Surgery Patient Participation Group - Upchurch & Rainham

Blood Tests Results

From 1st December 2018 patients will not be contacted with the results of their blood tests as a matter of routine, unless a Doctors appointment is required.

Patients are requested to contact or visit their surgery for their own results.

Christmas and New Year Period Opening Hours 

Both surgeries will be closed on Christmas Day, Boxing day and New Years Day

However, extended hours are as below:

Monday 24th December 2018   7:00am - 8:00am at Rainham Surgery

Thursday 27th December 2018   6:30pm - 7:30pm at Upchurch Surgery

   Friday 28th December 2018   7:00am - 8:00am at Rainham Surgery

Monday 31st December 2018   7:00am - 8:00am at Rainham Surgery

 Wednesday 2nd January 2019   6:30pm - 7:30pm at Upchurch Surgery

        Friday 4th January 2019   7:00am - 8:00am at Rainham Surgery

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

Jan Bunting (Secretary) janannbunting@outlook.com or 

Ray Kemsley (Chair) raykemsley@btinternet.com

Ray Kemsley

Chair - Surgery Patient Participation Group - Upchurch & Rainham

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December News from Upchurch Horticultural Society - From the Potting Shed

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd

With December knocking on the door my enthusiasm for the garden has waned a bit, although for those who are not just fair weather gardeners there is still lots to keep you occupied. For recommended tips visit www.thompson-morgan.com/in-the-garden-this-month I will make the effort to rake leaves off the lawn as it needs all the help it can get and look after the winter vegetables, but other than that the garden has now been tidied up and put to bed for the winter.

The seed order for vegetables will be placed this month having waited to allow for old seed stocks to be used up that may not be fully viable. This may be cynical but I have become suspicious of seed suppliers following poor germination in recent years. The rhubarb has been transplanted to a wetter part of the garden as even this was affected by the dry summer. I have about 450L of rain water storage in the garden that collects run-off water from the guttering. In very dry weather this enables continued watering with a can for about 10 days. This is not fully adequate for most summers especially this one so an outside tap is also essential. However temporary water storage is useful to have and there are a lot of fascinating types of water butts available on line that can provide decorative options for water storage so take a look at www.waterbuttsdirect.co.uk who presently have Christmas Offers.

There is actually one last job I must do in the garden before retiring for the winter and that is to lift the spray and charm chrysanthemums. This is normally completed by this time of year but the unusually mild weather has kept them flowering. Chrysanthemum growing is an art in itself and is normally done for competitive exhibition and many expert gardeners specialise in these plants. However, there is always room for spray and charm chrysanthemums in any garden and charms make excellent pot plants. Once lifted the stems are cut back to about 6” and any basal growth removed. The tubers can then be stored in slightly moist compost in a dry shed or greenhouse and left dormant until January when gentle watering and feeding will produce basal shoots in February. These can be taken as basal cuttings in 3” pots to produce fresh colour later in the year. The old plant goes on the compost heap. Charm chrysanthemums produce a mass of small flowers in a variety of vivid colours that provide an amazing show in the Autumn. The plant maintains a natural ball shape and some varieties can easily reach a size of 3’ in diameter in 7 months. They can be grown as perennials, but are at their best grown from cuttings each year with a 12 month life cycle.

That’s it for 2018, it’s been a challenging year but here’s to next year and a Happy Christmas, and on that note I will toast your good health.

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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UpARA - December 2018 Newsletter & Latest Schedule of Events

John Wishart - Chairman

Tel: 07971 511956
Email: john@togthedog.co.uk

Sandy Tutt - Honorary Secretary

Tel: 01634 361516
Email: dylansnan@sky.com

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Upchurch Choral Society Presents a Christmas Concert "Gloria in Excelsis!"

Following the death of Alec New, a long term member of Upchurch Choral Society, this concert will be dedicated to him.

Sue Rossiter - Upchurch Choral Society

Telephone: 01634 234780
Email: suerossiter@waitrose.com
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New Website for UpARA

UpARA has a new website so members can stay up to date with all that's going on within the association.

Visit >> www.upara.club

Upchurch Matters

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Upchurch Village Hall Improvement Project Presentation and Thank You to the Co-op, Upchurch

Many many thanks 

The Village Hall Management Committee would like to thank the Co-op, Upchurch for raising £1743.89 this year towards the improvement project for the Village Hall.

They have again put the Village Hall forward for funding next year.

If you would like to know more about our future plans for the Village Hall, we will be presenting them on Tuesday the 5th of February 2019 at 7:00pm in the Village Hall.

Please come along and see for yourself.

John Tutt

Upchurch Village Hall Management Committee

Website: www.upchurchvillagehall.weebly.com

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