Notice Board

Friday, 22 October 2021

Swale Borough Council Gets Gold for Animal Welfare Work

Swale Borough Council’s commitment to animal welfare has again been recognised by the RSPCA, with Gold Pawprint Awards for its stray dogs and contingency planning services.

The stray dog service has picked up its 12th Gold Pawprint in a row from The RSPCA in recognition of its good practice in animal welfare.

The award for contingency planning is the fifth consecutive time the council has picked up the award in recognition of the work done to protect animal welfare in the event of an emergency.

The council also provides information to help animal-based businesses be prepared to look after their animals in the event of an emergency.

Cllr Roger Truelove, leader of the council, who also has responsibility for emergency planning, said:

“We’re delighted to be recognised for all the hard work we do in caring for stray dogs and the welfare of animals during an emergency.

“Despite the demands of the pandemic, our resilience team have continued to work incredibly hard to make sure we have procedures and processes in place to ensure the welfare of animals during an emergency.

“We strongly encourage everyone who keeps or works with animals to think about what they would do with them in the event of an emergency.”

Cllr Julian Saunders, cabinet member for environment at the council, said:

“This award recognises the stray dog services willingness to go the extra mile make sure we have high welfare standards for the animals across the borough.

“Obviously, we would rather people didn’t lose their pets, but I find it comforting to know that if a dog is picked up by the team, it will receive amazing care and attention.

“The fact they’ve received the highest accolade from the RSPCA for 12 years in a row shows the high level of service we provide.”

For news on stray dogs found in Swale, follow the council’s Twitter account or the service’s Facebook page

To find out more about how you can prepare to look after your animals during an emergency, visit www.swale.gov.uk/emergency-pet-welfare

To report a stray dog during normal office hours, the public should call 01795 417850 where arrangements will be made for the dog to be collected.

If a dog is found between 5:00pm and 9:00pm on weekday evenings, and between 9:00am and 9:00pm at weekends and on bank holidays, the public should ring the found stray dog line on 07795 237479.

Swale Borough Council

Preparation Works for M2 Junction 5 Improvement Works

Preparation works for M2 junction 5 improvement works October 2021 - January 2022 - National Highways Works.

Please see attached bulletin for works being carried out by National Highways.

KCC 24hr Contact Centre: 03000 418181

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

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

Wednesday, 20 October 2021

The Organ at St Mary the Virgin, Upchurch - Fundraising Appeal

Click photographs to enlarge.

The organ in our church was installed in 1905, and significant restoration was carried out in 1980. As well as improvements to the action and working components, some of the stops were removed and others added and a new pedal board fitted plus the electric action to the pedal pipes. More work to the pedal board was carried out some years later.

The organ has been in the care of Henry Willis & Sons, a well-known Organ Builder, since 2001 - they tune it twice a year and they carried out a refurbishment in 2008/9 after a fundraising effort to mark the centenary of the installation of the organ.

The organ is viewed as a much-valued asset of St Mary’s Church and is used for accompaniment of the choir and congregation at all kinds of regular and special services throughout the year. In addition, it is regularly used for weddings, funerals and during concerts in the church.

The electric action to the pedals mentioned above now needs replacement. It was second-hand in 1980 and has been failing intermittently for the past few years. But of course, any repair or maintenance costs money and we hope to raise around £2,800 for this work to be carried out as soon as possible.

If you are able to support this project, all donations to the Organ Fund at St Mary’s would be gratefully received.

Cheques should be made out to Upchurch Parochial Church Council and can be sent to the Church Organist, Sue Rossiter at 114 Chaffes Lane, Upchurch, Sittingbourne, Kent, ME9 7BH.

Many thanks in anticipation!

Sue Rossiter - Organist at St Mary’s, Upchurch

Telephone: 01634 234780

Email: suerossiter@waitrose.com

Vehicle Entered | Vehicle Broken Into - Newington

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/207460/21

Between midnight and 9:23am on Sunday the 17th of October, an insecure vehicle was entered by unknown suspects who conducted a messy search in Watling Drive, Newington.

Crime Number: 46/207578/21

Between 3:00am and 12:19pm on Sunday the 17th of October, items were stolen from a car in Hop Garden Crescent, Newington.

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

Upchurch Parish Council Report - October 2021

Report of the Parish Council October 2021

Cllr Tyrone Ripley (Chairman), Cllr John Arnold (Vice Chairman), Cllr John Bodycomb, Cllr Pam Denny, Cllr Alan Horton, Cllr Gerry Lewin, Cllr Gary Rosewell and Cllr Neil Sheppard. Clerk Mrs Wendy Licence.

Councillor Vacancy

The Council considered two applications for the vacancy on the Council and agreed that both were excellent candidates. It was agreed to co-opt Mr Ernie Berntsen to the Parish Council and to appoint Mrs Helen Boakes to the General Purposes Committee.

The Queen's Platinum Jubliee June 2022

Plans continue to progress for the celebration of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The beacon will be lit as part of the national celebration on Thursday 2nd June and there will be a piper as well as food stalls to create a celebration of the event.

Street parties will be held on Sunday 5th June and, where it is not possible for residents to hold street parties in their roads, they will be permitted to have a “street party” at the Recreation Ground. Residents who would like to take advantage of this are requested to inform the Council so that the event on the Recreation Ground can be held safely. Please contact the Clerk to book your space.

Paddock and Recreation Ground

The trees along the Chaffes Lane side of the Recreation Ground are diseased and will need to be felled. The lime trees by the beacon also have been affected, the Council is liaising with an expert regarding this.

The Council has been successful in its bid for four benches from the Swale Borough Council Welcome back fund. The order has been placed and the delivery may be up to eight weeks due to the pandemic and shortage of materials.

Seven companies have been approached to tender for the grounds maintenance of the Recreation Ground, Paddock, Churchyard and Burial Ground. The Council has accepted the most competitive quote available of £8,932.99.

Highways and Street Lighting

The streetlight in Windmill is still waiting for connection by UK Power Networks.

The Council is still waiting for a response from KCC contractors regarding the bollards in Chaffes Lane at the junction of Church Farm Road, the bollards should have been installed in August. KCC will also carry out a speed survey, they have suggested a full village survey. The survey in Oak Lane needs to be carried out when the building works have been completed and the traffic calming measures have been installed. The rest of the work is progressing.

Village Sign

Concern had been raised regarding the copyright of an image of the sign. The sign is iconic and an image of the sign has been used by clubs and organisations in the village, other groups have been contacted as well. The village sign is in need of refurbishment and when this has been completed, a photo of the sign will be taken with the Council owning the copyright on behalf of the village so that groups can freely use the image.

This is a precis of Council business; full minutes of all meetings can be found on the website when ratified.

Date of next meetings:

Full Council - Thursday 4th November at 7:30pm in Upchurch Village Hall.

The Planning Committee and General Purposes Committee - Wednesday 17th November at 7:30pm in the Small Hall of the Village Hall.

All residents are welcome to attend the meetings and there is a time for members of the public to comment, raise concerns or ask questions.

To help keep loved ones safe, please DO NOT attend the meeting if you have had any known contact with COVID-19 in the previous 14 days or have experienced symptoms. Questions and comments can be sent to the Clerk to be raised at the meeting.

Wendy Licence - Clerk to the Parish Council

Tel: 01622 739324
Email: clerkupc@outlook.com
Website: www.upchurchparishcouncil.gov.uk