Badgers Mount Residents Association would like to welcome you to Badgers Mount.

The primary objectives of the Association are to promote social activities and to protect the environment and way of life of the residents of Badgers Mount.

Membership of the Association is open to all residents of Badgers Mount for a small annual subscription, currently £2 per adult, maximum £4 per house, and all residents are welcome to become active members of the community. Contact Gill Johnston (secretary) 01959 534463 for more information.

The Association has a page on the Badgers Mount website www.badgersmount.net . This includes information about the Association, previous newsletters, a house name locator map etc. The website has pages for other local organisations, councils, traders etc.

Helpful things you might want to know

Post – There are 2 letter boxes in Badgers Mount – one near the top of Badgers Road and one next to the bus stop in Old London Road near Badgers Rise and the footpath linking to Bypass. Collections are only made from these boxes by the postman as he passes on his delivery round. There are also two in Halstead which are fairly close – one on the corner of Watercroft Road and Old London Road and one in Shoreham Lane near the roundabout and Old London Road. Collections are made from these boxes and Halstead Post Office not before 4.15pm.

Councils – Badgers Mount has its own Parish Council, under District Council. The council has 5 councillors, and holds a planning committee meeting and its main council meeting on the first Thursday of each month, with additional planning meetings on the third Thursday if required. The Parish Council has notice boards on the Orpington Bypass, opposite Badgers Road, which includes a map of Badgers Mount and Shoreham, Badgers Road beside the letter box, Highland Road and in the wooden bus shelters.

Refuse collections – Normal collection days are:- Monday for Badgers Road, Highland Road, Johnsons Avenue and Milton Avenue, garden waste alternate Fridays. Monday for Woodlands View, garden waste alternate Tuesdays. Tuesday for Orpington Bypass, garden waste alternate Tuesdays. Friday for Badgers Rise, Christies Avenue, Crest Close, Old London Road, and Sandersons Avenue, garden waste alternate Tuesdays. Collections following a Bank Holiday are normally a day late, but this may differ, particularly over Christmas and the New Year. Collection times can be variable, so SDC recommend that bags should be out by 7am.

Annual Garden Waste Collection Service (by Council) Permit - £44 for 12 months Our fortnightly Garden Waste Collection Service makes it easy for you to dispose of compostable garden waste right from your property boundary. Most roads receive this service on the same day as their refuse and recycling collections, but some roads get garden waste collected on a different day. (See above) http://www.sevenoaks.gov.uk/services/environment-and-planning/recycling-rubbish-and-waste/refuse,-recycling-and- garden-waste-general-information/garden-waste-collection-service

The Memorial Hall, at the junction of Highland Road and Orpington Bypass, is the centre for social activities, and is available for hire for meetings, parties etc. – contact Will Withecombe, bookings secretary, 07873 633516. There are also regular yoga and dancing classes

Mobile Library – The mobile library van stops in the Memorial Hall car park on alternate Thursdays, from 11.10 to 11.45 during the coffee mornings.

School – The nearest primary school is in Halstead, 01959 532224, and there is a separate nursery school for pre school age children on the site, 07950 681846.

Shops – Badgers Mount does not have any shops. In Halstead, Hancocks Newsagents 01959 533137 sells newspapers and magazines and a variety of confectionery, groceries etc. Unfortunately they cannot deliver newspapers to Badgers Mount. Halstead Post Office, which provides all Post Office services including car tax and foreign currency, is located within Hancocks. Mon - Fri 05.00 – 17.30; Sat 05.00 – 17.00; Sun 05.00 – 13.00. Fresh Fish 07427549475 Outside village store Wed 12.00 - 14.00 (Mikey’s Plaice) M&G Greengrocery 01959 524019 or 07958 732074 Van in Halstead on Wed & Sat Polhill Garden Centre has a Butchers, greengrocers, bakers & frozen foods. Milk delivery – Milk&More delivers to Badgers Mount on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays tel 0345 6063606

Local organisations – As well as the Residents Association, there are the following organisations in Badgers Mount. New members are always welcome. Conservative Association – chairman John Grint 01959 532809 Neighbourhood Watch – Contact the Residents Association secretary Road Maintenance Fund (for maintaining the surface of the unadopted roads east of the Orpington Bypass) – chairman Roger King 01959 534214 Womens Institute (afternoon) – secretary Lesley Salmon 01959 532276 Badgers Sett – ladies, you are welcome to join us on the 4th Thursday of the month, 8pm in the hall, for tea, coffee, wine and a chat. – Zena Belton 01959 534566

Halstead organisations – In Halstead, there are a number of organisations which some Badgers Mount residents belong to, including:- Monday club for the older resident Beavers, cubs, scouts and brownies Cricket, football and netball clubs Halstead players (amateur dramatics) Horticultural society and a flower club Various keep fit, dancing etc classes Womens Institute (evening) Youth club (Friday evenings)

Churches – The nearest church is St Margaret’s in Halstead (CoE). There is also a service in the Memorial Hall at 4.00 pm on the 4th Sunday of each month. Other denominations are available in , Orpington, , and Sevenoaks.

The Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund maintains the surface of the unadopted roads east of the Orpington Bypass – Badgers Road - Highland Road - Milton Avenue - Johnsons Avenue. The current contributions to the Badgers Mount Road Maintenance Fund are: Basic for each household: £40.00 Additional for each vehicle: £30.00

Transport Buses – The 431 bus runs between Orpington and Sevenoaks along Old London Road with stops near the Roundabout and near Badgers Rise and the footpath linking to Orpington Bypass, Badgers Road etc. Change at Green Street Green for Bromley and surrounding areas; Sevenoaks for its rural areas.

Trains – Knockholt Station is about half a mile north, towards Orpington, along Old London Road from Badgers Rise, and has services to London and Sevenoaks. Many people often wonder why the station is not named after the village it sits within. To avoid confusion with Halstead in Essex, and due to Badgers Mount not existing as a residential community at the end of the 19th century, it was named after the next closest village, which is of course Knockholt.

Did you know? Halstead village resident E. Nesbit set her famous novel The Railway Children (1906) in and around the station.

The 431 bus is a two hourly service on weekday mornings, with additional services at school times. Train services are half hourly during the day, with additional services on weekday mornings and late afternoons. Weekend and evening services are more restricted.

Footpaths – There is an extensive network of footpaths around Badgers Mount and the adjacent countryside. The map on the Parish Council notice board shows all officially numbered footpaths in the Parish and there are also many other unnumbered paths in the woods. We also have some A4 maps showing the main footpaths. Contact Gordon Plumb 01959 534279 if you would like a copy. We also have a Rambling group 1st Sunday of the month starting at the Memorial Hall 10am. Come along and join us. Email Will [email protected]

Medical – The nearest doctors’ surgeries are in Chelsfield, Green Street Green, Otford and Sundridge. Some residents use surgeries in Orpington and Sevenoaks. Dentists are available in Chelsfield, Green Street Green, Orpington, Otford, Riverhead, and Sevenoaks. The main A&E hospitals are in Farnborough and Pembury, Tunbridge Wells. Sevenoaks Hospital has a minor injuries unit which is open 8am to 8pm every day except Christmas Day.

Police – PCSOs provide a direct link with Police. PCSOs can be contacted via the national non-emergency 101 number. For urgent matters, e.g. crimes in progress, accidents etc., dial 999.

There are many restaurants in the area and some will deliver. No need to go hungry while you unpack the kettle! Here are the nearest. Toby Carvery London Road, Badgers Mount TN14 7AD 01959 534777 Timeless family chain restaurant serving roast meats carvery-style, kids' menus and classic puds., The Bo-Peep Gastropub Hewitts Rd, Orpington, BR6 7QL:01959 534457 16th-century building with inglenook fireplace, garden with terrace and a contemporary pub menu. 7 Hotel & Diner (3-star hotel) London Rd, Halstead, Kent TN14 7AA 01959 535890 The Cock Inn Shoreham Lane, Halstead, Sevenoaks TN14 7DD 01959 533171 The Rose and Crown Otford Lane, Halstead, Sevenoaks TN14 7EA 01959 533120 Mumbai Central Indian restaurant London Rd, Kent TN14 7AA 01959 534688

So how can you meet your neighbours – (assuming they haven’t popped round already with a cup of tea, bottle of wine or a cake!) Various social events are put on by the local organisations, and many by the BMRA mainly in the Memorial Hall include: Weekly coffee mornings – Thursdays, 10.30 to 12.00 Carols evening on a Saturday evening in early December New Years Eve party to welcome in the New Year Occasional whist drives, quiz or race nights, summer social events etc Contact [email protected]; or Zena 01959 534566 if you want to know more.

You might want to look at http://www.badgersmount.net/houses/index.htm where you will find the house locator – until you have been here a while getting to grips with house names and not numbers can be quite a challenge!

You can also follow Badgers Mount on Twitter https://twitter.com/badgers_mount

other great websites https://www.fixmystreet.com/ https://www.streetlife.com/