Christmas Market at Upchurch Village Hall with Proceeds to Gillingham Street Angels

20 Stalls

Tombola (children and adults)

Face Painting

Butlers Butties Hot Food Wagon

Refreshments

Raffle

Prizes to include:

Family Entrance to Wildwood

Family Entrance to Kent Life

Afternoon Tea for 4 at Bridgewood Manor Hotel

Meal for 2 at The Crown, Upchurch

2 Pantomime Tickets to Jack and the Beanstalk

Afternoon Tea for 2 at The BarnYard, Upchurch

£25 Voucher for The Rose & Crown, Hartlip

£20 Voucher for The Three Tuns, Lower Halstow

£25 Cash for Ginnys Gem Trees

Cuddly Toy Horse - Tyrone Ripley

Plus lots lots more!

All proceeds to Gillingham Street Angels

For more info, contact: janette.hodgers68@gmail.com

Website: www.thestreet-angels.org

Gillingham Street Angels

Three Towns Theatre Company Presents DRACULA!! at Upchurch Village Hall

To book tickets, Email: threetownscommittee@gmail.com

Website: www.threetownstheatrecompany.co.uk

Three Towns Theatre Company

Upchurch Players Presents The Sword in the Stone - Launch Night

Come to Upchurch Village Hall to find out how you can be involved, on or off the stage!

Kay Wright 

Secretary - Upchurch Players

Facebook: www.facebook.com/UpchurchPlayers

Email: secretary@upchurchplayers.co.uk

Website: www.upchurchplayers.co.uk

Upchurch Annual Parish Meeting

This year's Annual Parish meeting is on Thursday the 11th of April 2024, at 7:30pm in Upchurch Village Hall.

The meeting is an opportunity for residents to learn about local groups and activities in the Village.

If you would like to speak or read out a report, please contact the Clerk.

If you are unable to attend but would like a report read out on your behalf, please send it to the Clerk no later than the 9th of April 2024.

We hope you can all attend and look forward to seeing you in April.

Nina Henley

Clerk and Proper Officer to Upchurch Parish Council

Tel: 07798 600696

Email: clerk@upchurchparishcouncil.gov.uk

Website: www.upchurchparishcouncil.gov.uk

Upchurch Village Hall - AGM

Upchurch Village Hall Management Committee

Annual General Meeting

Wednesday 10th April 2024 at 7:00pm in the Main Hall

The Village Hall Management Committee is a group of volunteers who run the hall on behalf of the community. It is made up of representatives from the regular users of the hall along with village reps.

The groups currently with an opportunity to nominate 2 reps each are the Parish Council, PCC, WI, Players, Bowls and UpARA.

At present, not all of these groups are part of the Hall Committee, and we hope to see this change at the AGM because we want all regular users to have a say in how the hall is run and to help shape its future. 

The AGM is open to all as an opportunity for residents to find out what's been happening in the hall, what plans are being made, and to ask any questions.

Thank you

Upchurch Village Hall Management Committee

Website: www.upvh.co.uk

Christmas Market with Santa at Upchurch Village Hall

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

Local Causes Pickup £1000’s at the Co-op Community Celebration Day | Time to Choose a New Local Cause to Support

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!

Become a Co-op member at >> www.coop.co.uk/membership

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

Upchurch WI | November Meetings - Craft Evening and New Age Kurling

Wendy Pitts

Secretary - Upchurch Women's Institute

Tel: 01634 362253 

Email: marwen.pitts@btinternet.com

Christmas Market at Upchurch Village Hall - Stall Holders Wanted

The Christmas Market at Upchurch Village Hall was very well supported and enjoyed by all last year.

The market was a fundraising event for the St Mary’s Church Bell Tower Restoration Fund with refreshments provided by Upchurch WI, and it raised a fantastic amount of £602 on the day!

The village children were very excited to meet Santa in his sleigh with giant reindeer, and the good news is that he will be returning this year to see if they have all been good again, courtesy of Upchurch Parish Council.

If you would like a stall this year, register your interest at: upchurchvillagehall@yahoo.com

Thank you 

Upchurch Matters

UpARA Donates to the Bell Tower Restoration Fund

UpARA Chairman John Wishart presented fundraiser Elspeth Baecke with a cheque for £3,000 towards their chosen charity, St Mary's Church - Bell Tower Restoration Fund, at their monthly meeting on Friday the 19th of May 2023.

The association's fundraising events have raised £5,000 this year for worthy causes, including the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake and Ukraine Humanitarian Appeals, all thanks to its generous members.

Congratulations to UpARA members and the committee for another super year of fundraising!

Members had their Birthday Party in Upchurch Village Hall to look forward to after their guest speaker and AGM.

Congratulations and Happy Birthday, UpARA 🎉

Upchurch Matters

Commemorative Coronation Mugs for Holywell School

Holywell Primary School held our Coronation Picnic on Friday the 12th of May, in both the School Hall and Upchurch Village Hall as the weather conspired against us.

The children took part in a design a crown competition, and there was one prize for each class.

Commemorative Coronation Mugs were presented to every pupil and member of staff, which were kindly paid for by a grant from Upchurch Parish Council.

Thank you

Tracey Snellings
School Business Manager
Holywell Primary School
Website: www.holywell.kent.sch.uk

RESULTS: Local Elections - May 2023 | Election of Swale Borough Councillors to Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch Ward

Local elections are taking place on Thursday the 4th of May 2023

All 47 Swale Borough Council seats are being contested, along with town and parish councils.

There will also be a by-election for the Sheppey division of Kent County Council.

To vote in the elections, residents must be on the electoral register. If you are not already registered to vote, you must register by 11:59pm on Monday the 17th of April 2023.

You normally only need to register once - not for every election. You will need to register again if you have changed your name, address or nationality.

You can register to vote at >> www.gov.uk/register-to-vote. It usually takes around 5 minutes.

If you are intending to vote by post or by proxy, you must apply by 5:00pm on:

• Tuesday the 18th of April if you're intending to vote by post

• Tuesday the 25th of April if you're intending to vote by proxy

• Thursday the 4th of May if you're using an emergency proxy vote

You can find more information, including who the candidates are in each election, on the Swale Borough Council Elections and Referendums page >> www.swale.gov.uk/elections

Election of Swale Borough Councillors to Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch Ward

Upchurch Village Hall is our Polling Station and will be open from 7:00am until 10:00pm. The count will take place on Friday the 5th of May at Swallows Leisure Centre, Sittingbourne, and the results will be announced the same day.

The number of Borough Councillors to be elected is 2.

Residents can vote for no more than 2 candidates in this election.

The candidates and results were:

Margaret Anne Cooper - Labour Party 279 votes

Alan Campbell Horton - Conservative Party Candidate 513 votes

Chris Palmer - Swale Independents Putting our community first 879 votes

Richard Palmer - Swale Independents Putting local people first 943 votes

Asha Saroy - Conservative Party Candidate 336 votes

Chris Palmer (Swale Independents) and Richard Palmer (Swale Independents) were elected.

New voter ID requirement

New government legislation means voters in England will need to bring an accepted photo ID to vote at a polling station.

If you do not have an accepted photo ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate no later than 5:00pm on Tuesday the 25th of April 2023.

To find out more about accepted forms of photo ID, how to apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate, and what to expect on polling day, visit >> www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id

Upchurch Matters

Bulb Planting & Litter Pick at Upchurch Village Hall

As a way of marking the coronation of King Charles III, hall volunteers will be joining in the spirit of The Big Help Out and volunteering their time to add colour and tidy up the village hall grounds.

If you would like to help them on Monday the 8th of May, between 10:00am and 12:00pm, they will be very pleased to see you.

Equipment will be available to borrow/share, but if you have your own, please bring it along.

The hall will provide the bulbs, but if you have extra bulbs or plants to donate, please bring them along - Thank you.

UpARA will be using the hall but have kindly agreed for volunteers to use the facilities as and when needed.

For further details, please Call: 07368 461507 or Email: enquiries@upvh.co.uk 

Upchurch Matters

Kent Association of Local Councils Community Awards Scheme 2023

Click photographs to enlarge.

Congratulations to Gerry Lewin, this year's worthy winner of the Kent Association of Local Councils Community Awards Scheme 2023 in the community of Upchurch.

Councillor Alan Horton presented Gerry with his award at this year's Annual Parish Meeting, held in Upchurch Village Hall on Thursday the 27th of April 2023.

The Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC) Community Award acknowledges and recognises a resident or group that has made a significant contribution to their local community over a period of years.

Gerry's certificate reads:

Hon. Alderman Gerald Lewin

In the community of: Upchurch

Awarded for: To acknowledge and give recognition to the significant contribution and dedication to the community, Upchurch Parish Council and Swale Borough Council as well as the many other local community organisations.

Thank you, Gerry, for everything you have done for our village 👏🏼

Upchurch Matters

Upchurch Players Present The Gingerbread Man - Launch Night

Upchurch Players present The Gingerbread Man, Launch Night.

From 7:00pm - 9:00pm on Monday the 15th of May at Upchurch Village Hall.

Come and find out how you can be involved on or off the stage!

Keep an eye out for audition information coming soon.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/UpchurchPlayers

Email: secretary@upchurchplayers.co.uk

Website: www.upchurchplayers.co.uk

Upchurch Players Present The Gingerbread Man

Upchurch Players present The Gingerbread Man, their 32nd pantomime.

A new and original story inspired by the classic fairy tale.

Think you know the story? Think again.

Keep an eye out for the launch night and audition information coming soon!

Performance dates and times at Upchurch Village Hall - TBA.

Facebook: www.facebook.com/UpchurchPlayers

Email: secretary@upchurchplayers.co.uk

Website: www.upchurchplayers.co.uk

Upchurch Matters

Annual Parish Meeting - Agenda

Upchurch Parish Council invites you to attend the Annual Parish Meeting at 7:30pm on Thursday the 27th of April 2023, in Upchurch Village Hall.

If any local Upchurch organisations would like to attend and give a verbal report, then please let the Clerk know in advance.

If you are unable to attend and would like to send a report to be read out during the meeting, please send it to the Clerk as soon as possible - Thank you.

We hope to see many of you at this year's meeting.

Nina Henley

Clerk and Proper Officer to Upchurch Parish Council
Tel: 07798 600696
Email: clerk@upchurchparishcouncil.gov.uk
Website: www.upchurchparishcouncil.gov.uk

Upchurch WI - Quiz Night

Wendy Pitts - Upchurch Women's Institute

Tel: 01634 362253

Email: marwen.pitts@btinternet.com

Upchurch Village Hall - AGM

Upchurch Village Hall Management Committee

Annual General Meeting

Thursday 13th April 2023 at 7:00pm in the Main Hall 

The Upchurch Village Hall Management Committee is a group of volunteers drawn from village organisations who give up their time to maintain and run the Village Hall on behalf of the community.

The AGM is a chance for village residents to find out what has been happening during the past year and hear about our plans for the future.

The meeting is open to all, so put the date in your diary and we hope to see you there!

Thank you

Upchurch Village Hall Management Committee

Website: www.upvh.co.uk

Christmas Market at Upchurch Village Hall - Amount Raised and Thank You

Gerry Lewin, Elspeth Baecke, Alison Lewin and David Steward, in St Mary’s Church,

announcing the amount raised by the Christmas Market held in 2022.

Thank you to everyone involved in the Christmas Market held at the village hall on Saturday the 10th of December 2022.

The market, organised by the Village Hall Management Committee, was a fundraising event for the St Mary’s Church Bell Tower Restoration Fund with refreshments provided by Upchurch WI and included a visit from Santa in his sleigh with giant reindeer, courtesy of Upchurch Parish Council.

The final amount raised on the day is £602 👏🏼

A big thank you to:

Organiser Gerry Lewin and the Village Hall Management Committee members who helped organise and run the whole event and staffed the raffle and to Upchurch WI for running the kitchen and kindly donating their profits.

All sponsors of the raffle:

BOOM hush Theatre Productions

The Crown at Upchurch

Overbury Estates

Joe's Bows

Tinx Fluid Art

Theia Glass

All Vehicle Services

Upchurch Players

The Three Tuns Lower Halstow

Upchurch's Co-op

Also to:

Kay Suzanne Creates for the poster artwork

Upchurch Matters and The Gabriel for publicity

The wonderful stallholders

Upchurch Parish Council for inviting Santa to visit us

And anyone else I have missed!

A JustGiving fundraising page has also been published to help towards the restoration.

Please visit the link to donate >> www.justgiving.com/campaign/upchurchbelltower

Thank you

Alison Lewin