Medway Matters 

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

Medway Gaming Festival starts tomorrow! 🕹🎮👾

Medway Gaming Festival is back at The Historic Dockyard Chatham on 1 and 2 July 2023, promising to be bigger and better than ever before. Enjoy 80 acres of gaming, cosplaying and family entertainment set against a backdrop of real-life battleships, including HMS CAVALIER of World of Warships fame.

The Festival has something to appeal to every gamer, from pro to novice, and showcases talent, art, creativity and culture, uniting players for a weekend of entertainment. Watch, play and learn about games; meet special guests; join competitions; experience new and retro gaming; as well as enjoying fun, interactive exhibits such as the Robot Battle Arena, UKPW Wrestling and Cosplay masquerade.

A two-day celebration of all things gaming – are you ready?

*All activities are included in the ticket price! 

Chatham Carnival 

What’s On at the Theatre

At The Central Theatre, there’s always a song to be sung, a laugh to be had or a story to be told. There’s plenty of exciting shows coming up this year, including

• The Ultimate Prince Experience’ - Friday, 22 September 2023 
• Gyles Brandreth: Can't Stop Talking - Tuesday, 19 September 2023

There are several exciting shows coming up at the theatre this month as well, including:

• When You’re Smiling – Tuesday, 4 July 2023 at 2pm
• All or Nothing Experience – Thursday, 6 July 2023 at 7.30pm

There’s something for everyone at The Central Theatre, Chatham. Tickets are available by online purchase (click the button below) or by calling the box office on 01634 338 338.

🧸 Teddy Bear’s Picnic Theatre Show

Rah Rah Theatre Company bring this much-loved children’s show to Eastgate House for the first time on Sunday, 23 July, 11am and 2.30pm

This fun fifty-five minute show features puppets, songs and dancing. Bring along a picnic and your favourite bear! Ideal for children aged 2-6.

Food Waste Recycling

A friendly reminder on how you can help to recycle food waste into soil conditioner via composting facilities, saving the environment by preventing the creation of greenhouse gases. We urge you to use ‘organic waste bins’ (brown bins and sacks) to dispose of your food waste, rather than into black sacks/regular bins.

A variety of foods can be put into your brown bin, including:

• All raw and cooked food
• Vegetable/fruit peelings
• Egg shells
• Tea bags/Coffee grounds

Depending on your property, you are entitled to one brown wheeled bin, or two brown reusable sacks with a 23-litre food waste bin. Food can go directly into a brown bin, or alternatively, you can collect a ‘Kitchen Caddy’ from any Medway Community Hub or Library free of charge (which you can line with caddy liners that can be purchased from a library for as little as £2.20).

Construction at The Paddock commences this week!

Work has begun at The Paddock in Chatham. The area, situated in-between Pentagon Shopping Centre and Chatham Waterfront Bus Station, will be transformed over the next several months to create a vibrant public space for residents and visitors to enjoy.

If you’re visiting the area, please be aware that there will be disruptions to pedestrian access from Military Road to the Brook Theatre crossing. An alternative route will be created via the crossing opposite the army recruitment centre.

Stay up-to-date on the project via our webpage.

Medway Mile

Book your place today for this year's Medway Mile. Everyone welcome

Join thousands of other runners, joggers and walkers for this family event. Enjoy an evening of free sports activities, attractions and entertainment. Medway Park Sports Centre Gillingham, from 5pm on Friday 21 July 2023.

Red Routes: Get involved and help keep Medway Moving  

People rely on our roads to get to work, school, and deliver the goods and services our community needs, so we're investing in our network to keep Medway moving. 

We’re running a consultation on the first phase of a project to deliver red routes. A red route is a specific road where no stopping or parking is legally allowed.

We want to hear from you about our plan to reduce traffic congestion and create a more connected transport network that meets our community’s needs.

Our first consultation will take place on introducing red routes at the following five locations:

• Corporation Street between The Esplanade continuing onto Star Hill
• Star Hill between Corporation Street and New Road/City Way
• Best Street between Union Street Street and Railway Street
• The Brook between The Brook Theatre, Whiffens Avenue and the junction of New Road (including Union Street)
• A2 Rainham High Street between Maidstone Road and Meresborough Road

The consultation starts on Wednesday (5 July) and closes at 11:59pm on Sunday, 30 July 2023, where you can submit your feedback via a short survey.

Introducing solid foods

Little Food Explorers is here to guide you through when and how to introduce solid foods to your baby. Book now for practical tips to try with your little one, plus simple and tasty meal ideas. At Children and Family Hubs across Medway this July.

Chatham High Street Improvements: What we’re looking to do

In late 2020, as part of the government’s Emergency Active Travel Measures, sections of Chatham High Street were improved for the benefit of pedestrians and cyclists. Some of these improvements included adding one-way signs, new cycle stands and introducing no vehicle entry to the High Street from The Brook and Union Street.

Now, we’re looking to make the following improvements which will be delivered over the coming months:

• Change the ‘Pedestrian and Cycle Zone’ to ‘Pedestrian Zone’ (with cycles not permitted between 10am – 5pm)
• Replacing all Restricted Zone prohibition signs with new Pedestrian Zone signs
• The introduction of a limited number of short stay parking bays on Church Street
• Replacing barriers and bollards near The Brook with permanent street furniture

MedwayGo Activities for the Summer Holidays!

MedwayGo is back with exciting activities and events running over the summer holidays across Medway. It is for school-aged children (Reception to Year 11) receiving benefits-related free school meals and runs Monday 31 July – Friday 25 August 2023 and booking opens from Monday 3 July.  Places are also available for non-funded children please see the website for more details.  MedwayGo is working with Medway Sport, Street Games UK, Icon Theatre, Street Soccer Foundation, Wham! Theatre School, Fuzion Active, Sendtivate and Hoo Sports as well as lots of other local groups to provide free sessions, events and activities for children to join. Activities will include performing arts, music, sports, swimming, learning about animals and other exciting opportunities for children to try new things.  

We have a new booking system for the summer which means you will need to register with our new booking partner, Time to Spare. If you are eligible for free-school meals, visit the website to create an account and register your children. You will then be ready to book on to the huge range of activities available from Monday 3rd July 2023.

Chatham Design Code extension

 Help shape the future of what development should look like for Chatham Town Centre. We're working with the local community to produce the design code: a collection of design principles which help residents define what good development and high-quality streets and spaces look like in their area. The consultation has been extended. It will now close at midnight on Wednesday, 5 July. We’re particularly keen to hear from those who live, work, visit or study in Chatham.

Household Support Fund

If you're struggling with the cost of living there is help available. Apply now for the Household Support Fund. You may be able to receive financial support for items such as:

✔️food and home essentials

✔️energy costs

✔️water

✔️essentials linked to energy and water

✔️housing costs in exceptional circumstances, but not mortgages

Medway Business Awards

We are delighted to again be a sponsor of the Medway Business Awards. For over 35 years this prestigious award scheme has recognised and rewarded the great businesses we have in #Medway. So if you know a local business that deserves to be recognised nominated them today, open to businesses large and small.

The deadline for entries is 31 July 2023.

Road Safety

Keep you and your passengers safe when driving in Medway. Apart from being a legal requirement (you can be fined up to £500 for not wearing a seat belt), seat belts are one of the most effective safety measures that can protect you and your passengers in a collision. Don't take the risk, always buckle up.

MedwayGo Fun Day – Tuesday 25 July

Why not come along to the first MedwayGo fun day event to find out more about the activities that are running over the summer holidays?

Where - Medway Park, Mill Road, Gillingham, ME1 1HF

When - 12pm – 4pm

No need to book – just turn up!

Providers will be there with some of the fun activities that take place in their sessions. Meet the staff, try out some of the activities, find out about help to travel to sessions and taste some of the meals that children receive at the holiday clubs. You will have the opportunity to book activities on the day too so don’t miss out!  If you have any enquiries about the MedwayGo summer programme, please email go@medway.gov.uk and the team will be happy to help.

🪫🔥 Batteries in vapes cause fires. Please do not put them in your general waste.🚫We do not want a #bincident! 😰

Recycle them at:
♻ Local stores that offer vape recycling.
♻ Household Waste and Recycling Centres (HWRC) in the small domestic appliances (WEEE) container.

💡Top Tip: Using a reusable vape is not only better for the environment but can save you a lot of money!