Upchurch Best Kept Garden - 2012

Could your Garden be a prize winner?

Judging for the Best Kept Garden will take place on Saturday 21st July. Judges will assess what can be seen at the front of each house in the following categories. Firstly a garden which is predominately growing flowers, secondly a garden which is mixture of flowers, trees and or shrubs, and finally for those with only a small or no front garden the judges will assess any hanging baskets or flower troughs.

Prizes for the above will be presented at the Upchurch Horticultural Society Show during September in the Village Hall.

Would you please contact me if you wish to sponsor a prize [cash or in kind] - Gerry Lewin
on: 01634 366113 or  lewing135@tiscali.co.uk

On behalf of the Upchurch Horticultural Society and the Parish Council

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A May Miscellany at St, Mary's

Please come along and support this worthy cause.

This Saturday the 5th of May at 7:00pm a concert entitled "A May Miscellany" takes place at St. Mary's Church, Upchurch.


All in aid of the Elimination of Leukaemia. Entry is free but a donation to the charity will be requested. 


There will be refreshments at the interval.


The music will be a mix of classical and lighter stuff.


Sue Rossiter
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Holywell School during the 1860s

Little information exists about life at Holywell School in the 1840s and 1850s but from 1862 schools were obliged to keep a daily log book. The surviving Holywell log book begins in 1865 and gives a clear account about what was happening at the school during that time.

The school, which opened on March 16th, 1846 as a National (Church of England) School, was designed to educate the poor in the basic principles of the Established Church. It offered a basic education of reading, writing and arithmetic, scripture and an emphasis on moral and religious training. Singing and needlework were also taught with a small amount of time spent on other subjects. Teaching was conducted by rote learning with an exam at the end of the year. An entry in the log book for 23^rd November 1865 by school mistress Mary Holland shows a typical day at the school:

“Gave the whole school in the morning a lesson on the creation. To the first class one also, on the boundaries, size and climate of England. Visited by clergyman. Explained the collect for Sunday to the whole school. Examined 2^nd class in reading and found the reading of the boys improved. Cautioned D. Whitnall for fighting.”

Memories of Upchurch.

Attendance at Holywell school in the 1860s wasn’t compulsory and children were periodically absent, particularly during the fruit picking and hop picking seasons or when working part time in the brickfields. Parents were obliged by their employers to make their children work when required. Entries in the log book complain about how this interfered with pupil learning and caused bad behavior. Maximum daily attendance totalled 55 during the 1860s.  

In 1861 Rebecca Hills worked as the school mistress and was later succeeded by Mary Holland who lived in the schoolhouse with her sister Isabella. They had rent free accommodation, common for teachers at the time. They were also assisted by volunteers. These included Mrs. Woodruff, the vicar’s wife who assisted with singing and needlework and a Mrs. Sibley who worked alongside the children. Revd Woodruff also visited the school every week to give religious and moral guidance. He usually visited the school during the afternoons and conducted prayers.

Pupils were generally well ordered but periodically troublesome and according to the school log book were particularly difficult to control after returning to school from work. Mary Holland wrote on October 7^th, 1866:

“Many children came in who had been working in the brickfield all summer; find them rather rough and wild.”

 Other entries in the log book outline common problems.

Dec 1^st, 1865 “warned Gilbert Hepton not to interfere with girls going home, also against cruelty to animals”. Dec 13th, 1866 “…spoke to the children about pulling turnips as they go home from school.” Aug 14^th, 1866 “punished J. Hubbard and J. Manser for disturbing a wasp nest.” Jan 21^st 1868 “turned Daniel Whitnall out of the school.”

The basic education offered by Holywell School during the 1860s was generally adequate for the majority of boys who later worked on local farms or in the brickfields while many girls either married young or entered domestic service.

About the author:
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 on:  david3702001@yahoo.co.uk  price £12 + p+p £2.

David Wood
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Chairman’s Report to the Annual Parish Meeting

The Annual Parish Meeting took place on April 26th.

The Parish Council

A warm welcome to all the residents who have come along tonight.

I am going to keep the Chairman’s report as brief as possible. You will see from the agenda that some topics of particular interest will be introduced by the Clerk or by fellow Councillors

There were only seven candidates for election to the Parish Council in May last year, who were elected unopposed.  The Council proceeded to co-opt two councillors by a process of advertisement and interview so that the Council could be brought up to its scheduled size of nine Councillors.

Sara Tucker and John Arnold were duly co-opted and are making a substantial contribution to the work of the Council.

Unfortunately Ina Bean has had to resign from the Council. and the process of co-opting a new member is under way.

Our Clerk, Claire Attaway continues to work with great energy on behalf of the Village. It has become apparent over the last year or so that the increase in formal paperwork that her role involves has meant that she has been working an excess of unpaid overtime. In view of this the Council has decided that the number of hours she is paid for every month should be raised to the level recommended by the National Association of Local Councils for a parish of the size of Upchurch.

Our Street Cleaner, Stan Jones retired during the year. Our thanks to Stan, for his work in the village. We were lucky to recruit a relative newcomer to the Village, Ian Letchford as his replacement and I am happy to say we think he is doing a very good job.

In addition to the Clerk and the Street Cleaner the Council employs a gardener, Elizabeth Walters, to tend the Burial Ground.

The Council normally meets on the first Thursday of the month at 7:30pm in Holywell School Hall. We do not meet in August. The first half hour is reserved for questions to the Council from residents. These public sessions are often well attended and some recent ones have been quite lively.

The Parish Council believes that its primary role is to help foster a spirit of community and maintain the rural character of the village.

The Parish Council has made considerable efforts to minimise its costs over the last three years. There has been no increase in the precept for the Parish council this year. We have managed to obtain grants from the KCC Local Engagement Fund,  £1000 towards set up costs for the Upchurch Farmers Market, £2500 towards repairs to the Recreation Ground Car Park, and £800 towards the repair of the Village Sign Post.

You might like to note that our PCSO Lauren McCall has moved on and our new PCSO is John Cork.

Aside from Parish Council Matters for a moment it is pleasing to report the Upchurch Matters Web Site has had a very successful first year with visits from nearly 8000 people from 69 countries. Well done!


Village Clean Up Day


Village Clean Up day has not been well supported by residents in recent years. Your suggestions on how it might be reenergised would be welcomed.


Land Management Responsibilities

Burial Ground

Our gardener, Liz Walters continues to help make the Burial Ground a peaceful and attractive setting. We have continued activity to check that gravestones and surrounds are maintained in a safe condition.

The Burial Ground is running out off space, We will be making some small alterations to free some more spaces, but we will soon have to investigate airing more land.


Closed Churchyard


The Churchyard wall has required little repair work last year. There is, however some water damage at the base of the brick sections that we hope to tackle this year.

We have a problem with the Conifers that run down the side and rear of the garage showroom, and now undermining the showroom structure. We have taken expert advice to confirm that removal off these trees is the responsibility of the Parish Council. The problem is made more complicated because the trees on the side of the garage are within the Conservation Area and will need planning Permission before they can be removed


Paddock


The major frustration for the Parish Council this year, as last, has been our inability to negotiate a new lease for the Paddock with the agent for the Church Commissioners. We have been working on the basis of the old lease for about five years but a new long lease is needed if we are to obtain grants for the improvements to the Paddock that Phil Newbery has suggested.

A great deal of the Clerk’s time has been spent chasing this lease and we have engaged a Solicitor to assist us. Councillor Lewin has now volunteered  to see if he can move the lease forward. His initiative in this matter is much welcomed.

We failed to obtain a KCC Local Engagement Grant to improve the play area last year but have been told that a renewed application this year should be looked on favourably


The Recreation Ground


We propose to erect a pair of five a side goal post the Rec. this year. It is hoped that this will attract youngsters form playing football in less suitable areas such as the Paddock. The Recreation Manager at Swale BC has been most helpful in advice about this matter.


Allotments


The allotments continue to be well used and we have plenty of people on the waiting list.


Planning Matters


Planning issues are initially dealt with by the Planning Application Review Team who often writes to Swale Borough Council before the whole Council has seen the papers, because a period of 21 days is allowed for responses. The Parish Council then reviews the response at the next meeting and when deemed necessary, we send a supplementary letter.

Pat New leads our Planning Application Review Team and we thank her for her work.

Bus users have been requesting a bus shelter in Horsham Lane for some years. Residents in Horsham Lane and the Street have objected because they are concerned that the shelter could form a centre for anti social behaviour. A sub group of the Parish Council are considering whether other facilities for village youth could reduce this risk


Highways


Parking problems still arise at the school at in and out time, and in the centre of the village.  We have consulted Swale BC, who are responsible for parking restrictions and you should have a copy of their proposal for restrictions.

The Parish Council would like your advice on these proposals and we will discuss them under General Parish Business. The Parish Council are unclear as to whether this proposal will lead to a genuine improvement. During the discussion please bear in mind that the current situation in the areas addressed by the proposal is dangerous for the young and very old.

John Arnold is now acts as our County Co-ordinator and sends a regular summary of road issues in Upchurch to the Highways Agency. He attempts to accelerate action when necessary.

Speedwatch coordination in Kent Police has been disrupted by their recent reorganisation to save costs. I expect to hear from the new contact shortly. Newington PC has expressed an interest in sharing the costs of the equipment with us.


Thank You


I would like to thank the Council’s staff Ian, Elizabeth and Claire for all their hard work, especially Claire who puts a lot of extra effort into her job.

Lastly I would like to thank my fellow Councillors for their efforts and for putting up with me!


John Catford - Chairman, Upchurch Parish Council
Tel: 01634 231326  Email: chair@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk
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Upchurch Twinning Group News

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

Try  www.holywell.kent.sch.uk  or  www.upchurchmatters.co.uk  for our news as well. In addition, visit  www.ferques.fr  for interesting stuff! 

Upchurch Choral Society trip - Our Choral Society gave the promised concert in the church in Ferques on Sunday 15^th April and the whole day was a brilliant success. The choir and others travelled by coach and about 60 people enjoyed a lovely lunch at a local restaurant. While the choir rehearsed in the church, the coach drivers took others for a drive around the local area and along the coast. The concert itself was a wonderful experience, with about 150 in the audience, some English, but many local Ferques residents. At the end, the audience showed their appreciation with a standing ovation. Afterwards, there was a reception in the Mairie before all departed, tired but extremely happy. 

Thursday 17^th May 2012 – Annual General Meeting

 7:30pm in Holywell School Hall. Come and hear more about us and enjoy refreshments afterwards.  All are welcome to this AGM and we would love to see everyone there.

Saturday 14^th July – Bastille Day in Ferques – We’ll be having a stall at the street fair in Ferques as usual this year. We will be plying everyone with English food and beverages, plus we will sell good quality, donated items to raise some funds. This event is well worth a visit as part of a day out and to see if you can pick up any bargains on the other stalls! If you have any items that would be suitable for our stall, do let us know – we can collect if required. See you there, hopefully!

Saturday 25^th August. 2012 – Sports Day – this is now an annual affair and this year will be in Ferques. We will be arranging a coach so think about a day out with lots of sporty fun in France that day, plus food will be available. Cost of a seat on the coach will only be £10. This is always most enjoyable and well supported so register your interest as soon as possible. We hope that both individuals and Upchurch organisations will take an active part, or just come along to observe and cheer on!

7^th October – Anniversary Event – an outing somewhere in Kent. A coach load of Ferques residents will be coming over the water to join us. Watch this space!

Jim Harman (Chairman) 01634 235420 & Sue Rossiter (Secretary) 01634 234780

Sue Rossiter

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

Weekend of 2^nd – 4^th June 2012 – Not long now! We’re hoping you’ll all come and join in with the Village’s efforts to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. It’s an amazing thing for our Queen to have been on the throne for 60 years and none of us will probably see this happen again. So let’s make a fuss about it with a weekend to remember! Put up your flags, get out some bunting ...

Saturday 2^nd June 2012 – Jubilee Concert

Featuring local artists and groups and

excerpts from Lionel Bart's 'Oliver'

performed by the children of Holywell School and local actors

7:30pm in Upchurch Village Hall Tickets £3

Get your tickets NOW from Sue Rossiter on: 01634 234780 or  suerossiter@waitrose.com

All monies raised will be put towards the weekend’s costs

Sunday 3^rd June  –  Parade

Service of Thanksgiving

Jubilee Jolly.

                       

Parade – 10:30am from Scout Hut to Church

Service of Thanksgiving – 11:00am in the Church – all welcome!

Jubilee Jolly – 12:00 noon at the Village Hall – fun for all!

All day – exhibition in St Mary’s church of Coronation Day 1953 memorabilia.

12:00noon – Jubilee Jolly at the Village Hall – stalls, games, fancy dress, bouncy castle – something for all and for organisations to run stalls etc. Entry is free and you can bring along a picnic although there will be refreshments available to purchase from local organisations’ volunteers.

Monday 4^th June – Street parties (privately arranged), bonfire/beacon lighting at about 10pm on the Recreation Ground.  This will coincide with beacon lighting all over the country. The Parish Council plans for a commemorative tree and a gift of a Jubilee mug for all children of primary school age are progressing and there will be also be mugs for sale at cost price at the Jolly on Sunday 3^rd June and afterwards. In respect of the mugs, we are now collecting the names of all children of primary school age who live in Upchurch, but do not attend Holywell School. Please let one of the committee know so that these children will also receive a gift of a beautiful bone china Jubilee mug, with suitable inscriptions to commemorate this special occasion.

Sara Tucker tel: 01634 388971    Pat New tel: 01634 374220    Sue Rossiter tel: 01634 234780

Sue Rossiter

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