Poolside Bar Music Night with Mike 'Smooth' Harris at Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

From 8:30pm

Free entry - Non-members welcome

Food available until 8:00pm

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course

Telephone: 01634 360626

Website: www.rivervalleygolf.co.uk

UpARA - April 2022 Newsletter

Hello UpARA members,

You will note that our first London walk of the year takes place on the 22nd of April, and the area we will be walking this time will be ‘Westminster and Whitehall’. The walk length is around 3 miles, and as normal will take a few hours due to all the stopping at various points of interest.

If you wish to join us, please Email: uparaupchurch@gmail.com, text: 07802 250773, or add your name to the sheet at the meeting.

Details will be relayed to those interested nearer the time.

Thursford 

We are planning a day trip to the Thursford Christmas Spectacular on Monday, December 12th. The cost is £82 with local pickups at around 8:00am.

This is now open to both members and those on the waiting list and friends/family.

Deposits of £22 are required by 8th April with the balance due in October.

If you are interested in this, please Email: uparaupchurch@gmail.com, text: 07802 250773 or contact Bryn.

Unfortunately, if we do not get enough wanting to go, we may have to cancel and refund those who have paid their deposits.

The thoughts of Chairman John

Hello everyone,

We have just changed the clocks and, as usual, so has the weather; we were suddenly enjoying summerlike days, now snow is forecast - the joys of British weather.

Covid is still rearing its ugly head, causing some of our members to miss out on our activities, although some of us are already booked in for our fourth booster jabs, hopefully giving us all that extra protection.

On the lighter side, all of us who were at our Birthday Bash enjoyed a really entertaining evening, thanks to the Social Degenerates and their helpers.

We will be organising many other events throughout the coming months, Bryn has already given a brief list, together with all the trips, and the holidays in the pipeline, with Brenda.

I'm also going to offer Boules on a Thursday evening throughout the summer if there is any interest? Please also note that our normal Boules on the 3rd Tuesday of the month has reverted to its Summer start time, 2:00pm.

Stay safe.

John W

Fundraising day / Can you help us?

Our fundraising day, on Friday 3rd June, during the 4-day Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations is getting closer. We have decided that we will pay for the defibrillator from our funds and that all the proceeds from our fundraising day will go to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

We are holding a Quiz evening from 7:00pm, with the various village groups, and an ‘Open Afternoon’, (12:00pm - 4:00pm) with a variety of entertainment, teas/coffees/cakes/ baguettes etc.

The afternoon will be open to all - members, non-members, villagers - the more the merrier - The aim is for every pound spent to go to the appeal and costs incurred to be via donations.

We still need members in groups of 4/5/6 to take turns ‘manning’ the kitchen in 30/60-minute intervals, so that we can all enjoy the day.

Please put your name forward if you can help - It really will be appreciated - we ideally need 20 - 30 members to come forward.

Also, please add your names to be part of one of the UpARA teams in the evening quiz.

AGM

Our AGM will take place after the Friday meeting on 13th May.

Kentish Lady (£32) and Thursford Deposits (£22)

Should be paid before or at the meeting on April 8th.

April Calendar

Friday, April 1st at 10:00am - Village Walk

Mondays April 4th, 11th, 25th at 10:00am - Short Tennis

No Tennis Easter Monday 

Monday, April 4th at 2:00pm - Kurling

Tuesday, April 5th at 9.30am - Coffee Morning and Art

Tuesday, April 5th at 2:00pm - Table Tennis

Wednesdays April 6th, 20th, 27th at 10:15am - Line Dancing

Please note no Line Dancing April 13th

Tuesday, April 12th at 10:00am - 10 Pin Bowling

Friday, April 8th at 2:00pm - Monthly Meeting

David Bowdler, 'Instrumentals from the 50’sand 60’s' 

Tuesday, April 19th at 2:00pm - Petanque

Note new Summertime start at 2:00pm.

Friday, April 22nd - London Walk

Westminster & Whitehall

Tuesday, April 26th at 9:30am - Coffee Morning and Art

Tuesday, April 26th at 2:00pm - Table Tennis

Hopefully, see you all soon - your UpARA Committee.

Email: uparaupchurch@gmail.com
Website: www.upara.club

Sonare Choir Presents Songs of Springtime at St Mary's Church, Upchurch

Following their successful concert in the church in September 2021, Sonare Choir will be returning to St Mary's, Upchurch on Saturday the 23rd of April between 7:00pm - 9:00pm for one Spring evening concert only, as part of their 'Songs of Springtime' tour.

Sonare Choir is a London - based choral quartet bringing sophisticated and accessible choir concerts to the city and beyond.

The choir's spring tour promises to bring a flowery and sublime programme of choral music across London and a little bit beyond! 

Sit back, relax, and enjoy a bucolic programme featuring Moeran's 'Songs of Springtime', Fanny Mendelssohn's 'Gartenlieder', and works by Elgar, Saint-Saens, Clara Schumann, and many more.

Advance tickets are £10 + £0.25 service fee.
Advance tickets for under 35s are £9 + £0.23 service fee.

Or £12 on the door.

Advance tickets available from: www.sonarechoir.com

Upchurch Matters

Swale Borough Council Leader To Step Down

Councillor Roger Truelove.

Cllr Roger Truelove will be standing down as leader of Swale Borough Council after almost three years.

Cllr Truelove said:

“I have had the pleasure of serving Swale as a councillor for 28 years, the last three as leader of the coalition.

“I was very doubtful about standing as a candidate in 2019 and I long ago decided I would not stand in 2023.

“We are now moving towards a new committee structure, and I believe it will be in the best interest of this council for someone else to take up the new leadership role for the next 12 months.

“So, I will be standing down as leader, but I will continue to play a part in the new council system for the next year.

“There are a number of people who have the talent and commitment to take Swale forward, both from the administration or the opposition.

“I have been enormously lucky to have the support of an excellent cabinet over the last few years and I am pleased that we have shown that coalition politics in local government can work.

“I am also immensely grateful to council officers for their hard work, commitment and forbearance.

“Personally, in my time as leader I have tried to bring stability to the council, as well as unlock the resources needed to deliver improvements, and make us a kinder council.

“The last three years of this council has seen movement in several directions: the constitutional changes, the determination to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping, the enhanced links with the voluntary sector, the climate change initiatives and the improvements to our public realm with a sense of our heritage.

“None of this is work completed and I hope we will see continuity into the committee period, over the next year.”

The announcement was made at a full council meeting on 30th March, where Cllr Truelove confirmed he would continue in the role until a new leader is elected at an extraordinary council meeting on 27th April.

Swale Borough Council

David Barling 1937 - 2022

Jenny Giles - Upchurch River Valley Golf Course
Telephone: 01634 360626
Website: www.rivervalleygolf.co.uk

Swale Borough Council - Drivers Do Their Bit to Improve Air Quality in Swale

People who have been approached by Swale Borough Council’s enforcement officers as part of their anti-idling campaign have done their bit to improve air quality.

Since the council introduced the anti-idling legislation and launched the education campaign late last year, officers have been visiting school hotspot locations across Swale where idling engines are at their highest.

The seven schools identified as hotspots where parents leave their engines running include:

• Fulston Manor school in Sittingbourne

• South Avenue Primary School in Sittingbourne
• Highsted Grammar school in Sittingbourne
• Ethelbert Road Infants School in Faversham
• Bysingwood Primary School in Faversham
• Davington School in Faversham
• Ospringe Primary School in Faversham

Research shows that an idling vehicle can emit up to 20 times more of some pollutants than one travelling at 32mph and these pollutants can cause asthma and be particularly damaging for children.

Cllr Tim Valentine, cabinet member for the climate and ecological emergency at the council, said:

“Our enforcement officers have approached 16 drivers who had their engines idling while waiting to collect their children from school since the campaign begun and they’ve all been understanding and switched their engines off.

“Our officers can issue a £20 FPN to drivers who refuse to switch off their engines, but we don’t want to jump straight to a fine and think we’ll have better results by educating people to the increase in pollution an idling engine can have.

“Each car we approached was given a leaflet with idling advice and information on air pollution and the impacts on health.

“We put up 42 signs around the seven school hot spots and drivers seem to be happy to switch their engines off, especially around schools.

“By leaving your car idling it emits 20 times more pollution than one travelling at 30mph and what most people don’t realise is that if you leave your car engine running the pollution levels inside will be worse than outside.

“Idling for an hour can waste half a gallon of fuel or more so switching off your engine will save fuel and money.”

The next hotspots to be added to the anti-idling campaign include Fulston Manor school and Lansdowne school in Sittingbourne, Faversham train station, Bank Street in Faversham and Vincent Road in Sittingbourne.

People can report a hotspot for investigation by calling the council on: 01795 417850.

Swale Borough Council