EV ENTS ARRANGED BY THE WILMINGTON ME MORIAL HALL MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

Saturday, 8th June: Barn Dance with “Abbey Capers Barn Dance Band” plus sausage and chip supper.

The drinking fountain in Common Lane is dedicated to Emily Martha Lumb, but how many people know who she was?

Tickets £13 per person

She was the daughter of a Shropshire clergyman but had lived in Wilmington for many years being Governess to the Crozier children of Wilmington Hall.

14th September, Quiz Evening; 19th October, Fish & Chip Supper followed by FB Pocket Orchestra; 7th December Christmas Cabaret Evening with supper

Emily was an accomplished musician and often performed in religious settings. She was a performer and assistant at the Mission Hall in Dartford and took a deep interest in the Temperance Movement and other improving works in the Parish and was very highly regarded. She also conducted the ‘Band of Hope’ in Dartford.

For tickets & details please telephone Barbara Field 01322 226695 All proceeds to Wilmington Memorial Hall Funds

The Wilmington Society

She lived for many years with the Miss’s Heberden, daughters of the Rev. Heberden, long time Vicar of Wilmington.

At the Society’s AGM the Chairman, John Strachan, explained that after 16 years he was standing down as Chairman although, as no one had offered to take this role on, he agreed to remain a ommittee member while the role of Chairman would be taken by other

After referring to the Society’s outing to Chapel Down Winery, Tenterden and Merriments Garden he highlighted various activities over the years ranging from revamping the area in front of the Memorial Hall to contributing towar ds the cost of the Village entry signs and the purchase of the flower planters. Comments on numerous planning applications had also been made and with four meetings a year the £3 annual subscription plus £2 admission at each meeting represented good value for money for its 160 members.

In the summer of 1904 she went to St Leonards on Sea to visit one of her old pupils where she was taken ill and died. Her funeral was held at Hailsham and was attended by three sisters and a brother. She was greatly missed in Wilmington for her readiness to assist with good works. She was 71.

John also mentioned that he was standing down after chairing the Village Fair Committee for the last 12 years. At the Parish Council’s Christmas Gathering the Mayor of Dartford, Cllr. David Mote, had presented him with a “C ertificate of Appreciation” from the Council for his involvement with the Fair.

Jean Radford HERITAGE CENTRE

Following the AGM, John introduced representatives of the Bexley Audio and Visual Group. Members were then treated to a number of presentations including African wildlife, ballet and an outstanding sequence celebrating the wild beauty of Iceland. John Strachan

All Season S Garden Maintenance

Are you looking for a hall to hire for a special occasion or regular event?

All garden maintenance work undertaken

St Michael’s Church Hall is available for hire

Grass/hedge cutting, Border maintenance

Pressure washing

Lawn scarifying and lawn treatment

Located close to the church. With kitchen facilities and a large floor area. Some parking at the rear and on the road outside it makes a great venue.

Fully insured and references available

Tel 01322 423063 Mobile 07984 594704 e-mail: boaz26@live.co.uk

£8 per hour for regular bookings and £25 per hour for one off events such as children’s parties. To book the hall contact : chambers.jenny@gmail.com

John Rouse

John Rouse

MAFHP MCFHP

MAFHP MCFHP bit” a foot massage with a quality foot cream.

Foot Health

Professional

Foot Health Professional

In the comfort of your own home, we are able to offer treatment of:

In the comfort of your own home we are able to offer treatment of:

Long nails (both toes and fingers)

Long nails (both toes and fingers)

Corns

Corns

Hard Skin

Hard Skin

Ingrown Toenails

Ingrown Toenails

General Diabetic footcare

General Diabetic footcare

(including monofilament and doppler)

(including monofilament and doppler)

Treatments usually last around 30 minutes and always end in “the best

Treatments usually last around 30 minutes and always end in “the best bit” a foot massage with a quality foot cream.

In addition to our routine service, we also practice the LacunaTM Method of treating fungal nail infections.

In addition to our routine service we also practice the Lacuna TM Method of treating fungal nail infections.

Routine Appointment £34

Routine Appointment £30

Routine Appointments for two or more people £32 each

Routine Appointments for two or more people £28 each

Lacuna treatments £35 (add on)

Gift Vouchers also available

Lacuna treatments £75 (this includes a routine appointment and all medicaments)

Gift Vouchers also available

For appointments and information please call on

For appointments and information please call on 01322 472 908

01322 472 908

Hi everyone,

At last, Summer seems to be on its way! The Easter holidays were very busy and our Easter Craft Morning and Egg Hunt was a fantastic morning and those attending Coffee Pop -In joined with some of the activities to celebrate Easter. A total of forty- three children took part along with parents, carers and grandparents and all went home with a bag of crafts, chocolate eggs, having heard that Jesus is Alive!

BEEs and EPIC, our Sunday Groups, continue term times, with BEEs (the Bible’s Ea ger Explorers) for children aged 3 to 14 at 10.30am and EPIC (Every Person In Christ), our Youth Bible study at 6pm for ages 11 -18. The EPIC Bake Off Technical Challenge during the Easter holidays was a fun afternoon with the youngsters making amazing rain bow cakes (and a big mess!). Five young people also supported Holiday at Home (an event for the more elderly of Wilmington) and served lunches, cleared tables and helped with the washing up - this was a great inter-generational time and the young people have been invited for the morning to join in games and crafts for the next eventplease join us! As a thank you for their hard work, they enjoyed a fun film evening using the cinema room at Emmerson Grange which was an evening of fun and laughter, and they thought it especially funny that the ‘happy ending’ had me in tears!

After School Club on Wednesdays runs from 2.30 -4pm and last term we thought about the true meaning of Easter, Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost in the ‘God Spot’. This term we are exploring some of our favourite Old Testament stories and how they point us to Jesus, as well as sharing in crafts and games and enjoying hot chocolates with marshmallows - or possibly ice creams now Summer is here!

We are hoping to have a Holiday Club for p rimary aged children later in August so please do keep a look out for details of this on our website and on Facebook!

Please do get in touch if you want any information about my work - it would be great to chat! Or pop in and see me from 10.30am12 noon on Tuesday mornings at our Church Coffee Pop -In and if you have children under 5 years of age, why not join us for our Under 5s group, Thursdays 9.30 -11am in the Parish Centre (through the glass doors).

Lots of love and blessings

Sharon

The winning rainbow cake!

Easter crafts in action!

My Gran

My Gran is a giggle-in-the-corner-like-a-child kind of Gran

She is a put-your-cold-hand-in-my-pocket a keep-your-curls-in-my-locket kind of Gran

She is a make-it-better-with -a-treacletoffee a what-you-need’s-a-cup-of-milkycoffee a hurry-home-I-love-you-awfully kind of Gran

She is a butter-ball-for-your-bad-throat a stitch-your-doll-a-new-green-coat a let’s-make-soapy-bubble-afloat a hold-my-hand-I’m-seasick-in-a-boat kind of gran

She is a toast-your-tootsies-by-the-fire a crack-the-wishbone-for-your-hearts-desire a ladies-don’t-sweat-they-perspire a funny-old-fashioned-higgledy-piggeldy-lady-to-admire kind of gran

And this lovely grandmother is mine, all mine!

A lovely tribute to a much-loved gran from her granddaughter aged 7.

Homes for Ukraine ...Diary of a host continued, part 3

Hosting our Ukrainian guests for nearly nine months proved entertaining, delightful and challenging in equal measure. When they moved onto independent living we missed their company but loved having our home back to ourselves. We still have frequent contact with them, taking them to the Sweeps Festival in Rochester and to a very special concert for Ukraine held in the cathedral, adorned at the time, with thousands of ‘peace doves’ suspended from the ceiling. Helping Oleksii to set up raised beds in the tiny back garden and getting tomatoes, beans and other veg underway. He takes great care and pride in growing produce because he cultivated a garden at the tiny dacha inherited from his grandmother. Sadly now wrecked by Russian occupation and strewn with landmines.

Oleksii continues to attend school here in Wilmington even though they now lives some 5 miles away. We could not contemplate him changing school yet again. He’s making a great success of his education and enjoys the company of other Ukrainian pupils who have joined the school since he started. He also takes on-line lessons provided by a Ukrainian institution. Starting year 10 in September he will capitalise on his talents in maths and computer science, working towards top GCSE grades.

Svitlana has been working for some months, first as a teaching assistant in Wilmington and now in Dartford. She is studying hard to build her skills in English in order to apply for work commensurate with her high level professional experience and skills. Svitlana’s first job as working at the Community Café in Hextable. She took great pride in learning to be a barrista all the while working to improve her English alongside her regular lessons.

As we reflect on our response to the Russian invasion and the sudden flight of Ukrainian people we felt strongly it was right to give shelter and sanctuary to people who were, one day going about their daily lives and the next day seeing their homes, workplaces and schools destroyed. As the war continues to take a terrible toll on both sides of the conflict, destruction of Ukrainian towns continues and civilians of all ages suffer loss, death and destruction. How would we respond if faced with a similar situation?

Hosting has not been without is challenges, sharing a home, learning to accommodate cultural differences, negotiating living in a shared space with a limited common vocabulary. The upside has been the building of a relationship with people who have different traditions around Christmas and Easter, interesting cuisine and other cultural norms that only come to light when you share a home with people who no longer have a home.