Chairman’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting

The Annual Parish Meeting took place on April 26th.

The Parish Council

A warm welcome to all the residents who have come along tonight.

I am going to keep the Chairman’s report as brief as possible. You will see from the agenda that some topics of particular interest will be introduced by the Clerk or by fellow Councillors

There were only seven candidates for election to the Parish Council in May last year, who were elected unopposed.  The Council proceeded to co-opt two councillors by a process of advertisement and interview so that the Council could be brought up to its scheduled size of nine Councillors.

Sara Tucker and John Arnold were duly co-opted and are making a substantial contribution to the work of the Council.

Unfortunately Ina Bean has had to resign from the Council. and the process of co-opting a new member is under way.

Our Clerk, Claire Attaway continues to work with great energy on behalf of the Village. It has become apparent over the last year or so that the increase in formal paperwork that her role involves has meant that she has been working an excess of unpaid overtime. In view of this the Council has decided that the number of hours she is paid for every month should be raised to the level recommended by the National Association of Local Councils for a parish of the size of Upchurch.

Our Street Cleaner, Stan Jones retired during the year. Our thanks to Stan, for his work in the village. We were lucky to recruit a relative newcomer to the Village, Ian Letchford as his replacement and I am happy to say we think he is doing a very good job.

In addition to the Clerk and the Street Cleaner the Council employs a gardener, Elizabeth Walters, to tend the Burial Ground.

The Council normally meets on the first Thursday of the month at 7:30pm in Holywell School Hall. We do not meet in August. The first half hour is reserved for questions to the Council from residents. These public sessions are often well attended and some recent ones have been quite lively.

The Parish Council believes that its primary role is to help foster a spirit of community and maintain the rural character of the village.

The Parish Council has made considerable efforts to minimise its costs over the last three years. There has been no increase in the precept for the Parish council this year. We have managed to obtain grants from the KCC Local Engagement Fund,  £1000 towards set up costs for the Upchurch Farmers Market, £2500 towards repairs to the Recreation Ground Car Park, and £800 towards the repair of the Village Sign Post.

You might like to note that our PCSO Lauren McCall has moved on and our new PCSO is John Cork.

Aside from Parish Council Matters for a moment it is pleasing to report the Upchurch Matters Web Site has had a very successful first year with visits from nearly 8000 people from 69 countries. Well done!


Village Clean Up Day


Village Clean Up day has not been well supported by residents in recent years. Your suggestions on how it might be reenergised would be welcomed.


Land Management Responsibilities

Burial Ground

Our gardener, Liz Walters continues to help make the Burial Ground a peaceful and attractive setting. We have continued activity to check that gravestones and surrounds are maintained in a safe condition.

The Burial Ground is running out off space, We will be making some small alterations to free some more spaces, but we will soon have to investigate airing more land.


Closed Churchyard


The Churchyard wall has required little repair work last year. There is, however some water damage at the base of the brick sections that we hope to tackle this year.

We have a problem with the Conifers that run down the side and rear of the garage showroom, and now undermining the showroom structure. We have taken expert advice to confirm that removal off these trees is the responsibility of the Parish Council. The problem is made more complicated because the trees on the side of the garage are within the Conservation Area and will need planning Permission before they can be removed


Paddock


The major frustration for the Parish Council this year, as last, has been our inability to negotiate a new lease for the Paddock with the agent for the Church Commissioners. We have been working on the basis of the old lease for about five years but a new long lease is needed if we are to obtain grants for the improvements to the Paddock that Phil Newbery has suggested.

A great deal of the Clerk’s time has been spent chasing this lease and we have engaged a Solicitor to assist us. Councillor Lewin has now volunteered  to see if he can move the lease forward. His initiative in this matter is much welcomed.

We failed to obtain a KCC Local Engagement Grant to improve the play area last year but have been told that a renewed application this year should be looked on favourably


The Recreation Ground


We propose to erect a pair of five a side goal post the Rec. this year. It is hoped that this will attract youngsters form playing football in less suitable areas such as the Paddock. The Recreation Manager at Swale BC has been most helpful in advice about this matter.


Allotments


The allotments continue to be well used and we have plenty of people on the waiting list.


Planning Matters


Planning issues are initially dealt with by the Planning Application Review Team who often writes to Swale Borough Council before the whole Council has seen the papers, because a period of 21 days is allowed for responses. The Parish Council then reviews the response at the next meeting and when deemed necessary, we send a supplementary letter.

Pat New leads our Planning Application Review Team and we thank her for her work.

Bus users have been requesting a bus shelter in Horsham Lane for some years. Residents in Horsham Lane and the Street have objected because they are concerned that the shelter could form a centre for anti social behaviour. A sub group of the Parish Council are considering whether other facilities for village youth could reduce this risk


Highways


Parking problems still arise at the school at in and out time, and in the centre of the village.  We have consulted Swale BC, who are responsible for parking restrictions and you should have a copy of their proposal for restrictions.

The Parish Council would like your advice on these proposals and we will discuss them under General Parish Business. The Parish Council are unclear as to whether this proposal will lead to a genuine improvement. During the discussion please bear in mind that the current situation in the areas addressed by the proposal is dangerous for the young and very old.

John Arnold is now acts as our County Co-ordinator and sends a regular summary of road issues in Upchurch to the Highways Agency. He attempts to accelerate action when necessary.

Speedwatch coordination in Kent Police has been disrupted by their recent reorganisation to save costs. I expect to hear from the new contact shortly. Newington PC has expressed an interest in sharing the costs of the equipment with us.


Thank You


I would like to thank the Council’s staff Ian, Elizabeth and Claire for all their hard work, especially Claire who puts a lot of extra effort into her job.

Lastly I would like to thank my fellow Councillors for their efforts and for putting up with me!


John Catford - Chairman, Upchurch Parish Council
Tel: 01634 231326  Email: chair@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk
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Upchurch Twinning Group News

Upchurch is twinned with Ferques-Elinghen in Pas de Calais, France.

Try  www.holywell.kent.sch.uk  or  www.upchurchmatters.co.uk  for our news as well. In addition, visit  www.ferques.fr  for interesting stuff! 

Upchurch Choral Society trip - Our Choral Society gave the promised concert in the church in Ferques on Sunday 15^th April and the whole day was a brilliant success. The choir and others travelled by coach and about 60 people enjoyed a lovely lunch at a local restaurant. While the choir rehearsed in the church, the coach drivers took others for a drive around the local area and along the coast. The concert itself was a wonderful experience, with about 150 in the audience, some English, but many local Ferques residents. At the end, the audience showed their appreciation with a standing ovation. Afterwards, there was a reception in the Mairie before all departed, tired but extremely happy. 

Thursday 17^th May 2012 – Annual General Meeting

 7:30pm in Holywell School Hall. Come and hear more about us and enjoy refreshments afterwards.  All are welcome to this AGM and we would love to see everyone there.

Saturday 14^th July – Bastille Day in Ferques – We’ll be having a stall at the street fair in Ferques as usual this year. We will be plying everyone with English food and beverages, plus we will sell good quality, donated items to raise some funds. This event is well worth a visit as part of a day out and to see if you can pick up any bargains on the other stalls! If you have any items that would be suitable for our stall, do let us know – we can collect if required. See you there, hopefully!

Saturday 25^th August. 2012 – Sports Day – this is now an annual affair and this year will be in Ferques. We will be arranging a coach so think about a day out with lots of sporty fun in France that day, plus food will be available. Cost of a seat on the coach will only be £10. This is always most enjoyable and well supported so register your interest as soon as possible. We hope that both individuals and Upchurch organisations will take an active part, or just come along to observe and cheer on!

7^th October – Anniversary Event – an outing somewhere in Kent. A coach load of Ferques residents will be coming over the water to join us. Watch this space!

Jim Harman (Chairman) 01634 235420 & Sue Rossiter (Secretary) 01634 234780

Sue Rossiter

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

Weekend of 2^nd – 4^th June 2012 – Not long now! We’re hoping you’ll all come and join in with the Village’s efforts to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It’s an amazing thing for our Queen to have been on the throne for 60 years and none of us will probably see this happen again. So let’s make a fuss about it with a weekend to remember! Put up your flags, get out some bunting ...

Saturday 2^nd June 2012 – Jubilee Concert

Featuring local artists and groups and

excerpts from Lionel Bart's 'Oliver'

performed by the children of Holywell School and local actors

7:30pm in Upchurch Village Hall Tickets £3

Get your tickets NOW from Sue Rossiter on: 01634 234780 or  suerossiter@waitrose.com

All monies raised will be put towards the weekend’s costs

Sunday 3^rd June  –  Parade

Service of Thanksgiving

Jubilee Jolly.

                       

Parade – 10:30am from Scout Hut to Church

Service of Thanksgiving – 11:00am in the Church – all welcome!

Jubilee Jolly – 12:00 noon at the Village Hall – fun for all!

All day – exhibition in St Mary’s church of Coronation Day 1953 memorabilia.

12:00noon – Jubilee Jolly at the Village Hall – stalls, games, fancy dress, bouncy castle – something for all and for organisations to run stalls etc. Entry is free and you can bring along a picnic although there will be refreshments available to purchase from local organisations’ volunteers.

Monday 4^th June – Street parties (privately arranged), bonfire/beacon lighting at about 10pm on the Recreation Ground.  This will coincide with beacon lighting all over the country. The Parish Council plans for a commemorative tree and a gift of a Jubilee mug for all children of primary school age are progressing and there will be also be mugs for sale at cost price at the Jolly on Sunday 3^rd June and afterwards. In respect of the mugs, we are now collecting the names of all children of primary school age who live in Upchurch, but do not attend Holywell School. Please let one of the committee know so that these children will also receive a gift of a beautiful bone china Jubilee mug, with suitable inscriptions to commemorate this special occasion.

Sara Tucker tel: 01634 388971    Pat New tel: 01634 374220    Sue Rossiter tel: 01634 234780

Sue Rossiter

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Upchurch Twinning Group - AGM

Upchurch Twinning Group hold their AGM at Holywell School on Thursday the 17th of May at 7:30pm.


Come along and


Hear what the children have done.


Where we have been.


What is planned.


Upchurch Twinning Group

Upchurch Women's Institute - Quiz Night

On Friday May the 11th why not book a table for our Quiz night ? Tables of 6 cost £5 a head, with a plouhgmans supper included. Bring your own drink. Starts at 7:30pm.

To book a table, please ring Joyce Gilbert on: 01634 232346.

Gillian Holland

Charity Quiz Night at The Three Tuns

The Threee Tuns Lower Halstow are hosting a Charity Quiz Night on Wednesday the 2nd of May.

See  Map

It all kicks off at 8:00pm with team sizes of up to 8 people. It's £3 per person to enter, this money is then split between the winning team and the charity of their choice.

Half time nibbles included.

The Three Tuns  Website

Carole

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Upchurch Choral Society sing to their French Friends

Upchurch Choral Society singing in the Church of our Lady of the Assumption. 

Upchurch is twinned with the commune of Ferques in Northern France.

On Sunday 15th April 2012, Upchurch Choral Society travelled over to France and gave a concert in the Church of our Lady of the Assumption in Ferques to an audience of approximately 150 people, including both Upchurch and Ferques residents. The Upchurch Twinning Group arranged the event with their counterparts in Ferques and funded the coach that carried the choir and local residents over the Channel for the day.

Upchurch Choral Society is a four-part choir, conducted by Helen Osborne and accompanied on this occasion by Upchurch Organist, Sue Rossiter. Both received a beautiful bouquet of flowers as a gesture of thanks, following the concert.

The whole day was a wonderful success and much appreciated by all concerned. The coach arrived safely and coffee was enjoyed in the local café adjacent to the church. Then the group headed off to a local restaurant, where about 60 people enjoyed a delicious lunch. The choir rehearsed in the afternoon and then performed a variety of well-chosen pieces in the church in the evening. The programme included items in English, French, German and Latin, ranging from Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine to some items from Les Miserables. The choir was rewarded with a standing ovation at the end.

After the concert, there was a reception at the local Mairie, where copious drinks and canapés were provided by the Mayor of Ferques and his Council. Eventually, the coach full of Upchurch choir and residents departed to return home tired, but very pleased and happy with the whole experience.

Sue Rossiter

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Terry Spinks MBE and ‘The Crown’

Terry Spinks MBE.

If you had ventured into ‘The Crown’ pub during the early 1980's you would have been politely greeted by a small, smartly dressed man wearing glasses and a suit. In reality he was far from ordinary having experienced the ups and downs of nationwide fame. Terry Spinks former professional boxer, ABA champion and gold medal winner at the Melbourne Olympics in 1956 had become new landlord of ‘The Crown’ pub.

Originally from Canning Town in London’s East End, Terry arrived at ‘The Crown’ on September 21st 1981. His opening ceremony saw many famous faces from the boxing world converge on Upchurch, including Alan Minter, Terry Downes, Gary Davidson and Jimmy Revie.

Intending to make his business a success, Terry initially closed the pub for two months and had the interior completely refurbished. Having previously been a rather bare interior with three bars, it was converted into one large, neatly decorated bar with wooden ceiling beams, new carpets and furniture. Terry even had the initials of himself and his wife Barbara engraved into the wood of the bar. The result was an immediate improvement and an influx of more customers.

Such was Terry’s popularity that soon he was in demand for personal appearances at local boxing functions throughout Kent. He also raised £606 for charity at H.M.S Pembroke in Chatham and sponsored the first ever car to run on petroleum gas at the Lombard RAC Rally.

After being told by locals that the pub was haunted because of its location next to the church graveyard, Terry noticed that barrels were mysteriously being moved out of position in the cellar and lights were periodically flickering in the building. Feeling that something wasn’t quite right Terry caused a sensation by calling in the vicar who performed an exorcism to rid the establishment of possible evil spirits.

Terry owned an Old English Sheepdog named Ben and saw the funny side of its eating habits. The dog loved crisps so much that it became overweight. Forced to put his pet on a diet, Terry placed a sign around its neck which stated ‘Don’t feed me.’ A hungry Ben obviously unimpressed would sometimes sneak behind the bar, take a packet of crisps from the crisp box, tear it open with its teeth and eat the contents. Terry maintained that the dog took after him because it ate the wrong things.

Terry and his wife Barbara left ‘The Crown’ in 1987 and became tenants of ‘The Coach and Horses’ pub in Worthing Sussex. Unfortunately, after getting divorced Terry became seriously ill but recovered in Sutton Manor Clinic in Newnham in 1993. He later appeared on TV in ‘This is Your Life’, in one episode of ‘The Bill’ and in the film ‘Shiner’ with Michael Caine. After another spell raising money for charity Terry was eventually awarded the MBE in recognition of his achievements in November 2001. Terry later moved to Essex where his cousin Rosemary looked after him but he continues to be fondly remembered in Upchurch as the most famous person to have managed ‘The Crown’.

About the author:
David Wood was born and raised in Upchurch and is able to write from personal experience about many people and aspects of the village and of changes that have taken place over the years making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable book and a detailed historical study of the village. David's book ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David on:  david3702001@yahoo.co.uk  price £12 + p+p £2.

David Wood
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Local Produce Fair at the Three Tuns

The Three Tuns Lower Halstow will be holding another Local Produce Fair on bank holiday Monday the 7th of May, 12:00 - 4:00pm.

See  Map


Meet local producers & suppliers presenting their wares. Cream Teas available.

Stall holders will include:

The Seafood Centre & Farm Shop
Just Cutts Butchers
Taywell Ice Creams
Ellies Dairy & Kent Cheeses
Cottage bakery
Veggie Perin
Muffleflutt's Pet Emporium
& Many more

There will also be a Hog Roast.

This will all be taking place under a Marquee so the weather won't be stopping us !

The Three Tuns  Website

Carol

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Volunteer Event Marshalls Required

The Olympic Torch Relay through Faversham - Volunteer Event Marshalls Required

You may not have obtained tickets for the 2012 London Olympics but you can still be a part of the show leading up to the event.

The Olympic Torch Relay will be in Faversham on the 19th of July and Swale Borough Council are seeking volunteer Event Marshalls to help with the event.

The Faversham Olympic Torch Relay offers a highly evolved, all-round experience that is completely unique, due to the infrequent visit to the United Kingdom. It is about energy, community and fun.

If you are interested, then contact Martin Goodhew at Swale Borough Council before the 11th of May. Email: martingoodhew@swale.gov.uk  Tel: 01795 417399 Mobile: 07827 956832

Gerry Lewin

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Annual Parish Meeting - Agenda

I give you notice that the Annual Parish Meeting of the Upchurch Parish Council will be held in the Main Hall of Upchurch Village Hall on Thursday 26^th April 2012 at 7:30pm.

Dated this 3rd day of April 2012.
Clerk to the Parish Council: Mrs C. A. Attaway. 

Agenda

1.             Chairman’s introduction

2.             Apologies for absence

3.             Minutes of the meeting held on 28^th April 2011

4.             Presentation from Sergeant Tim Hill, Community Safety Sergeant for Swale  Community Safety Unit

5.             Chairman’s report

6.             Matters arising and questions on the Chairman’s report

7.             Presentation of Accounts

8.             The Queens Diamond Jubilee Celebrations – update from Cllr Tucker

9.             Paddock Play Equipment – update from the Clerk

10.         Rural Needs Housing Drop In Event – further information from Cllr Lewin

11.         Activities for teens in the village – report from Cllr New

12.         General Parish Business

Refreshments, including wine and nibbles will be available after the meeting.

Clerk to the Parish Council: Mrs C. A. Attaway.
33 Church Farm Road, Upchurch, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7AG.
Tel: 01634 363906  Email: clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk
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The New Upchurch Matters - One Year On

The New website was a year old at the end of March 2012.

March 2011.

It's been a busy first year for us here at Upchurch Matters, starting at the end of March 2011 when the new website went live. We quickly hand delivered promotional flyers to every home in the village and put up signs in key locations. The launch was also helped along nicely by various mentions in the local press. Overall, the new website has been very well received, with just a few negative comments (mainly against change in the village and advocating the status quo). We did, however, receive quite a few admiring glances from other nearby villages who asked if they could have one too. In its first year, the website has grown as more and more people have chosen to get involved. We now regularly receive news items from nearly every village group and organisation, something we are very pleased about. With many print titles in decline, the future of media really is online and we're embracing this together with the use of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. Our Facebook account has swelled to a huge 1400+ friends, while our Twitter account is acquiring more followers each week. Both are great modern ways to get messages to people fast!

So, what have we actually published and achieved in our first year?

In just over 12 months, we've had 51,157 page views from over 7,905 individuals in over 69 countries, and over 700 people regularly read our Facebook updates every week.

 We've posted 216 items on our Notice Board Page – most of which are emailed and phoned into us from village groups and organisations - along with messages from our Classified Advertisers. We have promoted many events and offers from our local pubs, and published 17 excellent articles from David Wood on the history of Upchurch; some taken from his book, "Memories of Upchurch". We have also kept residents up to date with regular neighbourhood watch messages relating to crimes committed in our village or the immediate surrounding area.

Our Village Diary Page is filling up nicely now and really is becoming the central online location to discover what is happening in and around our village. In addition to the Diary Page, the Village Hall and Twinning Group pages have proved popular too. Don't forget The "Quick links" on our homepage. This is where we've brought together all the most commonly searched for Upchurch-related website links and info, so you can quickly and easily find all things Upchurch related. Just remember to Start at Upchurch Matters!

In March 2012 we were thrilled to have been featured in the publication "Inside Swale", which is delivered quarterly to over 80,000 homes in the Swale Borough Council area. This was great publicity for our village and the website.



Over the last year, we've been pleased to support The Farmers’ Market by having a regular stall, and we're also involved with the new Upchurch War Memorial Project. Look out for us at other village events this year and please do come and say hello. It's nice to be able to put some faces to names and we're grateful for any feedback or ideas you may have for the site.

Classified Advertisements.

When the new website launched we had just 4 adverts in the new Classified Advertisements Section, but with lots of hard work we've boosted the number to over 40! Searching online, we still haven't found anything else like it (certainly not for the same rates anyway). Economic times are tough, with many people feeling the squeeze on their standard of living. We truly believe in the benefits of supporting local businesses, services and tradesman whenever possible, and that is what our Classified Section is all about.

So, as you can see it's been a busy first year online for us here at Upchurch Matters.

If you have any interesting village news, nice photographs or village events you would like publicized, please get in touch as the more we all contribute the better the website will be!

Once again, thank you to all our friends, supporters and advertisers and here's looking forward to many more years of a successful and thriving Upchurch community both off and online.

Upchurch Matters

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Upchurch Farmers Market - Market Memoranda

OUR NEXT MARKET  will be on Sunday the 22nd of April 2012 at Upchurch Village Hall, 10:00am to 1:00pm.

Thanks & Apologies

Thank you to all our loyal customers who attended the March market and apologies for the small number of stalls. Unfortunately we can do little when expected stallholders do not appear without warning. We have assurances that many of the missing stalls will return this month so why not give us a try and bring a friend or two with you? We’re sure there’s something for everyone, including, this month, a demonstration of paella cooking!

Committee Vacancy

Unfortunately, one of our Committee members, Terry Lewis, has recently tendered his resignation and leaves with our gratitude for his hard work and enthusiasm in getting the market started. So, if you would like to be at the heart of this worthwhile community project, please contact Dave or Andrea on: 01634 361040.

Finish Time

Finally, the Committee apologises that some of the notices on the approaches to the village show a finish time of 2:00pm. Please note that we finish at 1:00pm throughout the year and are taking steps to correct the information.

Look Forward To Seeing Lots & Lots Of You On The 22nd.


For those that like to buy locally there is a monthly Village Market at Iwade.  Details here.

Dave Candy

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Beer Festival at The Three Sisters

The Three Sisters will be holding another Beer Festival on the 11th, 12th and 13th of May.


( Map )


Upchurch Matters
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Heating Oil Stolen - Poot Lane

[Reference: CB22]

This is a joint message, from Swale Neighbourhood Watch, and Kent Police.

Between 20th March and 7th April 2012, 220 gallons of heating oil were stolen from a Farm in Poot Lane.

If you have any information, please contact Kent police, on telephone number: 1 O 1, and state you are a member of Neighbourhood Watch.

Thank you,

That was message: 4 4 3.

Kent Police Neighbourhood Watch

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