Higham Parish Council - News and Special Announcements

Unwanted rubbish, dumped builders rubble, old furniture, discarded sacks -- these items spoil our lovely village and countryside. If you see flytipping, please report it directly to Gravesham Borough Council:-

Gas Main Replacement Works in Higham

Southern Gas Networks (SGN) are undertaking a major programme of work to renew the gas mains in Higham during early 2017. There will be two contractor teams from WCB Utilities working in the area and a copy of the provisional programme for the works is set out below. (NOTE: Dates may vary due to factors such as weather, engineering difficulties etc.) Householders will be notified by SGN shortly before works commence in that street.

Hermitage Road, Higham = Start 17/4/17 till 19/6/17. 1560m gas mains insertion and ROLLING ROAD CLOSURE (BOTH TEAMS WILL BE WORKING ON THIS TO SPEED UP THE PROCESS).

There are also other roadworks required in the village:-

~~ from 3 July 2017 for up to 8 working days, a Temporary Road Closure in Villa Road, Higham. The road will be closed between A226 Gravesend Road to outside number 73 Villa Road. The alternative route is via Forge Lane, A226 Gravesend Road and vice versa. The road closure is to enable ducting and cabling to be carried out by BT Openreach.

~~ from 24th July 2017 in School Lane, Higham outside the shops which will involve the Temporary Closure of a section School Lane for gas main replacement.

Contact numbers for any further detailed information:
Glen Mcintrye (SGN) 07972 731 688
SGN main switchboard 0800 9121700.

Other planned road closures and works.

BT OpenReach -- Contractors working for BT will be installing new telecommunications ducts across the Gravesend Road at Peartree Lane and Villa Road junction. The works will be under temporary lights over 2 weekends and there will be a part closure of Villa Road near the traffic lights for 1 week from 1st July 2017.

UK Powernetworks -- New power cable will be installed from Eastcourt Oast, Church Lane to across the junction with Lower Higham Road.
Lower Higham Road will be closed at the junction with Church Road for approx. 5 days to start on 19th June 2017 and Church Lane will be closed for approx. 15 days to start 22nd June 2017.

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We were delighted with a card and letter received from Buckingham Palace, thanking Higham Parish Council for their Birthday good wishes.

Calling all passionate community-driven people for an exciting new volunteer role.

Kent County Council is introducing a new volunteer role working alongside existing Kent Community Wardens. As a Volunteer Support Warden you’ll make a difference to residents and create resilient neighbourhoods. The role will be challenging at times but rewarding and you’ll be improving the well-being of the residents in your local area.

Another successful Litter Pick last Sunday, 2nd October 2016. A BIG thank you to our 13 volunteers who collected 20 bags of rubbish, plus a hub cap, 2 balls, a red pole, 20 glass bottles and several other strange objects from School Lane, Church Street and some surrounding roads, hedges and grass verges plus the Recreation Ground.

There is no doubt there is less litter around the village and thanks are also due to anyone who picks up litter in their area on a regular basis - that makes a huge difference.

Just need to find a way of reducing the number of people who drop litter - any ideas out there - legal methods only!!

Watch this space for the details of the next session - if you would like to become a volunteer just message the Parish Clerk or email sue3906@gmail.com and we'll add you to the list.

Country Eye has been built to help Kent residents, farmers and countryside users receive rural information and to report information quickly and efficiently. The mobile phone app allows users to record and share information on crime, suspicious behaviour and damage in their home community or whilst out and about.

The Country Eye app is now available to download for free on iPhone and Android.

Following on from the Love Higham Day we are running some small Discussion Groups. These are for residents to talk about each of the 6 Key Themes in a little more detail – so we can understand what we mean, for example, by a Clean and Tidy Village or a safe place to live. See below for the dates, times and venues.

Free tea coffee and biscuits! To find out more & book a place email, text or phone.

Email: information@lovehigham.co.uk or Phone: 07480 518493 www.lovehigham.co.uk

A Love Higham day was held on Saturday 4th February 2017. See some photographs...

The Neighbourhood Forum for Higham is a range of local people plus representatives from Parish Council, the Kent Police and the Community Warden. We meet quarterly to discuss any concerns about the quality of life or community safety issues within the village. SPEEDWATCH is one of our activities. Regular reports and liaison with the Parish Council, Police, Community Warden and other key partners allow free and frank examination of things that may be of concern. At our past meetings we have had officials from Gravesham Borough Council and Kent Highways who advised us and assisted in discovering solutions to local issues.

If you have a concern about your local neighbourhood or have ideas that would improve your quality of life in Higham then do either come to a Forum meeting or a Parish Council meeting to speak your mind. For more information, please visit our new Forum website at http://www.spanglefish.com/highamneighbourhoodforum

Meetings are planned usually for the first Tuesday in March, June, September, and December, normally at 7.30pm in Higham Library, Villa Road, Higham. All are welcome to come.

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Higham Parish Council & Neighbourhood Forum are pleased to tell you a limited supply of free dog waste bags are available at Higham Library. Initially only 1 roll at a time per dog owner. Please help us make our village a cleaner place to live. [October 2014]

Community Warden and Councillor Drop-In Session Dates

Drop In Session June 2017

Higham Community Warden Steve Gray along with Cllrs. Sue Sparks and / or Harold Craske and / or Les Pearton will be available for anyone to pop in and discuss any local issues that worry them. For 2017 the dates are normally the last Thursday monthly, bar December when it is usually the third Thursday from 1.30 to 3pm in Higham Library. Light refreshments served.

Faster Broadband in Higham?

Are you interested in faster broadband speeds in our village? Read more...

Volunteer Transport Service Urgently needs Drivers

If you are a car owner, enjoy driving and have time to spare, your keys can unlock lives!

The Volunteer Centre needs local Drivers to take people who are unable to use public transport due to age, frailty, illness, or disability to and from their vital medical appointments. All that is necessary is a clean, valid driving licence, a vehicle in good condition and MOT’d. Our Clients pay you 45p per mile to cover your expenses. This could not only make a difference to our clients’ lives and wellbeing, but your own.

Please contact us on: 01322 272476 or email volunteer@nwkvolunteers.org.uk

Higham Youth Club

** Important -- read this Statement from Higham Parish Council **[11th June 2017]

Higham Youth Club meets on a Wednesday evening from 7.30pm until 9.30pm. Young people from the age of 10 years to 18 years are welcome to join us. We have a number of activities each week and lots of equipment including a pool table, table football, table tennis, basketball, swingball, Nintendo Wii (two consoles plus guitar hero complete band set, snowboarding, wii fit, dance mat and many other games), Playstation 2 (including Singstar), Karaoke, Scalextrics, Keyboard, Circus equipment, Board games..... We also hire the outside sports courts for those who wish to play football... Often we run cookery evenings, circus skills, hair and beauty, arts and crafts plus many others..

You can keep up with what's going on by looking at our website... www.highamyouthandcommunity.co.uk The new website also covers the extensive renovation works on an updated community amenity -- the Pavilion. Higham Youth Club is managing this community project by taking on a lease of The Pavilion building (on the Recreation Ground). We had been desperately looking for additional facilities to run an older age club locally for many years. We had also wanted to expand the clubs and activities offered. For more information, please click here.

If anyone in the village would like to give up a couple of hours per week of their time and help us as a volunteer please contact Jo for more information on 07817 746097. All adult helpers are checked through the Disclosure and Barring System (formerly Criminal Records Bureau), and we do ask for 2 referees.. You will understand that this is purely to safeguard our young members. Working with the young people at these clubs is a very enjoyable experience and also gives you the opportunity to take part in exciting activities too!! Some photos taken during a past residential trip:

photograph of Higham Youth Club on a residential trip

A message from Jo Raff, Youth Club Leader

I am the current leader of Higham Youth Club (since 2007). As many people in the Village know the club has grown considerably in that time and we have been in need of providing additional sessions to cater for all the young people who wish to attend. We have been seeking premises for many years to enable us to run further activities.

Originally the Pavilion on the Recreation Ground was built for Higham Boys Club which closed. The Pavilion was then occupied by the kindergarten which sadly closed last Summer. The Parish Council have been working very hard negotiating a lease renewal of the Recreation Ground, Sports Courts and Pavilion building. The landowners said all three parts had to be included in the lease, and due to problems with the negotiations for almost three years there was real risk of the Village losing the Recreation Ground, Sports Courts and Pavilion. At the end of December, on behalf of the youth club, I was asked if we would be interested in taking on the Pavilion building. The building is currently in a very poor state of repair and needs urgent works to make it safe. We had to consider this very carefully. Clearly it would help us as it would give us a great opportunity to be able to offer so much more to young people in the Village, but it would also mean taking on a huge project which would cost a considerable amount of money and time.

We decided to go ahead and submitted a business plan which was approved by the Parish Council. The Parish Council have always supported the youth of the village wherever possible.

Outline approval has now been given to us taking on a sublease although documentation still has to be signed.

We have many exciting plans for the future, and wish to turn the Pavilion into a "hub" providing activities, clubs and events for the young people and other community users in the Village. We just could not see the loss of the Recreation Ground or Sports Courts as these are used by so many different groups, including our youth club. It is already so sad that the Village no longer has nursery provision, and we didn't want to see the demise of the youth club due to lack of facilities.

We will be applying for grants, holding fundraising events, and working very hard to raise the money needed to fund the building works needed. We have to be able to provide a safe place for people to meet and that is our initial priority (although hope to make further improvements in due course).

We will be needing architects, builders, plumbers, electricians, and many other tradesman for the works at the Pavilion.

This venture is completely non-profit making. All monies raised will go back in to provide further activities to benefit the Village. Eventually we wish to see the Pavilion used seven days a week, all day and evenings, providing a whole range of activities and clubs. Further details are in our business plans.

We hope Villagers will support us. We have started to receive donations from kind Villagers. If you feel you could help us out, or have made a pledge to help already please could you message me, or email me at highamyouthclub@hotmail.co.uk.

Thank you so much.

Joanne Raff
Leader – Higham Youth Club
Mobile – 07817 746097 (voicemail between 7am and 5pm whilst I am at work)

Web - www.highamyouthandcommunity.co.uk

[March 2015]

Our local GP surgery has a web site ( www.highcliffemedicalpractice.nhs.uk/ ) to provide patients with useful information about the services available. In addition they are also looking to recruit younger local resident to join our patient participation group. Please contact:

Need to speak to a neighbourhood police officer? Visit one of the Police Contact Points, available in nearly 200 locations across Kent, including Higham. Police vans stop at a prominent location for one hour per visit; come along to talk to a neighbourhood officer about any policing concerns you may have, to get safety advice or to collect a free crime prevention item.

To confirm the times and locations of the Police Contact Points near you, visit www.kent.police.uk/policecontactpoints. Our local venue is on Wednesdays outside Higham Library, Villa Road (car park), Higham ME3 7BS.

By registering with the Mail Preference Service you can reduce the amount of personally addressed junk mail received.
You can register by writing to:

or calling 0845 703 4599 or logging on to: www.mpsonline.org.uk

Unwanted Telephone calls

You can reduce phone calls from companies offering to sell goods or services by registering your telephone number with the Telephone Preference Service.

or call 0845 070 0707 or logging into www.tpsonline.org.uk

Silent Callguard Service

If you receive a phone call and when you pick up the receiver there is nobody speaking, you may be receiving calls generated by automatic dialling equipment that dial more numbers than there are operators to take the calls.

You can reduce these calls by registering with the Silent Callgard Service on 0844 3722 325.

Kent Police Neighbourhood Watch are aware of a warning Royal Mail have put out. They have advised that there is currently a scam happening due to Christmas fast approaching.

A Card is posted through your door from a company called PDS (Parcel Delivery Service) suggesting that they were unable to deliver a parcel and that you need to contact them on 09066 611911 (a premium rate number).

If you call the number and you start to hear a recorded message you will already have been billed for £315 for the phone call.

Royal Mail's website has very helpful details in relation to Scam mail. Please make all family and friends aware that there may be many other scams similar to this. If you are ordering online and getting deliveries, confirm who your item will be delivered by/to.

101 is the national non-emergency number to contact Police in your area. Residents in the Kent policing area should call 101 to contact their local officer, make an enquiry and to report non-urgent crimes.

Each call will never cost more than 15p. Callers will be put through to Force Control Room in Kent and not a national call centre.

As always, dial 999 in an emergency when life is in danger or a crime is in progress.

The Thames Estuary Partnership (TEP) is a forum for local authorities, national agencies, industry, voluntary bodies and local communities to work together for the good of the Thames Estuary. The Partnership is a charity which co-ordinates projects and holds events and workshops to provide information and to gather feedback.

The threat of climate change and increased flood risk is an ever present feature of the Estuary, yet many local people are not aware that plans are already being developed to help those responsible to adapt to these threats. More detailed information can be found on the TEP website, www.thamesweb.com

Viewable Thames Estuary & North Kent flood risk map - click here.

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	Lower Thames Crossing
	Report Fly-Tipping
	Gas Main Replacement & Other Roadworks
	Board Game Club
	Letter from HM The Queen
	Charity Strawberry Tea
	Litter Picking
	Volunteer Support Warden Scheme
	Food Safety Training Course
	Country Eye
	Love Higham - A Plan for the Village
	Higham Neighbourhood Forum
	Community Warden and Councillor Drop-In Dates
	Faster Broadband
	Volunteer Drivers Needed
	Youth Club
	Highcliffe Medical Practice
	Kent Police Local Contact
	Phone Scam
	HiARA
	Thames Estuary Partnership
	Parish Allotments

	Home Page		Your Parish Councillors
	Higham location map		Contact the Parish Clerk
	Parish Council Meetings		Annual Parish Newsletter
	Local Higham links page		More about Higham Parish

Love Higham - A Plan for the Village