One of my clients is looking to place their 13 yr old son in the UK to improve his English for a month. Like his brothers and sisters, he is home-schooled.
The idea would be to spend a month in an English family and then their child spend a month with him in France.
The monthly Meeting of the Parish Council took place on
Thursday 6th August at the Village Hall where 6 Councillors were
present and 9 members of the public including Ward Cllrs Wright and Baldock.
Minutes
of the meeting held on 4th June 2015 – Amendments
to the minutes were made and it was proposed by Cllr Tucker and seconded by Cllr
Lewin that they be accepted as a true record. All agreed.
Public
Time– Planning - A resident raised
the issue of a new planning application being submitted for Moor Street
following the former application being turned down. The resident asked that as
the application had purely been reduced from 300 to 290 proposed dwellings the
Council comment in the same vain as to the original application. Planning – A
resident advised the meeting that his own application 15/505703/Full –
Greenacres, is not correct in its current form and was advised by Cllr Lewin to
advise Swale Planning of the amendments at which point the Parish Council would
review the application. Cllr Tucker
reported that there is a certain amount of confusion over the Greenacres
application as there appear to be two separate sites both of which are being
called Greenacres and that the enforcement notices shown on Swale Planning
appear to relate to the other site and not this one. The Clerk will contact
Swale Planning to request clarification. Planning – A resident enquired
as to whether there are any updates on the Jubilee Fields application, Cllr
Tucker reported that no updates had been received but that a strong letter of
objection had been submitted to Swale Planning by Gordon Henderson and could be
seen online. Road Sweeping – A resident raised concerns regarding the
amount of litter on the verges around the village and asked if the Parish Council
still employed a road sweeper, Cllr Tucker reported that unfortunately there
had been no interest in the role and that the village caretaker looks after the
parts of the village that the Parish Council are responsible for. The Clerk
reported that both she and Cllr Lewin had reported the issues of litter to
Swale Borough Council and a litter pick had been requested. Cllr Tucker advised
that residents can themselves request litter picks through the Swale Borough
Council customer services line. Reduction in Bus Service - A resident
reported that there had been notification from Chalkwell that the bus service
will be greatly reduced and asked if the Parish Council would be acting on
this. Cllr Tucker advised that the Clerk would be writing to Chalkwell and KCC
and asked also that the resident forward any details they had to the Clerk to
assist her with the relevant information. Ward Cllr Wright said he would also
pursue this matter. Parking around the School – Ward Cllr Wright advised
that following the presence of Enforcement Officers the parking around the
school had greatly improved and asked that residents contact either himself or
Cllr Lewin if the need for them arises again in the future. Localism Fund – Ward
Cllr Wright advised that any community projects looking for funding could apply
to him for the Localism Fund.
Correspondence – Village Centre Traffic – A letter had been received by the
Clerk regarding concerns with the speed of traffic through the village. It was
agreed that Cllr Horton would work with Upchurch Matters to educate residents
regarding the potential hazards of speeding. Cllr Tucker advised that the speed
watch equipment is available if residents would like to assist with this. A
discussion took place regarding the speed limits throughout the village but it
was agreed that nothing could be done to alter these as limits are decided by
law and not individual Council’s. Planting on the corner opposite Snaffles –
The Clerk had received a letter from the owner of Snaffles asking
permission to plant the corner of the Paddock opposite their shop. The Council
gave consent for this area to be planted upon agreement from the landowners to
the Clerk.
Planning – 15/50570/FULL – Greenacres, Holywell
Lane, Upchurch – The
Council will await the amendment notification before commenting on this
application. 15/504919/FULL – 104 Beckenham Park – The Council can see
no reason to object to this application. 15/505680/FULL – Orchard Close,
Poot Lane – The Council could see no reason to object to this application
other than to comment that the current design is not in keeping with the rural
location. MC/15/2731 – Land North of Moor Street Rainham – The Council
will be objecting to this application as per the previous application submitted
with regards to the local infrastructure.
Other
Planning Matters – 15/500491/OPDEV- 2 Greenacres, Holywell Lane– Cllr Lewin reported that an
enforcement notice had been put in place and that the applicant is appealing
against this.
Finance – A Finance Committee is to be formed
in order to prepare next year’s budgets and to address the unbudgeted spend,
the Village Hall, election funds and to project future spending for each of the
Parish’s areas.
Defibrillator – The Clerk advised that she had
received the defibrillator and this is being stored until the W.I and Parish
Council have agreed the best place to site this. The defibrillator is insured
under the Council’s current insurance policy.
Allotments – Cllr Tucker updated the meeting on
the recent unauthorised allotments fire and confirmed that the plot holder is
pursuing this as an act of arson with the police following the substantial
damage to her property. The Council have no grounds to pursue this separately
with the police.
Recreation Ground – Bins - Cllr Rose reported that two bins had
been set alight in the Recreation ground causing damage that may result in the
Council having to purchase new bins. Ball games in the Paddock and
Recreation Ground – The Clerk reported that the insurance company had
confirmed that any unauthorised organised ball games are not insured under the
public liability clause of the policy. There is historically a bye law stating
that ball games are not allowed in the Paddock. Any requests for organised
groups to hold activities in the Paddock or the Recreation Ground should be
made directly to the Clerk. It was agreed that a sign should be placed at both
areas to inform groups of this. Benches for Recreation Ground – Costings
will be looked at by the Finance Committee with regards to replacing the
benches in the Recreation Ground
Bus Shelter – Cllr Masson reported that he is
awaiting a response from Swale Planning regarding the pre –planning meeting and
Cllr Tucker asked that the Clerk chase this due to the time limit on several
possible grants that the Council could apply for.
Burial Ground and Churchyard – Cllr Rose
submitted a proposal to the members to address the non-compliant graves with
regards to acceptable edgings. It was agreed that this should be progressed and
that the only acceptable edgings around a grave would be box hedging as it was
felt that this had the most natural look. The Clerk reported that she had been
contacting by letter the grave owners of non-compliant graves but had
unfortunately received several back as ‘no longer at this address’. The Clerk
and Cllr Rose will be meeting with the Burial Ground Gardener with a view to
addressing these graves. St Mary’s Church Clock – The Clerk reported
that the Annual service is due in August and will be arranged in order that
Cllr Masson and Cllr Horton can be present. Burial Ground steps update – The
Council have received a complaint regarding the uneven steps in the Burial
Ground and have obtained a quote for new steps, due to there currently being no
money in the budget for this it will be passed to the Finance Committee for
discussion and in the meantime the Clerk will arrange for a sign to be made to
advise of the uneven steps and pathway.
Tree Management Proposal – Cllr Tucker
submitted a proposal to map out the trees in and around the village in order
that a contractor can regularly check these and update the Clerk on any
necessary work that will be needed in the future, this will enable the Council
to budget for this yearly. It was agreed that this would be put out to tender.
Highways – Cllr Arnold reported that three street
lights are currently not working and in keeping with normal procedure he will
report these to the contractors once he is notified of a fourth.
Other Matters not yet arising – Village Hall– Cllr Tucker
reported that the Village Hall are currently looking into obtaining grants to
carry out works on the roof, heating system and its general appearance
following low bookings. Any assistance from residents would be gratefully received.
Casual Vacancies – The Clerk confirmed that she had received no
responses to the advertisement for casual vacancies within the Council. Village
Fete 2016 – Cllr Tucker reported that the Village Fete would take place on
18th June 2016.
Please
note the full Minutes from the Meeting can be seen on the Upchurch Parish
Council website.
The
next Parish Council Meeting will take place on 3rd September at
7.30pm in the Village Hall.
Drastic changes are proposed to the 327 Bus Service which will adversely affect residents of Upchurch and Lower Halstow. The changes take effect from September 1st. I am trying to organise support against the changes, and would welcome help and assistance from all concerned villagers.
Following on from their hugely successful 'World's Biggest Coffee Morning' in 2013 and 2014, Sarah & Laura will be hosting another one this year on Friday the 25th of September 2015 at Upchurch Village Hall.
To do this though, they need your help!
Last year the ladies raised over £1080 for Macmillan Cancer Support and nationally Macmillan raised an amazing £25,102,796.00
Everybody is welcome to come along between 10:00am and 12:30pm for lots of cake, lots of tea & coffee and some special guests for the little ones. There will be toys for the younger guests to play with too.
If you are able to bring along a cake to sell, that's brilliant! There will be a raffle again this year with another wonderful set of prizes for people to win as well as other attractions and fun for the children.
According to details in the 1897 ordnance survey map central Upchurch remained relatively unchanged from the 1890s right up to the early 1960s. Most of the houses in The Street, the Infant’s School and the Co-op building then known as the 'King Edward 1' pub were in place. The church, ‘Wayside’ opposite in Oak Lane and 'The Crown' had existed for centuries. Anvil House, Church Farm Cottages, a forge, an Elizabethan barn and an oasthouse were located at the top end of Forge Lane. Other oasthouses stood on the sites of Crosier Court, Marstan Close Woodruff Close and Gore Farm.
Allotments were located opposite The Paddock in Oak Lane and behind Suffield House. The sites of The Poles and Church Farm Road were orchards. Only Gore Bank Cottages just past the recreation ground and cottages at Chaffes Lane Place existed in Chaffes Lane, the rest was farmland. Many of the houses in Horsham Lane had not been built and a brick works owned by Wakeley Brothers existed at the top end of Poot Lane where a rail system connected it to Lower Halstow Creek from where barges transported bricks to other locations.
The population of Upchurch totalled 1,218 in 1891 but by 1901 it had dropped to 1,129, mainly due to an agricultural crisis in which failing markets and mechanization had caused rising unemployment.
Most male residents worked on local farms, in the brickfields or on barges. Others included Ernest Cozens, a baker and the village photographer, Tom Wraight a grocer and postmaster and Charles Bishop, headmaster at Holywell School. These three men were active in village affairs. Others included Miss Furzeland the Infant’s school headmistress, William Hales, the butcher, Reverend Cooper the vicar and PC Fuggle the village policeman followed by PC Withers in 1893. In 1891 the oldest Upchurch residents were George Edmonds and Elizabeth Anderson, both aged 87.
During the 1890s public transport did not pass through the village and cars did not exist so many residents walked or rode bicycles to get around. The nearest public transport in the form of horse drawn omnibuses stopped at the White Horse and the Cricketers in Rainham and travelled to Sittingbourne, Faversham, Canterbury and Dover in one direction and Medway in the other. Alternatively, trains could be obtained at Rainham railway station.
Farming had a mix of fruit, hops, arable and livestock with Wakeley Brothers of Rainham owning a large amount of land in many parts of the village, Lt Colonel Lumley-Webb of Tunstall owned land at Ham Green and saltings at Greenborough and Slayhills. The Stevens family owned land at Holywell while Frank Seager managed Gore Farm. Smaller farmers at Ham Green included William Wood, Henry Clark and the Witherden family. Bill Hyland who became a well-known village bellringer worked as Wakeley’s fruit foreman at Wetham Green.
St. Mary's Church circa the 1890s. Taken from Horsham Lane.
In July 1890 Upchurch brickfield workers presented Holywell headmaster Charles Bishop with an engraved silver tray in appreciation for supplying them with bread when a bargemen’s strike had caused them hardship. He later held regular monthly concerts at Holywell School for parishioners’ entertainment to finance an annual children’s outing to Sheerness every July. Grocer Tom Wraight who also became a churchwarden organised entertainment for parishioners in the Vicarage Rooms. He participated as a singer and violinist at these events.
Six pubs provided the village men with beer and a social life during the 1890s. These included 'The Crown', 'The Brown Jug' and 'The Three Sisters' which still exist, others were the 'King Edward I' in The Street, 'The Anchor & Hope Inn' at Otterham Quay and 'The Stanley Inn' at the bottom of Windmill Hill.
Although a football club had not yet been formed a cycle club, a brass band and a cricket club flourished. The cricket club had been playing at Holywell Meadow since 1883 and had become established in the area, the parish council came into existence in 1894 and the recreation ground in 1897.
From 1894 an annual horticultural show took place in the 'King Edward 1' pub and money raised was donated to St Bart’s Hospital. Concerts were also held to aid suffering parishioners. In 1899 smoking concerts were held at 'The Three Sisters' and 'King Edward I' pubs to aid blind parishioner Richard Turill and an ill Edward Hollands. In March 1894 a fair took place but it failed as it only had one stall and a donkey due to lack of support.
Health became a periodic issue with six parishioners admitted to Keycol Hospital suffering from smallpox in April 1893, stench from cesspools caused health problems for village residents in The Street in 1894 and an outbreak of diphtheria occurred at Ham Green in 1896. Parishioners had to rely on water from wells which was not always of the best quality resulting in many being closed during the late 1890s due to an outbreak of typhoid. In 1898 plans were drawn up to have a waterworks constructed at Yelsted to supply Upchurch and other local villages with clean water.
At a time when sanitation was not up to present standards services were in operation to assist the public. The cesspool emptying service was one of these and consisted of a horse and cart loaded with barrels. Going from house to house on the horse and cart, the cesspool men removed waste from the cesspools and loaded it into the barrels with a long handled implement. When full the barrels were emptied on farmland to act as fertiliser for crops.
Most Upchurch residents lived their entire lives in the village and struggled against unemployment and sickness to a far greater extent than today without the luxuries or services of modern times.
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.
Brief summary of the crime information for the past 2 months:
May 2015
June 2015
All crime
35
30
Anti-social behaviour
9
6
Bicycle theft
0
0
Burglary
4
5
Criminal damage and arson
3
4
Drugs
0
0
Other crime
0
0
Other theft
4
5
Possession of weapons
0
0
Public order
1
0
Robbery
0
0
Shoplifting
0
0
Theft from the person
0
0
Vehicle crime
7
7
Violence and sexual offences
7
3
Please visit: www.police.uk for more information including outcomes for these crimes and contact information for your local policing team. Upchurch Matters space
This years Cricket Week raised the staggering amount of £3810.82 which was beyond all expectations and beat last years total of £3054.39. Also thrown into the hat is the fact that we are on board with Barclays who are going to match our total, which means the total raised from Don Macaulay's Cricket Week is going to be £7621.64 for the Macmillan Nurses. We are gob smacked to say the least! The generosity shown by everyone who took part during the week was fantastic. Everyone got into the spirit of things with teas for the cricketers donated so their tea money went straight into the pot, the food from Tuesdays quiz night was donated too so the table money went straight into the pot as well. The cricketers were fining themselves for mistakes and generally Mickey taking throughout their matches. On Wednesday evening we had a karaoke where the buckets were filling up through people singing. Stand out performance had to go to Dave Dorsett!
We sold 260 tickets for the Friday evening where we had a raffle and auction, along with a hog roast and BBQ. All the ticket, food, raffle and auction monies were given directly to the charity. We even had cash donations from club members who couldn't get there.
A big thanks to Marylebone Jelly who were our fantastic live entertainment on the Friday evening. If you haven't seen them before I'd highly recommend them. Big thanks also to Beeline in Rainham who kindly donated a curtain sided trailer for the band to play in free of charge. A massive thank you to Annmarie from the Crown who not only donated prizes for the evening, she also sold raffle tickets on our behalf and bought 35 of her Friday night regular customers down to support the event. She helped me with the raffle & auction too, so thanks Annie. Also a thank you to TKW Electrical for very kindly running power and lighting to the stage and marquees, free of charge.
The cricket went very well and everyday we were very lucky with the weather. Monday we beat Chatham Nomads XI by 40 odd runs, Tuesday we chased down a 200 plus total against TKW Electrical XI, Wednesday we overcame KD Masters XI which included Amjad Khan & Co and chased down their total of again 200 plus, Thursday our Colts narrowly lost a great game against Old Wilsonians Colts team from Bromley, and Friday we ended with a 20/20 game against an Upchurch FC XI which was won by the cricket team.
A massive thank you to everyone who took part and supported the week from myself Lee Stepney and Dave Lloyd. We are blown away by the figure raised and it makes all the time we invested well worth it and I hope we did Don proud.
A big thank you to the sponsors for the week who were:
We would like to bring to your attention some recent acts of vandalism to Parish Council property.
We have experienced fire damage to two of the rubbish bins in the Paddock. This is of serious concern as not only has it damaged the bins which may now have to be replaced (at cost to the Parish Council) but also as this presents a great risk to the surrounding vegetation and any ‘small’ fire spreading out of control, especially so at this time of year. It is not the first time fires have been reported in the Paddock with evidence of such activity not only in the roots of trees but also under the play equipment.
We also have experienced a rather sad act of vandalism in the burial ground where someone has removed a section of grass from one of the graves. This was quite distressing for the relatives. We have been unable to ascertain why this was done or by who?
Could we ask residents to be vigilant and if you see any such activity report it to the police on 101 or inform the Clerk to the Parish Council on:
Haulfryn Kent Parks celebrated the company’s 80th anniversary at Beckenham Park, Upchurch this week by giving residents the chance to win a holiday in Devon.
To be entered into the prize draw, residents had to answer the following question: What does the Welsh word ‘Haulfryn’ translate into in English? The answer is sunny hill.
Aided by Kent Parks Manager, Cheryl Smith, Swale Borough Councillor, Gerry Lewin picked the winning ticket at the park office on Friday morning. A celebration cake was cut and residents enjoyed cupcakes and refreshments. Before making the draw, Councillor Lewin made a short speech in which he praised the investment in the park and its very smart appearance, describing it as a “little oasis”.
Mr Newborough was the lucky winner of a short break for up to 6 people in one of the company’s luxury lodges at their award-winning Finlake Resort.
Kent Parks Manager Cheryl Smith, Swale Borough Councillor Gerry Lewin, Julie Pike and residents of Beckenham Park at Haulfryn's 80th birthday celebrations prize draw.
Founded by Frank Carl Minoprio in 1935, the Haulfryn Group has become synonymous with quality, exclusivity and luxury. Today, it is considered one of the largest and most respected of the country’s holiday park companies.
Find out more about the Haulfryn Group at their website: www.haulfryn.co.uk
Temporary Overnight Road Closures of the A2 in Upchurch and Newington are planned for the nights of:
Friday 21 August 2015.
Monday 24 August to Friday 28 August 2015 inclusive.
Closures are between 8:00 pm through until 5:00 am each night.
The road will be closed between the junctions with Spade Lane, Upchurch and Playstool Road, Newington, affecting A2 London Road and A2 Hartlip Hill.
The alternative route is via A2, A278, M2 and A249, as fully listed below. There is also a route for non-motorway traffic.
The closures are to enable Kent County Council to carry out essential carriageway resurfacing works at the junction with Breach Lane.
Delays are likely, and it is recommended that motorists allow extra time for their journeys and find alternative routes.
Breach Lane will be closed between A2 Hartlip Hill and Boxted Lane. The alternative route is via Breach Lane and the eastern part of the non-motorway route shown below.
These works are weather dependent, and if adverse conditions prevent them going ahead on the planned dates shown, revised dates will be notified and signposted on site. It is inevitable that residents and businesses near the works will experience some disruption. Access to properties within the closed section of road will generally be available throughout the works.
Access to properties directly fronting onto the area of the works will need to be restricted for short periods, but if you have any particular access needs, please let the workforce on the site know. If your vehicle is usually parked on the carriageway, please make sure you park it somewhere else away from the site whilst the works are carried out, so the road is clear to resurface.
Click Map to Enlarge.
The full alternative route is via A2 London Road, Moor Street, High Street (Rainham), London Road, A278 Hoath Way, M2 Motorway between Junctions 4 and 6, Stockbury Roundabout, A249 Maidstone Road, Key Street on/off-slips and Roundabout, A2 Keycol Hill, Boyces Hill and High Street, Newington.
Non-motorway Traffic - the alternative route is via A2 London Road, Moor Street, High Street (Rainham), B2004 Station Road, Lower Rainham Road, Otterham Quay Lane, Horsham Lane, The Street, Forge Lane, Halstow Lane, The Street, Raspberry Hill Lane, Old Ferry Road, A249 Iwade Bypass, Maidstone Road, Key Street on/off-slips and Roundabout, A2 Keycol Hill, Boyces Hill and High Street, Newington via The Street, Raspberry Hill Lane, Old Ferry Road and the A249.
The length of the diversion routes are because they must be of an equivalent standard to be suitable for use by all vehicles diverted.
If you need more information, please call: 03000 418181.
New local bus timetables are to be introduced by Sittingbourne based Chalkwell from September 1st. And they include re-investment.
The new timetables contain significant changes to seven of the services they operate through their long established Kent and Medway network.
And savings from services which are currently not fully used will be reinvested into other improvements to the network.
Significantly for passengers, say Chalkwell, there will be an increase in the number of 326 services to provide more direct links between Sittingbourne, Newington and the Medway Towns.
From September 1st nearly every 326 / 327 journey will be extended to include Gillingham and Mid Kent College. Peak journeys will actually go to the college campus and all others will stop along the main road within easy walking distance.
The Hempstead Shopper will also be extended and improved, Chalkwell reveal.
Of the 326 / 7, Chalkwell’s Commercial Director Roland Eglinton said: “The very last round trip of the day on Monday to Saturday will cease to operate due to low usage, with the cost savings reinvested back into the daytime service when people are more likely to make use of it.
“Saturdays will alter considerably with a revised timetable and a reduced number of journeys. We will still run regular services at the most important times on Saturdays, but savings generated have been reinvested back into the service as a whole through the other improvements.”
He said the number of 327’s will slightly decrease, but there will be an increase in the number of 326’s. The new timetable for September will be on the Chalkwell website very shortly.
Roland said the new timetable for 320 / 321 services was already on the website.
This affects services which run between the Isle of Sheppey, Iwade, Milton Regis and Sittingbourne, Monday to Friday on school days. The Leysdown and Warden sections of the route will be discontinued, but the 320 service will now serve Sheerness and Minster. All journeys will serve the rapidly-expanding Thistle Hill estate.
From September the 339 Hempstead Valley Shopper will operate on Tuesdays as well as Thursdays and will be extended to Medway Hospital and Chatham. He said this would give people from the Island the opportunity to travel to Chatham and the hospital – importantly without changing buses.
Said Roland: “Times for both of these services will alter so that they leave Sheerness slightly before 0930 before the concessionary passes are accepted.
“Anyone wishing to board in Sheerness before 0930 with a concessionary pass will be able to pay a reduced fare.
“Fares to Canterbury are reduced if someone buys the Adult Daily ticket – which we have already announced - that reduces from the current £8.30 to £6.”
The 322 service to Eastchurch Prisons will be slightly altered to go in and out of Sittingbourne via the Bobbing link road and Chalkwell Road.
This will eliminate the need for a double deck bus to go under the low bridge near the station or via Crown Quay Lane.
He said the new timetables would be on the Chalkwell website in the next few days.
Added Roland: “Information will be available in the next few days not only via our website, but through handouts for customers.”
Nick, Jan and Jo at Snaffles Upchurch would love to see everyone at the shops Open Day Celebrations on Thursday the 30th of July - from 2:00pm onwards.
Pop by for a Glass of Fizz, Goodie Bags, a Raffle, Cupcakes, Ice Cream, Teas & Coffees and Horses!
2-4 The Street, Upchurch, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 7AJ. Telephone: 01634 230761 - 07480 247448. Nick Thompson-moore space
Hello readers, here's an update on the activities of the WI during the last couple of months.
We had a very interesting talk in June from a representative of the Kent Air Ambulance Service. He told us that the service is a registered charity and is funded by donations. £6.5 million is needed every year to keep it going and he asked us to spread the word and encourage people to support them in whatever way they can - after all any one of us might need their help at some time in our lives.
The speaker for the July Meeting didn't think it necessary to let us know that he wouldn't be coming and it was too late to find another one. We were to have learned how to look after our hair but instead we dealt with the monthly business, had an extended "tea and chat" and went home early. You win some, you lose some!
We don't have a meeting in August, but we will be getting together for a "posh tea party" in a member's garden.
We hope to see some new faces on the 8th of September in the Village Hall at 7:30pm when the speaker will be giving us "a taste of medieval cooking".
We often talk about everyone who comes through our doors becoming part of our ‘Holywell family’. Today, we wish a fond farewell to the mother of that family – our friend, our Office Manager, our number one mainstay – Mrs Janice ‘Bunts’ Bunting.
They say a school can only be as successful as its team and that is certainly true for us with Mrs B at the helm for the last 26 years.
As her retirement has approached, we have decorated parts of the school with ‘Mrs Bunting bunting’ made by the children themselves. Although the images were all very different, the message was always the same: ‘We will miss you, Mrs Bunting’.
On Friday evening, we organised a celebration party with the theme ‘This Is Your Life’. We were lucky enough to have Jan’s family, friends and colleagues, both current and from days gone by, to celebrate with us. There were video messages from ex-head teachers and ex-colleagues and even a message from the man responsible for hiring Mrs Bunting all those years ago, Mr Peter Dixon. The many speakers regaled us with tales of fun times, hi-jinx and unfailing kindness and generosity. Those moments shared helped us all appreciate what a truly special person Mrs Bunting is to us all.
Holywell School would like to thank Mrs Bunting for her 26 years of service and wish her every success in her new adventures, whatever they may be.
Have a happy and restful retirement Jan, you deserve it!
