BtEKEsBourmE e ' Correspondenti "J ill Thomas, * Cohham Courts, BekesbourI1e"C.T4.' 5ET, phone 01227 332573. f _Nai'1b'ourne: The Environment . - .' Agency is reshaping the "river bed - 5 ' in Patrixbourne with a View to" 1 4 improving the flow-of water." Some piles of thenatural river bed silt, ;~:' will be‘ left on the banks for-' ' ' replacenient back. _into'-th__e "river when the wat-er-levelsdrop. 9': _KCC "Highways Unit has 1“a'i_sed. the . level of the footbridge across the ' recreation -gI‘OuI1d'_f.0I‘d by about -; 250cni. The roa_d_ through Patrixbourne will continue to be A closed until. further notice. _ Winners: The -February draw for .. " Bekesb'ou_rne100' Club tookplace in - =" -the'Uni'corn on Saturday. - ' C__ongratulatior1'svgoto-the winners _- Er‘ - who ‘are: £50, Brian Skin1_1er;' £25, ._ ‘Sarah. Whetherelli £15, Mrs C; Earle. _ 'j;_. The organisers are delighted to ‘report that the club now has its '_ full: quota of 100 members. They" ' -. thank everyone for their S1'1DDor't. : Footpaths: Villagers who use the ' _ network of footpaths across the local fields to walk their dogs, and footpath walkers, are requested to aveid,-:usiIIg"s-these‘-'2 f farmland during the present foot- - and-mouth epidemic. __ ' 1 Although foot and mouth is’ not contagious‘-to l1'un:1'a_ns', the _';virus is easily spread on. bootsand ‘paws. ~ The Ramblers’ Association is ;: requesting that walkers. divert ' away .from land where 'there__may ' _-_ be a risk of introducing the virus to livestock. l _ -- . _ - . — Church: Pa_t'Kusel will lead ‘family service, at -10am, .on.Sunday. ; 'Forthcomingmeetings: The next -- parishcouncil meeting will be on Monday, March 12. The annual -' '-Village meetingwill take place on "_ Monday, _A_pril.2. The village hall : annual meeting has been arranged for Monday, April 9. All these will take p1ace_in the =‘ village hall at 7.30pm. ‘I (If I I l9'3O 9 BISHOPSBOURNE 7 s Correspondent: Malcolm Mitchell, The Old Cottage, Bishopsbourne CT4 5HT, phone 01227 830645. Burglar alert: Villagers are urged by police to be especially alert following a bid to break into a . large house in the centre of the village on Thursday. . The men were foiledlwhen _ , disturbed while trying to force their way -inthrough a window just before midnight. ' = _ . Neighbourhood Watch coordinator Rodney Chew says there have- been reports of people “lurking in the vicinity” of other big houses in the area. 1 - He‘ adviseszeveryone to be on the ' C a lookout for any suspicious people orvehic1es,.both daror night, . ,, which 'sheu1d_lie reported ‘directly ' i to the police. ‘For further information about how you can help in the village Neighbourhood Watch scheme Contact Mrchew on 01227 830812. Church services: Communion will be celebrated on Sunday (the first ' _ Sunday of Lent) at St Mary the Virgin Church at 9.30am. ' ' Otherwise parishioners are invited to ‘attend any of the following. services in the Barham Downs united benefice: Sam, Communion, St John’s, Barhain; 11am," family service, St Giles’s, Kingston; 6pm, evening prayer, St J ohn’s, Barham. There is also morning service at Barham Methodist Chu.rcl1'at 9.45am. In addition, there is Communion at St Johns at 10.30am on Wednesday and Sam on Friday._ a "The rector, the Rev David Roper, invites all churchgoers to Lenten events at St John’_s at 7.30pm on Thursdays to examine the ’ ‘ --development ofthe English liturgy * ‘ since the pre-reformation 16th century, each accompanied by contemporary music. Weather report: Local Weather expert Charles Fagg reports that it rained on 12 days of the 31 days of January, the total rainfall being 154mm (siX—plus inches), about 60mm above average. ' The month included the longest period (10 days) Without rain since mid-September. Deadline: Copy for the April edition of the parish magazine should be delivered to -the editor, Carol Arter, by Thursday, March 15, at 5 Greenacre, Kingston (phone 01227 830068). 'Visit:'A party of Kent County a Council members will be in the village today (Thursday) at about 3pm to investigate the flooding situation and to discover What i lessons can be learnt for the future. ' Village quiz: The wine and wisdom evening cancelled earlier in February because of floodingis now being scheduled for May, the exact date to be announced soon. _ Proceeds will be for Conrad Hall fuws and the organisers, the hall trustees, hope that allthe teams - entered for the cancelled" event will T ,...s J_.I."‘...£.'.1". . 51 ‘T’! %p'a'rish CO11I_1C-i1EfiE.il1_bi3 at 7.30pm’ C511 March-14 at 7.30, in the C_0n.ra::_1 “ Hall. All vi11ag‘__e:rs- are ‘i:t1'vited.. ' %%&%. *CT”21-*EfN13;t" a_.b IALU _1.:_1U\:u.u.5, HI. ._ BRIDGE C Correspondent: John Anderson‘; 7 in Derin «Rea Bridt WI: At the February meeting, Jean 'Arnbers kindly offered to b.e a last minute standsin for the advertised speaker "who was unable" to attend. 'S'he.r.elatedher experiencesfrorn ' ‘first joining the as an opportunity_ to meet other people _ when‘moving.into a new. area, then serving on -her local committee and A progressing. to the county ' ' ' federation "committee, eventually serving a term of office as-county chairman. - . After the thanks to the speaker, the joint winners of the competition were announced as Eileen Piggott and-Mary Lanaway. The next meet-ing is on"I‘uesday, March 20, when Mrs Lepiniere will be ... speaking on her-40 years of ' , nursing. The competition_.w1‘ll be a four line rhyme. 5 Gardeners: At‘ the February a .' -- meeting of the Nailbourne -Horticultural Society, the chairman Roger Austin gave a talk ‘and demonstration on pruning. .He recommended that members i should not start theirs until they ' present cold weather was over. It was also announced that the schedules for entering the spring , show on Tuesday, April 3, in Bridge ' Village Hall were now available‘ ' from the show secretary Joan Stingemore, at_5 Dering_Roac1_, Bridge, on 830763. The next event will be a full4day= outing to Leeds Castle on Sunday, ' March 25. For booking and details ' ring Ethelcartwright, on 831095. ' Coffee. morning": A bring and buy ' - ' sale and raffle will beheld at the. coffee morning at Saxon _Lodge,.30 .’i Western Avenue, Bridge, on" - ' Tuesday, frem-1_0.l5an':1_._- Council: The parish‘councilw_ill meet in the Hunter Room of th_e_ ' village hall ‘at’? .30pm on Thursday, ' t March8. - . . 1 _ All parishioners are .Welcome'_ to" ._ attend. A leaflet concerning the T development of a Communication,''' Learning and Information Centre ' for Bridge _(CLlC4 BRIDGE) had , " been distributed .to every _ household the village_. - If for reasons of health or holidays, anyone _has missed the deadline_of _ February 28 and is still interested, ha9.t,_s_he,IeeY,c4>!1!=a.¢;t,§l1r. ; -- _ cofinor‘at.adunn;:tpage,Bridge . HiJloI1830976. " ' T ‘ " "1 4 March 8, 2001 WE EED To PREPAE FOR POBLEMS Flooding team A PARTY of county coun- cillors heard complaints about the responsepto the floods when they toured stricken areas. They were told of the prob- lems residents faced. The delegation, led by Cllr Terence Pears, visited Littlebourne, Nailbourne, Barham, Bishopsbourne and ~ 'Wickhambreaux. They also looked at the sea defences at Whitstable and new housing at Chestfield. The flooding committee, ‘ chaired by Cllr Pears, has been hearing evidence since the first floods in October and will report back to KCC’s scrutiny committee. They have taken evidence _ from local authorities and from statutory authorities such as the police, fire brigade and the Army to see what improve- ments can be made. The final report has yet to be made, but Cllr Pears ‘said’ he was shocked by what he had seen. “People are still suffering by Jeremy Dunning quite a bit from this,” he said. “It’s a typically British atti- tude. They take it on the chin and get on with it.” He added: “I believe we should be paying more atten- tion to the advice we are get- ting from scientists about earth warming and the likeli- hood that more events will OCC11I'._ ' ' _- “We are advised that sea le — els will rise and we have to take account of what we have to_do in places like Whitstable,” he - said. ». It also had to be recognised that the problem was bigger than Canterbury council or Kent County Council could deal with. It was a national-~’ problem and needed national solutions. Another issue was building on flood plains. A firm stand had to be taken and the Environment Agency needed ‘to have a greater say over where new houses were built, he said. Bishopsbourne Parish Coun- View prospect for thefuture cil chairman Cllr Malcolm Mi- tchell said the councillors lis- tened, took down all the points that were made and looked at all the weak points in the vil- lage. ‘Theywere told of the need for concerted action from all the agencies concerned. ' Parish draws up action plan LLITTLEBOURNE Parish Council has prepared a wide- ranging flood action plan. The report, which has been sent to various agencies including Canterbury City Council, does not seek to apportion blame. But it questions whether the agencies were prepared and calls on the Canterbury council emergency flood unit to co—ordinate more effectively with other agencies. It plans to hold a meeting next month to draw up an action plan for future floods. Mick Giles, one of the reports www.kentonline.co.uk OR THE KCC’ flooding authors and vice-chairman of the parish council, said: “Its a fair assumption it will happen again and we have to give people the means to defend their properties.” The immediate cause of the flooding last month was high rainfall, which led to high flow. rates in the Nailbourne and the Well Chapel springs. This was exacerbated by increased mm-off from agricultural land caused by the replacement of orchards by cereal crops. Also, road drains were either inadequate or poorly maintained. The report oo BIG F0 CANTERBU - .- RECURRING PROBLEM: The swollen Nailbourne deluged Barham during the recent to fields, which was then flowing back into the Lesser T Stour. I A halt to house building - until drains and the sewage i system have been upgraded. I The Environment Agency and the other responsible _ authorities need to «set up a - management plan for the ' Lesser Stour. I The Environment Agency needs to take over responsibility for managing river levels at the constriction points at Littlebourne, Wickhambreaux and Seaton. The report stated the holders of millers’-rights might find kg] 7 74721 09-02-01 Bridge will bring relief . PEOPLE in Barham are to be‘ consulted about a temporary bridge that could be built over the ford. Letters have been sent to properties that will be most directly affected. The bridge will bring much- needed relief to about 100 — people who have been cut off from the main road and face a journey on a deteriorating . single lane road. It is expected to cost about £30,000 for a 12- week period. About 55 properties are / proposes a series oi‘ren1edies,_ ; I Frequent cleaning of the I l the contractors. Drains need i upgrading in The Hill, High . Street, Court Hill, Church Road and Nargate Street. a ' i system was overworked and ! discharging sewage water on BLOCKED or partly obstructed drains may have made the situ- ation worse, a says Sturry’s Cllr “If every drain in the district had been clear, would the flood; . ing have been so bad._ ” she said. i “:Years ago there was ca. rolling prog_ramn1e, but not now. _p “Even when there is no flood alert there is pending on the main .A28 at the Milner Memoriali. Ground c and by‘ Perryis Garage on the Way to ._ _ - I . . _ I The Nargate Street pumping C _ ____.j—_——_—-.— _-.—-E.-.4u.nLa- as-.a..|.&DJ;J_|o J..l.J.L‘LzI. C the cost of repairs to sluices M C beyond their capacity. drains and more monitbring of in But it 53378 Oils 1eSSOI1 had V. "i been learned. Lines of p , , communication had been i . improved with the helpfof _ Canterbury counciland the -i T . Environment Agency. C This had allowed isandbags i and a pump tobe distributed , to priority areas; rain clearingurged -C111’ Attwoodg said she was in favour of _Canter_bury- councils C decisionatoc put £100,000 in the budget for 2002-03,- but said . drains needed" cleaning imme- ‘ diately. i C ‘ i Canterbury council l senior in engineer Steve Rivers said no amount of drain, maintenance. a C would have prevented flooding. He added: “This hasbeen the wettest winter on record; and '. no drainage -is designed to cope with that excessive volume of water,” i s i expected to beneiitwbiitlithere 1' -will be disadvantages toseven houses in.Derringstone Street * , and Railway Hill. Residents are likely to find car access a blocked off. a The four houses in South" Barham Roadcould be at risk of flooding because of ‘ possible increased water is , levels with the bridge building. 'I C Officers have warned Canterbury council this could _ lead to claims under the Land T Compensation Act. i ’ s i Chairman of Barham Parish . a Council, Linda Davies, said the bridge could not have . come soonenough. She said: “The waters have start ed to recede now, but theres still Water there. Its better late than never.” a The issue will be discussed by Canterbury councils _eXecutive subcornmittee of it C the policy committee on a March 21. r c c Y " ;_;_{"‘ahai1a‘i3;1e;%— .2-.,‘.. 7-» = --Corresp0_11dent:_ John‘ Anderson, 7 Dering Road, Bridge, Canterbury, CT4 5NA, phone 830260. - - - ' Flooding: A party 'of'Ke11t County ' Council and Canterbury City ' .' Council councillors and officers, chairman toured the affected areas of the village last Wednesday. . This waspart of a surveybeing conducte_d at villages along the ' be done to alleviate problems should such-a catastrophe. occur agaii1.- _- . ; . a Magazine: The deadline for entries ,__ in ._the' April On The Nail‘ -parish magazine should reach Lawrence . Dundferdale on 01227830668, or dr-.0p1t1ed_in the letterbox at 37 High Street, Bridge, by _l\_/larch 15. ‘Anyone Wishing to place an H.EM_. Lawrence, at 21 Windmill - Close, Bridge, 01227 830472. I Fun: A house raceand fun evening. _ is being organised by the North -Nailbourne Ward of the -_ Conservative Association (live- jockeys -and Wooden horses!) on ’ "Saturday, in the John Baker-White Memorial Hall, Lower Hardres at -_ 7,..15prn. — — - - .T-iciaets are £5 from Bill -Oakey on -0122? .832397 or John Andersonon 0122-_7 -830260-,_.t0 inoludei bookies’- - and punters’- ~_sup'per."'P1e_as.'e take own liquid refreshment and _ ' - glasses. _ _ Concert: Flo'wers'Fam_ilia1_"and-. Less F.ai:n'iliar, music and the _ spoken word mainly for ' ' Pas-siont-ide and Easter will be sung by Canzonet,..on.Wednes'day, - April 4, at 8pm," in St Pe_ter’s ' _‘.Chur-ch Bridge. Admission by programme is"£4. - available from John Anderson on _ 830260, or the Canterbury Tourist Office, St Margaret;*s.Street, 3 ' _ ys«0ant.eIbum 9e,ths:do9nifv g . . accompanied bythe parish council - ' Nailbourne, "to; evaluate What could . — advertisement shouldcontact Mr -C I 9' '- I * - J FISH news‘: The next coffee--pop-.in In will be on Wednesday, March_14, in the village hall from __10 to 11-.15am. - There, is a new gentle- exercise class for the over.60_s in the Methodist ' Church each Thursday from 10 to 11.30am-, at-£2.50 a session. - Trip: A coach trip to Leeds Castle, Maidstone, starts from Bridge on March'25.. For details of ._further._ - _eXcu_r'sions, co_nta:cfc_c122_7;-.s_31o95.-_t " 7 ' Diary dates:-..Coff_e'e '3_mdrnir1gl.,and*’._. ' -it nearly'neW_sale, iriaid ofthe Kent’ S‘ 1 --Air Ambulance, Saturday, March '24, 10am, ‘village hall‘, phone 01227 831654. Book sale in aid of the ' _ parish or Patrixbourne with Bridge, Saturday,__Apri_17,_ 10am, " village hall, phone 01227 -830947-._ Dernelza House wine and wisdom ' evening, Saturday, April 28, 7 for 7.30pm, village hall, phone 01227 831654. Treasure hunt organised by the Bridge group of parishes, on - Saturday, July-14, more details to follow. _ ' _ _ _ _ Church news; The start "of Lent Was marked. by -a moving benefice Ash Wednesday Communion: service with the anointing of ashes " ‘at St Peter’s_ Church, Bridge. The service" was conducted bythe '_ . . Rev Pau1Filmer_, assisted-by the T lay reader Mrs Margaret Clarke, ' and supported by the full \ - augmented choir, ‘conducted by Dr Peter Giles, the musical director. -T The next Benefice lent course session will be tonight (Thursday) at Bridge Primary School, 8 to 9.30pm. - ' ' .On Tuesday there will be a I ‘H. _ _ lunchtime sessionat 'theiVicarage . from noon to_1.30pm. Coffee or tea will be provided, but_take'your own _ lunch to the midday session. Services on Sunday are: 10am, - ' Matins,'Dr' A, Nicholson, St Mary’s Church, Patrixbourne; 11am family _ service," the Rev Paul Filmer; 6pm, evensong, the Rev Paul Filme-r'_ and Mrs M. Clarke, St _Peter’s Church, Bridge. ‘ ' Other- Churches in the Bridge _ Group: St Mary’s Church, Nackington, 9.30am, Holy Communion, the Rev Paul Filmer. St Peter’s Church, Bekesbourne, Sam BCP Communion, the Rev - Paul. Filmer. Bridge Methodist: 11am,_C0m_muI1ion, the Rev David Marshall.- _ ' -Jn.. - V‘/\o-rclm I 35130 BRIDGE Correspondent: John Anderson, 7 Dering Road, Bridge, Canterbury CT-<1 SNA. ., ' Sale: The bri;ng and--buy coffee » - morning at Saxon Lodge _Re$jde_ntia1 Home to___ra_ise_funds for providing extra comforts, raised £49. Betty Richards thanks all , those who supported the event. The next one is to be held on ' Tuesday, April 3. WI: The March meeting will be in _ the Village hall at 7.30pm, on Tuesday, when Mrs Lepiniere will speak abouther 40 years’ nursing. The competition will be alive line rhyme. Visitors andfriends will be made welcome. ‘ ' ' -. Hall: The annual-meeting of the village -hall management committee, will be held in the l:lun.ter Room of the hall. at 7.:'l()pm, on Thursday, March 22. Representatives of all organisations using the hall are invited. - T - Nearly new: There will be a coffee morning and nearly new Sale in aid of The Kent Air Ambulance, with good quality goods and clothing, raffle, 'children’s lucky dip-,Easter gifts and novelties, in the village hall on Saturday, March’24, 10am . to 12.30pm._ _ . Church news_: A small party representing the Bridge group of F parishes will be attending (by , ' invitation only) theconsecration of the Rev Graham Cray as the new Bishop of Maidstone, in _ Canterbury Cathedral, on Tuesday, at 2.80pm. Bridge Lent courses. at the Vicarage are from noon to 1.80pm on.Tuesday and "at Bridge School, 8 ' to 9.30pm on Thursday. Coffee and tea will be provided, but ta_ké'your own lunch to the midday session. Services on Sunday are: 10am, Communion with the Rev Gordon Manleyat St Peter’s Church, Bridge. Other churches in the Bridge group: 8am BCP. Communion, with the Rev Paul Filmer, at St Marys Church,‘ Nackington; 10am family service with Mrs Margaret Clarke, at St Mary the Virgin, Lower _ Hardres; 10am Communion (with baptism) with the Rev Paul Filmer, at St Peter’s Church, Bekesbourne; 11am Bridge Methodist Church F service led by the Rev Barbara Heather. PARISH COUNCItJ Tele-‘cottage: Cllr Connor reported that the response to the survey to ' establish interest in the village _ carr_ied out during February was disappointing. The number of responses received totalled 45 of which 10 were not interested and 35 (representing 55 people) expressed some interest. Cllr Corfieid has received 10 e-mail responses, some offering help. As the response represented less than fourper cent of electors it was agreed not to proceed with a communication, learning and -I- 1' ..!lblm.m avian J parishioners interested could be provided via a course using laptops . or with volunteersusing available equipment within the village and it was reported that a computer room is planned for the school and this _ could possibly -provide a venue. It ' was agreed to review these options at a later date. - - Cllr Connor thanked Cllr Vye and MP Julian Brazier for investigating _ the opportunities for raising" money for the project and the chairman thanked Cllr Connor for all the hard work he -had done. Post office bench: The parish council has agreed on the design of the re p']acoi'ner1t bench and an order has been placed._ Red Lion public house: ].t was reported by the chairman that the Red Lion has suffered flooding problems and ‘loss of business and is now unableto trade. The parish council will be writing to Southern Water and Ofwat expressing, concern over the loss of. the amenity to the community. . Recreation ground: Tre_atem'ent of i j mole infestation has been carried out and the springer units in the playground are to be repaired free of charge by the supplier. Streets and footways: -Several matters have been reported to the ' city council including an SEGB sunken metal cover in Union Road, broken grille near the bridge, .- repeated litter gathering around -the paper and bottle banks in Town Hill, blocked drains in" 4 Patrixbourne Road and Union Roadand a burnt out car in Brewery Lane. Memorial bench: The memorial bench in memory of Mr and Mrs P. E. Worsley, formerly of —11 Ford Close, has now been installed adjacent to Ford Close. Vandalism: The seat east of the ‘bridge has been removed and put in the stream and the Environment Agency removed it on the same -day it was reported-. The seat is to be repaired and resited». Planning applications: The‘ . following planning application has been received and commented T upon by the planning sub~ committee. First floor side extension to dwelling and single storey extension to rear of garage at 65 Riverside Close, Bridge. C ' 4 '3:”E':l5'S Correspondent: John Anderson, 7 Dering Road, Bridge, Canterbury CT4 5NA. ' C _ 11eg.1iwall;ing;:;Jectguse oi‘ the parishioners are walking their dogs by day. and night around the village environs. . ' They are reminded of the bylaw ' Dogs (Fouling of Land) Act 1996 that it is an offence not to clear up, ' on any land" in the open air, on the fixed penalty of £25, or on beingfi reported to‘a magistrate. Coffee morning: This will be held by the village playgroup in the village "hall at 11am on Tuesd.ay. The playgroup children vvili be having an Easter bonnet parade and free refreshments will be served. , ' All are welcome;_con_tact Joanne Watt (secretary) .on 01227 832343. _ Parish meeting: The parish council parish meeting will take place in the-village hall at 7.30pm on Wednesday, March 28. All parishioners are welcome. Apart from the business of the ' evening, the council is keen to revitalise the Neighbourhood Watch Scheme throughout the village. With this in mind, Ken "Bradshaw,_the area crime ' reduction officer, is to givea talk on the subject. Refreshments will be served. . - - Outings: D and E travel announce that-they are runningtwo outings . I ' from Bridge in April, the first on Aprillo to the Battle of Britain memorial, Capel-le-Ferne; Sampire ' Hoe; and Crabble Mill, River, and T the second on April 24, to the Body Shop Factory at Littlehampton. For details ring'01227 831095. ' ' Petanque: There is new a petanque terrain in Elham. . * ' There is also an annual triples. tournament between_a11 villages in in the Elharn Valley for The . Millennium Shield and _that the presentoholderef this trophy in Lyminge. The 2001 tournament will beheld in Elhamon Sunday, June - 1'7, probably starting at 10.30am and with a barbecue,-but details. _ have yet to be_c_omplet‘e_d. . - On Saturday, June 16, there will be" _ a melee-which means the name of , everyone who-turns up will be p_ut_ - — a in‘ a hat -and" drawiftd =gri1!aketeair1‘J~3*:~ T o ’ - $112: m.‘:,-;‘-:..';r=.f;‘! T-»=' " “I-fig ': - re of th?é,r'ui*a€l_e:piibl'icI..j~ "- if footpaths in the "Bridge area; due to ' the foot and month outbreak, an Elhain Valley petanque club to teach newcomers how to play, to _ develop the skills of thosewho have played before and to arrange matches ‘against otherciubs. - Eventually, there may besufficient expertise to enter a league. Everyone interested‘ should ._r,egJ,s.1=;e1'_witli'_T:.gi1y Waluer_aL_17 , _ Union-rRo‘ad,:B 1dge',('01_2-27 830057) _ -' and a meeting will be arranged in Elham as soon as possible. Gigi Tomorrow (Friday) evening M The Odd.Couple are at The White -Horse, Bridge. , ' Church services: On Sunday (Mothering Sunday), Sam BCP Communion with the Rev Paul Filmer is at St-Peter"s Church, Bridge; 10am Communion (with- Baptism) with Mr Filmer is at St- lVIary’s Church, Patrixbourne. ' Other services in the Bridge group; 9.3{)arn_ Communion with the Rev" B. Diss, St Marys Church, ' * Nackington; loam family service at St Peters Church, Bekesbourne; - 10am family service with Mrs M. Clarke and 3pm Evensong with Mr Filmer and Mrs Clarke, at St Mary the Virgin Church, Lower Hardres; 11am Bridge Methodist Church . Service, with Mrs M. Beckwith. |__ _ Dubtulilfilfb _a11u h'l_a'd.ll I'i_1l.§.Cl.l from The Canterbury Information Centre, John Anderson, on 01227‘ 830260. or at the door. 0 - ~ Book fair: maid of the parish of Patrixbourne withBridge, this _ event will be held in Bridge Village Hall, on Saturday, April 7, 1Dam— _. . _ ' zipm. Please -bring unwanted books. M Entrance is _2(lp. Coffees and teas available all day. - - ' Please take your donations to Pat in Bridge (830668) or Andrea in Patrixbourne (830947). All donations of books are Welcomed after April 1_ or can be taken on the ' day. Flooding: The chairman of the parish council,'_Cllr John Anderson‘, attended a meeting on behalf of Bridge, at Littlebourne, where -representatives. of - the - villages affected by flooding along the Nailbourne and Little Stour joined together to form an action ‘plan aimed at preventing future disasters. ' The following Monday, - - accompanied by Cllr Christine Beer,_he made apresentation on behalf. of the village at the city ' council flood scrutiny committee, at the Guildhall, Canterbury. A further meeting will be held at Littlebourneon Saturday, April 21. One of the items discussedwas the disposal of sandbags and/or their _ storage. It has been suggested that some villagers in the front line, if they had any suitable dry storage . space, might like to retain some for * imrnediateuse in any future emergency.-. .. - 0 ' The parish council would also be _ grateful to hear from anyone in the area who might have somedryi storage facility available, providing a back.—up_ until such time as the local author;ltie's could swing into ' action. Please Contact the parish ' ' clerk on 01303 862814.W.I. 0' - l .Neighbourhood Watch: At the ,, parish annual meeting last _ Wednesday, PC-Ken Bradshaw, area crime reduction officer and ' .- ~ Neighbourhoodi Watch "liaison. officer, announced that Bridge is about to be removed from the list of recognised watchers. - The watch cannot -function without a coordinator -and public participation and unless someone is prepared to undertake the roleof co-ordinator, the scheme will -‘_ officially end on the last day of ,April. V. ‘ , I The duties -are'hot_-.oné'rous .an'd_can - be extremely Worthwhile. - If-= the" scheme closes, residents are ari;vis‘ed.vte'i1iIorII;.the.ii:_ins;u:an,t:o . companies, or Vutvheaehsaunge poi, _.: _', .1 _7