Local News

Tree Sentinels lined The Avenue Of Remembrance for Remembrance Sunday yesterday (Sunday 12th November) to mark it's 100 years at the heart of Sittingbourne.

This year's Service Of Remembrance was organised through the Sittingbourne Remembrance Sunday Event Organising Group made up of local individuals, groups and businesses and co-ordinated by Richard and Theresa Emmett of The Historical Research Group Of Sittingbourne (HRGS).

Mr Paul Auston, Swale's Deputy Lieutenant of Kent and the Mayor of Swale attended a service at St Michael's with Rev David Ridley which finished at 10:30am with the main congregation joining the Parade which marched along the High Street, up Bell Road, and via the Avenue of Remembrance to the War Memorial in Central Avenue. They were then followed by standard barriers, veterans, cadets, scouts and guiders, joined by public and tree sentinels along the route. Mayor, Cllr Sarah Stephen was on board an historic military vehicle which took her to the War Memorial in Central Avenue.

At 11:00am Minister Pat Tatchell started the service at War Memorial with The Last Post being played by the Salvation Army. The Doves of Peace were released after the 2 mins silence and Pat Tatchell invited the main 5 VIP wreath layers up to The War Memorial followed by the poem read by Richard Emmett. The Salvation Army played directly after the poem, whilst all other wreaths were laid. At 11:35am the 5  VIPs took the salute on the west side footpath by the Memorial,

At 11:40am The Parade (of Veterans, cadets, scouts, and guiders) marched north along Central Avenue towards the High Street, halted outside the Nat West bank and about turned to face south giving eyes ‘right’ to The War Memorial before marching on to Appleyard for dismissal and refreshments. The Deputy Lieutenant took the salute during the march past.

It was a very special occasion and was well received by all that attended and marked Remembrance Sunday and this year's 100th Centenary of The Avenue Of Remembrance, the only tree-lined memorial in the UK that is still a public highway.

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICES

SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2023

SITTINGBOURNE

Church of St's Peter & Paul, Borden  (Borden)   

9.30am    The Parish Eucharist, followed by an Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial at 10.40 am, The Mayor will be represented by Councillor Mike Baldock, who will lay a wreath.

Church of St Bartholomew, Bobbing   (Grove)

10.45am    An informal service of Remembrance.  Councillor Simon Clark, representing the Mayor, will attend and lay a wreath. 

Church of St Mary the Virgin, Newington (Hartlip, Newington, & Upchurch)

10.15am   Service followed by an Act of Remembrance at 11am. Councillor Richard Palmer will attend and lay a wreath.

Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Upchurch  (Hartlip, Newington, & Upchurch)

10.15 am    Service of Remembrance Hon. Alderman Gerry Lewin, representing the Mayor, will attend and lay a wreath.

Church of St. Michael & All Angels, Hartlip  (Hartlip, Newington & Upchurch)

10.30am    The Service and Act of Remembrance. Councillor Chris Palmer representing the Mayor, will attend and lay a wreath.

St. Margaret’s Church, Lower Halstow  (Iwade & Lower Halstow)  

10.30am  Councillor Lloyd Chapman, representing the Mayor, will attend the service and lay a wreath.

All Saints Church, Iwade  (Iwade & Lower Halstow)  

10.30am   Service, with an Act of Remembrance at 11am, The Mayor will be represented by Councillor Roger Clark who will lay a wreath.

Holy Trinity Church, Milton Regis  (Milton Regis)

10.00am  Councillor Tony Winckless and Councillor Angie Valls representing the Mayor, will attend and lay a wreath at the memorial in the Church grounds.   

All Saints Church, Murston  (Murston)   

10.45am  Councillor James Hall representing the Mayor will attend the Service and lay a wreath at the Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial outside the church at 11am.   

St Michael’s Church and the War Memorial, Central Avenue 

9.45am The Mayor, Councillor Sarah Stephen, accompanied by her consort Councillor Paul Stephen will attend the Church service and lay a wreath at the War Memorial.  Leader of the Council Councillor Tim Gibson will be in attendance.

St. Laurence Church, Bapchild  (West Downs)

10.30am Councillor Monique Bonney representing the Mayor, will lay a wreath on the altar. 

FAVERSHAM

Church of St. Mary of Charity, Faversham  (Abbey/St Anns)

10.45 for 11am.  Laying of wreaths at the War Memorial, Stone Street. The Mayor will be represented by Councillor Carole Jackson who will lay a wreath.  The Service in the Church will be at 11.30am (approx) Councillor Hannah Perkin, representing the Mayor, will attend and lay a wreath.  

Church of St. Barnabus, Boughton.  (Boughton & Courtney)  

10.50 am.  Service and wreath laying at the War Memorial, The Street, Boughton.   The Mayor will be represented by Councillor Alastair Gould.

St. Mary’s Church, Selling (Boughton & Courtney) 

10.30 am Councillor Rich Lehmann, representing the Mayor, will attend and lay a wreath. 

Doddington and Newnham War Memorial (East Downs)  

3.00pm Hon Alderman David Simmons representing the Mayor, will attend and lay a wreath. 

ISLE OF SHEPPEY

All Saints Church, Eastchurch and Eastchurch War Memorial

10.00 am   Service and wreath laying.  The Mayor will be represented by Councillor Lee-Anne Moore and Councillor Tara Noe

The Lychgate, Leysdown (Leysdown and Warden)    

2pm.   Act of Remembrance.  Councillor Lee-Anne Moore and Councillor Tara Noe will attend and lay a wreath.   

Abbey Church of St. Mary and St. Sexburgha, Minster  (Minster Cliffs)

10.45am.   A Remembrance Service will be held.   Councillor Tom Nundy representing the Mayor will lay a wreath in the Chapel of Remembrance.   

Holy Trinity Church, Queenborough  (Queenborough & Halfway)

10.45am.  The Service of Remembrance in Church followed by the laying of wreaths at the War Memorial at 11am - Councillor Ashley Shiel will represent the Mayor.  

The Cenotaph, Sheerness  (Sheerness West)

10.45 for 11am   Service and wreath laying at the Cenotaph.  Councillor Angela Harrison will attend and lay a wreath.  Participants then process to Holy Trinity Church, Broadway, for a service at 11.45am

War Grave, Harty  (Sheppey Central)  

3pm approx.  Service and Act of Remembrance.  Councillor Elliott Jayes will attend the Service and lay a wreath.

Members of the Sittingbourne and Sheppey Conservative Association have voted, by secret ballot, and have selected Aisha Cuthbert as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey at the next General Election.

A special general meeting owas held on Friday 20^th October 2023 at the Sheerness Conservative Club and Aisha, who has been active in the Sittingbourne and Sheppey Conservative Association attending functions and helping with election campaigns, such as the two recent by-elections for Cllr Mike Whiting and Oliver Eakin, was selected by members.

Aisha has been a councillor in Bromley since 2018 and is the Cabinet Member for Environment. She also works as Head of External Affairs for one of the leading providers in social housing, Riverside, which is responsible for The Quays in Sittingbourne.She is also a former Team GB masters national synchronised swimmer, for which she won the British Championships and was a medallist at the World FINA competition.

Speaking after her selection, Aisha told SFM News: "I am immensely honoured to be selected as the next Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Sittingbourne and Sheppey. I am keen to start running a positive and respectful campaign and look forward to meeting with local residents, businesses, schools, organisations, and more. If elected, I will try my best to represent the views of the residents of Sittingbourne and Sheppey in the Houses of Parliament.’

Welcoming Aisha selection, Jess McMahon, the Chairman of the Sittingbourne and Sheppey Conservative Association, told SFM News: "We are delighted that Aisha has been adopted as our candidate for the next General Election. We are excited to support her with her campaign and hope the residents of Sittingbourne and Sheppey will give her the chance to prove herself as the best candidate to be the next Member of Parliament.

The current Member of Parliament for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, Gordon Henderson, also welcomed the selection of Aisha and told SFM News: "I look forward to working with Aisha over the next year and passing over to her some of my experience. I am confident that if successful at the next General Election, she will make an excellent Member of Parliament and be a real champion for local people."

The maximum term of a Parliament is five years from the day on which it first met. The current Parliament first met on Tuesday 17th December 2019 and will automatically dissolve on Tuesday 17 December 2024, unless it has been dissolved sooner by order of King Charles III.

The leader of Swale Borough Council, Cllr Tim Gibson, will write to the Government to ask for help to combat the shortage of general practitioners (GPs) in the borough. 

The request follows the unanimous passing of a motion proposed by Cllr Lloyd Bowen, and seconded by Cllr Gibson, at this week's full council meeting on Wedmesday (11th October), where councillors agreed on the need for more Government support.

Swale has one of the lowest levels of fully-trained GPs per 1,000 patients in England – 0.39 in 2022, compared to 0.58 in the rest of the country.  That means on average each local GP has more than 2,500 patients.

Cllr Gibson will write to Steve Barclay, the Secretary of State for Health, asking him to work with the council to provide innovative, funded solutions to encourage more GPs to relocate to Swale. 

Cllr Tim Gibson, Leader of Swale Borough Council, told SFM News:  “Access to healthcare is a fundamental right and GPs play an important central role, especially with diagnosis and referral. Unfortunately, there is a dire shortage of GPs and recruitment is not able to keep up with the numbers leaving the profession. Couple this with an increase in demand due to the population growth of Swale, hospitals that were already stretched are now under even more pressure. There are some places in Swale where there are over 7000 people to just one fully trained GP, this is completely unacceptable and needs to be resolved. 

Cllr Gibson went on to add: “Following the urgent motion at the council meeting we are asking the government to help us solve these issues, through funding and innovative solutions. The cost of living and housing in our area is stated as one of the biggest reasons GPs won’t relocate to Kent. We need to make Swale an attractive option for new GPs to locate to and financial assistance from the government given to the council and GPs to assist with the cost of housing would go a long way.” 

For more details, including the meeting agenda, and a link to a recording of the meeting once available, visit the council website here.