Notice Board

Wednesday 29 February 2012

Upchurch Women's Institute - News

Upchurch Women's Institute meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month in the Village Hall.
Our March meeting is entitled "Molluscs & Me" by Helen Howard. Do join us on March the 13th. Then on April the 10th we have Margaret Lewis with a talk entitled "How to trace your family tree". Both meetings start at 7:30pm.

On Friday May the 11th why not book a table for our Quiz night ? Tables of 6 cost £5 a head, with a plouhgmans supper included. Bring your own drink. Starts at 7:30pm.

To book a table, please ring Joyce Gilbert: on 01634 232346.

Gillian Holland

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Monday 27 February 2012

An Invitation To A Sherry Reception

The “Friends of the Church” Trustees invite you all to a reception they are hosting in the Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Upchurch on Saturday the 21^stof April from 6:30pm until 8:30pm. The evening provides an opportunity for the Trustees to introduce themselves also Frank Osborne has kindly agreed to give a brief talk on one of the major restoration projects undertaken in the Church.

The “Friends of the Church” scheme was launched in 2011 to raise funds to support the upkeep of the historic Church building.

Gerry Lewin – on behalf of the Trustees

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Saturday 25 February 2012

Upchurch Twinning Group - News

Upchurch is twinned with Ferques-Elinghen in Pas de Calais, France.

Try the Holywell School website: www.holywell.kent.sch.uk or Upchurch Matters: www.upchurchmatters.co.uk for our news as well. In addition, visit: www.ferques.fr for interesting stuff!

Firstly, a thank you!

Quiz night – Thank you to all those stalwarts who turned out on a very snowy evening to support us on 4^th February. Because of the weather numbers were down a bit, but we all had a good time and we are pleased to say that we raised nearly £470 for our funds.

2012 is looking busy for the Twinning Group. Here are some dates you may be interested in:

March – Holywell School trip– the children of years 5 and 6 will be visiting one of the schools in Ferques this month. They will spend the morning with the French children in class and then visit the Nausicaä Sea Life centre in Boulogne.

Sunday 15^th April 2012 – Upchurch Choral Society trip - Our Choral Society will be giving a concert in the church in Ferques. It is due to start at 6pm and end about 7.30pm. Afterwards, there will be a reception in the Mairie before we all come home. The choir is going by coach and we hope some of you might come along and listen! There may even be one or two spare seats. Do contact us for more details. It would make a great ending to a day out in France.

Thursday 17^th May 2012 – Annual General Meeting – at 7.30pm in Holywell School.

Saturday 14^th July – Bastille Day in Ferques – We will be having a stall at the street fair as usual, but no bric-a-brac this year. We will be plying everyone with English food and beverages so it’s worth a visit for that and to see if you can pick up any bargains on the other stalls!

Saturday 25^th August. 2012 – Sports Day – this is now an annual affair and this year will be in Ferques. We will be arranging a coach so think about a day out with lots of sporty fun in France that day. This is always most enjoyable and well supported so register your interest as soon as possible.

October – Anniversary Event – Originally planned for March, this will now happen in October and will take the form of an outing somewhere in Kent. Watch this space!

Jim Harman (Chairman): 01634 235420 & Sue Rossiter (Secretary): 01634 234780

Sue Rossiter

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The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations

Celebrations are planned for the weekend of 2nd - 4th June.

On behalf of the Parish Council a committee is now progressing and developing plans for a weekend of public celebration to mark our Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and below is a brief idea of what is planned at present:

Saturday evening 2nd June – musical entertainment evening at the Village Hall.

Sunday 3rd June – All day – exhibition in the church of Coronation Day 1953 memorabilia.

Late morning onwards – a Jubilee Jolly at the Village Hall – stalls, games, fancy dress, food – something for all and for organisations to run stalls etc.

Mid-afternoon – a Service of Thanksgiving for everyone in the church.

Monday 4th June – Possible beacon lighting during the late evening.

In addition, the Parish Council hopes to plant a tree in the Paddock and also to give a commemorative mug to all primary school aged children in the village.

In respect of the mugs, we would be delighted to collect the names of all children of primary school age who live in Upchurch, but do not attend Holywell School. Please let one of the committee know so that they will receive one.

Sara Tucker tel: 01634 388971 Pat New tel: 01634 374220 Sue Rossiter tel: 01634 234780

Sue Rossiter

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Miss Broughton and Holywell School

A throwback to the Victorian era, her lengthy period of 31 years as headmistress was not without controversy as she shaped the lives of consecutive generations of Upchurch children.

Known as ‘Fanny’ Broughton to her pupils, she attended Sittingbourne County School from 1918 to 1924, had served as an unqualified teacher then entered Goldsmiths College London in 1926. She was then appointed to Sheerness Rose Street Junior School in 1929. After a short period at Sheerness Broadway Junior School she arrived at Holywell in September 1936.

Newly appointed Phyllis Broughton created a stir when parents discovered she was a Catholic. After all, Holywell had started as a Church of England school. Revd Lightburne writing in the parish magazine in October 1936 tried to reassure parents by stressing that her religious denomination had no bearing on her selection but expressed sadness that she would not be able to participate in the village church.

The H.M.I Report of November 17^th 1937 recognised Miss Broughton’s talent as a teacher:

The headmistress gives vigorous lessons in physical training to both classes and the results of her introduction of imaginative painting and pattern work allied with simple book craft are most satisfactory.

Memories of Upchurch.

A strict, no nonsense lady with a round face, Miss Broughton used her own effective methods of dealing with pupils. A serious tantrum sometimes led to incarceration in the cloakroom at playtime, several sharp raps across the palm of the hand with a wooden ruler were frequently given for dissent. Occasionally, a ball kicked into Mr Steven’s adjacent field of bullocks during playtime would sometimes be retrieved by a pupil without permission. Reported immediately by watching ‘goody goodies’, Miss Broughton would soon be on hand with her trusty ruler ready to administer the inevitable punishment.

Few dared defy or question Miss Broughton. Her brother served as a detective inspector in the police so order and discipline ran in the family. However, she also demonstrated a sympathetic side as an entry in the school log book dated April 3^rd 1939 shows: Percy Still bitten by a dog on the way to school. Treated in school–suffering from shock so was sent home.

On October 30^th 1946 she wrote: During gardening Graham Clemons accidentally stuck a digging fork in Roger Martin’s foot. The wound was cleaned and dressed then the boy sent home.

Miss Broughton had an eye for picking potential 11 plus pupils and concentrated her efforts on them, ensuring the select group passed for the local grammar school. This method led to praise from some parents but criticism from others. A dedicated teacher, she consistently maintained good order and generally gained respect. She also successfully ran the school under difficult circumstances during World War Two when Upchurch based Rainham Secondary pupils had to return to Holywell to continue their education, sharply increasing numbers from 39 to 95 in 1940.

Miss Broughton finally retired in 1967 and is still remembered by former Holywell pupils for helping to shape their early education, with a few sharp raps across the palm with the dreaded ruler along the way.

David Wood, who was born and raised in Upchurch and 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'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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