News, information and business services for the Hoo Peninsula and Medway
Gravesend town centre has once again entered the regional South and South East in Bloom competition which sees town centres and villages battle it out each year.
The competition, sponsored by Southern Water, is part of the largest horticultural campaign in Europe. It encourages communities to create town centre floral features, permanent planting, wildflower meadows, planting for nature, fruit and vegetable, gardening and much more. More
Leading children’s charity Action for Children is calling on cyclists of all ages and abilities from across Kent to take part in a sponsored bike ride at the world-famous Brands Hatch Race Circuit on the evening of Friday 13 September 2013.
Those taking part will face the challenge of completing as many 1.2 mile laps of the circuits within two hours as possible – while enjoying exclusive access to the world-famous racetrack and raising much-needed funds for vulnerable children and young people. More
The French Hospital has received initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Huguenot Heritage Centre in Rochester, Kent. The project aims to display the rich material heritage of the Huguenots, a group of some 100,000 French Protestants who fled from religious persecution predominantly from France during the 16th and 17th centuries. More
There will be a special flag-raising ceremony and service to mark the 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation on Sunday 2 June at 12.30pm on Gravesend’s Community Square.
The Mayor of Gravesham Cllr Derek Sales will lead the celebration and the service will be conducted by his chaplain Rev Canon Chris Stone, Rector of Gravesend. More
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Join Kent Wildlife Trust on Bank Holiday Monday 27th May for BIGBURY REVEALED!
(Bigbury Nature Reserve, Harbledown. 10am – 4pm) – FREE entry.
Step back in time and experience Bigbury Camp as it was in 54BC. Meet up with the local Cantii tribe as they face the Roman invasion. Discover the hidden side of the recently restored Iron Age Hill Fort – a Scheduled Ancient Monument, thought to be the site of Caesar’s first battle. More
Charlie Landsborough, multi award-winning inspirational/country artist, heads out on tour this Autumn in support of his 29th album “Silhouette”. This time, however, the tour will be very different – it will be opened by a leading local choir.
Having previously been a teacher before embarking on his musical career, Charlie has always recognised the vital role of music and choirs in the community. More
Local people have given the thumbs up to their community health services.
More than 3,000 people (96% of respondents) in Medway and Swale completed a survey rating the quality of care they received from teams at Medway Community Healthcare as good or very good. More
More than 200 artists across 32 venues will be opening their doors this July as part of the Medway Open Studios & Arts Festival. Spread across Lower Higham, Rochester, Chatham and Gillingham, the annual Festival is the largest art trail of its kind in the area. More
Action with Communities in Rural Kent, a long established charity has teamed up with British Gas to offer eligible residents in the local area free insulation. This offer is worth up to £1,000 and includes the cost of materials and labour. Over 5 million homes in the UK have inadequate cavity wall insulation and over 7 million have little or no loft insulation! If yours is among them, you could be missing out on hundreds of pounds worth of savings on your energy bills every year. So why not take advantage? Insulation really is the best solution to start saving money on your energy bills. More
Kent Wildlife Trust is hosting an exciting series of family ‘Discovery Day’ events this May half-term at its Tyland Barn Visitor Centre, Sandling near Maidstone.
The Trust’s Community Education Officer, Mary Blackwell, said: “On Friday 31st May
from 10am – 12 noon and 1.30 – 3.30pm, our brand new Theatre of the Pond event will see trained actress and artist, Victoria Wainwright, helping intrepid budding performers to explore the wildlife in a pond before unleashing their creativity and creating a pond-life play! More
Kent Wildlife Trust has launched its 6th annual Wildlife Photography Competition to encourage local residents to venture out this spring and summer to capture images of the natural assets of the ‘Garden of England’.
The four broad categories cover Fauna (mammals, insects, birds etc.), Flora (plants, trees, lichens, fungi etc.), Landscape, Coastline & People and Junior (aged 17 and under). Photographs can be taken at nature reserves, parks, schools, gardens, seaside etc., but must be in Kent. More
Fiona Stephens, Medway Community Healthcare
MedOCC provides urgent care for people in Medway 24/7 when their GP surgery is closed. Appointments are offered at Quayside, Chatham Maritime, as well as at Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham. Doctors and specialist nurses also visit people at home if they are too unwell to travel to an appointment. More
This summer’s Castle Concerts series includes a fabulous 80s Night featuring Tony Hadley, ABC, and Go West on Friday, 19 July.
As lead singer of New Romantic pioneers Spandau Ballet, Tony Hadley has earned the accolade of being one of pop music’s greatest vocalists, fronting countless smash hits including Gold, Only When You Leave, Lifeline and the epic Through The Barricades, as well as his prominent vocal contributions to Band Aid and Live Aid. More
Hundreds of school children are preparing to emulate the likes of Lionel Messi and Christiano Ronaldo in Medway’s version of the Champions League. Forty schools representing European teams from this season’s Champions League will do battle on Thursday, 23 May. More
BioBlitz at Darland Banks nature reserve tonight, Gillingham ME7 3ER, 5pm – 9pm. Join scientists, naturalists and wildlife enthusiasts to help us count as many species as possible in four hours.
You don’t need to be an expert to help, you could also have a go with a bat detector, find our about the reserve and meet our cattle and horses and find out what they do for wildlife.
Parking is at the end of Darland Avenue, follow signes from there to the recording hub to get involved. Please telephone Lee or Alison on 01622 662012 with any queries.
A charming show to kick start the Spring break comes to The Brook Theatre, Chatham as part of the Sundays are for Kids programme.
How to Catch a Star is on Sunday, 26 May at 11.30am and 2.30pm.
This is the story of a boy who loved stars very much. Every night he watched stars from his bedroom window and wished he had one of his own. One day he decided he would try to catch a star.
This beautiful show comes to life with an irresistible blend of music, puppetry and storytelling.
Tickets are priced at £6 for adults and £5 for children.
To book phone the box office on 01634 338338 or visit http://www.medwayticketslive.co.uk
A new pay-as-you-go fitness programme launches in Medway from Monday, 20 May, designed especially for beginners and those returning to exercise. More
Medway Council Leader Cllr Rodney Chambers has put in place a new Cabinet as well as changes to other council committees at the start of the new council municipal year. More
More than 1,000 pupils across Medway have taken part in an innovative education show designed to help them learn about road safety. Courtroom aims to help children aged between seven and 11 (key stage 2) learn how to make better road side decisions for themselves and others. More
An action packed three months of exciting sporting events gets underway in Medway this weekend (18 and 19 May). This year’s Medway Festival of Sport includes an incredible 50 events in 70 days, ranging from international competitions to schools’ tournaments and mass participation events for the whole community to get involved in. More
STUDY SHOWS AWARENESS OF THE RISK LOW. OVARIAN CANCER ACTION CALLS FOR ALL WOMEN TO CHECK THEIR FAMILY MEDICAL HISTORY
Following revelations that actress Angelina Jolie has the BRCA gene and undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her risks of developing breast cancer, leading research charity, Ovarian Cancer Action are calling for women, especially those with a significant family history of either breast or ovarian cancer, to check their family medical history. More
Try your hand at mini crossbows, tug of war and leather working with the team from Hands on History. Play Dad’s Dominos and treat your dad to a handmade card, or better still present him with a special handmade award! Craft activities for children in the Education Room from 12 noon – 4pm. Special lunchtime menus in the Garden Restaurant.
Discover another side to Robin Hood at an author talk later this month (May).
Best-selling author Angus Donald will be at Chatham Library at 7.30pm on Tuesday, 28 May to talk about his series of books The Outlaw Chronicles.
Angus writes about Robin Hood but not the way you know him. The books focus on the dark side of the legendary hero. The novels depict a world that is a far cry from the Kevin Costner or Russell Crowe film portrayals.
Paperback copies of Angus’ newly released book, Warlord, will be available to purchase on the night and Angus will be happy to sign them after the talk.
To book a place on this free talk phone 01634 337799.
A celebration of learning takes place at Eastgate Rochester on Saturday, 18 May as part of national Adult Learning Week (18-24 May).
Medway Community Learning is holding a free open day for English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) courses between 12noon and 3pm at the Rochester Adult Education Centre.
The event will include information, demonstrations, displays of previous learners’ work, and activities for both adults and children.
There will be opportunity to speak with members of the adult learning team.
Free entry. Children welcome. Refreshments available.
Watch out… Planet Jedward is coming to Medway. Jed-mad fans have been snapping up the tickets for Jedward’s show at The Central Theatre on Friday, 27 September. More than 100 tickets were sold in the first few hours of the show being announced yesterday (Thursday, 9 May) with the box office inundated with calls from fans. And the Irish songsters certainly have a global following with tickets being bought for the Chatham show by fans in the Netherlands and Bosnia, and as far away as Russia and Australia.
Jedward followers have also taken to Twitter too, excitedly commenting on the hair-raising duo’s forthcoming tour and Medway date. The pair, who represented the Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 and 2012, first found fame on the X Factor in 2009, where they finished in sixth place. Since then they have gone on to release nine singles, three albums, appear on Celebrity Big Brother and their own reality TV shows.
Tickets are priced at £25 and are available from the box office on 01634 338388 or at http://www.medwayticketslive.co.uk
Shoppers in Medway are being encouraged to take a trip down to their local market and discover the delicious, the fashionable and the bargains on offer.
The nationwide Love Your Local Market fortnight returns this week (15-29 May) part of a campaign run by the National Association of British Market Authorities championing market traders across the land. More
A free Pregnancy Information evening will be held at All Saints Sure Start Children’s Centre, Chatham on Thursday, 16 May.
The event is for women in all stages of pregnancy, as well as their partners and family. Anyone who would like advice and information can attend any time between 6pm and 8pm.
There will be information from midwives and health visitors as well as organisations including Breastfeeding Peer Supporters and NCT. There will also be advice about healthy eating in pregnancy, cloth nappies and slings, osteopathy for mother and baby, hypnobirthing, homeopathy, oral health and more.
Entry is free and there will be a chance to enter a free prize draw. Refreshments will also be available from the café.
For more information contact the Children’s Centre on 338833
