New Police Surgery Times for Upchurch

Our local PCSO John Cork has set up some new surgery times so local residents can talk to him about any village Policing issues they may have.

The new surgeries will be at Upchurch Post Office on: 

PCSO John Cork.

28th of March 2014   2:00pm > 3:00pm

25th of April 2014   2:00pm > 3:00pm

20th of May 2014   2:00pm > 3:00pm

25th of June 2014   2:00pm > 3:00pm

Upchurch Matters

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Medway Assassins Skater Hockey Club

Paul Rose
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The Big Allotment Challenge

Kent Film Office

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New Recycling and Refuse Collections from 7th April

Upchurch Matters
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Upchurch Village Market

Dave Candy
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Upchurch Parish Council Report - March 2014

The Parish Council met on Thursday 6^th February in Cambria Classroom of Holywell Primary School where 7 Councillors were present and 20 members of the public.

Public Time – Tree outside 21 Oak Lane – A resident reported this had been pruned and asked for an update on the tree at the rear of the property.  Oak Lane – A resident reported that blue lines had been painted on the section of the road that appeared to be sinking. Allotments – A resident reported that there were several plots not being worked on and suggested offering these out for working prior to the annual rent payment due date in order to get them cultivated. Gypsy & Traveller Sites – A resident referred to article 8 of human rights and reported that he would be following this up with Swale BC. Four Gun Field – A resident reported that there was a large puddle in the road. Upchurch Burial Ground – Concerns were expressed with a recent grave where the ground appeared to be considerably wet. It was suggested that the Council may like to seek independent advice. The possibility of installing a bench in the lower part of the Burial Ground was mentioned but it was advised that there was opposition to this. Bus Shelter –A resident reported that he had contacted Chalkwell Bus Company to request statistics on the number of people getting on the bus. Unfortunately, they were not allowed to give him this information and he suggested that the Council may be able to obtain this. He reported that the highest number of people waiting for the bus was 9 on the 4^th February 2014 and the lowest was 3 on the 15^th January 2014. He commented that vandalism was a problem in the village centre and reported several incidents that had occurred. It was commented that the people who are “for” the bus shelter are not using the bus; therefore what was it going to be used for when it was not needed. Bus Shelter – Another resident commented that this proposal had been discussed many times now and should the Council allow this, then it would open up a can of worms. Teen Shelter - A resident commented that this proposal seemed to be attached to the Bus Shelter and asked that it be separated. Councillor – Cllr John Wright explained that highway issues such as pot holes or flooding could be reported on the KCC portal. It was advised that the planning application at Orchard Park, Oak Lane would be discussed at the Planning Committee Meeting held in March. He thanked those who attended the consultation event for the proposed Brick earth extraction site at Paradise Farm, Newington and reported that it was well attended.

Correspondence – Upchurch Horticultural Society – Members agreed to a request to use the Paddock for a Plant Sale on the morning of Saturday 26^th April as long as the ground was dry. Young Kent and KIYS Youth – Members were advised that Sue Maidens had accepted her invitation to give a short presentation at the Annual Parish Meeting. Upchurch Information/interpretation board on the 1944 Rail Crash in Oak Lane – Members discussed a proposal from Richard Emmett. Further information will be obtained.

Planning - The following applications were considered:

SW/13/1483 Colourpacks Plant Centre, London Road, Newington – Change of use of part of site to provide a retail area/trade counter. Members noted this.

SW/13/1485 Land at Spade Lane, Hartlip – Siting of two mobile homes with associated utility block, parking for cars and 2 touring caravans for a gypsy family. Members noted this.

Permission granted:

TC/13/0147 The Paddock – Fell 4 x Sycamore, 1 x Oak, 1 x Holm Oak, 1 x Ash, 1 x Hawthorne. Crown lift 6 x Holm Oak, 1 x Sycamore, 1 x Oak, 2 Lime. Coppice 2 x Field Maple. Cut & remove Ivy, 1 x Sycamore, 1 x Acacia. Thinning of 50% of vegetation. Crown lift 1 Mixed Holly to give ground clearance of 1.5m

Permission refused:

SW/13/1442 2 Church Farm Road – First Floor extension over existing garage

Other planning matters: SW/13/0152 Horsham Plantation Yard, Horsham Lane – Change of use from B1 to car sales & showroom. The Planning Review Team will investigate the conditions placed on this planning permission. Gypsy & Traveller site allocations – Cllr Tucker reported an update from the Planning Committee meeting. Members agreed to draft a letter to Gordon Henderson. It was hoped that neighbouring parishes would support this. Residents would also be encouraged to contact Gordon Henderson if they have concerns on this matter. Proposed Brick earth extraction site at Paradise Farm, Newington – Cllr Rossiter reported that this consultation event was well attended. It outlined the proposal to KCC and provided preliminary information. Wienerberger was a large brick manufacturing company and the route to the factory from this site would be along the A2 through Newington. It would take place for 6-8 weeks during dry summer months. During this time, there would be one lorry leaving the site every 5 minutes. It was commented that the impact for Newington and Hartlip would be enormous. The Planning Application would be submitted to KCC and Swale BC would be a consultee. Members appreciated the need to support Hartlip and Newington Parish Council.

Finance – KCC Member Community Engagement Grant Scheme – Members were advised that the application for parking improvements on Rec Ground Car Park had been approved. Members discussed whether to accept the offer of a grant. Various ideas/suggestions were discussed but it was felt that further consultation with the Scout Group was needed. It was agreed to decline this offer. It was reported that the grant offer for £4,500 towards the cost of the Paddock Project had been approved and it had been accepted. The Council had budgeted £2,500 to match this funding and the remaining amount would be funded by reserves.

Paddock – Paddock Project – It was reported that planning permission had been granted for the tree work in the Paddock. A meeting had taken place with Lindsay & Co Tree Surgeons to discuss arranging this work. It was noted that any work must take place before the bird nesting season which started on 1^st March. If this deadline was missed, then work would not be able to commence until August. It was agreed to accept their quote.

Village fete – Cllr Tucker reported that a meeting would be arranged the following week with Mr Kemsley to discuss this further. Local village groups and organisations had shown an interest in taking part in this event. It was noted that England may be playing in the World Cup football on 28^th June but it was felt that the timing of the event could be scheduled around this.            

Recreation Ground – Members would like to politely request that users of this car park do not drive or park on the grass.

Burial Ground and Churchyard – Members discussed a concern raised by a family about their parent’s grave being waterlogged. The Burial Ground representative had been monitoring the situation and also consulted the grave digger. It was agreed to consult the Diocese and also obtain independent advice.

Environment – KALC Community Awards Scheme – Keith Rossiter was nominated for this award for his dedication to the village.                                                                                               

Next meetings – 6^th March and 3^rd April. Please note that the meetings are held in the Hall of Holywell School and start at 7.30pm. The Annual Parish Meeting is scheduled for 24^th April 2014 at the Village Hall. 

Claire Attaway

Parish Clerk

33 Church Farm Road, Upchurch.

Tel: 01634 363906 (Mon-Thurs 9am – 12pm)

Email:  clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Website:  www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

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Shooting the Moon at Upchurch Village Hall

A Puppet Show for Adults?

Upchurch Village Hall presents a Strangeface production of

Shooting the Moon

Sat 22^nd Feb at 7:30pm, Upchurch Village Hall

A show for children aged 8 to 80 years!

Imagination knows no rules…the fantastical life of illusionist Georges Méliès.

Experience the magic of a full-mask and puppet performance from acclaimed theatre company, Strangeface, with this fantastic new show. Through a series of surreal and comic scenes, the life of French illusionist and filmmaker Georges Méliès, will be bought to the stage before your very eyes.

Both mask theatre enthusiasts and those who have never experienced mask theatre before will be amazed, entranced and moved by the way the characters come alive to convey this fantastical tale of illusion, film and fame.

This performance supports your Village Hall – please come and support it!

Discounted tickets available at £8 (adults), £7 (under 16s) and £25 (family, 2+2) from Keith Rossiter, 114 Chaffes Lane (01634 234780) before 15^th February.

Prices rise after that – book early!

Lots more about the world of Strangeface Productions and masks at: www.strangeface.co.uk

Keith Rossiter

Dance4Kent at Lower Halstow Memorial Hall

Dance4Kent provide first-class, fun, engaging & stimulating dance classes, holiday camps & educational services as a part of schools curriculum & also out of hours. We also run classes, holiday camps & other exciting events at our very own D4K dance schools!

With our growing number of D4K instructors we are able to offer a wide array of dance styles that organisations, staff & pupils can really benefit from.

All of our instructors are suitably qualified & experienced & they are all DBS checked, fully insured & have undergone various training in a number of pastoral care subjects including behaviour management, child protection, safe guarding & first aid.

Ballet & Tap classes for children aged 2 1/2 years upwards are run every Monday from 4:30pm - 6:30pm at Lower Halstow Memorial Hall.

Call: 07898207973 or Email: dance4kent@live.co.uk to book your child's FREE trial class. Please have a look at our Website: www.dance4kent.co.uk to see more details about us or 'Like' our Facebook page.

Stephanie Rossiter

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Promise Auction at the Grand Village Fete

A Promise Auction will be held on behalf of

St' Mary the Virgin, Upchurch at the

Grand Village Fete, The Paddock, Saturday 28th June 2014

We have received a number of promises from local villagers and organisations such as

• Homemade cake once a month for six months

• Candle decorating lessons
• Jar of sweets

• Computer lessons

• Lessons to learn Holiday French

• Hair voucher
• Rich fruit cake
• Singing lesson

Offer a service you can perform.....Give up some time........All for your community

Simply put..........Make a promise

We will auction your promise and sell it to the highest bidder, it's as simple as that, you give up your time, offer a skill, or something others might want and we do the rest! All proceeds will go to the church funds.

If you have something to offer? Please let Brenda Kemsley know on Tel: 01634 231585 or Email: brenda_ann@btinternet.com

Do good and feel good, all at the same time!

Brenda Kemsley

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Kent Police Contact Point - Dates for Visiting Upchurch in February and March

Kent Police
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Upchurch 50 Years Ago in February 1964

Many years before the appearance of the ‘Upchurch Festival of Music’ the village experienced a musical month which generated plenty of local interest in February 1964.

The football club began the monthly social events with a lively dance to the music of Dave Champion and the Strangers. This was followed up with a ‘Musical Fanfare’ in the village hall with fifty people participating in a concert. The Church Choir, The Women Institute’s choir, Jane Scott, Myra Duncalf, Peter Brightman and Bryan Veale all performed. Parish clerk Aubrey Smith organised the event which turned out to be very successful and about £12 was raised and donated to inter-church aid. Later in the month a concert took place in the village hall with brass quartets, soloists and a light orchestra which attracted a big audience.

Down at Otterham Quay the annual ‘Miss Otterham’ event took place with lots of twisting and shaking to Dan Barcott’s Band with girls dressed in mini skirts and men wearing smart suits and ties. Twenty eight year old Yvonne Baker won the event with Julie Sims and Jean Martin runners up.

The Upchurch Horticultural Society Dinner turned out to be the most significant social affair of the month. Opened by society president Albert Clemons from Suffield Cottages, 120 guests sat down to dinner after chairman Cliff Wanstall had given a summary of the year. Royal Society medals were awarded to Les Stevens and A Hinge & Son while Charlie Stokes won the vegetable award and George Friend the flower award.

At the Women’s Institute Mrs Johnson gave a lecture about the history of drama. She spoke about the origins of drama in ancient Greece and finished by giving tips on choosing and casting a play. At the same meeting Mrs Court resigned because of ill health and Mrs. Wright won the competition for growing a hyacinth in a jar.

The parish council decided not to enter Upchurch in the ‘Best Kept Village Competition’ but good news arrived with the announcement that a letter had been received from the Divisional Education Officer stating that additional accommodation would be provided for the Infant’s School at the end of the year. At the same time the council announced that more Royal Mail post boxes and a new telephone box were still needed in the village. Permission was also given for the recreation ground to be used for the judging of floats and used as a car park in the forthcoming August carnival.

David Wood.

A wedding with a difference took place in Upchurch when Peter Boakes from Chaffes Lane married Janet West from Iwade at the village church. After the ceremony the bridegroom presented dolls to the bridesmaids and identical models of the Jaguar car to the pages that had brought them to the church. The couple then went to Devon for their honeymoon.

In the village centre daily life continued as usual where Mr and Mrs Jaggers ran the Upchurch Stores, Dick Hales managed W.H. Hales butcher’s with his assistant Barry Madden, Mr and Mrs Huggins ran the grocery shop opposite the church, Cliff and Fay Wanstall managed the post office, Fred Clemons organised the delivery of newspapers while Marj Davies served petrol at her family run garage in Horsham Lane.

Finally, birthdays for the month included Jill Hitchen from Horsham Lane aged seven, Paula Maxted from The Street aged one and Pamela Edmonds from Drakes Close aged twelve. Although there weren’t any recorded baptisms for February Lucy Gransden from Oak Lane aged 70 was buried in the churchyard. A long term resident in the village, Mrs. Gransden had been a regular member of the Mother’s Union and had done a lot of work for the church along with her husband Charles who had served as a churchwarden during the 1960s. This ended a month mainly remembered for music, entertainment and social gatherings.

About David:

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  or from us here at Upchurch Matters.

price £12 + p+p £2.

David Wood.
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Preparation for a Possible Severe Weather Event

Dear Stakeholder,

Today is a normal day across the networks with no widespread power cuts due to the weather. However, UK Power Networks is working closely with the Met Office to track the high winds and heavy rain that ARE forecast to hit the UK on the 5th of February.

If the storm materialises and affects power lines, our paramount focus will be on restoring electricity to customers as quickly and safely as possible.

We are currently putting in place a range of measures to be better prepared to respond to any potential impact on our networks and customers. 

Measures

We are currently preparing to deal with the storm’s potential impact on our network and customers. Below are some of the measures we are taking:

• We are arranging additional staff to cover call centre roles. Additional people have been allocated to take and make phone calls and provisions are in place for even more engineers and resources to be available on short notice in case of need.

• Our emergency teams are reviewing plans and a message has gone out to our trained customer champions to be prepared to be deployed to sites if the storm materialises.

• We invest in a partnership arrangement with the British Red Cross and can activate their volunteers to support vulnerable customers if power is affected.   

• The emergency teams in the local authorities have access to the web link that enables them to see fault levels. In the aftermath of Storm St Jude, we have improved our systems to make the tracker more robust.

Our electricity network is built to be resilient but extreme weather can affect overhead power lines when tree branches and windborne debris damage them. In the event of a power cuts as result of the winds and rain, UK Power Network’s priority will be to restore supplies as quickly as is safely possible and keep people informed as best we can during a constantly changing situation. We will work from job to job targeting big jobs first where many customers are affected.

In communication with customers, we urge the public to stay well clear from power lines and anyone spotting a damaged power line needs to report it to UK Power Networks.

To report any power cuts and damaged lines on free helplines, please use the following numbers: In the South East call: 0800 783 8866.
You can also see: www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk and follow the company on twitter for updates. 

Preparing for a power cut

Below is some advice on how our customers can prepare for a power cut:

•  Keep our freephone number handy.

•  See the website for some useful videos offering you advice during a power cut.

•  Keep spare batteries for radios and torches – local radio stations often broadcast                    helpful information.

•  Keep an old-fashioned corded phone which you can plug in, as cordless phones won’t work in the event of a power cut.

•  Dress warmly in several layers of clothing, stay in one room or even get into bed.

•  Take care if using candles, tea-lights and other naked flames.

•  Keep fridges and freezers closed, with a blanket over as they will stay cold for many hours.

•  Switch off all your electrical equipment, except one light which will let you know when the power comes back on.

•  Remember the street lights may also be off so take care if you go out.

•  Look out for elderly neighbours; please consider taking them a flask of hot water round or hot food.

Kind regards,

Stakeholder Engagement Team

UK Power Networks

Newington House

237 Southwark Bridge Road

London SE1 6NP

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The Westmoreland Trust

Westmoreland in Lower Halstow Dock in the early 1960s
with the Brickfields in the background. 

Westmoreland as she stands today.

The last surviving Kent Brick Barge and famous racer, Westmoreland has lain derelict for 40 years but a Heritage Lottery Bid is now underway to save her.

Westmoreland Trust CIC are a 'not for profit' community interest company established to restore Thames Sailing Barge Westmoreland and are speaking to Heritage Lottery Fund about a major grant application.

Westmoreland was saved from Standard Quay in Faversham and moved to Otterham Quay. Now she is back home in Lower Halstow Creek after many years away! This move has only been possible with the support of those willing to defer payment for towing her there.

Built in 1900 in Conyer, she worked from Lower Halstow for 60 years, taking bricks from the Brickfields there up to London. The Brickfields and the last Barge that serviced them are a vital part of the local heritage, Westmoreland Trust hope to tell the story of that lost industry using the Barge, once she is fully restored.

The Heritage Lottery process is likely to take up to two years but in the short term funds are needed to pay for moving Westmoreland to her dry Dock and for the ongoing insurance and ancillary costs until such time as other funding streams are secured.

It is intended that she be moored on a swinging mooring in Lower Halstow Creek prior to being moved back into the dock at Lower Halstow, from where she traded for 60 years. If the Heritage Lottery Fund bid is successful she will be restored to her former glory and operating from the dock once again.

The Thames Sailing Barge needs to be protected while the Heritage Lottery Fund bid is prepared. Westmoreland is slipping away and this project is no doubt the last chance to save her.

So please get behind the project and help raise the funds to keep her safe until the Heritage Lottery bid can be submitted.

Please pledge if you can by visiting the Thames Sailing Barge Westmoreland JustGiving page: Here

If you are on Facebook then you can stay up to date with her progress by visiting their page: Here and clicking 'Like'.

Upchurch Matters

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