News

Recruitment Fair – Lower Thames Crossing

As you may be aware the Lower Thames Crossing is currently undertaking a series of ground investigations and surveys at locations throughout North Kent to help Highways England (HE) to improve their proposals and to develop their application for the Development Consent Order.

HE want to make sure that local people and businesses are able to make the most of the opportunities that their investment in the area will create so in partnership with Eventbrite (events organiser) and their main contractor Balfour Beatty, they are running a recruitment fair in Kent to promote the jobs within the local area. During this phase of the project the roles include ground workers, plant operators, and gangers/supervisors, with many other roles also available.

The event is free and a great way to learn more about the opportunities available. It is being held on Thursday 6th February 2020 with a prompt 4pm start and finished at 6.30pm

Venue

The Kent Room

Gravesham Civic Centre

Woodville Place, Gravesend,

Kent

DA12 1DD

From the Eventbrite website:

Balfour Beatty, partnering with Highways England on the Lower Thames Crossing, are holding a recruitment fair to promote jobs which are available at this stage. Jobs include groundworkers, gangers/supervisors and plant operators. Many other roles are also available.

You must have an up to date CSCS card. Experience is preferred.

The Lower Thames Crossing is the UK’s most ambitious road project since the M25 was completed more than 30 years ago.

It would unlock new business opportunities and make journeys more reliable and quicker, whether travelling for work, leisure, or visiting family and friends. It would feature:

  • The third largest bored tunnel in the world, 53 metres below the River Thames
  • 5 miles of new road, bridges, viaducts and underpasses
  • Improvements to existing roads including M25, A2 and A13

If you have relevant experience in construction services, come along to this free event to learn more about the opportunities available at Balfour Beatty. You will be able to meet with our supply chain partners, register and apply for roles.

We therefore recommend to bring some CV’s with you.

Please visit the Eventbrite website to register your interest:

Eventbrite - Balfour Beatty Recruitment Fair

The Parish Council

 

January 17, 2020 in Community

Higham Playground Project

The Higham Playground Project (made up of village residents and Higham Parish Council) are delighted to be running a second-hand toy sale to raise money for new playground equipment that will be being installed in phases at Higham Recreation Ground from Spring 2020. The Toy Sale is being held on 1st February (see our Events page for all of the details) and we would like to thank Higham Club for donating the space for this event. In addition, Morrison (Strood branch) have kindly donated a movie night hamper as a raffle prize.

Waitrose have kindly selected our project for the green token scheme this month. If shopping in Waitrose Longfield please put your town in the Higham playground project slot.

Our thanks go out to Councillor Brian Sweetland who has secured a generous donation of £2,500 from his Members Grant Fund (a Kent County Council local government finance initiative) towards the cost of new equipment . Higham Parish council have also been able to ring fence £10,000 from our 2020/2021 budget.

I am in the process of submitting grant applications and I am currently waiting to hear the outcomes. We would like to raise between £30,000 and £40, 000 to deliver an amazing playground for the children of Higham and anticipate purchasing and installing equipment in phases hopefully beginning in Spring 2020.

If you think you can help fundraise for this worthy project or you may just wish to make a donation towards the playground equipment, why not contact the Higham Parish Council Clerk on:

enquiries@higham-kent-pc.gov.uk

Councillor Mendzil

Vice-Chair, Higham Parish Council

January 15, 2020 in Community

Kent County Council Draft 5 Year Plan published

Do you want to help shape the future of life in Kent? Do you want your views to be heard by the County Council? If yes, then we would recommend reading Kent County Council’s (KCC) ‘Draft 5 Year Plan’

Over the past 5 months KCC have been listening to:

  • Kent residents
  • young people
  • businesses
  • voluntary and community sector organisations
  • our staff
  • our partners across public services.

They have heard about what is important to quality of life in Kent and what people’s priorities are. Based on what they have heard, they developed the draft 5 year plan. The plan shapes what KCC will do and what they will prioritise spending money on over the next 5 years.

This document is available online for you to read and respond to (it can also be downloaded if you are unable to respond online). We recommend reading the plan before you complete and submit your response. Hurry though as the consultation closes on the 17th February 2020.

Please follow this link to the Kent County Council ‘Draft 5 Year Plan’ page:

Draft 5 Year Plan - Kent County Council

The Parish Council

January 14, 2020 in Community

Higham Parish Council say goodbye to The Webmaster…

At the recent Parish Council meeting on Monday 13th January, we said goodbye to our long-serving webmaster Clive Stanley of Clive Stanley Associates. After 15 years of maintaining the Parish Council’s website, Clive had decided that the time had come to retire. Clive was instrumental in setting up the Higham Parish Council website back in 2004 and he informed us at the meeting that Higham was one of the very first Parish Councils in Kent to launch it’s own website.

To say thank you for his hard work and loyalty, Higham Parish Council gifted Clive and his wife an ‘computer-themed’ experience: a tour of Bletchley Park followed by afternoon tea. With Clive’s interest in computing and coding, we thought this the ideal present to give.

On behalf of the Parish Council (old and new) and the community that you have served, I would like to say a big thank you for all of your time and dedication to the continuation of the Parish Council’s online presence as well as a thank you for the assistance you so kindly provided with the set up of Higham’s new Parish Council website.

Best wishes and happy retirement Clive!

Councillor Gilby

Higham Parish Council

January 15, 2020 in Community

Higham Parish Council donate to Friends of St Mary’s Church

On the 25th April 2020, Friends of St Mary’s Church will be holding an evening of jazz, jive, swing, boogie and rock ‘n’ roll at Higham memorial Hall. All proceeds will go towards the renovation fund for the spire at the church.

In order to get this event off the ground, Higham Parish Council were approached by Friends of St Mary’s Church at the January Parish Council meeting and asked for financial assistance to cover some of the costs involved in putting on this worthwhile and exciting event in our village. The result of the vote was unanimous, and the Parish Council pledged the £600 requested.

St Mary’s Church is no longer used for regular worship and is maintained by the Churches Conservation Trust. The Friends of St. Mary’s supports the work of the Trust, and works to enhance visitors’ experience of the church, hold fundraising events, organise events for children and adults, and promote the building’s unique appeal.

For more details on the Spring Dance and all of the other events planned by Friends of St Mary’s Church, visit their events page here:

Friends of St Mary's Church

The Parish Council

January 14, 2020 in Community, Culture

Lower Thames Crossing Social Media Update – January 2020

Highways England on Social Media

Highways England have launched a regular community video newsletter and new Facebook page. You can view the first video on a new Facebook page:

Lower Thames Crossing Facebook Page

This will provide an opportunity to keep you updated with HE plans and activities ahead of the submission their Development Consent Order next summer.

As well as Facebook, you can follow other social media and web based platforms for future news – see the links below:

Want to find out more?

For all of the latest news from Highways England relating to the Lower Thames Crossing (including this fly-through video of the entire proposed route), visit the official Lower Thames Crossing website:

Lower Thames Crossing - Highways England

We will be keeping you updated as the project progresses so please do revisit regularly to keep abreast of the Lower Thames Crossing news affecting the Parish and its surrounds.

The Parish Council

January 14, 2020 in Community, Planning

Charles Dickens to receive a makeover!

Higham village is very proud of its heritage and long association with the world-famous English Victorian novelist, Charles Dickens. You may be aware that 2020 will mark the 150th anniversary of his death in 1870 and Higham Parish Council will be recognising this in June.

In fact, the Parish Council have made a start and have commissioned the artist who oringally painted our village ‘Charles Dickens’ sign (located on Gravesend Road by the Forge Lane bus stop) to lavish it with a fresh coat of paint ahead of the 150th anniversary.

So, should you find yourself driving along Gravesend Road and notice that Charles has gone AWOL sometome in early 2020 – don’t worry! He is in safe hands and will return soon looking like a new man!

Look out for the newly-painted sign over the coming weeks and if you spot it,  why not send the Parish Council a photo by emailing the Parish Clerk or post it on the Higham Parish Council Facebook page.

The Parish Council
January 14, 2020 in Community

Gardens for Pleasure Competition 2019

On Monday 25th November, the Mayor and Mayoress of Gravesham, Higham Parish Council and parishioners gathered in Higham Library for the Gardens For Pleasure 2019 prize-giving ceremony.

This year the competition (now in its 35th year) was judged by Millbrook Garden Centre, Gravesend and a representative from Millbrook kindly attended the evening to help hand out the prizes to our category winners. The Mayor, Councillor Gurdip Ram Bungar, thoroughly enjoyed the event and told us of his love of gardening as well as asking for tips on how to improve his own hanging baskets!

The prizes this year, donated as always by the Parish Council, included gardening vouchers, a framed certificate and, for first prize winners, a silver vase to keep for the year. Thank you to Councillor Sparks and Jeffery for arranging the wine and nibbles; it made for a very pleasant evening.

For a selection of photos from the evening and details of all the prize-winners, please visit our Gardens For Pleasure Competition page here:

Gardens For Pleasure Competition

We, as a Parish Council, are now looking forward to organising Gardens For Pleasure 2020. watch out for announcements in early Spring 2020 for more details.

The Parish Council

 

November 16, 2019 in Community

Fireworks Display @ The Recreation Ground

On Tuesday 5th November, residents of Higham were treated to a spectacular firework display on the Recreation Ground.

This annual free event was planned by our Community Development Working Group – a group of Parish Councillors (chaired by Councillor Mackie) who seek to provide a variety of family-friendly events for Higham residents funded by the Council’s precept and donations from you, the residents of Higham.

Several months in the planning, the annual fireworks show did not disappoint and we hope you agree that the show went off with a ‘BANG!’

Thank you for all your kind donations on the night and as a result, we raised a staggering £1007! This will be fed straight back into the Parish Council’s events budget and will be used to deliver family-friendly events in the village in 2020. Watch this space!

We would also like to thank all those residents who took the time to post some lovely comments about the fireworks event on the Higham Parish Council Facebook page.

“Amazing fireworks display tonight in Higham big thank you to the Higham parish council.”

“Really enjoyed the fireworks tonight. Is a lovely thing to do for the village. Much appreciated. Thank you.”

“Fantastic display of fireworks. Just returned from seeing the Chester City fireworks and Higham Village display ranks with it. Very well done all involved. Looking forward to next year already.”

“Our first year seeing the Higham fireworks. I can’t believe how wonderful, spectacular and amazing they were. Thank you so much Higham parish council.”

“Lovely family time with my grandchildren this evening, thank you very much for a great firework display – we all loved it 👍”

We would like to thank Phoenix Fireworks for a wonderful display and Tech Medical Services for providing essential first aid support at the event.

The Parish Council

November 12, 2019 in Community