Newington Festival

Richard Thompstone
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Upchurch River Valley Golf Course - Anniversary Day Celebrations

Upchurch River Valley Golf Course
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Nursery Days Pre School

Nursery Days is planning some exciting additions to the provision we already offer! Those already attending know just how busy we are in the preschool this year and with the new starts and those moving up we are full by January/February again!

The village hall preschool will be an extension of what we already offer for those who just wish to receive the 15 hours, although we are just putting feelers out at the moment for interest ....

Mel

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600 Posts

We've reached a milestone today on Upchurch Matters. In just over 3 years we've posted 600 news items and articles to our popular 'Notice Board Page', in support of local groups, organisations, events & businesses.

If you're planning a village event then don't forget to tell us about it first so we can tell everybody else!

Thank you

Upchurch Matters

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Church Opening Times during June and July

Church opening times for St. Mary the Virgin, Upchurch during June and July are:

Wednesday afternoons between 1:00pm and 4:00pm.

Saturdays between 11:00am and 4:00pm.

Jackie Giddings

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UpARA - Programme of Events

Upchurch Active Retirement Association

We had a very successful launch of our new association in Upchurch, with 77 members signing up at the inaugural meeting, which has now risen to 110, against our limit of 150.

Our next events are;-

Monthly Meeting (2nd Friday of the Month)

(Members Free; Guests £2.00)

*

Friday 13th June 2014, 2:00pm

*

Friday 11th July 2014, 2:00pm

Coffee Mornings (4th Tuesday of the Month)

(Members £1.50; Guests £2.00)

*

Tuesday 24th June 2014, 09:30am 

*

Tuesday 22nd July 2014, 09:30am

Village Walks (Every other Friday)

Friday 6th June 2014, 6:00pm

*

Friday 20th June 2014, 10:00am

Outings

Thursday 24th July 2014

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

*Oliver*

*

Wednesday 13th August 2014

Day trip to Brighton

*New members welcome*

David Powell - Chairman

Email: davidrpowell5@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 01795 843550

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Greggstival

Fiona Shoults

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Holywell School Summer Fayre

Clare Evans PFHS

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Upchurch Village Market - An Open Letter from the Market Manager - The End of The Road

Upchurch Twinning Group News

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

Do visit: www.ferques.fr for interesting stuff as well! 

Annual General Meeting

Your Twinning Group needs you!

Upchurch Twinning Group AGM is on Thursday 19^th June 2014 at 7:30pm in Holywell School Hall.  Refreshments will be available after the meeting.

This is THE opportunity to find out who we are, what we do and how the last year has gone and, of course, to be elected on to our group committee.

We need a Chairman, Vice-Chairman and a Secretary, plus a few others, please! This is a friendly group, twinned with a French village only a 20 minute drive from Calais.  It’s not onerous, just fun!

So, we hope to see you at this important AGM!

Bastille Day Fair in Ferques – Always on 14^th July, this year it is a Monday. Ferques always has a street fair. Makes a good day out!

Jim Harman (Chairman) 01634 235420.

Sue Rossiter (Secretary) 01634 234780 or Email: suerossiter@waitrose.com 

Sue Rossiter

Promise Auction on behalf of St. Mary the Virgin Upchurch

From the 1st June 2014 until midnight 27th June 2014 our Website will be open to accept bids which is as follows:

www.upchurchpromise.eu.pn

We will be in the Paddock, Upchurch, on the Village Fete Day 28th June 2014 where we will have our promises on show for you to see and then at 2pm our Auctioneer will take the final offers.

Please take time to look at the promises and make a bid if you find something that you like.

Brenda Kemsley

Tel: 01634 231585 or Email: brenda_ann@btinternet.com

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European Parliamentary Election - South East

The poll will be taken on Thursday the 22nd of May 2014 between the hours of 7:00am and 10:00pm.

1935 residents from the village are entitled to vote in tomorrows European Parliamentary Election.

Our village Polling Station is: Upchurch Village Hall, Upchurch, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7EU.

A statement of parties and individual candidates nominated can be found on the Swale Borough Council website. Link to PDF here

Upchurch Matters

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Upchurch Village Market - Sunday 25th May

Upchurch Village Market returns to the Village Hall this Sunday the 25th of May between 10:00am - 1:00pm

Upchurch Matters
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Nursery Days - Diary Dates for 2014

Tuesday 3rd June	Graduation pictures	Lee Baddely will be in to take photos of the children that are graduation.
Friday 13th June	Father’s day 3.30pm – 4.30pm	We are inviting the fathers, carers or men in the children’s lives in to join the children for tea.
Tuesday 15th July	Graduation 10.30am – 11.15am approx	This is a lovely (and a little sad) ceremony where we celebrate the children’s time at nursery and wish them well for the future.
Tuesday 15th July	Snowflake parents evening 4.00pm – 6.00pm	A chance for you to come and look through your child’s file and have a little chat with your key person.
Wednesday 16th July	Sunbeams Parents evening 4.00pm – 6.00pm	As above.
Thursday 17th July	Rainbow parents evening 4.00pm – 6.00pm	As above.
Wednesday 17th September	Teddy bears picnic 3.00pm – 4.30pm	This is to be organised by Snowflake room so watch this space.
Tuesday 30th September	Parent lunch 11.30 – 1.00pm	Today we are inviting parents into have lunch with their children.  Be warned it will mean sitting at a little table!  Nearer the time the rooms will start collecting information on who is coming.
Tuesday 14th October	Mad hatters tea party	Today we will be going through the rabbit hole and into the magical land of Alice in wonderland.  The children will enjoy a mad hatter’s tea party with teapots, cups and saucers and some special dainty food that asks you to ‘eat me’.
Tuesday 9th December	Snowflake room Christmas gathering 3.30pm – 4.30pm	Parents/carers are invited into Snowflake room to share mince pies, meet some other parents and listen to Christmas music.
Wednesday 10th December	Sunbeams Christmas performance 10.30am -11.15am / 2.30pm – 3.15pm	Yet to be announced, but always an excellent production, Sunbeams Christmas performance. More details nearer the time.
Wednesday 17th December	Rainbow Christmas craft morning 9.30am – 11.30am	Rainbow room invite all the parents in to the room to watch and join in some Christmas art and craft activities.  There will be lots going on and is an excellent opportunity for you to see the room in action.

Please note that Nursery Days is shut on all Bank Holidays. We also close early at 4:00pm on Christmas Eve and reopen on the first working day after the new year. Children in need will be announced nearer the time.

Mel.
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A History of ‘The Three Sisters’ Public House

The Three Sisters circa 1910.

With the coming of the brickfields to lower Rainham in the mid-19^th century which required a large number of men to do hard physical work, the construction of The Three Sisters in 1863 came as no surprise. Throughout the second part of the 19^th century and into the 20^th century brickfield workers regularly drank in the pub and some even lodged there. This contributed regular business which is probably a major reason why the pub survived while the Anchor & Hope and the Lord Stanley at Otterham Quay eventually closed.

There are several theories about how the pub acquired its name but the exact reason is unknown. The first of these is connected with three sarsen stones which are situated at the south west corner of the pub. These mark the footpath that passes through Natal Farm. Secondly, there were once three beacons situated on the marshes to guide shipping that were known as The Three Sisters. Another theory is that the pub was named after the three Hubbard sisters who lived in a nearby cottage during the 19^th century.

George Freeman served as the first publican of the Three Sisters with his wife Ellen who originated from Ireland. In 1871 his niece Frances Sarden and a lodger named William Lacy also lived there. George Freeman’s name appears on the 1861 census list as publican of the Anchor and Hope pub in Otterham Quay where he worked before taking on The Three Sisters. By 1881 George Clark had taken over and he remained there until the 1890s. Bill Edmunds then took over with his wife Rose and two children William and Rose. Bill Edmunds, a short, stocky man with bushy black eyebrows and a mustache became well known in the area and became a prominent member of Rainham Cycle Club whose headquarters were based at the Green Lion Inn in Rainham High Street. While serving as publican at the Three Sisters he organised regular excursions to the seaside and short cycling trips for customers.

During the 1890s ‘The Jolly Brickmakers club’ became established in the pub. Members contributed money so that social trips could be organised to different locations. Many trips took place including one to Yalding in 1894. Concerts were also held at the pub in aid of needy parishioners. In August, 1899 a smoking concert raised £4 for blind parishioner Richard Turrell from Otterham Quay.

In 1900 brickfield workers like Richard Parr and Fred Wilkman lodged at the pub along with a servant named Edith Wills who helped out in the building. Landlord Bill Edmunds who had made a big contribution to the pub while managing it died prematurely from pneumonia aged 40 in 1902.

David Wood.

 After the death of Bill Edmunds Henry Tassell took over as publican in the period leading up to the 1920s. He married the former landlord’s widow Rose and they had two children named Alec and Ethel. Alec became a well-known cricketer with Upchurch and Rainham cricket clubs and a bricklayer with E.C. Gransden Ltd. William Edmunds, son of the former publican of the same name also played cricket for Upchurch and became landlord during the 1920s. When he left Albert Roche and his wife Caroline arrived. They were succeeded by Ernie Huseman and his wife Eleanor during the 1930s and 1940s.

During the 1960s brickfield workers, foreign seamen from Otterham Quay and locals continued to patronise the pub with characters like Bill Richardson who lived nearby in a bungalow. He personally constructed it single handed over more than a decade. ‘The Keg Boys’ from Rainham with members like Stan Peace, Neville Huggins and Colin Chapman also periodically drank there along with other locals.

Robert Moulton and his wife Margaret became long serving landlords at the pub until the 1970s but with the closure of the brickfield trade from brickfield employees ceased and the pub had to rely on a hard core group of locals to keep the pub going.

One of the most popular landlords and innovators at the pub, a former talented local footballer named Mick Harris, resided there during the 1980s to the mid-1990s. A very outgoing, sometimes outspoken and lively individual, he encouraged a younger clientele with discos and music nights and proved to be a very popular landlord with large numbers of customers attending at weekends. In 1997 Sue and Graham Fry took over and they stayed until 1999.

The Three Sisters as it looks today.

Sally Godden who is a familiar local figure in the equestrian world now runs the pub which is known to many customers as ‘The Six Tits’. The pub has a regular band of drinkers, it serves food and hosts regular, live weekly music with Karaoke nights. Singers and musicians like Mickey Blue Eyes, Annie Love and Lisa Mills perform there. With a main bar at the front, a functions room and a beer garden at the back, oak beams on the ceiling, an open fire in winter and pub games like pool, darts and cards, The Three Sisters remains a popular pub in the area and has developed a new image compared to the old days when it attracted brickfield workers.

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 at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + £3.50 postage and packing.

David Wood.

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Bricks, Brickmen & Barges

Jane Gransden
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Allotment at Upchurch

If you are interested in renting an allotment, please do contact the Clerk. The allotments are managed by Upchurch Parish Council and are located in Oak Lane opposite the Recreation Ground.

Currently, the annual rent is as follows:

Parishioner: £16 per full plot /£8 per half plot

Non-Parishioner: £25 per full plot/£12.50 per half plot

(Rates valid as at 1st April 2014. Please note that the rent is due on 1st April each year.)

Claire Attaway, Clerk to the Parish Council.
Email: clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk
Tel: 01634 363906.
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UpARA - Programme of Events

Upchurch Active Retirement Association

We had a very successful launch of our new association in Upchurch, with 77 members signing up at the inaugural meeting, which has now risen to 110, against our limit of 150.

Our next events are;-

Monthly Meetings (2^nd Friday of the month)

(Members Free; Guests £2.00)

Friday 13^th June 2014, 2:00pm

 Coffee Mornings (4^th Tuesday of the month)

(Members £1.50; Guests £2.00)

Tuesday 27^th May 2014, 09:30am

*

Tuesday 24^th June 2014, 09:30am

Village Walks (Every other Friday)

Friday 23^rd May 2014, tba

Outings

Thursday 24^th July 2014

Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

“Oliver”

*

Wednesday 13^th August 2014

Day Trip to Brighton

*New members welcome*

David Powell - Chairman

Email: davidrpowell5@hotmail.co.uk
Telephone: 01795 843550

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Upchurch Parish Council Report - June 2014

The Parish Council met on Thursday 1^st May in the Hall of Holywell Primary School where 7 Councillors were present and 9 members of the public.

Public Time – Gypsy/Traveller site – A resident reported that he had put up notices regarding the planning application at Orchard Park. He commented that it felt like the village was accepting travellers and that he can see caravans coming into the horizon. It was explained that the Council was trying to voice the concerns of the settled community. Highway issues – A resident raised concerns about the amount of damage the delivery Lorries were causing in the village, in particular the Lorries delivering to the Co-Op. He also reported that two road accidents had happened in one day. One in Forge Lane outside the Fish & Chip shop and one outside the Car Sales Showroom in Horsham Lane. It was explained that cars were being parked to close to the boundary with Horsham Lane and that they were using a full size transporter. It was reported that the Council had contacted the Co-Op to raise resident’s concerns about the delivery Lorries and it was hoped that the Store Manager would attend the next GPC meeting. Orchard Park – A resident reported that a fence dividing the small orchard/farmers field had been taken down. Overhanging vegetation – A resident commented that a large amount of vegetation would need cutting back. There were many sites in the village where the sightlines were poor. Swale BC Councillor – Cllr Lewin reported that the situation with a planning application for a gypsy & traveller site in Holywell Lane had changed. The site had been sold to a different family. He reported that there were now 4 touring caravans on site, with at least 2 of the families on site having 2 and 3 small children respectively. The Enforcement Officer had decided it was not appropriate at this time to serve an enforcement notice and had advised the occupiers to submit a planning application within the next 28 days, failing which they would move to serve an enforcement notice. Cllr Lewin explained that he had replied to this as follows:

I am amazed that we are not taking a firm stand on this. Holywell Lane has been transformed from a quiet rural lane to a lane urbanised by Gypsy & Travellers. This latest situation will undoubtedly create further issues of access to sites etc., which as happened recently will damage the environment.

We must put ourselves in control of these situation not put it in the hands of others. I do not accept that the land now newly occupied has deemed consent for use by Gypsies. This will be a retrospective application yet again.

Planning – SW/14/0423 R/o 124 Chaffes Lane – New dwelling within rear garden- The Planning Review Team commented as follows:

·      It believes it is an over-developed back-fill

·      It will impact on the owners of Nos. 134 and 132 Chaffes Lane

·      The owner of No.2 Marstan Close is a relative of the applicants and, although she may not object to the use of the right way of fronting her property, any future owner could find it intrusive.

·      The views of the owners of No. 3 and all neighbours in Marstan Close and the surrounding properties on Chaffes Lane and Oak Lane should be given serious consideration.

·      Marstan Close is a small, cul-de-sac with congested parking and the proposed development would exacerbate this problem with increased on-road parking for visitors or commercial deliveries.

Taking these views as a whole, the Planning Review Team objects to the proposals.

Permission granted: TC/14/0028 21 Oak Lane – reduce Holm Oak tree by 33%, annual pruning to maintain reduced size. SW/14/0161 Gibbens Farm Bungalow, The Street, Bredgar – The transfer of agricultural occupancy condition attached to the bungalow, Gibbens Farm, Bredgar to the cottage, Gore Farm. SW/14/0190 2 Church Farm Road – First floor extension over existing garage.

Other planning matters – Oast Field Stud, Gore Farm Track, Holywell Lane – Change of use of land to a 1 no. pitch gypsy site (1 no. mobile home, 2 no. touring caravans) with associated foaling boxes and parking bays. It was advised that this planning application would be reported to the Planning Committee of Swale BC on 8^th May 2014. Cllr Tucker will register to speak at this meeting.  

Finance – Final Accounts for approval – a copy of the accounts for the year 2013-14 had been circulated and approved at the Annual Parish Meeting held on 24^th April 2014. It was agreed that they be approved and it was noted that the Councils expenditure was greater than its income therefore it was necessary to move towards three year budgeting.

Administration – Resignation of Village Cleaner – It was explained that the current role was unmeasurable. Therefore the Council could consider other options. Cllr Tucker thanked Cllr Denny, Cllr Rose and Cllr Lewin for offering to help litter pick in The Paddock whilst the Council considers this role. Members expressed a preference to the possibility of employing a sub-contractor. It was suggested renaming the role to “Village Caretaker” which could include additional tasks, for example, cutting back vegetation overhanging sightlines.

Allotments and Recreation Ground – Salt in Recreation Ground Car Park – It was reported that the salt bags would be removed by the end of May. Anyone wishing to collect some of this salt were encouraged to do so as soon as possible. Noticeboard for Allotments – It was explained that Mr Osborne had asked for a specification for this. A resident had offered to install the noticeboard. The design and specification would be confirmed at the next GPC meeting. It was also suggested to install a noticeboard in the Burial Ground.

Burial Ground and Churchyard – St Mary’s Church Clock – It was agreed to accept a quote to the sum of £368 + VAT from Gillett & Johnston for replacing the winding switch. Members requested that the engineer investigate why the clock is not working properly when they attend to carry out this repair work.                                     

Environment – Proposal for a Bus Shelter in the Village Centre– A paper prepared by those “for” and those “against” had been circulated. Members discussed this and then Cllr Tucker asked members to vote on the following proposal:

Those in favour of progressing the administration side of progressing the proposal for a Bus Shelter in Horsham Lane.

With 4 members for and 3 members against, it was agreed that the Council would contact the Conservation Officer to discuss further. It was explained that funding was an issue and that the Council would take time in making decisions on how and when this would move forward.

Barbara Webb Memorial – Cllr Apps reported that it was fifty years since the loss of Barbara Webb and commented that the Council should not let this anniversary go unmarked. Cllr Lewin reported that Mrs Madden had indicated her intention to replace the bowl used in the presentation for the Best Kept Garden Competition. Cllr New explained that the Village Hall Management Committee may like to be involved, perhaps by planting a tree or plant.

Highways – Identification of Street Lights – It was agreed to accept a quote to the sum of £235.50 for producing fifty labels. Replacement Street Light in Breach Lane – It was reported that the new light in Breach Lane had been installed. UK Power Networks grant – Cllr Arnold reported that he had submitted a grant application for installing energy saving street lighting at a cost of around £10,000.

Next meetings – 5^th June and 3^rd July. Please note that the meetings will now be held at the Village Hall starting at 7.30pm.

Claire Attaway

Parish Clerk

Tel: 01634 363906 (Mon - Thurs 9am to midday)

Email: clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Website: www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk