Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to footer

Latest News

Parish Council Vacancies

Following the resignation of John Corfield and Robert Moon, Bridge Parish Council now has three casual vacancies to fill.

The new councillors will be Co-opted on 12th June 2025.

This is an exciting time to become a Councillor for the Parish as you will help to implement the ‘made’ Neighbourhood Plan and be involved in the creation of our new village hall. If you or someone you know would like to be considered for the position, please contact the Clerk for further information or to request an application form.
Application forms need to be returned to the Clerk by 2.30 pm on Friday 6th June

Are you concerned about your local area?
Do you want to represent the views of local people?
Are you passionate about services provided to your community?
Do you want to contribute your business or personal skills and expertise?
Why not stand for your local council and make a difference!

Responsibilities:

  • Attend Council meetings and raise matters that the Council can consider and formally decide to take action.
  • Make informed contributions and influence debate at meetings.
  • Receive training for your role.
  • Represent the Council externally’

Source: KALC A4 leaflet

Published: Friday 1st May 2025

Jennifer Heap, Bridge Parish Clerk
12 Bridge Down, Bridge, Canterbury, Kent, CT4 5AZ.
Tel: 07733 759195
Email: clerk@bridgevillage.org.uk

Patrixbourne Road Closure

Patrixbourne Road will be closed from 30th October until next Spring.

This is to carry out repairs to the A2 bridge.

There will be access from Bridge as far as the medical centre.

https://bridgevillage.uk/images/RoadClosed.gif

Dogs on the Rec

From the Chairman of Bridge PC

The District Council has launched a consultation around some proposals regarding dog protection orders. Their proposal relating to Bridge would remove protection from all of the Recreation Ground except for the fenced off Kiddy Play Area.

The effect of their proposal would thus be to allow dogs onto the rest of that area, where currently there is a football field, and where residents exercise and have parties and celebration events, and suchlike.

This matter was discussed by the Parish Council last October, and the unanimous decision of the Parish Council was that they would support the current position, i.e. that dogs should not be allowed upon the Recreation Ground.

There are many places where one might walk a dog apart from the Recreation Ground.

And so I ask that you give the District this message: retain the current Order for our Recreation Ground. You can do this by completing their survey.

We apologise that the part that refers to Bridge is to be found only on page three, but please, do persevere with their survey and tell them to retain the current protection for our Recreation Ground

Nailbourne Horticultural Society – Summer Show 2023 Report

The Nailbourne Horticultural Society held its Summer Show on Saturday 22 July in Bridge Village Hall and despite, as always, the vagaries of the weather, it attracted an impressive 31 exhibitors and 173 exhibits, up on last year in, and boosted by the large number of entries for the Chairman’s Challenge, 25 pots of trailing Fuchsia in different shapes and sizes! The many visitors to the hall certainly had an impressive array of colourful flowers to greet them as they came in.

The prizes were presented by John Hill, President of the Society, with Peter and Linda Ellis taking part again this year after a year’s absence and winning the majority of the trophies. Peter won the Champion Cottage Gardeners Cup for most points in the vegetable classes, the Tankard for his collection of three vegetables, as well as the Blee Cup for most points in show. He and Linda were awarded the Household Duo cup for most points as a couple whilst Linda herself won the Silver Rose Trophy for most points in the flower classes. The Sarah Louise Prestige Cup for most points in the floral art classes was shared between Julia Cooper and Rajini Dasan and the latter also was awarded the Handicraft Plate. The Fremlins Challenge Cup for most points in the cookery classes also had joint winners in Raj Dasan and Jill Gillanders. Margaret Falconer fought off keen competition to win the Whitten Spencer Cup for her splendid Fuchsia in the Chairman’s Challenge and the trophy for Best Photograph in Show was awarded to Jackie Thackray. The three garden classes were judged a little earlier this year in June. Both the Pewter Tankard for the Best Kept Vegetable Garden and the Silver Rose Bowl for the Most Picturesque Garden were presented to Linda and Peter Ellis and the Plate for the Prettiest Small Garden was won by Ann Poole, all worthy winners of these trophies.

Our judges for the majority of the classes this year were Peter and Jan Aplin. Thanks must also go to John Newell who judged the photography classes and to the team of Pam Dobson, Sue Walton and Helen Groves who gave up their time to judge the garden classes.

This report is never complete without showing appreciation and giving thanks to everyone who contributed to making the show a success in so many different ways: to the committee and their other halves who got roped in, to all those who entered and to our visitors and supporters on the day.

Chairman’s Challenge
Vegetable Entries
Viewing the Exhibits

City County Election

Congratulations to Mike Sole who has been re-elected as our City Councillor.

The results for our ward (Nailbourne) were :

HARRISS, Cerise Thea OliviaThe Conservative Party Candidate17010.6%
HOLMAN, MikeThe Labour Party Candidate865.4%
SOLE, Michael JohnLiberal Democrat134184%

Total votes cast: 1607 (51.34% turnout)

River concerns?

The River Group will be meeting this Saturday (1-April). If anyone in the village has any questions or concerns that they would like raised to the Group, please email the village chairman before this Saturday.

Power Cuts

If you get a mini power cut, call UK Power Networks “Customer Care” on

0800 028 4587

Calls to the previous number (ending 3105) are “enquiries” only and do not get recorded as complaints!

Tell them “I want to make a complaint” and get a reference number.

Apparently all the calls to the “enquiry” number are not recorded as complaints.

It seems obvious that this isn’t a “tree problem” – as we can tell from the cuts not being during high winds – but is due to a fault in their switching equipment somewhere. They switch power around all the time, but it’s usually so fast no-one notices.

New Parish Councillor

Welcome to Hazel Chowcat, our newest member of the Parish Council

Councillor Hazel Chowcat

After completing a BA and a PhD as a mature student, Hazel worked as a Research Fellow in new technology at Southampton University. She then became a National Negotiating Officer for the telecommunications union, NCU, dealing with remuneration, job evaluation, equal opportunities and work restructuring. She later worked in the voluntary sector running a family mediation service. She subsequently became a Justice of the Peace, a parish councillor, district councillor and worked for a period as a parish clerk.