What’s happening where you live...

village magazine relies on volunteers. With extra dwellings being occupied there will be new areas requiring monthly deliveries. If you can spare an hour of your time to help with the delivery contact Jackie Bevan on 01622 859310 for details. Time for whist: Go along to the Ambrose hall, Church Road on Friday, February 2 at 7.30pm, where you will receive a warm welcome from the whist club members. Entry fee of £2.50 per person includes refreshments served at the half time break. If you have recently moved to the village and enjoy whist, pop in and find out more. All welcome. Craft and chat: Join the craft club on Saturday, February 3 from 1pm-4pm in the Booth hall, Church Road. There are always interesting projects on offer, or if you prefer you can work on your own project. This session will be making embroidered cards, there is a beaded design where you will be stitching the wisteria design or alternatively the lovebirds design which uses metallic threads. New members always welcome to join. Details from Hazel on 01622 851885. Valentine time: A three course menu will be served at the Valentine’s dinner to be held on Saturday, February 10 in the village hall at 7pm for 7.30pm until 11.30pm. Entertainment will be provided by Chris Gillard, a swing singer. Tickets (to be purchased in advance) at £25 per person and there is a licenced bar. The funds raised will go towards the War Memorial Paving Project being organised by the Harrietsham History Society. Tickets available from Peter Brown on 01622 851075 or Carole Bell on 01622 850664. Hearty broth: Try a warming bowl of homemade soup with crusty bread provided by the Friends of St John the Baptist on Saturday, February 10 from 10am-noon. All profits are for the Friends who support the church by organising several projects to enhance, maintain and improve the fabric of the building. The 100 Club lottery draw also takes place during the Soup Saturday. If you would like details of the lottery, contact Chris Roots 01622 851885. Correspondent: Margo McFarlane, 13 Mercer Drive, Harrietsham, ME17 1AY Tel: 01622 859682 Collectors fair: The popular antiques and collectors fair will be held on Sunday, February 11 from 9.30am-2.30pm at the community centre, Groom Way. Admission £1 per person. Details on 0777 4407406 Knitting group: If you enjoy knitting or would like to learn a new skill, then go along to the community centre, Groom Way and join the County Ways knitters. The friendly group meet in the Appleton room on the first and third Monday of each month, the next meeting will be Monday, February 5 from 1.30pm-4.30pm. Call in anytime during the session for an informal chat or contact Margaret on 01622 858581. Spring clean: Can you spare a couple of hours to help give St Mary’s church, the Square a spring clean? The church is a busy community meeting place and would benefit from some extra elbow grease to help the congregation polish the wooden pews and dust the shelves. If cleaning is not your first choice perhaps you could offer some help to tidy the church yard, weeding and pruning the bushes, litter picking and tidying up the grass areas. If you volunteer on a Saturday morning you can have a cup of coffee at the regular coffee morning meeting from 10am-noon. All offers of help much appreciated. Contact 0622 850604. Wool needed: The messy church team encourage children, parents, carers and grandparents to meet at St Marys the Square on Wednesdays during term time. Drop in anytime from 10.30amnoon for coffee, chat, friendship and activities for the children. The team need any spare wool or ribbon for a project on Saturday, February 10 at 4pm in St John the Baptist church at Harrietsham. Drop any spare wool etc in to the church. Many thanks. Fitness fun: During term time on every Tuesday from 9am-9.45am at St Marys church, the Square, join the fitness group. New members welcome, details at the church. Parish council: The planning committee meet on Monday, February 5 at 7.30pm in the Appleton room at the community centre, Groom Way. The public are welcome to attend. The committee will be considering applications 18/500255/FULL Loft conversion including the installation of two dormers at Dickley Wood Ashford Road; 18/500264/FULL conversion of existing garage to create annex accommodation. 109 High Street. Public participation is at the beginning of the meeting. Details on 01622 859682. Bridge club: The well established and popular bridge club meets every Thursday from 1.30pm4.30pm in the Osborne room at the community centre, Groom Way. New members are welcome to attend; for details contact Keith Rylands on 01622 891964. Toddler time: The mother and toddler group meet every Tuesday (during term time) in the main hall at the community centre, Groom Way from 9.30am-11.30am. A wide range of activities is offered, including painting and crafts, reading corner, soft play and bikes and trikes. New families to the parish are most welcome to attend, refreshments are available, simply pop in for an informal chat during the session. Rugs galore: Have you ever considered making your own personalised rugs? If so, why not go along to the community centre on Wednesday, February 14, and pop into the Osborne room, where a group of rug makers will be busy creating colourful rugs between 9am and 1pm. The group love to share their skills and welcome new members from beginners to skilled. If you would like to know more give Sandra a ring on 0166 859102. PARISH COUNCIL: The new speed indicator device (SID) had been ordered from KCC and would be installed within the next eight weeks. Cllrs Scrivens and Walmsley, along with the village handyman, will travel to Wingham to meet with representatives from Wingham Parish Council, who have a SID system in place. On Thursday, February 1, they will see how the equipment is moved and data downloaded. Councillors will take responsibility for downloading the data from the equipment and producing monthly reports. The handyman would take responsibility for charging the batteries and re-positioning the unit. Five poles had been ordered, three for the village and two for Platts Heath. The unit would be regularly moved between the five positions. The final positions of the poles would be decided by KCC highways following a road safety audit. Details on 01622 859682. The parish council meets in the Osborne room at the community centre, Groom Way on Wednesday, February 7 at 7.30pm. Parishioners are welcome to attend and there is a public participation section at the beginning of the meeting from 7.30-7.50pm. Three parishioners have shown an interest in joining the council to represent the south ward, Platts Heath, Lenham Heath and Sandway. Details on 01622 859682. Wives group: The Loose Valley Wives Group meet on Wednesday, February 7 at 7.3pm in All Saints’ Church. The speaker for the evening will be a volunteer from the 2012 Olympics. Visitors are welcome to all meetings and information may be had from the leader, Marion Cooper on 744850. Please note that there will be no meeting on February 14 as it is Ash Wednesday. Planning: There will be a meeting of the parish council’s planning committee on Monday, February 5 at 7.30pm at the parish pavilion, Walnut Tree Lane. The public are welcome to attend. Agendas can be found on the council website (www.loosepc. kentparishes.gov.uk) or on the notice-boards along the Loose/ Linton Road (outside Loose Primary School, top of Old Loose Hill (post office end) and corner of Holmesdale Close). Correspondent: Tim Mumford Mob: 07736592918 Cheeki Monkeys: Baby and children’s market, full of pre-loved goods, at Invicta Grammar School on Saturday, February 3 from noon-2pm. Entry £1, children free. Pizza and music: Kent-based singer-songwriter Aid Lewis will bring his psychedelia-tinged folk-rock originals to the stage at Pizza Express on Thursday, February 1 from 8.30pm. Entry £10. For information, phone 01622 683548. Hi Kent: Diary date: Photographs: The Maidstone Camera Club meets at Madginford Hall, Egremont Road, Bearsted on a Tuesday from 7.30-10pm and new members are welcome. February 6 will be the President’s Cup competition with submissions for the third monthly PDI competition. On February 13, the subject is Life of a Hare by Russell Miles. Contact Tony White Embroiderers’ Guild: Archaeology: Correspondent: Mo Clayton Tel: 01622 831529 Community lunch: Enjoy a community lunch at the Vestry Hall on Monday, February 19 at 12.30pm. An inexpensive home cooked two-course lunch with good company. If you feel you can help by joining the team of cooks, you will be welcomed. Phone Janet for information or transport on 01622 831256. Half term fun: Fun and activities for primary aged school children take place from Monday to to Wednesday, February 12-14 from 9.30am-noon at the Vestry Hall. For information contact Mara Lane on 01622 833121 or youthandchildren@mardenchurch.org.uk Singing for Pleasure: Enjoy singing with others on Thursdays February 8 and 22 from 2-3pm, with refreshments served 3-3.30pm. The cost is £1 per session. Contact Sarah on 01622 832925 or Marden Medical Centre on 01622 831257. Sessions are at Marden Congegational Church Hall. Horticultural society: A short annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 13 in the Vestry Hall at 7.30pm. This will be followed by a talk by Colin Moat. He is from Pineview Plants at Wrotham Heath, and his talk is entitled 50 Shades of Grey. Colin, together with Cindy Moat, run Pineview Plants in Wrotham Heath, a nursery offering a wide range of perennial plants ranging from rare, new or unusual, to Correspondent: Alison Dickerson, 75 Chatham Road, Sandling, Maidstone, ME14 3BB Tel: 01622 762334 British Sugarcraft Guild: The next meeting will be on Monday February 5 at St Paul’s Church Hall, Boxley Road at 7.30pm. The demonstration will be Wiring Flowers by Carolyn Harvey. Entry for members costs £5, visitors £5, students 50p. For details contact Carol Bunch carolbunch2@gmail. com or carmichael747@gmail.com Correspondent: Alison Dickerson, 75 Chatham Road, Sandling, Maidstone, ME14 3BB Tel: 01622 762334 Tyland Barn: On Friday, February 16, Tyland Barn is holding a Wiggly Wild Show with sessions from 1-2pm and 2.30-3.30pm. An entertaining show by a qualified ranger about unusual live exotic animals such as stick insects, beetles and giant millipedes, with some crazy props for the volunteers! There will also be a