Kent County Council - Free School Meals Over the Easter Holidays

Parents and carers whose children may be eligible to receive Free School Meals due to the family’s financial circumstances are being urged to apply for them ahead of the upcoming April school holidays, even if their child is in Years R, 1 or 2.

The Government announced this month that it was extending the Covid Winter Grant Scheme until Friday, April 16th to allow local authorities to help vulnerable families feed their children and keep them warm during the Easter holiday period.

Kent County Council will use some of its share of the money to provide families with one £15 voucher per eligible child per week of the two-week holiday, which can be spent in supermarkets and local shops.

Even if a child receives Universal Infant Free School Meals (UIFSM) during term-time, because they are in Year 2 or below, eligible families will still need to apply for benefits-related Free School Meals in order to receive vouchers during the Easter break.

Both primary and secondary schools receive additional Government funding, called Pupil Premium, for each of their pupils who receive benefits-related Free School Meals. Schools use this funding to support pupils’ learning so signing up for Free School Meals will likely benefit a number of pupils in addition to parents and carers’ own children.

Schools will allocate the vouchers to their pupils, as they have done during previous holiday periods, so parents and carers should direct any enquiries to their child’s school.

The scheme was launched towards the end of 2020 and vouchers were issued to families for the December school holidays and February half-term.

Find out more about who is eligible and how to apply here: www.kent.gov.uk/education-and-children/schools/free-school-meals

Kent County Council

Vehicle Stolen - Hartlip

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/49370/21

A blue VW Golf, reg number: FP21 WHJ was stolen from Spade Lane, Hartlip at 2:30pm on Thursday the 25th of March.

If you have any information that could help investigators please contact Kent Police on telephone number 101 and quote the relevant crime number above.

For more information on crime prevention visit: www.kent.police.uk

Kent Community Messaging

The Empty Tomb at St Mary’s Churchyard

INRI - Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum.

Meaning “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”.

The inscription placed over 

Jesus'

 head by Pontius Pilate

to mock 

him during the crucifixion.

An Empty Tomb created by Frank Osborne has been installed in the Churchyard at St Mary's, Upchurch, in-time for Easter.

Behind the tomb are three crosses representing the cross of Jesus and the crosses of the two thieves crucified on either side of him. 

The thief to Jesus' right has become known as Saint Dismas the “Good Thief” while the one to his left is referred to as Gestas the “Unrepentant Thief”.

The stone will be rolled back on Saturday the 3rd of April when people invited can bring along potted plants to place at the tomb to create a glorious Easter Sunday Garden when Christians celebrate Jesus, their risen saviour. 

The importance of the Empty Tomb

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead has been at the heart of the gospel message from the beginning.

The Empty Tomb is the Christian tradition that on the morning of the first day of the week (Easter Sunday), women followers of Jesus went to the place where he had been buried and found his body gone.

The Empty Tomb points to the bodily resurrection of Jesus and holds promise for believers that they will also have victory over death like Jesus when he bodily rose from the grave, showing it could not hold him.

Because Jesus has risen, believers can look forward to their own resurrection as well. The Empty Tomb is a symbol that death is not the end of the journey. There is much more to come.

Upchurch Matters

Chalkwell 326 / 327 Bus Services to Return to Normal from 29th March 2021

All Chalkwell Coach Hire bus services are due to return to their normal timetable from Monday the 29th of March, and journeys that were suspended during national Coronavirus lockdown restrictions will be running again.

Face coverings remain compulsory on all public transport unless you are exempt.

For travel information on routes, times, tickets and fares, visit: www.chalkwell.co.uk/bus-services

Upchurch Matters

Consultation for 78 New Homes on Land North of Moor Street, Rainham

Click map to enlarge.

Bellway Homes are proposing a residential development of 78 new homes (including 25% affordable housing), together with associated access, parking, open space, landscaping and drainage on land North of Moor Street, Rainham.

Access to the site is proposed off of a new roundabout junction from Otterham Quay Lane, which will serve the Leigh Academy Rainham.

The developer is yet to make a formal planning application and has published a consultation website with their proposal asking residents for their views ahead of submitting a detailed planning application to Medway Council.

To read more about the proposal, visit the Bellway Homes consultation website at: www.landatmoorstreet.co.uk

Upchurch Matters

Extra Capacity on Southeastern Trains from 29th March 2021

Southeastern will begin running longer trains from next week.

With the government roadmap easing of lockdown restrictions and a gradual but steady increase in usage, capacity on Southeastern services will be boosted by adding extra carriages from Monday 29th March. Longer trains will provide additional space at peak and off-peak times in anticipation of more customers returning to the railway over the Spring when lockdown measures will be eased further. The move follows the boost to capacity on Monday 8th March when schoolchildren returned to travelling on the railway network. A national network timetable change in May will see a further significant boost in train services across the country. Summary of changes to train lengths: All off-peak services on the London Charing Cross - Hastings line will be formed of eight carriages. All off-peak services on the London Charing Cross - Tonbridge - Ramsgate line will be formed of eight carriages. All off-peak services on the London Victoria - Medway Towns - Ramsgate line will be formed of eight carriages. All peak time mainline services will be formed of at least eight carriages with many of these formed of twelve carriages. Busier peak time Highspeed services to and from London St Pancras will be formed of twelve carriages.

To check your journey before you travel, visit >> www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/timetable

Upchurch Matters