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A Snapshot into... Gillingham!

• December 03, 2021

Gillingham is a town in the county of Kent in South East England. It is a neighbouring town of Chatham which is fascinating maritime destination with a rich history stretching back over 400 years. 

Gillingham is, for local government purposes, in the unitary authority of Medway. Medway NHS Foundation Trust is a single-site hospital based in Gillingham, which serves a population of more than 424,000 across Medway and Swale.

They provide clinical services to almost half a million patients a year, including more than 125,000 Emergency Department attendances, more than 88,000 admissions, more than 278,000 outpatients appointments and more than 5,000 babies born last year. The hospital is made up of two clinical divisions – Unplanned and Integrated Care and Planned Care – supported by corporate functions. 

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Facts about Gillingham

• Gillingham means a homestead of Gylla's family, from Old English ham (village, homestead) and ingas (family, followers), and was first recorded in the 10th century as Gyllingeham.

 

• Also referred to in old texts as Jillyingham Water, hence the pronunciation being Gillingham (the G sounds as a "J" in the name Jill).

• Gillingham Football Team is an English professional football club headquartered in Gillingham, Kent. The "Gills," are the only Kent-based team in the Football League and play their home games at Priestfield Stadium.

 

• Due to its southerly, sheltered, marine position near the European continent the climate is among the warmest in the whole of England.

• The Historic ‘Dockyard in Chatham which is located next to Gillingham is now a popular visitor attraction and film location! It is the set for the popular TV drama series ‘Call the Midwife’.

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Cost of Living in Gillingham

Cost of Renting Accommodation per month in Gillingham

One-Bedroom Apartment in the City Centre	£999.00
One-Bedroom Apartment outside of the City Centre	£619.67
Three-Bedroom Apartment in the City Centre	£1,146.67
Three-Bedroom Apartment outside of the City Centre	£969.67

Transportation

1ltr Petrol	£1.34
One-Way Public Transport Ticket	£4.25
Monthly Public Transport Ticket	£71.00
1km Taxi Journey	£1.42

Entertainment

Meal out for two in a local pub	£12.00
Meal out for two in a mid-range restaurant, 3 courses	£44.25
Cinema tickets for one person	£10.00
One-month gym membership	£27.00
Tennis court rental for 1 hour on the weekend	£14.83
Beer 0.5ltr bottle	£4.00
Coke/Pepsi 0.33ltr bottle	£1.33
Cappuccino	£2.44

Time It Takes to Travel by Train from Gillingham to Cities in the UK

City	Time it Takes to Travel
London	51 Minutes
Bristol	3 Hours 5 Minutes
Cardiff	3 Hours 6 Minutes
Manchester	3 Hours 57 Minutes
Newcastle	4 Hours 20 Minutes
Birmingham	2 Hours 36 Minutes
Edinburgh	6 Hours 25 Minutes

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Education in Gillingham

According to the government website, Gillingham has 27 primary schools and 7 Secondary schools. To find out more information about term dates, applications, standards, curriculum and general education, visit Gov.uk.

Gillingham also hosts Midkent College, a further education college which introduced Higher Education courses in 2012 and Universities at Medway, a university campus complex comprising University of Kent, Canterbury Christ Church University and University of Greenwich on the former HMS Pembroke barracks buildings.

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Things to do in Gillingham:

Guildhall Museum

Visitors can discover the history of the Medway area from pre-historic times to the present day at the Guildhall Museum in Rochester  

The Strand Leisure Park

Strand Leisure Park has been the favourite outdoor attraction for Medway for many years and in 2021 celebrates its 125th anniversary. 

Chatham Ski and Snowboard Centre

The artificial ski slope offers snowboarding, tobogganing and sno-tube facilities and a restaurant. Alternatively as it is set in Capstone Park there are some beautiful areas to picnic.

Planet Ice Gillingham

Planet Ice in Gillingham offers a full-size rink used for skating, ice hockey and musical performances. They also have a cafe, bar and 1000 seats for observing!

Priestfield Stadium

Priestfield Stadium popularly known simply as Priestfield and officially known from 2007 to 2010 as KRBS Priestfield Stadium is a football stadium in Gillingham, Kent. It has been the home of Gillingham Football Club since the club's formation in 1893, and was also the temporary home of Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club for two seasons during the 1990s

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Relocating to Gillingham

If you’re an international doctor looking to relocate to Gillingham, or another location in the UK, please email your CV to [email protected] and we can support you in securing an NHS post and on your journey to relocate to the UK.

Are you a member of our Facebook group? When you join IMG Advisor, you join a community of doctors all looking to relocate to the UK and join the NHS. We post a series of vlogs and blogs to the group every day. We will also be on hand to answer all of your relocation queries.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel! We have over 60 videos on everything you need to know about relocating to the UK and joining the NHS!

Listen to BDI Resourcing on the go to IMG Advisor the Podcast. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher and Buzzsprout. We have a number of episodes with tips and advice on relocating to the UK and the routes you can take to achieve this.