News
Updated
Wednesday, 8 May, 2013
Vine Hotel closes
The Vine hotel pub & restaurant, in the centre of Goudhurst village, is now boarded up and closed.
Rotary Club of the Weald of Kent
CANCER RESEARCH UK NORTH DOWNS WALK
DATE – Sunday, June 30th 2013.
VENUE – Harrietsham Village Hall, Church Road – ME17 1AP.
START FROM – 7.30am.
LAST REGISTRATION – 11am.
WEBSITE – www.wealdofkentrotary.org.uk
FOR FURTHER DETAILS – Phone the North Downs Walk-line on 01622 890650
For 28 years the Rotary Club of the Weald of Kent has organised this event, which offers the option of a 3, 6 or 9 mile walk across the beautiful North Downs.
On completion all walkers are given a free Ploughman’s Lunch, strawberries and are entertained by a local Jazz Band.
See the website for Maps/Poster/Route Details/Registration Forms etc. all of which may be downloaded.
Walkers may retain 50% of their sponsorship money for their own charity/church/ school etc. with the remainder going to CRUK.
Alternatively, walkers may register at the Hall on the day for a minimum donation of £10 per person.
To-date this Walk has raised over £420,000 for local & national charities, with over £200,000 for CRUK alone.
Love Where We Live Awards
These awards are now open for nominations. They celebrate the good will, community spirit, and extraordinary qualities of people who live in the borough of Tunbridge Wells. They recognise individuals, groups of people and organisations who dedicate time, ideas and energy to helping others, benefitting the environment or accomplishing personal goals.Details about the awards categories can be found in the spring edition of 'Local' magazine. ( Published by the Borough Council, distributed free to all households )
Nominations can be made online at LoveWhereWeLive.co.uk. You can also print off a form from the website or pick one up at the Gateway, Weald Information Centre, Town Hall or Town and Country Housing Group. Alternatively, call Hilary Wells on 01892 554270, who will be pleased to send you a nomination form in the post.
GOUDHURST & KILNDOWN LOCAL HISTORY SOCIETY
Why not join the Society and enjoy free entry to all this season’s talks?
The annual subscription is just £5.00 per person.
For information about the Local History Society find us on our new website www. goudhurstlocalhistorysociety.org
OIL CLUB FOR GOUDHURST
An oil club has been formed in the village: The Goudhurst Heating Oil Club
Cooking with Walnuts is a new book by Ann Olley, which features113 recipes that use this most versatile and flavoursome nut. For more details, follow this link. Walnuts are an important source of beneficial unsaturated fats and the oil contains protective properties. They are a healthy, versatile and tasty addition to the diet and studies have shown that by adding just six or seven to your daily diet can lower cholesterol. Ann Olley's orchard was established at West Cottage, Flimwell, on the Kent and Sussex border in 1998.
FIRST FRIDAY BUSINESS FORUM
A free business forum, First Friday, has been created for Goudhurst, Kilndown & Curtisden Green. This should be of benefit to existing home workers, people who plan to start a business from home, local premises, recent graduates and local businesses based here. Meetings provide the opportunity for local business people to share or provide services to each other.
The forum meets in the back dining room of Weeks the Bakers on the first Friday of the month. It is informal, starting at 10.30 a.m. and lasting no later than 12 mid-day. Refreshments are available.
BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND
Goudhurst Parish Council has received notification of a consultation from the Boundary Commission for England. The proposal reallocates Goudhurst from the Tunbridge Wells constituency to a new Weald constituency which includes Crowborough, Battle and Rye. The consultation is open until 5th. December 2011. Details can be seen on www.independent.gov.uk/boundarycommissionforengland. If you respond directly to the Boundary Commission, it would be very helpful if you would consider sending a copy to the Parish Council so that any representation we send will reflect the views of local residents.
Anthony Farnfield, Clerk to Goudhurst Parish Council clerk@goudhurst.co.uk
Goudhurst at the BBC
Sir Roy Strong, historian and former Director of the National Portrait Gallery and the V&A, accompanied BBC Radio Four's Justin Webb to record a radio interview in Goudhurst this week. Sir Roy has a new book published on national identity, titled 'Visions Of England, and chose Goudhurst to represent the heart of the English countryside. The BBC has produced an audio slideshow of the interview, which can be found at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-14039199
Citizens' Advice Bureau mobile visits Goudhurst
The Citizens Advice Bureau Bus will be visiting central Goudhurst every Tuesday afternoon from 1.00pm to 2.30 pm.
Goudhurst British Legion
The British Legion in Goudhurst now has its own dedicated page
The Goudhurst Branch is active in sending ‘goody boxes’ to our front line troops in Afghanistan. For that we need shoe boxes – lots of them! If you have any spare, please contact Mrs Rosemary Southon 01580 211791. She parcels up packets of sweets, pot noodles, socks and other home comforts. From the letters we receive in return, we know these parcels are very welcome.
A TASTE OF KILNDOWN
The Kilndown cookery book, published in aid of the Village Hall Project, is available.
96 pages, over 90 recipes, and black-and-white illustrations. Price £5.99
(plus £1 post and packing). Cheques should be made payable to Kilndown
Village Hall.
Copies can be obtained from the Quarry Centre on Saturday mornings, or
from Hilary Bird at
Rogers Rough
Chicks Lane
Kilndown
Kent TN17 2RP
tel 01892 890554
Parish Footpaths
Did you know that we have just over 40 miles of public rights of way in Goudhurst parish? Walking should be easy and enjoyable in and around the area. To achieve this the local footpaths need to be kept clear of overgrown hedges and brambles, and wobbly stiles and marker posts need to be repaired.
Roger Coles has, for many years, organised volunteers to walk the paths to report on their condition so that the Parish Council can arrange the necessary maintenance work, sometimes in conjunction with Kent County Council. The volunteers are known as Hon Footpaths Officers and they have made an enormous contribution to raising and maintaining the standards of our paths. However, some of the volunteers have now retired and replacements are needed. If you would like to become involved, even on a very occasional basis, please contact Cllr David Boniface on 01580 211430 or the Clerk to the Parish Council, Anthony Farnfield 01580 212552 or clerk@goudhurst.co.uk
Kent Police
“Police and Community Together” (PACT)
Kent Police, in association with Town & Country Housing Group, hold public surgeries for members of the community to discuss, in confidence, any issues which may be causing concerns and would otherwise not be brought to their attention. The surgeries are part of a multiple agency event and a representative from Town & Country Housing Group will be present, with Neighbourhood Officers for Goudhurst.
Ms Eleanor Dench from Town & Country Housing Group
PCSO Laura Carey (07969 584282)
Surgeries are held on the 1st Friday of every month from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. at John Stacey Heights, Goudhurst TN17 1BB.
All members of the community are invited to the meetings.
The Goudhurst and Kilndown Millennium Book
This splendid book by local resident Mr WJC (Bill) Musgrave MBE records the millennium celebrations in the villages of Goudhurst and Kilndown, together with matters of general interest, directories and historical notes and reminiscences. It runs to 1,157 pages, together with a very comprehensive index. The book was written by Bill Musgrave as a companion volume to the 1935 Goudhurst Jubilee Book and the 1937 Goudhurst Coronation Book by the local historian Mr AW Tiffin. These two books have proved immensely popular over the years and, now long out of print, fetch considerable prices on the second-hand market.
The book is in blue hard-back and is priced at £40. A leather-bound edition is available at £80. Copies may be obtained from the Local History Society (telephone to the treasurer, John Benfield, on 01580 211517).
The Goudhurst and Kilndown Local History Society was founded in 1964. It aims to promote interest in local history by holding meetings, recording the life of the two villages, preserving old documents and artefacts, encouraging historical research and producing publications. Meetings, with speakers, are held monthly during the winter months. The annual membership subscription is only £5. Membership enquiries should be addressed to the secretary, Mrs Rosemary Southon, telephone 01580 211791.
If you are trying to trace long-lost relatives
from this area please read the following, an extract from a letter to the parish magazine from the Local History Society's Bob Brown..
"As chairman of the Goudhurst & Kilndown Local History Society I hear many favourable comments about the Goudhurst website and we have had photographs etc sent from around the world for our archives which we would never have received without it. A downside can be when we are contacted by those who are obsessive about their research and bombard us with emails or phone calls. Only last night I had a phone call at half past midnight from someone who got very abusive when asked to ring at a more sociable hour!"
Policing the Parish
Contact Kent Police: :
For all non-urgent incidents or enquiries, call 101
If a crime is in progress or life is in danger, call 999
If you are deaf or speech impaired, text 'Police' and your message to 60066
For news, advice or details of your neighbourhood officer, visit www.kent.police.uk
Neighbourhood Watch Coordinator Peter Rolington 01580 212920 Send an email
See if your home is in an area at risk from flooding
Visit the Environment Agency's search service. Just enter your postcode and it will show you a map showing flood risk in your area.
Go to: Environment Agency Website
Handy Van Service
The Help the Aged HandyVan service is a unique home security service, where trained HandyVan fitters visit your home and install equipment such as door chains and viewers, window locks and smoke detectors.
A fleet of 35 HandyVans are based around Britain and deliver a free service to those who meet the following criteria:
1. Applicants must be over 60 years of age.
2. Applicants do not pay income tax (excluding tax on personal pensions).
3. Applicant's disposable savings/assets do not exceed £16,000 (Not including the value of their home).
Everyone is vulnerable to burglary, and the HandyVan service enables people to feel safer in their homes. Prevention is always the key to a safe, secure home and HandyVan fitters will work to help you ensure that your home is free from the risk of burglary.
If you would benefit from the HandyVan service, or you know someone who would, then please call the team on 01255 473 999 or email: seniorsafety@helptheaged.org.uk
Follow Parish Council activities in detail
and check progress of planning applications.
Parish Council news page
© 2013 Whilst every effort has been made to maintain accuracy, no responsibility is accepted for any errors in content.