Britain's last St John Ambulance marching band evicted
The building is used as a meeting place by the band, as well as other groups associated with St John Ambulance.Band member Ben Pointing said: "Our building in Queenborough Road was gifted by Lord Harris in 1974 and built with funds raised by the community."Now it is being sold by St John Ambulance HQ in London."We were given just eight weeks to find a new venue despite the building costing the organisation nothing."Mr Pointing said members are now "desperate" to find a suitable home, central to Sheppey, which has enough space to practice their routines and store their instruments."All of this comes just months before our 80th anniversary which is a milestone now overshadowed by uncertainty and disappointment," he added."The band, our youth and our volunteers all deserve better."A fundraiser has been set up to help secure new premises for the band or to pay for instrument storage until a new home is found.A spokesperson for St John Ambulance said the organisation was closing the building after reviewing its use, condition, running costs and long-term sustainability."We are strongly committed to the future of the band in the region and there has never been any suggestion the band should be disbanded."Our focus is on ensuring that both the band and other St John members, including our Cadets and Badgers, have a suitable meeting place that can continue to meet both their and the wider organisation's needs into the future," a spokesperson added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Reunion for Kent pupils and teacher after 60 years
A reunion has taken place for the pupils and teacher of a Kent primary school class after almost 60 years. Former classmates from Loose Primary School, near Maidstone, got together to reminisce and retake their school photo from took two friends a total of five years to trace 20 of the 36 pupils shown in the original photo - 14 of whom turned up for the reunion. Lynne Higson, who helped organise the event, said it was "wonderful to catch up and find out what everyone had been up to". She hatched the reunion plan in 2020 with former school friend Sue Brattle after re-connecting on Facebook. Ms Higson, who now lives in Aldwick, West Sussex, told BBC Radio Kent: "I still had the class photo from 1966."We're not in school uniform, but it was the whole class."The pair put the photo in a local community group on Facebook and people responded. John Halls, one of the ex-pupils who got in touch, turned out to be a former detective "which proved useful in tracking down others", Ms Higson said. The former classmates gathered in a hotel in Maidstone for the reunion, along with their teacher Shirley Arnold, now 86. She said was "thrilled" to be there and was presented with a book filled with what her class had been up to over the past 60 years."It has really made my day," she said."I have looked forward to it and it was great to see so many smiling faces."Ms Higson said Ms Arnold was "absolutely wonderful"."She was really strict, kept everyone in their place, but was lovely," she said. "She really grounded us. We wouldn't be the people we are today without her."
The Sun
3 days ago
- The Sun
Incredible 350-year-old WARSHIP found off UK coast after sinking in ‘storm' – as mystery swirls over 3 other vessels
DIVERS have discovered more well-preserved sections of an incredible warship from the 17th century at a wreck off the UK coast. Recent surveys have found that the ship - HMS Northumberland - is in a remarkable state of preservation, with divers uncovering its hull 20 metres deep and roughly nine miles off the Kent coast. 4 4 4 The warship was built in 1679 and served in many major naval battles before it sank during the Great Storm of 1703. After first being discovered in 1980, divers have now been able to see a large section of the ship's hull thanks to sinking sands off the Kent coast. Crews have found timbers and ropes still attached to the ship as well as unopened caskets - all of which have been protected from erosion and decay in the sand. On top of this, divers have found copper cauldrons and wood chests with some preserved cannonballs inside which have survived "particularly well". Mystery also surrounds three other warships that sank during the same storm. The vessels, which were all part of the fleet of Queen Anne, were brought down by the historic storm, but HMS Northumberland is the only one of the four to have ever been found. Historic England's survey, organised with divers from MSDS Marine, discovered more of the preserved wreckage but there are now concerns erosion could take place. Since the sands have now shifted, the well-preserved sections of the ship are exposed, leaving it at a high risk of deterioration, Historic England said. The warship is considered to be one of the 'best preserved' wooden ships. Dan Pascoe, holder of the licence to dive at the wreck site, said: "The Northumberland has the potential to be one of the best-preserved wooden warships in the UK. "However, at 20 metres underwater and nine miles offshore, it is out of sight and mind to most people." The Northumberland was a third rate 70-gun warship built in Bristol as part of Samuel Pepys's regeneration of the English Navy. 'IT IS A RACE AGAINST TIME' A film made by streaming service History Hit aired yesterday, detailing the new survey and the initial construction of the Northumberland. Creator Dan Snow said: "Northumberland is the missing link. "Built roughly halfway between the Mary Rose and HMS Victory, this wreck can fill in crucial details of shipbuilding and life at sea at that pivotal moment in our history. "We have the Mary Rose, the 'Tudor time capsule' – well here's a Stuart time capsule to sit alongside it." Future work on the site may include taking wood samples or dendrochronological sampling to find out more about the ship's construction and confirm its identity. Paul Jeffery, marine leader at Historic England, said: "The completeness of the Northumberland wreck site is remarkable. "It is a race against time as more of the Northumberland wreck becomes exposed." 4
BBC News
3 days ago
- BBC News
Rochester Cathedral welcomes restored WW2 plane for exhibition
A World War Two floatplane has gone on display at a cathedral after 12 years of restoration Short Scion Floatplane G-AEZF aircraft, which was decommissioned in 1958, was squeezed into Rochester Cathedral to go on display from was built in 1937 at the Short Brothers factory, once located on Rochester Parks, director of charitable projects at The Rochester Bridge Trust which helped fund the work, said: "Medway Aircraft Preservation Society has done an amazing job and we are pleased to now be able to put it on display for the whole community to see inside Rochester Cathedral." The trust put £40,000 towards the plane's restoration and the Medway Aircraft Preservation Society spent 12 years restoring plane's visit coincides with an exhibition about the Short Brothers factory's history, for which Rochester Cathedral was awarded a £36,000 National Lottery Heritage will be able to view the plane every day throughout during the day is free, although there may be charges for additional activities and evening events.
