Berengrave LNR, Where History & Nature Come Together Issue 32 Nov
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Newsletter Berengrave LNR, where history & nature come together Issue 32 Nov 2014 Chairman’s Letter • Work with Medway Council, the site owners, to conserve and enhance the Well, another year has flown by and we are again existing biodiversity looking forward to Christmas with its customary • Encourage public interest in, and celebrations, so our next member’s meeting, on legitimate use of, the site December 5th, will have that in mind. Mince pies • Promote the use of the site for educational and sausage rolls will be available in addition to and scientific purposes the usual cake and biscuits. Feel free to bring a • Research the history of the site, maintain small contribution of your own festive fare for the and publish this historical information for benefit of all. public benefit As suggested at the last committee meeting, a It is obvious that over the years our influence and meeting was set up with Daniel Gooch from RCP support with the council has declined to zero. As a (Riverside Country Park), Richard Lusted (FoB) and ‘Friends’ group, without the full support of the myself. This took place on 18th September and the council we are powerless to do anything towards outcome was a general agreement that FoB were the above objectives. The only one we have been powerless to actually do anything in the reserve as, successful in is the last one. due to the extensive flooding, the working conditions down there are currently impossible. With this in mind we need to know from the Council workers and contractors under the members just where FoB now stands in the direction of RCP are doing their best to keep things community and what is the future to be. tidy and accessible. We also suggested that the war memorial plaque be fixed in a more secure As, I see it. The Nature reserve is almost position, as it had originally been fixed by Brian impossible to walk round; trees are falling down on Baker (our first Chairman). Daniel said he would a regular basis, the boardwalks are rotting and look into this and to see what could be done. could soon be closed under Health & Safety, seats However, as it had not yet fallen down, RCP would and other items of ‘furniture’ are constantly being only monitor it on an ongoing basis as they had no vandalised. time to spare to do the necessary work. The membership needs to consider whether FoB The men of the British Standard Cement Works should be wound up as a group and we named on the memorial plaque were honoured in disassociate ourselves from anything to do with the usual way on the 11th November by FoB the Nature Reserve and Medway Council. Under members, with representatives of the Roof family FoB’s constitution, our assets would have to be (spelt Ruth on the plaque) in attendance. sold off and the money gifted to a suitable charity of the member’s choice. In the last newsletter I suggested that if anyone wanted to see the model Fraser Miller has made of Possibly, as a group of likeminded people we could the wash mills, it could be seen at my house. So still come together for meetings as a ‘nature far only one person has asked to see it. appreciating group’ with talks and discussions on various members’ interests. So please try and This brings me to a very serious matter regarding attend the next member’s meeting to help find a the future of FoB, and it requires the involvement solution to our future. of ALL FoB members. Eddy Newport Winding uupp FoB as a support group. Chairman FoB Our original objectives were: >>>>>>>> www.friendsofberengrave.btck.co.uk <<<<<<<< Next Member’s Meeting the plaque, by the Mayors of Gravesham and Medway) was filmed and if anyone is interested The next meeting will be at 7.00 pm on Friday 5th Eddy Newport has a copy. December, 2014 (doors open 6.45 pm) at the Methodist Church Hall, in Wakeley Road, Rainham. Why FoB has become ineffective One of our members is going to give a light hearted talk on Organisations that provide grants do not normally 'The Work of Magistrates’ provide grants to local councils. In the early 00’s the Government decided that by setting up With the amount of anti-social behaviour and ‘Friends Groups’ from local residents, these groups vandalism the Reserve has endured over the years could apply for grants on behalf of their councils. this should be interesting. We stress it is a light hearted look with an interesting twist. For instance, the Heritage Lottery Fund would not have given a grant to Medway Council to build the The usual refreshments, plus some seasonal fare, steps and boardwalks in Berengrave LNR. will be available after the talk, giving an However, a Friends Group could ‘theoretically’ opportunity to meet and chat with your fellow obtain the council’s permission to install the steps, members. Guests are very welcome but, will be etc., and then apply for a grant. If the grant was charged an entry fee of £2. forthcoming they would then obtain quotes for the work, engage a contractor to carry out the work and pay that contractor directly from their funds. Notes of Committee Meeting 29 th October, 2014. This, essentially, is why in 2005 the council asked me to set up FoB from an ad-hoc group of people The Chairman and Treasurer had a meeting with who had previously shown interest in the reserve. the Council which the Chairman has covered in his In this case the application for a grant to install report. steps and boardwalks never went ahead because Fraser Miller (Historian, FoB) is moving to Hoo and the process of setting up FoB and applying for the we will therefore lose his expert knowledge on the grant took too long, so the council used money archaeological history of the site. from another source. However, FoB still went ahead with the grant application, but changed the It was decided to offer the assets of FoB for sale as requirements to the provision of ‘interpretation we have not been allowed to use them for the past panels’ (notice boards), information brochures and few years and we do not envisage being able to for the booklet which we distributed to local schools years to come. Details in the Newsletter. and libraries. The Secretary also informed the meeting that, due Grant providers are not stupid people. It did not to failing eyesight, she would not be standing for take them long to realise that their rules on re-election at the AGM providing grants were being circumvented. The Pat Clare, Secretary, FoB next grant application which FoB made was rejected on the grounds that FoB neither owned the land nor rented it. FoB was no longer capable Armistice Day 2014 of carrying out the main function for which we were set up. Our usefulness declined and council FoB held a Ceremony of support for us waned. Remembrance Tuesday 11th November to honour those men FoB could have continued as a workforce to who worked in the British undertake simple maintenance tasks within the Standard Cement Works and reserve, but council employees now looked upon gave their lives in World War 1. us as a threat to their jobs and started placing There was a good attendance obstacles in our way. This situation has and the wreath was laid by the deteriorated over the past few years and is now granddaughter of Alfred Roof. intolerable. Everything that FoB offers to do is (Named on the plaque as ‘Ruth’) blocked, normally by quoting locally raised Health The plaque, which is hung in the visitors’ centre & Safety regulations. just outside the entrance to the café was rescued from the depths of the archives of Gravesham by a Regrettably, FoB can no longer function as was past Chairman and originally hung in the large intended. room. The original ceremony of the unveiling of Brian Baker, Ex-Chairman, FoB >>>>>>>> www.friendsofberengrave.btck.co.uk <<<<<<<< History of Berengrave LNR time ago were discharged from the British Standard Cement Works at Rainham. PART 4 Mr. Maitland found on enquiry that the British Standard Cement Company was in liquidation, Industrial (1901-1931) (Continued) and that the notices of discharge were given Until 1929 Rainham had been part of Milton Regis either by the Receiver or by the Liquidator of that Rural District Council (now Swale District Council). Company. The business was subsequently With an increasing population Gillingham needed purchased by the Associated Portland Cement to expand, but being bounded to the north by the Manufacturers, and Mr. Maitland has interviewed river Medway, to the south by the Darland Banks, several of their prominent officers. On Tuesday he to the west by the town of Chatham and to the east had the pleasure of an interview with Mr. Davis, by the boundary with Milton Regis, it had nowhere the Works Managing Director, who received most to expand to. Gillingham Borough Council therefore sympathetically Mr. Maitland’s representations. negotiated with Milton Regis Rural District Council Mr Maitland understands that for some time to take over that land between the existing eastern the British Standard Cement Factory was working boundary of Gillingham and Otterham Quay Lane. on an uneconomic basis, and could not possibly This land included Rainham. When the land was continue in manufacture as they had been doing transferred, Gillingham Council officials expressed on a 50 per cent. capacity. It has been decided to concern that no parish council documents for increase the output at other works owned by the Rainham were handed over.