News from Upchurch Horticultural Society

Happy New Year to all Upchurch gardeners. Sadly the first announcement is to say goodbye to our Chairman Mick Johnson who passed away on 13th November after a period of illness. Mick had an immense impact on the local horticultural scene and is quite simply irreplaceable. We will miss him greatly and our sympathies to his family and friends. The Society carries on, though, and our AGM will be held on Wed 1st Feb 17 at Peter Boakes house at 97 Chaffes Lane starting at 7:30pm.

Although a quiet time of year there is still plenty to do. Sheds and greenhouses need tidying and tools can do with a clean and blades sharpened. There is still time to prune apples and with established trees concentrate on opening up the centre to allow plenty of air to circulate, be gentle with the outer leaders and laterals.

For those who want to get off to a good start, sow onion and leek seeds in trays and find a warm light place to encourage early growth. Trimming the length of leeks encourages them to thicken up and work on the maxim of at least 40 weeks from sow to show, alternatively, just eat them when they are ready. Also broad beans can go in and one of the best varieties for winter planting is Aquadulce Claudia which will be ready in May/June. They are at their best while the ligament connecting the bean to the pod is still green and can be added raw to salads. Eventually this will turn black and the bean hardens and will need cooking.

Please note that we are always looking for new members and try to encourage a fun attitude towards friendly competition. So if you want to grow your own fruit, vegetables and flowers or even enter any of the 3 shows we hold each year, then please get in touch, we would be happy to hear from you.

If you are interested in becoming a new member, (all ages are welcome), please contact Rosey on: 01634 377812 (evenings) or Email: rosemary@ringwoodaccounting.co.uk

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Club - www.rivervalleygolf.co.uk

Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society

space

Newington History Group

If you’re interested in finding out more about our local villages and the wealth of history in the area, Newington History Group covers a wide range of topics and meets monthly at the Methodist Hall in the village's Church Lane.

On Thursday, February 9 (7.30pm), hear the story of Rose Hill, a Gothic house built at Bobbing around 1760, and find out details of a continuing archaeological dig at the site.

Richard Emmett, of the Historical Research Group Sittingbourne, will describe how the eight-bedroomed house, which stood behind Gore Court Cricket Ground, was demolished in the late 1970s. After being unoccupied for many years, it was damaged by vandalism and fire to such an extent that locals urged the council to pull it down.

Richard will also detail the discoveries that have been made in the past couple of years during the Rose Hill community dig.

On March 9, Pauline Stevens will be talking about Roman finds at Upchurch and Lower Halstow. Guests are welcome at the History Group’s meetings (£3), and an annual subscription is £15.

The group seeks to unearth, preserve and promote the history of the village and neighbouring areas.

For more details contact Thelma Dudley on: 01795 84271, Email: thelma@newingtonhistory.co.uk or

Twitter: @newingtonhg

Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group

space

Emergency Road Closure - Mount Lane, Hartlip

For details of roadworks, please see: www.kent.roadworks.org

Street works Mid Team

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

space

Charity Barn Dance at The Oak Grove - With All Proceeds Going To Demelza Hospice Care For Children

For advance tickets, please contact Tyrone Ripley at: tyrone.ripley@yahoo.co.uk

or Sam Holland at: sam@samholland.co.uk

For directions, please visit: www.theoakgrove.uk

Sam Holland - Tyrone Ripley

Space

Poolside Bar Valentines Weekend Special at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Bookings available from Monday the 30th of January.

Telephone: 01634 360626.

Upchurch River Valley Golf Course
Space

Nigel Lawrence Running The London Marathon - Raising Money For CALM

Nigel Lawrence will be running The London Marathon in April 2017 for Campaign Against Living Miserably, CALM to raise awareness of male suicide. Many of you will already know Nigel well from The Three Tuns Lower Halstow.

CALM is a national charity dedicated to preventing male suicide in the UK. Suicide is the single biggest cause of death of men aged 20 - 45 here. In 2014, 76% of suicides were male. The charity was launched in 2006.

CALM provides a free, anonymous and confidential helpline and webchat service, open every day from 5pm to midnight which gives any man the chance to offload and talk through problems.

CALM campaigns and challenges a culture that insists that a man who seeks support is somehow less of a man. Being silent isn’t being strong and we need to push for change to improve suicide prevention policies and practices.

Please see their website: www.thecalmzone.net for more information on The CALMzone, with men talking about issues they face and a place where men can find out more about how to overcome some of these problems, along with articles and videos.

It can cost £7 to receive just one Freephone call that can save a life.

£23 pays for someone to take calls for an hour.

£160 keeps a line open from 5pm to midnight for one evening a year.

Nigel has a JustGiving page (link below) you can visit to sponsor him and help him on his way towards a target of £2000 for this very worthy cause.

Please remember to Gift Aid!

Here's the link to Nigel's JustGiving page ☞ www.justgiving.com/fundraising/nigel-lawrence

Thank you.

Upchurch Matters

Space