Notice Board

Thursday, 25 July 2019

Swale Borough Council - More Support for Rough Sleepers

More support is being offered to help rough sleepers get off the streets in Swale.

Swale Borough Council is investing £150,000 in a more proactive approach to helping rough sleepers by working with charities and voluntary groups to help identify and support them back into suitable housing.

A new rough sleeping coordinator has been appointed who is working with local charities and voluntary groups such as food banks and soup kitchens to help identify and support those sleeping on the streets.

The council has also brought in specialist outreach and complex needs workers from the homeless charity Porchlight. These workers support people living on the streets by assessing their housing, social and healthcare needs, and working with partner agencies to help them move towards a more positive future.

The council are already putting together plans with community groups to provide a night shelter in winter to make sure rough sleepers have a safe warm place to stay on the coldest nights.

Cllr Ben Martin, cabinet member for housing at the council, said:

“Getting people off the streets and helping them access the support they need is a priority for the new administration, but we know we can’t do this by ourselves.

There are already local and regional groups that are working to support people who are sleeping rough, such as food banks and soup kitchens. We want to work with these groups so we can encourage rough sleepers to engage with the support services that can help them.

Porchlight offer us some of the best outreach support available, so working with them gives us the greatest chance of helping the most difficult cases.

This won’t be easy, and we won’t solve it overnight, which is why we’re also working on plans to provide night shelter in the winter months, so no-one should be left out in the cold.

All of this is part of our wider plans to address the severe housing issues we face in the borough - we need more genuinely affordable homes that meet local people’s needs.”

Chris Thomas from Porchlight, said:

"The funding from Swale Borough Council means that Porchlight can get more help to people on the streets.

We'll also be working closely with other homelessness and housing services in the area to ensure everyone gets the support they need."

Funding to support the work has been received from the government’s Rough Sleeping Initiative

Swale Borough Council

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Wednesday, 24 July 2019

Give An Hour … Make a Difference

Partnership asks businesses to ‘Give an Hour’ and make a difference to the future career choices a young person makes.

The Give an Hour campaign is reaching out to businesses to give an hour of their time to introduce young people to the world of work. This initiative is delivered as part of the Enterprise Adviser Network (EAN), which is funded nationally by The Careers & Enterprise Company and locally by The West Kent Partnership, Medway Council and Kent County Council in partnership with The Education People.

The Network helps young people realise their career potential by promoting career paths and delivering employability activities, and helps schools engage with businesses in their local community. The Network helps to address the skills needs of our local economy but equally important is the potential to improve outcomes and provide greater opportunities for our young people - the workforce of the future.

James Roberts, CEO of The Education People, said:

“As an ex-school leader, and parent, I have witnessed the huge impact that employers can have on the education, aspirations and life chances of children and young people. They can provide inspiration to those at risk of becoming disengaged, provide clarity for those confused about their future career path, and provide tangible solutions to those who are seeking guidance and support. The Give an Hour campaign aims to do just that and I would encourage businesses to sign up and help change the lives of young people in their local area”

The Give an Hour campaign is a great way to give something back to the community. Opportunities are also available for business leaders to get involved in strategic partnerships with local schools and colleges as well as other inspiring activities across Kent and Medway.

Iain Hawthorne, Regional Food and Drink Director at HSBC and Enterprise Adviser, said:

“The importance of inspiring the future generations to live and work in the great county of Kent is not only a privilege to do, but incredibly valuable to young people. Whilst both challenging and rewarding, it’s also fun and develops a great sense of helping the community.”

An hour may not sound like enough time to have an impact but activities such as mock interviews, CV workshops or a career insight session can make such a difference to a group of young people.

Volunteer Enterprise Adviser and business owner, Susan Pearson said of the campaign:

“It is a very powerful initiative that brings local businesses and schools together and helps to influence the future workforce. Through the campaign, the students benefit from the knowledge shared by the business leaders - whether that be through coaching, interview training or even work experience. The business leaders benefit from inspiring and shaping the talent of the future, as well as supporting their local communities.

As a local business owner, I can see great benefit in this scheme - for the sake of an hour of their time, business individuals can make a huge difference to a student's career outlook and prospects, whilst also getting an insight into the next generation entering the workplace. Furthermore, the design of this scheme makes it a fun and easy process for all involved, and so producing much more effective results.”

Find out more and register at: www.giveanhour.co.uk

Suz Elvey | Communications Officer | People and Communications | Kent County Council

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New Opening Hours for Kent’s Libraries

The new opening hours for Kent’s Libraries have been decided and will take effect from Monday 30th September 2019.

The pattern of opening hours at each Library has recently been subject to a local engagement with Library customers.

During a three-week public engagement, customers were asked for their comments and invited to vote for their first and second preferences for the opening hours from a range of options for each Library offered - each option was for a different arrangement of the same number of hours the Library would be open.

The results were carefully considered and the hours chosen have all been based on the results and comments made.

Each Library is currently displaying a poster detailing the new opening hours.

This exercise followed a 10-week consultation by KCC’s Libraries, Registration and Archives service last November on its proposed new strategy which included the proposal for tiering Libraries. This outlined which Libraries would be in each tier and how many hours a week each Library would be open.

Following review of the consultation results, Mike Hill, the council’s Cabinet Member for Community and Regulatory Services, took the decision in March 2019 to implement the strategy, which included the tiering model and the Libraries in each tier.

The current opening hours and new opening hours for Sittingbourne Library, beginning Monday 30th September 2019 can be found at the link here >> http://bit.ly/2YcJI9b

Murray Evans

Kent County Council

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Latest 2019 Police Surgery Dates for Upchurch

PCSO John Cork holds regular Police Surgeries in Upchurch so residents can speak to him about any local Policing issues they may have.

Police Surgery dates for Upchurch are:

Friday 30th August between 2:00pm and 3:00pm at Snaffles

Saturday 28th September between 2:00pm and 3:00pm at Snaffles

Saturday 26th October between 2:00pm and 3:00pm at Snaffles

If residents need to contact PSCO Cork before these dates they can ring the 101 number or John's mobile: 07772 226217

PCSO John Cork
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Upchurch Best Kept Garden 2019 - The Winners

Overall Winner Peter Boakes - 97 Chaffes Lane

All gardens in the Parish that can be viewed from the front of your home were judged on Saturday the 20th of July 2019.

The judging took place without interviews with the occupants - so if you were shopping or on holiday your garden would have still been judged!

The winners and highly commended gardens in the following 4 categories are:

Overall Winner
Peter Boakes - 97 Chaffes Lane

Flowers and Shrubs
Winner
Leslie Long - 130 Chaffes Lane

Highly Commended
John Lewin - 21 Drakes Close

Small Garden
Winner
Margaret Packer - 11 Chaffes Terrace

Highly Commended
Julie & Steve Laming - 1 Church Farm Road

Hanging Baskets and Container Garden
Winner
Peter Boakes - 97 Chaffes Lane

Highly Commended
Jeannette & Jim McAlpine - 51 Crosier Court

Beckenham Park
Winner
Paul & Pauline Knights - 66 Beckenham Park

Highly Commended
Frederick & Stephanie Kemsley - 6 Beckenham Park
Rosemary & Stephen Stringer - 48 Beckenham Park

Leslie Long - 130 Chaffes Lane

John Lewin - 21 Drakes Close

Margaret Packer - 11 Chaffes Terrace

Julie & Steve Laming - 1 Church Farm Road

Jeannette & Jim McAlpine - 51 Crosier Court

Paul & Pauline Knights - 66 Beckenham Park

Frederick & Stephanie Kemsley - 6 Beckenham Park

Rosemary & Stephen Stringer - 48 Beckenham Park

The overall winner was judged to be Peter Boakes for his beautifully presented garden in Chaffes Lane. As overall winner, Peter will be presented with the Barbara Webb Memorial Rose Bowl to keep until next year’s winner is announced.

Prizes for the above along with highly commended certificates will be presented at the Upchurch Horticultural Society - September Summer Show, taking place at 2:00pm on Saturday the 14th at Peter Boakes, 97 Chaffes Lane, Upchurch.

Everyone is welcome to visit the show.

Upchurch Parish Council will be in touch with all the winners and those awarded highly commended over the coming weeks.

Thank you to all the Judges for their time and effort. The competition would not be possible without their support.

Peter also picks up this year's 1st Prize of 'Special High Tea' for 4 people at The BarnYard, Upchurch who have kindly sponsored this year's competition again. Thank you.

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