking the two

The whole family can join in the fun by counting how many eggs you can find. As it’s Easter Sunday, there are no prizes today since the local businesses taking part are closed, but it’s still a great opportunity to enjoy the hunt and see how many eggs you can spot!

💡 PLEASE REMEMBER - If you spot an egg, please leave it where you found it so that other children can enjoy the fun.

Good luck and happy hunting! 🐰

28/03/2026

🐰🐰🐰🐰

Just a reminder that from TODAY - Saturday 28th March until Friday 10th April, you can take part in our “EGGciting” Annual Easter Trail around Otford village! 🐣

Keep your eyes peeled for “disco-eggs” which you can find hidden:

🪩 In shop windows
🪩 Along the High Street and the Parade
🪩 On footpaths linking the two

Children under 11 years old can join the fun by counting how many eggs they find and reporting their total to one of these locations:

🪩 Mille Fleurs
🪩 Ibbett Mosely (on the Parade)
🪩 Fine & Country (near the pond)
🪩 Yvonne’s shop in Telston Lane

Share how many you count and claim a small prize!

💡 PLEASE REMEMBER - If you spot an egg, please leave it where you found it so that other children can enjoy the fun.

Good luck and happy hunting everyone! 🐰🥚

23/03/2026

Attention Children!! 🐰

From Saturday 28th March to Friday 10th April, get ready for our “EGGciting” Annual Easter Trail around Otford village! 🐣

Keep your eyes peeled for “disco-eggs” which you can find hidden:

🪩 In shop windows
🪩 Along the High Street and the Parade
🪩 On footpaths linking the two

Children under 11 years old can join the fun by counting how many eggs they find and reporting their total to one of these locations:

🪩 Mille Fleurs
🪩 Ibbett Mosely (on the Parade)
🪩 Fine & Country (near the pond)
🪩 Yvonne’s shop in Telston Lane

Share how many you count and claim a small prize!

💡 PLEASE REMEMBER - If you spot an egg, please leave it where you found it so that other children can enjoy the fun.

Good luck and happy hunting everyone! 🐰🥚 🐰

12/03/2026

🌱 Let’s Keep Otford Looking Its Best! 🌱

This March, we’re asking village residents to join the Great British Spring Clean – the UK’s biggest mass-action environmental campaign, where hundreds of thousands of volunteers help clear litter from streets, parks and green spaces. ♻️ (keepbritaintidy.org)

To join in simply grab a bag and pick up a few pieces of litter around your street, park, or the paths near your home in Otford.

Every small action makes a difference, and together we can help keep our village clean, welcoming, and beautiful for everyone.

🗓 The campaign runs 13–29 March
🧤 Spend just 10–15 minutes picking up litter near your home
👨‍👩‍👧 Bring the family, meet neighbours, and enjoy the fresh air

Thousands of small actions across the country add up to a huge impact — millions of bags of litter have already been pledged since the campaign began.

Let’s show how much we care about where we live. 💚

26/12/2025

🚀 Big news from outer space (well… Otford)! 🚀

Today, Pluto has officially rejoined the Otford Solar System as part of our special 25th anniversary relaunch which began back in July.

Looking for something fun to do on your Boxing Day walk? Wrap up warm and blast off from the far end of the Recreation Ground, where you’ll find the colourful interpretation board marking the start of your very own Solar System adventure.

As you travel through space, keep an eye out for the QR codes at Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Scan them to unlock fun, bite-sized videos packed with fascinating facts - perfect for curious kids, families, and space-lovers of all ages.

With Pluto back in place, every planet has now landed, bringing the Otford Solar System’s 25th anniversary celebrations to a finale which means the cosmic journey is now complete!

18/12/2025

🌌 Neptune Has Returned! 🌌

Neptune officially rejoined the Otford Solar System today, as part of the special 25th Anniversary relaunch that began in July!

Visit the Recreation Ground (once the never-ending rain takes a break ☔) to discover the colourful interpretation board, then set off on your own journey through the Solar System.

Along the way, look out for QR codes at Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn and Uranus. Scan them to enjoy fun, educational videos - perfect for kids, families, and anyone with a love of space 🚀

✨ Stay tuned… Pluto will arrive in the next couple of weeks, completing the Otford Solar System’s 25th anniversary celebrations!

14/12/2025

🎅 Santa has left the building…

That’s it for another year folks! Today marked the fourth and final day of Santa’s Winter Palace 2025, and what a wonderful four days it has been (spread over the past two weekends).

Thank you so much to everyone who came to visit this very special event. It has been an absolute joy to see so many happy children coming to meet Santa in his Winter Palace.

A huge thank you once again to the incredibly talented Tasha, who created such a beautiful setting, and to all of Tasha’s customers who generously donated props and other items for the grotto. We are incredibly grateful for your kindness and support.

And, as always, our heartfelt thanks go to our amazing village volunteers for stepping up at this busy time of year and giving their time to make this fantastic event happen. We couldn’t have done it without you - you are all truly amazing!

Merry Christmas everyone. We’ll see you again next year! ✨🎄

12/12/2025

WE'RE FIGHTING FOR YOUR VILLAGE!

Yesterday The Otford Society submitted our response to Sevenoaks District Council's Emerging Local Plan Public Consultation. We objected in the strongest terms to building thousands of new houses on our local Green Belt.

You can read our response here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ftrVSDZraxIXgEwzKkPyA7Kg8gCMyTqz/view?usp=drive_link

THANK YOU to everyone who responded to our Village Survey. 92% of respondents were against the largest development. You can read the full results of the survey here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GWY_cd6AoCPPEAKn5xohjDKgV6wyc7cJ/view?usp=drive_link

As we move forward, what we do know is that we are likely to need in excess of £100,000 to effectively fight the developers. We know that money is tight at this time of year, but please donate to the Village Protection Fund if you can: https://www.paypal.com/gb/fundraiser/charity/3136131

If you'd like to volunteer to join the team by delivering leaflets, helping us with specialist knowledge in planning, development, legal or environmentall matters just email us at [email protected]

11/12/2025

Your ability to comment on the Sevenoaks District Council Local Plan - also known as the Regulation 18 Consultation - closes TONIGHT 11 DECEMBER AT 11.59PM. Please help us protect Otford and save our green belt from unwanted large-scale development.

Click here to have your say ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/k7bery9y

If you need help with your response, click here ➡️https://otfordsociety.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Guidance.pdf which will open up a document giving you guidance on how to fill out the questionnaire.

Your voice matters so speak up now. There’s still time!

28/11/2025

We held our first drop-in session today for people who need help filling in the consultation. Remember that Otford is under threat of 3000 new homes. It is VITAL that as many people as possible respond to the Sevenoaks District Council’s Consultation. If you would like us to hold more sessions, please get in touch with us via DM or comment below and we will arrange this.

The Sevenoaks Local Plan consultation is begin on 23 October and is open for seven weeks for consultation until 11 December. There will be chance to view the updated Local Plan and comment during this time.

28/11/2025

🎄 The Village Christmas Tree is Here! 🎄

A huge thank you to the wonderful team of village volunteers (and Santa’s little helper Heidi the puppy!) who turned out this morning to put this year’s Christmas tree up effortlessly and in record time! A far cry from some of the fun and games in previous years. What a brilliant team effort!

It’s going to look lovely once it’s all lit up and shining proudly on The Green.

Speaking of all things Christmassy…
We’re in need of garden greenery to help transform the Palace Tower into Santa’s Winter Palace over the coming week. If you have any spruce, fir, holly, ivy, or other suitable evergreen cuttings going spare, please drop them off near the door to the Palace Tower this weekend.

Thank you so much, everyone! This year’s Santa’s Winter Palace is going to be a true community creation!