Sheerness Town Council

08/10/2026

On Wednesday 7th October, the ACT Team were working in Bluetown, clearing w**ds and litter from the area.

They got through a lot of work, but there's still plenty more to do, so they'll be heading back to Bluetown for their next session.

For those who don't know, the ACT Team is made up of supervised prisoners from HMP Standford Hill who carry out work in the community.

Sheerness Town Council has arranged for the team to work in Sheerness over the next year, helping us tackle areas that need some attention. Their work will include litter picking, w**d clearing, painting benches and generally tidying up areas around the town.

They've already been busy repainting benches at the Memorial Gardens, and Bluetown is the latest area to benefit from their hard work.

We're really pleased to have the team working with us over the next 12 months. There's certainly no shortage of jobs to keep them busy!

Thanks to the ACT Team for all their hard work this week.

06/10/2026

****STC FINANCE AND GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE MEETING****

Notice is hereby given that a Finance and Governance Committee Budget Review Meeting of the Sheerness Town Council is to be held at 177 St Georges Avenue, Sheerness, ME12 1DS on Monday 12th October 2026 at 19.00hrs.

Members of the public and press are invited along to the meeting of the Town Council.

To view previous minutes, please visit www.sheerness-tc.co.uk

05/10/2026

If you are learning English and want a fun and interactive group to come and practise, join Sheppey Matters's English conversation group.

05/10/2026

A great FREE opportunity for young people here in Sheerness.

THIS IS NOW FULL. BUT PLEASE APPLY IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO ON OUR WAITING LIST AND WE WILL RUN ANOTHER COURSE IN LATE NOVEMBER.

📣 FREE Barista Training for Young People on the Isle of Sheppey! ☕

Are you aged 16-24 and currently not in education, employment or training (NEET)? Or do you know someone who is? This could be the perfect opportunity to gain new skills, boost confidence, and take a step towards employment.

Join us for a FREE 4-week Barista Training Course at Rumour cafe, Sheerness, starting Monday 19th October.

📅 Every Monday for 4 weeks
🕥 10:30am - 12:00 noon
📍 Rumour Café, Sheerness
💷 Completely FREE

Throughout the course you'll learn:

✅ Barista skills and drink preparation
✅ Customer service and teamwork
✅ Food hygiene and workplace standards
✅ Employability skills to help you move towards work or further opportunities

As an added bonus, participants will be invited to complete a FREE online Food Hygiene Certificate, and there may be opportunities to volunteer with our team after the course.

Spaces are limited, so register today!

👉 Sign up here: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/DnX3z6NUZq

Please help us spread the word by liking, sharing, and tagging someone who might benefit from this opportunity. ☕❤️

05/10/2026

Today, Community Engagement and Communications officer Becci Duffus had the pleasure of visiting Joining Hands Joining Hearts and spending some time with CEO Keeley Beaney and the Monday group at Warden Bay.

Joining Hands Joining Hearts is a local domestic abuse charity supporting women who have experienced, or are currently experiencing, domestic abuse.

I was made to feel incredibly welcome by the group and met some lovely ladies. The morning was very relaxed, with tea, cake and plenty of supportive conversation.

The group provides a safe and welcoming space where women can spend time with others who understand what they have been through. Sessions can include arts and crafts, empowerment activities, journalling and other activities to support healing and wellbeing. Sometimes, simply sitting together and having a chat over a cup of tea can be just as important.

Today’s activity involved choosing an empowerment quote, reading it to the group and talking about how we personally connected with it. I joined in too, and it was lovely to be included.

The support offered by Joining Hands Joining Hearts goes much further than the weekly groups. Keeley and her team help women with forms, provide support through the court process, including representing women in court, arrange guest speakers and offer one-to-one appointments and drop-in sessions.

They also run the 12-week Freedom Programme, which helps women understand domestic abuse and recognise what they have experienced.

The charity runs three coffee mornings across the Isle of Sheppey, Sittingbourne and Maidstone, as well as a knitting group in Kemsley. They also provide a food bank and clothing bank for women who need additional support.

Sheerness Town Council recently awarded Joining Hands Joining Hearts a £500 Community Grant to help provide a lunch club for the Warden Bay group during term time. Sadly, some of the women attending do not always have access to three meals a day. The funding will help provide something that is both practical and important. A nutritious meal, company and a safe place to spend time together.

The charity also hopes to purchase additional arts and crafts materials so the women attending can have more choice in the activities they take part in.

The Warden Bay group supports a number of women from Sheerness, which is why the Council was able to support the project through our Community Grant Scheme.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Joining Hands Joining Hearts relies on support to continue the work it does. If you would like to help, the charity welcomes donations of money, food and clothing. These donations can make a genuine difference to women who may be going through an incredibly difficult time.

NEED SUPPORT?
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing domestic abuse, you can contact Joining Hands Joining Hearts directly.
Call: 07864 136131
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.joininghandsjoininghearts.org

You do not have to wait until things reach crisis point to ask for support.
A huge thank you to Keeley and all the ladies for making me feel so welcome today and for allowing me to join your group. It was really valuable to see first-hand not only the work being done, but the supportive community that has been created for women who need it.

29/09/2026

Sheerness Town Council officers headed down to The Fleet today to check the area for any signs of wildlife crime and carry out a litter pick.

We were really pleased to find the area more or less litter free. A huge part of that is thanks to two of our residents, who tirelessly litter pick around the area on a regular basis.

They give up their own time to help keep The Fleet looking better, and their efforts certainly don’t go unnoticed. A big thank you to them both.

While we were there, we reported four separate incidents of fly-tipping. Sadly, we also found evidence of dead birds, which have been reported to Kent Police so they can investigate whether there are any signs of catapult-related wildlife crime.

We also want to clarify the role of Sheerness Town Council.

Sheerness Town Council is not the authority responsible for policing wildlife crime, investigating criminal activity, dealing with fly-tipping or managing many of the other issues reported at The Fleet.

We cannot investigate offences, issue fines, prosecute offenders or remove fly-tipping ourselves.

What we CAN do is report issues to the responsible authorities, continue raising concerns on behalf of residents and do as much as we reasonably can to help. That is exactly what we are doing.

One thing we really want to emphasise is the importance of REPORTING.

PC Honess recently informed us that Kent Police had not received any reports of wildlife crime at The Fleet for quite some time.

We know concerns are still being raised locally and on social media, but it is really important that these are also reported through the proper channels.

If incidents aren’t officially reported, they can’t be properly recorded, investigated or used to build an accurate picture of what is happening in the area. If Kent Police aren’t receiving reports, they may not be aware that there is an ongoing issue.

HOW TO REPORT

Wildlife crime

If you see someone attacking, injuring or deliberately targeting wildlife, please report it to Kent Police.

If a crime is happening now or there is an immediate risk, call 999.

For non-emergencies, report it online through the Kent Police website or call 101.

Please provide as much information as possible, including the location, time, descriptions and any photos or video you can safely obtain.

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping in Sheerness should be reported directly to Swale Borough Council through its online reporting service.

Please include the exact location and photographs where possible.

If you witness fly-tipping taking place, do not approach those involved. If it is safe to do so, make a note of the vehicle registration, vehicle description, location and time.

We will continue to report the issues we find and work with the relevant agencies to help protect The Fleet and its wildlife.

If you see something, please report it. Every report helps build a clearer picture and gives the relevant authorities the information they need to take action.

29/09/2026

CRAFT STALLS & MAKERS WANTED

Are you a local crafter or maker? We’d love to have you at our Sheerness Christmas Event on Saturday 5th December.

We still have some spaces available and are looking for stalls selling handmade gifts, Christmas decorations, jewellery, artwork, personalised items, crafts and other unique products.

There’s plenty planned for the day, including:

• Christmas market
• Live music
• Street entertainment
• Santa’s Grotto
• Children’s activities
• Lantern parade

The event runs from 10am to 4pm in Sheerness High Street.

Stall pitches are just £10 for a 3m x 3m space. You’ll need to provide your own gazebo, table and chairs.

Want to join us? Email Becci on [email protected] or call us on 01795 668787 and we’ll send you a booking form.

28/09/2026

In June, Sheerness Town Council awarded EKC Trust a £500 Community Grant to support its food parcel project.

Our Community Engagement and Communications Officer, Becci Duffus, joined Paul Murray from EKC Trust for the day to see first-hand how the project works and help with some of the deliveries.

Paul’s day had already started early. By 6.45am, he had collected four boxes of bananas kindly donated by Chiquita at Sheerness Docks. A big thank you to Colin Ayres, who arranges these donations each week.

The bananas are shared with Warden Bay Nursery, included in food parcels for local families and made available to EKC students at breakfast and throughout the day.

EKC students are offered a free breakfast every school day, making sure they have the opportunity to start their day with something to eat.

Paul currently supports around 48 families across the area who have a connection with the school, as well as supporting the nursery.

And it really is a family effort. Paul’s wife, Mag, also makes and bakes food to go into the parcels. On the day of Becci’s visit, she had made lots of homemade apple and rhubarb crumbles ready to be delivered.

The food parcels are made possible by lots of people pulling together. Food is donated by members of the community, including those attending EKC Trust’s dementia café events, and Morrisons also supports the project with food donations. Seashells Children & Families Centre are also involved in supporting the project.

Behind all of this is a real commitment from EKC to supporting its students, their families and the wider Isle of Sheppey community.
A special mention also goes to Head Teacher January Lorman, who is fully supportive of the work being done. January has a real passion for the Island and genuinely cares about the local community, with EKC getting behind projects that support families both within and beyond the school.

If you would like to help, you can bring food donations into the Sheerness Town Council office and we will make sure they are passed on to Paul.

A special mention has to go to Paul himself too. He does an amazing amount for local families and regularly makes deliveries in his own time to make sure food reaches those who need it.
Paul is due to retire at the end of this academic year, so we are really pleased Becci had the opportunity to spend the day with him and see just how much work goes on behind the scenes.

A huge thank you to Paul and Mag, January and the team at EKC, Chiquita, Colin, Morrisons, Seashells Children & Families Centre and everyone else who donates food, gives their time or supports the project.

It was also great to see exactly how Sheerness Town Council’s £500 Community Grant is helping support this work.
Our Community Grants are about supporting organisations making a real difference locally, and getting out to visit the projects gives us the chance to see that work in action.

Could your organisation benefit from a Community Grant?
The next phase of Sheerness Town Council’s Community Grant Scheme is now open, with grants of up to £500 available for projects and organisations benefiting Sheerness residents.
Email [email protected] for an application form.
Applications close on 30 November 2026

28/09/2026

SHEERNESS TOWN COUNCIL SUPPORTS THE ARMED FORCES COVENANT

At our Full Council meeting on Monday 21st September, councillors agreed that Sheerness Town Council will sign the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a commitment to recognise and support those who serve, or have served, in the Armed Forces, as well as their families.

By signing the Covenant, the Town Council is showing its support for our Armed Forces community and recognising the contribution they make, and have made, to our country and our communities.

As part of our commitment, we will also help raise awareness of the Armed Forces Covenant and promote relevant information and support through our website and other Council communications.

We are proud to make this commitment and look forward to formally signing the Covenant.