Medway Matters 

All the latest news, events and information that’s happening within Medway!

Energy Cafe

Tomorrow, As part of the #GreatBigGreenWeek we will be joined by Southern Water and Citizens Advice Medway who will provide information about the support available and how they can help households and individuals save water and energy and reduce their bills. 💡

During the event, there will be opportunities to make a referral to the Sustainable Warmth Scheme and find out more about Medway’s Climate Change Action Plan and how it will help you.

The event is free, and there will be refreshments available. Learn more

Too cold for summer but too early for Christmas?

What better way to welcome autumn than with our packed programme of theatre shows this month. From nostalgic musical concerts to a roaring T-Rex and shocking real-life horror stories, with plenty of side-splitting #BrookComedy in-between, there really is something for everyone.

Stoptober 🚬

Hannah's #COPD symptoms are much better since giving up smoking with our help in March.

Follow us on Facebook for more residents' quit stories and tips and advice to help you stay #smokefree this #Stoptober.

It's time for me.

Want to lose weight, build muscle, or just feel fitter and stronger? Join our Premier Membership, and get access to over 100 classes, access to our 3 gyms and four swimming pools, with flexible membership options and more! Don’t miss out on your chance for amazing results. To find out more about all of the benefits of a Premier Membership and our excellent sporting facilities

Household Help

Find details of the help available to Medway residents to help with the cost of living. We understand that managing finances and household bills can be challenging, especially at the moment with the increase in the cost of living. That’s why it’s important to know what help and support is available that could benefit you, a relative, friend or neighbour. To make things simpler, we’ve created a dedicated page on our website which is full of advice and information about the support available which includes:

👉council tax reductions

👉help with childcare costs

👉help with food and energy bills

👉debt advice and much more 

Walk to School Challenge

After the success of last’s years Walk to School Challenge in celebration of Walk to School October and COP26 being held in Glasgow, Medway Council is hosting the challenge for a second year.

Last year we challenged school students to walk the distance between Medway and Glasgow by 1 November to arrive in time for COP26, this year we are challenging students to walk the distance from Medway to Egypt to celebrate COP27.

All classes that take part and help their school achieve the 2000mile goal will be entered into a prize draw to win prizes. The prizes include:

🐛 Class visits from the Kent Wildlife Trust, funded by Child Friendly Medway (3 visits up for grabs!)

🎨 Creative Climate Classrooms with the Climate Response Team

🐂 A ranger day at a Medway Country Park with our Medway Norse Ranger

🎢 A family trip to Diggerland

🐝 An outdoors bundle from B&Q

🐼 A school visit and adoption from WWF

All Medway Schools will receive an email with the details of the Challenge. Please email your school to find out if they are taking part.

Hoo Development Framework: Have your say

Like other areas across the country, we are under immense pressure from central government to provide new housing over the coming years. Future Hoo – a multi-million pound Government-funded infrastructure project – allows us to put in place extensive environment and transport improvements ahead of any significant new housing development on the peninsula.

Our broader vision for the peninsula over the next 30 years is outlined in the Hoo Development Framework, which provides residents, businesses and stakeholders with an idea of what the future of Hoo could look like. It sets out a vision for sustainable communities and places, highlighting where critically important investments in education, healthcare, arts, leisure and sports facilities need to be made, alongside new residential communities.

But we need your help! This is your community and we are keen to get your feedback so we’re running a public consultation on the Hoo Development Framework until Friday, 25 November.

Together we can ensure that the right facilities are included in the plans. Learn More

Sun Pier to Star Hill: Have Your Say

The Sun Pier to Star Hill conservation area (spanning Chatham and Rochester), has been awarded £1.6m High Street Heritage Action Zone funding from Historic England for regeneration improvement work.

The focus is on bringing the history and heritage of the area back to life, making it a vibrant place to visit and boosting the local economy by 2024. The programme has been running since 2020 with work underway, including property improvement grants to revitalise and reuse historic buildings, as well as a range of community and cultural activities.

We’d like to hear from residents and local businesses to tell us what they think about this area and what improvements they would like to see.

Take part and tell us what you think about the area and how we could improve it: Our online survey closes on Friday, 21 October: Complete the survey

Medway Design and Regeneration Awards: The Winners

Over 35 projects were nominated at this year's Medway Design and Regeneration Awards 2022. Last week's awards ceremony celebrated Medway’s most innovative and exciting building projects that have played an important part in the area’s regeneration in the last five years. Congratulations to all of our overall winners 👏

✅ The Black House in Rainham

✅Abbey Court School in Strood

✅Ordnance Yard in Rochester

✅Robin Place in Chatham

✅Beaulieu Park (Bakersfield) in Rainham

✅St Nicholas Church in Strood

Unique and interesting structures can be found across Medway, and we’re really proud to recognise these awe-inspiring regeneration projects.

The ceremony was compered by the Managing Editor of Architects' Journal Will Hurst. Will is an award-winning journalist who has written about architecture throughout his career and has written for national publications including the Guardian, Times, Telegraph and Financial Times.

Find out more about each of the winners

Find out more about this year’s nominees

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