Road Closure - Breach Lane

17th - 21st August for patching in marked areas between Hartlip Hill and Boxted Lane, between 9:30am to 3:00pm.

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

Upchurch Matters

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NHS Swale Clinical Commissioning Group - Have Your Say on Urgent Care Services in Our Area

Join NHS Swale on Wednesday 30th August 2017 at Oasis Academy, Minster to hear what they have been planning, and to support them in shaping future services.

Over the past two years NHS Swale have been talking to local people about urgent care services and how they can improve them. They've heard that people want services that are easily accessible, joined-up, available for both urban and rural communities, fit for the future and which encourage and support prevention and self care.

Improving NHS 111 and putting a better service in place with more support from GPs and other clinicians and which works better with other urgent care services. Keeping similar urgent care services to those currently provided at the hospitals in Sittingbourne and Sheppey but making sure they work in a more joined-up way.

Changes are planned for A&E and urgent care services at Medway Hospital and the event will also include a chance to hear about plans there and have your say.

Registrations at Oasis Academy (West Campus) Marine Parade, Sheerness, ME12 2BE and refreshments are from 9:30am. This is an all day event until 4:30pm, with lunch provided.

To book a place, Email: swale.communications@nhs.net or call: 03000 425 100

Upchurch Matters

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August News from Upchurch Horticultural Society - From the Potting Shed

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

The summer is starting to mature and it’s a matter of keeping everything going. It was a hot dry June that rolled over into July and keeping everything watered has been a challenge. With temperatures in the mid 30s (90s in old money) it hasn’t always been easy to keep up the good work.

Don't worry if your lawn is looking brown, the autumn rains will soon green it up again. Grass recovers well from dry spells but it may need scarifying later in the year to remove all the dead thatch. Lawn growth slows down in late summer so raise the cutting height of your mower which will help to retain moisture at the roots. Avoid any further weed and feed until September.

In the borders and containers it’s all about watering, feeding, staking, deadheading and cutting back. Tidy up wisteria which will be rampant and can cause a lot of trouble if the whip like side shoots are allowed to thicken up. They get around guttering and under roof felts. Prune climbing roses as they finish and now is the time for taking cuttings from tender perennials like pelargoniums and fuchsia. Where possible take cuttings from non-flowering stems. It’s also time to think about winter and spring bedding and bulbs. Bedding plants like primula, polyanthus, pansies and viola can still be grown from seed or available as plugs. Spring bulbs need to go in during the Autumn, with tulips wait till November, and there is a dazzling variety available. My recommendation would be to consider dwarf irises which flower early and overlap with the large Dutch crocus. Both are available in compatible colours and compliment each other in February and March.

The hot weather will have ripened onions and shallots and the leaves will be falling over as August progresses. Do not bend or knot the leaves as this can cause neck rot. When ready lift and allow to dry on the soil. If the weather turns wet, dry them off in the shed and if clever plait them together and hang them up with your garlic. Keep cutting courgettes and marrows while they are tender and to encourage more flower. The leaves will start to suffer from powdery mildew which can be cut back to extend the fruiting period. You should be well into the new potatoes with second earlies ready for harvest. I did Rocket this year and can confirm the claim that it is the earliest of the earlies. Sowing to lifting the first root was 11 weeks and the tubers were already large. Carrots and beetroot can be harvested or left in the ground to keep growing. Water sweetcorn regularly to swell the cobs, watch for the silks turning brown and the test of ripeness is to pop a corn with your thumbnail and the juices are milky. Sweetcorn needs to be eaten or frozen as soon as it is picked as the cobs start to form starch which diminishes the flavour. Pinch out the tops of tomato plants to channel the energy into the fruit. For greenhouse plants leave 5 or 6 trusses, for outdoor plants 4 is sufficient and will give everything time to ripen. Also pinch out the tops of runner beans and climbing beans when they reach the top of the supports to encourage side-shoots and more beans at a manageable height. Trim back herbs to bring on more growth and any surplus can be dried or frozen. Spray when required and use a high potash fertiliser to get the best from all your crops. Sow seed for spring cabbage like Durham Earlies. Weed and tidy as you go.

Apples have been plagued by aphids this year and I have resorted to pinching out the branch tips to try and get rid of them. Maintain a high potash feed every two weeks until harvest and consider netting your trees if pestered by birds and squirrels. Stone fruit is early this year so you have probably already harvested your cherries and plums. Check fruit for codling moth by cutting it open and looking for a small pinkish white grub. A clear sign is a sawdust like “frass”. Plant out any rooted runners of strawberries for next years crop and remove old straw to improve ventilation. Prune fruited stems of current bushes and cut back fruited raspberry canes, but leave the green stems for next year.

Now is a good time to give hedges a last trim which should keep them looking tidy through the winter... then it’s time to open the bar.

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

Sean Barry - Upchurch Horticultural Society

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Christmas Party Nights 2017 at The BarnYard

The BarnYard - Oak Lane - Upchurch

Email: contact@the-barnyard.com

Website: www.the-barnyard.com

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Christmas Festive Lunch Menu 2017 at The BarnYard

The BarnYard - Oak Lane - Upchurch

Email: contact@the-barnyard.com

Website: www.the-barnyard.com

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Talent Show & Barn Dance - All Proceeds to Upchurch Village Hall

A similar evening of dancing and homespun entertainment was held a couple of years ago. It was highly entertaining and enjoyed by all. Items included funny sketches, poems, monologues and songs as well as the dancing. The talent show is not competitive but simply an opportunity to have a go at entertaining us for a (no more than) 5 minute slot.

So, if you can sing, play an instrument, tell jokes, tell a funny story, perform a sketch, or whatever, it would be great to hear from you.

Already on the programme for this year are a live band and other singers/musicians, a magician, sketch performers not to mention the dancing.

All proceeds will go to the Village Hall Fund.

Tickets cost £7 for adults and £3 for school aged children/young people.

Contact Ralph Liddell on: 01634 375481 or Email: ralphliddell@talk21.com

Please bring food for a shared table and your own drink.

Everyone is welcome so please spread the word!

Ralph Liddell
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