NEWS AUGUST 2020

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TERRY SMART (1927 -2020) Terry had a great relationship with Hernhill and did many things for the Parish. He was Parish Clerk for many years, mended village benches and village notice boards. He was always present at village events and would set difficult questions for the village quizzes. I am sure that those who knew Terry will join me in sending his wife Ann, son Bill and the grandchildren our condolences. Tony Chapman

MARY CLARIDGE Many of you will remember Mary (nee Kay) who lived her earlier life in Hernhill. Mary passed away recently after many years of ill health. Mary had been born in Hernhill, then on her marriage moved to Gloucestershire for a few years. She returned to Hernhill with Ian to raise her family. In their retirement they moved to Harbledown to be near family. We will remember her cheery smile when working in the village shop. Her friends will miss her. Anne Butler

PARISH COUNCIL August between the junctions of Dar- The planning application for the local gate Road and High Street Road. needs housing at Staplestreet by Eng- On Thursday 20th August, Graveney lish Rural was considered at the Swale Road at the Love Lane end is due to be Borough Council Planning Committee closed until Thursday 17th September on the evening of Thursday 23rd July. between the junction for B2040 Whit- The committee voted unanimously in stable Road for up to 220 meters in ei- favour of the planning application. ther direction.

There are a number of forthcoming The Parish Council held an extraordi- road closures. nary meeting on Thursday 9th July to Plum Pudding Lane in Dargate will be discuss the current proposals for the closed for one day on Wednesday 5th crematorium and the land south of Sta-

Chairman:Jill Geliot 01227 750974 [email protected] Clerk: Rebecca Parr 07876 221580 e-mail [email protected] KCC Representative: Andrew Bowles ple Street by the Show- concerned the loss of the use of the ground. A number of concerns were Faversham Showground it only being raised and the key ones are mentioned available Sundays and Bank Holidays. here. The main concern was with re- We now wait to see if the feedback has gards to traffic. The current junctions at been addressed should the proposals Staple Street and Graveney Road with go forward to a formal application. the Thanet Way are not considered suitable for such an increase in traffic. The Parish Council has received notice Concerns were also raised regarding that there have been a significant in- traffic arriving and leaving from the crease in trucks attending to George Canterbury direction, that even if sign- Bell Farm and adjoining Evaluna. This posted to go via Brenley Corner, Sat- has been reported with Swale Borough Navs are still likely to direct people Council and the Environmental Agency through Boughton and either Sta- and the Parish Council also contacted plestreet or Bull Lane. Especially if cars our Ward Councillor for support in rais- are leaving arriving together on the ing the issue with the enforcement de- hour every hour. Neither road consid- partment. ered suitable for such an increase vol- Rebecca Parr ume of traffic. Feedback received also Clerk to the Parish Council

SWALE BOROUGH COUNCILLORS our first virtual Annual Council meeting, It has been a busy few month since our when the new mayor of Swale, Paul last report. During the lockdown Swale Stephens, will start his term of office. Borough Council has taken on major At the end of May we heard the ex- new areas of work; setting up and run- tremely disappointing news that the ning the community support hubs, and Cleve Hill Solar Power Station has been processing the distribution of millions of given consent by the Conservative gov- pounds worth of government grants. ernment. Although the Council under- Lockdown has also seen a surge in de- stands the need to generate renewable mand for temporary housing. energy at scale, it is equally important We are pleased that Swale has kept the to protect our very few remaining wild waste, recycling and garden bin collec- places. Swale Borough Council sought tions going in very difficult circumstanc- legal advice on the prospect of over- es. There was just one collection of turning the decision at judicial review, garden waste suspended, and all sub- but were advised that there are no scribers will receive a free one-month grounds to challenge the decision. extension to their service. The developer must submit proposals Throughout lockdown we have been to Swale Borough Council for manage- collecting levels of waste and recycling ment plans for battery safety, land- normally only seen at Christmas. This scape & biodiversity, public rights of has caused some delays as the vehi- way, fencing, drainage, archaeology, cles have to return to the depot to un- construction (environmental, traffic and load more frequently. At the same time, noise), protected species, operational like most other organisations, the noise, local skills, supply chain & em- Council has adapted to working on-line. ployment, decommissioning & restora- Following changes in the law, meet- tion, and managed re-alignment. The ings, such as Planning Committee, are Council is required to consult some of- being held on-line. Next week we have ficial bodies such as the Health and

2 Safety Executive, Fire and Res- ple can do to influence the final propos- cue, Natural and Kent County als and reduce the negative impact as Council. The Council will go beyond the much as possible. We hope all interest- minimum required by consulting local ed parties will engage with the consul- community groups, such as Graveney tations and make the development the and Goodnestone Parish Council, best it can be. Faversham Town Council, Graveney Alastair Gould Rural Environment Action Team ([email protected]) (GREAT), the Faversham Society, Tim Valentine CPRE and Kent Wildlife Trust. ([email protected]) Although the development will go 07752 191807 ahead, there is still a lot that local peo- Seems there is nothing new. This was published in 1931

This cough I’ve got is hacking, The pain in my head is wracking, I hardly need to mention my flu.

The Board of Health has seen me. They want to quarantine me, I might as well be miserable too. Howard Dietz FROM THE VICAR her face. In a sense, one’s face repre- I made a face mask, several weeks sents the whole person. ago, from the leftover fabric of a clergy For the Biblical writers the human face shirt, but sadly most of you won’t have could represent the entire person and the opportunity to see the matching in the same way God’s face is his pres- outfit. From Friday 24th July face cov- ence. We are told to ‘seek God’s face’, erings were compulsory in shops and that means desiring to know him and ‘strongly recommended’ in public in- wanting his presence more than any- door worship. I think they give people thing else. We do that through prayer a false sense of security and there is and worship. little publicity about what to do with it A favourite Old Testament blessing is once you have worn it. They are main- ‘The Lord bless you and keep you; ly intended to protect other people, not the Lord make his face shine upon the wearer, from Covid-19 and they are you, and be gracious to you; not a replacement for physical distanc- the Lord lift up his countenance ing and regular hand washing. upon you, and give you peace.’ Important as it is to wear a face mask (Numbers 6:23-26) they are dehumanising, yes, we can May God’s face shine, or smile, upon still see a person’s eyes but what you as we continue to journey together makes us ‘us’ is taken away. A per- through this pandemic, thank God he son’s face reveals much about his or doesn’t wear a mask, and may you her character and personality. The in- know his peace. ward emotions of a person are ex- Keep well, keep praying, keep con- pressed outwardly on the face. We nected. recognize a person by looking at his or Revd Jean Burrows

3 HERHILL SCHOOL school office after 33 years. We wish July was a busy month despite many her a long and happy retirement. of the usual end of term events being cancelled. The school had approxi- And now, we have finally come to the mately 80 children attending each end of an academic year that will live day from Reception, Year 1, Year 5 long in the memory for all of us. and Year 6, along with key-workers’ Thank you to my staff for being the children from across the year groups. most incredible team. Without their There were lots of active and creative commitment, positivity and sheer lessons going on right up until the last hard work, Hernhill would just have day! fallen apart since March. Instead, we We were really pleased to be able to have navigated our way through and, continue some of the Year 6 tradi- I believe, made it the most positive tions - just with added safety meas- experience possible for our children ures! We even managed the and families. I wish everyone in our traditional shirt signing by printing the community a safe, restful and happy children's goodbye messages and summer, especially for those families signatures onto special transfer pa- and staff who have sadly been direct- per and ironing them onto the chil- ly affected by this crisis. dren's shirts! Stay well everyone. Sarah Alexander We said 'goodbye and thank you' to Headteacher Mrs Payne who retired from the OVER THE GARDEN WALL next week. I’m not looking forward to Like many I’m sure, we enjoyed the two hours sat in a mask, no mag- watching the Glastonbury Legends azines, no coffee and no use of a loo. this month. My husband, not known for his music knowledge, kept look- We have visited all three of our local ing them up on his iPad and couldn’t pubs now and they must all be com- believe how many had passed away mended for making it a very safe and or were actually older than he is. At enjoyable experience. You could al- least no wellies were required there. most feel life was normal again, but I stress only almost. A lovely young man we know reached the grand age of 13 and to One of our three cats decided to go celebrate decided to cut his own hair. AWOL for 48 hours. Little madam A professional had to be drafted in to then just turned up crying out for food remedy the situation, but I seriously as if it was our fault. couldn’t recognise him. It suddenly Our fairy godmother brought Christ- dawned on me that I had never seen mas to July in the form of a cake and his eyebrows before. Amazing the also my personal favourite, cheese difference a haircut can make. Those scones. Thank you so much. who have Facebook will have seen Stay safe & God bless. the before and after results for my Sandi. husband. I am booked in for my hair

4 CHURCH TIMES Meeting. An advance notice that our Sunday Worship annual church meeting is on Satur- Our first Sunday worship is an out- day 26th September at 10.00am in door Holy Communion service at the churchyard, in church if Brickfield Farm in Boughton in Au- cold/wet/blowing a gale. If you are on gust. If you would like to attend our church electoral roll please put please contact Jean for more infor- the date in your diary and plan to mation and to book your place as come along as this is an important numbers will be limited. An outdoor meeting in our church’s year. More service is a good stepping-stone information next month. back to indoor services as govern- ment guidance is clear that outdoor Church services on Zoom (a free activities are safer than indoor ones. app on the internet) Indoor services will resume in Sep- Sunday 10.00am Holy Communion tember in Boughton Parish Church Sunday 11.00am Coffee and chat as it is the largest and most spacious Monday 9.30 am Morning Prayer. of our buildings, probably on 6th and Everyone is welcome to join in our 27th August with Zoom services on Zoom services but you need a se- the other Sundays. Our benefice cure password, please email website [email protected] and I’ll (boughton-hernhill-graveney- send it. We don’t want people to feel churches.com) excluded so people not on the inter- and the weekly pew news will have net or using Zoom can now phone in up to date details of Sunday services to our services and events. It means and all are welcome to join us. they can hear all that is being said and can be heard, but there is no Hernhill Church is open for private video. It is easy to do, contact me for prayer, every Sunday from 11.00am full instructions and passwords. The to 4.00pm except Sunday 30th Au- calls cost the same as your normal gust as we have a baptism. Full in- phone calls, many people have 60 structions are in the porch as you minutes free. Jean 01227 751410 enter as government and Church of England guidelines have to be ad- Daily Hope is a free phoneline of hered to. hymns, prayers and reflections for anyone in need of daily hope during Hernhill Church Annual Church the lockdown. 0800 804 8044.

5 GARDENERS CORNER weeks and dried up the garden in Now all your efforts are bearing fruits record time after we did have some (quite literally in some cases). The rain. Ah! A gardener always grum- herbaceous plants are flowering, the bles. Still, now is the time to appreci- annuals are surviving and we can ate how lucky we are to have a pick vegetables and fruit. Of course garden, to look at the beauty of a it’s not that straightforward and in our particular bloom, to marvel that such area it’s lack of rain that affects the a plant grew from a tiny seed and to garden to the greatest degree. The enjoy eating our own fruit and vege- evening chore of watering, the occa- tables. sional mowing of the dust bowl that It’s a joy that National Trust and other is supposed to be a lawn and the gardens are now open. I recently attack on concrete hard ground to spent enjoyable mornings with a remove weeds are all challenges. It friend visiting two local gardens. is difficult for us to imagine what it Goodnestone Park where the walled must be like to have four inches of garden was a tapestry of colour with rain falling in a few hours as they do the lovely backdrop of the old houses “up north”. We are lucky if we get that and the church and Chilham Castle much in four months. where herbaceous borders are al- This year we have also had an unu- most tropical in their lushness and sually warm spring, then a cold spell where the open aspect makes the and now a sunny summer which has most of the beautiful view. resulted in flowers coming out at odd Make the most of the summer and sit times and fading fast. Not to mention back and enjoy your garden. the wind which seemed to blow for Jill Geliot

BITS AND PIECES works like this fictitious example. An I have previously criticised the mis- aircraft crashes and kills all 500 pas- use of statistics. Someone seems to sengers and crew. Subsequently, have noticed, although I doubt if that the pilot was found to have tested is because of my mutterings. The positive for the virus and so all 500 authorities now report that they have deaths are recorded as due to the been erroneously inflating the virus. This tale is not so farfetched. number of deaths due to the virus. It My younger son knew a man who

6 had fully recovered from coronavirus. a mask. I shall wear a full-face mask Later he was killed instantly in a mo- and slink around without being recog- torcycle accident but recorded as a nised. What freedom! What opportu- coronavirus death, much to the dis- nities! belief and annoyance of the attend- ing medic. I have been told that there is a risk to You might think that a few statistical dogs in the area. With the purchase whimsies don't matter, but they do. price of pets sky high at the moment, There are many who have been very there is a risk of pets being stolen for frightened by the published figures. It re-sale. True or not it is better to be has been seriously damaging to their safe than sorry so take sensible pre- mental and physical health. To them cautions. I would say, be of good cheer be- cause I have a different set of facts On a lighter note, the weather has for you. If you are 70 or more, you will continued to treated us to some love- have successfully come through the ly summer days. Mediterranean blue following epidemics: measles, polio skies and fluffy clouds. As I have said and several versions of flu (1957, before, I am no gardener but I do en- 1968 and 2009). All were killers with joy the flowers, as long as someone flu alone accounting for about else does the weeding. The roses in 500,000 deaths worldwide each particular have responded well to the year. Even more deadly is Hepatitis- fine weather. They have been spec- B. There are estimated to be 30 mil- tacular this year. On the downside, lion new cases each year and nearly so has the 'blackspot'. My garden 900,000 deaths each year. You didn't spray has been reasonably success- isolate, you didn’t social distance, ful in controlling it, but I wish it was as you didn't wear a face mask, and you good at dealing with the rabbits. This are still here. Well done. year there seem to be more of them than ever and some of the adults ap- On the subject of masks, there are pear to have been crossed with a many peculiarities. For example, it is Great Dane. I'm now in favour of hav- reported that M&S staff will not be ing American gun laws here so that I wearing masks although their cus- could use some significant artillery tomers are required to do so. Howev- against them. Whether I would be er, if the shop happens to have a able to afford to buy a gun is in some cafe, customers don't need a mask doubt at the moment. I am saving up in there??? To make my position for a TV license. quite clear, I am in favour of wearing ADT

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Alan D. Taylor Articles by Yew Tree House, Dargate Friday near Faversham, Kent ME13 9HG 28th 01227 751293 e-mail [email protected] Aug

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