SPRINGING BACK INTO LIFE As Restrictions Are Set to Be Eased, It’S Time to Make Plans to Enjoy Your District Again! Pages 8 and 9
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www.sevenoaks.gov.uk sdc_newsdesk sevenoaksdc sevenoaksdistrictcouncil THE NEWSLETTER OF SEVENOAKS DISTRICT COUNCIL NO.117 SPRING 2021 SPRINGING BACK INTO LIFE As restrictions are set to be eased, it’s time to make plans to enjoy your District again! Pages 8 and 9 DIG THIS! NEW LEISURE CENTRE HELPING OUR COMMUNITIES TAKES SHAPE THROUGH COVID Show off your green- fingered skills with the And Swanley’s Meet some of the volunteers In Bloom gardening getting other supporting residents through competition benefits too! the pandemic Page 3 Page 4 Pages 6 and 7 2 ADVERTISEMENTS Excellent in all areas ISI Report 2019 “The staff members Inspirational continue to go above education and beyond the call of duty in these challenging Happy times and we are environment incredibly grateful for this.” Boys and girls Russell House Parent 2021 aged 2-11 Call Anne Irvine on 01959 522352 and arrange a visit www.russellhouseschool.co.uk Station Road, Otford, Kent TN14 5QU /russell_house_school /russellhousesch /RussellHouseSchool www.sevenoaks.gov.uk sdc_newsdesk NEWS 3 Bank holiday waste collections Your revised collection days are: Following the Easter and • Good Friday, 2 April – this collection will take place the next day, May bank holidays, there Saturday 3 April will be one or two changes • Easter Monday, 5 April – all collections this week will be one day later to your rubbish and than usual until Saturday 10 April recycling collection days. • Early May Day Bank Holiday, Monday 3 May – all collections this week will be one day later than usual until, Saturday 8 May The same changes will • Spring Bank Holiday, Monday 31 May – all collections this week will apply if you use our garden be one day later than usual until Saturday 5 June. waste collection service. Please put your sacks out at 7am and your garden waste out at 6.30am on your collection day. Thank you. Spring into the In Bloom competition Once again, we’ve teamed up with Coolings garden centre in Knockholt to run this year’s ‘Sevenoaks District In Bloom’. The competition gives you the chance to show how your gardening skills have blossomed. You don’t need shedloads of experience as the competition is open to novice and expert gardeners FREE alike. And best of all, you don’t need Ian Hazon from Collings and Cllr Roddy Hogarth to fork out any money as entry is are encouraging residents to enter In Bloom completely free! In fact everyone who takes part will be given a free £5 voucher to spend at Coolings, Nominate a fabulous Show off your limited to one per household. front garden garden on social media This year, we’re encouraging residents to There’s lots of categories available, As we move into spring with tell us about fantastic front gardens in including front gardens, allotments, warmer, longer days on their way, the District so we can invite the owners environmentally-friendly gardens, we would love to share photos of to enter this year’s competition. ornamental gardens, shop fronts your garden or allotment coming into life. and pub, restaurant, B&B and Cllr Roddy Hogarth, our Commissioner hotel gardens too. of the Public Realm, says: “Front Post your photos to Facebook, gardens can really brighten up an Whether you have a large or small Twitter and Instagram using area. If you’ve seen a front garden, garden, an allotment, a window our handle and the hashtag residential or business, that stands box or a hanging basket, there’s a #SevenoaksInBloom. We’ll share out or makes you smile, please let category for you! our favourite posts so our 11,000 us know. We’ll send the owner a followers can see the fruits of your The deadline for entries is Monday postcard thanking them for making labour and just how wonderful our 5 July with judging taking place a difference and inviting them to District really is! later that month. enter the In Bloom competition.” Let us know the location of your For details of this year’s In Bloom Please send your front garden garden and feel free to include categories and how to enter, visit nominations to public.realm@ yourself and friends and family in www.coolings.co.uk sevenoaks.gov.uk. the shot! sevenoaksdc sevenoaksdistrictcouncil 4 NEWS The site during an early phase of construction The steel frame being assembled during February Leisure centre takes shape Work on Swanley’s new, £20 million leisure centre is progressing well. The new energy-efficient White Oak Recently, ISG ran online ‘built “We are Beams, a local charity that centre should open in early 2022 and environment’ training sessions for supports disabled children and their will replace the current centre, which young people to help with their families, is desperate for a new kitchen in at more than 50 years old, is coming studies. They donated PPE to White its St David’s Road centre. We’ve agreed to the end of its working life. Oak Swimming Club and supplied to supply and fit their new kitchen and and installed new topsoil and grass we can’t wait to get cracking. As In Shape went to print, the at Horizon Primary Academy. foundations and steel frame had “We’ve also offered to re-tarmac the been completed. The main and ISG carried out a thorough clean up footpath along the back of Horizon learner pools had been excavated, around the existing leisure centre and Primary Academy as well as running a most of the shell had been concreted the bowls club as well as pruning trees bridge building competition with pupils. and the cladding and roofing was and shrubs and putting up bat boxes. being added. “We’ve got more virtual site tours Karl Taylor, the Senior Project Manager with schools and work experience Despite the many challenges of for ISG, says: “The lockdown has opportunities for construction the lockdowns, ISG, the company hampered our ability to deliver some students in the pipeline too.” building the centre, is working of the community improvements. But hard to deliver additional benefits when the restrictions are eased, it will For the latest news on the Centre, visit to the wider community. be full steam ahead. www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/whiteoak Safer Internet Day goes online Eighteen local primary and secondary schools took part in this year’s Safer Internet Day. Because of the pandemic, events took place exclusively online. The Day celebrated the vast range certificates on social media. potential risks. This year’s event was of information and opportunities a fun way to help young people spot on the web and how to separate Cllr Lesley Dyball, our Cabinet fake and misleading information online fact from fiction. Member for People and Places, says: online. This should stand them in good stead for many years to come.” Resources were provided by the “Helping young people to stay safe Sevenoaks District Community online is a priority for the Council. The annual event took place on 9 Safety Partnership. Throughout the We were delighted that so many February. Find out more about Safer day, the schools shared photos of schools could take part. The internet Internet Day and staying safe online, their activities and participation has transformed our lives for the at www.saferinternet.org.uk better, but we know there are www.sevenoaks.gov.uk sdc_newsdesk ADVERTISEMENTS 5 Regain your PPE Essentials instore & online freedom with.. Visit Your Local Tunbridge Wells Showroom 26 Grosvenor Road Tunbridge Wells TN1 2AP Call: 01892 544 933 Riser Recliners Mobility Scooters Wheelchairs Shop online at: from from from £499 £649 £159.99 ex vat ex vat ex vat www.clearwellmobility.co.uk NEW! FREE 2021 Brochure INSH Name Address Profiling Walking Beds Aids Extra Wide Postcode from sticks Slippers & in a choice of sizes to walkers Shoes Post to: FREEPOST CLEARWELL MOBILITY sevenoaksdc www.sevenoaks.gov.uk 6 NEWS Meet the lockdown volunteers When the first lockdown was announced back A year on, we’ve caught up with a few of our in March 2020, we were overwhelmed with ‘Sevenoaks District Care for our Community’ recruits to see what life is like as a volunteer. how many of you wanted to help others. Jenny Godfrey is an officer at Sevenoaks District Reverend Johnny Douglas from Hextable Council who was involved in setting up the Care became a volunteer lead as a commitment to for our Community. his community. Rev. Johnny co-ordinates 31 volunteers across Hextable and Swanley village Jenny says: “Helping to set up and support the as well as running errands, befriending and scheme in the early days of the lockdown was signposting help to vulnerable residents too. challenging but exceptionally rewarding as the immediate response and action by the community Johnny says: “Being a volunteer is utterly was incredible. It was a privilege to be involved in rewarding. Serving the people of the community this and my overriding memories are of the sheer and bringing hope during the challenges and scale of warmth and energy shown by so many in weariness of this time is so important.” the District. Jenny adds: “When I speak to residents and hear their relief that someone is going to be able to help them, perhaps with the collection Care for our Community in numbers of a prescription or some shopping, I realise the enormity of the impact of this scheme. Our District’s volunteers have been and continue to be amazing and we owe enormous thanks to them for continuing to support our residents.” 1,276 Number of volunteers If you or someone you know needs help with shopping and other small tasks, register for help on our website www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/ 1,665 requesthelp or call 01732 227000.