Studying biodiversity in countryside and town is not an inherently dangerous pursuit. Nonetheless, there are hazards which may be encountered on any field meeting. For this reason, Kent Field Club has produced a Risk Assessment for its field activities, which can be found here. It is especially aimed at field meeting leaders, but everyone will benefit from reading it and especially from taking note of the actions listed in the right-hand column of the Risk Assessment table.

Good general advice for any outing is to make sure that you are dressed appropriately for the weather, and especially that you are wearing strong boots with good ankle support - trips, slips and falls are probably the most common type of accident. In hot weather, wear high SPF sunscreen and a hat, and make sure you have plenty of water with you - on a field meeting, you may be out for five hours or more.

You should also be aware of the risk of two potentially dangerous diseases that can be contracted by people exploring the outdoors:

Lyme Disease is a potentially debilitating condition that is spread by infected ticks. The advice from Lyme Disease UK is to

• Carry a tick removal tool with you at all times.
• Use insect repellent during outdoor activities.
• Avoid walking through long grass and stick to pathways. 
• Tuck trousers into socks if walking in grassy, wooded and overgrown areas.
• Wear light-coloured clothing so you can spot and brush off any ticks.
• Check for ticks when you get home.

Get more information from Lyme Disease UK.

Weil's Disease (or Leptospirosis) is a rare, but potentially fatal disease which can be contracted when water contaminated with rat or cattle urine gets into the eyes, mouth or an open wound. RoSPA recommends that the best precautions for avoiding the risk of contracting Weil's Disease area to

• Cover any open wounds such as cuts and scratches with waterproof plasters.
• Wear protective clothing such as gloves.
• Wash thoroughly and as soon as possible if you have entered the water.
• Assess the risk of the likelihood of contamination if contemplating entering fresh water, particularly be aware of stagnant water.
• Carefully clean any open wounds obtained during time at fresh water.

You can find more information on Lyme Disease and Weil's Disease, including a description of the symptoms, and what to do if you think you have contracted either disease, on the NHS website.

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The following 77 species (Shieldbugs and Allies) are eligible to be included in the atlas publication. Please Ctrl + click on the scientific name, where it appears as a hyperlink, to visit the British Bugs website and learn more about a particular species.

Species marked * have either never been recorded in Kent, or are only reported in older records (before 1980).

Species marked * have either never been recorded in Kent, or are only reported in older records (before 1980).

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Contact us at or at:

Kent Field Club
c/o Gladden,
The Street,
Doddington,
Sittingbourne,
Kent ME9 0BS