News From Upchurch Cricket Club

First Senior games are at home on Saturday the 8th of April.

Seniors training starts on Wednesday the 5th of April.

Colts signing on night is Tuesday the 4th of April from 6:30pm onwards.

All new players welcome!

Quiz Night on Friday the 21st of April.

Anyone interested in entering a team (of 6 people) please contact the club.

Steve, Rachel and Daniel Parker
Mobile: 07879 883153
Email: info@rhparkerltd.co.uk
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Painting The Town Green - The Big Celebration at The BarnYard

On Tuesday the 4th of April from 1:00pm - 3:00pm at The BarnYard,

Oak Lane, Upchurch, ME9 7EZ.

For the past three years, Kent Wildlife Trust’s Big Lottery funded Painting The Town Green project has been working with communities across Medway, Swale and Thanet.

The project has been connecting people to nature and with each other. They have been working together to improve green spaces that are beneficial to both wildlife and people and having lots of fun!!.

As the project is drawing to a close, they are holding an afternoon Celebration Event to highlight the achievements of each group's hard work.

Join them for a family-friendly event. There will be arts and crafts, wildlife activities, storytelling and a Falconry Display as well as an opportunity to find out about other Kent Wildlife Trust Community projects.

This event is FREE but ticket only. Please register for a ticket for each attendee at: www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/celebration

Katie Gurdler

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Doctors L & V Shaunak Announce Their Retirement

Calling all Upchurch Surgery Patients

Doctors L & V Shaunak have announced their retirement as of the 1st of April 2017.

It is thought that we cannot let them go without some recognition of our thanks and appreciation of the many years of care and support they have given this community.

We have started a collection which is being held at Upchurch Surgery.

If you would like to contribute please take your donation there by the 20th of April 2017.

We have been so fortunate to have them as our GP’s which contrasts so favourably with what you hear about other surgeries.

Let us show how much we appreciate them.

Please note: The Surgery is not closing.

If you have any questions or suggestions on the local practice, then please Email

Jan Bunting (Secretary) janannbunting@outlook.com or 

Ray Kemsley (Chair) raykemsley@btinternet.com

Ray Kemsley

Chair of Upchurch Surgery Patient Participation Group

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Dog Fouling In Our Village - Please Clean It Up!

During public time at the Parish Council meeting in March, concerned residents raised the problems and hazards being caused by dog fouling around the village and in particular the amount of mess being left around the play equipment in The Paddock and in Chaffes Lane.

It was also reported that anti-fouling notices had been torn off the play equipment. The Parish Council has requested the Dog Warden visit the area.

The Paddock and Recreation Ground are both leased by Upchurch Parish Council and are therefore the responsibility of the Parish Council, not Swale Borough Council.

It is an offence not to clean up after your dog

You can be given an on-the-spot fine (FPN) of £80 if you do not clean up after your dog. 

If you refuse to pay the fine, you can be taken to court and fined up to £1,000.

Registered blind dog owners can’t be fined.

Dog mess is a health hazard!

Apart from being an unpleasant nuisance if you step in it, fall in it, cycle through it, or wheel your wheelchair through it, dog mess can also be a health hazard.

Both dog and cat faeces can contain the eggs of the roundworm 'Toxocara'. These eggs can survive in the soil for several years. If they are ingested or inhaled by humans, they may cause eye, liver, brain and respiratory problems such as asthma, hepatitis and epilepsy.

Children playing in fouled recreation areas are most at risk. Dog waste is also a potential health risk to farmers' livestock if you allow your dog to foul in their fields.

Do you really want any of these consequences on your conscience?

Please bag your dog waste and put it in any public litter bin or take it home to your household green bin

If you see anyone not cleaning up after their dog, please report it to either village PCSO John Cork, the Clerk or the Village Caretaker who is regularly in the area and works tirelessly to keep it clean and tidy for everybody to use.

Thank you for your support.

Upchurch Parish Council
Telephone: 01634 363906
Email: clerkupc@outlook.com

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The Old Upchurch Fire Brigade by David Wood

The idea of a village fire brigade arose in 1900 after a series of devastating fires in different parts of the parish that caused considerable damage. Questions were asked about the number of available fire hydrants and length of time for the Rainham Fire Brigade to reach the village to deal with the blazes.

The most serious fire took place at Otterham Quay in August 1900 when White Huts Cottages were razed to the ground in 45 minutes before the fire brigade even arrived. Later, in September, George Clark’s fruit store at Ham Green was burnt down causing £200 of damage. This led to discussions in the parish council about finding a solution.

The parish council agreed to have fire hydrants positioned at various points in the village. These were placed between the Lord Stanley and Three Sisters pubs in Otterham Quay, between Anne’s Cottages in Forge Lane and Holywell and between Forge Lane and The Street. A Fire Hydrant Committee was then established and led by Mr Tanner then by Mr Hubbard. The hydrants had to be tested by the Rainham Fire Brigade and Mr Fowler of the Rainham Water Company was made Superintendent of Hydrants and paid an annual salary of £4 by Upchurch Parish Council. This was followed by the placing of more hydrants in the village opposite Otterham Cottages, at Gore Bank and Holywell in May 1901.

On January 10th 1902 the hydrant committee proposed a volunteer fire brigade, fire-fighting equipment and a truck. Volunteers were requested and in response to this Tom Wraight, Edgar Fielder, Frank Golding and Arthur Bayley volunteered as firemen. Mr Fowler was elected Inspector of Hydrants. On the recommendation of Mr Fowler George Capeling from Gore Bank was made captain and Walter Golding from Otterham lieutenant. Mr Fowler also became instructor for the new village fire brigade.

During the course of 1902 parish council chairman Ernest Cozens tried to get permission from the managers of the Infant’s School to have a shed placed in the playground for the storage of the fire equipment and to use the school for drills and meetings. Although the managers allowed the fire equipment to be temporarily stored there they refused to allow a shed to be erected so the search for a permanent base continued.

Because they were unable to get sufficient funds from the parish council the firemen used their own initiative and held concerts to raise money for uniforms. In January 1903 they held a concert in the Infant’s School which proved very successful. Dr Tippett from Rainham also assisted by giving first aid lessons to the firemen who then had to take the Ambulance Certificate Examination which they all passed.

At the parish council Annual General Meeting of March 26th 1903, the council officially established the fire brigade and pledged to bring them up to a high standard, to supply them with a truck, a shed to store equipment and fire-fighting equipment. An agreement was made to fund them with £50. Ernest Cozens also allowed the brigade the use of an upstairs room at The Old Bakery in Forge Lane as an office.

The equipment was temporarily stored at the Infant’s School then Mr Kemp was approached to rent out a shed for the storage of equipment and the use of his yard in Forge Lane for fire drill and a truck. After a twelve month contract had been drawn up for £5 per year with notice to be given three months each side, the council terminated it on the basis that they did not have enough money to pay. Mr Kemp demanded that the parish council would still have to pay the rent for twelve months up to December 1903. The council refused so the fire captain George Capeling, lieutenant Walter Golding and firemen Gaskin and Fielder all resigned from the fire brigade in disgust at the lack of encouragement from the parish council and accused them of not managing their funds properly.

The arguments about storage continued then at the parish council meeting of January 15th 1904, Mr Fowler handed the fire equipment over to the council and resigned along with the remaining firemen because of lack of progress being made.

After the equipment had been stored in the Church Room, Ernest Cozens volunteered to store it at The Old Bakery on a temporary basis. After this it was moved to Mr Stevens’s barn at Holywell and eventually sold off and the money placed in parish council funds. The job of fighting fires in Upchurch then reverted back to Rainham Fire Brigade and there was no further attempt at forming a fire brigade in 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 at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + £3.50 postage and packing.

David Wood

'Island of Two' by Sarah Westby - Are you a Fraternal or Different Gendered Twin?

My name is Sarah Westby and I am currently in my final year studying a BSc in Film and Television at the University of York. I live in Hartlip and I am part of Uplift at St. Mary's Church, Upchurch.

I am currently in my final year at the University of York and in the research stage for my dissertation which is a research project in the form of a documentary proposal.

My documentary is called 'Island of Two' and is about fraternal and different gendered twins and their relationships throughout their lives.

I am currently looking for girl/boy twins to be interviewed as part of my research and was wondering if there are any in the village or the surrounding area?

I am interested in talking to twins of all ages, either as an individual twin or in pairs. It would be a short interview either in person or over the phone and I would be asking questions about their experiences of being a twin and about their relationship with each other.

Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sarah Westby

Email: saw552@york.ac.uk

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