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equipment will be provided. For information contact Sue Hogg on 01622 213849. Correspondent: Leila Ware Tel: 01622 842330 leilaware@ outlook.com Update on the Harrow: Karen Chappell-Tay has been elected as the initial project manager for the Harrow tenant business group. She will be assisted by Laura Bennagoune. Karen says that the community needs to decide if collectively they are capable of starting and sustaining a pub/café business amongst themselves, possibly with some paid management staff, or if not leave the owners free to seek a commercial tenant for the entire building to run a pub, cafe etc. Catriona Titchener is preparing a questionnaire for delivery to every house in the village asking what residents want to see provided by the Harrow venture and what people are prepared to offer to the community venture. Completed questionnaires will then be collected a week later. The next public meeting will probably be held be during week commencing September 26, after the results have been studied. A great evening: The audience at All Saints’ Church were delighted by the polished performance of the Kent Police Male Voice Choir at their concert last Saturday. Throughout the well balanced programme, which included songs from Les Miserables and South Pacific, the choir’s timing, diction, intonation and dynamics were spot on. The highlight of the evening was a moving rendering of This nearly was mine by music director and tenor Martin Rendle. A big thank you is extended to Rhian Banham, who produced a splendid supper, and the committee of the Friends of Ulcombe Church who worked hard to make the evening a great success. Church: There will be a service of Morning Worship at All Saints’ Church on Sunday, September 18 at 11am. Coffee and tea will be served after the service. Smokey Paws Project: See Grafty

Green column. Correspondent: Christine Byron Tel: 01622 812023 Church: On Sunday, September 18, Canon Derek Carpenter will take the 8am service of Communion from the Prayer Book and Becky Bowie and other Sunday’s Cool leaders will take the 10am Family Service. Disinherited: On Wednesday, September 21, the first speaker of the history society’s new programme, is Robert Sackville-West, whose talk Disinherited is about female members of his family who, through various misdemeanours, have been ‘cast out’ of Knole Park. Visitors welcome (£3.50) at the village hall at 7.40pm for tea or coffee with the talk starting at 8pm. Correspondent: Maureen Jopson, 68 Stockett Lane, Coxheath, ME17 4PY Tel: 01622 746086 joplot8@ hotmail.co.uk Little Angels: Little Angels have started their new term. They meet every Friday, during term time, from 1-2.30pm at All Saints. This is a group for toddlers and their parents/carers/guardians to meet up. If you would like any information, phone Becky on 07949646865. Date for diary: The WI will be holding a coffee morning in aid of Macmillan on Thursday September 29 from 11.30am-1pm at the WI hall. Parish council: The next meeting is on Monday September 19 at 7.30pm at The Good Intent. All villagers are welcome to attend. Harvest Supper: Have you got your ticket yet for the Harvest supper? If not, you had better get in quick because two thirds have already been sold. It is on Saturday September 24 at 7pm at All Saints. There is no quiz but you will be entertained with popular music to suit all tastes. There will be an extensive buffet including Terry Ayears’ famous apple pies with cream. A bar will be provided for wine and soft drinks for which donations are invited. Tickets at £10 each can be reserved from Jacky on 07788 433835 or Terry and Ann on 01622 814561. New school term: The school will greatly miss Dorinda Perry, the head teacher who retired last term after five successful years at the school. The new head teacher is Sarah Friend, who has been welcomed by the school community and who is happy to be working here. As the children settle in their new classes with different teachers, Mrs Friend will be getting to know everyone and is already planning the Harvest Festival service. Pre-school: The new term has started with a healthy amount of new children joining Twyford Pre-school. The staff wish to thank all for the gifts they received at the end of last term. There was a great leaving ceremony at Teapot Island, where the children designed a leavers’ t-shirt and enjoyed playing on the new equipment. This term they are looking forward to the Race Night on Saturday, October 15 at the village hall from 7.30pm. The children can’t wait to re-start dinky dancing and dancing with Lucy. Thanks to Sue and Peter Gerrish the hall and garden at the village hall look great for the new term and the children have enjoyed eating the tomatoes they had grown there. Football is back: The season is back at Yalding and Laddingford Football Club, with lots of junior games on the agenda. At the weekend, the Under 14s, having been promoted came from 2 down at half time, to defeat Rotherfield 4-2. The goal scorers were James D 2, James W and Owen. The Under 16s hosted a tough Rochester side but goals came either side of half time from Ryan MacClaine and Wesley Lebrette. Next week the side hosts Ditton on Sunday afternoon in a cup match, and the Under 13s are at home to Range Rovers. New vicar: The institution, induction and installation of the new vicar, The Rev Paul Kish is on Wednesday September 21 at 7.30pm at St Peter & St Paul’s Church, when the Bishop of Rochester and the Archdeacon of Tonbridge will put him into post. Paul is looking forward to his work here and moving, with his wife and family, into the vicarage. GamBLE name change: At the annual GamBLE barbecue at the home of Jeremy and Madison Tenison-Smith, nearly 100 visitors attended a lovely event with food and a varied programme of music including Childe Roland, an electric rock band, our own Relative Minors and ever growing Village Voices. The event raised £1,050 for the charity. This occasion was chosen to relaunch GamBLE as School Gambia in order to reflect the progress of the charity and the direction to be taken in the future. Now that the school is established and recognised by the Gambian education department as one that provides a high standard of education for all of its pupils, the aim is to provide a model of teaching and organisation that can be rolled out to other schools in the country. One of the most exciting developments is the proposed launch of a reading scheme; the first in the country. Well done indeed to Karen and Tony Di Marco who started the charity and school in the year 2000 and have worked tirelessly ever since to promote the project, involving many other Yalding people along the way. Vicarage garden: The churchyard tidying group from Collier Street, known as the Woodpeckers, have kindly paid a visit to our vicarage to tend the overgrown garden there ahead of the new vicar and his family moving. Busy Saturday: September 17 will

see the farmers’ market in the High Street from 10am-1pm, with a whole range of high quality local produce. From 2.30pm, the Yalding Garden Society Autumn Show starts in the village hall, and the Riverside Gallery exhibition will be open from 2-5pm. Baptist service: Holy Communion will be taken at the service at the Baptist Church on Sunday September 18 at 10.30am. Treasure Seekers Sunday School will be open for the children and there will be refreshments after the service. WI craft fair: In an earlier issue, I mistakenly reported that the WI craft fair takes place on October 26, when in fact it is on Saturday October 22 from 10am-3pm at the village hall. Sorry for any confusion. Anyone requiring a stall should call Mary Jakes on 01892 730344. Flooding update: On September 7 the borough council committee members were asked to endorse the proposal that we should get no flood storage areas for the rivers Beult and Teise. Stephen Day of the Medway, Beult and Teise Flood Group and parish council chairman Geraldine Brown addressed the meeting, and the policy and resources committee decided to leave the door open to considering alternative flood prevention measures. Thank you to all who supported this by attending the meeting. A new Joint Parish Flood Group has been formed and work has started with the EA on looking at ideas and options which the group would like considered instead of the previously proposed and later ruled out flood storage areas. What about bellringing: Bell ringing is an intriguing hobby that you may like to try. Yalding has 10 ringers and would love more to join them. They practise every Wednesday from 8-9.45pm. You are invited to go along for a chat, or to try it out any Wednesday. Otherwise call Sally is a loving girl who deserves a chance of happiness. She has been at the kennels since April, but staff are flummoxed as to why she hasn’t had any offers of a new home. They saved her from being put to sleep and are hoping someone will come forward who will appreciate her. The mastiff cross, thought to be two or three years old, is loving Richard Young on 01732 669782 or Jane Bird on 01622 815569. We love cricket: The cricket club finished their season with three straight wins. Their last game against local rivals Hunton CC saw Hunton defeated by six wickets at The Kintons last weekend. The win was Yalding’s third in a row and seventh of the season, securing them a strong mid-table finish to cap a very promising season. Gareth Cross played one of the best innings in recent memory for Yalding, scoring 100, including 6 fours, and 3 sixes. With plenty of strong