Grand Village Fete

Saturday 28th June 2014

Following the Jubilee celebrations last year in which the whole village cooperated in producing a fantastic community jolly, Upchurch Parish Council and St. Mary’s Church PCC are joining forces to organise a Grand Village Fete.

A small committee has already been set up to discuss the format and they would like some volunteers to join with them. So far, the village organisations have been contacted and they will be able to run their own stalls/events.

Please contact any of the following if you wish to be involved and with suggestions for what should be included.

Sara Tucker: 01634 388971

Claire Attaway: 01634 363906

Pat New: 01634 374220

Pat New

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UK Power Networks Would Like Your Feedback

On 23rd and 24th December 2013, our electricity distribution network in the South East and the East of England was affected by severe weather conditions, affecting power supplies to about 300,000 households. Although in most cases, engineers were able to restore supplies quickly, the extensive damage caused to the network by high winds and floods left some customers without power over the Christmas period.

Your feedback is valuable to us and we would like to understand more about your experience in the December storms. We welcome suggestions on what we can do better to improve communication and make the electricity network more resilient in the future.

We have created a short online survey which we encourage you to complete. To access the survey, please go to: http://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/internet/en/have-your-say/ Then scroll down the page and click on ‘Complete a Survey’.

Please feel free to send the link to anyone in UK Power Networks' geographical footprint who may have been affected by the storms .

This online survey forms part of the series of consultations we hold to collect views from customers and wider stakeholders on their experience during the storms.

Our stakeholders have a say in what we do and we take all feedback very seriously.

Many thanks

Stakeholder Engagement Team

UK Power Networks

Newington House

237 Southwark Bridge Road

London SE1 6NP

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Norman Long 1928 - 2014

Norman Long.

Norman Long of Church Farm Road sadly passed away on Tuesday. Born in Hartlip in 1928 he was for many years the village Milkman and worked for Wakeley Brothers and in Chatham Dockyard too.

Norman was one of five siblings and is survived by two of his brothers, one sister and his two sons. His wife Christine passed away in 1991.

A regular in The Crown, at St' Mary's Church and a familiar face around Upchurch he will be very much missed.

Upchurch Matters

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The Last Will and Testament of Edmond Drake Vicar of Upchurch 1560-1567

Edmond Drake became vicar of Upchurch in 1560 during the reign of Elizabeth 1st and is famous mainly because of his son Sir Francis Drake who became a famous seaman and helped defeat the Spanish Armada.

Edmond’s last will and testament dated December 25th 1566 was written the day before he died in Upchurch. He opens the will with the words that he is redeemed by the blood of Christ and commits his soul into the hands of God. He then states that he wishes to be buried in Upchurch churchyard next to his son Edward who died in infancy and next to the graves of the Blechenden family. A marked grave does not exist in the churchyard today so the original location remains a mystery.

With regard to Edmond’s immediate family the will only mentions Thomas who was the youngest of several surviving brothers. There were twelve children in total but some died in infancy while others were away at sea like Francis, John and Joseph. Thomas was probably the only son still living nearby during Edmond Drake’s last days. Because of the bequests given to him Edmond may have wanted Thomas to follow him into the clergy.

In the will a wide range of items are bequeathed to Thomas including two chests of books, a new basin, an old platter, a collection of pewter dishes, a French pewter pot, Edmond’s best bible, four of his best candlesticks, his best kettles, his best feather bed, two pillows and five shirts. Edmond’s friend Mr Baker who is named overseer of the will is bequeathed one cock and seven hens while Richard Mylwaye is left Edmond’s chair and best cushion. All other items are left to Edmond’s nurse which indicates she had been looking after him for some time.

While Thomas Drake is designated the sole executor of the will, Clemente Mylwaye, a relative and Richard Sawell, a contemporary Upchurch resident witness it. Mr Baker who is mentioned is an old friend who lived in London and served as Clerk and Keeper of the Stores to the Admiralty and was looking after Edmond’s son Thomas.

David Wood.

Although Francis is not mentioned in the will, the date of Edmond Drake’s death indicates that he was a teenager at the time and was probably already away at sea. Concrete evidence is not available about whether Francis went to sea while residing in Upchurch or whether he went before Edmond became vicar of the village. Information that has passed down the generations in Upchurch by word of mouth is that Francis did learn seamanship on a small vessel based at the small village port of Otterham Quay and regularly sailed to the coast of Belgium while living in Upchurch but this cannot be proven with hard written evidence.

The Drake family accept that their ancestor is buried in the village churchyard and have had an association with Upchurch since Edmond’s death. This is shown in a letter dated November 4th 1935 sent to Reverend Lightburne, vicar of Upchurch from the Drake home at Buckland Abbey in Devon. The letter was written by Mrs. Seaton, daughter of Lady Eliot Drake, presenting her mother’s book ‘The Family and Heirs of Sir Francis Drake’ to the people of Upchurch.

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 on:  david3702001@yahoo.co.uk  or from us here at Upchurch Matters.

price £12 + p+p £2.

David Wood.

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No Place Like Home - Bespoke Later Life Support

‘Time to talk’ rather than ‘time and task’ - pioneering a new approach to later life in our local area

No Place Like Home is a highly personalised, private support service for Canterbury and Swale senior residents. It was established by local resident, Alison Carter, in response to challenges experienced by her mother, Leslie, in sourcing high quality, tailored support at home for husband, John.

Our passion is to help our clients be better prepared for and to make the most of later life, focusing on quality experience and enjoyment. We pride ourselves in carefully crafting our companionship and care around each individual’s wishes – this might include escorted trips out as well as help in the home or, if needed, personal care.

We are available 7 days a week and can respond to urgent requests, however, we find that it is often helpful to introduce support gradually, perhaps just for a morning or two each week. We are always delighted to receive visits from prospective clients, friends and family to explore how we might be able to help. Of course, we can also come out to visit prospective clients in their own homes if they are unable to come to us. We especially welcome those living with dementia.

We would like to invite you to our next Public Open Day at our office on: Tuesday 11th February 2014. Enjoy ‘Tea and Talk’ between 10-12am.

For more information, please contact Alison Carter on: 01795 597 983 or Email: alisoncarter@noplacelikehome.eu or see our website: www.noplacelikehome.eu

Alison Carter
Managing Director
No Place Like Home

Bespoke Later Life Support

Office: Syndale Park, Ospringe, near Faversham, Kent ME13 0RH

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Youth Group Artworks Around The Village

You may have noticed a collection of artworks that have been put up on posts and lamp posts around the centre of Upchurch. These form a collection of works produced by the youth group that meets in St. Mary's church on Thursday evenings.

The young people were asked to produce a painting or simply to use words in an artistic way, to express their feelings about Christmas. What you see are eight pieces. These were produced as artistic gifts to the people of Upchurch. Beneath each artwork is a passage from the bible.

If you have time, and weather permitting, please take a look. They start at the top of Horsham Lane in a circuit that runs along Church Farm Road, looping back to Horsham Lane.

You can leave comments here too, please see:  http://upchurchchristmas.wordpress.com 

Thanks and Merry Christmas,

George Hulme (Lay Minister - Reader)

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