doing nothing is not an option

Transcription

1 Valley Conservation Society doing nothing is not an option Members newsletter No 152 We are a non-political organisation _ June 2017 Hamlet In The Garden Complimentary copy for your interest Our kind neighbours James and Claire Slaughter are once again inviting Valley Conservation members to join them for their outdoor theatre production held in the garden of their home, Hillside, at Hayle Place. The Changling Theatre Company will perform Hamlet, by William Shakespeare, in the garden on the evening of Friday, August 4, starting at 7.30pm. The gates will open at 6pm, and patrons are invited to take rugs, drinks and hampers and enjoy their own picnics before the show. Tickets are 25 per couple, children are welcome, free of charge, but please only if they are old enough to sit and watch the show. All the proceeds will be divided between the Valley Conservation Society and the Heart of Kent Hospice. Anyone who has attended previous events laid on by James and Claire will know they are most enjoyable occasions. Order your tickets directly from Claire on or

2 Summer barbecue It s also time to get your tickets for the annual members barbecue This will be held in the gardens of The Manor at Hayle Place on Saturday, July 22. As always, there will be chicken, burgers and sausages on offer, (with vegetarian alternatives available if ordered in advance) plus salads and a host of desserts, all included in the admission price of 10. Please bring your own drinks and glasses. Accompanied children under 14 are free. Live music will come from the blues band The Darstardly Scoundrels. The gates open at 3pm, with food served from 4pm. All the meats are freshly cooked, so there s no necessity to eat at 4pm, the barbecue will keep going until late in the evening. Parking is in an adjacent field, and please do NOT park in the circular driveway of The Manor, which is reserved for residents. Tickets from Alan on or a128smith@btinternet.com Five in the Bar becomes 100 Nearly 100 members and guests joined us at the Tovil Working Men s Club for our show featuring the music of Five In The Bar and Unit 5. The evening was a great success with cheap drinks, good company and some excellent pizzas delivered to us by the new Domino s shop on the Loose Road. Singer Tony Ellingham The event raised 120 for the Society.

3 Murder in the Valley Most members will be aware that on Sunday, May 7, the body of a young Romanian man was found in the valley. He had been beaten to death. Three men have since been charged with his murder. Twenty-two-year-old Razvan Sirbu had been in the UK for about six months. He had previously been working in the Gravesend area, but at the time of his death was unemployed and homeless. He had been living in a tent behind bushes on Tovil Hill, near Lidl, but had taken his tent onto land jointly owned by the Society and Tovil Parish Council the day before he was attacked. On that day, he had been seen sitting on a bench watching the ducks on the pond and enjoying the sunshine. His body was discovered on the morning of our Spring litter-pick, which of course had to be cancelled, as was the subsequent Tuesday work party and annual Spring Walk, as police were still searching the area for evidence. Once the land was re-opened to the public, members were among the first to lay flowers at the scene in tribute. After a few weeks, those flowers, candles and other tributes were collected by the police and presented to Mr Sirbu s family. During his period of homelessness, Mr Sirbu received help from the Maidstone Day Centre in Knightrider Street. The day centre provides food and support to people who are homeless in Maidstone. The centre has showers, laundry facilities, can provide clean clothes, medical assistance, and guidance to help the homeless access benefits, find housing and re-enter the world of work. They do not provide accommodation, and so clients remain "on the streets", but they are an important link for this very vulnerable group.

4 There is sadly nothing that can be done to turn the clock back and help Mr Sirbu, but for those that would like to mark this terrible event by doing something that may help others who have nowhere safe to stay, you may like to make a contribution to the Maidstone Day Centre in his memory, using this special PayPal link. For general details on Maidstone Day Centre, visit Tovil Annual Parish Meeting There was a better attendance from residents at this year s annual parish meeting in the new YMCA centre in Barfeston Close. Our chairman, Bryn Cornwell, informed the meeting of the Society s work over the past year, and there was also a talk from Steve Songhurst, the warden of the long-established Vinters Valley Nature Reserve, who is currently advising the Hayle Park trustees on drawing up their management plan. Work Party Our chairman Bryn Cornwell has been driving his work party colleagues up the wall recently literally. The lads have been repairing the ragstone wall below Mount Ararat, close to the old barn on Crisbrook Meadow. Meanwhile the 800 perennial wild flower plugs planted earlier this year to reinforce the wildflower meadow are beginning to appear. The plugs were kindly paid for by Tovil Parish Council. *There is a work party every Tuesday, meeting at the Conservation Cabin, at 10am. More volunteers are always welcome. You can stay for an hour or all day and pick the task that suits you. For more details phone Bryn on or just turn up!

5 Wall repairs James and Claire Slaughter, whose property borders Teasaucer Hill, have recently engaged contractors to repair their ragstone boundary wall. We can all agree it s a tremendous improvement. The trustees of the Hayle Park Nature Reserve (who include three nominations from the Society) are now awaiting a date from KCC, so that their contractors can begin work repairing their stretch of the wall. Membership drive We are very pleased with the results so far from our membership drive. At the last count we had 449 members, compared with 340 at the end of However, we would dearly like to reach our target of 500 members. A big membership helps us when we apply for grants and when we lobby the council. Please, would you consider whether you can help recruit a new member? a friend or neighbor perhaps. Is everyone in your own household individually registered as a member? There are still a few people who were members in 2016 and who haven t yet renewed for If that is you, please be sure to renew, because otherwise this will be the last newsletter you receive from us. Peace and quiet As well as enjoying the wonderful heatwave, residents in Cripple Street are currently enjoying a break from the traffic. The stretch of road outside the new Millwood housing development is currently closed to traffic, putting a stop to the normal rush-hour rat-running. Millwood says the road may stay closed until July 10 Bliss. Printed and published by Alan Smith, Bockingford House, Cripple Street, Maidstone, ME15 6DN and Facebook at /

6 VALLEY CONSERVATION SOCIETY DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION 2017 I/We should like to (re)join the Society: (Please include your title and first name) Names: Address: Postcode... Phone: ... Mobile: I would prefer to receive newsletters by Signature(s) Yes/No Membership is 2 per person per year (or 50p for young people aged 14 to 18). Send your application form and your cheque made payable to Valley Conservation Society to: Colin Holman, Membership Secretary, Flat 3, The Manor, Hayle Place, Cripple Street, MAIDSTONE, ME15 6DW I enclose a cheque/cash for.. (Donations welcome) If you are willing to play an active role in the Society, tick the box you are interested in: Leaflet delivery work parties fund-raising Office use only: Issued: Donation: Membership Nos