Author: chris sanders

Please come and join us for Carols on The Green on Vinalls Park.

We are hoping you will be able to join us on Sunday 17th December from 6 till 6:45 to sing some Christmas carols with us. We will be at the Cecil Avenue end near the children’s playground.

We are lucky enough to be accompanied by the Wigmore voices so it should be a great evening.

Come along and join in!

There was a great response to the Halloween Fancy Dress competition held on Vinall Park last night

There were all ages in the competition and the judges had a very difficult job to decide the winners.

Our councillor Hazel Browne was in attendance to present the prizes to the lucky winners

We had a great variety of costumes and it was great to see some adults taking part too – we even had a lion!

Thank you to everyone who attended and we look forward to doing something similar next year

Dear Members, residents and park users,
After careful consideration of a number of options open to us the Committee of the Friends of Vinall Park has agreed to seek to obtain Town/Village Green status for the Park. We will be supported in this by Medway Council.
The reason for pursuing this course of action is to put another layer of ‘protection’ on the Park against future building development. We hope you will support us in this aim to keep the Park as a Green Space for the benefit of residents and local users.
To take the application forward requires us to collect evidence of the ways in which the Park is used and has been used in the past. This is where we would like your help please. You will see below a set of questions which we hope will prompt you to share your recollections of how you and your friends and family have used the Park.

We have posted copies to everyone in the streets surrounding the park but if you would like to download and print your own copy click below

If you prefer an on-line version can be completed here

Please don’t feel that you have to answer all of the questions in detail – anything that you are able to provide will be helpful.

If you wish to email your response please copy and paste the questions below and send your response to membership@vinallpark.org

Vinall Park memories

1. Name – optional
2. Address and Contact details – optional. Useful for the Committee to be able to follow up for more details
3. How long have you lived in the area?
4. How long have you been using the Park?
5. How often do you visit Vinall Park?
6. How long do you spend there?
7. What are your reasons for visiting the park?: Please tick all that apply

 walk
 exercise
 children/grandchildren
 meet friends/relatives
 dog walking
 picnic
 sports/games – organised or ad hoc
 other – please define

8. What memories do you have of organised events?

 when?
 who organised?
 what type of event?

• social, sport, charity, family, community,
   duration?
   how many people attended?

It would be helpful if you could submit your responses by Friday 10 November.
Thank you in advance of your help.
The Vinall Park Committee

There will be a Halloween Fancy Dress competition on Vinall Park on Tuesday 31st October at 6.30. It’s free to enter and there will be a prize for the best costume

Friends of Vinall Park AGM

This years Friends of Vinall Park AGM is to be held at 6.30 on Wednesday 28th June 2023. It will be held on Vinall Park and all Members are welcome.

The Friends of Vinall Park invite the community to come together to celebrate the occasion of the Kings Coronation with a Coronation Lunch

Join us in your front garden or on the park with a picnic or Afternoon Tea on Sunday 7^th May from 1pm

There will be a free prize draw ticket for everyone who attends, with a souvenir prize for the winning ticket.

See you there!

We have received the following email from Medway Council regarding their current survey of Open space usage

Dear Friends,

We’re asking residents for their views on public open spaces in Medway, such as parks, play areas and allotments.

An updated open space assessment is required as supporting evidence for Medway’s emerging Local Plan.

What the study is

Management consultancy, Knight, Kavanagh & Page (KKP), have been appointed by Medway Council to carry out an assessment on Medway’s public open spaces.

Public open space provides opportunities for sport and recreation, socialising, tourism and wildlife. They make an important contribution to the health and well-being of communities, ecosystems and economies.

Up to date information is needed on Medway’s open spaces. This is to ensure that there is suitable provision of accessible, high quality open spaces that meet the needs and aspirations of local communities, local people and people who work in or visit the area.

How to get involved

KKP are running a survey asking residents for their views on public open spaces in Medway.

It will provide valuable information that we’ll use to inform both the new Local Plan and also investment decisions as part of an up-to-date strategy for public open spaces.

For further details to access the survey please follow this link: https://www.medway.gov.uk/openspace

The survey closes on Monday 1 May 2023.

The annual fundraising event by the Rotary Club of Gillingham will be visiting soon. Every year Father Christmas tours the streets of Gillingham and Rainham on his brightly lit up float, bringing delight to youngsters.

This year there has been a change to the planned route on December 23rd. The new route is as follows

Start junction of Eastcourt Lane and Broadway at 6pm

Elmfield, Featherby Road, Chilham Road, Eastcourt Lane, Allington Road, Broadway, Priory Road, Abbey Road, Featherby Road, Hanway, The Chase, Chalkenden Road, Broadway.

The float will now additionally turn right up Geneva Ave then left along Cecil Ave and then left down Locarno Ave before rejoining Broadway

Rotary members will be rattling their collection buckets as they go, to raise money for local good causes. So please make sure you have lots of spare change so they can help the following charities this year:

Oliver Fisher Baby Unit
Kent Association for the Blind
Salvation Army
Gillingham Street Angels
Carers First
Mash
The Friends of the Wisdom Hospice
Medway Night Shelter
MND
Tommies.

We have been asked by Medway Council to pass on the following message regarding anti-social behaviour

“We have been getting an increasing number of reports of anti-social behaviour in our lovely parks and have been working with our Community Safety Team and the Police on how we address this.

The best thing we can do is report all incidents as this is recorded and added to data. The more reports an area receives the higher it goes in priority as a ‘Hot Spot’. The attached poster has been created using the information from the Police on how best to report any incidents.”

Dear Members

Your Committee have now completed and formally adopted the Management Plan for Vinall Park and attach it herewith for your perusal – many thanks to Kevin and Ralph for their efforts. As you will be aware we have consulted with Medway Council throughout the process.

Your comments are always welcome.