Local News

Volunteers from gas distribution network SGN have been mucking in to support Sittingbourne’s Happy Pants Ranch as part of a new wellbeing initiative.

Based at the South East Construction depot, 24 SGN colleagues took part in the company's Community Action Programme (CAP) to spend a day tending to special needs animals. Throughout the day, they helped to feed the pigs, laid down new wood chippings in the chicken outdoor area and sorted through old pieces of wood, metal and other pieces of equipment.

They laid new bedding for the pig pen with old, donated duvet sheets and pillows and they also helped out with the cleaning of enclosures. The team also collected donations such as animal food, old towels, duvets and newspapers, as well as items for boot fairs and raffles.

The SGN scheme gives all staff one day away from their usual duties to volunteer with a local charitiy to give back to the local community. Happy Pants Ranch is an independent, no kill, donation-reliant animal sanctuary and rescue registered charity here in Sittingbourne - which provides a forever home to over 350 special needs animals with nowhere else to go. It also acts as a wellbeing hub for the local community and volunteers.

Rosie Duffin is a Traffic Management Act Planner at SGN and, alongside her regular work, she’s embarking on a new journey as a Wellbeing Champion. Rosie explained how she is aware of the benefits that physical activity can have on someone’s mental health and encouraged her colleagues to take part in a CAP day together.

Rosie told SFM News: “For me personally, working on myself while supporting a local charity and spending time with animals sounded perfect. It’s an amazing exercise for team building, increasing team morale while working together away from the office. It creates a relaxed (perhaps slightly tiring) atmosphere and helps build relationships with your colleagues. The organisations we help during CAP days are always so grateful, as every task we do takes a weight off their shoulders.”

Amey James, owner and founder of Happy Pants Ranch, told SFM News: “We rely on the hard work of volunteers to provide facilities for hundreds of animals. Without their support, it would be difficult to continue giving our animals the quality of life they deserve. We loved having SGN with us for the day and can’t thank them enough for the work they did with us.”

Pic: Helen Rum.

Two Chalkwell Buses have been damaged after been attacked on Sonora Way in The Meads development in Sittingbourne.

The 334 service, between Sittingbourne and Sheerness, was attacked at around 6pm yesterday (Monday 17th June) with the bus company confirming that a similar incident happened last week in the same area.

Director Roland Eglinton said: "the damage has cost the company around £1,000 not to mention the inconvenience for customers. If this continues we will have no choice but to withdraw the buses from Sonora Fields part of the 334 route. We carry a lot of children and vulnerable people so we cannot risk their safety.”

Mr Eglinton is encouraging anyone who may have any information about the incident/s to report it directly to Kent Police using the crime reference number: 18/0773.

The new Mayor of Swale, Cllr Ben J Martin, has announced SATEDA and Lupus UK as his chosen charities for the year ahead (2024/25).

Cllr Martin was elected as Mayor at Swale Borough Council’s annual council meeting last month, taking over from Cllr Sarah Stephen.

Each year, the new Mayor chooses two charities to focus their fundraising efforts on. 

SATEDA is a local domestic abuse charity that helps women and children escape and heal from the violence and trauma they experience from the people closest to them. 

Lupus UK is a national charity that supports people with lupus and campaigns to create awareness for the disease and help with early diagnosis. 

Cllr Ben Martin told SFM News: “It's a great honour to represent the people of Swale as Mayor and I am looking forward to fundraising for these important charities. SATEDA is a local charity doing amazing work; supporting the vulnerable women and girls who face abuse from the people in their lives they should be able to trust. They actively help women escape those situations and provide them with much needed mental health support, they also provide free clothing and much more.  I have also selected Lupus UK as my other charity, I have worked closely with a number of people who live with Lupus and it can be a debilitating condition, with symptoms including extreme fatigue, rashes and joint pain. As an autoimmune condition it can lead to further complications, as the immune system can attack the bodies organs, with many people suffering from lupus also experiencing food intolerances and sensitivity to sun light. Whilst there is no cure, Lupus UK are working hard to provide support to people with the disease that makes their lives easier, they are also funding research into Lupus".

Cllr Martin went on to add: “I will do everything possible to champion these two charities and raise funds to help them with their important work, for that to be a success I will need the support of the people in Swale. Please look out for the campaigns I will run and, if you are able to, please support them with donations or your time through volunteering.”

The first of the Kingsferry Bridge closures commenced at 10pm last night (Friday 7th June) and will continue until 5am on Monday (10th June).

Network Rail will be providing a bus replacement for service between Sittingbourne and Sheerness on Sea (calling at all stations except 'Swale') throughout all the closures to enable repais to the road/rail bridge between the Isle of Sheppey and the mainland (here in Sittingbourne). 

This is the first of a series of closures over the next two months, with engineers confirming that the work was “progressing well” and issuing photographs of their work via X (formerly 'Twitter') - shown above.

40 steel ropes, which stabilise the bridge when it lifts and were installed in 1995, were found to have degraded and urgently need replacing following a recent inspection.

The next set of closures will last for nine days from Friday 28th June until Sunday 7th July with further closures from Friday 12th July until Monday 15th July. Another nine-day closure will take place from Friday 19th July until Sunday 28th  July. All closures start at 10pm on the first day and finish at 5am on the last. The last trains will depart Sheerness at about midnight on Fridays when it shuts and the first trains will run from approximately 5.43am on the days when the bridge re-opens.