Public Proclamation of His Majesty King Charles III

The State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will take place at Westminster Abbey on Monday 19th September at 1100hrs BST.

Prior to the State Funeral, The Queen will Lie-in-State in Westminster Hall for four days, to allow the public to pay their respects.

Nina Henley

Clerk and Proper Officer to Upchurch Parish Council

Tel: 07798 600696

Email: clerk@upchurchparishcouncil.gov.uk

Statement from the Mayor of Swale on the Death of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II 1926 - 2022.

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Cllr Simon Clark, Mayor of the Borough of Swale, said:

“It is with enormous sadness that we learned of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, and I would like to express our sincere condolences on behalf of Swale Borough Council and the people of the Borough of Swale to the entire Royal Family.

“The Queen was known across the world for her strong sense of duty and commitment to serving the country and the Commonwealth.

“Her Platinum Jubilee showed the respect and admiration we had for her tireless work, and as we mourn her passing we must reflect on how fortunate we have been to live through her reign.”

As a mark of respect, flags are being flown at half-mast across all council buildings.

Books of Condolence are being opened at Swale House, Faversham Town Council Offices and Sheppey Gateway to allow local people to pay their respects from 10:00am to 4:00pm on weekdays and 10:00am to 12 midday on Saturdays.

Floral tributes will be laid at the war memorials in Sittingbourne, Sheerness and Faversham.

Also, as a mark of respect, civic and council events and meetings have been cancelled until after the funeral.

Swale Borough Council

Temporary Road Closure - Boxted Lane, Newington

It will be necessary to close part of Boxted Lane, Newington from Friday 30th September 2022 for up to 1 day between the hours of 07:00 and 19:00.

Boxted Lane, Newington will be closed from the junction with Breach Lane to outside the entrance of Watercress Barns, to the extent indicated by signs and barriers on site.

The alternative route is Breach Lane, Bricklands, Boxted Lane and vice versa.

The closure is required for the safety of the public and workforce while pole testing works are undertaken by Openreach.

For information regarding this closure, please contact Openreach on: 0800 023 2023, who will be able to assist with the scope of these works.

KCC 24hr Contact Centre: 03000 418181

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

Kent County Council - Highways, Transportation & Waste

Illustrated Talk on the History of Upchurch With Proceeds Towards The Restoration of St Mary's Church Bell Tower

Click banner to enlarge.

Are you interested in the history of Upchurch?

Then please come along to my illustrated talk at St Mary's Church, Upchurch on Saturday the 24th of September at 7:00pm

There will be lots of pictures and stories of Upchurch through the ages with help from our village historian David Wood who will also be there.

Tickets are £5 at the door (children free) and all proceeds go to the Bell Tower Restoration Fund.

Online donations welcomed

A JustGiving fundraising page has been published to help towards the restoration of St Mary's Church Bell Tower.

Please visit the link to donate >> www.justgiving.com/campaign/upchurchbelltower

Thank you

Charity Registration No: 606311

Elspeth Baecke
Website: www.thesix.org.uk

UPDATED: National Highways Announce 4 Month Closure of Coastbound Carriageway Slip Roads at M2 Junction 5 - A249 Stockbury Interchange

Visualisation of the M2 junction 5 - A249 Stockbury interchange once improvements are complete.

Click image to enlarge.

Stockbury roundabout line painting

Sunday 11th September

Following feedback from stakeholders and the local community, National Highways will be refreshing the white lines on the Stockbury roundabout ahead of the M2 junction 5 coastbound carriageway slip road closures, which begin officially on Monday the 12th of September.

To do this, they will be closing all links to and from the Stockbury roundabout overnight on Sunday the 11th of September. This is to reduce the need for further closures in the future. The closures will be staggered, starting from 8:00pm. 

When the roundabout reopens at 5:00am on Monday the 12th of September, the M2 junction 5 coastbound carriageway entry and exit slip roads will remain closed as originally planned.

M2 slip road closures

September 2022 to January 2023

National Highways is to close 2 busy slip roads on the coastbound carriageway of the M2 at Sittingbourne for 4 months as part of their major upgrade and improvement works to the M2 junction 5 - A249 Stockbury interchange.

The coastbound carriageway entry and exit slip roads between the M2 and A249 will be closed from 8:00pm on Sunday the 11th of September 2022 (to set up traffic management) until Friday the 13th of January 2023.

The closures mean you will not be able to access Stockbury roundabout from the M2 coastbound or join the M2 coastbound from Stockbury roundabout at junction 5 during the closures. Please use signed diversions to join or leave the M2 at junction 5.

In January 2023, both slip roads will reopen. Access from the M2 coastbound to the A249 towards Sittingbourne will temporarily be via the Stockbury roundabout until the dedicated slip road opens in spring 2023. 

Diversion routes

M2 junction 5 coastbound entry and exit slip road diversions.

Click image to enlarge.

To join the M2 coastbound during the closures, National Highways recommends vehicles use the M2 Londonbound from Stockbury roundabout to travel to junction 4 and return, which National Highways say will add approximately 10 to 12 minutes onto the journey time.

Drivers travelling coastbound will need to leave the M2 at junction 3 and use the A229, M20 and A249 to reach the Stockbury roundabout, which National Highways say will add approximately 15 minutes onto the journey time.

If you miss junction 3, you can travel to junction 6 and return to junction 5 using the Londonbound carriageway, adding a further 25 minutes onto the journey time.

Delays on the A2 - London Road are predicted during the closures due to heavier than usual traffic between Bowaters roundabout at the junction with A278 - Hoath Way, Gillingham and Brenley Corner roundabout at the junction with A2 - Boughton Bypass, M2 and A299, Faversham.

Further information

For updates and more information, visit: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-east/m2-junction-5-improvements

Upchurch Matters

Newington History Group - Newington Uncovered 2022

Saturday 17th September - Sunday 18th September

All events are free and part of the National Trust's Heritage Open Days. However, places are limited and must be booked in advance at: www.eventbrite.co.uk

For more details contact the group at: newingtonhistorygroup@outlook.com; through its website: www.newingtonhistory.uk; or call: 01795 842711.

Follow on Facebook: Newington History Group, and Twitter: @newingtonhg

Richard Thompstone - Newington History Group