Much needed work has recently been completed on the two village playground areas, located behind the village hall. The children’s play areas were very shabby and some equipment was not able to be used. We now have fully working and brightly painted equipment, 3 areas of new sponge matting, overhanging tree branches have been cut back and the fence enclosing the area has been re-painted. With a contribution of £2,000 from Cllr Paul Carter, our KCC Councillor, and funding from Bredhurst Parish Council, the play areas have been transformed and look much more inviting. We hope the children will think so too!

Bredhurst Village

Newsletter Spring 2013

This Issue: Playground Makeover

Pavement Resurfacing

New PCSO

How Your Money is Spent

Councillor Vacancy

Dog Fouling

Church News

BWAG News

What’s On

Your Parish Council

After

Before

Pavement Resurfacing

Bredhurst Parish Councillors frequently meet with Kent Highways to monitor the condition of our roads, pavements, road signs and drainage and to secure additional funding. We have recently arranged for the removal of unnecessary road signs and persuaded Kent Highways to resurface several areas of pavement at a cost of approximately £18,000. Kent Highways will also shortly be re-painting the fingerpost outside Pickwick Motors and replacing old rusty road signs with new.

If you notice pot holes or other problems please report them to clerk@bredhurstpc.co.uk

Village Playground Gets a Facelift

Dunn Street Road—before and after

Vandalism to Allotment Fencing Vandals have recently damaged the allotment fencing twice in as many weeks. BPC have arranged for its repair, which will be carried out shortly. The Police are now patrolling the area more frequently. Anyone with information should call PCSO Andy Hawthorn on 07772 226179

Dog Walkers - Clean Up After Your Pet

Whilst most dog owners pick up after their dogs, many do not. The path which runs from Kemsley Street to St Peter’s Church is particularly bad as it is continually littered with dog mess, despite the Parish Council installing a waste bin at one end of the path. Most other paths in Bredhurst are in a similar state. Responsible dog owners are asked to report any offenders to Maidstone Borough Council on 01622 602202, who are currently running a campaign to make dog owners more responsible and will be issuing fixed penalty fines of up to £1,000. In conjunction with this campaign, BPC will be erecting signs throughout the village. If you enjoy using well maintained paths, spare a thought for the volunteers who strim and maintain them next time you leave your dog’s waste for somebody else to tread in or clean up!

The income of Bredhurst Parish Council (BPC) comes direct from the Parish Precept and Maidstone Borough Council . The Parish Precept is a small proportion of your Council Tax which BPC requests for the upkeep of the village. For Bredhurst residents in Band D properties for 2013/14 this will equate to approximately £60 per household. The Precept and other grants BPC receives pays towards playground equipment, playing field maintenance, some road repairs, some street lighting maintenance, audit and accountancy fees and many other services to keep the village looking clean, tidy and in good repair. Some Parish Councils pay an Attendance Allowance to Councillors, but this is not claimed by Bredhurst Councillors, who give their time free of charge. As with all Parish Councils, the Clerk’s post is salaried. In Bredhurst our Clerk is employed for 10 hours per week.

In addition to the funding received, we also strongly lobby KCC and MBC to carry out work at their expense. Recently, this has included pavement repairs at a cost of approximately £18,000 which was funded from Cllr Paul Carter’s Budget. He also contributed £2,000 from his Member’s Budget towards the cost of upgrading the children’s play equipment. Other planned work includes repairs to public rights of way and re-painting of the fingerpost in the centre of the village. If you have any thoughts on projects or improvements for the village that you feel BPC should consider, or if you have any queries on how your money is spent, please do not hesitate to contact Wendy Kemp, Clerk to BPC at: clerk@bredhurstpc.co.uk

Introducing our PCSO My name is Andy Hawthorn and I am now, officially, the PCSO covering Bredhurst. Many of you will already know me as I have covered the area in the past. To those who don't, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself.

I have worked as a PCSO for three years, covering the Boxley ward, dealing with low level crime and anti social behaviour. It's a job I very much enjoy. I have recently, along with colleagues, been dealing with youths who have started to gather outside Bredhurst Village Hall and St Peter’s church in the evenings. This is something I wish to discourage.

How the Parish Council spends your money ...

If anyone would like to contact me about any neighbourhood issues, I can be contacted on:

01622 604390, 07772 226179 or email andrew.hawthorn@kent.pnn.police.uk

Would you like to be kept informed about village news? You can receive: Agenda and minutes of Parish Council meetings Relevant alerts from Trading Standards Information about crimes in the local area Items of interest from Maidstone Borough Council Please e-mail : clerk@bredhurstpc.co.uk to be added to the mailing list

New Recruit

Alison Edwardes has joined Bredhurst Parish Council. Alison has lived in the village with her husband and their two sons for the last 6 years. "We were all made to feel very welcome when we first moved into Bredhurst, having met many villagers through our involvement with BWAG and daily walks with our dog, Holly. I feel I want to give back to the village some of my time and energy. Involving myself with the Parish Council will enable me to help continue to uphold the great feeling of care and community that Bredhurst has."

Becoming a Parish Councillor

Although we have just had a new Councillor join the Parish Council we still have a vacancy for one more. We would like to hear from you if you: have a keen interest in what happens in your

village

are able to attend monthly meetings

live within three miles of Bredhurst

are on the electoral role and aged 18 or over

It is not an onerous undertaking, the main commitment being to put aside a few hours a month to attend the monthly meeting. Individual councillors take the lead on things that need doing and being a focal point for residents in their immediate area. As you can see from other articles in the newsletter we have been quite busy, getting improvements made to the village such as the pavement re-surfacing and the playground refurbishment. So if you would like to make a difference and contribute to what happens in the village please let us know. Contact details for all the Councillors and Clerk can be found at the end of the newsletter.

Have You Lost Your Watch? A ladies watch with a leather strap was found a few weeks ago in The Street. For more information please contact :

clerk@bredhurstpc.co.uk

Church Charity Shop

Our income for 2012 was down on 2011. However, we have still contributed to St. Peter’s Church and the Parish of South Gillingham, the Salvation Army, Emmaus, the village hall and the purchase of new choir robes. We also continue to sponsor a nest box for the Hawk and Owl Trust and the education of a child in India. We are now raising money for the Lifeboat Special Appeal, Water Aid, Holding On Letting Go, a charity

for bereaved children and the village hall which provides the heating for our shop. Since being founded in 1971 by the late Joy Richardson, originally to fund the church heating, the shop has raised over £87,000. It is now run by a group of volunteers, opening on Saturdays and Wednesdays from 1.30-3.30pm and is located next to the village hall. As always we are very grateful to our regular customers and to those who donate goods.

Can You Help?

Do you own a copy of 'Five Miles South East of Chatham' published in 1966 by LA Griffiths? Sight of the book is required to assist a project, now in its third year, into the history of Bredhurst. If you have any

information, please contact Vanessa Jones on 07813 785940.

Receiving Village News by E-mail

News from St Peter’s

Christmas saw a series of packed services with BWAG’s excellent carol concert to start the festive mood, helped along by some new car park lights. After the collapse of the ringing mechanism, the bells have been off to be inspected and re-hung by Whitechapel bell foundry. The congregation were relieved to hear that the well-loved Tang and Donk tones were not the result of cracks but merely the Vicar’s incompetent rope work.

At the same time the crumbling stonework of the tower was replaced and re-pointed by James South and his expert team. The costs of the bell work were greatly reduced thanks to the freely-given expertise and muscle of the Kent County Association of Change Ringers.

The churchyard gates were knocked over by a KCC truck. Whilst the insurance would have paid to replace the posts we had the offer of a more substantial solution. So Steve Piekos and Eurogears, who normally spend their lives fixing lifts and escalators, put their bullet-proof engineering skills to the test and created the ultimate unbreakable and theft-proof gate post assembly. The whole lot was craned into place. The bee-damaged roof is still being worked on, the delay being caused by bad weather and illness. Fortunately, our scaffolding supplier has not charged for the extensive over-run. Bells, Tower and Gates were dedicated at a special service on 27 January.

School Caretaker Vacancy

There is a vacancy for a caretaker at Bredhurst school More details on the leaflet with this newsletter and on the school website www.bredhurst.kent.sch.uk

Bredhurst Garden Club Bredhurst Garden Club meets on the 3rd

Wednesday of every month at Bredhurst Village Hall. Meetings start at 7.30pm, annual subscription of £5.00, entrance fee 50p. The club welcomes anyone interested in gardening and horticulture. Throughout the year the club enjoys guest speakers, competitions, shows, Summer and Christmas suppers. At present the club enjoys a very healthy membership and a full programme of events planned for 2013. It has already experienced two very interesting talks this year, January saw Vanessa Jones with an illustrated talk on 'Bredhurst Woodland Action Group'. In February,

Philip Johnson gave another illustrated talk on 'Sweet Peas - How to Grow and Show.’ March heralds a busy time for the club as it holds its Spring Show and welcomes Sudi Austin to talk about 'Health Products from the Beehive'. Future talks for April and May are Susan Scrivens, an illustrated talk on 'A Bouquet of Old Roses and Bea Auger, with audio visual sequences on the 'Galapagos Islands'. Anyone wishing information please contact Kate Adams on 01634 233554

May Day Celebrations

This year the school’s traditional May Day Celebrations will take place on Saturday 11 May from 14.00, please go along and show your support

St Peter’s are attending a Wedding Fair at Priestfields Stadium on Sunday 3 March with the message “Yes, you can get married in church.” Most young people think you have to be christened or a member of the church to get married there – you don’t. St Peter’s is one of the most popular wedding churches in Kent, hosting nearly 40 weddings last year. This year is a bit quieter thanks to the recession and worries about the date (2013) but next year is already booking up fast.

Logs for Sale

Seasoned (minimum one year) mixed hardwood logs from Bredhurst Woods are for sale. Each load of firewood is equivalent to 1m3 (approximately 240 logs) and is delivered to your front garden. £50 for un-split logs and £60 for split logs. Free delivery within 6 miles of Bredhurst. For details contact Steve Wright, on 07801 386264 or email stevewright50@btinternet.com

BWAG News

Land Purchase

BWAG has now entered a new and exciting phase - land purchase. Many residents may not know, but in 1969 a planning application was submitted to Maidstone Borough Council to develop 152 acres of Bredhurst Woods to create 1000 houses, community buildings and a sewage disposal plant! Thankfully this was turned down but BWAG wants to ensure that the area is never developed and remains a community amenity for generations to come.

BWAG has now purchased one area of Bredhurst Woods and the purchase of another is soon to be finalised. There are more land owners wishing to sell but BWAG’s funds are limited. If you are not yet a member of BWAG or have not renewed your subscription, please consider supporting this Bredhurst charity (membership from £5 per year. For more details visit www.bwag.org.uk or call 07813 785940

BWAG Task Days

The popularity of the monthly Task Days (3rd Sunday in the month) continues to grow with around 20-30 volunteers regularly attending. The volunteers, led by BWAG Trustee Steve Wright, have accomplished a huge amount including coppicing, the installation of bench seats and fencing. Steve has run corporate Task Days for KCC and other companies. He also assisted BWAG Trustee Dr Kevyn Wightman and her students from Hadlow College when they carried out tree surveys and maintenance work.

BWAG Working with Professional Conservationists

BWAG is increasingly being asked by various academics to participate in research projects highlighting the conservation achievements of BWAG. These include the Carnegie Trust who selected eight charities nationally to feature in a publication which can be viewed at www.bwag.org.uk

Forthcoming Events

The annual Bluebell Walk and Cream Tea weekend will be held on 27 and 28 April and the AGM on 17 May - for more details please visit www.bwag.org.uk nearer the time.

Your Parish Council

Charlie Hewitt Vanessa Jones Bill Anderson Steve Bowring Nichola Carr Alison Edwardes Wendy Kemp

Chairman 01634 376301

The Street Issues Chair Finance

Committee Promotes Bredhurst at MBC, KCC & other

External Meetings

Vice Chairman 07813 785940

Highways Issues Chair Playground Refurbishment /Paths Committee

01634 387459 Kemsley Street

Road Issues Chair Planning

Committee

01634 233886 Dunn Street Road Issues

Chair Parish Plan Committee

Police Forum

01634 235032 Hurstwood Rd/Fir Tree Grove Issues

Chair Mainte-nance and Safety

Committee

01634 261677

Forge Lane/Blind Lane issues Newsletter

Parish Clerk & RFO 07789 498551

clerk@bredhurstpc. co.uk

Administrative/Advisory Role to BPC Responsible Finance

Officer

Keep up to date with village matters and view our newsletters online by visiting www.bredhurstpc.kentparishes.gov.uk

What’s on in Bredhurst? Art Club / Thursdays 12.45-15.00 /Mrs Ennis 235182

Evergreen Club (over 55’s) / Wednesdays 13.00-16.00 / Mrs Saunders 234012

Garden Club / 3rd Wednesday monthly from 19.30 / Mrs Kate Adams 233554

Mid-Kent Astronomical Society / 2nd and last Friday monthly from 19.45 / Mr Parish 234757

Scottish Country Dancing / Mondays 13.30-16.00 / Ann Keeble 261263

Short Mat Bowls / Thursdays 19.30-22.00 / Michael Morris 673160

Whist Club / alternate Tuesdays 19.15-22.00 /Mrs Holland 360171

Women’s Institute (WI) / 2nd Wednesday monthly 19.30-22.00 / Mrs Clare 389966

Woodturning Association / 4th Wednesday monthly from 19.30 / Mr Mike Windsor 271908

Lent and Easter services at St Peter’s (all welcome)

Sunday 10 March / 11.00 / Mothering Sunday Service

Thursday 28 March (Maundy Thursday) / 19.00 Seder Meal and Service

Please mail graham@bredhurstchurch.org.uk if you are planning on attending

Friday 29 March (Good Friday) / 10.30 Good Friday Service, followed by Hot Cross buns in the Village

Hall

Sunday 31 March (Easter Day) / 08.30 Easter Dawn Holy Communion / 09.30 Holy Terrors and Egg

Hunt / Please mail graham@bredhurstchurch.org.uk if you are planning on attending /

11.00 Easter Communion

Other news from St Peter’s Saturday 29 June we will have the traditional Church Fete from 14.00 to 16.00 on the Village Field and in the Village Hall. St Peter’s is heavily involved in the Parish family project, the 139 Club. This provides ante and post natal classes for parents-to-be, paediatric First Aid, Parenting Skills and Money Management courses. Plus there’s Sing and Sign (babies can sign before they can talk) and Baby Massage, plus a coffee morning every Monday from 10.00 to 12.00 at St Matthew’s in Drewery Drive. There are a series of courses running throughout the year. Ring Jo Grant (soon to be found in Orchard House) 07856 701020 for details or find The 139 Club on Facebook.