FLOOD DEFENCES ARE FAST TRACKED

Work to strengthen sea flooding defences at north Deal is being brought forward to the coming year. The Environment Agency says that it expects to have £200,000 available in 2009 so it can make a start on designing improvements to the wave wall and topping up the protective embankment between Sandown and Sandwich Bay. The cash was originally scheduled for 2010 and 2011 but has been brought forward as one of the measures in the Government's recently announced budget plans.   (December 11, 2008)

LOCAL SERVICES OVER CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

Details of local services over the Christmas and New Year period....

DOVER DISTRICT COUNCIL

The main council offices at Whitfield will be closed from 5pm on Wednesday 24 December to 9am on Friday 2 January.
The Deal area office will close at 3pm on Wednesday 24 December, and reopen at 9am on Monday 5 January.
There is an emergency line over this period on 01304 821199.

All refuse and recycling collection days are "as normal" except:
Refuse: No collections on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 December. (The two weeks' refuse will be taken on Thursday 1 and Friday 2 January respectively.)
Black Box and Blue Bag Recycling: No collections on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 December. (For these households, the next recycling collections will be on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 January respectively.)
Green Waste Recycling: There will be no collections between Saturday 20 December and Sunday 4 January inclusive. Collections restart Monday 5 January.
Collection times may vary so please ensure waste is out for collection by 7am.

Deal Pier opening times over the holiday period are:
Wednesday 24 December: 8am-4pm;
Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day): closed all day;
Friday 26 December (Boxing Day): 10am-6pm;
Saturday 27 December: 8am-12midnight;
Sunday 28 to Tuesday 30 December: 8am-10pm;
Wednesday 31 December: 8am-4pm;
Thursday 1 January (New Year's Day): 10am-6pm; and
Friday 2 January: 8am-10pm.

For more details, see the Dover District Council website.  

The Dover and Tides leisure centres, run by Vista Leisure for Dover District Council, will operate as follows:
Wednesday 24 December (Christmas Eve), Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day) and Friday 26 December (Boxing Day): closed;
Saturday 27 - Tuesday 30 December: normal hours;
Wednesday 31 December (New Year's Eve): 8am-2pm;
Thursday 1 January (New Year's Day): closed; and
Friday 2 January: normal hours.

For more details see the Vista Leisure website.

Services by local bus operator, Stagecoach:

Normal services up to Sunday 21 December.
Monday 22 and Tuesday 23 December: normal "school holiday" timetable.
Wednesday 24 December (Christmas Eve): normal "school holiday" timetable but most buses will finish by 9pm.
Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day) and Friday 26 December (Boxing Day): no services on both days.
Saturday 27, Monday 29 and Tuesday 30 December: normal Saturday timetable.
Sunday 28 December: normal Sunday timetable.
Wednesday 31 December (New Year's Eve): Saturday timetable; most buses finishing by 9pm.
Thursday 1 January (New Year's Day): no buses except for routes 10, 22A and 25A which will be running to a Sunday timetable.
Friday 2 January: normal "school holiday" timetable.
Saturday 3 January: normal bus times resume.

For more information: 0845 600 2299 or see the company's website

South Eastern Trains will operate as follows:
Wednesday 24 December (early closedown at 2100 hours);
Thursday 25 December (Christmas Day): no services;
Friday 26 December (Boxing Day): no services (apart from a few special services nearer London);
Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 December: normal services;
Monday 29, Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 December: Saturday service with some additional peak-time trains;
Thursday 1 January: Sunday service; and
Friday 2 January: Saturday service with some additional peak-time trains.

For more details of rail services, see the rail timetable website .

Recommended final posting dates for UK mail:
Monday 15 December for Standard Parcels.
Thursday 18 December for Second Class letters.
Saturday 20 December for First Class letters.
Tuesday 23 December for Special Delivery.

For International Airmail final posting dates and more details of Christmas arrangements, go to: www.royalmail.com/greetings.

(December 11, 2008)

REVIVED ASTOR COULD RE-OPEN IN THE SPRING

Deal Arts Management, the group selected to run Deal's Astor Theatre, is working towards a grand re-opening of the venue in April 2009. The group's artistic director and chief executive James Tillitt said that, to date, it had managed to gain £6,000 in grants towards bringing the building back into use. He anticipated one of the first users of the refurbished building will be the Interludes stage and screen club offering an expanded program of classic and art films. Deal Arts Management is also keen to create a team of volunteers able to offer practical skills towards running the theatre. For more details, call 0780 2702071 or send an .   (November 23, 2008)

CHARITY CARDS AT THE LIBRARY

CHANGES TO REFUSE AND RECYCLING COLLECTIONS

Dover District Council is now collecting more items for recycling. Since Monday, 3 November plastics bottles and cardboard can be put out with paper, cans, glass bottles and jars as part of the fortnightly black box recycling scheme. Householders should have received a blue reusable bag for paper and card while their existing black box is now for the storage and collection of plastics bottles, cans, glass bottles and jars. The green garden waste collection scheme has also been extended to a further 13,000 properties which should have received a green reusable bag along with a leaflet explaining how the fortnightly collections will work. The regular collection of ordinary household waste remains weekly.

NEW LOOK PIER RESTAURANT TO OPEN

SWITCH ON FOR CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

AWARD WINNING "SHORT" FOR NEXT INTERLUDES NIGHT

Denis Hart of the Interludes Film and Theatre Club says that preceding this Friday's (31 October) main feature film "The Long Day Closes", they will be screening a 'short' film called "How I learned to love Richard Gere". It has just won an award for Best Comedy Newcomer, at the Hampton's International Film Festival in America. The film stars Julian Sims, an actor who lives in Deal.

Julian and the film's writer Michael Spicer will be on hand to introduce the film. Julian made his cinema debut in 1998 in the British comedy "Still Crazy". He also appeared as Dr Green in the sci-fi horror movie "The Calling" in 2000. His television work includes several episodes of the Bafta winning comedy show "Smack The Pony" (C4) for which he also wrote. Other credits include "Sharpe’s Gold" (Carlton), "EastEnders" (BBC), "Heartbeat" (Yorkshire TV), "Casualty" (BBC), "Down to Earth" (BBC), "The Vanishing Man" (Carlton), "Sex ‘n’ Death" (BBC), "The Bill" (Carlton), "Thief of Smiles" (Meridian), "Anything’s Possible" (Channel Five) and "La Traviata" (BBC).

Moves to breathe new life into Deal's Astor Theatre have taken a vital step forward with the announcement that Deal Town Council is backing a bid by local arts group Deal Arts Management to run the Stanhope Road building. The theatre closed earlier this summer and, since then, the town council has been consulting with local organisations interested in its future. On Monday (29 September), councillors agreed to support Arts Management's proposals for operating the venue as the "Astor Community Theatre".

Heading up the new arts group is its chief executive and artistic director James Tillitt. He will be supported by a team of local people including project coordinator Colin Whittington and marketing and publicity manager Denis Hart. They are currently preparing a detailed programme of events and activities that they intend will have broad appeal and involve the Deal and Walmer community. It is understood that Lord Astor of Hever has been interested in the plans to bring the theatre back into use and has agreed to become its patron. Although the arts group is keen to "open the doors" as soon as possible, they must wait for the town council to finalise conditions of a lease with Dover District Council, the owners of the theatre.   (October 2, 2008)

AUTUMN CONCERTS

There are still a couple of opportunities for music lovers to enjoy Deal Festival of Music and The Arts current Autumn Concerts season. On Friday, 10 October: Cinque Ports Ensemble with John Georgiadis (violin), Anthony Halstead (horn) and Malcom Riley (piano) will be at Deal Town Hall at 7.30pm. Their programme will include: Lennox Berkely Horn Trio Opus 44, Frederick Delius Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 and Brahms Horn Trio Opus 40.

On Friday, 24 October: Jessica Beeston (Viola) and Andrew Johnston (piano) will play at Deal Town Hall at 7.30 pm. Their programme includes: Shostakovich Sonata for Viola and Piano, Vaughan Williams Romance for Viola and Piano, Brahms Sonata in E flat Opus 120 No 2, Chopin E flat Nocturne and Chopin F minor Nocturne.

Tickets are £10 per concert or £15 for the two concerts. Call 01227 786111 or or visit the Box Office at The Sounds House, Deal ( 01304 381134). For more details, see www.dealfestival.co.uk/    (October 2, 2008)

FILMS AND LIVE PERFORMANCES IN DEAL

The Interludes Stage and Screen Club, launched on 12 September, offers an exciting programme of films and live performances in Deal. Organisers Denis Hart and Colin Whittington say that Interludes will present live performances by established actors, authors, broadcasters and musicians and also screen a wide variety of films including classic and foreign language movies and documentaries and films with a local interest.  For details, call Colin Whittington on 01304 375 533 or .    (October 2, 2008)

ART ON SHOW

There's an exhibition of work by Dover artist Freda Street at The Studio, St George's Passage, off High Street, Deal from Saturday, 20 September to Saturday, 11 October. Open on Fridays and Saturdays 10am-5pm and other times by appointment (call 01304 371111).    (October 2, 2008)

FILMS RETURN TO DEAL

A new venture to bring films and live performances back to Deal launches in September. Behind the scheme - to be run as the Interludes Stage and Screen Club - are local residents Denis Hart and Colin Whittington. They are promising that Interludes will present live performances by established actors, authors, broadcasters and musicians and also screen a wide variety of films including classic and foreign language movies and documentaries and films with a local interest.

Local interest is certainly a feature of the first film for the season on Friday, 12 September. It's "Ruby Blue" starring Bob Hoskins and uses several Deal locations, including the pier and Jenkins fishmongers on the High Street. Interludes co-founder Denis Hart said: “This is a fantastic coup for us and Deal. The film only went on general release, mostly to independent cinemas around the country, earlier this year. I contacted the production company and not only did they let us have the film for a single screening, the acclaimed director Jan Dunn agreed to attend to introduce the film and answer questions.”

The other co-founder Colin Whittington explained: “We decided to take the initiative and launch Interludes following the shock closure of Deal’s only cinema last year. Our aim is to provide a welcoming atmosphere where the audience can feel relaxed and the entertainment on offer, be it film or live performance, is going to be stimulating, interesting and fun.”

There are two film screenings a month on a Friday evening using the latest digital equipment projecting onto a large screen approximately 15ft wide by 12ft high. The live performances are once a month on a Saturday night. The club will be based in St Georges Hall, off Deal High Street, although other venues may be used when appropriate.

WRITERS' WORKSHOPS

Aspiring playwrights could find the "Dealing with Writing" weekend workshops in the Royal Hotel on Deal's seafront just the thing. The organisers say their courses are for all writers who wish to develop their playwriting skills as well as workshop leaders and tutors who wish to expand their methodologies.

The next workshop is in October. Then workshop leaders Noel Greig and Philip Osment will explore "Plays Personal, Plays Political". They say: "A great play can connect our personal lives, thoughts and experiences to the wider world: the local and particular becomes the universal, the personal becomes political." The course will consider how writers can achieve this through a mixture of practical exercises, reference to existing plays and tutor-led discussion. The work will cover such topics as subject-matter and theme, style and genre, and the development of story and character. By the end of the weekend participants should have started to develop an idea for their own new play.

Dates are: Saturday October 25 (11.15am-6.30pm) and Sunday October 26 (10am-6pm); tuition fee is £175. For more details, see: www.dealingwith writing.com. Bookings: 01304 367625 or .  (July 12, 2008)

ROYAL MARINES BAND IN WALMER

AMERICAN CHOIR TO SING IN WALMER

Chorus Angelorum, a semi-professional choir from Houston, Texas, are coming to Walmer as part of a trip to England at the beginning of July.

Although the main reason for their visit is to sing at a Summer Residency in Canterbury Cathedral from July 7 to 11, their director of music Mr Ed Franklin and 23 members of the choir insisted on spending a couple of days exploring East Kent - thanks to a long-standing friendship with Walmer resident Mr Terrance Gilbert. The choir arrive at Gatwick on Thursday, July 3 and will head straight for Walmer where members of the congregation at St Mary's parish church will be acting as hosts.

On Friday, July 4 (American Independence Day), they will rehearse in St Mary's Church in the morning and, at a special Evensong at 6.30pm, sing several works by early English composers. These include: Thomas Weelkes' Sixth Evening Service, Preces and Responses by Thomas Tomkins and a stirring anthem, also by Tomkins, "Almighty God, the Fountain of All Wisdom".

WRITERS' WORKSHOPS

Aspiring playwrights could find the "Dealing with Writing" weekend workshops in the Royal Hotel on Deal's seafront just the thing. The organisers say their courses are for all writers who wish to develop their playwriting skills as well as workshop leaders and tutors who wish to expand their methodologies.

There are just two places still available on the next weekend - "Human Behaviour in Action" with Noel Greig and Philip Osment - on Saturday June 28 (11.15am-6.30pm) and Sunday June 29 (10am-6pm). The tuition fee is £200. The course will help writers create characters, develop the worlds they inhabit and set them off on their journeys: human behaviour in action.

PIER CAFE CLOSES... TO MAKE WAY FOR NEW ONE

NEW SKATE PARK GETS GO-AHEAD

Local organisers for the A258 Deal-Dover Road Safety Campaign have arranged a meeting at the Deal Welfare Club, Cowdray Square, Deal on Friday, 25 April at 7.30pm. Concerned at the number of accidents and fatalities on this road, they say the meeting will provide an opportunity for the public to hear latest developments and express their opinions. Representatives from the Highways Agency, local councils, Kent County Council and Dover Joint Transport Board and also Dover and Deal's MP Gwyn Prosser have been invited to attend. (April 16, 2008)

WASTE COLLECTIONS TO REMAIN FREE

CATS SEEKING GOOD HOMES

NEW OUTDOOR ACTIVITY CLUB

WEEKEND WORKSHOPS FOR BUDDING DRAMATISTS

Deal is the venue for a series of weekend workshops with experienced professionals aimed at people keen to improve their creative writing skills.

The next one is "Television and Adaptation" on March 29/30 with tutors Philip Osment and Lin Coghlan. Many writers making the break into television find themselves, for the first time, having to work with stories and characters which are not of their own creation. How can they develop a methodology which can be applied to diverse writing situations on existing shows, serials and adaptations? Using writing exercises based on formats widely used in British television today, this two day workshop will offer practical strategies for creating robust episode plans, multi-stranded scenes, clear powerful adaptations and compelling story arcs. Times are: March 29: 11.15am-6.30pm and March 30: 10am-6pm.

Further weekends are:
May 24/25 - Noël Greig and Rosy Fordham on "Plays for Today" and
June 28/29 - Noël Greig and Philip Osment on "Human Behaviour in Action".

The courses are in the Royal Hotel on Deal seafront. Cost of each course is £200 (which does not include accommodation). For more details or to book contact: Liz Turner on 01304 367625 or . You can also see more on the courses plus tutor biographies at: www.dealingwithwriting.com.   (March 4, 2008)

DEAL TOWN CENTRE ROADWORKS

Kent Highways road works in the Park Street area of Deal will mean a number of diversions for motorists over the next 12 weeks. For details, see www.elgin.gov.uk or call Kent Highways on 0845 824 7800.   (February 29, 2008)

There's an opportunity for small local businesses to present their services to the public at a special event at the Landmark Centre in Deal High Street on Friday, 4 April. Organised by the Best of Deal and Sandwich group with the cooperation of Deal and Walmer Chamber of Commerce, the mini-exhibition will be open from 9am to 4pm. The organisers say their first Local Business Showcase will be especially helpful to companies that do not have a high street presence and also open up the prospect of making valuable new business contacts. For details, contact Jane or Stephanie on 01304 362563 or 07800 813706. (February 10, 2008)

A free leaflet giving details of the coming season of free band concerts at the Memorial Bandstand on Walmer Green is now available. You can get a copy from Stephen Misson at Cinque Port Music* or from local Tourist Information Centres. Copies are also be available at the East Kent Mercury office, Ropers, the Library, NatWest bank and Lyndas in Deal, as well shops and the RMA Club on The Strand in Walmer. The leaflet can also be downloaded at: www.cinqueportmusic.com/.

* You can contact Stephen at 1 The Maltings, Walmer, Deal, Kent CT14 7AR ( and fax: 01304 362181; or ). If requesting a copy of the new leaflet by post, a stamped addressed return envelope would be appreciated. (February 4, 2008/updated March 16 2008)