October News from Upchurch Horticultural Society - From the Potting Shed

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd

Well, October came in with some cold weather and then turned very wet so I thought my prediction of an early Winter was right, only then to brighten up a bit. The evenings are definitely getting colder and the log fire has been lit and enthusiasm for the wet garden is waning. October is the tidy up month so I have lifted the last of the Early Potatoes and started the Runner Bean trench for next year. It will go in the sunniest part of the vegetable patch and stay there, as the Climbing Beans are not at their best in shade. The Maincrop needs to come up next and be stored in a hessian sack in a cool dark spot away from any frost. The Marrow finally produced a good fruit which was stuffed with minced beef and onions plus special ingredients to produce a decent meal, but no sign of a second one yet. Any frost tender vegetables need to be picked and stored by the end of the month. Give everything a good dig over and get the weeds out and leave the winter vegetables to stand in the ground.

Harvest frost tender vegetables.

The wet weather has done the lawn a great deal of good which with the exception of the bare patches, has greened up well. The thatch has been raked out and it looks moderately respectable. With the soil wet it is easy to aerate it with a fork which will help drainage. Edges can be repaired and a final cut performed and then it is best to keep foot traffic to a minimum to avoid compacting the soil again. Just rake up the leaves.

The borders need another weed after the rain to leave them tidy for the winter. Trim back the perennials that have finished for the year and look forward to the Autumn flowers which will be out shortly like Charm Chrysanthemums, Sedum and Nerines. The Japanese Anemones have been good this year and still flowering with Roses soldiering on past the summer. Large clumps of perennials can be divided and replanted. After a total failure last year the Delphinium and Lupin seeds from this year have germinated profusely. They will be over-wintered and planted out next Spring to increase numbers.

Hopefully you have had a bumper crop of Apples this year which are particularly large and most varieties are harvested by the end of October. Apple trees can be pruned in the winter.

Hardy gardeners will find plenty to do through the winter, but I will head indoors to resume my winter hobby of cooking. Autumn can be very cosy and it offers a bit of a break. Plans can be drawn up for next year and seeds need to be ordered. However, it has been a strange year and the future is still no clearer, so I am actually looking forward to a bit of hibernation. Stoke up the log fire, dust off the favourite recipes and fill the cook’s glass. The Duchess enjoys this time of year as well, as she likes my cooking, unless of course the cook’s glass gets filled too often.

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

Poolside Bar & Courtyard Music Nights October - December 2020 at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

Swale Borough Council - Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service Starts in Swale

People needing extra support this winter can now reach out to Swale Borough Council’s Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service for help and advice.

Householders will be able to get advice on how to effectively manage energy and water use in their homes, installing low cost measures such as draught proofing and radiator reflector panels, and helping those who are eligible to apply for grants.

The service will be managed by Swale charity Children and Families who provide support services to families around the borough.

Residents can refer themselves to the service, and housing officers, health workers, family finance workers, housing associations, food banks and other charities are able to refer people on their behalf.

Cllr Tim Valentine, cabinet member for the environment, said:

“We are committed to helping the most vulnerable in our community and made it a priority in our climate and ecological emergency declaration last year.

We hope this new support service will reach those most in need and help them to achieve a better standard of living.

“Helping people with their energy consumption will also help us reach our net zero carbon targets for the borough.”

Cllr Hannah Perkin, deputy cabinet member for health and wellbeing at the council, said:

“Many of our residents are struggling to pay water and energy bills.

This service will help people get onto the best tariff and will also show people simple ways of saving both water and energy in their homes.

The link between cold homes and poor health is well known and we hope helping people to have a warmer home will also improve their health.”

Ian Townsend-Blazier, Business Development Manager at Children and Families Ltd, said:

“We are really pleased and excited to be delivering the Fuel and Water Home Adviser project in partnership with Swale Council.

We are a local charity with a keen interest in the environment and it’s great to see the council leading this initiative.

Our project is designed to partner with local organisations, energy providers and water companies to support these households in understanding and accessing green initiatives, switching energy providers to get access to the best available tariffs, supporting households to become water efficient and helping residents implement cost saving measures which can reduce CO2 emissions across the borough.”

To make an appointment with Fuel and Water Home Adviser Service, contact Steve Pettit on spettitt@children-families.org or 01795 889233.

Swale Borough Council

Dates for Local Swale Borough Council Deep Cleans

Contractor Biffa, working on behalf of Swale Borough Council will be carrying out several deep cleans around our area at the request of ward councillors.

If your road is due a deep clean, Swale will put no parking signs up beforehand and post letters through affected residents doors.

Residents will need to find somewhere else to park while the deep clean takes place so the team can sweep near the kerb and remove any weeds or litter.

Due to there being no footpaths along some sections of the road, and no safe distance for the contractor to undertake the litter picking, the team can only litter pick with traffic management, usually being a lane closure in place.

30th November 2020

The Street, Lower Halstow

Breach Lane, Lower Halstow

1st December 2020

Wardwell Lane, Upchurch

Spade Lane, Upchurch

TBA

Oak Lane, Upchurch

For more information about deep cleans, visit: www.swale.gov.uk/deep-cleans

Upchurch Matters

Changes to Chalkwell 326/327/328 Bus Timetable Announced

Bus operator Chalkwell Coach Hire has announced timetable changes to the 326/327/328 bus service that links Sittingbourne to the Medway Towns via the villages of Newington, Upchurch and Lower Halstow starting from Monday 12th October 2020.

Journeys with an 'S' before the bus number are for school children and students only.

The new timetable can be found at >> https://bit.ly/33G2iMY

Upchurch Matters

Become a COVID-19 Community Champion for Kent and Medway

Medway Council, Kent County Council and NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) are encouraging residents to sign up to become COVID-19 Community Champions.

The community champions will share the latest government advice and coronavirus guidance with their local community, friends, family, neighbours, in their workplaces and on social media to advise others about how to stay safe during the ongoing pandemic and reduce the spread of the virus.

They will receive regular updates and fortnightly calls from Medway Council and Kent County Council’s public health teams to keep them informed of the latest guidance and the support available for vulnerable residents.

Medway Council, Kent County Council and the Kent and Medway CCG are working together to encourage residents to sign up.

Anyone can volunteer to become a champion and the councils are keen to recruit champions who are in contact with the residents who are at the highest risk of coronavirus including older residents and representatives from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) communities.

Leader of Medway Council, Cllr Alan Jarrett, said:

“We have all been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and I have been proud to witness the strong community spirit that our residents have shown over the last six months. Now, as we head into winter, we must all continue to follow the latest government advice and guidance and do our bit to stop the virus from spreading. I would encourage residents to sign up to become COVID-19 Community Champions and help share advice and guidance to protect your loved ones, and your local communities.”

James Williams, Director of Public Health at Medway Council, said:

“We are doing all we can to stop the spread of coronavirus in Kent and Medway and it is crucial that we all work together to protect our loved ones. Becoming a COVID Community Champion will empower residents to remain up to date with the latest advice and guidance and share clear information to help their local communities. I would encourage residents to find out more about the scheme by Emailing abmchampions@medway.gov.uk.”

KCC Director of Public Health, Andrew Scott-Clark said:

“While we thank Kent’s residents for playing their part and following social guidelines to keep the rate here lower than other parts of the country, we know that Covid is still a severe health issue for vulnerable people in our communities and this is an opportunity for people to get involved in helping to keep their family, friends and relatives safe.”

Dr Navin Kumta, Clinical Chair at NHS Kent and Medway CCG, said:

“As well as sharing messages around the latest guidance to combat COVID-19, we really want to hear feedback from our champions. We need to know how the pandemic has affected specific communities and suggestions of how we can do things better. This is all about working together to manage coronavirus as best we can - it’s very much a two way process.”

To sign up to become a COVID Community Champion, and attend fortnightly meetings and receive regular updates, Email abmchampions@medway.gov.uk for Medway and phworkforcedevelopment@kent.gov.uk for Kent.

Medway Council