Burglary in Hoo - appeal for witnesses!

Tom Taggart, who runs Taggs Coffee Shop in Hoo, has asked that I publish an appeal for witnesses to a burglary that occurred at his storage yard on Abbots Court Road (off Vicarage Lane in Hoo).

The break-in is believed to have happened between 7pm on Saturday 18 June and 8am the following morning.

Items stolen include a vehicle trailer, a BCS 740 2-wheeled tractor (similar to the one pictured below) and numerous horse riding items belonging to his daughter.

Tom is especially keen to hear from anyone with home and business CCTV cameras with views of Bells Lane, Main Road and Stoke Road, i.e. all exit roads from the village centre.

Anyone with information should contact Medway Police on 01634 792346 (the Neighbourhood Policing Unit for the area) or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Alternatively, Tom Taggart can be phoned directly on 07980 752836.
 

Hoo Boot Fair at the GEC Bowls Club, Sunday 3 July 2011

Sunday Boot Fairs, organised by the GEC Bowls Club (Bells Lane, Hoo, Rochester, ME3 9DZ), continue to take place throughout the summer.

Held in the sports field next to the club, the next Boot Fair will be this Sunday (3 July). Other dates include: August 7 and September 4. Trading from 6am, bargain hunters are encouraged to get along early!

If anyone would like a pitch - just go along on the day (as early as possible). There is a charge of £5 per pitch.
 

Dickie Dutton is jumping for charity!

On the same day that I’ll be taking part in the Relay for Life event at Deangate Ridge (2 July 2011), there’ll be an even more thrilling fundraising effort taking place.

76 year old Richard ‘Dickie’ Dutton (pictured below) will be skydiving from a great height to raise cash for St. James’ Church at Cooling.

If you fancy giving Dickie’s skydive attempt your support, visit his Just Giving web page here.

Take a look at the new website of The Friends of St. James’ Church by clicking here.
 

Summer Fair (High Halstow), Saturday 25 June 2011

High Halstow Primary School’s Summer Fair is taking place tomorrow (Saturday), from 1pm until 4pm. Everyone is welcome to pop along.

There’ll be lots of things to do, including fun fair rides, a bouncy castle, pony rides, coconut shy, splat the rat (one of my favourites), stocks, tin can alley, penalty shoot out, face-painting, sand art, mouse trap, jam jar ping pong, lucky dip, hook a duck, bottle hoopla, tombola, golf challenge, pick a lolly, badge making, beat the buzzer, a BBQ, a beer tent, a Pimms tent and lots of homemade cakes – yum yum!

Let’s hope there's plenty of sunshine!
 

I’m doing the Relay for Life event on 2/3 July 2011 – please sponsor me!!!

Okay, so whilst I'm not running the London Marathon, trekking up a mountain or swimming the channel (all of which would be very much against doctors orders given my 'relaxed' approach to exercise), I will be part of the ‘Hoo R Ya’ team - taking it in turns to complete the 24 hour Relay for Life at the Deangate Ridge Sports Complex (Dux Court Road, Hoo, Rochester, Kent, ME3 8RZ).

It all kicks off at 2pm on Saturday 2 July, finishing at . . . you've guessed it, 2pm on Sunday 3 July.

Even with options to walk or crawl, there’ll be lots of stamina needed to get through this challenge without falling asleep!

Hopefully though, my fundraising efforts (so far) aren’t a sign of things to come – as I haven’t yet cleared the starting block!

So from today, I’m urgently looking for sponsorship, so I can raise lots of money for Cancer Research UK, and of course not feel too shamed in front of my relay team mates.

Just visit my fundraising page by clicking here, or drop me an email to let me know how much you'd like to sponsor (email here).

Thanks for anything you can do to support this really worthwhile cause.
 

The Big Screen comes to Hoo!

Following the success of the Christmas Fayre and recent Royal Wedding Party, the Hoo Village Events Committee is turning to the silver screen for an exciting new project.

An outdoor film festival is being planned for later in the year - to be held in the village square.

Organiser Maureen Tong-Ralphs (Hoo Village Events Committee) says the aim is to capture the history of the village and surrounding area by getting local residents to talk on camera about their memories of the village, and she’s sure there’ll be many funny and interesting tales which deserve recording for posterity. But the film festival won’t just showcase the past - there’ll be plenty of filming about life in Hoo now and the many exciting things going on locally.

If you have a story to tell, old film footage or photographs that you’d like to share, or if you’re planning an event which could be captured on film - get in touch with Maureen Tong-Ralphs on 07905 178644.
 

Midsummer Tea Party (Cooling), Saturday 18 June 2011

Cream Tea will be served in the grounds of St. James’ Church at Cooling on 18 June, from 2.30pm till 4.30pm.

Pop along and support The Friends of St. James’ Church, whilst enjoying delicious strawberries and homemade scones. Plants and cakes will be available to buy and there'll be a treasure hunt for the children. Entry is £3.50 per person. Go on, one scone won’t ruin the diet!

Contact Caroline Long on 01634 220336 for further information. Take a look at the new website of The Friends of St. James’ Church by clicking here.
 

Marching Band required for Grain Summer Fete on Saturday 16 July 2011

Grain Fete Committee is urgently looking for a marching band to take part in their annual Summer Fete on Saturday 16 July.

Last year’s event (pictured below) was very successful, with people coming far and wide to enjoy themselves. And there’ll be even more excitement this year - with a fun fair, an events arena, live entertainment, stalls, a procession of floats, a disco / karaoke and much more - details will be added to this site shortly.

If anyone can help with the supply of a marching band, contact Veronica Cordier (Secretary of Grain Fete Committee) on 01634 271674 or by email here.
 

2011 Relay for Life (Rochester) event - still time to get involved!

People of all ages will be taking part in this year’s Relay for Life (Rochester) event, in aid of Cancer Research, on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 July.

I’ll be joining one of fifteen teams helping to raise funds for the life-saving work of Cancer Research UK.

The team I’m part of is to be known as ‘Hoo R Ya’, captained by local Hoo resident Nancy Waller.

Team members will take turns to walk, run, skip or crawl* around the running track at Deangate Ridge, with each team having someone on the track for 24 hours. And there'll be a great overnight party, with camping, music, stalls, entertainment and BBQs, to ensure a superb atmosphere.

(*for the very young or those feeling very old!)

If you’d like to sponsor the ‘Hoo R Ya’ team, take a look at our team fundraising page by clicking here.

This relay will take place at the Deangate Ridge Sports Complex, Dux Court Road, Hoo, Rochester, Kent, ME3 8RZ.

There’s still time to take part and register a team, so if you’d like to find out more, contact Nancy Waller (local event organiser) by emailing here or by phoning 01622 221254 (daytime).

For more information about Cancer Research’s Relay for Life events, visit their website.
 

Farmers’ Market (High Halstow), Saturday 11 June 2011

The next High Halstow Farmers’ Market will be this Saturday, from 9.30am to 11am, at the Village Hall (The Street, High Halstow). Pop along for meat, bread, vegetables, greetings cards, jewellery, candles and many other goods and produce. There’s also a meat raffle, with an opportunity to win a £30 voucher!

Supporting the Village Hall refurbishment programme.
 

What a load of rubbish!

Grain Coastal Park looks a great deal cleaner today, following yesterday’s successful volunteering event organised by the Kent Wildlife Trust.

Local residents and Trust members spent several hours clearing rubbish and other unwanted objects - like road signs, bollards, tyres and a rusty bucket. But thankfully no shopping trolleys!

More than a dozen bags of rubbish were collected by a team of around 20, who fought off wind and rain to get the place looking tidy. The photograph below, taken by Becky Hitchin from the Kent Wildlife Trust, shows just some of volunteers who took part.

Following many months of hard work by an enthusiastic team of volunteers, yesterday’s event was the penultimate volunteering day being organised by Paul Pearce from the Kent Wildlife Trust - a great project that has been backed by Grain Parish Council and Medway Council.

There’s plenty more left to do at Grain, so hopefully the July volunteering day will be well supported - and the weather will be a little kinder!

More details will be added to this website soon.

Kent Wildlife Trust is a leading conservation charity in Kent and Medway. If you’d like to find out more about their work, take a look at their website or facebook page.
 

Land Securities Presentation (High Halstow), Wednesday 8 June 2011

Land Securities will be attending the next meeting of High Halstow Parish Council, to give a presentation about the Lodge Hill development.

The meeting will take place at Memorial Hall, The Street, High Halstow, from 8pm this Wednesday (8 June). Residents living in other villages on the Hoo Peninsula, not just those in High Halstow, are welcome to attend.

Take a look at the High Halsow Parish Council website by clicking here.

 

High Halstow Times - June Edition

The June edition of the High Halstow Times is out now. Just click the image below to see the full copy.

The High Halstow Times is the magazine of High Halstow Parish Council. Take a look at their new website by clicking here.
 

Allhallows Life - June Edition

The June edition of Allhallows Life is out now. Just click the image below to see the full copy.



Allhallows Life is the magazine of Allhallows Parish Council. Take a look at their new website by clicking here.

 

High Halstow Hikers (June Walk), Sunday 12 June 2011

The High Halstow Hikers will be heading west of the Hoo Peninsula for this month’s walk.

June’s walk (Sunday 12) will begin at 10am in Shoreham, taking a circular route along the Darent Valley Path to Otford, which is about 7 miles.

The meeting point is the road opposite Shoreham Place, in the road that leads from the A225 past Shoreham Railway Station towards the village. An area map is available here (courtesy of Google Maps).

Other High Halstow Hikers walks will take place on 10 July (Oare Marshes), 14 August (Kits Coty) and 11 September (Cuckmere Valley and Seven Sisters). More information will be added to this site when available, or contact Mitchell Dowsett by emailing here.