Upchurch Best Kept Garden Competition 2011 Results

Well done to Mr. & Mrs. Panter.

Winners in each category are:

Flowers                                92 Chaffes Lane    Mr. & Mrs. Tandy & Mr. Bass

Flowers/Shrubs                   16 Wilkes Close    Mr. & Mrs. Panter

Hanging Baskets/Troughs    31 Forge Lane      Mr. & Mrs. Pollard

The overall winners of the Barbara Webb Trophy for 2011 are Mr. & Mrs. Panter.

The awards will be made at 3:15 pm during the Upchurch Horticultural Society September Show in Upchurch Village Hall to be held on Saturday the 3rd of September which opens to the public at 2:00pm.

Mrs. Christine Madden, sister of the late Barbara Webb has kindly agreed to present the awards.

Judging took place around the 23rd of July of the gardens that could be seen from the front of houses in every part of the Parish.

This year prizes were sponsored by Upchurch Parish Council.

Gerry Lewin on behalf of the competition committee

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Upchurch Twinning Group Sports Day

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The Upchurch Twinning group welcomed 48 residents of our twinned village of Ferques last Saturday 27th August together with a good contingent of Upchurch people, either to play the sports and games or as spectators at our Recreation Ground and Scout Hall.

We also enjoyed a lovely barbeque at lunchtime and the French finally left us about 3:45pm, having been in Upchurch since 9:30am.

The day was appreciated very much by the French people who have sent their thanks to us and said how much they enjoyed their day in Upchurch.

Sue Rossiter

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UHS 2011 September Show

Come along to the Village Hall on the 3rd.

The Upchurch Horticultural Society 2011 September Show takes place on Saturday September the 3rd at the Upchurch Village Hall.

Doors open to the public at 2:00pm for:  Flowers – Fruit – Vegetables - Domestic & Craft. There's also Refreshments – Tombola and Raffle too.

The presentation of prizes for the Best Kept Garden Competition will be at 3.15pm followed by the sale of produce at approximately 3:45pm.


Maxine Budden
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Upchurch Scarecrow Competition 2011 Results

This years Scarecrows entered for the Competition were judged yesterday and the winners announced at yesterdays Farmers Market. In case you missed it here's who won the prizes:

1st - Leonard family, Horsham Lane with "Bo Peep Crow"

2nd - Rose family, Crosier Court with "Surf Crow"

3rd - Paul Walker, Oak Lane with "Biking Crow"

And under 11's winner - Matthew & Adam Sellings, Jubilee Fields with "Herb Garden Crow" 

They all won WHSmiths book vouchers !


A big thanks to everyone who entered this year and to Anne Marie and Sophie for doing the organising, Judging and supplying the prizes too !


Pictures will be in either the Medway News or the East Kent Gazette next week.


Upchurch Matters
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Upchurch and the Great Plague of 1665

Memories of Upchurch

The Great Plague which eventually killed over 7,000 people in South-East England had an impact on Kent with towns like Chatham and Rochester badly affected. In early August 1665 100 houses were infected in Chatham while from April to December 500 burials took place in Rochester. Rural parts of Kent were not so badly hit as the black rat which carried the disease thrived in urban areas. Although exact reasons are not recorded, the Upchurch parish registers show that while only six parishioners died in 1665 the figure increased to 14 in 1666. This rise paralleled the county trend as 1666 was the worst year in Kent for plague mortality rates. Elizabeth Foreman, John Lille, Richard Barnett, Thomas and Richard Emerton were some of the Upchurch residents to die.

Swale villages took action to combat the plague. Domestic and farm animals were kept off the streets to prevent the disease from spreading, meetings of more than 38 people except prayer meetings were prohibited and ‘Pest Houses’ were set up for the sick. Those infected in their own houses had to be quarantined for 40 days and a red cross was painted on front doors to warn others. After this infected houses were kept under observation for 20 days and the red cross was replaced with a white one to suggest caution. Headaches, sores, armpit swellings, skin blotches and sneezing were symptoms of the plague. A contemporary children’s nursery rhyme Ring a Ring o’ Roses, describes how people were affected. People carried posies in their pockets to ward off the disease, no medical cure existed and the dead had to be buried in a separate part of the churchyard and covered with lime.

Upchurch residents also suffered fatal diseases in other years with 24 deaths in 1634 and 27 in 1688. The worst figure took place in 1637/1638 when 59 died out of a total population of just over 200 people. The cause was described as a malignant fever that hit Kent and Sussex. Bouts of plague and ague, a form of malaria, caused Upchurch vicars to be non resident from the 1560s to the early 19th century.

According to hearth tax returns of 1664, at about the time of the Great Plague, Upchurch was a poor village with a church and vicarage in a state of disrepair. Four serving Upchurch vicars died during the period 1609 to 1641, the last being John Messenger who was buried in the churchyard.

The people of Upchurch were a varied bunch during the 1660s and according to existing hearth tax returns 40 occupied dwellings existed in the parish. These show that William Forby lived in the vicarage house but part of it had collapsed. Gentlemen included Joshua Coppin and Henry Frere while widows included Susannah Wood, Jane Bing, Alice Smythe and Widow Brewer from Otterham. Other residents included Edward Hadlow from Gore and Richard Hubbard from Otterham.
Although the plague lasted for 15 months during 1665/1666, diseases of various types continued to affect villages like Upchurch until the early 20th century.


David Wood, who was born and raised in Upchurch, is able to write from personal experience about many people and aspects of the village and of changes that have taken place over the years making ‘Memories of Upchurch’ a very readable book and a detailed historical study of the village.

David Wood's book ‘Memories of Upchurch’ is available direct from David on:  david3702001@yahoo.co.uk  price £12 + p+p £2.

David Wood

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Kent County Council Bus Service Withdrawals

Following the decision at Full Council on 17 February 2011 to reduce the budget for socially necessary bus services, it has proved necessary to identify a number of services for withdrawal in order to remain within budget. The following service and the journeys shown have been identified for withdrawal in accordance with Kent County Council’s policy for supporting bus services. These journeys will cease to operate from the end of December 2011.

Service 327: Chatham - Sittingbourne                           Days of operation: Sun

Annual Cost: £7,822.85                                 Average number of journeys per day: 60

Subsidy per passenger journey: £5.10

Member Wards: Swale Central (Mike Whiting & Alan Willicombe)  Swale West (Keith Ferrin)

Comments: Offers direct connection to Medway Maritime Hospital and is the only public transport on Sundays for Lower Halstow & Upchurch. Monday - Saturday bus service will continue and many areas also have rail as an alternative on Sundays. 

Chatham - Sittingbourne	327
Sundays
Chatham Town Centre, Pentagon Bus Station (Bay 8)	0935	1135	1435	1635	1835
Gillingham, Medway Park War Memorial (adj)	0940	1140	1440	1640	1840
Gillingham, Bus Depot (adj)	0943	1143	1443	1643	1843
Gillingham, Medway Maritime Hospital	0947	1147	1447	1647	1847
Gillingham, St Johns Road (opp)	0951	1151	1451	1651	1851
Chatham, Jezreels (E-bound)	0952	1152	1452	1652	1852
Gillingham, Eastcourt Lane (adj)	0956	1156	1456	1656	1856
Rainham, Old Co-op (adj)	0959	1159	1459	1659	1859
Rainham, The Railway (adj)	1000	1200	1500	1700	1900
Rainham, Wakeley Road East end (E-bound)	1004	1204	1504	1704	1904
Upchurch, Church (adj)	1009	1209	1509	1709	1909
Lower Halstow, The Green (at)	1013	1213	1513	1713	1913
Newington, Station Road (adj)	1018	1218	1518	1718	1918
Key Street, Pearce & Batt Garage (adj)	1021	1221	1521	1721	1921
Chalkwell, Coniston Hotel (adj)	1025	1225	1525	1725	1925
Sittingbourne, Railway Station (Stop F)	1028	1228	1528	1728	1928
Sittingbourne Town Centre, High Street (Stop J)	1030	1230	1530	1730	1930
Sittingbourne Town Centre, Forum Shopping Centre	1031	1231	1531	1731	1931

Sittingbourne - Chatham	327
Sundays
Sittingbourne, Plaza Court (Stop A)	0835	1035	1235	1535	1735
Sittingbourne Town Centre, Forum Shopping Centre	0836	1036	1236	1536	1736
Sittingbourne, Railway Station (Stop F)	0837	1037	1237	1537	1737
Chalkwell, Coniston Hotel (opp)	0840	1040	1240	1540	1740
Key Street, Pearce & Batt Garage (opp)	0843	1043	1243	1543	1743
Newington, Station Road (opp)	0846	1046	1246	1546	1746
Lower Halstow, The Green (at)	0851	1051	1251	1551	1751
Upchurch, Church (opp)	0855	1055	1255	1555	1755
Rainham, Wakeley Road East end (W-bound)	0900	1100	1300	1600	1800
Rainham, The Railway (opp)	0904	1104	1304	1604	1804
Rainham, The Cricketers (adj)	0906	1106	1306	1606	1806
Gillingham, Eastcourt Lane (opp)	0909	1109	1309	1609	1809
Gillingham, Jezreels (N-bound)	0914	1114	1314	1614	1814
Gillingham, Medway Maritime Hospital	0918	1118	1318	1618	1818
Gillingham, Duncan Road (N-bound)	0922	1122	1322	1622	1822
Gillingham, Medway Park War Memorial (opp)	0925	1125	1325	1625	1825
Chatham Town Centre, Pentagon Bus Station (Bay 8)	0930	1130	1330	1630	1830

If you wish to comment on the changes set out in this document, or indeed represent an organisation which would be in a position to provide replacement transport, you can contact KCC in writing at;

By email to: transport.integration@kent.gov.uk

By post to : Transport Integration, Kent County Council, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, 

West Malling, Kent, ME19 4QG

Please make sure that your comments reach KCC by Friday 2 September.

Kent County council

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