Medway to Mark 150th Anniversary of Dickens’ Death Virtually

Medway will commemorate the 150th anniversary of the death of Charles Dickens virtually.

Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus pandemic planned events and activities to celebrate Dickens 150 were unable to go ahead, in line with government advice, however a number of virtual activities will now be held to mark the anniversary.

Dickens spent much of his life in Medway and many of his novels and characters were inspired by his experiences of living here. Eastgate House in Rochester features in The Pickwick Papers and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. The Grade 1 listed Elizabethan mansion, which was built in 1590, was also used as a Victorian school.

A host of videos, quizzes, talks and virtual trails have been created by Medway Council and its creative partners which will be posted on social media from Tuesday, 9th June until Sunday, 14th June for residents to take part in. These include a video where residents can meet one of Great Expectation’s lesser known characters created by Play on Words, a Dickens themed online Medway Print Festival and a tutorial from Dizzy O’Dare on how to write your own masterpiece.

The council’s Heritage Team education officer, Dr Jeremy Clarke, has also created videos to illustrate Dickens’ association with Medway and how it influenced his work as well as glimpses into Dickens’ private and public lives. Children will also be able to take part in a virtual trail and meet some of his best loved characters as part of a drawing activity as well as search their homes for items that would have been familiar to a Victorian family in a special Victorian treasure hunt on Friday, 12th June. Quizzes will be posted on the Enjoy Medway social media accounts to test residents’ knowledge of the author.

Residents can also download a copy of The Mystery of Edwin Drood from Medway’s library service and join in virtual discussions about the novel on the Reading Drood blog each month until October. If you’re not already a member of Medway libraries you can join online and borrow eBooks immediately. A member of the Medway Libraries team will also read an extract from The Uncommercial Traveller on their YouTube channel.

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

“Although we will not be marking the 150th anniversary of Dickens’ death as we had planned I am pleased that we will be commemorating his death and celebrating his much loved works. We are proud of Medway’s connections to Dickens and I would encourage residents to take part in our virtual celebrations.”

To join in the fun and exciting activities for families and Dickens fans from home visit www.medway.gov.uk/dickens150 or follow Enjoy Medway on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Medway Council

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Peter John Witherden 1929 - 2020

Peter Witherden.

Dad sadly passed away on Thursday the 4th of June 2020 and is now at peace.

Brother of Bob, Peter was born in Upchurch and lived in Crown Cottage, Ham Green and Chaffes Lane before moving to Rainham around 20 years ago.

Many will remember Dad as a regular at Upchurch Darby & Joan until it closed in 2017.

Gloria Woolley

Daughter

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New 'GetOutside' Website Launched

During this difficult time getting outside as freely as we’re used to has become a challenge as we continue to help protect each other and our communities.

The Ordnance Survey has worked with Natural England to create a new website that brings together current advice from government, councils and other outdoor organisations, so the public can decide where to go and what to do outside.

To help you get outside safely, please visit their COVID-19 guidance page to get the latest government updates and find activity advice by region. Plus visit the GetOutside Hub for more ideas and inspiration to keep active.

To get outside safely, visit >> https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk

Upchurch Matters

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UPDATED - Gill Gay Will Be Collecting For Swale Foodbank Again Soon

Hi everyone,

Our last Foodbank pick-up in Upchurch was very successful so my husband and I are going to do it again.

We will be at the bus stop lay-by opposite the Church in Horsham Lane on Wednesday 10th June from 10:30am until 11.30am.

Please come along with your donations (in carrier bags would be helpful) and put them into our open car boot while we remain at a safe distance.

We will then deliver your donations to the Swale Foodbank Warehouse, part of the Trussell Trust.

All donations are most welcome, Swale Foodbank has given me a wish list of:

Tinned rice pudding
Tinned custard
Tinned meals containing meat i.e. tinned curry, tinned bolognese, tinned chicken or beef stew, tinned casserole and tinned meatballs.

Please tell your friends and family.

Thank you

God bless you all
Gill Gay - Foodbank Co-ordinator
Email: gilliangay99@yahoo.co.uk
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BDL Gas Services - Showroom Reopening Update

BDL Gas Services
Tel: 01634 232048
Email: info@bdlgasservices.co.uk
Website: www.bdlgasservices.co.uk
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June News from Upchurch Horticultural Society - From the Potting Shed

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd

Well, things are starting to ease, the lockdown is lifting and people are getting back to some semblance of normality. The great hope now is that this does not prove to be a false dawn and we all get locked down again. I am sure that, like me, a lot of people have had time to reflect on things and I have certainly enjoyed some of the quiet moments over the last 10 weeks or so. The world did literally stop and we had the chance to get off... and I liked it. But the time has come to start returning to the rat-race but hopefully with a better attitude.

The cold snap at the beginning of May didn’t cause much damage in the South East so hopefully you have got all the planting out completed. I lost virtually all my French Beans at the end of April so put seed straight into the ground and they are coming up again. The Runner Beans pulled through and are heading off up the strings… a good lesson learnt… I tried to get ahead of nature!! Everything else in the vegetable patch is doing fine and I managed to squeeze in all the sweet corn seedlings. Hopefully you are taking salad crops so keep resowing and keep them coming. Pinch out side shoots on Tomatoes and keep everything well watered.

Fruit should be swelling up by now but wait for nature to thin it out in June before doing a final thinning of the smaller ones in July. Cherry and Plum trees can be lightly pruned at this time of year. The pests will be out in force so start spraying or just rubbing them out with your fingers or else they can get out of control. Peg down strawberry runners for next year’s plants. Apply a high Potash feed to bring on the fruit.

The lawns are starting to brown again after a dry May and you can’t rely on a morning dew, so give them a bit of water to keep them moderately green. Wait until after some rain has fallen before applying another weed and feed and avoiding cutting the grass short in a hot summer.

I can triumphantly state that I have finally got the back garden borders cleared and tidied and started reorganising plants and bulbs… sadly I still have the front garden to deal with. I have decided to discard some of the more feeble Daffodil bulbs and cull the Spanish Bluebells which are taking over, pulling them together into fewer and smaller clumps. Primroses have been divided and spread around and the snowdrop seeds have been collected and selectively planted. The top growth of spring flowers can be cleared this month to make way for the summer perennials that should be budding up. I bought plug plants this year, having given up on seed, but less than half of them have made it. So it was a visit to a local nursery and a decent selection of well established perennials, which were actually cheaper than the plug plants!

Everything should be well watered as we head towards summer, especially containers that can dry out very quickly. Also a high potash feed will keep everything flowering. Roses have got off to a great start this year and I do not believe in the Chelsea chop. For those who do, it will take a bit longer, but this gives a better summer show… so they say.

It’s time to start planning the outdoor living and to take satisfaction in all the gardening that’s gone into getting to this point. Dust off the BBQ and stock up on marinades. I had developed a liking for Mexican lagers recently, Corona I think it was called... but can’t find it anywhere.

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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