Secret Agents at St. Mary's Church, Newington

For more information and to register online, visit: www.thesix.org.uk

Becky Randall

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Emergency Road Closure - Wallbridge Lane, Upchurch

Kent County Council gives notice that Wallbridge Lane, Upchurch will be closed to through traffic, on or after Friday 25th January 2019 for up to 5 days.

The alternative route is via Horsham Lane and Oak Lane.

It is planned that the road will be closed between 9:30am and 15:00.

The closure is necessary to enable TDS Trees to carry out urgent tree works.

This notice applies when the relevant signs and barriers are on site, and is valid for a period of no more than 21 days.

The Kent County Council Highways Helpline is: 03000 418181

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

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

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The Modernisation of the Church Clock at Saint Mary the Virgin, Upchurch - Final Amount Donated and Thank You

Pictured above: State of the art changes have made the church clock fit for the 21st century.
Click image to enlarge.

The modernisation of the church clock

Upchurch Parish Council, who look after the church clock, (which is a war memorial) on behalf of the residents of the Parish used Parish funds to upgrade and modernise the clock and winding mechanisms in the tower of Saint Mary the Virgin, Upchurch, to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War and as a lasting act of remembrance in helping preserve our War Memorial for future generations of villagers and visitors to enjoy.

Local residents and visitors to the village expressed their desire to make a donation towards the cost of the restoration as a way of saying 'thank you' to those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Councillors have been overwhelmed by the response from the community to their invitation to ‘buy time’ on the clock face, the target was to raise an hour, or put another way 3600 seconds, to say thank you! This echoes the response from villagers 100 years ago.

Update

The church clock is working really well and keeping excellent time. The clock mechanism has had a service since the winding mechanisms were updated and the drive shafts that link the clock to the 3 faces have all been adjusted and checked for wear and tear.

The clock successfully made the adjustment from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time (back an hour) automatically at the end of October, and the Parish Council is looking forward to it making the adjustment the other way in March, which involves the clock stopping for 23 hours and then restarting automatically at the correct time, quite a feat of engineering! In the meantime, councillors Alan Horton and Peter Masson continue to monitor the clock and are always willing to answer questions.

New memorial plaque

The Parish Council is in the process of preparing an application to seek a faculty through the Diocese of Canterbury's senior legal officer, the Commissary General, who will then consider the request for a new memorial plaque on the left hand side of the church door, to mirror the original on the right hand side, the plaque will be as close as possible in design, size and material to the original and will in as close a message as possible detail the centenary contributions from the community toward the winding mechanism, in the same manner as the original contributions bought the clock and chimes.

44 minutes sold - £6255.63 donated

Your donations:

£60.00 - Beckenham Park Residents Association 

£500.00 - Upchurch Handbell Ringers

£1100.00 - Upchurch Village Fete Committee

£150.00 - Upchurch Horticultural Society

£75.00 - Parish Council Stall at Upchurch Village Fete

£100.00 - Upchurch Wives group

£750.00 - Swale Borough Council

£125.11 - Holywell School, Oak and Cambria Classes

£322.02 - 1st Upchurch Brownies and Guides

£1133.00 - JustGiving Page

£564.00 - Upchurch WI 

£100.00 - Upchurch Cricket Club

£500.00 - Friends of St. Mary's

£776.50 - Individual residents donations

£6255.63 - Total

Upchurch Parish Council would like to thank everybody who has donated, your generosity has been overwhelming.

Thanks also to Upchurch Matters.

Tyrone Ripley

Chairman - Upchurch Parish Council

Tel: 07702 222093

Email: tyrone.ripley@yahoo.co.uk

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Kent Police - 2 Week Firearms Surrender

Kent Police is appealing for people to hand in unwanted or illegally held guns during a 2 week surrender of firearms and ammunition.

The surrender begins at 9:00am on Monday 21st January 2019 and ends at 5:00pm on Friday 1st February 2019.

Members of the public can take firearms or ammunition to any police station where they can dispose of them.

This includes replica and antique firearms, air weapons, BB guns, imitation firearms, component parts and other ballistic items.

During this period, those surrendering firearms will not face prosecution for illegal possession and can remain anonymous.

Many firearms are held innocently with owners unaware of their illegality, or are overlooked heirlooms forgotten in people’s homes.

Others are acquired and distributed by criminal networks to threaten or harm communities. Any firearm believed to be linked to criminal offences will be investigated in the usual manner.

The surrender is an opportunity to dispose of unwanted, unlicensed weapons in a safe place and avoid the risk of them falling into the wrong hands.

More than 300 guns were handed in to Kent Police during last year’s firearms surrender including a Second World War era pistol.

During the surrender the public can hand firearms to the front counter at the following police stations:

◼︎ Folkestone

◼︎ Margate

◼︎ Ashford

◼︎ Canterbury

◼︎ Tonbridge

◼︎ Maidstone

◼︎ North Kent

◼︎ Medway

◼︎ Sittingbourne

Please check the opening times of a station by visiting the Kent Police website before attending at: www.kent.police.uk

Individuals wishing to dispose of an unwanted firearms or ammunition who cannot attend the above stations should call 101 and collection will be arranged.

#Kentgunsurrender2019

Upchurch Matters

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Host Family Required

A host family is required for a 17yr old French female student to stay with for 2 weeks during the summer holidays to help improve her English.

Please contact Marian Bohling: marian.bohling@orange.fr

Thank you

Ray Kemsley

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Swale Borough Council Sports Grant Scheme - Funding Still Available

Six weeks remain to apply to Swale Borough Council’s grant scheme for sporting projects in our area.

The current round of funding will expire at the end of February, but £6000 remains unallocated.

The maximum grant for any one project is £1000 and only one application can be submitted by an organisation in each financial year.

Recent grants awarded include an Astro Turf Wicket being installed at Sheppey Cricket Club, and a self-propelled wheelchair for Indoor Bowls for MS Swale, in partnership with Swale Indoor Bowls Centre.

Peter Fathers, fundraiser for MS Swale says:

“The money from Swale Borough Council part funded our specially designed wheelchairs. It means people with Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological conditions can bowl independently, using the same rules and conditions that able bodied people do. It’s wonderful to see everyone bowling together on an equal footing.”

Cllr Duncan Dewar-Whalley, cabinet member for finance and performance at Swale Borough Council says:

“We encourage sporting organisations in Swale to apply for this funding. Helping residents get fit, active and healthy is a priority for the Council and applying for this money is an excellent step in the right direction.”

Please see: www.swale.gov.uk/sport-and-physical-activity-grant for guidance notes and how to apply.

Swale Borough Council

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