The Blythswood Care Christmas Shoe Box Appeal 2021 - Thank You

Bring joy this Christmas

Thank you to all those who have generously donated Shoe Boxes and items for Shoe Boxes

on behalf of Blythswood this year as they again take God's love to some of the poorest people in Eastern Europe.

If you would still like to fill a Shoe Box, we will be able to collect it from St Mary's Church, Upchurch up until Saturday the 11th of December.

The church is open most Wednesdays, so you can just pop your box in, and put it on the back pew near the font - thank you.

Filling a box can be quite expensive if you put in all the items suggested. Why not fill a box with a group of friends. Or, we are always short of socks, underwear, flannels, deodorants, sweets (not chocolate and with a good date). So you could put together a selection of any of these - they are always very handy.

How everything gets to those who need it.

Cartons in Gillingham full of your gifts being sent to Romania by the

Blythswood Care charity for Christmas 2021.

Photo: Elizabeth Shorthouse.

Can you help?

Blythswood is short of help to sort boxes and pack them into cartons. If you would like to help with sorting/packing shoe boxes, your help would be really appreciated. Checking is going on at St Barnabas Church, Nelson Road, Gillingham, with parking available 500 metres from the church.

Covid regulations are in operation at the church and masks are to be worn. Please bring a hot drink and lunch or a snack.

Please phone Ralph on: 07847 205431 to book a spot to help.

For further information, please click on: https://blythswood.org/shoeboxappeal

Heartfelt thanks to all for your overwhelming generosity ❤️

Gill Gay

Thank You, Val and John Arnold

On behalf of everyone, we would like to wish Val and John Arnold all the best for their move to East Sussex early next year to be closer to their family.

John has served as Vice Chairman of Upchurch Parish Council for many years and attended his last full council meeting yesterday.

As a Parish Councillor, John has overseen the village highways, reporting and chasing repairs to faults as they occur. He has lit up the village Christmas tree, installed defibrillators, and has taken the lead on the recent street light upgrade. John has also carried out work to Upchurch Village Hall.

John's electrical expertise and team of helpers have powered and made possible many of the village's most loved and well attended events over recent years.

Val and John were both involved in bringing back the Village Fete to the Paddock in 2014, and John's work with Upchurch Scout Group helped ensure their hugely popular Family Fireworks event could go ahead safely every year.

The number of projects John has volunteered his spare time to during the family's time living in Crosier Court is much too long to list.

Thank you, Val and John, for all you have done for our village 👏🏼

Upchurch will miss you, for sure!

Upchurch Matters

Gill Gay Will Be Collecting For Swale Foodbank Again

Hi Everyone,

We thank you all for the tremendous support we have received on behalf of Swale Foodbank so far.

Georgina and I will be collecting again at the bus stop opposite the Church in Horsham Lane on Wednesday the 8th of December between 10:30am and 11:30am.

Please come along with your donations (in carrier bags would be helpful) and put them into our open car boot.

We will then deliver your donations to the Swale Foodbank Warehouse, part of the Trussell Trust.

All donations are helpful providing, the food is long life and well within date.

They are desperately short of long life milk and squash but the usual life supporting basics are always needed. Can we also try and give those struggling a bit of Christmas. So any good date Christmas goodies. Small toys, gloves, scarves, and slippers maybe.

Thank you for every single donation - we are very grateful!

This will be our last collection before Christmas. Although on Monday the 13th of December there will be a group of us singing carols by the village sign, from 7:00pm, where we will be shaking buckets for the Foodbank.

It breaks my heart to know there will be such hardship amongst families this Christmas.

Thank you for helping us bring a bit of hope and joy and a good helping of God's love. 

Bless you, all, and may you enjoy an awesome Christmas!

While you are there, why not pop into the church for a warm-up and 'A Cuppa and a Chat' in the Lady Chapel.

We will have the kettle on between 10:00am and 12 midday, and on every second Wednesday of the month.

All welcome

Gill & Georgina ♥️

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

Van Damaged | Dash Cam Stolen - Upchurch

Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch Ward

Crime Number: 46/247743/21

At 9:10pm on Monday the 29th of November, 2 suspects damaged the bodywork of a van while attempting to break in. The alarm went off and they ran away. This happened in Chaffes Lane, Upchurch.

Crime Number: 46/246864/21

On Sunday the 28th of November between 1:05pm and 1:35pm, somebody broke into a Jaguar parked in Canterbury Lane, Upchurch, and stole the dash cam.

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

River Valley Beauty - Christmas Opening Event at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Oak Lane

Upchurch

Sittingbourne

Kent

ME9 7AY

December News from Upchurch Horticultural Society - From the Potting Shed

Sponsored by Upchurch River Valley Golf Course Ltd

We draw towards the end of the year as December arrives and with it comes the Winter. The Autumn has been mild so far with bright sunny days, good nighttime temperatures and a couple of frosts. The longer term forecast is saying colder weather and the internet is blathering about sub-arctic conditions with food and fuel shortages. Looks as if we will all be scavenging for berries praying for an early Spring. It's all a Russian plot to keep us preoccupied while they invade Ukraine on Boxing Day. I really don’t think they have forgotten the Battle of Sebastopol when we gave them a good stuffing…. I wonder if that happened at Christmas as well?

To my surprise, I have carried on working in the garden while the Junkyard Mutt has nabbed my place by the fire. There has been too much finishing up to do this year so all the time we get mild days I am carrying on.

The lawn is looking so much better now and the Canada Green has been a success. I will carry on working it into the thin patches next year and maintain a high cut. Scarifying the lawn after each cut is hard work but it removes all the dead thatch and leaves it looking fresh and healthy. A good lawn isn’t easy but when it is in good condition it’s a pleasure and so typically English.

I am experiencing a strong feeling of Nationalism and feel that we are facing a lot of threats from Johnny Foreigner. Those Russians keep testing our borders to see if we can defend ourselves. Europeans are subverting us with covert economic maliciousness and our American cousins wouldn’t even give us as much as a “kiss my backside”. It’s a time to stand up and face the world and see who our friends are.

Meanwhile, the Turnips have done well and along with the frosted Parsnips, are proving a great addition to casseroles. The Leeks are looking better and putting on a bit more size. The Climbing Bean trenches have been dug and filled with compost, while the rest of the vegetable patch has been well turned over and ready for Spring.

The flower borders are still producing colour and we have yet to have a frost hard enough to finish them up. Even the Dahlias are still blooming when normally they are black stumps by now. The Winter containers still need to be sorted ready to provide early Spring colour.

It’s also time to sort out the seed order for next year and get the Leeks and Onions up and running (my soil is too thin for Onions). They can be sown at any time now and raised under glass. Broad Beans can be planted in Autumn but I was pleased with planting in March, harvesting at the end of July and then sowing Turnip seed into the cleared patch and lifting at the end of October. That gave two crops from the same ground, although I need to plant further apart to allow ventilation as the Broad Beans picked up a fungus infection. I am going to change my Marrow seed next year and go for a larger variety as the crop has consistently failed and I am sadly missing my stuffed Marrow. A fresh juicy Marrow stuffed with a mince, chorizo, bacon and tomato filling (with other special ingredients) is a classic old English favourite…although the chorizo is a welcome Spanish addition that compliments it… and the Spanish did help us to defeat Napoleon. So did the Portuguese, which is probably why I like Port.

A classic old English dish… with a touch of Spanish.

I must admit I am looking forward to Christmas this year as there wasn’t one last year, and a good Tawny Port is a favourite with a cheese board, although it will be English cheeses only. Cheddar, Red Leicester (does sound a bit commie), Somerset Brie and a Stinking Bishop (nothing against the Church).

There was a character in the Old Testament whose name was Booz in the old translations and Boaz in the new ones. Booz was a good guy, very honourable and respectful of women. After his daily toil, he would settle down by the wine press and enjoy a few drinks to make his heart happy. There was also a character called Adam… he was a gardener, but sadly he sinned and became a farmer. I have decided that it is best to remain as a happy hearted gardener.

On that note, I would like to wish you all a happy hearted Christmas and hope to be back in March.

UHS is always looking for new members and tries 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 shows we hold each year, 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