Three feelgood nights for February at The Brook Theatre

Three nights of music and comedy are coming to The Brook Theatre, Chatham next week.

Folk at The Brook on Sunday, 5 February welcome Jackie Oates with Karen Tweed.

Singer and fiddle player Jackie will be performing tracks from her new album Saturnine, and will be accompanied by Karen Tweed, whose playing is known for being mercurial, subtle, lyrical and expressive.

Terry Alderton is back on the road and coming to Medway Comedy Club on Monday, 6 February.

As seen on BBC3’s Edinburgh Gala, Comedy Central and Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow, to name a few, Terry is a unique and unforgettable performer whose popularity is growing day by day. Catch him while you can.

Be inspired by the talented Janette Mason Trio at Jazz at The Brook on Tuesday, 7 February.

Keyboard player and improviser Janette Mason and her trio will perform original pieces and famous covers, including the Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams. This is polished piano at its best.

To book tickets to any of these shows phone the box office on 01634 338338

Roadworks in Hoo St Werburgh

Rochester Crescent, Hoo St Werburgh will be closed to traffic between Marley Road and Knights Road between 7am and 7pm daily, starting this Wednesday, 25 January. This is to allow emergency carriageway repairs to be carried out.

A local diversion will be in place and while Medway Council’s contractor will try to maintain local access within the area of works, this may be subject to delay at certain periods. The work is expected to be complete within 3 working days. Advance warning signs will be in place and residents within the area of works are being notified by letter.

Big community clean up in Chatham

Residents in Chatham are being asked to pull on their gloves and wellies and get involved in a neighbourhood tidy-up being held next week.

The big community clean-up is taking place in the Luton and All Saints areas of Chatham from Tuesday, 24 to Friday, 27 January and Medway Council is calling for residents to get involved and help spruce up their neighbourhood.

Medway couples keep popping the question

Love was most certainly in the air in Medway last year, as more than 1,000 couples have said ‘I do’, despite a decline in marriage numbers nationally.

Litterbugs fined in court

A litterbug who threw a cigarette end on to the pavement before doing a spot of shopping in a 99p store has been ordered by a court to pay more than £400.

Wake up to an exciting show

Prepare to be amazed by the outstanding physical and creative show that is Wake by Acrojou. Wake is a dark, humorous and uplifting study of one man’s DIY relationship with his own existence. In an hour of visceral storytelling, Wake features the stunning physicality of German and Cyr wheels, strikingly choreographed acrobatics, and the absorbing visuals for which Acrojou are becoming renowned.

Acrojou Circus Theatre is the UK’s leading German wheel duo, producing highly skilled physical performance with original design. The show is difficult to put into words and is best seen in the flesh, so why not come and enjoy it. Wake by Acrojou is at The Brook Theatre on Friday, 27 January at 7.30pm. Tickets are £12, £10 concessions, and £8 for students. Recommended for 12 years plus.

To book tickets phone the box office on 01634 338338

Investment opportunity for the Stirling Centre

An opportunity has arisen to secure significant investment in The Stirling Centre, one of Medway’s seven leisure facilities.

Sundays are for kids at The Brook

Sundays are for Kids at The Brook Theatre and this year’s line up promises to be as exciting and entertaining as ever.

Open letter regarding Estuary Airport Plan

An urgent meeting has today (Wednesday, 18 January 2012) been called for with Justine Greening, the Secretary of State for the Department of Transport, and representatives of Medway Council following news that the government may consult on building a Thames estuary airport in March.

An open letter has been sent, which calls on the minister to meet with the four group leaders of Medway Council as a matter of urgency so that they can put forward representations against the airport scheme.

Please see the full text of the letter below:

Welcome in the year of the dragon

Medway will celebrate the Chinese New Year with music, dancing and food this weekend, to welcome in the Year of the Dragon.

Do you think a Uiversity Technical College is needed in Medway?

Medway parents and students are being asked if they want Medway to have one of the country’s first University Technical Colleges (UTC).

WHY WE MUST CHAMPION OUR LOCAL ‘GREEN HEROES’

Our green spaces have been making the news headlines for all of the wrong reasons in the last year. Though on the plus sides it’s become clear how much we really care about them.

First there were the proposals, in January last year, to sell off Forestry Commission land. This created a huge public outcry and the Government had to abandon its plans, setting up a panel of experts to map out their future.

Adult social care consultation reminder

There is less than a month left for people to express their views on the Adult Social Care services Medway Council provides for residents.

Eastgate friends welcome your views

Eastgate House: picture: Simon Kelsey

If you’ve resolved to volunteer in 2012, or to get involved more in the local community, there’s a chance to do just that at Eastgate House next week.

The historic building was awarded a development grant of up to £80,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund in February 2011, as part of a £1million grant application to restore the building and transform it into an exhibition gallery and community space where all kinds of events can be held.

Find out about teacher training courses

An open evening to find out about teaching qualifications will take place later this month. The informal event will take place on Tuesday, 17 January at the Rochester Adult Education Centre/Community Hub from 5pm to 7.30pm.

Pinetum staff make Vietnamese breakthrough

Curatorial staff from the National Pinetum at Bedgebury have broken new ground by achieving the first ever successful propagation of a rare and critically endangered Vietnamese conifer.

Discover the fascinating history of Luton at a talk next week

Luton village history – development and change in Victorian Luton, is the subject of the talk by Brian Joyce at 7.30pm on Wednesday, 18 January at Chatham Library.

Learn sign language this year

A variety of different British sign language courses start this month, from learning the basics to studying for a qualification.

Have your say on school admissions 2013

There are just a few days left to have your say about school admissions arrangements in Medway.

Residents have until on 5pm this Friday, 13 January, to give their views as part of a public consultation which started last November.

Public meetings to discuss future of adult social care

A series of public meetings have been arranged as part of Medway Council’s consultation on the Adult Social Care services it provides for residents.

Too Stupid or Greedy to Help Each Other

Well Channel 4 proved it tonight on their new quiz “The Bank Job”, as a nation it would appear that self serving greed, lying and stupidity are alive and well and we are ready to have the nation see it in us.

Rochester Sets Scene for Dickensian Drama

Some of Rochester’s most famous locations will feature in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens’unfinished last novel, Edwin Drood, to be screened on BBC2 this week.

Eastgate House, Minor Canon Row and Rochester Cathedral all feature in The Mystery of Edwin Drood, a two-part psychological thriller about a provincial choirmaster’s obsession with a 17-year-old girl and the lengths he will go to attain her.

URGENT STATEMENT ON THE GILLINGHAM FC v STOKE CITY FOOTBALL MATCH ON SATURDAY, 7 JANUARY

Please see below a new statement on tomorrow’s Gillingham FC v Stoke City football match.

Cllr Mike O’Brien, Medway Council’s Portfolio Holder for Community Safety and Customer Contact, said: “Following advice from Kent Police that they have specific intelligence that it could be unsafe for the match to go ahead without them being present within the ground, Medway Council issued a statement requiring the presence of the police at the match inside the stadium.