Village Halls Week 2021 - Celebrating 100 Years Together

Village Halls Week 2021 will recognise the contribution England’s 10,000+ halls have made to rural communities since the 1920s.

The campaign week, now in its 4th year, is set to take place from Monday 25th to Friday 29th January and will feature online events, videos, podcasts, and blogs showcasing the history of village halls and the benefits they have derived over the years. It is a national celebration of all halls and the difference the volunteers who run them make to the rural communities they serve.

ACRE's 2021 campaign will be a celebration of how village halls are survivors. Many have been bringing people together in rural communities since the 1920s. And in the past year, the volunteers who manage these buildings have shown great determination and resilience in the face of Coronavirus, negotiating lockdowns and putting in place Covid Secure measures so they could continue supporting their local community.

As social gatherings are currently off-limits, Village Halls Week will look at bit different in 2021. In the past ACRE network members have hosted various events across the country but this year they will be moving this activity online in the spirit of the times.

ACRE encourage all village halls to join them in this national celebration:

• Register to take part in online events - links below.

• Follow ACRE on social media.

• Sign ACRE's Village Halls Centenary ‘Doomsday’ Book to tell MPs about the good work you’ve been doing - coming soon! 
• Contact your ACRE Network member to find out what’s going on locally and check this listing

Managed by volunteers, village and community halls support a diverse range of community activities from exercise classes to coffee mornings and are routinely hired out for private parties and weddings. Some host community shops and post offices.

In a survey undertaken by ACRE last year, it was found that 60% of village halls provide the only meeting space in the local community. An estimated 50,000 individuals to are reliant on the use of village halls to make a living.

Information about Village Halls Week 2021, including a programme, is available on the ACRE website at >> www.acre.org.uk

#VillageHallsWeek

Upchurch Matters

Medway Council - Medway’s Housing Target ‘Extremely Disappointing’

Councillor Alan Jarrett.

Councillor Alan Jarrett, Leader of Medway Council, has spoken out about his disappointment of the government increasing Medway’s housing target.

In September, Medway Council supported the government’s proposal to change the methodology to calculate the number of new homes each area across the country is required to deliver. The proposal would have reduced Medway’s housing target by more than 8,000, from 28,300 homes to 20,000.

However, last month Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick confirmed the government has not adopted September’s proposal. Medway now faces the challenge of delivering 1,662 new homes each year during the Local Plan period: 2020-2037.

Cllr Alan Jarrett, Leader of Medway Council, said:

“The council is working hard to achieve sustainable and realistic growth for Medway’s residents, providing additional facilities with new builds, so the government’s announcement that Medway now faces a higher housing target than we had hoped is certainly extremely disappointing news.

“If the proposed methodology put forward in September had been brought in, Medway could have potentially met its housing targets. However, we now face an uphill struggle to reach the target we’ve been given by government of building 28,300 new homes by 2037. What’s even more disconcerting is that we potentially face repercussions from the government if we fail to squeeze 1,662 new homes into Medway each year.

“Medway is committed to delivering new homes to meet its residents’ needs, as well as much needed new amenities such as schools, but we will do this within a sustainable way that’s best for Medway’s future. While drafting Medway’s Local Plan we have carefully considered how the area could evolve including providing sufficient jobs and infrastructure for a growing population, as well as maintaining Medway’s parks and historic sites. We remain committed to protecting Medway’s bright future and not adding to the pressures our services and health care providers already face.

“We will do all we can to protect Medway and ensure it remains an excellent place to live, work, learn and visit for now and in the future.”

Medway Council

Thank You from The Salvation Army

Click letter to enlarge.

Although we helped organise, collect and deliver your presents, it was 'The Six' villages who all gave so generously again.

By giving a gift, you made a real difference to someone's life at Christmas.

Thank you ❤️

Gill Gay

Emergency Road Closure - Sheerness Road, Lower Halstow

It will be necessary to close Sheerness Road, Lower Halstow from Thursday 14th January 2021 for up to 7 days.

 

The road will be closed between the junctions of Vicarage Lane and Old Ferry Road.

 

There is no alternative route. Every effort will be made to maintain access for residents whenever it is safe to do so.

 

This is for safety due to flooding.

Kent County Council 24hr Contact Centre:

03000 418181 (9:00am - 5:00pm)

03000 419191 (5:00pm - 9:00am)

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

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

Thank You from Foodbank Co-ordinator Gill Gay and Swale Foodbank

It was cold, it was wet, the road was blocked and yet you still came bearing your generous donations for the Foodbank.

Thank you, Upchurch, for your generous hearts. The news declares daily, the increase in numbers of families and vulnerable adults struggling to put food on their tables.

We hear how the pandemic is destroying businesses, and revealing the poverty that makes life difficult for so many.

You are doing your bit to help those who struggle. You are being the hands and feet of our loving God.

Thank you ❤️ 

Gill and Ron

Gill Gay - Foodbank Co-ordinator
Email: gilliangay99@yahoo.co.uk

Emergency Road Closure - Otterham Quay Lane, Upchurch

It will be necessary to close Otterham Quay Lane, Upchurch from Wednesday 13th January 2021 for up to 7 days.

The road will be closed outside Mill Farm, Otterham Quay Lane.

The alternative route is via Otterham Quay Lane, Moor Street, A2, Keycol Hill, Sheppey Way, Ferry Road, Old Ferry Road, Raspberry Hill Lane, The Street, Forge Lane and Horsham Lane.

This is to enable burst water main repairs to be carried out by Southern Water.

Kent County Council 24hr Contact Centre:

03000 418181 (9:00am - 5:00pm)

03000 419191 (5:00pm - 9:00am)

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

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste