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| Well done to Mr. & Mrs. Panter. |
Winners in each category are:
Flowers 92 Chaffes Lane Mr. & Mrs. Tandy & Mr. Bass
Flowers/Shrubs 16 Wilkes Close Mr. & Mrs. Panter
Hanging Baskets/Troughs 31 Forge Lane Mr. & Mrs. Pollard
The overall winners of the Barbara Webb Trophy for 2011 are Mr. & Mrs. Panter.
The awards will be made at 3:15 pm during the Upchurch Horticultural Society September Show in Upchurch Village Hall to be held on Saturday the 3rd of September which opens to the public at 2:00pm.
Mrs. Christine Madden, sister of the late Barbara Webb has kindly agreed to present the awards.
Judging took place around the 23rd of July of the gardens that could be seen from the front of houses in every part of the Parish.
This year prizes were sponsored by Upchurch Parish Council.
Gerry Lewin on behalf of the competition committee
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The Upchurch Twinning group welcomed 48 residents of our twinned village of Ferques last Saturday 27th August together with a good contingent of Upchurch people, either to play the sports and games or as spectators at our Recreation Ground and Scout Hall.
We also enjoyed a lovely barbeque at lunchtime and the French finally left us about 3:45pm, having been in Upchurch since 9:30am.
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| Come along to the Village Hall on the 3rd. |
The Upchurch Horticultural Society 2011
September Show takes place on Saturday September the 3rd at the Upchurch Village Hall.
Doors open to the public at 2:00pm for: Flowers – Fruit – Vegetables - Domestic & Craft. There's also Refreshments – Tombola and Raffle too.
The presentation of prizes for the Best Kept Garden Competition will be at 3.15pm followed by the sale of produce at approximately 3:45pm.
Maxine Budden
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This years Scarecrows entered for the Competition were judged yesterday and the winners announced at yesterdays Farmers Market. In case you missed it here's who won the prizes:
1st - Leonard family, Horsham Lane with "Bo Peep Crow"
2nd - Rose family, Crosier Court with "Surf Crow"
3rd - Paul Walker, Oak Lane with "Biking Crow"
And under 11's winner - Matthew & Adam Sellings, Jubilee Fields with "Herb Garden Crow"
They all won WHSmiths book vouchers !
A big thanks to everyone who entered this year and to Anne Marie and Sophie for doing the organising, Judging and supplying the prizes too !
Pictures will be in either the Medway News or the East Kent Gazette next week.
Upchurch Matters
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| Memories of Upchurch |
The Great Plague which eventually killed over 7,000 people in South-East England had an impact on Kent with towns like Chatham and Rochester badly affected. In early August 1665 100 houses were infected in Chatham while from April to December 500 burials took place in Rochester. Rural parts of Kent were not so badly hit as the black rat which carried the disease thrived in urban areas. Although exact reasons are not recorded, the Upchurch parish registers show that while only six parishioners died in 1665 the figure increased to 14 in 1666. This rise paralleled the county trend as 1666 was the worst year in Kent for plague mortality rates. Elizabeth Foreman, John Lille, Richard Barnett, Thomas and Richard Emerton were some of the Upchurch residents to die.
Swale villages took action to combat the plague. Domestic and farm animals were kept off the streets to prevent the disease from spreading, meetings of more than 38 people except prayer meetings were prohibited and ‘Pest Houses’ were set up for the sick. Those infected in their own houses had to be quarantined for 40 days and a red cross was painted on front doors to warn others. After this infected houses were kept under observation for 20 days and the red cross was replaced with a white one to suggest caution. Headaches, sores, armpit swellings, skin blotches and sneezing were symptoms of the plague. A contemporary children’s nursery rhyme Ring a Ring o’ Roses, describes how people were affected. People carried posies in their pockets to ward off the disease, no medical cure existed and the dead had to be buried in a separate part of the churchyard and covered with lime.
Upchurch residents also suffered fatal diseases in other years with 24 deaths in 1634 and 27 in 1688. The worst figure took place in 1637/1638 when 59 died out of a total population of just over 200 people. The cause was described as a malignant fever that hit Kent and Sussex. Bouts of plague and ague, a form of malaria, caused Upchurch vicars to be non resident from the 1560s to the early 19th century.
According to hearth tax returns of 1664, at about the time of the Great Plague, Upchurch was a poor village with a church and vicarage in a state of disrepair. Four serving Upchurch vicars died during the period 1609 to 1641, the last being John Messenger who was buried in the churchyard.
The people of Upchurch were a varied bunch during the 1660s and according to existing hearth tax returns 40 occupied dwellings existed in the parish. These show that William Forby lived in the vicarage house but part of it had collapsed. Gentlemen included Joshua Coppin and Henry Frere while widows included Susannah Wood, Jane Bing, Alice Smythe and Widow Brewer from Otterham. Other residents included Edward Hadlow from Gore and Richard Hubbard from Otterham.
Although the plague lasted for 15 months during 1665/1666, diseases of various types continued to affect villages like Upchurch until the early 20th century.
David Wood, who was born and raised in Upchurch, 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 Wood's book ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David on: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + p+p £2.
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Following the decision at Full Council on 17 February 2011 to reduce the budget for socially necessary bus services, it has proved necessary to identify a number of services for withdrawal in order to remain within budget. The following service and the journeys shown have been identified for withdrawal in accordance with Kent County Council’s policy for supporting bus services. These journeys will cease to operate from the end of December 2011.
Service 327: Chatham - Sittingbourne Days of operation: Sun
Annual Cost: £7,822.85 Average number of journeys per day: 60
Subsidy per passenger journey: £5.10
Member Wards: Swale Central (Mike Whiting & Alan Willicombe) Swale West (Keith Ferrin)
Comments: Offers direct connection to Medway Maritime Hospital and is the only public transport on Sundays for Lower Halstow & Upchurch. Monday - Saturday bus service will continue and many areas also have rail as an alternative on Sundays.
Chatham - Sittingbourne | 327 |
Sundays |
Chatham Town Centre, Pentagon Bus Station (Bay 8) | 0935 | 1135 | 1435 | 1635 | 1835 |
Gillingham, Medway Park War Memorial (adj) | 0940 | 1140 | 1440 | 1640 | 1840 |
Gillingham, Bus Depot (adj) | 0943 | 1143 | 1443 | 1643 | 1843 |
Gillingham, Medway Maritime Hospital | 0947 | 1147 | 1447 | 1647 | 1847 |
Gillingham, St Johns Road (opp) | 0951 | 1151 | 1451 | 1651 | 1851 |
Chatham, Jezreels (E-bound) | 0952 | 1152 | 1452 | 1652 | 1852 |
Gillingham, Eastcourt Lane (adj) | 0956 | 1156 | 1456 | 1656 | 1856 |
Rainham, Old Co-op (adj) | 0959 | 1159 | 1459 | 1659 | 1859 |
Rainham, The Railway (adj) | 1000 | 1200 | 1500 | 1700 | 1900 |
Rainham, Wakeley Road East end (E-bound) | 1004 | 1204 | 1504 | 1704 | 1904 |
Upchurch, Church (adj) | 1009 | 1209 | 1509 | 1709 | 1909 |
Lower Halstow, The Green (at) | 1013 | 1213 | 1513 | 1713 | 1913 |
Newington, Station Road (adj) | 1018 | 1218 | 1518 | 1718 | 1918 |
Key Street, Pearce & Batt Garage (adj) | 1021 | 1221 | 1521 | 1721 | 1921 |
Chalkwell, Coniston Hotel (adj) | 1025 | 1225 | 1525 | 1725 | 1925 |
Sittingbourne, Railway Station (Stop F) | 1028 | 1228 | 1528 | 1728 | 1928 |
Sittingbourne Town Centre, High Street (Stop J) | 1030 | 1230 | 1530 | 1730 | 1930 |
Sittingbourne Town Centre, Forum Shopping Centre | 1031 | 1231 | 1531 | 1731 | 1931 |
Sittingbourne - Chatham | 327 |
Sundays |
Sittingbourne, Plaza Court (Stop A) | 0835 | 1035 | 1235 | 1535 | 1735 |
Sittingbourne Town Centre, Forum Shopping Centre | 0836 | 1036 | 1236 | 1536 | 1736 |
Sittingbourne, Railway Station (Stop F) | 0837 | 1037 | 1237 | 1537 | 1737 |
Chalkwell, Coniston Hotel (opp) | 0840 | 1040 | 1240 | 1540 | 1740 |
Key Street, Pearce & Batt Garage (opp) | 0843 | 1043 | 1243 | 1543 | 1743 |
Newington, Station Road (opp) | 0846 | 1046 | 1246 | 1546 | 1746 |
Lower Halstow, The Green (at) | 0851 | 1051 | 1251 | 1551 | 1751 |
Upchurch, Church (opp) | 0855 | 1055 | 1255 | 1555 | 1755 |
Rainham, Wakeley Road East end (W-bound) | 0900 | 1100 | 1300 | 1600 | 1800 |
Rainham, The Railway (opp) | 0904 | 1104 | 1304 | 1604 | 1804 |
Rainham, The Cricketers (adj) | 0906 | 1106 | 1306 | 1606 | 1806 |
Gillingham, Eastcourt Lane (opp) | 0909 | 1109 | 1309 | 1609 | 1809 |
Gillingham, Jezreels (N-bound) | 0914 | 1114 | 1314 | 1614 | 1814 |
Gillingham, Medway Maritime Hospital | 0918 | 1118 | 1318 | 1618 | 1818 |
Gillingham, Duncan Road (N-bound) | 0922 | 1122 | 1322 | 1622 | 1822 |
Gillingham, Medway Park War Memorial (opp) | 0925 | 1125 | 1325 | 1625 | 1825 |
Chatham Town Centre, Pentagon Bus Station (Bay 8) | 0930 | 1130 | 1330 | 1630 | 1830
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If you wish to comment on the changes set out in this document, or indeed represent an organisation which would be in a position to provide replacement transport, you can contact KCC in writing at;
By post to : Transport Integration, Kent County Council, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill,
West Malling, Kent, ME19 4QG
Please make sure that your comments reach KCC by Friday 2 September.
Kent County council
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