Local charity gains Billy Childish as patron
Second Chance Medway holds charity art auction, Nucleus Arts' Winter Art Bazaar, we review Poco Loco, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more
In a world of reduced government support, charities are picking up more of the pieces in our towns to ensure people aren’t faced with insecure housing and going hungry. One charity has recently gained the support of legendary Medway musician and artist Billy Childish in this work. He, alongside many other artists, have provided work for an upcoming art auction to raise money for Second Chance Medway. Further down, we have news of Nucleus Arts’ Winter Art Bazaar, a review of lunch at Poco Loco, our weekly events guide, news in brief, and more
Local charity gains legendary Medway artist Billy Childish as patron
Second Chance Medway was founded by Penny Keevil (who is, checks notes… my mother) in 2015. The charity supports people enduring insecure housing and those facing food insecurity, helping Medway residents meet their basic needs through tenancy support services and a Food Aid Project, ‘Medway’s Community Supermarket.’
Before we continue, a declaration of interest: I (Steven) am the Chair for the charity and when I am not at Local Authority Towers, I have an office at a community centre that the charity runs in Brompton, where I oversee the centre, and work on the charity’s development. It should also be noted that Ed sits on the board of trustees for the charity.
The original aim of the charity was providing support services to residents before they could be made homeless, working to ensure secure tenancies. From the community hub on Chatham High Street, the charity offers free services including housing advice, budgeting workshops, benefits advice, and hardship support for 18-25-year olds. It is also where the Food Aid project operates from. The ‘Community Supermarket’ enables people to get fruit and vegetables, pantry items, butchers’ meat, household goods, and hygiene products for a fraction of supermarket prices. This was set up as it became clear there was a need, which has only been exacerbated post pandemic and with the cost-of-living crisis. The charity has been supported over the years by, amongst others, Medway Council, Kent Community Foundation, Phillips Foundation and Colyer Ferguson Trust. In 2023 the number of beneficiaries to the charity’s food aid and tenancy support services was over 5,000 for the first time.
Having successfully developed the ‘Community Supermarket’ thanks to a grant from the Clothworkers’ Foundation, the charity is developing their tenancy support provision. Their ‘Building Solutions’ project intends to help Medway Council’s Homelessness Strategy to 2030. The objective is to offer, free at the point of use, tenancy support for those at the risk of eviction due to negative housing practices, provide a diverse range of high-quality support to help tenants and landlords maintain properties to a high standard and tenancy support towards independent living.
In 2023, Second Chance took over the management of a community centre in Brompton. Located as part of the Melville Court housing complex, one of the most deprived communities in Medway, it has not been without challenges. Attempts to run it as a drop in centre didn’t work as people didn’t drop in. If in Chatham, people were unlikely to walk up the hill to Brompton and if in Gillingham, they were just as unlikely to walk across the Great Lines. The centre now runs as a bookable space, supporting organisations within Medway. Recent months have seen ‘Save a Baby Life’ CPR classes for home schoolers, sewing classes for refugees and Brompton PACT meetings. Nucleus Arts are currently running toddler Messy Play sessions on Thursday mornings and adult ‘Craft and Chat’ sessions on Friday afternoons. Both are free and open to the general public. Medway Help for Ukrainians run a community café space for Ukrainians in Medway on a Tuesday, and Electric Medway are running an “Imagination Space’ with Ideas Test. Activities include virtual reality (VR) painting, 3D scanning and creative writing to soundscapes on a Wednesday evening, and the sessions are free to join.
In an exciting development, the charity is delighted to announce that legendary Medway musician and artist Billy Childish has agreed to become a patron of the charity. Steven met Billy when he interviewed him for this publication, where Billy spoke about his own experiences. "We used to always be one paycheck from disaster," he recalled. Following that conversation, Billy became interested in the charity and what it was doing.
“I’m happy to be behind the charity,” Billy told us via email. “That our governments are apparently fine with youngsters being born into poverty, in a world of plenty, is beyond reason. That they are okay with food insecurity is obscene.”
As part of Second Chance’s plan to support Medway families, they have established a fund to help those facing food poverty this Christmas. As a fundraising effort, they will be holding a charity art auction next weekend.
You can view the artwork online and place bids via the auction website. All work will be displayed at Sun Pier House on 16 November and until 2pm on 17 November, where you can also place bids in person. The Sun Pier House exhibition is open to everyone, though sadly, the venue is still not accessible for those who require step-free access as their lift construction work is not yet complete.
The auction features original work by Billy Childish, Zara Carpenter, Sam Collins, Jamie Reid, Jimmy Cauty, Not Banksy, Harry Adams, Carol Smith, Maggie Osborn, Kieron Poole, Sarah Crouch, Mick Hampshire, Rikard Osterlund, Heather Haythornthwaite, Sophie Young, Sam Hall, and more.
In brief
🌊 The Haven holiday park at Allhallows has requested planning permission to add a ‘Wild River’ water attraction. It comes as part of an extensive renovation programme on the site.
🍗 Cheeky Clucker in Rochester will close at the end of the year. The fried chicken restaurant blamed the economic climate and will now pivot to their delivery business.
🚆 The railway line between Strood and Paddock Wood will be closed on Sunday for planned engineering works. Rail replacement buses will operate along the route instead.
🚉 Southeastern are set to spend £2m across its network over the next six months sprucing up and deep cleaning stations. Chatham and Gillingham will supposedly see improvements, while Strood, Rochester, and Rainham will receive the deep clean treatment.
🏁 The BBC has spoken to Ben Jelf, an F1H20 elite powerboat racer. When not racing, he works as a mechanic in a garage in Chatham.
🏎️ Buckmore Park Kart Circuit plans to build a large motorsports event centre and add simulators to its offer. The track, on the edge of Chatham, will create 30 new jobs.
🎵 Our music writer Stephen Morris recently put together a musical tour of our towns. He has now made a collection of the songs included available as a playlist on Spotify.
Nucleus Arts’ Winter Open gets a rebrand
Nucleus Arts is a Medway based arts organisation with artist’s studios, two galleries, and a thriving community engagement programme. This includes their Winter Open exhibition, which gives artists the opportunity to be part of a large exhibition with their peers. From this edition, the event is getting something of a rebrand. “This year, we are calling it the Winter Art Bazaar as we would like it to be a 'selling' show rather than just an exhibition,” says gallery manager Genevieve Tullberg.
The aim is that being part of a group show is a different experience to having a solo show, with the advantages including contacts made and audiences shared, “as well as being inspired by and inspiring other artists. It is a great experience for emerging artists.”
It costs £15 to submit three pieces of art to be considered for the Bazaar, with Nucleus committing that their panel judges will accept at least one, “which is not often the case at other galleries.”
You can find out more about the Winter Art Bazaar on the Nucleus Arts’ website.
Out to Lunch: Poco Loco
In which Steven Keevil assesses the lunch options available in our towns. This week, he’s been down to Poco Loco in Chatham…
Situated at the Chatham end of the indefinable Intra area of the High Street is mainstay Poco Loco, a family run grass-roots dive bar, which is typically ‘a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment’. I won’t lie, I had to ponder that bit as calling a venue ‘a dive’, has somewhat negative connotations, but this venue is friendly, light and welcoming.
The venue’s board offered tacos and tapas, and as I am still in search of good tapas in Medway, they had my attention. Regular readers of this section will know I love a small plate selection, and here I ordered prawn and chorizo skewers, chicken wings deep fried then finished with a choice of salt and pepper, and pork belly. Alongside these, I selected two mini corn on the cob and Cajun fries as sides. They also offer a bottomless brunch menu, but the days of journos taking two-hour alcohol fuelled lunch breaks are sadly beyond us.
We had got there just after opening and were the only people in the restaurant. The friendly staff served within good time fresh, hot, and most importantly, tasty food. The skewers were delicious, the wings were dry and well-seasoned, the Cajun fries some of the nicest I have had, and I want to go back for more pork belly. The only letdown was the corn on the cob, that were far from mini, and lacking in flavour. Some of the Cajun seasoning from the fries would have worked on them a treat, but it’s a minor point for major cobs.
If you are looking for somewhere in the Chatham Intra area for a sit-down meal, then I would happily recommend Poco Loco for lunch. Apparently, they also put on great music.
Events this week
📚 Until 30 Nov - Medway River Lit // Month-long series of weekend events across Medway featuring writing masterclasses, panels, poetry, drama and more. Various locations. Highlights:
Fri 8 Nov - Meanderslam // Medway River Lit enters the arena of competitive spoken word with guest judge and poet Lalah-Simone Springer. Coffee Republic, Chatham. Pay what you can.
Sat 9 Nov - Writer talk (for young readers): Tom Mitchell // Younger readers are invited to hear about 'How to Stop the End of The World.’ Chatham Library. Pay what you can.
Sun 10 Nov - Prizegiving: The Rosemary McLeish Award // The winners of a poem on climate change will be announced, and they will read their poems. Rochester Library. Pay what you can.
Wed 13 Nov - 'Da Vinci' documentary screening // About Dmytro Kotsyubailo, known by the call sign 'Da Vinci', who fought for the freedom of Ukraine. Money raised will be donated for medical equipment for Ukraine. Gillingham Library. Pay what you can.
Sat 9 Nov - Rochester City Vintage & Artisan Market // Stalls selling wide range of products, food, and gifts. Rochester High Street. Free.
🏮 Sat 9 Nov - Friends of Gillingham Park Lantern Walk // Explore Gillingham Park. Bring your own lantern for a family-friendly walk around the park's perimeter. Free.
🎸 Sat 9 Nov - Adam Ross + Men From Memphis + Paul Linton + Robot Is Stupid // Careful Now Promotions gig featuring Randolph’s Leap singer-songwriter. Oast Community Centre, Rainham. Tickets £8.
🎭 9 - 10 Nov - Modern Image of Dorian Grey // New play by Aimee Ridell takes a social media angle on the classic story. Spotlites Theatre, Chatham. Tickets from £11.
🤣 Mon 11 Nov - Funny Women mentoring meetup & open mic // Informal networking, fun and games, plus first-hand advice from visiting experts. Playopolis, Rochester. Free.
🗣️ Tue 12 Nov - Medway Matters Live // Ask questions directly to Medway Council Leader Vince Maple and Chief Executive Richard Hicks. Royal Dockyard Church, Chatham. Free.
🎺 12 - 16 Nov - Rochester Cathedral Jazz and Blues Festival // A week of jazz and blues in the stunning setting of Rochester Cathedral. Headliners include James Taylor Quartet. Tickets from £15.
🎸 Thu 14 Nov - Spike Direction Effect + The May Day Riots + Bad Snacks // Punk and blues-inflected rock from local bands. Poco Loco, Chatham. Free.
More Authority
Ascend is Medway Council’s new flagship project that is part of the regeneration of Chatham. An extensive coworking space within the Pentagon aims to bring high-skilled jobs back into our town centre. In a world of changing working patterns, how viable is the plan?
Can Chatham Ascend?
Following a great start to the season, things are now decidedly less great at Gillingham FC. Our Gills columnist Ben Hopkins tries to find the positives where the team has found themselves.
Our interview with Cllr Andrew Lawrence, Shadow Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Community, and Housing, is coming up on Sunday. Hit the orange button below to ensure you receive all of our work when it’s published.
Remember that our Medwayish shop contains a wide range of Medway-related gifts and products designed by local creatives. We have books, mugs, t-shirts, prints, and other fun bits and pieces. Check it out!
Footnotes
If you enjoy Local Authority, please share it with your friends, family, associates, and even your enemies. We have no meaningful marketing budget, so rely on word of mouth from our readers to find new readers. You can even get some sweet, sweet rewards for sending new readers our way. Details here.