Notice Board

Sunday, 24 July 2022

Medway Council - Rainham Community Showcase Event

Specialist teams will offer advice and eco goodies at Medway Council’s Community Showcase Event at Rainham Shopping Centre between 11:00am and 3:00pm on Thursday the 4th of August.

Stock up on Medway recycling bags, talk to Medway Task Force about seasonal personal safety, chat to Climate Change Champions about sustainability and check out the FREE dog microchipping service.

Medway Council

Friday, 22 July 2022

Holywell School Says Farewell to Miss Taylor

Assistant Headteacher Tracy Taylor at St Mary's Church, Upchurch.

Holywell said farewell to Miss Taylor this week after a milestone 25 years of teaching children (and some grown-ups) at the village school.

As a special surprise, Assistant Headteacher Tracy was presented with a scrapbook of memories from children and families, past and present and other gifts during the year six leavers service at St Mary's Church on Thursday the 21st of July 2022.

A poem by teachers Jackie Warner and Tom Ball was read out in church, and a sea shanty was sung for Miss Taylor by the children, who is a huge fan of both pirates and monkeys. The words to both are below.

For extra fun, the children got to play Human Buckaroo and placed items around their favourite teacher's neck.

Goodbye, Miss Taylor and wishing you the best of luck in your new adventure at the Aspire Primary School in Sittingbourne.

Thank you for everything you have done for Holywell.

You will be missed, for sure!

“Once upon a decade, but which one we will not say,

Lived an important person, who we will call Barbara today.

As a child, she moved a lot because her dad was in the army,

She went to so many schools, it almost drove her barmy.

Anette, Andrea and Harry grew up with her as a big sister,

But then she left for uni, my goodness how they missed her.

She said she studied Maths, but we know that’s not quite true,

In fact she was really learning how to captain a pirate crew.

She completed all her training and off in her ship she went,

Eventually she sailed and docked in the beautiful county of Kent.

She didn’t seek the usual treasure you’d expect a pirate to choose.

She wanted the best buckles and heels, in fact any pair of fabulous shoes.

Not a traditional pirate, on her shoulder there was no bird.

Instead she wanted a monkey, isn’t that absurd?

Unfortunately monkeys are banned and blocked by the RSPCA.

So she ended up with pets you’re more likely to see day to day.

First there was Ant and Dec, each a naughty kitten.

But Beau, her lovely Frenchie, had her truly smitten.

She said she wanted to be a rally driver, perhaps the next Colin McRae,

But instead she found a home and for the next quarter of a century she’d stay.

Twenty four years of loyal service to her school family at Holywell,

Too many memories for a PowerPoint so this is our sad farewell.

Good luck on your next voyage, you’ve been with us so long.

So we want to wish you well with a special pirate song.”

-----------------------------------

“There once was a lass called Tracy Taylor,

Assistant Head of Holywell School

She helped to keep this boat afloat

She did her job so well.

Soon there’ll be someone else

To walk in her shoes and do her job.

But there’ll be no one else

Like Tracy Taylor.

She has a little dog named Beau,

She loves her dearly and rightly so,

Her partner’s name is Kevin

And he’s always by her side.

Soon there’ll be someone else to walk in her shoes and do her job.

But there’ll be no one else

Like Tracy Taylor.

We’ll all be sad to see you leave,

Our favourite pirate, aha matey!

But now it’s time to walk the plank,

We wish you all the best.

Soon there’ll be someone else to walk in her shoes and do her job.

But there’ll be no one else

Like Tracy Taylor.”

Upchurch Matters

Urgent Appeal to Parents Over Applications for KCC SEN Transport

Parents of children with special educational needs or disabilities who are changing school in September or who have had a new Education, Health and Care Plan issued since March are being urged to apply for school transport without delay.

Kent County Council (KCC) provides free school transport for eligible children and young people with special educational needs.

Not all pupils are eligible for free school transport, so it is important for parents to understand whether KCC is able to support them, or whether they may need to make their own arrangements.

Applications for school transport can be made by parents whose children are starting a new school in September or who have received a new or amended Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP).

KCC’s Cabinet Member for Education and Skills, Shellina Prendergast, said:

“We know that many parents of children who have special educational needs and disabilities need time to plan any changes to their child’s routine, especially when they are using new transport.

“We have written directly to parents to give them details about how to apply so that we can get transport organised for the start of school in September.

“We also made some changes earlier this year to simplify our mainstream transport applications so that we could free up capacity during the busy summer months to deal with SEND transport applications.

“Although we have received many applications so far, there are still some parents who have yet to apply.”

Parents can apply online. It usually takes six weeks for KCC to process applications, so any further delays in parents applying will mean that transport cannot be guaranteed to be in place by September.

If a child has SEND and attends a mainstream or special school, and already receives free school transport, parents will not usually need to reapply unless their child moves to a new school or when they move from Year 6 to Year 7.

Full details of the eligibility criteria and how to apply are available on KCC’s website

Murray Evans

Kent County Council

Letter to Residents From Holywell School Regarding Building Work Over the Summer Break

Dear Residents,

Following a successful bid to the Department for Education Condition Improvement Fund, we have been scheduled to have some significant updates to our school building and grounds. The work being carried out is essential in order for the school to remain compliant under health and safety and safeguarding regulations.

The work is scheduled to start from next week, 25th July 2022. We hope the majority of the work will be completed before the start of the next academic year in September.

One part of the job will be to replace the exterior fencing around the perimeter of the building with new 6ft security fencing and to install a new automatic main gate and pedestrian gates on the front of the school. For residents, this will mean the contractors will have to trim the hedges along the side of the field and playground in order to install the new posts and fencing. This can only be done safely once the birds have finished nesting so maybe towards the end of the Summer holiday and into the start of the new term. Please be assured this will not affect residents' gardens.

We have also spoken to our gardening company who will be cutting down a number of the very large pine trees on the field which have now become too high and dense. This should allow for more light in the gardens adjacent to the school field. This work is scheduled for September and again, we hope will cause minimal disruption.

Thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

Yours sincerely,

Mr D Callaghan - Headteacher

Stella Poulter - Secretary

Holywell Primary School
Tel: 01634 388416
Email: office@holywell.kent.sch.uk
Website: www.holywell.kent.sch.uk

Wednesday, 20 July 2022

The Brown Jug by David Wood

The smallest of the three village pubs, The Brown Jug stayed in business for almost two centuries. The building was originally constructed as a farm cottage in a row of cottages belonging to the Horsham Farm estate in 1838. It’s believed that a 17th century alehouse once occupied the site.

The building became a pub in 1856 and was named after the small, brown drinking jug - popular at the time. It appeared on the National Census List for Upchurch in 1871, with 49 year old George Packer and his 45 year old wife Sarah being listed as proprietors. By 1881 Charles Horton and his wife Elizabeth from Hollingbourne had taken over and managed the pub until 1891 when it was sold at a public auction in Strood.

The Hortons were succeeded by Henry Woolley, his wife Ellen and their seven children. When the cement works became established on the marshes, Mr Woolley delivered beer to the workers on his horse drawn cart while bargemen sailing their barges along the river regularly visited the pub for refreshment. In 1904 a flood extended to the pub and submerged the cellar, but after a recovery, business continued.

Thomas Polhill became proprietor during the pre-World War One period, followed by Edward Packer, who stayed there during the 1920s and the 1930s. John and Daisy Napier ran the pub during the 1940s, followed by Gertrude Babbage during the early 1960s.

Local cement workers outside the pub in 1908.

On the left, Hannah Packer with sister and landlady Elsie Packer to her right in 1914.

The Jug's distinctive Shepherd Neame sign was a familiar sight to passers-by for many years.

The Brown Jug in December 2020.

Click the montage to enlarge.

Eric and Pat Funnell arrived as proprietors in December 1965. They lived and worked at the pub for over thirty five years and became very well-known in the area. Eric had previously worked as a landscape gardener at Bowaters Mill in Sittingbourne. The couple managed The Brown Jug as a small, local pub and even won the brewery’s Best Kept Garden Competition. Eric Funnell also got the rights to run a bar at the Rochester Corn Exchange in 1972, but a row developed when Rochester publicans objected because Eric Funnell came from outside the Medway area. However, he won the rights to run the bar even though he had a lot of local opposition from Rochester publicans.

After Eric and Pat Funnell had departed, the building was refurbished and managed by tenant Darren Yeomans but continued to retain its small pub atmosphere with a regular band of drinkers, darts teams and visiting musicians.

Three couples followed Darren Yeomans as Shepherd Neame tenants until the Faversham brewery put the pub freehold up for sale. New owner Kate Johns and son Dan, with wife Rachel, arrived and began running the pub as a Free House in 2011.

After a downturn in trade throughout the Coronavirus pandemic lockdowns and preparing for retirement, Kate Johns applied for planning permission to convert the building into two houses. At first, the planning application was refused, but a second application proved successful, and so The Brown Jug, which had served the village since the mid-19th century, ended.

The Brown Jug finally closed on Saturday 30th October 2021.

David Wood

About David

David was born and raised at Ham Green and still lives there today.

He writes from personal experience about Upchurch village life and the changes that have taken place over the years.

David's book, Memories of Upchurch, is a very readable and detailed historical study of the village and is available direct from David at: david3702001@yahoo.co.uk price £12 + postage and packing.