Garden Wall Demolished - Forge Lane

What remains of Mr Sketchley's wall

During school pick up time on Tuesday 14th May, 2013 part of a garden wall at 27 Forge Lane, Upchurch was demolished by an unknown vehicle.

The owner of the property, Bernard Sketchley said that congestion outside the school has long been a problem, but I do understand that parents have to get their children to school so we do try to adopt a ‘live and let live attitude’ In fairness most parents park responsibly and I know for them to get a parking space must sometimes be a nightmare. On the other hand there are some that adopt a serious attitude when parking and they are the problem. With their ‘could not care less mentality’ they park in such a way that it is virtually impossible for passing traffic, particularly buses to get through. If the drivers ask them to move they either get ignored or they get abuse.

That my wall has been knocked down is not the main issue. I can have that rebuilt! It is the fact that someone has the arrogance to think they can do it and then just drive off is what gets to me.

If the person responsible just had the common decency to have knocked on my door it could have been sorted without any fuss. Accidents happen! As it is, I have now reported it to the police and they have said they will investigate. They class this as a criminal offence and when they catch the culprit (and the police think they will) there will be a prosecution. They also think they have access to some CCTV footage which may produce evidence so if the person who did it ends up in court so be it!

Unfortunately it is people like this that causes resentment toward all the parents which I think is totally unfair. Equally it is not fair to expect local residents to have to put up with this kind of damage and not complain. I believe because of people like this there will ultimately be parking restrictions put in place in Forge Lane and the surrounding roads and that will make it worse for everyone trying to get their children to school.

If anyone saw this incident please could you contact me on: 01795 431600

Bernard Sketchley

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Local Produce Fair at The Three Tuns

The Three Tuns Lower Halstow will be holding the 3rd of their successful Local Produce Fair's on Bank Holiday Monday May the 27th between 12:00pm - 4:00pm.

This year there will be more stalls than ever, including: Meat, Breads, Jam and Preserves, Seafood and Fish, Cheeses, Honey, Fruit and Vegetables.

As well as Local Ales and Ciders and a Hog Roast.

Visit their website here:  www.thethreetunsrestaurant.co.uk

Upchurch Matters
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Help Us Create A History Of Upchurch Scout Group

Do you remember the fun you had as a Beaver, Cub, or Scout in Upchurch? Maybe you had a memorable camp in the rain, or a hike through the snow, perhaps you remember what it was like to do bob-a-job week. Upchurch Scout group need your help. The leaders would like to create a history of our group to share some of the heritage with our young members. So if you were a young member or a leader and have any anecdotes to tell, documents or photos that you think may be of interest please call Rozz on: 01634 375168. All documents and photos will be scanned onto a computer and returned to you straight away.

We also need your help with our paper drive. Every 2^nd Saturday of the month, some wonderful volunteers collect paper and cardboard from around the village to help us raise funds to do activities with the young people in our group. Please leave your unwanted paper and cardboard at the front of your property by 9:00am for us to collect and re-cycle.

We would like to say a really big Thank You to all of the volunteers that collect the paper and to the people of the village that continue to offer us support by putting paper out for us.

Rozz Dyett (Group Scout Leader)

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Community Speed Watch Scheme - Volunteers Wanted

The Parish Council has recently purchased the equipment to start up a Community Speed Watch Scheme. The next thing we require are volunteers to help man the equipment.

Full training will be given to volunteers. The training covers how the scheme works, what equipment is used and how to stay safe when deployed.

At least two volunteers will be together at any one time. We would expect that each volunteer would be asked to man the equipment at least one daytime session per month.

If you feel able to assist or would like some further information please contact the Parish Clerk or Councillor David Steward on: 07771 865680 or Email: djsteward@btinternet.com

David Steward
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Temporary Road Closure - Horsham Lane

BT Openreach will be carrying out repair works adjacent to number 136 Horsham Lane, south towards number 163 Horsham Lane on Thursday the 2nd of May 2013.

The road will be temporarily closed between 8:45am until 3:30pm.

Access to property will be maintained wherever possible during the closure and the alternative route will be sign posted.

Upchurch Matters
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Rob and Nick Sketchley Start Their Rally Across Europe Tomorrow

Please Sponsor Rob and Nick as they rally across Europe raising money for Well Child.

This Thursday the 2nd of May 2013 local brothers Rob and Nick Sketchley are taking part in the Scumrun a famous 4 day charity rally across Europe seen on Sky TV and now in its seventh year!

The brothers know roughly how many miles they will have to travel, but do not know where the finish line is. They will be given directions each morning with a set of check points where they have to achieve certain objectives. The twist on the event is that competitors are not allowed to spend more than £500 purchasing their car, in which they have to cover over 3000 miles in 4 days. There are more than 100 cars taking part and as you will probably have guessed not all of them make it back!

The original car they bought was a P Reg Subaru Impreza Turbo 2000. The engine was a complete mess when they bought the car and they had no choice but to purchase a nice shiny reconditioned engine.

But unfortunately this week and after hours and hours of working on the Impreza disaster struck and it became apparent it would not make the journey.

At the eleventh hour a Saab 900 Turbo convertible was bought, Sign written and made ready to go all on the day they are due to leave !

Their car will be seen in the official Scumrun DVD and on Sky TV. There will also be a press release in the local paper thanking our sponsors for their support nearer the event.

The brothers are looking for sponsors (individuals or businesses) to help raise money for Well Child their chosen charity.

You can sponsor Rob and Nick by visiting their just giving pages (links below) there's also a sponsor form and collection for the boys in the Crown if you'd rather donate in person.

For more info on the charity Well Child and the great work they do, visit their Website here:  www.wellchild.org.uk

The link to the official Website of the Scumrun is here:  www.scumrun.com 

If you'd like to sponsor Nick online click here:  www.justgiving.com/Nick-Sketchley

If you'd like to sponsor Rob online click here:  www.justgiving.com/robert-sketchley

Upchurch Matters

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