Latest POLICE.UK Crime Data for the Area - June 2019

Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch

Here is a brief summary of the crime information for the past 2 months:

	May 2019	June 2019
All crime	37	42
Anti-social behaviour	9	4
Bicycle theft	0	0
Burglary	2	2
Criminal damage and arson	4	3
Drugs	0	0
Other crime	2	1
Other theft	1	5
Possession of weapons	0	0
Public order	6	0
Robbery	0	0
Shoplifting	1	0
Theft from the person	0	0
Vehicle crime	0	2
Violence and sexual offences	12	25

Please visit: www.police.uk for more information including outcomes for these crimes and contact information for your local policing team.

Lower Halstow and Iwade

Here is a brief summary of the crime information for the past 2 months:

	May 2019	June 2019
All crime	38	42
Anti-social behaviour	13	15
Bicycle theft	0	0
Burglary	0	2
Criminal damage and arson	6	4
Drugs	0	0
Other crime	1	0
Other theft	1	1
Possession of weapons	0	0
Public order	5	1
Robbery	0	0
Shoplifting	0	2
Theft from the person	0	0
Vehicle crime	1	4
Violence and sexual offences	11	13

Please visit: www.police.uk for more information including outcomes for these crimes and contact information for your local policing team.

Upchurch Matters

Will Adams Festival

Celebrating Will Adams

The bond between Medway and Japan began with Will Adams.

Will Adams established the first trading link between Britain and Japan and each year thousands of residents and visitors celebrate maritime history and Japanese culture at the Will Adams Festival in Gillingham Park.

Adams, born in Gillingham, joined the Navy and set sail as Chief Navigator on flagship Hope in 1598. In 1600 his ship ran aground on the Japanese Island Kyushu.

Though he was captured and imprisoned as a pirate, the Shogun appointed him as a trusted aide and diplomatic advisor because of his knowledge of shipbuilding and navigation, binding Medway and Japan.

This year’s festival will be held on Saturday, 7th September at Gillingham Park, from 11:00am to 4:30pm - FREE entry.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see and have a go at traditional Taiko drumming, Origami and Japanese martial arts. These martial arts originated in the warrior traditions of the Samurai. Adams himself was awarded the honoured title of Samurai when he proved himself to be a knowledgeable and trusted advisor.

There will also be a history exhibition on display, created by St. Mary’s Magdalene Church at Gillingham Green, where Adams was christened.

The Will Adams Festival introduces residents to an important part of Medway’s history, allowing them to learn about, and experience, contemporary Japanese culture.

Cllr Howard Doe, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Services, said:

“We are excited to, once again, celebrate our close connection with Japan at our annual Will Adams festival. It is important that we continue to recognize Medway’s cultural heritage. I am looking forward to seeing our residents learning, experiencing and celebrating our maritime history and Japanese culture.”

Getting to the festival

There will be limited adjacent street parking or you can easily get to Gillingham Park by public transport.

You can get the following buses:

• 101 to Jeffrey Street (5 minute walk to park)

• 182 to Gillingham High Street (15 minute walk to park)

• 116 to Canterbury Street (1 minute walk to park)

• 132 to Jezreels (3 minute walk to park).

Please note these are all estimated times.

Dogs are welcome but must be kept on leads.

For more information about the festival visit: www.medway.gov.uk/willadams 

Medway Council

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Public Exhibition for the Leigh Academy Rainham

The illustration shows an initial design including an adjacent sports hall,

available for community use. It is anticipated that construction of the

new academy will begin next autumn. The school is due to open in September 2020.

Exhibition

The project team for Bowmer + Kirkland, the main contractor for the proposed Leigh Academy Rainham are holding a public exhibition where members of the community can review and comment on proposals to build a new secondary academy in Rainham, before they submit their planning application to Medway Council.

The exhibition will take place at St, Margaret’s Millennium Centre, Gatekeeper Chase, Rainham, Kent, ME8 9BH on Friday the 6th of September 2019 between 2:00pm and 7:00pm.

The Plans

It is proposed to build the new mixed 11-18 yr secondary academy, which will be part of the Leigh Academies Trust group of schools on a site south of the railway at Otterham Quay Lane, junction of A2 Moor Street, known locally as Westmoor Farm.

School Places

If you are interested in a school place or working at Leigh Academy Rainham, the Leigh Academies Trust have set up a website: www.leighacademyrainham.org.uk where you can register to be kept up to date regarding open events and the admissions process for the new school.

To contact the project team, Email: info@leighacademyrainhamplans.co.uk

For more details, visit: www.leighacademyrainhamplans.co.uk

Upchurch Matters

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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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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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