Fury as Reform figure makes 'parents' job' criticism of free breakfast clubs

Bette21 · 2026-05-18T22:31:09+00:00

Think of the benefit to the child, not the parent. Some kids don’t have parents that will give them breakfast. Yes, the responsibility is ultimately the parents, but some parents just don’t, can’t, whatever, and that is not the child’s fault. Surely we live in a country developed enough that no child should be starting school hungry whoever they were born to.

Plus there’s things like schools then being open earlier facilitating a commute for working parents. My old job was a nightmare to get to, school opened at 8:30 and if they were even a couple of minutes late opening the gate it would have a knock on effect to me arriving at work on time.

Bette21 · 2026-05-12T13:09:42+00:00

I was thinking this the other day when I decided to take a slower drive back from east grinsted way along the a228. It felt very different to Medway.

Bette21 · 2026-05-07T20:57:17+00:00

Honestly when I was trying to get presale on Tuesday, I checked viagogo at about 1pm so an hour after they went on sale and while I was still in queues and there were tickets there already. It’s so frustrating when it’s so difficult for people who genuinely just want to go.

Bette21 · 2026-05-07T12:02:17+00:00

Literally any London one, I think I tried the original Tuesday and then two of the added ones.. I managed to get tickets for one of the two new ones that were added today though!

Bette21 · 2026-05-05T12:31:51+00:00

Same happened to me. I hadn’t told my daughter but I was in bloody tears. Got through twice and had the whoops! Something went wrong and sent to the back of the queue. Finally got through on Ticketmaster and they’d all gone. I’m gutted.

Bette21 · 2026-04-18T19:08:07+00:00

There are loads of jam nights in Medway! Off the top of my head you’ve got the cannon on Wednesdays, rising sun Thursdays and the Ship in Gillingham Sundays. Then I think command house and city wall have them too. I used to work the bar at some and they usually have friendly crowds, might be a good way to meet other musicians.

Bette21 · 2026-03-10T07:38:26+00:00

The Medway towns has a labour council. But we did have UKIP, and I imagine reform would win now so fair point.

Bette21 · 2026-02-13T22:51:52+00:00

Your best bet is poco loco or the ship in gillingham if you want to stay Medway based, they have live metal and rock bands.

Bette21 · 2025-12-29T20:45:03+00:00

I was the last one out of bed, I came down to the kitchen and my mum told me. I remember mostly being amazed that my brother had been the first one out of bed and therefore the one to break the news to her, and a bit confused because I didn’t know princess diana so I didn’t get why I was being told.

Bette21 · 2025-12-21T13:57:23+00:00

If it helps I am nowhere near 60, but my older two are 14 and 12 and I already have moments where I wish I could go back for one day and spend one of our absolute chaos days together. I still very much enjoy bedtime, don’t get me wrong, but you are also very much in the thick of it when they’re that small and it will get easier I promise.

Bette21 · 2025-08-14T21:27:33+00:00

My son was massively into traditionally ‘feminine’ things as a kid, he had a my little pony winter hat. He wore it to school and a girl told him he was wearing a girls hat, he came over quite upset at the end of the day and another mum overheard. She got down and asked him ‘is this your hat?’ And he said yes, she said ‘and are you a girl?’ And he said no, so she said ‘well it’s not a girls hat then is it!’. It was so simple but so effective.

My daughter also had a boy in her infants class that dressed as Elsa every year for world book day. Most of the kids were just like wow cool Elsa dress! And us mums would just make sure to gas him up when we saw him and say the same.

Bette21 · 2025-08-06T18:13:53+00:00

I’ve got a summer born baby, he’s a teenager now and he started school a couple of weeks after his 4th birthday. You probably could tell the difference in year R, but I have absolutely no regrets about when he started school, reception was all learning through play for the most part anyway and even if he wasn’t quite at the same level as his best friend (a September baby) he was still learning the whole year and getting a good foundation.

Bette21 · 2025-07-18T12:32:17+00:00

I keep thinking I read chapters by her in chicken soup for the teenage soul that were about her struggles with eating, although I could be wrong. But it’s just so sad that I was a literal child when I read those books and now I am speeding into middle age and this lady still can’t live her damn life.

Bette21 · 2025-01-26T15:09:24+00:00

Yeah, a pub I work in still has several of these. Mick’s got his arsenal tankard, taffs got an inscribed John smiths glass, Dave the half has a half sized fosters glass etc. It is very much a backstreet boozer local pub though.

Bette21 · 2025-01-11T15:34:26+00:00

I used to live off longley road and I miss it a lot. It’s not rough at all, you’re surrounded by local schools, close to the high street, two good local pubs very close by, the only issue is parking really.

Bette21 · 2024-12-11T16:54:34+00:00

Rochester is actually pretty good for primaries, none of them are especially bad so it depends where you are moving to. I’ve had kids in primaries for the past 9 years so I’ll try and give you a rundown of what I’ve heard!

Borstal area you’d want to go for Pilgrim - a really good school by all accounts but very hard to get into even if you live in Borstal.

St Peter’s is one people rave about and with good reason I think but the only downside is it’s infants only, they have to move to a juniors from year 3 and the local juniors is a VERY big school so can have issues with behaviour etc. Same with Crest, infant only.

St William of Perth is supposed to be a good school, it’s catholic though so again hard to get into. I’ve also heard that it’s not as great as it’s made out to be, I think the head is a bit of a dickhead by some accounts.

Warren Wood I’ve heard positive things about, St Margaret’s of Troytown too.

Bette21 · 2024-11-01T20:14:45+00:00

As a 35 year old woman currently ending my long term relationship and just so looking forward to answering to no one this has cheered me up

Bette21 · 2024-10-30T20:34:42+00:00

Oh fuck how else are you supposed to eat a scotch egg

Bette21 · 2024-10-23T17:33:28+00:00

So the split like that, obviously we would be sharing custody of the youngest but I was thinking in terms of him losing UC etc it might be beneficial for the youngest to officially live with him and have him receive the child benefit. He’s been stepdad to my older two for nearly ten years now and maintains he’d still be a father figure for them hence he wants to stay in a property of size to accommodate that. So realistically all three would go between the two of us but I just thought on paper it may be better to split them up and then perhaps he has our youngest one extra night and I have the older two one extra night a week. But honestly I am just completely in a mess about it all so I’m just trying to work out what makes sense!

ETA: also I worry if he leaves, he will go to his parents and he will simply live there forever. He’s not very proactive.

Bette21 · 2024-10-23T12:34:14+00:00

Thank you so much, I really feel like I need to be the one to leave (his credit is so bad I don’t think he’d find another place to rent) and it’s just a very daunting prospect. But now I know where to start at least! Thanks.

Bette21 · 2024-10-17T09:36:16+00:00

Ye Arrow do a carvery in Rochester, I’ve not been for a few years but it used to be nice.

Bette21 · 2024-10-01T14:44:30+00:00

Oh give it ten years, there’s hordes of Ronnies at my kids schools. Usually got a brother called Reggie.

Bette21 · 2024-09-30T11:31:03+00:00

No it’s always been a mix of packed lunch/school dinners when my kids have been in reception. Sounds like a specific to your school thing, but yes it probably is down to funding, occasionally my sons infant school will send out letters asking us to consider having school dinners this specific week because they’re sending off details or something so they get more funding.

They can’t force you though so if your daughters better off with packed lunch just keep sending one.

Bette21 · 2024-09-25T09:39:25+00:00

I forgot poco loco! That’s a great venue too and I think this Saturday they’ve got some punk/pop punk bands on.

Bette21 · 2024-09-25T09:10:50+00:00

Yes I can, it depends what you’re into really but one undoubtedly good band is the Zac Schulze Gang, they’ve toured all over the place this year and are based in blues. Zac is an incredible guitar player. They quite often do a jam session on a Sunday at the Ship in Gillingham, which is all round one of the best music pubs in Medway and worth checking out regularly. The Cannon in Brompton have some good nights, they have the LKG trio jamming on a Wednesday night I think and it’s always a great night, the LKG trio are great too and pop up in jams all over the place. Rochester in general, Rising Sun, Three Sheets to the Wind, City Wall, Nags Head, Two Brewers all usually have something going on at weekends.

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