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PARISH of COBHAM & LUDDESDOWNE with DODE
Rev Angela Walker
Church Office (01474) 813495
The Vicarage, Battle Street, Cobham, DAl2 3DB (01474) 814332
Pastoral Assistant
Janet Weaver, 36 Highview, Vigo Village, DA13 ORR (01732) 823936
SUBMISSIONS Cobham and Luddesdowne News is a community magazine
that is produced by and for the residents of Cobham, Sole Street and Luddesdown.
We welcome all contributions of local interest. Please send material for inclusion by the 15th of the month
preceding publication to [email protected]
Hello everyone
Thank you so much for the positive feed-back I received regarding last
month’s online magazine. I hope that as people start to emerge from this
latest lockdown and plans begin to be made there will be more content for
you to enjoy. In the meantime, if there is anything you would like to see
included please let me know.
As the Cobham & Luddesdowne magazine steps in to the digital age I was
reminded just how long the magazine had been going and it seems timely to
pay tribute to all the volunteers that have kept it going for so many years;
from my editorial predecessors to the contributors, distributors, printers
and the paper carriers. The production of the paper magazine is a
herculean task and has always been undertaken by volunteers who
recognise the importance of community. I do hope that when possible
paper copies will, once again, be available.
As you may be aware I stood down as the Parish Clerk at the end of last
year, I truly enjoyed my three and a half years in the role and will continue
to support the parish council as they move forward with their plans to
improve the parish and support parishioners. My successor, Charles is
settling in well and finding his way around the many jobs and duties the
clerk is responsible for, I know that he is working hard to familiarise himself
with the parish and its many organisations, Charles can be contacted by
emailing [email protected] I know you will make him feel
welcome.
Have a lovely Easter. Tina
P.S Thanks to Adrian for the lovely front page photograph.
What has Cobham Parish Council
been doing? The fitting of bollards along The Street
The bollards were installed along The Street in Cobham
on 19th February 2021. Cobham Parish Council
worked closely with Kent County Council Highways,
our County Councillor and Borough Councillor, Cllr Tony Rice to set up
this scheme. The idea is to prevent vehicles from mounting the kerbs and
driving along the pavements when vehicles are unable to pass each other.
This was not safe for pedestrians using the pavements and vehicles were
passing very close to residents’ front doors. The layby by St Mary Magdalene
Church has had the parking removed to allow cars to wait and pass each
other before the narrow section of The Street. Signage will also be installed
at the Halfpence Lane roundabout to discourage motorists from driving
through Cobham village. The scheme is for a trial period to see how the
scheme is working and whether traffic will be using other roads. Residents
are encouraged to give their feedback to the scheme to the clerk on
[email protected] and this will be fed back to KCC Highways.
Parking around the village
Cobham Parish Council has been working with Gravesham Borough Council
and Kent Police to deal with the parking along Church Road and outside the
Woodland Trust car park in Ashenbank Wood. Traffic wardens have been
out and about issuing tickets to several cars and Parish Councillors had a
useful meeting with local police officers to discuss the issues of parking. The
police have been speaking to motorists at weekends, who leave their cars
around Halfpence Lane and Cobhambury Road. Cobham Parish Council will
continue to monitor the situation which may change as the Covid
19 restrictions are eased.
Community Grant Application Form
The Community Grant Application Form is for organisations within Cob-
ham Parish who would like to apply for a grant from Cobham Parish Coun-
cil. Please contact the clerk for further details.
Website Survey
There is a survey on the Cobham Parish Council website and Facebook
page for residents to give their views on what improvements they would
like to see in Cobham, Sole Street and Ifield. Do take some time to com-
plete this as your views are important.
Need a Plumber? Your local plumber is
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VAT Sole Free Trader
23rd April: St George and Hiccup
Have you seen the film How to Train your Dragon? It’s set in a Viking village
under attack from dragons, who steal livestock and burn down houses. Hic-
cup, the village Chief’s son, invents a machine to capture dragons. However,
when he catches one of the most dangerous dragons, he cannot kill it, when
he sees that the dragon is just as frightened as he is. Through this friend-
ship, the people and dragons eventually learn to live in harmony.
This month we celebrate St George, the patron saint of England. He is fa-
mous for slaying a dragon, a tradition which became popular in the Middle
Ages. Whether he killed an actual dragon is open to question! However, we
do know that the original George was a Roman soldier at the time of Em-
peror Diocletian. He refused to renounce his faith, as commanded by the
Emperor, resulting in his death on 23 April 303 AD.
The contrast is clear: St George slayed the evil dragon, while Hiccup re-
fused to kill one. However, they also have something important in common.
Both acted according to their conscience, defying the popular understanding
of those around them and not worrying about the personal cost to them-
selves. St George was martyred for standing up for his faith in Jesus before
a pagan emperor, while Hiccup risked rejection by his father and village be-
cause of his compassion.
Today, we are still called to stand for Christ against wrongs and injustice in
daily life, whatever the personal cost. However, we also need to be ready
to look our enemies in the eye and meet their hostility with love and com-
passion. This is why we also remember this month that Jesus died and rose
again, so that we might have God’s power to do this in our lives.
SOLE STREET WI
WI WOMEN IN ACTIVISM PRO-
JECT was a craft project rather
than a competition to create a
banner or pennant for any future
marches which we submitted in an
online photo for National Federa-
tion exhibition & the International
Women’s Day exhibition (8th
March).
“The banner’s crimson fabric is
backed by calico to add strength
and the pictograms added on felt.
At the top is an artistic representa-
tion of Sole Street. We are a small
rural Institute with many apple or-
chards so six campaigns are illus-
trated on apples on branches:
Save Our Farmers
Save Our Bees
Violence Against Women
Microparticles Contamination
Modern Slavery
Against Food Waste
Our own Institute topics are de-
picted on the calico leaves : talks,
book clubs, walks, crafts, new
skills, new interests, friendship,
companionship, fun & laughter, outing & meals out, competitions, communi-
ty support (eg participation in Local Fundraising Group for St Mary’s Church
Room, annual community events, Gravesend Food Bank...).”
In September Sole Street WI hopes to resume meetings 4th Tuesday of the
month at 7.30pm in St Mary’s Church Room (opposite The Little Shop). We
have continued to hold social gatherings throughout the year in line with
government restrictions and have already planned our summer activities.
New members will receive a warm friendly welcome.
For further information, please telephone. Yvonne 01474 813455.
Cobham and Luddesdown WI
Facebook for our WI. Jenny had a Zoom group meeting
with the Federation recently and it was suggested that our
WI had a Facebook group. This will not replace any cur-
rent form of communication and will be used to inform
members of WI news. Members will also be encouraged to
share anything they feel of interest to the group.
It has been under a trial and operational for a few weeks and now we’d like
to invite our members to join the group.
Members can go to Facebook, and then at the top of the screen, type:
Cobham and Luddesdown WI
You may need to scroll down the screen (past the Craft Group) until you
see it. Then click Join, and answer the questions. Members will need an
Admin to admit them to the group so it is likely it will not be instantane-
ous.
Chelsea Flower Show moves to the autumn
For the first time ever in its 108-year history, Chelsea Flower Show will
not be held in the Spring, but in the Autumn.
The 2021 Chelsea Flower Show will now take place from 21st to 26th
September. The Royal Horticultural Society, the show organisers, will
still hold it at the Royal Hospital in Chelsea.
The hope is that by September, millions more people will be vaccinated,
so that mass outdoor events will be able to happen safely. 140,000 peo-
ple are predicted to attend this year’s Chelsea, over the six days.
Sue Biggs, RHS director general, says: “We believe many designers and
nurseries will look forward to working with different plants that would
not be available or at their best in May. We will do our utmost to de-
liver a beautiful, uplifting and different RHS Chelsea safely in September
2021.”
LUDDESDOWN PARISH COUNCIL
Proposed Meeting Dates for 2021-2022
Monday 17th May 2021
Monday 19th July 2021
Monday 20th September 2021
Monday 18th October 2021 – Budget Meeting
Monday 15th November 2021
Monday 17th January 2022
Monday 21st March 2022 - APM
COBHAM PARISH COUNCIL MEETING DATES 2021
All starting at 7.30pm and on Zoom until further notice
If you wish to attend a meeting please contact the clerk for joining
instructions. [email protected]
Monday 8th February 2021
Monday 8th March 2021
Monday 12th April 2021 Annual Parish Assembly*
Monday 10th May 2021 Annual Parish Meeting
Monday 7th June 2021
Monday 5th July 2021
Monday 6th September 2021
Monday 4th October 2021
Monday 8th November 2021
Monday 6th December 2021
Depending on Covid 19 restrictions at that time
Can it be Easter Already?
Can it be Easter already?
Can that be really so?
The carols and the Christmas tree
Don’t seem that long ago!
Can it be Easter already?
Do April showers splash?
The weeks gone by since Christmas day
Have gone in just a flash!
Can it be Easter already?
The time of Lent has passed
The forty days and forty nights
Went by so very fast.
If it is Easter already,
That time has sped away.
Perhaps it’s time to ponder, pause
And savour every day!
By Nigel Beeton
SPRING (Acrostic Poem)
Spring has arrived with armfuls of blos-
som,
Petals of every colour and hue,
Rain and sun caressing the earth
Inspiring spring bulbs to come into view
Now is the time of new beginnings
Giving us pleasure all season through.
By Megan Carter
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Expensive boat
A vicar was planning an Easter pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and was aghast
when she found it would cost her £50 an hour to rent a boat on the Sea of
Galilee. She protested to the travel agent that the cost was ridiculous.
‘That might be true,’ replied the travel agent, ‘but you have to take into
account that the Sea of Galilee is water on which our Lord himself walked.’
‘Well, at £50 an hour for a boat,’ she replied, ‘I am not surprised!’
Saying good-bye
An inexperienced curate was sent to do a graveside burial for a homeless
man with no family or friends. Not knowing where the cemetery was, he
made several wrong turns and got lost. When he eventually arrived, the
hearse was nowhere in sight, the backhoe was next to the open hole, and
the workmen were sitting under a tree eating lunch.
When the curate looked into the open grave and even found the vault lid
was already in place, he felt very guilty. The homeless man deserved some-
thing, even though it was late. And so, the curate delivered an impassioned
burial service, sending the deceased into the great beyond in some style.
The workmen looked on in silence, but as the curate returned to his car, he
overheard one of the workmen remark:
‘I’ve been putting in septic tanks for 20 years and I ain’t never seen anything
like that!’
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THE MEADOW ROOM
COBHAM
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Hire rates start at £36.50 for a session
Contact us or visit the website for full
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Or email
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Sole Street
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North Kent Embroiderers’ Guild
Hello everyone, a member writing this month’s article.
Here is Jill with her lockdown experiences…..
As a new member of the Embroiderers’ Guild I would like
to say thank you for the warm welcome I have received at
meetings and more recently in the Zoom calls. Who would
have predicted this time last year that day to day living
would have changed so much, but it has presented both opportunities and
challenges (one of them being writing something for the newsletter). I
would like to say that I have achieved a lot but despite everything, time
seems to go by so quickly, but there are a few things I have discovered:
• I have completed some projects that would have stayed in the cupboard
so I now have bags, cushions, an apron, sewing machine cover and peg bag,
all fully decorated, and even managed 6 advent calendars from panels ac-
quired over the years which were well received by the family
• despite the number of face masks made for friends and family there does
not seem to be a dent in the fabric stock
• modern technology does have its benefits once you have got past getting it
to work. You can see people as well as talking but it does not replace meet-
ing in person although you may be in contact more frequently than normal
• taking a daily walk means most days you see someone for a friendly chat,
you also appreciate local amenities and I hope the local teashop will reopen
for the cakes and also meeting up with people both planned and unplanned
• knowing that I have enough projects of all sorts and don’t need any more
but it does not mean I will not be tempted by the ‘have to haves’ I will just
have to be a more discerning shopper, particularly if quilt and sewing shows
return.
Whilst I have plenty to keep me occupied (which includes mastering the
overlocker that has finally found its way out of the box, revisiting lace mak-
ing and reading two books lent to me before lockdown) I am looking for-
ward to the time when "social distancing" will be a thing of the past but I
wonder what it will be called perhaps "social mingling" who knows. Anyway
looking forward to meeting up in person with everyone hopefully in the not
too distant future.
If you are interested in joining us, then please look at our website https://
northkentembroiderers.co.uk/or email us at:
[email protected] or contact our Chairman, Eileen Tuff
on 01474 324734
Happy stitching, Karen
A Garden(ers’) Path
Following of the Government’s Roadmap out of Lockdown, Cobham Gar-
deners’ Society have announced a new date for their Summer Show, Satur-
day 26th June 2021. The plan is then to follow this with an event each
month through to Christmas. Expert guest speakers are being booked as
we go to press, more details in next month’s issue. Due to Covid re-
strictions the Spring Show and the expert speakers in March and May have
been cancelled.
Whatever is happening in the world, your garden keeps growing and regu-
lar attention is required to keep it looking at it’s best. Each month we pub-
lish
in this magazine the RHS top tips for the month ahead.
Here’s the RHS Top 10 Jobs for April.
1 Keep weeds under control
2 Protect fruit blossom from late frosts
3 Tie in climbing and rambling roses
4 Sow hardy annuals and herb seeds
5 Start to feed citrus plants
6 Increase the water given to houseplants
7 Feed hungry shrubs and rose
8 Sow new lawns or repair bare patches
9 Prune fig trees
10 Divide bamboos and waterlilies
Interested in joining Cobham Gardners’ Society - It’s only a modest £8
for the year – money you get back from free entry into all Gardeners’ expert
speaker talks and massive savings of up to 50% on quality plants at local garden
centres.
For further details visit www.cobhamgardeners.com or email Cob-
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KCC TRADING STANDARDS APPROVED
How have you kept your spirits up during lockdown?
The past twelve months have been very different for all of us, no hugs, no
family, no shopping, no school, no sport, no concerts, no church, no -
thing!! Twelve months ago, on Monday 23rd March, Boris Johnson an-
nounced lockdown- the first one was sort of OK, there was the garden to
sort out, spring cleaning to be done, reading to catch up on, attend Zoom
meetings, baking banana loaves and of course, learning how to home school,
etc...
When it got to lockdown number 3 just before Christmas, the novelty was
beginning to wear thin until…… had you thought of looking for, and count-
ing your blessings? I must confess, I hadn’t really thought of doing that but
then someone suggested a book – ‘One Thousand Gifts’ by Ann Voskamp.
I began to read what Ann had written and she had suffered far more than
me, but she began to count her ‘gifts’ which got me thinking and looking.
She was determined to reach 1000 gifts and made a note of them as they
occurred, so feeling challenged by her, I decided to begin this last autumn.
Wow, there are masses of gifts just waiting for you to see them -
There was a stunning brilliant red sunrise, snuggling up under the duvet, a
robin watching me as I garden, hearing the worship song ‘The Lord’s My
Shepherd and I will Trust in Him’, snowdrops peeping through the earth,
the snow and a pheasant in my garden, unexpected acts of kindness by
neighbours and friends, hearing birds singing, an unexpected email or phone
call, a reminder that I am the apple of God’s eye! We may think we are hard
done by and are fed up with lockdown, but remember there are gifts out
there, you just need to spot them!
I began my list on 11 October 2020 and today, 28 February 2021, I am up to
293 gifts which God has given me for nothing!
Veronica
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Cobham Amateur Dramatic Society.
Like most organisations our usual CADS activities stopped last March and
rehearsals for the then Spring Play were cancelled.
However, during last Summer, when permitted to do so, the organisation
met in small groups in the open, for informal play readings. Villagers may
have noticed a tiny group of socially distanced people sitting in a large circle
on the Meadow, next to the Meadow Room, and this was possibly a CADS
play reading.
Since then, the development of Zoom and increasing expertise of the group,
has enabled us to rehearse and put into production two Radio Plays for the
Kent Drama Festival this Summer. Thanks to Roger Hodge, who wrote one
of the plays and the technological assistance of James Blackett, who amalga-
mated all our efforts, two One Act Plays have been completed for the Festi-
val.
Members have enjoyed the weekly meeting on line so much, that Roger has
produced another radio play which will be rehearsed during March and
April.
We recognise that many of our loyal audience will have missed our live per-
formances and regulations permitting, CADS hope to stage an Autumn Pro-
duction in the Meadow Room in November. Further details will be circulat-
ed when available and confirmed.
Many thanks for your future support.
Ron
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Hello-
The editor and dad left me – yes they left me when they went to get their
covid injection! I couldn’t believe it, I hadn’t been on my own for so long
and then they were gone all day- well that’s what it felt like. I barked and I
rub my nose on the glass door (editor wasn’t happy about that) they had
left the radio on and treats had been hidden around for me to find, but it
was horrible. When they came home I was soooooo happy and a bit drib-
bly. I suppose that things are changing again with children going back to
school and I expect they must feel strange too. I hope that school went
well and that you enjoyed seeing your friends. I know I will get used to the
family going out again just as long as they always come home!
Have a lovely choccy Easter
Love and licks Harvey
Wordsearch Clues and Answers April 2021
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! April brings us to Easter – the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - the triumphant highlight of the Christian year. As St Paul pointed out, unless Jesus really did rise again, our faith is useless, and we may as well forget any hope of heaven or eternal life.
Passover bread Wine body Blood betrayal Jerusalem Pilate Judas Gethsemane Trial crucifixion Soldiers
cross nails vinegar temple curtain tomb
Angel stone risen gardener Mary
