New Year's Eve at Taggs

I popped into Taggs Coffee Shop in Hoo today and had a good chat with my old mate Tom Taggart.  He told me all about a fun evening he's planning at Taggs Wine Bar on New Year's Eve.

If you’re looking for somewhere fun and local to go on 31st December, Taggs Wine Bar is the place for you!

You'll be able to enjoy the last few remaining hours of 2016 with host Tom and a popular group called Sold on Soul, who'll belt out many classic soul, funk and disco tunes, from 9pm.  This group has performed at Taggs before and were well received.

Tickets are £15, just pop to Taggs (Church Street, Hoo, ME3 9AH) to get yours, but don't leave it too long.

  

Hoo Clean Up (April 2013)

The next Hoo Clean Up event will take place on Saturday 27 April, at 9.30am.

Meeting at The Chequers pub in Church Street, volunteers will spend around 90 minutes collecting 'enemy' litter from around the village square. There'll be free refreshments back at the pub after the session for everyone that helped.

If you’d like to find out more about the Hoo Clean Ups, or to sign up for this excellent community activity, contact Michael Pearce (Clean Up Co-Ordinator) on 07919 693 095, or send an email by clicking here.

  

Easter Bonnet Parade at The Chequers

During the Easter weekend I popped down the pub (The Chequers in Hoo), but not for a pint this time! I was asked to judge a children’s Easter Bonnet Parade and Picture Painting Competition.

Well done to all the kids for attending with their parents and for creating a superb selection of colourful bonnets and paintings. It was extremely difficult to choose winners!

Special thanks to Sarah, who runs the pub, and DJ Marky Mark (both pictured) for providing great entertainment all afternoon.

I believe there’ll be some more photos of this event in the May edition of Village Voices, so watch out for that!

Find out more about the many events taking place at The Chequers by visiting their website.

  

Join the fight against litter in Hoo!

The next Hoo Clean Up event will take place on Saturday 30 March, at 9.30am.

Meeting at The Chequers pub in Church Street, volunteers will spend around 90 minutes collecting 'enemy' litter from around the village square. There'll be free refreshments back at the pub after the session for everyone that helped.

If you’d like to find out more about the Hoo Clean Ups, or to sign up for this excellent community activity, contact Michael Pearce (Clean Up Co-Ordinator) on 07919 693 095, or send an email by clicking here.
  

Refurbishment of The Chequers

Quite apart from being my local pub of choice, I’m very excited about the major refurbishment currently underway at The Chequers pub in Church Street, Hoo.

This wonderful old red-brick Georgian building with its mansard roof is, in my opinion, one of the best old buildings left in the village. And it is one that escaped destruction during the 1950s and 60s - a particularly dark period, architecturally speaking, when so many other classic buildings succumbed to ‘progress’.

You can view photographs of the refurbishment work by visiting the pub’s new website, just click here to take a look.

Very best wishes to Kev and Sarah on their grand re-opening, all set for Friday 1 March.
 

New Year Walk around Higham Marshes

I picked a good walk to start the New Year this morning - all flat and not very long!

I started out from St. Mary’s Church, in the hamlet of Church Street and within the Parish of Higham and Merston, at the very western end of the Hoo Peninsula. Before setting off, I had a good look round this lovely old building - originally Norman, but remodelled and enlarged in the 14th century. One of two Churches on the Hoo Peninsula managed by The Churches Conservation Trust (the other being St. James’ Church at Cooling) an information board inside proudly boasts that Charles Dickens’ daughter Katey married there in 1860.

With my Ordnance Survey map in hand (Gravesend, Rochester and Hoo Peninsula -163), I headed north following the Kent County Council walking route NS138, also labelled as the ‘Naughty Nuns and Nightingales’ walk. Not sure it’s the right time of year to see either though!

Although it was a lovely sunny morning, it was predictably very muddy under foot for the long stretch northwards passing ditches, pools and the nearby Gravel Works (towards Cliffe Pools). Predictably in hindsight that is - as unusually I didn’t bother to wear my walking boots. A lesson well and truly learnt!

Eventually arriving at the Shorne Marshes Nature Reserve and Higham Saltings, there were good views across the River Thames, of Cliffe Fort and, on the opposite side of the river, Coalhouse Fort.

I then headed westward along the Saxon Shore Way towards Shornmead Fort and then, after a short distance, south towards Beckley Hill - passing Barrow Hill on route. After crossing back over the railway line, I returned on the track back to St. Mary’s Church.

Although I doubt that too many ‘festive’ calories were burnt up on this walk, it was really enjoyable all the same, and getting some New Year fresh air is never a bad idea. It took just over an hour to complete - but would have been quicker with proper boots on!

For more information about St. Mary’s Church, visit the Friends of St. Mary’s Church (Higham) website by clicking here.

More information about this walk can be found here.