Poolside Bar Music - Tina Turner Tribute at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

From 7:30pm

Free Entry - Non-Members Welcome

Food Available Until 8:00pm

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

RSPCA Awards Swale Council with Two Gold Pawprint Awards

Swale Borough Council’s stray dog service has been highlighted as one of the best in the country by the RSPCA for the eleventh year in a row.

The service has been awarded the Gold Pawprint Award, which recognises good practice in animal welfare by local authorities in England and Wales.

Alongside this award, the council has also been awarded the Gold Pawprint Award for Contingency Planning for the fourth year in a row.

The award for contingency planning is given to council’s that can demonstrate a comprehensive set of processes and procedures that protect animal welfare in the event of an emergency.

The council also provides information to help animal-based businesses be prepared to look after their animals in the event of an emergency.

Cllr Roger Truelove, leader of the council, said:

“We’re delighted to be recognised for all the hard work we do in caring for stray dogs and the welfare of animals during an emergency.

“This is the fourth year in a row we’ve received the Gold Pawprints Award for contingency planning, which is well deserved for our resilience team who’ve been working hard to make sure we have procedures and processes in place to ensure the welfare of animals during an emergency.”

Cllr Tim Valentine, cabinet member for environment at the council, said:

“The Gold Pawprints Award recognises us for going above and beyond to ensure the high welfare standards for the animals across the borough.

“Our stray dog team really does put their heart and soul into caring for the stray animals they find, as well as actively promoting the schemes and services we offer such as micro-chipping.

“We’ve received this award for 12 years in a row and we will continue to work hard to keep up the high level of service we’ve been recognised for.”

For news on stray dogs found in Swale, follow the council’s twitter account or the service’s Facebook page

To find out more about how you can prepare to look after your animals during an emergency visit www.swale.gov.uk/emergency-pet-welfare

To report a stray dog during normal office hours, the public should call 01795 417850 where arrangements will be made for the dog to be collected.

If a dog is found between 5:00pm and 9:00pm on weekday evenings, and between 9:00am and 9:00pm at weekends and on bank holidays, the public should ring the found stray dog line on 07795 237479.

Swale Borough Council

Upchurch Parish Council - October 2020 Monthly Meeting Agenda

Upchurch Parish Council will be holding the above meeting via Zoom on Thursday 1st October 2020 at 7:30pm.

Virtual meetings are open to members of the public.

Anyone wishing to join will need to contact the Clerk for the login details, they will also be allowed to raise questions or comments to Councillors during public time.

Wendy Licence - Clerk to the Parish Council
Tel: 01622 739324

Email: clerkupc@outlook.com

Website: www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Upchurch Parish Council Report - September 2020

Report of the Parish Council September 2020

Cllr Tyrone Ripley (Chairman), Cllr John Arnold (Vice-Chairman), Cllr Pam Denny, Cllr Alan Horton, Cllr Gerry Lewin, Cllr Peter Masson, Cllr Janet Marshall, Cllr Gary Rosewell and Cllr Neil Sheppard. Clerk Mrs Wendy Licence.

Paddock and Recreation Ground

Following the public consultation, the Parish Council will install the adult exercise equipment as a trail at the Recreation Ground. The Council is obtaining quotations for the fencing around the Recreation Ground.

There has been anti-social behaviour in The Paddock during August. A bench was damaged by vandals and this has been repaired by Steve Merton and Councillors are extremely grateful for his help. A few days later a tree stump was set on fire. This has been reported to the Police and anyone who has information regarding these incidents should report it to PCSO John Cork on: 07772 226217.

Sreet Lighting

The upgrade of the street lights to LEDs is progressing well, however, there may be delays before UKPN can reconnect the lights due to the current pandemic.

Footpaths

The Council has met with County Councillor Whiting regarding issues with footpath ZR10. If the footpath is to go through the orchard and rather than through the gardens there needs to be new signage.

Environment

The Paddock hedges affecting sightlines in Chaffes Lane and opposite the Co-op will be cut back.

Planning

i. Ref: 20/503315/FULL Address: 32 Chaffes Lane Upchurch Kent ME9 7BN

Proposal: Erection of single storey rear extension and creation of part first floor rear extension.

Councillors considered the application and had no objections to the proposal save that the views of neighbours be taken into consideration.

ii. Ref: 20/503568/FULL Address: Starborne Oak Lane Upchurch ME9 7BB

Proposal: Section 73 - Application for Variation of condition 3 (rainwater goods), 4 (window and door materials) and 12 (emission rates) pursuant to application 19/506127/FULL for - Demolition of the existing bungalow and 2no. outbuildings, and erection of a replacement four bedroom family home with attached garage.

Councillors considered the application and had no objections to the proposal.

iii. Ref: 20/502850/FULL Address: 119 Oak Lane Upchurch Sittingbourne Kent ME9 7AY

Proposal: Erection of single storey side and rear extension.

Councillors considered the application and noted the neighbour objections as the proposal will create a terracing effect for the semi-detached houses. Councillors had no objections to an extension in principle but supported the concerns of the neighbour and would request that officers do not allow a terracing of the buildings.

iv. Ref: 20/503637/FULL Address: Medway Autos, Christine And Muriel London Road Upchurch Sittingbourne Kent ME9 7PD

Proposal: Change of use of auto showroom and workshop (Sui generis) to a banqueting hall, with food processing and distribution (Class D2 and B2), including the creation of a mezzanine floor and alterations to fenestration. Change of use of 2no. residential bungalows (C3) to guest accommodation (C1) associated with the banqueting hall, including the erection of a single storey rear extension and loft conversion, including 2no. rear dormers and installation of 4no. rooflights to front. Erection of a wedding gazebo to rear of bungalows.

The application will be considered by Full Council at the meeting on 1^st October.

This is a precis of Council business, full minutes of all meetings can be found on the website when ratified.

Date of next meetings:

Full Council - Thursday 1^st October 2020 at 7:30pm

The Planning Committee and General Purposes Committee - Wednesday 14^th October at 7:30pm

The Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority Meetings) Regulations 2020 now gives Local Councils the power to meet remotely during this COVID-19 pandemic and Upchurch Parish Council is now holding meetings virtually. Please check the website for details of the meetings.

All residents are welcome to view the meetings and there is a time for members of the public to comment, raise concerns or ask questions. 

Please contact the Clerk, clerkupc@outlook.com to obtain login details for the meeting.

Wendy Licence - Clerk to the Parish Council

Tel: 01622 739324

Email: clerkupc@outlook.com

Website: www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Upchurch’s Co-op - Win a Roast Dinner with all the Trimmings Raffle - Raising Money for MIND

Upchurch’s Co-op is again raising money for their chosen charity partner this year, MIND - the mental health and support charity.

Win a roast dinner with all the trimmings

Enter in store for £1 per raffle strip.

Please ask a member of staff at the till to enter.

Good luck 🤞🏼

Read more about MIND at: www.mind.org.uk

Thank you 

Sally Butcher - Upchurch’s Co-op

Temporary Road Closure - Mount Lane, Hartlip

Kent County Council has made an order to temporarily prohibit through traffic on Mount Lane, Hartlip from Tuesday 20th October 2020 for up to 7 days.

The road will be closed at the junction with Warren Lane, to the extent indicated by signs and barriers on site.

The alternative route for any through traffic is via Place Lane, Meresborough Lane, Yaugher Lane, Matts Hill, Warren Lane, Lower Hartlip Road, Mount Lane and vice versa.

Access for emergency service vehicles and pedestrians will be maintained at all times during the closure.

The closure is required for the safety of the public and workforce while works on apparatus are undertaken by Southern Water.

For information regarding this closure please contact Southern Water on: 0330 303 0368, who will be able to assist with the scope of the works.

Kent County Council 24hr Contact Centre:

03000 418181 (9:00am - 5:00pm)

03000 419191 (5:00pm - 9:00am)

For details of roadworks see: https://one.network

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

Support the Big App Download Weekend for the NHS COVID-19 App

Download the NHS COVID-19 App today

The simplest way to help protect those we love

The NHS COVID-19 App is part of our large scale coronavirus (COVID-19) testing and contact tracing programme called NHS Test and Trace.

The app will be used, alongside traditional contact tracing, to notify users if they come into contact with someone who later tests positive for coronavirus.

The NHS COVID-19 App alerts people at risk of coronavirus, asking them to isolate before they potentially pass the virus on to others as well as providing local area alerts and QR venue check-in.

The app will help the NHS understand if the virus is spreading in a particular area, and so local authorities can respond quickly to stop it spreading further and save lives.

The app does this while protecting a user’s anonymity.

Nobody, including the government, will know who or where a particular user is.

Know the risk of Coronavirus - Get the App now

Download for Apple IOS >> https://apple.co/2S6TdG5

Download for Google Android >> https://bit.ly/3mSR0fQ

Public Health England

Holywell School, New Entrant 2021 - Virtual Tour and Online Meet and Greet

Tracey Snellings
School Business Manager
Holywell Primary School
Tel: 01634 388416
Email: office@holywell.kent.sch.uk
Website: www.holywell.kent.sch.uk

Breakfast with Santa at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Booking information:

Please Email: hayley@makingmiracles.org.uk

Website: www.makingmiracles.org.uk

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Holywell Kids Club - October Half Term

To Book - Ring: 07706 002060 Email: kclub@holywell.kent.sch.uk 

Tracey Snellings

School Business Manager
Holywell Primary School

Visit our website at: www.holywell.kent.sch.uk

NHS Kent and Medway CCG - Community Bulletin

Coronavirus testing

There has been a lot about Coronavirus testing in the media recently. Testing is still available, but you should only book if you have Coronavirus symptoms.

That’s any one of:

A high temperature, a new continuous cough, or a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste. The symptoms apply to adults and children.

If you have other symptoms - such as a runny nose or a sore throat - please treat these as you would have before the pandemic.

If you have Coronavirus symptoms, tests can be booked at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or by calling 119. If you are only offered options outside Kent and Medway it is best to wait and try again later. New slots get released throughout the day.

Please do not call 111 to book a test and do not go to a hospital or other health service to try to get tested. If you have Coronavirus symptoms it is very important that you and other members of your household stay at home.

If you are attending hospital for a planned operation, your hospital will be in touch to arrange a test shortly before your procedure.

Kent County Council Coronavirus service update

Kent County Council is able to provide short term assistance to households facing financial hardship as a direct result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

If you or someone you know has suffered financially from Coronavirus, then Kent County Council may be eligible to apply for support with:

• Supermarket vouchers

• Pre-paid energy and clothing vouchers for school uniform (non-branded)

• Household items required to meet a basic need if there are no other means of assistance available

For details on how to apply, visit the KCC website

How to get your Flu vaccine

With Autumn approaching, it is important to get vaccinated against Flu. 

The flu vaccine is given to people who:

• Are 65 and over (born on or before 31st March 1956)

• Have certain health conditions

• Are pregnant

• Are in a long-stay residential care

• Receive a carer's allowance or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick

• Live with someone who's at high risk from coronavirus (on the NHS shielded patient list)

• Frontline health or social care workers

New guidance says that if you're aged 50 to 64 and have a health condition that means you're more at risk from Flu, you should get your flu vaccine as soon as possible.

Other 50 to 64-year-olds should be contacted about a flu vaccine later in the year.

For more information visit the NHS website

Read the full bulletin at https://bit.ly/3cvvh92

NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group

Poolside Bar Opening Times at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course
Telephone: 01634 360626

Gill Gay Will Be Collecting For Swale Foodbank Again

Hi everyone,

I would like to thank you all for the wonderful support we have received on behalf of Swale Foodbank so far.

My husband Ron and I will be collecting again in the bus stop lay-by opposite the Church in Horsham Lane on Wednesday 30th September between 10:30am and 11.30am.

Please come along with your donations (in carrier bags would be helpful) and put them into our open car boot while we remain at a safe distance.

We will then deliver your donations to the Swale Foodbank Warehouse, part of the Trussell Trust.

All donations are most welcome, Swale Foodbank has given me the list of items below they are asking for:

Tinned Potatoes

Instant Mash

Biscuits

Rice Pudding

Custard

Bottles of Squash

They are also low on all toiletries if anyone would like to donate some:

Hand Soaps

Shower Gel

Bubble Bath

Toothpaste

Shaving Products

Deodorants

Laundry Detergents

Please tell your friends and family.

This need won't be going away soon, unfortunately, if ever.

Thank you

Gill Gay - Foodbank Co-ordinator
Email: gilliangay99@yahoo.co.uk

Breach Lane, Upchurch Gets a September Clean Up

The photo only shows 5 sacks as we’d already

recycled the contents of another 3 before it was taken.

Breach folk Sue, Richard, Mel and Steve have been out as part of the Great British September Clean.

We cleared 8 large sacks of litter from just the top 300 metres of Breach Lane.

We found the usual cans/bottles and takeaway cartons but also, almost unbelievably, sanitary towels, a pair of Wellington boots, several bags of dog poo and a bag of nicely seasoned wood.

Upchurch Parish Council is encouraging residents to take part in private litter picking initiatives at some point this month - because we live a long way out, we thought we’d just get on with it!

#GBSeptemberClean  #LitterHeroes  #KeepKentClean

Sue Flipping

M&S Little Shop 2 - Swop Shop

For collectors of M&S Little Shop 2, how frustrating is it not being able to swop the items in the shop this year due to COVID restrictions?

Last year, I managed to complete sets for several happy children to play with. However, this year, despite collecting over 130 of them I have only managed to complete one set of 25. All the others being duplicates but not making up a set. 

Looking on the internet, it is extraordinary that people are selling these singularly at very high prices. What fun is there in that and disappointing for the children and costly for grandparents!

I would like to set up a swop shop ‘free of charge’ the only cost being the postage.

I have a large number of duplicates and I am happy to coordinate all this if anyone is interested.

Just drop me an Email letting me know what you have and what you want to swop it for and let’s see if we can get it going.

Looking forward to hearing from other frustrated parents/grandparents.

Bye for now.

Jan Bunting
Email: janannbunting@outlook.com

Medway Council - Residents Encouraged to Book Their Free NHS Health Check

Medway Council is encouraging residents aged 40 to 74 to book their free NHS Health Check.

Residents can now book a health check at a number of GP surgeries across Medway and at the Smokefree Advice Centre in Chatham.

As people get older they have a higher risk of developing conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease or type 2 diabetes. A free NHS Health Check can spot the early signs of these conditions and trained staff can offer tailored advice and ongoing support to help residents make small changes to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Residents aged between 40 and 74, who do not have a pre-existing condition will be invited for a health check every 5 years, either at their GP surgery or the Smokefree Advice Centre. Those who receive their invitation should book their appointment as soon as possible to avoid delay. Queries about eligibility can be made with Medway Council’s Public Health team by phoning 01634 335830, Emailing: medwayhealthchecks@medway.gov.uk or texting the word ‘CHECK’ to 81066.

A number of new social distancing measures have been put in place at the Smokefree Advice Centre in Chatham to keep both visitors and staff safe. This includes Health Checks being by appointment only, a limited number of people being allowed in the centre at any one-time, staggered arrival times and enhanced cleaning. Patients will also be asked to wear a face covering whilst inside the centre.

Cllr David Brake, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder covering Public Health, said:

“I am pleased that eligible residents aged 40 to 74 can now book a free NHS Health Check at our Smokefree Advice Centre in Chatham once again. It is incredibly important that residents continue to look after their health and our specialist staff have been trained to identify early indications of conditions, like high blood pressure, which often have no symptoms. They will also provide tailored advice to help our residents live healthier lives. If you book a health check and can no longer attend the appointment, please let our staff know.”

For more information about NHS Health Checks, visit: medway.gov.uk/healthchecks

Medway Council

Medway Council - Cold War Steve Launches National Exhibition in Medway

Medway will host one of the country’s first new artwork exhibitions this week.

Cold War Steve Meets The Outside World will be on display at Riverside Country Park from Friday, 18th September.

The exhibition supports Medway’s aspirations to become UK City of Culture 2025 which would create a legacy of opportunities for local people and bring significant economic benefits to the area.

Back at the start of 2020 Birmingham artist Christopher Spencer, otherwise known as artist Cold War Steve, was about to set out on a nationwide tour of pubs, hairdressers, village halls, libraries, shops and front rooms as part of his unique You, Me and Cold War Steve do-it-yourself downloadable exhibition.

Then the coronavirus pandemic hit and during lockdown plans started to emerge for a new idea to leave the house and meet the outside world again.

This September and October Cold War Steve will unveil four ambitious new outdoor artworks starting in Medway.

Cold War Steve Meets The Outside World will feature 11 free to view outdoor artworks on the shoreline of Riverside Country Park in Rainham. The exhibition launches on Friday, 18th September at 2:00pm (high tide) and will be on display until Sunday, 27th September.

Anyone planning on visiting the exhibition is reminded to continue to follow social distancing guidelines.

Cold War Steve specialises in surreal, satirical collages originally made on his phone and iPad. Since 2016 Cold War Steve’s Twitter account, with almost daily posts, has seen his following increasing by the day. Three solo exhibitions, two books with Thames & Hudson, commissions for the National Galleries of Scotland, Whitworth in Manchester, Birmingham Museum and Gallery, a giant billboard installation at Glastonbury Festival and an international TIME magazine cover have all followed.

Cold War Steve aka Christopher Spencer, said:

“I’m well excited to start the 'Cold War Steve Meets The Outside World’ exhibition here in Medway. The Riverside Country Park is the perfect spot for this nature trail installation; the mix of beautiful shoreline, wildlife, industrial and post industrial landscape is wonderful. The 11 pieces on display are a kind of 'CWS 2020 best of’, some of my biggest pieces from this crazy year that have never been displayed anywhere before, plus a brand piece made especially for Medway. The event has been designed to be viewed from a distance with social distancing in mind. An art trail throughout the park and on the shoreline. Bring your binoculars!”

Paul Cowell, Head of Culture and Libraries at Medway Council, said:

“It is fantastic that Medway will host the first part of Cold War Steve’s national exhibition. Riverside Country Park is an ideal location for an unusual exhibition, such as this, with Cold War Steve’s satirical artwork being displayed on the picturesque shoreline. We understand how important creativity is to both our own personal wellbeing but how it can also help boost community spirits, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. It is incredibly exciting that Medway is attracting national artists to exhibit their new work here. This exhibition supports Medway’s aspirations to become UK City of Culture 2025 which is a huge opportunity to put Medway on the map and show the rest of the country what we have to offer.”

Imogen Robertson, Bid Director at Medway 2025, said:

“Our Medway 2025 City of Culture bid is all about turning Medway’s green spaces, shopping centres, stadiums and public areas into venues that showcase world-class creativity for everyone. We’re proud to welcome people from across Medway and the rest of the country to Rainham to see Cold War Steve’s artworks at Riverside Country Park as we bid to be UK City of Culture in 2025.”

Riverside Country Park in Rainham is a great location for the exhibition with free on-site parking, walking trails and picnic areas for people wishing to visit the exhibition and spend the day in Medway. It is also a short drive or bus journey away Gillingham town centre and the railway station and has good motorway links with the M25 and M2 for visitors from further afield.

Residents and visitors are encouraged to continue to follow social distancing guidelines when visiting the exhibition.

Medway Council

Urgent Road Closure - The Street, Upchurch

It will be necessary to close The Street, Upchurch from Monday 21st September 2020 for up to 1 day.

The road will be closed at the junctions of Wetham Green and The Poles.

The alternative route is via Wetham Green, Susans Lane, Twinney Lane, Halstow Lane, and Forge Lane.

This is to enable drainage repairs to be carried out by Kent County Council.

For information regarding this closure, please contact Kent County Council on:

03000 418181 (9:00am - 5:00pm)

03000 419191 (5:00pm - 9:00am)

For details of roadworks see: https://one.network

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

Holywell School to Receive Prestigious Unicef UK Gold Award

Holywell School in Upchurch, Sittingbourne has been awarded Gold by Unicef UK’s Rights Respecting School programme.

Unicef is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award is granted to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school. Gold is the highest accolade given by Unicef UK and shows a deep and thorough commitment to children’s rights at all levels of school life. There are over 500 schools across England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales that have received Gold.

The school has been working with Unicef UK since 2017. They received their Silver certificate in June 2017. Last year, children from Holywell School attended a special Parliamentary event and exhibition to speak out on behalf of children across the country for their right to clean air. In a speech to MPs and UNICEF representatives children from the school spoke of the dangers of toxic air on their health, the importance of monitoring and significantly reducing toxic levels of air pollution urging the government to action to protect children’s health.

Headteacher of Holywell School, Mr Darran Callaghan, said:

“I am immensely proud of our achievement and the work that children, staff and the community have done to receive this award and I want to thank everyone for their commitment to put the rights of children at the very centre of every decision we make. By embedding the UN Convention on the rights of the Child we help our pupils grow into confident, caring and responsible young people so they may realise their potential. As a result, children at our school not only have a voice, feel safe and well cared for but also have a greater understanding of equality, dignity, respect and non-discrimination and the impact they can have, not just in their community but in the wider world.”

Holywell School is one of only four schools in Kent to have received the Gold award from Unicef UK and the first school in Swale. The Award recognises achievement in putting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child at the heart of a school’s planning, policies and practice. A Rights Respecting School is a community where children’s rights are learned, taught, practised, respected, protected and promoted.

Unicef UK Rights Respecting Schools Programme Director, Frances Bestley, said:

“We are very pleased to be awarding Holywell Primary School Gold; Rights Respecting. It is clear that the whole school has embraced a culture based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Holywell is a very inclusive school where children report feeling valued and safe irrespective of their background. Pupils also have many genuine opportunities to have their views heard and influence key aspect of school life, in turn creating a positive learning environment. It was also clear that children had an excellent grasp of children’s rights and social justice, and so did school staff, parents, carers and the school’s governors. Everyone should be very proud of their achievement particularly in achieving Gold at such a challenging time for schools.”

The Unicef UK Rights Respecting Schools initiative is aimed at schools across the UK, including those in an early years setting. This year the programme has received additional support from The People’s Postcode Lottery. This vital funding is helping Unicef UK continue its work with over 4500 primary schools, secondary schools, schools for children and young people with special educational needs and pupil referral units across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Schools have reported a positive impact on pupil behaviour, relationships and well-being by enhancing pupil’s self-esteem, leading to less truancy and bullying, better learning and improved academic standards.

Mr Darran Callaghan

Headteacher

Holywell Primary School

Telephone: 01634 388416

Email: office@holywell.kent.sch.uk

Website: www.holywell.kent.sch.uk

Poolside Bar Music with Country Cousins at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

From 7:30pm

Free Entry - Non-Members Welcome

Food Available Until 8:00pm

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

Emergency Road Closure - Lower Rainham Road, Upchurch

It will be necessary to close Lower Rainham Road, Upchurch from Sunday 20th September 2020 for up to 1 day.

The road will be closed at Otterham Quay Lane to Station Road.

The alternative route is via Station Road, High Street and Otterham Quay Lane.

It is planned that the road will be closed between 09:00 hrs and 16:00 hrs.

This is to enable carriageway resurfacing to be carried out by Mostrim Groundworks.

For information regarding this closure, please contact Kent County Council on:

03000 418181 (9:00am - 5:00pm)

03000 419191 (5:00pm - 9:00am)

For details of roadworks see: www.kenttraffic.info

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

Newington History Group - Newington Uncovered 2020

Email: newingtonhistorygroup@outlook.com

Website: www.newingtonhistorygroup.btck.co.uk
Facebook: Newington History Group

Follow on Twitter: twitter.com/NewingtonHG

Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group

September News from Upchurch Horticultural Society - From the Potting Shed

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd

As we move into September the evenings and mornings are certainly getting nippy, but the day time temperatures are lovely and we are being promised an Indian summer. Personally, I take that sort of talk with a pinch of manure and still haven’t forgotten Gordon Brown’s BBQ summer. I believed him, got the BBQ out and watched it go rusty. This year actually reminds me of 2008, which may not have been too memorable, other than the fact that Autumn arrived at the start of October and produced a cold winter. The fruit seems early this year, the pears are picked, and the apples are huge. My Braeburns are a month early, there is a mass of berries and the starlings are starting to flock together. There is always talk of hard winters at this time of year but there may be some truth in it this year.

My poor lawn has been clobbered again this year, just when it had almost recovered from a couple of years ago. It's greening up again after the summer but will need a lot of scarifying with a spring tyne rake to get the dead thatch out. I gave it an Autumn weed and feed with low Nitrogen (N) and high Phosphate (P) and Potassium (K) which will help to strengthen the roots through the winter. In a previous house, I dug up the lawn and re-seeded it with Canada Green. This is a mix of Red Fescue, Rye and Kentucky Bluegrass. It produced a thick mat of vigorous grass that was drought resistant but needed a lot of cutting. So that’s the plan for next year.

I finally managed to weed the borders recently after two years and they do look bare, although the spring bulbs will hopefully provide a good show. The perennials from a “local nursery” have taken well and provided more colour and the dahlias are looking good despite a couple of casualties. The plug plants did not do well, but really need to be raised under glass. The Duchess threw me out of the conservatory this spring to make room for her house plants so I need to get a greenhouse.

In my fervour to face up to pandemic, I tried to get ahead of nature in the vegetable patch this Spring and got caught by a late frost. The climbing beans have come to nothing and a late sowing just hasn’t made it in time. A solitary marrow has struggled into growth and I am patiently waiting for the first stuffed marrow of the year. Curiously the sweetcorn survived but has produced a lot of small cobs which have ripened but are half bald! Potatoes have been excellent along with the broad beans which this year were Exhibition Longpod. A mass of beans but no opportunity to exhibit them.

Earlier in the year, I noticed that my plums were oozing a clear resin so when it came to harvest I opened them up for signs of sawfly. Some were maggoty but not all, so I do not think that this indicates a parasite. All the plums that were infected had a neat little hole in them about 1mm wide where the larvae had burrowed their way in.

Next month is the big tidy up and this year I am going to lift the potatoes, just in case. The log store is full with plenty of kindling and I will steadily retire from the garden. There are parsnips in the ground waiting for the first hard frost to sweeten them up and a late sowing of leeks to go in because I lost those as well. It’s been a strange year and still strange and it is difficult to predict where all this is leading. Hopefully, things will get back to normal, the pandemic will pass and we can all enjoy a good Xmas. But one thing I will do is always making sure that I drink from a clean glass and remember to take the mask off.

We are always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the 3 shows we hold each year, then please get in touch, we would be happy to hear from you.

If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on: 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email: rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk

Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society