Empire Day in Upchurch by David Wood

Nowadays, some people tend to frown upon the former British Empire as one of exploitation, slavery and racism. A century ago people glorified it. Empire Day was celebrated right across the country and in some British Commonwealth countries annually on May 24th, the date of Queen Victoria’s birthday.

The first Empire Day took place on May 24th 1902 but the Upchurch celebration was not fully recorded in the local press until 1909. Pupils from Holywell School and the Infant’s School played a big part in the village event.

Reverend Trew conducted a special service with prayers and hymns in the church on the Sunday before the celebration in 1909. The congregation then sang The National Anthem. On Empire Day pupils from the two village schools had a free day from lessons but they had to attend ‘The Crowning of the May Queen Ceremony’ in the Infant’s School.

Holywell headmaster Mr Maltravers opened the proceedings by leading the pupils with ‘Rule Britannia’ then the crowning of the May Queen followed. Eighteen girls dressed in white gathered around a floral throne. The May Queen’s maids of honour led her to the throne. She wore a floral crown made of white roses, narcissi and white lilac. A girl named Chrissie Cremer performed the coronation. After this pupils presented their floral tributes to the May Queen. These were later donated to the London Victoria Hospital.

The 1909 May Queen Lily Osborne and her consort Percy Packer were elected by pupils at Holywell School and their names were placed on the school honours board. After the crowning ceremony Reverend Trew presented the couple with a watch each. He then explained to the pupils present how the Union Jack was formed and how to perform the salute. When the string was pulled a huge Union Jack flag unfolded from the ceiling and dropped to the Infant’s School floor.

After the pupils had saluted the flag and then sung the National Anthem, Reverend Trew presented certificates to 34 pupils with exceptional school attendance. In 1909 Arthur Seamer completed seven years of unbroken attendance and became the first pupil to have his name inscribed on the Holywell School honours board for outstanding attendance.

Families attending the Empire Day celebrations in the Paddock.

Children Maypole Dancing in the Paddock for Empire Day.

After 1909 the event took place on The Paddock and not in the Infant’s School. Infants performed maypole dancing on The Paddock for the first time in 1913. Pupils watched the Union Jack flag being raised on a flagpole and sang patriotic songs. After this the crowning of the May Queen took place and the consort presented her with her crown. The May Queen maids then performed a special dance called ‘The Dance of the Babes.’ Finally, pupils from the infant’s School did maypole dancing and pupils from Holywell School demonstrated handbell ringing.

A new games contest appeared with the introduction of the Holywell Cup in 1927. Teams representing England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland competed for this. The team winning the best of six games won the cup.

A big crowd usually attended the event. In 1929 a record crowd of 600 demonstrated how popular the occasion had become.

The Empire Day celebrations in Upchurch ended in 1931 after being celebrated every year for 29 years. Holywell School announced that it could no longer participate and carried out its own ceremony on the school playground. This led to the main village event ending and only a church service taking place.

David Wood

About David

David Wood was born, raised and still lives in Upchurch today. He is able to write from personal experience about village life and the changes that have taken place over the years, making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable and detailed historical study of the village.

David's book is available from David at david3702001@yahoo.co.uk or from us here at Upchurch Matters. Price £12 + postage and packing.

Swale Borough Council - Op Assist October

Waste carriers were targeted this week as part of a day of action to crackdown on fly tipping.

Swale Borough Council teamed up with Kent Police’s Rural Task Force to carry out enquiries, arrest people suspected of fly tipping, seize vehicles and collate evidence with a view to prosecuting offenders for waste related crimes.

Outcomes of the day are:

• 6 vehicles stopped and searched

• 1 fixed penalty notice issued

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

“Every few months we team up with Kent Police’s Rural Task Force to crackdown on fly tipping and prosecute offenders for waste related crimes.

We’ve carried out five action days in the past year and stopped and searched 23 vehicles, issued 10 fixed penalty notices and one producer, and seized seven vehicles suspected of being used for waste crimes.

During our previous day of action in June, we crushed a van seized from a repeat offender who was suspected of duping residents.

Once a vehicle is seized, the owner has 15 days to claim the vehicle with the relevant paperwork, and if not claimed, the vehicle will be repurposed or crushed.

In this instance, the vehicle was crushed, and the suspected offender lost his vehicle.”

Cllr Eddie Thomas, deputy cabinet member for environment at the council, said:

“We’ve seen an increase in fly tipping this year since lockdown began in March, but household waste and recycling centres are now open, so there is no excuse for people to dispose of their waste illegally.

Appointments can be pre-booked on KCC’s website to help keep people safe, maintain social distancing and reduce queues.

“You can also arrange a collection of up to four bulky items for £25 by calling our customer services team on: 01795 417 888.”

More and more of these action days are taking place across the county. A tremendous amount of preparation takes place ahead of these days, including the gathering of vital intelligence to support the council’s enforcement team with their duties.

What can you do to dispose of your waste responsibly?

Fly tippers often target households via social media or local advertising, luring customers in with cheap rates to dispose of unwanted furniture, building rubble or garden waste. However, these unlicensed waste carriers often simply dump the waste where ever they can get away with it, including in Kent’s country lanes. Householders or small businesses found to be using criminals to dispose of their waste can, and are, being prosecuted by local authorities in Kent with fixed penalty notices of up to £400 per offence. Failure to pay such an FPN may result in court action where fines can be significantly larger.

If using a commercial service, householders should check whether someone is licenced to carry waste by visiting the Environment Agency website below, or alternatively call: 03708 506506. It also helps if householders receive a written receipt or transfer note, including contact details, description of waste removed and details of where the waste is being taken to.

https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers

The 13 Kent councils, along with Kent Police, are working in partnership to Keep Kent Clean.

To keep updated with the councils’ efforts to tackle fly tipping and littering, follow

#KeepKentClean

Swale Borough Council

Latest POLICE.UK Crime Data for the Area - August 2020

Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch

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

43 crimes are shown on the map in August 2020 including:

6 Anti-social Behaviour

2 Burglary

5 Criminal Damage and Arson

2 Other Theft

5 Public Order

23 Violence and Sexual Offences

56 crimes were shown on the map in July 2020.

Not all crime that occurs is shown on the map.

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 crime information for the past 2 months:

43 crimes are shown on the map in August 2020 including:

18 Anti-social Behaviour

1 Burglary

7 Criminal Damage and Arson

3 Other Theft

4 Public Order

1 Shoplifting

2 Vehicle Crime

6 Violence and Sexual Offences

2 Other Crime

33 crimes were shown on the map in July 2020.

Not all crime that occurs is shown on the map.

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

Upchurch Matters

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