Remembrance Day

Upchurch Poppy Appeal and Remembrance Sunday Service 2023

Upchurch Poppy Appeal

A team of local volunteers will again be making the annual house-to-house collections in Upchurch between Saturday the 28th of October, and Saturday the 11th of November.

Upchurch Parish Council has displayed poppies on lampposts throughout the village. The knitting group has added poppy crosses and wreaths to the church and post office railings. Two Tommy silhouettes are standing guard in the churchyard with heads bowed on either side of a beautiful display of flowing red poppies with some purple poppies amongst them to remember the animal victims of war. A post box topper is in place again outside the post office. These will remain on display throughout Remembrance Tide.

Remembrance Sunday Parade to the Church

The Remembrance Sunday Service begins at 10:15am on the 12th of November in the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Upchurch.

The young people of the uniformed sections and their leaders will make their yearly parade from the Scout HQ on the Recreation Ground in Oak Lane to the church.

Leaving at 9:30am, they will march (accompanied by marshals) along Oak Lane and return at 11:30am.

Oficial KCC road closures and restrictions on driving will be in place this year during both the parades to and from the church. Further details are at: https://tinyurl.com/3ccuhfa6

Please be patient during this time.

If you need to drive through the village centre during the parades, please consider using Church Farm Road and Chaffes Lane instead.

Thank you

Wreaths will be laid at the internal war memorial in the Lady Chapel on behalf of the Church, Swale Borough Council, Ferques (our twin village in France), Upchurch Parish Council, Upchurch Scouts, Upchurch Guides and Upchurch Brownies.

After the service, crosses will be laid at the five Commonwealth War Graves Commission graves in the churchyard.

A wreath on behalf of all Upchurch residents from the Parish Council has been sent to Ferques for laying at their ceremony on Saturday the 11th of November.