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Nursery Days Christmas Fayre
On Saturday the 16th of December
From 10:00am until 12:00pm
At The Old School, Upchurch, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 7AJ
Come along for traditional games, prizes, festive food, and bundles of Christmas cheer!
“Christmas Crescendo”Saturday 25th November 2023
7:30pm in St Mary’s Church, Upchurch
Entry £10, under 18s free
Our concert will include Missa Pastoritia in F by Karl Kempter - a first performance of this work in the UK! Also, lots of seasonal music with some audience participation.
Please come and join us!
Refreshments will be available at the interval, courtesy of The Friends of St Mary’s.
For more information, contact UCS Secretary Sue Rossiter.
Sue Rossiter
The Remembrance Sunday service was led by Revd. Julian Staniforth and took place in the Church of St Mary the Virgin on November 12th.
The Upchurch uniformed youth organisations paraded from Drakes Hut as the rain eased and formed a guard of honour along the entrance to the south door of the church.
At the service, a very full church remembered all those who made the ultimate sacrifice in WWI and subsequent conflicts for this Nation. Eight wreaths were laid in turn in the Lady Chapel. The wreaths were on behalf of the Church, the Mayor of Swale, The Royal Navy Clearance Divers Association, Ferques (our twin village in France*), Upchurch Parish Council, Upchurch Scouts, Upchurch Guides and the Upchurch Brownies.
The names of all those on the Upchurch memorial tablets in the Lady Chapel who made the ultimate sacrifice in WWI and WWII were then read out in the order recorded. At 11.00 hours, the bugler played the Last Post and the two minutes silence was observed.
At the end of the service, the choir led the congregation out to the middle burial ground. Wooden Remembrance crosses were laid at each of the five War Grave Commission graves by past members of the Armed or Civilian services. After the crosses were laid, all those present stood in silent Remembrance on what was a damp and dull morning only brightened by the autumnal foliage. This act concluded with prayers.
It was pleasing to see the village showing poppies on lamp posts, knitted poppies on the church railings and elsewhere. In the cemetery, a blanket of poppies had been erected guarded by two silhouettes of “Tommys” acknowledging the fallen. My Royal British Legion thanks to those responsible for these displays.
*Upchurch Parish Council sends a wreath to Ferques for laying on Armistice Day when the French remember their war dead.
“WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”
Hon. Alderman Gerry Lewin - Poppy Appeal Organiser
Christmas Market with Santa at Upchurch Village Hall
Saturday the 9th of December
From 11:00am until 4:30pm
The Christmas Market, organised by the Village Hall Management Committee, is a fundraising event for the St Mary’s Church Bell Tower Restoration Fund.
Tea, coffee, soft drinks and cakes will be provided inside the hall by Upchurch WI, with burgers and wraps available from Butlers Butties van outside. Both are donating from their profits to the Bell Tower Restoration Fund.
Thanks to Upchurch Parish Council, Santa, in his sleigh with giant reindeer and elves, will be visiting the children at the Village Hall from 12:00pm until 2:30pm.
Last year's Christmas Market was a big success!
Don't miss this excellent village event this year.
Upchurch Matters
Co-op Community Celebration Day
Co-op colleagues are celebrating the £138 million their members have helped raise for millions of people in local communities across the UK since 2016.
The annual Community Celebration Day at Upchurch's Co-op on Saturday the 18th of November, paid out a whopping £3063.92 to the store's 3 previous local causes.
Co-op Member Pioneer Sally Butcher presented the funds to local causes chosen during the last round of funding in the Co-op Community Fund.
Upchurch Village Hall received £1015.09
SATEDA received £1015.23
1st Upchurch Brownies and Guides received £1033.60
Congratulations 😃
Become a Co-op member and choose a local cause to support
Becoming a Co-op Member is really simple and costs £1. You will get access to exclusive offers, discounts and events, and for every £1 spent, you will earn 2p for yourself and 2p for your local community.
Make a difference in your community!
Upchurch's Co-op has been paired with their store at Parkwood Green, Rainham, for this new round of funding.
Our 2 new local causes are:
Upchurch Village Hall
4th Gillingham (Rainham) Sea Scouts
Upchurch Matters
Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward
Crime Number: 46/198741/23
Between 17:30 on Tuesday the 7th of November and 02:30 on Wednesday the 8th of November, somebody damaged a commercial property in School Lane, Newington.
If you have any information that could help investigators, please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.
Secretary - Upchurch Women's InstituteTel: 01634 362253
The art exhibition opens in St Mary's Church at 10:30am on Friday the 17th of November.
Local artists and sale of works
Tickets are £3 on the door - Children free
Please come along and support this very worthy cause
A JustGiving fundraising page has also been published to help towards the restoration.
Charity Registration No. 606311
Thank you
Elspeth Baecke
The age-old nuisance of dog fouling around the village has been raised with the parish council by residents angry at irresponsible dog owners for not cleaning up after their pets.
Dog waste poses a significant health risk to humans, particularly young children, as their immune systems are not fully developed.
Children are also more likely to come into contact with soil or sand that contains dog waste whilst playing in parks, gardens and playgrounds.
All waste contains bacteria that can cause stomach upsets, but the greatest risk is from Toxocariasis, which can pass from dog waste to humans through contaminated soil or sand. Children are at particular risk. It is rare, but it can sometimes cause serious health problems and even blindness.
Would you really want that on your conscience?
It is an offence to allow a dog under your control to foul a public place, and Swale Borough Council has the power to fine dog owners who do not clean up after their dogs.
You can receive an on-the-spot fine (FPN) of up to £100 if you do not clean up after your dog.
If you refuse to pay the fine, you could be taken to court and fined up to £1000.
There really is no excuse for not cleaning up after your dog.
The parish council has provided litter & dog waste bins at locations around the village where owners can dispose of bagged dog waste, as well as TiksPac dispensers at the Recreation Ground and near the Paddock in Chaffes Lane.
Please bag your dog waste and put it in any public litter bin or take it home to your household green wheelie bin.
Allowing your dog to foul in a public place and not clean it up is antisocial and totally unacceptable to all residents.
Please leave our village spaces clean, tidy and safe for others to enjoy.
Thank you
Upchurch Matters
Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward
Crime Number: 46/195481/23
Between 00:01 on Saturday the 28th of October and 14:00 on Wednesday the 1st of November, somebody attempted to gain access to a residential property in Spade Lane, Hartlip.
If you have any information that could help investigators, please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.
Kent Community Messaging
Upchurch Poppy Appeal
A team of local volunteers will again be making the annual house-to-house collections in Upchurch between Saturday the 28th of October, and Saturday the 11th of November.
Upchurch Parish Council has displayed poppies on lampposts throughout the village. The knitting group has added poppy crosses and wreaths to the church and post office railings. Two Tommy silhouettes are standing guard in the churchyard with heads bowed on either side of a beautiful display of flowing red poppies with some purple poppies amongst them to remember the animal victims of war. A post box topper is in place again outside the post office. These will remain on display throughout Remembrance Tide.
Remembrance Sunday Parade to the Church
The Remembrance Sunday Service begins at 10:15am on the 12th of November in the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Upchurch.
The young people of the uniformed sections and their leaders will make their yearly parade from the Scout HQ on the Recreation Ground in Oak Lane to the church.
Leaving at 9:30am, they will march (accompanied by marshals) along Oak Lane and return at 11:30am.
Oficial KCC road closures and restrictions on driving will be in place this year during both the parades to and from the church. Further details are at: https://tinyurl.com/3ccuhfa6
Please be patient during this time.
If you need to drive through the village centre during the parades, please consider using Church Farm Road and Chaffes Lane instead.
Thank you
Wreaths will be laid at the internal war memorial in the Lady Chapel on behalf of the Church, Swale Borough Council, Ferques (our twin village in France), Upchurch Parish Council, Upchurch Scouts, Upchurch Guides and Upchurch Brownies.
After the service, crosses will be laid at the five Commonwealth War Graves Commission graves in the churchyard.
A wreath on behalf of all Upchurch residents from the Parish Council has been sent to Ferques for laying at their ceremony on Saturday the 11th of November.
“WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”
Thanks to Hon. Alderman Gerry Lewin - Poppy Appeal Organiser, for the information.
Upchurch Matters
On the 2nd Thursday of each month.
The Rainbow Café at St Mary's Church will open its doors again between 2:00pm and 4:30pm on Thursday the 9th of November.
The café serves hot and cold drinks, delicious homemade cakes and savouries with a great snack deal and stories and crafts to entertain the children.
You will receive a warm welcome and be helping us support four Ugandan children through school.
Everybody welcome!
Gill Gay and the Rainbow Café Team
Saturday 11th November between 10:00am - 11:30am
Homemade Cakes, Jams, Pickles, Scones and Savouries
Also Puzzles, Books, Bric-à-brac and sometimes Plants
Something for everyone!
Refreshments
Please help support this ancient building - Thank you
🍰 🍓 🧩 📚 🎨 🪴 ☕️ ➕
Upchurch Matters
To all who would like a chat.
Since I lost my husband in February, I have realised the importance of getting together to have a chat.
A friendly group of us will be at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course again at 2:00pm on Monday the 13th of November.
Do join us. Just turn up - buy a drink, and come and have a chat in the Poolside Bar.
We meet once a month, but who knows, we may make it a more regular thing.
If you know someone who needs a lift, please let me know, and I will see what I can do. If you drive, why not offer a lift to a friend or a neighbour?
So you know who I am - you may already know me from the foodbank collections, the Rainbow Café or Uplift church.
I look forward to chatting with you all.
Gill Gay
Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward
Crime Number: 46/192587/23
On Saturday the 28th of October, between 00:01 and 01:00, somebody damaged a Ford Focus, a BMW and a Kia Picanto parked in Bull Lane, Newington.
Crime Number: 46/193073/23
On Saturday the 28th of October, between 00:01 and 01:00, somebody broke the wing mirror off a Mercedes A180 parked in Bull Lane, Newington.
If you have any information that could help investigators, please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.
Kent Community Messaging
The Parents & Friends of Holywell School invite you to a Christmas Nearly New Sale on Friday the 24th of November, straight after school in the hall.
Christmas Jumpers
Nativity Costumes
School Uniform
Holywell Primary School
Tel: 01634 388416
Upchurch Matters
Join speaker Richard Emmett at the Avenue Theatre, Sittingbourne, on Wednesday the 15th of November 2023 at 7:00pm (or by Zoom) for the HRGS AGM and from 8:00pm, listen to Richard's illustrated story behind the Doodlebug that demolished the railway bridge in Oak Lane, Upchurch on Wednesday the 16th of August 1944, and the recollections of those who saw it.
Entrance is free for HRGS members - Non-members can pay a £3 donation on the door or purchase tickets at: https://tinyurl.com/yjmx7db3 or at £1.50 for e-members. A discount code and Zoom link will be emailed to you before the date.
Upchurch Matters
