Notice Board

Friday, 19 October 2012

Karaoke and Disco - Tonight at The Three Sisters

Karaoke and Disco tonight (the 19th of October) at The Three Sisters Upchurch.

The fun starts at 9:00pm !

Come along for a good night out.

The Three Sisters
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Thursday, 18 October 2012

Upchurch Family Fireworks - Appeal for Helpers

Upchurch Scout Group is once again holding their Firework Display on Saturday the 3rd of November at Westmoor Farm on the A2 near Rainham.

This is a charity event, raising money not only for us but could also be for You !

There will be Pitches and stalls available to Scout and Guide groups. All we ask is that you provide two marshals available from 4:00pm until the event closure and possibly two helpers for the Saturday set up, 1:oopm to 4:00pm or Sunday 9.00am to 1:00pm

Anybody who helps will be issued with a family ticket to the event. There are some conditions regarding young helpers. For any more information please contact Upchurch Scout Group on: info@upchurchfireworks.co.uk

If you do not wish to run a stall then please just feel free to support us and have a fun time with music, food and a great spectacular event and encourage as many people to attend as possible.

All stalls need to be self-sufficient for power and water.

Please visit our website: www.upchurchfireworks.co.uk for even more information.

The members of Upchurch Scout Group Executive Committee need to call on you for assistance again. As our firework Display grows we need to have more marshals and general helpers to ensure the safe running of the event for everyone.

If we don’t get enough Marshals we can’t run the event !

We have said many times that we are fortunate that the fireworks and waste paper collections provide enough funding for the group without the need to keep asking parents to help and contribute. Most other groups spend many weekends throughout the year trying to raise the kind of money we can raise in one weekend !

Could you spare us some time over the weekend of 3rd & 4th to assist please ?

Our primary concern is to ensure we have enough marshals but we also need assistance to set up on Saturday and clear up on Sunday. (we always get less volunteers for Sunday !) Any time you can give would be much appreciated. Many hands really do make light work. Children may assist with the clear up but we would prefer not to have Cubs and Beavers around whilst we are setting up and children under 16 are not allowed to be in or around the stalls in the evening.

In order to be a marshal you must be over 16 and attend a short, simple safety briefing on Saturday at 11.30am or 4:30pm and then be available on site from 4:30pm until approximately 8:30pm. There’s no upper age limit so Grandparents can help too provided they are physically fit and healthy !

Marshalls must not have children with them for whom they are responsible i.e. if children under 16 are coming with you, there must be another responsible adult to take care of the children. You may well be able to stand with your family but you will need to be available to move where required quickly, particularly in an emergency situation.

So if the idea of standing in a dark field on a cold November night with a silly orange jacket on doesn’t appeal to you – how about we throw in a free family ticket ? Interested ? Please send us an Email as soon as possible.

We spend an awful lot of time chasing people who we know are happy to help but we don’t have them down on our sheet. Please do it now if you can – don’t wait until later !

Email us at: info@upchurchfireworks.co.uk

Thanks,

Upchurch Scout Group
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Wednesday, 17 October 2012

Run! Deep in the Amazon - By David Wood

David Wood.

David Wood has just had an article about the Amazon with detailed information about his and Nigel Barling's experiences there published on an American website named 'Extreme travel Stories'.

You can read it Here

Upchurch Matters

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The Gullands guide to Continuing Care Claims

There has been a considerable amount of media attention to nursing home fees in recent months.

Many people have mistakenly been charged nursing home fees when they should in fact be paid by the relevant Primary Care Trust (PCT). They assume that if they have a reasonable amount of savings or own their own property that they would not be eligible for nursing home fees to be paid for them.

In fact the criteria is not financial stability, it is the primary need for health care. The individual’s needs are assessed and if it is agreed that the primary need for the individual going into a nursing home is that of healthcare, the NHS is responsible for all of the nursing home costs. Not just the healthcare costs, all of the costs.

It pays to understand nursing home fees.

Media coverage has often implied that the opportunity has now passed to make such a claim but this is not necessarily correct. If you have paid nursing home fees between 2004 and March 2011 the deadline to register a claim was 30 September. However, if you have already written to the PCT and not yet received a response you will possibly have complied with the deadline. As such your claim is in time and in the system. It is possible that you are now waiting for a retrospective review of an assessment. In some cases the first assessment may be about to take place.

Following initial investigations claims are sometimes rejected on the basis that there is no Primary Health Care need. The rules and regulations surrounding this are quite complex. There are several stages of appeal available and some cases have been agreed on the second or third appeal.

For care fees paid between 1 April 2011 and 31 March 2012 the deadline for making the application is not until 31 March 2013. Claimants should submit an initial letter to the PCT so the matter can be investigated. Once the request for review is logged and accepted, the process has begun.

The assessment process is based on twelve areas of care needs from behaviour to an all-encompassing “other significant care needs”. The areas include cognition, mobility and continence. Each of the different sections is graded on the level of care needed between “no need” and “priority need”. The level of care assessed will decide whether you are entitled to be considered for continuing care. It is this twelve step criteria that makes the process complicated and time consuming.

Clearly it is important that people who should not have paid for care are refunded and in the future those entitled to have their care paid for by the PCT are properly assessed.

If you have a relative or are thinking that you may need to go into nursing care, it is worth knowing and understanding the questions to ask at the initial process and ensuring that a formal request for assessment is made.

If you have paid nursing home fees you may still be entitled to a refund.

For further information about continuing care contact Jacqueline Beadle by:
Email at: j.beadle@gullands.com
Direct dial: 01622 689751

Website: www.gullands.com

Gullands Solicitors

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Tuesday, 16 October 2012

Upchurch Choral Society seeks new Music Director

This 40 strong mixed voice non-auditioned, friendly choir, established since 1968, is looking for a Music Director to rehearse and conduct the 3 concerts it usually performs for charity each year.

Rehearsals take place weekly in St. Mary’s Church, Upchurch from 8.00pm – 9.30pm on Fridays. The repertoire includes both sacred and secular music.

For further details please contact the secretary, Liz Walters, on: 01634 361897.

Liz Walters

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Upchurch Parish Council - Vacancy for one Councillor

Due to the resignation of Cllr Catford, there is a vacancy for one councillor. The Parish Council would like to co-opt someone to fill this vacancy.

Anyone interested in coming on to the Council should apply in writing to the Clerk as soon as possible. The qualifications are that you should be a European national, at least 18 years old, an elector and living within three miles of the parish for 12 months or someone with land or a primary place of business in the parish.

Please include the following in your written application:

• Contact details
• Length of residence in Upchurch
• Profession or trade
• Other relevant interests outside work including other Upchurch organisations
• Brief statement as to how you feel you can contribute to the work of the Parish Council