KCC Urges Residents to Join VE Day 75 Celebrations

KCC is encouraging residents to join in the VE Day celebrations on Friday 8th May - the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

To mark the event, staff from the archives at the Kent History and Library Centre in Maidstone have produced a video with several of them reading excerpts from various documents featuring people’s memories of the events of the day.

“Kent Voices from VE Day” runs for nearly 30 minutes and includes readings of items from personal diaries, parish magazines and local government literature, together with details of the planning that went into the official celebrations.

The video can be viewed at www.kentarchives.org.uk

KCC Chairman Ann Allen said:

“I am encouraging the people of Kent to join in the celebrations on Friday.

The current pandemic prevents us marking the event with many of our friends, family and loved ones and we must stay home to save lives and protect the NHS. But in the midst of all that is happening we must remember the sacrifice of all those who fought and worked, both abroad and at home, to bring peace to Europe, and we must remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and did not come home.

I hope residents will join in with the virtual celebrations and raise a glass, cup or mug at 3:00pm on Friday in celebration and remembrance and say: “To those who gave so much, we thank you”.

As members of the public are no longer able to attend national and regional VE Day 75 commemorations or events due to the Covid-19 pandemic, The Royal British Legion has helped arrange some remote activity so people can participate from home. This includes a VE Day 75 livestream, national moments of remembrance and thanksgiving and a learning pack for young people.

The Legion is therefore calling on people across the UK to join in a national moment of reflection and Remembrance at 11:00am on Friday and pause for a two-minute silence, not only in recognition of the service and sacrifice of the Second World War generation, but also to reflect on the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on so many lives across the world.

Following the silence, the Legion is hosting a VE Day livestream, available at www.rbl.org.uk/veday75, sharing stories and memories from those who served and sacrificed during the Second World War, and recognising the difficulties people are experiencing today.

From 8:00pm the BBC, in partnership with the Royal British Legion, will broadcast an evening of memories and music, featuring some of those who remember this historic day, plus some of Britain’s favourite performers with popular songs of the era. In a finale at 9:00pm the public are encouraged to enjoy a moment of celebration and thanksgiving by taking part in a UK-wide rendition of Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ at 9:00pm. Lyrics are available on The Royal British Legion website www.rbl.org.uk/stories/ve-day-singalong

Murray Evans

Kent County Council

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Swale Borough Council Provides £26,000 in Grants to Foodbanks and Community Organisations in Swale

Swale Foodbank Project Manager Esther Hurwood and

volunteer Sarah Loveridge.

Local foodbanks and community groups will receive £26,000 from Swale Borough Council to support their work helping local people.

The funding is part of the council’s foodbank grant program which was launched earlier this year to help support foodbanks and organisations who deliver essential services to the vulnerable people in the borough.

Cllr Julian Saunders, deputy cabinet member for community at the council, said:

“We’ve dedicated £26,000 to help the foodbanks and community organisations who are supporting those most vulnerable in the borough.

The Swale Foodbank in Sittingbourne has received £10,000 to for an electric van to deliver food packages to residents.

The Family Foodbank on Sheppey received £10,000 for their project that bring together a number of organisations to deliver emergency food parcels to vulnerable families and the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Citizens Advice Bureau received £6,000 to set up a dedicated helpline that provides debt advice and foodbank vouchers for those needing support.

It is crucial now more than ever that we support the essential services our local foodbanks provide for those who are struggling.

We opened the foodbank grant scheme for the first time earlier this year, and it could not have come at a better time given the pressure these services are now under as they work to respond to the pandemic.

Demand for foodbank parcels has more than doubled since the start of the pandemic and people are relying on foodbanks to help feed their families, so the work they’re doing is more important now than ever.

We’ve also worked with local foodbanks and the Community Chef to produce a recipe book using food parcel ingredients called Cooking on a Budget.

We encourage anybody who can help support our foodbanks and community organisations to do so by donating or volunteering.”

Esther Hurwood, Swale Foodbank Project Manager, said:

“We were thrilled to receive the £10,000 grant from Swale Borough Council.

It couldn’t have come at a better time as we work to support the most vulnerable people in our community through the coronavirus.

We used the money to buy a new electric van for our volunteers to make deliveries of food and essential supplies to those who are staying home.”

For more information about foodbanks, and to download the Cooking on a Budget recipe book, visit www.swale.gov.uk/foodbanks

To donate visit www.swale.foodbank.org.uk, www.familyfoodbank.org and www.faversham.foodbank.org.uk

Swale Borough Council

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VE Day 75 Celebrations

VE Day Now and Then

Friday 8th May 2020 marks 75 years since VE Day when the Second World War came to an end in Europe. The long-anticipated news resulted in spontaneous celebrations across the country and a national holiday was declared, when people from all walks of life came together to mark the occasion.

However, the war in the East did not end until 15th August 1945 when Japan finally surrendered. The day was celebrated across the world as Victory over Japan (VJ Day). 

To mark this important anniversary, the UK government has designated Friday 8th May 2020 a bank holiday as part of the three-day weekend worldwide celebrations to remember the enormous sacrifices that were made both at home and abroad and to celebrate as people did 75 years ago, the arrival of peace in Europe.

Changing Celebrations

Because of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic emergency and consequent guidance from Public Health England on mass gatherings, the UK government has announced that plans to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe will now be changed.

For safety reasons, organisers and participants have sadly scaled back, cancelled or postponed the majority of their community celebrations due to take place on the bank holiday weekend of 8th to 10th May.

And to protect the health and wellbeing of the Second World War generation and members of the public, the veterans’ procession down the Mall and the events in St James’s Park will no longer go ahead.

Commemorations

Even with the limitations and restrictions of the Coronavirus lockdown still in place, many residents are planning to unite in celebrating VE Day 75 together at home with their family while safely following government advice on social distancing.

Many of the planned national commemorations will still take place:

The Archbishop of Canterbury will record a special reflection and moment of prayer for VE Day.

His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales will read an extract from King George VI’s diary from 8th May 1945.

Members of The Royal Family, the Prime Minister and the Culture Secretary will take part in video calls with Second World War veterans.

NHS Volunteer Responders will be deployed to give a number of Second World War veterans a call and provide an opportunity to share their stories.

11:00am

The Royal British Legion is calling on everyone across the UK to join in a moment of reflection and remembrance at 11:00am on Friday 8th May, the 75th Anniversary of VE Day, and pause for a Two Minute Silence.

2:55pm

Buglers across the country will play the Last Post.

3:00pm

The Nation’s Toast, paying tribute to all the heroes of the Second World War when a thousand plus pipers will play - please raise your glass.

As part of special BBC programming, extracts from Sir Winston Churchill’s victory speech will recreate the moment peace in Europe was announced 75 years ago and the Prime Minister will speak about the importance of VE Day.

6:55pm

Town Criers across the country will be ‘Crying out for Peace’.

9:00pm

Her Majesty The Queen will send a message to the nation on BBC One, the exact moment her father, King George VI, gave a radio address in 1945.

Followed by a national singalong of Dame Vera Lynn’s ‘We’ll Meet Again’ when the public will be encouraged to open their doors and join in with this national moment of celebration.

However you celebrate, please enjoy your VE Day 75 celebrations at home safely with your family!

Links For More Information

www.veday75.org

www.ve-vjday75.gov.uk

www.britishlegion.org.uk/get-involved/remembrance/remembrance-events/ve-day-75

Upchurch Matters

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Annual Parish Council Meeting & May 2020 Monthly Meeting Agendas

Upchurch Parish Council will be holding the 2 meetings above via Zoom on Thursday 7th May 2020 at 7:30pm.

The Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority Meetings) Regulations 2020 now gives Local Councils the power to meet remotely during this current crisis.

Virtual meetings are open to members of the public. Anyone wishing to watch will need to contact the Clerk for the login details, they will also be allowed to raise questions or comments to Councillors during public time.

Wendy Licence - Clerk to the Parish Council
Tel: 01622 739324

Email: clerkupc@outlook.com

Website: www.upchurchpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

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Temporary Road Closure - Horsham Lane, Upchurch

Temporary Road Closure - Horsham Lane, Upchurch - 3rd June 2020

Kent County Council has made an order to temporarily prohibit through traffic on Horsham Lane, Upchurch from Wednesday 3rd June 2020 for up to 1 day between the hours of 09:30 and 15:30.

The road will be closed between the junctions with Oak Lane and Woodruff Close, to the extent indicated by signs and barriers on site.

The alternative route for any through traffic is via The Street, Oak Lane, Wallbridge Lane and vice versa.

Access for emergency service vehicles and pedestrians will be maintained at all times during the closure.

The closure is required for the safety of the public and workforce while pole examination works are undertaken by BT.

For information regarding this closure please contact BT on: 0800 800 150, who will be able to assist with the scope of the works.

For details of roadworks, see: https://one.network

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste
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Medway Council Invites Residents to Join Virtual Book Club to Mark 150th Anniversary of Dickens’ Last Novel

Medway Council is inviting residents to take part in an online book club to discuss Charles Dickens’ final unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

To mark the 150th anniversary of Dickens’ death, and the 150th anniversary of the publication of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, the council is encouraging residents to download a copy of the eBook from Medway’s library service and join them in reading the mystery in monthly instalments, the same way the original readers would have enjoyed the novel.

The central mystery, the disappearance of Edwin Drood, plays out in a thinly-disguised gothic Rochester.

Can you solve the mystery? Download the eBook and join in discussions about the novel on the Reading Drood blog each month from May to October. If you’re not already a member of Medway libraries you can join online and borrow eBooks immediately. In recent weeks more than 15,500 eBooks, eMagazines and eNewspapers have been accessed by residents which is double the amount borrowed during the same time last year.

Chapters one to five will be read in May, six to nine in June, 10 to 12 in July, 11 to 16 in August, 17 to 20 in September and finally chapters 21 to 23 in October.

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

“I am pleased we are launching a virtual book club to discuss Dickens’ last novel, it is one of the ways in which we are adapting our services in these unusual times. I would encourage residents to sign up for an online library account as there are thousands of eBooks, audiobooks and eMagazines on offer for them to read, as well as The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and I hope as many people as possible join in with the online discussions. We look forward to welcoming you all back into Medway’s libraries and community hubs as soon as we can.”

To sign up for a library account visit www.medway.gov.uk/libraries

Medway Council

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