By Mike Porter, Parish Council chairman

IT HAS been a very busy year for the council with many projects coming to fruition. You will have seen in the last Gazette the grants that we managed to obtain for the various projects. We have now managed to obtain funding through County Councillor Peter Homewood to have the Ford area cleaned up and railings painted.
He has also agreed to part fund the refurbishment of the War Memorial which includes cleaning the ragstone cross, Portland stone panels, clean and repaint the wrought iron railings and re-consolidation of the flush lead lettering on the Portland stone panels. The remainder of the cost will be met by a grant from the War Memorial Trusts small grants scheme.
The council entered the Trees in Your Village Competition again this year and was awarded highly commended for the variety and care of trees in the parish.
The Halloween dance in October was a great evening and we look forward to the Christmas Dances with Todd Miller and the Joe Loss Orchestra and the New Year Dance with The Peter Eligate Showband with eager anticipation.
Unfortunately, due to illness, I was unable to attend the Remembrance Day services this year. These services are an important event in the parish calendar and I understand they were very well attended this year. It is a time to remember and give grateful thanks to those who gave, and continue to give, their lives for us and I sincerely thank all those people who helped with organising this year’s services and those who took part.
It is with much regret that our neighbourhood PC Andy Dalton left us at the end of October to take up a post at Tonbridge and PC Matt Roddick, who has been our neighbourhood police office for the past five years, left us at the end of November to take up a post at Police Headquarters in Maidstone.
They both made a huge impact in the parish in decreasing crime and anti-social behaviour and also working in partnership with the parish council. We will miss them greatly, but we wish them well for the future.
Due to the resignations of Cllrs. Baker and Lander, we have two new councillors, Cllr. Nigel Newman and Cllr. Mrs Beverley Houghton. We welcome them both and look forward to working with them. To fill the second casual vacancy on the council, a valid request was made by a parishioner for an election to be held, the cost of which has to be borne by the parish and will cost between £2,500 and £3,000.
The council supported many local organisations this year and will again be supporting the Christmas parties for the local school children which are being held at the Community Centre during December.
On behalf of the members of Ditton Parish Council, we look for-ward to serving you during 2010 and we wish you all the compliments of the season and a prosperous 2010.

By Sue Kavanagh, Parish Council clerk

THE Christmas season is once again rapidly approaching and we are already starting to prepare for the Christmas functions being held in the Community Centre.
Over the last two months committees have been busy putting together their budget suggestions for 2010/2011 and these will be scrutinised by the Finance and Administration Committee before being recommended to the full council for adoption in December.
I am currently working on the portfolio of evidence for re-accreditation of the Quality mark which is due for review in January 2010. Having obtained the Quality mark councils are then subjected to a review every four years to ensure they are still complying with the requirements of a quality council.
Members of the Council and myself attended a training evening this year in the use of the new power for councils, the Power of Well Being and I successfully completed the course work to be qualified in exercising the new Power. This Power is very broad and allows councils to ‘promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of their area’.
The council is currently working with councillor and resident volunteers on an emergency self help plan for Ditton which can be activated in the event of a major disaster or emergency until the emergency services arrive and take over. Once it is completed, copies will be made available to residents. If you would like to help with this, be part of the response team or have any medical or other relevant training that would be useful, we would love to hear from you.
We have a lot to do in 2010 and have a busy year ahead of us, but we look forward to the challenge and in serving the parish in 2010. If you have any concerns or questions, we are never too busy to listen to them and if we can’t help, we can always put you in touch with someone who can.
Finally, on behalf of all the parish council staff, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year.
Please note the Parish Office will be closed from Thursday, December 24 to Tuesday, December 29 and also on Friday, January 1, 2010.

Message that offers such hope

The Rev Ross Terranova, Rector of Ditton

THE story of Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation from a greedy miser to generous benefactor and friend to the poor has burnt itself into our minds as the classic tale for Christmas.
Even the most cynical and world weary of us cannot fail to be moved as we see him unlocked from his prison of regret, bitterness and self absorption and is released to look at the world with very different eyes.
But can it really happen? How many of us are really like Scrooge? Is it not just another part of the sentimentalising of Christmas?
The adult human personality is not something you can easily change. All of us are to a great extent products of our past - our parent’s genes, our childhood experiences, our habits, our decisions, our relationships.
John Clare, the poet, once wrote: “If life had a second edition, how I would correct the proofs!” But we are never given that opportunity. We can never turn the clock back, can we?
This lies beyond the range of human possibility. That's where the message of Christmas offers such hope. At its heart is the celebration of the One who came from above into our world into the human situation with all its joys and its inevitable sorrows and changed everything for ever.
As people encountered Him they found that their lives were really turned upside down. It was not religion they found but a transforming encounter with the living God of the universe.
Ebenezer Scrooge never imagined that Christmas Eve that the following day could be so different. Let’s open ourselves this Christmas to the possibility of an encounter with Jesus Christ.

Do you like to sing?

 
YOU have seen it on the telly, how a community came together and a choir was born. You can now be part of this experience!
Next year we are going to attempt to bring together men and women of all age groups with Ditton School Choir to form a choir to sing a wide range of songs at some events next year.
We have a professional musician and others to help achieve this. So please watch this space in the next Gazette. For more information in the New Year there will be flyers at the Community Centre and the church office in New Road.

In the picture

WITH Ditton Minors Football Club growing each year and a whole club photograph not having been taken for many years, under 15s manager Ian Dennison started the ball rolling earlier this year to rectify this.
All of the players, managers and coaches from the many different aged teams, together with all members of the committee, were invited to Ditton Community Centre on Saturday, October 17.
There John Young from DE Photos took a whole club, individual team, family groups and also individual player photos and they were available for purchase on the day and are also available to view at their website on www.dephoto.biz/ditton
There was a great turnout with every team being represented in the photograph.

Minors are all heart

DITTON Minors under 12s are this year playing with added Flower Power and helping to raise money for the Heart of Kent Hospice.
This group of young local footballers are wearing the logo of the Heart of Kent Hospice on their home and away kit thanks to the support of the Nigel and Dawn Dalby, whose son Thomas plays for the team.
Instead of promoting their company, NDM body repairs of Ightham, they set out to help a local cause that touches hearts of too many people.
During all games and social events, raffle tickets are being sold for a donation... The prize, a one off mountain bike with a value in excess of £1,000.
A truly remarkable bike with a polished aluminium frame, front suspension, 27 speed gears, hydraulic disc brakes etc. etc. and graphics of the Heart of Kent Hospice and Ditton Minors.

This superb prize has been donated free of charge by Geoff and Lorraine Robins, parents of Luke, who own and run Motorhouse in Snodland. ALL money raised is going to the Hospice.
The bike can be viewed at Motorhouse, Cycle Shops & Repairs, (tel 01634 246153, 48 Holborough Road, Snodland, Kent, ME6 5PB) and raffle tickets are available there as well. Ditton Minors under 12s train every Friday night at the New Road, Ditton recreation ground and play their home games at Cobdown, so if you would like to come and support this group of lads that have been playing as a team for six years now, you will be made very welcome, and pestered, to buy a raffle ticket! To find out more about the team or make a donation please contact the team manager, Dave Francis, on 07981 430357 or email davethechippy@blueyonder.co.uk

Under 16s go on tour of the Isle of Wight

DURING the October half term break 29 members of Ditton Minors FC under 15s team travelled to the Isle of Wight for a long weekend of football. With only one member of the squad missing due to a family holiday, the 15 boys together with five brothers and nine parents left in five vehicles for the 10.30am ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne.
The accommodation was in a Youth Hostel in Totland Bay on the west coast of the island, and it was absolutely perfect for their needs, nine bedrooms, a large self-catering kitchen and cooked meals available, if required. Jeanette Cornelius did the group proud with her never ending supply of food.
Manager Ian Dennison had arranged three friendly matches. The game against Binstead Youth Rhinos finished 1-1 and in the match against Binstead Youth Bulls, Ditton Minors were victorious 6-1 having played some fantastic football. Unfortunately, due to the terrible weather, gales and driving rain, the final game with Brading Town Colts was cancelled, but thankfully the weather eased when the team travelled back to Portsmouth later in the day. It was a great team bonding experience enjoyed by the boys and parents alike, and the team would like to thank all sponsors involved, especially The Ditton Grill in Woodlands Parade.

Award for Ditton

THE Kent Men of the Trees judged Ditton as being Highly Commended in this year’s Trees in the Village competition. The village was invited to take part by the Kent Men of the Trees, and in the summer Cllr Tony Mulcuck escorted their judge around all the trees in the village, including the quarry, recreation grounds, village green, churchyard and Cobdown. They then sent a letter informing the council that the village had been placed in the top 20 villages in Kent and was judged as Highly Commended and awarded the certificate. They also sent a report on their recommendations for the trees in the village. The aim of the competition is to promote the preservation of healthy trees in the village.

Do your bit and
give wildlife a
helping hand

GIVE nature a helping hand. Why not try creating a pond or tree planting, composting, building raised beds, making boggy areas or building bird or bat boxes? Any piece of ground can be transformed into a haven for wildlife, whether it is at school, in a community space, in your back garden or even on a rooftop.
And a new online guide to creating wildlife habitats will give you all the inspiration you need. No matter how much space you have available, you will find ideas here that can be adapted to suit your needs.
Across the county, Kent’s Countryside Management Partner

ships, supported by Kent County Council, the Kent Eco-Schools Project and the London Borough of Bexley, have collaborated to produce this pack on behalf of the Kent Biodiversity Action Plan.
The guide is the first of its kind in Kent and takes the form of an online series of PDF information sheets that provide a step-by-step guide to creating wildlife habitats in your garden or grounds. As well as a helping with the practical side of creating nature areas, it also includes information on the kinds of wildlife you can expect to attract, planning tips and lots of useful links for further reading and information. Health and safety information is also included.
The pack is available now at www.kentbap.org.uk/creatingareasfornature
Email cmp@kent.gov.uk with your ideas on how you could improve your garden or grounds for wildlife and you will receive a packet of free poppy seeds! For further details, please email cmp@kent.gov.uk or contact Isabel Sturdy at the North West Kent Countryside Partnership, tel 01322 294727.

Some willing and regular residents helping to keep Ditton clean. KCC Warden John Newton helped out and also provided some much needed equipment to try to rid the Nature Reserve of rubbish. He said: “I am trying to involve residents in the task of keeping Ditton litter free.”

Village Show winners

VILLAGE Show trophy winners earlier this year were:

Best in show in vegetables section, Mark Webb, Class 2

Best in show in fruit section, Ted Brown, Class 12

Best in show in flowers section, Keith Davis, Class 36

Flower arranging, Norma Webb, Class 39

Best in show in cooking section, Sandra Foreman, Class 43

Best in show in craft section, Mrs R Fagg, Class 49

Vegetable Olympics, Clive Thwaites, 767 points

Exhibitor with most points, Sandra Foreman, 22 points in cooking section

Len Mace Challenge Cup for most points, Ted Brown, 37 points in vegetable and fruit classes

Best exhibit in show, Keith Davis, Class 36

Runner up with most points, Chris Acott, 38 points in Classes 1-59

Exhibitor with most points, Ted Brown, 43 points in Classes 1-59

  
Scout’s Santa Special