Ditton Parish Council - Parish Announcements

DITTON VILLAGE ARTS FESTIVAL

The Ditton Village Arts Festival is to be held in and around Ditton Junior School on Saturday 11th September 2010 from 11am until 5pm.

A Gallery will exhibit local artist and children's displays of work. Children's art playshops will be in the marquee with face painting, storytelling and other fun activities with Almond Greenway. On sale are original silver jewellery, beads, ceramics and fabrics. Eat out at the Village Chippy and Markes Ices.

Free admission, car parking at Ditton Community Centre. See the poster.

*Indoor Markets at Ditton Community Centre*
*DATE*	*ORGANISATION*	*STALL BOOKINGS*
17.10.10	Animal Welfare	01622 812195
24.10.10	Twinning Association	01732 844195
07.11.10	2374 Squadron	07948 289 101
21.11.10	Animal Welfare	01622 812195
28.11.10	Ditton Heritage	01732 844195
05.12.10	2374 Squadron	07948 289 101
23.01.11	Heritage Trust	01732 844195
06.02.11	2374 Squadron	07948 289 101
06.03.11	2374 Squadron	07948 289 101

A PARISH COMMUNITY SELF HELP PLAN

Ditton Parish Council is considering the development of a parish self help plan for Ditton which can be put into action in the unlikely event of an emergency situation which threatens serious damage to human welfare, the environment or the security of the UK.

The plan would be developed in conjunction with Kent County Council, to produce a strategy to enable the parish to activate an initial response to an emergency until the professional emergency services arrive.

The aim of the plan would be to identify a Community Response Team Leader and volunteer Team Members, who would activate the plan, manage resources, deliver vital information and give reassurance to residents. It would identify a manned point of contact for information, identify the locations of rest accommodation and facilities, identify volunteers with specific skills and identify and list useful equipment and its location.

If you have any knowledge or interest in assisting with developing an emergency plan, have any skills that would be useful in an emergency situation i.e. Doctor, Nurse, First Aider, Vet, Fire Fighter, Plumber, Mechanic, Farmer, volunteer etc., or have any equipment that would be useful i.e. tractor, trailer, portable generator, water pumps, medical supplies, chain saw, 4x4, ropes, etc., and would like to be involved in this project, please contact the Clerk to Ditton Parish Council, Sue Kavanagh, on 01732 844749, email here.

TONBRIDGE & MALLING CD-ROM 2000 -2010

Back in 1999/2000 Peter Ellis created a CD-ROM as part of the Millennium Archive which covered the histories, peoples and activities of each Parish.

Now Peter is creating an updated version concentrating on the first 10 years of the Millennium and is looking for contributions to show a rounded view of each Town and Village in the Borough and their residents, clubs etc..

If you have anything that you feel needs to be included, please contact Peter on pafellis@hotmail.co.uk or by telephone on 01732 503562.

Nothing is too small as each item will have a least one page and some have over 20. Illustrations are very welcome with minimal text descriptions. Slide shows of photo entries will have a musical background – or commentary if you wish to have one.

Share Your Memories

Do you have memories, photographs and stories of the Medway Gap and how it has changed over the years?

Would you like to help record other people’s memories? If so we would like to hear from you.

Information gathered from the Medway Memories project will be used by Valley of Visions in interpreting key sites within the Medway Gap. It will also be used to encourage people to learn about, celebrate and explore their local heritage.

This exciting oral history project builds on the fascinating project ‘People and Work in the Lower Medway Valley 1750-1900’ undertaken by Victoria County History.

Contact Details are:

Valley of Visions Landscape
Partnership Scheme,
The Cedars, Holborough Road
Snodland, Kent ME6 5PW
Tel: 01634 242826
Email: mail@vov.kentdowns.org.uk
Website: www.valleyofvisions.org.uk

Currently, (November 2009) we do not have a dedicated Police Constable as Matt and Andy have moved on from Ditton to another area. If you have any concerns about unlawful or unacceptable behaviour in Ditton, please make contact with one of the members of the Neighbourhood Policing & Community Team.

Each year the Environmental Health section at the Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council receives a large number of complaints alleging nuisance due to smoke from garden bonfires.

Whilst it is accepted that people will light bonfires from time to time to dispose of garden refuse, it should be noted that this may well cause nuisance and annoyance to neighbours and prevent them from enjoying the use of their garden. Because of this, it is the least acceptable method of disposal; the most preferred being to compost the garden waste. If this is not practicable it should be taken to a local Waste Disposal Site, e.g.

We suggest that the following guidelines will help to prevent a smoke nuisance from being caused:

1. Compost as much garden refuse as is possible and burn only when there is no other reasonable method of disposal.

2. Garden refuse should be dry before burning and care must be taken to add material to the fire only in small quantities. The sudden heaping of large quantities of refuse onto the fire will produce large quantities of smoke. The Golden Rule to follow is to feed the fire little and often.

3. Never add household refuse, plastic or rubber materials to the fire or sump oil to try to light it.

4. Site the bonfire as far away from neighbouring properties as is possible.

5. Do not light a bonfire when the weather conditions will cause problems. The bonfire should only be lit when the wind is light and steady, and in a direction that will cause the least annoyance to neighbours.

6. Bonfires can be dangerous and should never be unattended. Do not allow the fire to smoulder, as this too creates large quantities of smoke; dowse it properly with soil or water.

There are no byelaws currently in force within Tonbridge & Malling Borough to control the lighting of bonfires. However, under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, smoke and ash from a bonfire that is causing nuisance to persons in the vicinity can be deemed to be an offence, rendering the person having the bonfire liable to prosecution. It is not the Council's wish generally to take legal action when you are undertaking activities within your home and we suggest that consideration to neighbours along the lines mentioned above, will go a long way towards preventing a nuisance from being caused.

Further information can be obtained by contacting Environmental Health at the TMBC Council Offices, Gibson Building, Gibson Drive, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent ME19 4LZ, telephone number (01732) 844522.

Highway faults can be reported direct to Kent Highway Services on 08458 247 800 or via the website at www.kent.gov.uk. Anyone wishing to report faults via the post can do so on the report cards which are available from the Ditton Parish Office or local main library.

Share your journey, share your costs!

Kentcarshare is a free, simple, secure, internet-based service that enables you to register your car journey on-line and match drivers and passengers with those who do similar journeys, sharing driving costs and reducing congestion.

Over 1,750 are now members of Kentcarshare since the launch by Kent County Council in September 2005 and more and more people are discovering the benefits of carsharing. New members join by registering for free on the site www.kentcarshare.com/ and record their journeys. The system matches those travelling similar journeys and members then make the arrangements to start car sharing.

More than 1700 people countywide have already joined the scheme. As a result they have reduced the number of miles travelled on Kent's roads by over a million miles a year. Kent has one of the largest road networks in the country and the volume of traffic creates a high demand for road maintenance.

Every user who signs up to the scheme will be entered into a free prize draw for a year's car tax.

To find out more, or register visit www.kentcarshare.com/

Did you know there are Brownies in Ditton?

Being a Brownie is an adventure with lots of exciting and challenging things to make and do - come and have an adventure on Wednesday evenings.

We meet at the Guide & Brownie Headquarters, Kilnbarn Road on Wednesdays 6.00pm to 7.15pm.

We are currently recruiting and you need to be between the ages of 7 - 10 years to join.

Ditton Parish Council *...in the Garden of England...*
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