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CALL FOR BETTER CROSSINGS Walmer Parish Councillors have agreed to press for several new pedestrian crossing points on the A258 Dover Road. They are asking the local roads body, the Dover Joint Transportation Committee, to include safer arrangements for pedestrians at the Downlands and Granville Road junctions in their current A258 Study. They also felt there would be a need for a crossing point to serve Deal Castle and the new Captain's Garden when it opened. Councillors also expressed concern at the length of time being taken to relocate the bus stop south of Downlands on the Dover Road from its current dangerous position. (December 18, 2007) |
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OFFICE CLOSURES
It looks like the efforts of local residents to save the Great Mongeham and Upper Deal sub-post offices from closure have failed. In October, both were included on a list of 58 post offices in Kent facing closure. After a public consultation period, only two in the county - at Hawkhurst and Cliff’s End near Ramsgate - have been spared. As well as the branches in the Deal area that will shut next year, there are three branches in Dover: the Duke of York’s School, New Bridge and Tower Hamlets. (December 8, 2007) |
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HOLIDAY TIMES A round-up of local services over the Christmas and New Year period.... The main council offices at Whitfield will be closed from
5pm on Monday 24 December to 9am on Wednesday 2 January. All refuse and recycling collection days are "as normal"
except: Deal Pier will be closed all day on Tuesday 25 December
(Christmas Day) and Wednesday 26 December (Boxing Day) and Tuesday
1 January (New Year's Day). 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: The Parish Office will be closed from 2.30pm on Friday 21 December to 9am on Wednesday 2 January. Services by local bus operator, Stagecoach: Normal services up to Sunday 23 December. For more information: South Eastern Trains services are as follows: Details of local church services at Christmas, will be included in December's coming events when available. Recommended final posting dates for UK mail: International Airmail final posting dates are: (December 5, 2007) |
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CLEARING THE COMMON COULD HELP YOU KEEP FIT Forget expensive visits to the gym! A group of volunteers who meet on the first Sunday of each month throughout the year to help clear the scrub and tidy up Hawkshill Common reckon their monthly sessions are a great way to get fit as well as help the environment. It's vital work to keep this local chalk grassland area at the southern end of Walmer looking good. Anyone who wants to join in a first-Sunday-in-the-month session
should turn up at 10am in the car parking area off Liverpool Road
(opposite the junction with Grams Road). Tools are provided but
people need to bring their own refreshments and come suitably dressed
for physical work. The group also plans to meet on the third Monday
evening of each month during the summer. For more details call Stan
Stockley on |
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HUNT IS ON FOR BEST CHRISTMAS LIGHTS Representatives from Walmer Parish Council will be touring the area in the week commencing Monday, 10 December looking for the most attractive displays of Christmas lights. Now in its fifth year, the competition is open to all residents and businesses putting on a festive display that can be seen from the street. The winners will be announced just before Christmas when the chairman
of the parish council, Cllr Pat Heath, will present a cup to the
winner and certificates to the two runners-up. To nominate your
own house or business (or a neighbour’s) contact Christine
Pile at the Parish Office on |
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"MYSTERY" BUILDING IDENTIFIED A Walmer resident has come up with the answer to the location of a building thought to be in this area and once used as a military convalescent home. Mrs Pamela Cane contacted WalmerWeb to say a photograph of the building published on this website was of what, today, is the Generals Meadow Care Home in St Clare Road, Walmer. She explained that the building was indeed a convalescent home many years ago and is currently a care home for retired military personnel. The turrets of the church peeking over the roof in the old photo are those of the St Mary's parish church. (You can see a recent photo of the church in our Upper Walmer #2 photo album.) Mrs Cane's helpful information has now been passed on to Mr John Pearcy from North Yorkshire who contacted WalmerWeb to seek help in researching the history of his grandfather who served in the First World War. The soldier had been seriously injured and spent some time recovering in Sandwich and Walmer. There was a photo of one of the places but no indication of its exact location. WalmerWeb operator Harold Wyld said it was a good example of how local community websites could assist people in seeking and sharing information. (November 28, 2007) |
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CURTAIN DOWN AT FLICKS CINEMA Despite a local campaign and 4,500 signatures on a petition to save the local Flicks cinema, the owners, FS Leisure, have said it will close on Thursday, 29 November. The company is reported to have claimed that the small cinema is no longer financially viable and it currently has no plans for future use of the building. (November 22, 2007) |
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NEW LOOK FOR PARISH COUNCIL'S WEBSITE Walmer Parish Council's website has a new look. The changes are among the first to be rolled out for all the Kent parishes that use a special web hosting service provided by the county council. With a brighter, more modern appearance, the new website features contact details for local parish councillors and the parish office, agenda and minutes for meetings, notes on a variety of local services and initiatives and a new message board where residents can ask questions or raise matters of local interest. To take a look at the parish council website CLICK HERE. (November 15, 2007) |
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HELP ENSURE ACCURATE CRIME STATISTICS Walmer parish councillors are reminding local residents of the importance of reporting ALL crimes to the police and remembering to ask for an incident number. They say that this helps to build up an accurate picture of what is really happening in the area. (November 14, 2007) |
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PERFECT GIFT FEATURING WALMER'S PAST AND PRESENT The title - "Walmer Design Statement" - might sound a bit stuffy, but the actual publication is anything but! Produced by Walmer Parish Council, the well-illustrated 40-page booklet outlines the historical development of the parish and the buildings and natural features that contribute to its character and, in many people's opinion, make it special. At £4.95, the publication could be just the answer for a small Christmas present. Copies are available from a number of local newsagents and other outlets including the Parish Office. (November 14, 2007) |
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LOCAL POLICE "SURGERIES" There's now a regular monthly opportunity for residents to raise any concerns about local crime and policing. Walmer's Police Community Support Officer Justin Marriott will be holding a "drop in" surgery in Walmer Parish Hall, Dover Road, Walmer from 10am to 12noon on the second Thursday of every month. The next surgery is on Thursday, 13 December. (November 14, 2007) |
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"CHECK YOUR SMOKE ALARM" THEME FOR SAFETY WEEK This year's national Fire Safety Week is from 14 to 21 November. Supported by the Fire Protection Association and local fire brigades, the main theme for 2007 is "Check your smoke alarm…!". Householders will be urged to make a point of checking that their smoke alarm is located in an effective position and functioning properly. And if they haven't got one, not to put off purchasing and fitting one of these life-saving devices. Although all good alarms sound a warning "bleep" when the battery runs low, householders will also be encouraged to get into the habit of pressing the device's test button every week. (November 8, 2007) |
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CHRISTMAS POSTING DEADLINES Royal Mail has issued its recommended "last posting dates" for Christmas mail in 2007. Mail for UK delivery should be in the post by.... International Airmail "last dates" are..... International Surface Mail "last dates" were
and are..... * For a full listing of all dates for all countries, see Royal Mail website. (November 2, 2007) |
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USEFUL SERVICES THAT CAN SAVE YOU MONEY In the latest (November 2007) Walmer Residents' Handbook, a reader draws attention to the "Say No To 0870" service which provides alternative (cheaper) phone numbers to the 0870 ones offered by many organisations as the way to contact them. Regular users of WalmerWeb may have noted some time ago that we have a link to this money-saving service..... and also to a number of other very useful websites. If, for example, you want a postcode, someone's telephone number, the exact time or exchange rates for overseas currencies, a free on-line service is only a click away. To see our full list of "useful services", click here. (November 2, 2007) |
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COUNTRY PARK'S WINTER OPENING TIMES Fowlmead Country Park - the 120-hectare leisure area and nature reserve off the A258 Deal-Sandwich road, a mile north of Deal - has announced its winter opening times. From Sunday, 28 October 2007 to Saturday, 29 March 2008, they are 9am to 4.30pm every day. For more details, see www.fowlmead.co.uk. (October 30, 2007) |
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ENSURE YOUR VOTE Householders who have not returned their electoral registration
forms could be left off the next Register of Electors due
to be published on 1 December. Apart from it being a legal requirement
for most people to provide their details, not being on the register
means you cannot vote in any elections. For more details and online
registration see the Dover Council website
or call |
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DEAL'S CINEMA MIGHT CLOSE Deal's "Flicks" cinema could be under threat of closure according to reports in the East Kent Mercury local newspaper. The owners of the building, FS Leisure are reported as saying that the cinema has been trading at a loss but, despite this, it could have a future. Staff at the cinema have organised a "save our cinema" petition and claim to have gathered over 1,000 signatures already. (October 25, 2007) |
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SEEKING PEOPLE? OUR FORUM COULD HELP Regular visitors to the WalmerWeb Forum will probably have spotted that one of its sections is for people seeking information or advice. Among the postings to the "please help" section are requests to help trace old friends and relatives. For example, do any of these names ring bells.... Martin Tapsell, Elizabeth Morgan and Peter, Mary and Chris Holmes? The usefulness of this section relies on other local residents sharing any information they may have or passing on their own experiences in researching "long lost" friends. To go to the Forum, click here. (October 24, 2007) |
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CENTRAL BAND OF ROYAL BRITISH LEGION AT MARGATE Stephen Misson of Walmer's military band music company Cinque Port Music tells us that the Central Band of the Royal British Legion will be appearing at the Winter Gardens, Margate on Sunday, 4 November at 7.30pm. In what will be their first concert in Margate, the band will be under the baton of Captain David Cole who lives in Kingsdown. David is a former Director of Music of the Band of HM Royal Marines, Portsmouth The band features top musicians from all over the south of England. Stephen Misson says their programme will include all their most popular pieces since David Cole took over their leadership in March 2006. The finale will be David's popular arrangement of 'The Final Countdown/Love Changes Everything' which was specially arranged for the 1990 Mountbatten Festival of Music in the Royal Albert Hall, London after the bombing of the Deal barracks and eleven deaths of Royal Marines musicians. Tickets are £8, £9 and £10. For more details and to book, contact Stephen on
01304 362181 or
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FREE "CHRISTMAS SHOPPERS" PARKING IS AXED Dover District Council is abandoning this year's pre-Christmas free parking scheme in Deal. For several years past, motorists have been able to park free of charge in a number of on-street and off-street car parking areas on three days before Christmas. The scheme was meant to boost local shopping but, according to the council, most traders felt it made no difference. There was also confusion that the free parking didn't operate in the Sainsbury carpark in West Street. (October 11, 2007) |
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PARISH COUNCIL CONCERN AT OVERFLOWING LITTER BINS Walmer parish councillors have followed up concerns of a local resident about overflowing litter bins along the seafront at summer weekends and bank holidays. They have asked Dover Council's waste management staff to look into the problem and see if they and their contractors can come up with some answers. Apart from creating a bad impression to visitors, the parish council considered there were health and safety issues from scavenging seagulls. They also thought it would be helpful to have a direct phone number to alert the contractors if unexpected problems arose at weekends. (October 11, 2007) |
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COST SAVING ON COMMUNITY SUPPORT OFFICER As a result of a Government decision that all neighbourhoods should have their own dedicated Police Community Support Officer paid for as part of the general policing service, Walmer Parish Council will no longer make a contribution to providing the Walmer PCSO after March 2008. (October 11, 2007) |
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PLANS FOR SPRING "BROCANTE" MARKET A new antiques, crafts and collectors fair is being planned for next April on Walmer Green. To be organised by Walmer Parish Council with the help of Deal's market manager Robert Fawcett, the Walmer Brocante, as it is being called, could attract as many as 150 stalls and 5000 visitors. The proposed date is Sunday, 20 April, from 8am to 4pm. (October 11, 2007) |
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HALF TERM ACTIVITIES AT FOWLMEAD Fowlmead Country Park near Sholden is organising a programme of activities for nine- to 13-year-olds in the half term holidays. Under the watchful eyes of trained and accredited youth leaders, participants will be able to enjoy a wide range of activities including bushcraft, archery, scavenger hunts, nature exploration and fun games. The sessions are from Monday 22 to Friday 26 October and cost £20 a day which includes a bacon roll breakfast. Youngsters can take part on any or all of the five days. Parents need to drop off children between 8.30am and 9am and collect them at 5.30pm. For more details and to book, see www.fowlmead.co.uk. (October 11, 2007) |
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WALMER SPARED IN POST OFFICE CLOSURE PLANS Walmer residents will breathe a sigh of relief that their local post office is NOT included in the 58 branches in Kent earmarked for closure in plans announced by Royal Mail yesterday (Tuesday, 2 October). Neighbouring areas are not so lucky, though. Post Offices under
threat include: They feature in the first of 36 announcements due to be made over the next nine months that will see a total of 2,500 post offices threatened with closure. The government says cuts are needed as the current 14,000-strong network has been losing £4million a week. Six-week public consultations will be held in all affected areas before the final decisions are made, although critics are anticipating that the majority of the branches named will be axed. Interviewed by The Daily Telegraph, Mr Chris Saville, 60, the sub-post master at Great Mongeham, admitted that his post office lost money. He said: “The nearest post office is over a mile away in Mill Hill. And there is not a direct bus connection. The pensioners in the village will suffer.” (October 3, 2007) |
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WH SMITH HEADS FOR DEAL National stationers and newsagent WH Smith has announced that it is planning to open a new branch in the former Currys store in Deal High Street. The company expects to be up and running by late October. (September 21, 2007) |
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CHARITY QUIZ FOR TIMEBALL LANDMARK The Deal and District Lioness Club are holding a charity quiz night on Saturday, 22 September at 7.30pm at the Royal British Legion, Market Street, Deal. The £5 entrance fee includes a buffet supper. To book a table (and help the organisers plan their catering), please ring 01304 373925. All monies raised will go to the Timeball Tower which currently has no funding from Dover District Council. Lioness Club supporter Kirk Aitkenhead says: "The Timeball Tower is one of only three in the world and is a focal point on the Deal sea front. It would be a great shame to lose it, so we are really hoping people will support our event." (September 21, 2007) |
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RE-THINK URGED ON SEA FLOODING MEASURES It could be "back to the drawing board" for the Environment Agency's proposals for sea flooding defences along the local coastline. District councillors have said they are particularly unhappy with the idea of a four-foot high sea wall along much of Deal's seafront between Deal Castle and the Pier. The Agency is currently consulting the public on a range of measures that it believes will be needed in coming years. See more in our earlier news item below... (September 21, 2007) |
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DEAL PIER EXHIBITION "The Last Pier" - an exhibition celebrating the 50 years of Deal Pier from 1957 to 2007 - is at Deal Maritime and Local History Museum, St Georges Road, Deal until Wednesday, 31 October (open Mondays-Fridays 2pm-5pm and Saturdays 11am-5pm). Admission is £2 (concessions £1). (August 31, 2007) |
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VIEWS INVITED ON NEW COASTAL PLAN
Local residents are being invited to have their say on new proposals by the Environment Agency for dealing with the risks of sea flooding and erosion along the coast from Pegwell Bay to Kingsdown. The Agency's views on what needs to be done to maintain or improve sea defences are set out in a consultation document "Pegwell Bay to Kingsdown Coastal Strategy", prepared jointly with Dover District Council. Copies can be inspected at Deal Library and obtained by logging
onto the Environment Agency's website at: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/yourenv/consultations
or by phoning There is also a public display of the proposed strategy at Deal Town Hall, High Street, Deal on Tuesday, 11 September from 2pm to 8pm. If people wish to comment, they should write to Pegwell Bay to Kingsdown Strategy, Environment Agency, Endeavour Park, London Road, Addington, West Malling, Kent ME19 5SH by 12 October 2007. (August 31, 2007) |
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PARISH COUNCIL'S NEW MEMBERS Walmer Parish Council is now up to "full strength" following the co-option of two new members. They are Councillor Marguerite Beard-Gould of 132 Dover Road, Walmer and Councillor Mrs Celia Harris of 413 Dover Road, Walmer. Details of all 15 members of the parish council can be seen on its official website at www.walmercouncil.co.uk. (August 26, 2007) |
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BBC WANTS YOUR LOCAL NEWS The BBC Kent website and the regional news programme BBC South East Today say they are keen to hear from people with interesting local stories to tell. This, for example, could be about local volunteers, an unusual story from the past, an anniversary of a significant historical event or some big achievement. BBC journalist Robert Leslie says: "We create regular video features which are published on the BBC Kent website and occasionally on BBC South East Today. You can see some examples of video pieces we have recently done at: www.bbc.co.uk/kent/features and www.bbc.co.uk/kent/videonation." To get in touch with Robert and discuss a story idea, call him
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PUB PHOTOS RAISE £1400 FOR HOSPICE A display by local photographer Nigel May held in The Alma public house in West Street, Deal, on 10-12 August, raised just over £1400 for the Demelza House children's hospice near Sittingbourne. Nigel's event was included in the coming events listings on WalmerWeb which may have helped to attract some of the people who attended. Nigel says he'd like to give "a very big thank you" to everyone who came along to support his photographic exhibition. (August 17, 2007) |
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TV PROGRAMME SEEKS HOUSE MOVERS IWC Media, makers of Channel 4’s ‘Location, Location, Location’, have been commissioned by the BBC to make a new property series, ‘Homes Live’. The new daytime show will go out on BBC One live every day in October. They are looking for homeowners in the area who would be interested in taking part. Possible participants are people who are currently selling their home and moving within the next few weeks and would be interested in returning to see what the new owners have done with the property. Or purchasers who are about to move into a property and would like to invite the vendor back to see what changes they have made. The programme makers would film with the vendor in their home before they leave and then with the purchaser once they have moved in. They would then return some time later with the original owner to let them see how different the property looks. For further information, please call Keira Hutchison on 0141 353 8484 or alternatively e-mail hotproperty@iwcmedia.co.uk to request a call back. Please ensure you supply a daytime contact number. (August 14, 2007) |
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CAR PARK REFUND SCHEME FOR DEAL SHOPPERS Deal and Walmer Chamber of Commerce has relaunched its parking refund scheme. Shoppers who use one of Dover Council's Deal carparks fitted with dual-ticket machines can claim the cost of an hour's parking when they spend £10 or more with participating shops and services. Businesses taking part display a bright yellow poster. (August 5, 2007) |
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ANNUAL REPORT Local residents will be able to read about Walmer Parish Council's activities over the past 12 months when the Council's latest annual report brochure drops though their letter boxes any day now. Door-to-door distribution is due to start on Monday, 16 July. (July 16, 2007) |
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"NO" TO BIN REQUEST A request from Dover Council for Walmer Parish Council to help towards the cost of replacing concrete waste bins along the seafront has been rejected. Although parish councillors agreed with the idea of replacing the present ugly and impractical bins, they believed this was a district council responsibility. Parish Council funds should only be offered for extra new bins, not for replacements. (July 16, 2007) |
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WELLINGTON PARADE CYCLE PATH Following concerns by Walmer parish councillors over the poor state of the cycle path at Wellington Parade, Kent Highways have filled pot holes and say they'll monitor the route over the next few months. The Highways staff suggest that long term options might be to provide a proper "black top" surface or re-route the track onto the Kingsdown Road if money could found. Parish councillors are not in favour of the second idea and are suggesting to the Highways team that a new track on the seaward side of the bollards at Wellington Parade might be even better. (July 16, 2007) |
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MARINES VISIT "THE BEST YET" This year's visit by the Band of the Royal Marines, Portsmouth to the Memorial Bandstand on Walmer Green has been hailed as the "best yet". A crowd of around 5,000 turned out on Sunday, 8 July to see the band give their annual concert and perform the historic Beating Retreat ceremony. (July 12, 2007) |
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12,000 MILES TO HELP HOSPICES In 1988 Colin Skinner, of Station Road, Walmer, walked 6,000 miles across Britain and America to raise awareness of hospices. Starting on 29 April 2007 he set off to walk those 6,000 miles again and has just completed a brisk 900 miles in six weeks to reach Land's End. Colin has written a book about his experiences, called 'Beyond the Setting Sun' and featuring an introduction by Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the renowned polar explorer. The book tells of how Colin journeyed, with just a tent and a backpack for company, from the ancient burial sites of Scotland, through New York, the Great Lakes, the Plains, the Rocky Mountains in winter, through the Grand Canyon, Death Valley and over the Sierras on snowshoes. In Death Valley, down to his last $15, he found $200 by the roadside. On a wing and a prayer he survived temperatures from 104 degrees to 30 below zero. Colin says the aim of his walk and book is to help as many people as possible to receive compassionate care as they face living with serious illness. Five thousand books have been printed and 600 have been sold in the last few weeks, raising £3,000 for the Pilgrims Hospices in Kent. The books are £10, with £5 going to the hospices. Books can be ordered or by phone on
01304 389282. (July
11, 2007) |
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TELL OTHERS WalmerWeb likes to pass on local news. But we need your help. A few people are very good about letting us know about local happenings. That's why you'll frequently read about the activities of the South Foreland Rotary Club which has a number of local members in Walmer. So, whatever your news - and it can be about almost anything from achievements and big events to local concerns and demands for action - please use our news report form to let us know. (July 6, 2007) |
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NEW PRESIDENT FOR LOCAL ROTARY South Foreland Rotary Club has a new president. He's Peter West, 60, from Dover who took up his new honorary appointment on 1 July. Peter originally came from Hornchurch, Essex. He moved to Dover as a police officer in 1975 where he met his wife Eileen. He later ran his own driver training company until 1998 when he and Eileen entered ordained ministry as Salvation Army officers. They served together at Caterham, and Sevenoaks before returning to Dover in 2004 to re-establish the Salvation Army in the town. Peter also leads the Salvation Army emergency response team for the South East of England. He was amongst the first to respond to the April Earthquake emergency in Folkestone.
He joined the Rotary Club of South Foreland in 1996, transferring to the Rotary Clubs of Caterham and then Sevenoaks before rejoining his original club in 2004. His other hobbies include music (playing and listening) and DIY, he is a Governor at a local primary school and a trustee of South East Kent YMCA. He is also studying a part-time degree course with the University of Kent. Eileen and Peter have two children: James, who studied horticulture and now works for English Heritage at Walmer Castle and Marion who is a Civil Servant and, with her husband, hopes to train for ordained ministry in the Salvation Army. (July 6, 2007) |
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MARINE BAND VISIT ON SUNDAY, 8 JULY The Band of HM Royal Marines makes its annual visit to Walmer and Deal on Sunday (8 July). The big event at Walmer Green regularly draws huge crowds. This year's concert and Beating Retreat starts at 2pm. (July 6, 2007) |
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FOCUS ON COMMUNITY SAFETY There's an opportunity for people to hear about local initiatives to improve community safety and tackle anti-social behaviour when Deal Neighbourhood Forum meets on Monday, 16 July in Deal Welfare Club, Cowdray Square, Deal. Organised by the KCC and Dover Council, the meeting is at 7pm and open to the public. For more information, see www.kent.gov.uk/localboards or call Louise Bolton on
01622 221947. (July
6, 2007) |
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