Higham Parish Council - Special Announcements

Stage Arts will be holding a Performing Arts Holiday Workshop at the Higham Memorial Hall from Monday 11 August to Thursday 14 August 2008. The workshop is for boys and girls aged 6 to 15 years.

The workshop will run from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. each day. The doors will open at 9.00 a.m. each day for those who need to drop off their children early.

The total cost for the four day workshop is £55.00 and a £15.00 deposit is required with each booking. To book a place at the workshop, contact Angela at Stage Arts on 08456 647469 or e-mail to stagearts@btinternet.com

Higham Library Courtyard Project
(Supported by Action Earth & Morrisons Supermarket)

Several villagers, led by Jill Jenner, felt that the forecourt in front of the Library needed a tidy up to make it a pleasanter place to sit. So, with the approval of the Library and a small grant given by "Action Earth", it is all systems go!

Assisted by a grant from the National Charity "Community Service Volunteers" (CSV), supported by Morrisons Supermarkets and the hard work put in by a few volunteers, the courtyard at Higham Library has received a facelift. This activity is part of a five month campaign called CSV Action Earth, whereby over 900 voluntary organisations, businesses and community groups nationwide will be undertaking projects that are of immediate and lasting benefit to the environment.

In Higham, new planters have been constructed and filled and bird boxes are being introduced. A sunflower competition has been organised where groups or individuals in the Village will adopt one of these with a promise from them to regularly water, weed and generally look after their chosen plant. At the end of the summer, there will be a prize for the fattest face sunflower. A small prize will be given for the largest sunflower face produced. Please do look at the sunflowers and other improvements when you visit Higham Library.

On Saturday 28th June the work came to a climax with many volunteers helping to finish the planting, painting and building. Many villagers came to pick a sunflower for the competition. His Worship the Mayor of Gravesham visited and inspected all the hard work. Afterwards, light refreshments were thoroughly enjoyed. To see more photographs of this project, click here.

Jill Jenner, on behalf of all the helpers, expressed her grateful thanks for the very generous donations * of goods, plants, time and materials without which the project would not have been viable.

For more information, please contact Jill Jenner on 01474 823534 or Pat Jerome on 01474 822462.

* Amongst others, donations have been received from Higham Village Greengrocers - pots; Mr Williams - scaffold planks; Pat Jerome - honeysuckle plant & birds nests; Mr & Mrs Wheatley and Mr & Mrs Davis - compost; Jill Jenner - wood; Brian Greenhow - Top soil; Eileen Poulton - cash donation; Oakleigh Farm Nursery - plants; Peta Osbourne - plants; Eva Golding - sunflowers; Morrisons & Higham Library - refreshments. Thanks to you all.

The winning garden has been declared by the Parish Council. Many congratulations go to Mr & Mrs Walter of Goldmohr, Elm Close, Higham. The full list of winners will be announced soon and the prizes will be awarded before the start of the 8th September 2008 Parish Council Meeting. For more information and photographs of the garden, please click here.

Th is is an annual competition organised by Higham Parish Council where every front garden in the village is considered -- no entry forms to complete and no entry fee!! Later, Judges will tour the Parish looking for gardens that give the passer-by the most visual pleasure. In reaching a final decision the judges will award points for colour, choice of plants and cultivation, and the overall design of the garden.

The Thames Estuary Partnership (TEP) is a forum for local authorities, national agencies, industry, voluntary bodies and local communities to work together for the good of the Thames Estuary. The Partnership is a charity which co-ordinates projects and holds events and workshops to provide information and to gather feedback. More detailed information can be found on the TEP website, www.thamesweb.com/tep.php

The threat of climate change and increased flood risk is an ever present feature of the Estuary, yet many local people are not aware that plans are already being developed to help those responsible to adapt to these threats. To try and solve this as well as to give you a voice, TEP is arranging a series of evening talks and weekend open days with the Environment Agency - in conjunction with local partners - to update communities and organisations across North Kent on the Environment Agency's Thames Estuary 2100 Project.

The most convenient events for Higham are: a Presentation in Gravesend Woodville Halls "Kent Room" on Tuesday 15th July 2008, between 6-9pm; and in Gravesend Town Centric, St George's Square, Saturday 19th July 2008, between 10am-4pm, when a "drop-in session" will be held For much more information including other event dates, please click here.

The annual parish newsletter has been drafted, checked, printed, bound and delivered to every dwelling in Higham parish. Do keep your copy for future reference. Just in case you have mislaid your copy, an internet version is available here.

Did you attend the Sunday School at Higham Congregational Church, School Lane, Higham?? A Reunion for everyone is being planned for Saturday 11th October 2008 from 12 noon in the Church. Food and drink available. Please contact Gillian Sutton 01474 822387 add your name to the list or for more details.

This event has been running for over 20 years and this year, 2008, promises to be a really successful day. The Sponsored Bike Ride takes place on Saturday 13 September 2008 from 10am to 6pm.

Over 700 churches across Kent -- including those in the parish -- will be involved, welcoming riders and walkers, often with refreshments. Money is raised through sponsorship and is shared between a nominated church and the Friends of Kent Churches, who give grants for church repairs. Last year more than £140,000 was raised.

Riders can plan their own route, long or short, flat or hilly, challenging or relaxed, whatever suits you. This is a lovely day out for all the family.

We thank the pupils of Higham County Primary School for taking part in the recent School Essay Competition. The 1st Prize was won by Madelene Hart and her essay can be found by clicking here. The runners up essays by Rose Abbott and William Harwood are also on the linked page.

Higham Parish Council very much hopes that this Essay Competition will become an annual event.

The Parish Council is sponsoring the new Walking Bus at Higham Primary School which will be launched after Easter 2008. This is a new initiative to get children to and from school and to reduce the amount of traffic congestion on the village roads in the vicinity

The Walking Bus is an organised column of children who are escorted to and from school along a set route. All involved wear high-visibility tabards for safety and routes are approved by council traffic engineers.

To find out more about this initiative or to become a volunteer helper on the bus please contact Higham Primary School.

Hi Kent is the country of Kent’s deaf and hard of hearing registered charity, established in 1986 and last year we were the only Kent organisation to win the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service. We provide free advice on how to cope with hearing loss and can provide a wide range of assistive equipment to help deaf and hard of hearing people.

In Higham we run a monthly hearing aid aftercare clinic at Highcliffe Medical Practice in Hermitage Road on the second Tuesday of each month from 2.30 to 3.30pm, where people can come along to get their hearing aids cleaned and retubed, and pick up free replacement batteries.

Kent Trading Standards has received information (18.12.07) that mailings are being sent to Kent consumers claiming to be an Age Concern monthly lottery draw. There is an Age Concern logo on the letter. Householders are being asked to supply personal and banking details

Kent Trading Standards advise consumers to be wary of unsolicited mail and telephone calls. Never give banking or personal details out unless you are certain of who you are dealing with.

Unsolicited mail can be restricted by registering with the mailing preference service by calling 0845 703 4599 or registering online at www.mpsonline.org.uk. Unsolicited marketing calls can be restricted by registering with the telephone preference service by calling 020 7291 3320 or registering online at www.tpsonline.org.uk.

For information and advice call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

Doorstep sellers were operating in the Highfield Road, area of Ramsgate on 19.07.07. They were described as three white males in a small white unsigned van. Were “cold-calling” in the area looking for gardening work.

Trading Standards advise consumers to be wary of doorstep callers. We also advise not to give out personal information. Do not agree to have work done immediately. There are very few circumstances where work on a property has to be carried out at once. Ask friends and neighbours to recommend reliable tradesman and try to get at least 2 written quotations or estimates before making a choice.

Kent Trading Standards has been made aware of a scam involving consumers being telephoned by people alleging to be from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) asking for personal and financial information. This includes asking for bank account details in order for the OFT “to reclaim bank charges on behalf of consumers”. The Office of Fair Trading is a government department and therefore consumers could easily be misled into thinking that such requests are legitimate. They are not.

These callers have no connection with the OFT, and their sole intention is to use the information for identity theft or to run up bills or commit crimes using stolen details. The OFT will never contact consumers asking them for personal bank details.

Kent Trading Standards and the OFT are warning consumers not to pass on personal or financial information to cold callers either over the phone or via email. If they have already done so they should contact their bank as soon as possible and review their credit card and bank account statements to see if there have been any unauthorised transactions.

Please report similar incidents to Kent Trading Standards via Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

Volunteers Sought for Higham Youth Club

The Club is appealing for voluntary helpers to offer a couple of hours on a Wednesday evening (between 7.30 and 9.30) to enable it to reopen for the village youngsters to have a dedicated place to meet and enjoy organised activities.

You do not have to have experience or a degree in 'youth work' just a respect for young people (dependent on an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau Disclosure).

Maybe you have skill or hobby that you would like to share with them? All offers of time, help and skills will be greatly appreciated.

Please speak to or telephone Jo 07934 562 085, HYC Leader.

kentcarshare is a free, simple, secure, internet-based service that enables you to register your car journey on-line and match drivers and passengers with those who do similar journeys, sharing driving costs and reducing congestion.

Over 1,750 are now members of kentcarshare since the launch by Kent County Council in September 2005 and more and more people are discovering the benefits of carsharing. New members join by registering for free on the site www.kentcarshare.com and record their journeys. The system matches those traveling similar journeys and members then make the arrangements to start car sharing.

More than 1700 people countywide have already joined the scheme. As a result they have reduced the number of miles traveled on Kent’s roads by over a million miles a year. Kent has one of the largest road networks in the country and the volume of traffic creates a high demand for road maintenance.

Every user who signs up to the scheme will be entered into a free prize draw for a year’s car tax.

To find out more, or register visit www.kentcarshare.com

Allotments are small plots of land set aside for local people to rent and grow plants, vegetables, fruit, etc. Allotment size can vary or be divided up to provide variety of produce for your own requirements. Click here to go to the informative BBC allotment web page.

Last season the Parish Allotments showed an increase in the number of plots rented for cultivation. This was most encouraging and the Parish Council decided to undertake a survey of the condition of all the plots. The survey was completed in November 2004 and showed that there were a number of overgrown plots. The Parish Council has cleared the top vegetation from some of these plots which are now available for cultivation.

Water stand-pipes are within reach of all the allotments, so if you are interested in finding out more, please contact the Higham Parish Clerk on 01474 822642 or email enquiries@higham-kent-pc.gov.uk.

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