Burglary - Otterham Quay Lane

Hartlip Newington & Upchurch Ward

Reference: DY13068

Otterham Quay Lane. A burglary at a dwelling between the hours of 12:00 am and 10:46 pm on Monday 24/11/2014. Some cufflinks and a Jewellery box were stolen.

If you have any information that could help investigators please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the Crime Number: XY/41610/14

For more information on crime prevention visit: www.kent.police.uk

Kent Police Neighbourhood Watch

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Upchurch Players Proudly Present Scrooge The Pantomime

Keith Rossiter

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Vacancy for Midday Meal Supervisor - Holywell Primary School

We are looking for a Midday Supervisor to work for 6.25 hours per week in our village school.

The successful candidate will be responsible for the supervising of pupils during the lunch break.

• promoting their safety and welfare, in accordance with the school’s Health and Safety Policy.

• promoting good standards of behaviour and orderly conduct, in accordance with the school’s Behaviour Policy.

The team of supervisors are responsible for:-

In the hall:

• supervising and organising the orderly collecting, eating and clearing of meals.

• helping children with use of cutlery.

• encouraging good table manners.

• supervising orderly departure from the hall.

Supervising the playground (or in bad weather, the classrooms) from 11.55am until 1.10pm.

In the playground:

• visiting all parts of the playground to supervise, encourage and assist constructive, friendly and safe play activities.

• acting where possible to prevent accidents and providing basic first aid or seeking help from a designated first aider, according to the Health and Safety Policy.

• acting where possible to prevent arguments and unkind behaviour and responding to such situations in a fair, firm kind manner according to the Behaviour Policy and our Restorative Justice approach (training will be given).

• organising and supervising orderly entry to the school hall and wiping down tables before the second lunch sitting.

Indoors, in bad weather:

• providing supervision as above, maintaining oversight of all classrooms, and seeking the help of the headteacher/deputising person if an accident or other difficulty prevents supervision.

To be available to attend staff meetings as required.

To maintain a lunchtime incident book.

Holywell Primary School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young persons. This post is subject to an Enhanced Disclosure Application to the Criminal Records Bureau.

For an application pack and further details please contact the school office on telephone number: 01634 388416.

Tracey Snellings
School Office Administrator
Holywell Primary School
Forge Lane, Upchurch, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7AE
Website: www.holywell.kent.sch.uk

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Upchurch Poppy Appeal 2014

The total donations to the Royal British Legion from Upchurch are £2,575. Of this amount £875 was donated in business or retail outlets and the pupils and staff of Holywell School donated £48. The house-to-house Poppy Appeal collection in Upchurch was undertaken in all areas of the Parish by twenty two collectors eight of whom were Upchurch Scouts.

St Mary the Virgin had a large congregation of all ages for the Remembrance Sunday service conducted by the Reverend Jacky Davis. Wreaths were laid below the memorial tablet in the Lady Chapel on behalf of the Church, The Mayor of Swale, Upchurch Parish Council, the Upchurch Scouting movement and the Upchurch Guiding Association. After the service Reverend Davis led the choir, the uniformed youth organisations and the congregation in the warm autumnal weather to the burial ground where wooden crosses were laid at the five war commission graves. A light shower of rain marked the end of this Remembrance.

This year we were particularly mindful of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who fought in World War I - a war that started 100 years ago.

On behalf of the Royal British Legion thank you for your generosity.

“WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”

Cllr Gerry Lewin - Upchurch Poppy Appeal Organiser 

Tel: 01634 366113 or Email: lewing135@btinternet.com

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Upchurch Parish Council Report - December 2014

The Parish Council met on Thursday 6^th November at the Village Hall where 6 Councillors were present and 8 members of the public.

Public Time – W.I. – The Chairman of the W.I. explained to members that next year was their centenary and they were looking to commemorate this. They were hoping to raise approx. £2,000 to purchase a Community Defibrillator. She had met with Cllr Tucker to explain this further and it had not been decided yet where this would be located. They were hoping to have it in place by September 2015. She explained that the W.I. was looking for the Council’s support in progressing with this. Street light in Bradshaw Close by footpath to Oak Lane – A resident raised concerns that this light was out. Cllr Arnold explained that this light was covered by trees and had been on daylight burning for around two years. Highways had contacted The Vicarage to request overgrown vegetation was cut back but as yet no action had been taken. He advised the resident that this light would be fixed before Christmas. Environment/Highways – A resident commented that The Paddock, Recreation Ground and Otterham Quay Lane were all looking presentable. He asked if there was any update on traffic calming along Horsham Lane. Cllr Lewin explained that this was an agenda item at the next meeting of the Joint Transport Board. This meeting could be viewed by members of the public, further details could be found at: www.swale.gov.uk clicking on Council “Councillors, Committees and meetings”.

Correspondence - Kent County Council Community Warden Service – It was noted that this public consultation could be viewed at: www.kent.gov.uk/communitywardenconsultation Sittingbourne Local Engagement Forum – Members noted that the next meeting was scheduled for Tuesday 16^th December 2014 at 7pm. The venue was to be confirmed. W.I. suggestion of a defibrillator in village– It was agreed to support the W.I. in locating a defibrillator in the village. It was commented that the W.I. will investigate the on-going costs of the defibrillator and that it would be helpful if a member of the Council could attend their meeting when this is discussed.

Planning - 14/503851/FULL Mill House, Otterham Quay Lane – Single storey side extension. The Planning Review Team had no objections.14/503022/FULL 17 Woodruff Close – Rear Conservatory. The Planning Review Team had no objections provided that neighbours views were given serious consideration. 14/504035/FULL/ROMC 36 Chaffes Lane – Single storey rear extension and side garage. The Planning Review Team will discuss this proposal and inform the Clerk of any comments.

Allotments and Recreation Ground – Plot 2/2a – It was noted that someone had shown an interest in taking over this plot. It was currently overgrown and two other plot holders had not been able to get the plot into a manageable state in which to grow anything. This would be discussed at the next GPC meeting.

Paddock - Upchurch Village Fete Committee – The Clerk reported that a request had been received from this committee to use the Paddock for a fete on 20^th June 2015. If in agreement, it would be run very similarly to this year’s fete and the Council would be kept informed of any pre-event activity which may need to take place, for example, pitch marking and weed tidying. It was agreed to accept this request.

Burial Ground and Churchyard - Review Burial Ground fees – A proposal to increase some of the fees to cover maintenance costs had been circulated. It was agreed to accept this and the new fees would be effective 1^st December 2014.

Environment  - Proposal for a Bus Shelter in the Village Centre – It was commented that the Council had agreed to look into this but due to the timing of the suggestion for a Lych Gate, it went on hold. Further discussions with Mr Harris had highlighted that the Lych Gate may not be appropriate for a Bus shelter. It was suggested that the Council start looking into this proposal further, for example, by obtaining prices for bus shelters, designs suitable for a conservation area. It was agreed to progress with investigations into this proposal. KALC Community Awards – The Clerk explained that the 2015 scheme would run along the same lines as the 2014 one. The Council could identify a person or group in their community that had made a significant contribution to the local community. There was no pre-determined criteria for what the contribution to the community might be. It was noted that nominations needed to be submitted to KALC before 30^th January 2015. Two nominations were suggested and the Clerk noted these. Christmas Festival at St Mary’s Church – Members noted that the theme was “Twelve Days of Christmas” and that the church would be open from 13^th December for the trees to be put up. Cllr Rose and Cllr Denny will follow this up. Preparing for emergencies – It was explained that the Kent Resilience Team could help prepare an emergency plan and had published a Handbook “What should I do in an emergency”. A copy of the Handbook was circulated. It was suggested that the Clerk contact Gabriel to see if they could help with distributing this handbook. Cllr Tucker offered to follow this up with the Village Hall Management Committee to see if they could help by having a Handbook on display at the Village Hall.

Highways - Speed watch equipment– The Clerk advised that Unipar Services had been in contact to explain that no fault had been found with the battery that had been returned to them. Therefore they had asked for the remaining equipment to be sent to them. Street lights – Cllr Arnold reported that 6 lights would be reported to the contractor: Chaffes Lane opposite Church Farm Road, The Street junction with The Poles, Marstan Close o/s 5, Bradshaw Close by footpath to Oak Lane, Wallbridge Lane pop 101 and Horsham Lane s/o Garden Cottage Proposal for a new street light in Otterham Quay Lane – A request from Beckenham Park Residents Association for this new light would be discussed at the next meeting of the Budget/Precept committee.

Next meetings – 4^th December 2014 (Holywell Primary School) and 8^th January 2015 (Upchurch Village Hall) starting at 7:30pm.

Claire Attaway, Parish Clerk, 33 Church Farm Road.

Tel: 01634 363906 (Mon - Thurs 9am to midday)

Email: clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Website: www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

Local Council Elections - 7th May 2015

With local council elections coming up next year, have you thought about standing for election and representing your local community?

The Parish Council elections tend to 'get lost' amongst the Borough ones so I thought I would outline the process and encourage any interest to be notified to the parish clerk.

At the end of their 4-year term all parish councillors effectively retire. Any intent to re-stand is notified to Swale Borough Council by means of a nomination form. At the same time, any other qualifying resident of the parish can also submit their candidacy to Swale. At the close of registration the clerk is notified of the number of candidates. The cut off date for nominations is approximately 1 month before the election on 7th May 2015.

If there are more candidates than the designated number of councillors (currently 9 for Upchurch) there will need to be a local election. If this is not the case then these candidates automatically form the next parish council. They will then be in a position to advertise the vacancies and 'co-opt' applicants as and when they can.

An election does come at a cost to village residents via your council tax in order for Swale to facilitate it and will take place at the same time as the Borough elections.

This is your opportunity to get involved in local council business!

So, if you are interested in becoming a parish councillor please contact the clerk (clerk@upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk) and we will arrange for appropriate information and forms to be made available.

Regards

Sara Tucker

Chairman, Upchurch Parish Council

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