June 2013

High Halstow

Home of the Heron

TIMESFriends of St Margaret's

You will see that in this months HHT details ofthe Jazz Festival planned for 15 June. Pleasecome along to what promises to be a greatnight out in support of your St Margaret'sChurch.

In terms of future events we are looking intoholding a Flower Festival, possible Guided Tourof the Church with its history explained and theChristmas Tree Festival. Please watch thisspace for further details.

Many thanks to those who have completed theDirect Debit Mandate Form which wascirculated last month. You can still completeyour form as no time delay. We have beenasked if people could send a cheque to ‘TheRectory’ or raise a Standing Order rather thanpaying by Direct Debit and we are pleased tosay that the answer is yes to both. Please canwe ask you though to complete the Gift Aiddeclaration if you would like us to be able toclaim tax relief on your kind donations.

We are working with the Parochial ChurchCouncil to agree targets for the fund raising andwe will keep you all appraised of these onceagreed so you can all see what is planned.

th

Friends of St Margaret's Church Committee

Booking The Hall

The Hall Committee is looking to increase theusage of the Hall after Phase 2 of therefurbishment is completed in September. Ifyou are interested in hiring the hall pleasecontact Crystal on 251849.

Diabetes Charity Event21 September 2013

st

An outline programme has been agreed for the

Charity Event in support of the Junior Diabetes

Research Foundation (JDRF) on 21

September to be held on the Cricket Ground

and the Recreation Ground.

A 6-a-side cricket competition will start on thecricket ground at 10am, with the final starting at5pm. There will be a break from cricket duringthe afternoon for games for young children. Avariety of stalls, displays and other activities willtake place during the course of the day, on bothgrounds, prior to evening entertainment. Acentrepiece of the fund-raising will be a GrandDraw, for which tickets are expected to be onsale at various outlets from June onwards.Prizes include £500, an iPad and a Fortnumand Mason hamper. An auction of sportingitems including a signed cricket bat (NewZealand and Australian Test teams) and around of golf for four at a prestigious Berkshirecourse will be held during the early evening.

All village organisations are welcome, andindeed encouraged, to participate by setting upstalls and running other activities for their ownfund-raising purposes. Many have alreadyexpressed a wish to take part, and a meeting isbeing held on 7 June in the Cricket Pavilion todevelop programme details, to which all groupsare welcome. The meeting will start at 7.30pm.

st

th

David LapthornHHCCSpeed Limits

Please can I remind people to observe the speedlimits through the Village. We should all be mindfulthat High Halstow is a nice place to live wherechildren, older residents and walkers should feelsafe. Some may not be as aware of the traffic asthey might otherwise be. Please be careful.

George Crozer, HH Parish Council

2

Kings Kitchen

A Coffee and Cake Caféfor the Whole Village.

Open 10.00am - 1.00pmevery Tuesday

in the Memorial Hall.

Why not come in and enjoy a cuppaand a chat.

A warm welcome awaits you.

High Halstow Gardening ClubWe enjoyed an informative and entertainingtalk at our May meeting from Colin Humphreyon Growing and Showing Auriculas. Colinshared his knowledge of exhibiting nationallyand developing new varieties of auriculas withthe peculiarities of naming each new variety.

There are still places available on our privateevening trip to Old Bladbean, Elham,Canterbury on 19 June. The minibus willleave the Memorial Hall at 4.45pm to return8.45pm. The cost for this trip is £21 perperson.

Also there are spaces on the trip on Sunday 14July to Salutation House and Garden,Sandwich. The cost is £20 per person with theminibus leaving the Memorial Hall at 9.00am toreturn at 3.00pm.

If you would like to join either of the trips,please contact us.

Sue Marshall from Sissinghurst is to speak onIris for Shady Gardens at our 11 June meeting

We are sorry that the details given on SueArthur in our annual report were incorrect andapologise for any upset this may have causedSue's friends and family.

Ingrid

Manic May

I've returned with the updates on the activitiesof the WI ladies. May was manic with visits toStoke WI, Calender Girls at the Medway LittleTheatre which was the best yet, the theatre tosee 'Les Miserables', and a visit to showHollingbourne WI, Upnor Castle with a publunch to follow. Also, new to us the lunch grouphad a successful visit to the 6 Bells at Cliffe.Coming up is a huge county celebration for the95th anniversary of the WI at Aylesford Priory,and the next round of the darts to be played atRyarsh.

As for me, I'm off to Cardiff for the nationalannual conference along with about tenthousand other ladies!! Next meeting isWednesday 5th June when we will becelebrating our 'birthday' with invited guestsfrom other WI's.

Margaret Whitebread

New Police Inspectors in the West

I took over from Insp. Dave Matson at the beginningof April in the West; I knew more changes were onthe horizon so have held off until I could confirm inone swoop, that from the beginning of June, InspGian Chahal will also join the West. I haveresponsibility for Cuxton/Halling, Strood South andStrood North, and Gian has Strood rural and thePeninsula. Our Sergeants are-

Ps Andy Henshaw - Strood South/Cuxton/Halling

Ps Michelle Burgess - as above

Ps Becky Philpot - Strood rural /Peninsula

Ps Alan Downs - as above

Ps Dave Evans (will be Ps Leanne Quinn Julyonwards)- Strood North

My email is adrienne.leppard@kent.pnn.police.ukand Gian's is -

We both look forward to working with you all

Best Regards

Ada Leppard / Gian Chahal

gian.chahal@kent.pnn.police.uk

Share your Thoughts, Ideasand Comments.

Do you have a story about the history of theVillage, did you go to or know anything aboutthe old school, can you tell us a story about apicture in the Memorial Hall? Would you like topromote an event or club within the village. Isthere something concerning High Halstow thatyou would like to share with everyone. Thenplease write to the editor (address as shown onthe back page) or e.mail your article/letter andwe will share your thoughts with thevillage/world.

3

Come and Meet Your Parish Councillors

Chris Watson and GaryJerreat, two of your ParishCouncillors will be at KingsKitchen in the Memorial Hallon: Tuesday 11th June from10.30 – 12.00pm and every2nd Tuesday in the month.Come and tell us your

problems or find out about projects we areundertaking. If we can't answer your questionsthere and then we will get back to you.

High Halstow Parish Council

High Halstow Cookery Book

Dear Mums, Dads, Cooks, Chefs, anyone whocooks! I have not received any recipes for thesecond edition of the village recipe book. Iknow we are all busy with everyday tasks butplease try to find a ten minute gap and sendme your recipe. Maybe you could leave theentry to your children, I am sure we would getsome surprising and amusing results if youwere to ask them their favourite meal or treat. Ihope the book won't be just me and the dogs,their meals don't vary much from day to day! Ilook forward to receiving your entries, if youprefer to leave the photo of yourself out thenthat's fine! Please send to:Jeanette.dowsett@btopenworld.com

Action with Communities in Rural Kentand British Gas

working together to save you money

Action with Communities in Rural Kent, a longestablished charity has teamed up with BritishGas to offer eligible residents in the local areafree insulation. This offer is worth up to £1,000and includes the cost of materials and labour.

Over 5 million homes in the UK haveinadequate cavity wall insulation and over 7million have little or no loft insulation! If yours isamong them, you could be missing out onhundreds of pounds worth of savings on yourenergy bills every year. So why not takeadvantage?

Insulation really is the best solution to startsaving money on your energy bills. The wholeprocess is simple, all you have to do is giveBritish Gas a call and if you are eligible, theywill book in a survey at a time convenient toyou. Their survey is completely free and is justto make sure that your home can benefit fromany additional insulation. They will then arrangea time to undertake the work, which will becompleted in half a day with little fuss or mess.There is no catch, you don’t have to take out acontract, take up any British Gas products orservices or even be a British Gas customer totake advantage!

To be eligible you either have to live in aspecific area or be in receipt of age related,disability or unemployment benefits. British gaswill check your eligibility when you phone them;calls are free. So what are you waiting for?We’re expecting demand to be high so givethem a call right now free on 0800 980 9037.

† If you need any help contacting British Gas orrequire further information please contact Actionwith Communities in Rural Kent on 01303813790

Action with Communities in Rural KentThe Old Granary,Penstock Hall Farm,Canterbury Road, East Brabourne,Kent, TN25 5LLTel: 01303 813790Fax: 01303 814203www.ruralkent.org.uk

High Halstow Youth Club

In Mrs Munday's submission to the Parish CouncilAnnual Report, she wrote that the Club was about tocelebrate it's Twentieth Year. What she modestly failed toinclude was the fact that she was responsible for it beingin existance. I was Chairman of the Parish Council atthat long ago meeting when she declared "we must dosomething for the children of the Village !" With such achallenge the Council agreed to finance the hiring of theRecreational Hall as a meeting place for at least a year,subsequently two, although I understand that the Club isself-financing now. I was one of her first helpers,sometimes finding it difficult to match her patience andforbearance coping with the unleashed energy ofyoungsters every Tuesday but I was still sad toeventually leave because of work commitments. I was sopleased to recently be invited to their 'birthdaycelebrations'. It was a joy to spend two precious hours intheir company as the children enjoyed such fun withoutthe need of mobile phones, x-boxes and such like. I onlyhope that over these Twenty years, parents of thisVillage have realised and appreciated what joy theirchildren have experienced in that time. I salute Leslie,Chris Peek and all the helpers that have in the past andcontinue to carry out this work, they deserve all praise.John WilsonFormer HHPC Chairman

4

2013 Photographic Competition

The High Halstow Photographic Competitionhas been running now for the past 4 years andwe have had pictures submitted by young andold, complete novices and experiencedphotographers. All we ask is that the picture istaken within the boundaries of High Halstow.

Pictures can now be sent to- all entries should

be submitted by the 9th September 2013.

If you are a member of a group in HighHalstow, why not send photos from an eventyou organised, i.e. Dramarama Summer Show,the Gardening Club, High Halstow Hikers etc.They would make great additions to thecalendar produced at the end of the year, andyou may win a prize for your efforts.

There are no restrictions this year with regardsto previous winners, and the categories areremaining the same i.e. Flora & Fauna, People& Places, 18’s & Under. If you are submittingpictures of children, please supply parentspermission (although large public events do notrequire such permission).

Prizes are awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd placeswithin each category, and an overall winner ischosen. Winning pictures are used in the HighHalstow Calendar and an exhibition of all thewinning pictures and some of those that didn’twin are shown at the October Parish Councilmeeting.

HH Parish Council

photos@highhalstow.org.uk

High Halstow Hikers

In May, 15 of us did a 3-hour walk around thevillage of Brenchley just to the east ofTunbridge Wells. The village is best known forits blacksmith, Watt Tyler, who led thePeasants’ revolt in the 14th Century. Althoughinitially successful in opposing the poll tax(!) hewent a bit to far in his demands and as a resultwas killed at Smithfields. The village still has aworking forge close to where we parked. TheKent Iron Industry was also centred aroundhere and reminders of that time continue inplace names like Furnace Pond which as wefound to be much more attractive than itsounds. We had excellent weather for the walkwhich was “complicated” by some directionswhich depended largely on the presence of agolf course which unfortunately had gone out ofbusiness and was now unrecognizable. Hencewe saw rather more of the glorious blossom ina large orchard than we had planned. Someplaced some blame on Ron’s map reading but Ithink that was unfair: on a map it is easy to mix-up a castle surrounded by a large moat for amodest farm reservoir. Anyway we fortunatelyhave a very tolerant group of walkers who weredetermined to complete the walk (or at least90% of it) despite the diversion. Excellent beerat the Bull Inn rounded things off nicely.

The June walk is on Sunday 9th and as usualwill begin at 10.00. The route is a change fromthat planned which was to have been aroundStoke Marshes, but that one will be led by AlanMarshall in July. Instead the June walk will startfrom the car park at Holly Hill. This is reachedby turning right at the top of Birling Hill to thewest of Snodland. KCC gives a postcode ofDA13 0UB. The walk will go to Luddesdownalong the Wealdway passing the tiny andremote Dode Church. As usual we will walk forbetween 2 and 3 hours. For further detailsplease contact Mitchell at

or on 01634254428. If there are any concerns on the daythat conditions might mean the walk cannotproceed please call the same number.

Mitchell Dowsett

mitch.dowsett@btopenworld.com

Table Top SaleThe Table Top Sale/Boot Fair scheduled forJuly has had to be been cancelled due to thework on the hall. We hope to re-schedule theevent later in the year.Bel Shearman

High Halstow Cricket Club

The season has not begun well, with all sidesstruggling with the weather and (it seems)consequential availability of players. Thisphenomenon is apparently widespreadthroughout the county, with a significant numberof 3 and 4 XI games cancelled and 1 and 2XIs falling short of the standards they expectedto set after the winter break.After 3 league games each all three of oursenior sides are still looking for their first win,although the 3 XI have been the beneficiariesof a concession. There are signs ofimprovement based upon fighting spirit, butfurther application is needed before expectedsuccess is achieved.Regretably, several of the colts home gameshave been cancelled through weather and, inthe case of the U11 softball team, lack ofnumbers. However, the U13s continue lastyear's impressive run of form with 3 wins undertheir belt already.Once again, in conjunction with the ParishCouncil, the Club welcomes Medway PrimarySchools Kwik Cricket to the ground. On 20June we expect about 35 schools and a total of300 young people to take part in what is alwaysa good if exhausting day. There will be 8 pitcheson Rayners Meadow and a further 8 on theRecreation Ground.Finally, the Club is pleased to be helping withthe Diabetes Charity Event and will beparticipating fully in raising funds for both theClub and JDRF. We are looking forward to avery busy and productive day.

David LapthornLife President HHCC

rd th st nd

rd

th

Project 90

Ten years ago in June 2003 the Parish Councilstarted Project Day. Over the years it has beenrenamed as Project 90 representing the 90 orso minutes people volunteer to try and make adifference to the Village we all live in.

In that time countless bags of rubbish, tyresetc. have been collected, along with repairs tothe cricket fence, playground, Notice Boardserected, Village Hall painted, Memorial HallFence painted, graffiti removed, etc etc..

The Parish Council would like to thank all thevolunteers who have come out over the yearswhich has been greatly appreciated.

If there are other projects you think the ParishCouncil could undertake with this schemeplease let them know.

We meet the Saturday after the Parish Councilwith the next Project 90 being Saturday 15June starting in the Village Hall Car Park from8.30. See you then.

th

Parish Council

High Halstow Relief in Need Charity

This charity exists to assist those in the Villagewho are in need, especially widows andwidowers. The trustees wish to remind thepeople of the parish that they will giveconsideration to any request for a particularneed, at during the year. All requestsare dealt with in complete confidence and thereis no need to wait for the October form.The trustees are:

Rev. S. Gwilt - The RectoryMrs L. Munday - 22 Willowbank DriveMr S. Bailey - 27 Cooling RoadMrs J. Gillies - 22 Leaman CloseMr J. Myatt - Decoy Hill RoadMrs C. Peek - 2 Willowbank Drive

any time

Need to Hire a Hall

If you are interested in hiring either of thehalls in the village for a party, function or

meeting please contact:

Memorial Hall - Angela Forward 251756

Village Hall - Crystal Wakefield 251849

Please do not call on a Sunday.

5

Village Hall Refurbishment – Phase Two

Village Hall Refurbishment – Phase Three

Open For Business - Booking The Hall

At the time of going to press you will see that the

builders are in for Phase Two of the

Refurbishment Programme.

This is the biggest phase of the refurbishment to

the Hall and this will see the front of the Hall

completely refurbished and will include the

following:

· New roof over the front

· New Toilets

· New Doctors’ Surgery

· New Waiting Room

· Space for the new Kitchen (to be

completed at a later stage)

· Additional storage

Remember you can see the plans at

There will be slight restrictions to the car Park

which will last the duration of the works which is

expected to last twelve weeks.

The Village Hall Committee is not resting on its

laurels and is looking at fund raising/grants to

see the refurbishment through to completion.

What is left includes a new kitchen, stairs for the

new room, new wall between existing Doctors

Surgery and the back door, a new main entrance

which will be the door by the existing kitchen,

disabled ramp to the new entrance.

The Hall Committee is still open for business

although we accept there are issues with toilet

facilities in the evening but we are looking to

increase the usage of the Hall in particular during

the daytime. If you are interested in hiring the

hall please contact Crystal on 251849.

http://highhalstow.org.uk/halls/village-hall-

plans

Events for the Year

High Halstow Open

Village Market

We still have planned for the remainder of the

year the following:

· High Halstow Open

· An Evening with Nicky Moore and Friends

· Tribute Act (to be determined)

You will see the page encouraging you to

participate in the High Halstow Open on July 17

this year.

A couple of questions we have been asked to

answer are as follows:

Can we just sponsor a hole for the

tournament.?

Yes you just need to complete the

sponsorship form part of the form

Can I enter if I do not have four

players in my team?

Yes you can, although we will keep

teams together we will ensure all players are part

of a team

Remember – get your forms in by 30 June.

The Village Market will be having a rest whilst

the refurbishment works are carried out and the

plan is for this to return in October so please

watch this space.

th

th

Question

Answer

Question

Answer

High Halstow Village Hall

6

7

8

HH Village Website

Please visit the Parish Council website foreverything about our village. You can see theminutes of your Parish Council or look up localgroups in the village, past copies of the HighHalstow Times, and pictures of recent events.Please note that there is now an RSS feed onthe Parish Website where you can getautomatic updates when the site is updated.Please visit and followthe instructions on the right hand side.

If yourdetails need updating with either dates ordetails of events please let us know by emailing

. This can be used tokeep your members informed and possiblyattract new members to your group.

Local Groups and the Website

Local Businesses

www.highhalstow.org.uk

gary@highhalstow.org.uk

http://highhalstow.org.uk/business-page

You can advertise your activities free of chargeon this site just let us have the details.

The Parish Council is pleased to announce thatthe Business Page is back on the website.Should you wish to advertise your businessplease visit

where you can find all the details of howto put your business on the site.

L.W.P.T. PLUMBING AND HEATING

Domestic and Commercial

Gas or Oil

Boiler Replacement, System Upgrades,

Fires, Cookers and Hobs

Landlords Gas Safety Checks

Based in High Halstow

Tel: 07501 089323

leetrott@btinternet.com

9

Dates for Diary

Every Tuesday:

Every Wednesday:

Every Thursday:

Every Friday:

Every Saturday:

Other Dates:

King’s Kitchen10:00 Memorial HallBell Ringers19:30 St Margaret’s Church

Tai Chi10:30 Memorial HallYoga17:30 Memorial Hall

Mother and Toddler's09.00 Memorial HallSugar Babes19.00 Memorial Hall

Pilates with Joy14:15 Memorial Hall

Karmann Dancers Memorial Hall09.00

Local groups, please let us know the dates of yourmeetings/events for the coming year so we can includethem in the HHT and on the website.

Sunday 2nd: Family Service09:00 St. Margaret’s ChurchWednesday 5th: Women’s Institute19:30 Memorial HallFriday 7th:19:30 Cricket PavilionSunday 9th: High Halstow Hikers

Tuesday 11th: Gardening Club20:00 Memorial HallWednesday 12th: Parish Council20:00 Memorial HallSaturday 15th: Project 9008:30 Village Hall Car ParkSaturday 15th: Music in the Garden

Rectory Garden

Sunday 16th: Family Service09:00 St. Margaret’s ChurchFriday 28th: Quiz Night19:30 Memorial Hall

July 6th: Rectory Garden Party

July 17th: High HalstowGolf Open

September 21st: High Halstow 6’sHH Cricket Club

Meeting for Cricket Event

Details in HHT

10

Your Parish Councillors

George Crozer, Chair 01634 250286e.mail: george@highhalstow.org.ukGary Thomas, Vice Chair 01634 252812e.mail: gary@highhalstow.org.ukMartin AndrewsRay Collins 01634 250105Stuart Bailey 01634 255537Josh Gordon 07753 212179Gary Jerreat 01634 253999Lesley Munday 01634 250276Christine Watson 01634 256529

Your councillors may also be contactedthrough the Parish Clerk:

Mrs Roxana Brammer 01474 871269

07984 791029

VINYASA YOGA IN HIGH HALSTOW –5.30pm – EVERY WEDNESDAY

Memorial Hall, beginners and intermediate verywelcome. £5, no need to prebook. Pleasecome along in your comfortable loose clothingand enjoy an hour just for you, mats andequipment provided.

Often starting with a joint warm up and then onto Sun Salutations (a sequence of set poseswhich flow from one to the next and arerepeated), moving on to standing poses, hipopeners, and balance. Then introducing corework and back strengthening, followed byseated poses and hamstring stretches beforerelaxation.

The word Vinyasa means breath-synchronizedmovement. So do expect movement, not juststretching. The class is energetic and dynamicand is also alignment orientated with eachasana or posture being completed with aninhale or exhale. Given this, it is more fitnessbased and can be handy with weight loss.

Vinyasa brings a sense of calm, revitalising thebody and mind with graceful movement andpowerful postures, building strength, flexibilityand increased energy levels.

11

Next edition July 2013; Contributions for July should be sentby 24th June to:

Carl Mitchell, 8 Marsh Crescent, High Halstow ME3 8TJor e.mail to editor@highhalstow.org.uk

Published by High Halstow Parish CouncilPrinted by Cousins Copy Centre (01634) 727215

The High Halstow Golf OpenWednesday 17th July

at Deangate Ridge Golf CourseFirst Tee-Times 10:30am

Prizes awarded for:Longest Drive • Nearest the Pin

Individual Best Score (Stableford) & Runner UpTeam Prize with best three scores per hole from each team

& Runner Up Team • Booby Prize

If you are interested in sponsoring a hole this can be done for £20

There will also be a raffle at the Prize giving.

High Halstow Village Hall Committeare proud to announce

Name Handicap(max 28)

Address Tel No. Email

I would like to book _____ places in the High Halstow open on the 17thJuly at £25 per person, to include bacon roll, 1 round of golf andsausage and mash dinner. x £25 =

Sponsorship: Sponsorship of hole @ £20.00 per hole (optional)

Total (cheques made payable to High Halstow Village Hall)

Payment: Please enclose a cheque (made payable to High Halstow Village Hall) for the full amount,with the completed booking form in an envelope marked High Halstow Village Hall and deliver to theVillage Shop, Christmas Lane by 30th June.

Booking Form

Note from the Editor

The High Halstow Times is a friendly point of contact and all views expressed are those of the individual. Noletter will be published without the name and address of the writer being supplied to the editor, which will bepublished alongside the letter. If you have a matter for complaint, it should be brought to the attention of theParish Council, which meets on the second Wednesday of every month, at 8pm in the Memorial Hall.Members of the public are always welcome.