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June 2010

Go Folkestone Action Group

www.gofolkestone.org.uk

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Welcome to Wards Whether it’s “a la carte” or the Sunday Carvery in our

restaurant; snacks and drinks in the bar; or a full blown family event in our function suite; Wards Hotel offers the flexible

venue that caters for all your needs.

Our function suite is also ideal for corporate customers looking for a medium sized venue for marketing exhibitions,

conferences, training events or team building events with accommodation on-site if needed.

Contact our reception team on 01303 245166 or

reservation@wardshotel.net for further information or to discuss the hospitality package we can put together for you.

Wards Hotel, 39 Earls Avenue, Folkestone, Kent CT20 2HB

GO FOLKESTONE

Requires help in the following positions:

Membership Secretary / Co-ordinator.

Treasurer.

These tasks are not too demanding, but are necessary for the

continuance and smooth running of the Go Folkestone group.

If you can help please contact Ann on 01303 278644

Or e-mail: annber35@supanet.com

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2 Painting and Pedaling 3 A new community Mini Bus 4 Creative Arts promote

wellbeing and health 5 Just Plain Fishy! 7 Harbour Consultation 8 All Rivers Flow… 10 Skate Park to Mini Golf 11 The Lodge, Radnor Park 12 St Augustine’s Centre 13 Folkestone Master Collection 14 Pub faces decision time 15 New Treasurer Required! 16 A Load of Old Rubbish! 18 Folkestone Inshore Rescue 20 Folkestone’s Mini Covent Garden 21 Shepway Parking Permit 22 Folkestone Library facelift 24 Folkestone Skabour Festival 26 Three Stars for Folkestone?

Editorial Committee Editorial Committee: Ann Berry, Nick Spurrier, Richard Wallace, and Allison Esson

Cover photograph courtesy of Toby Charlton-Taylor www.tfpc.co.uk

Contents Editorial

Ann Berry Chair, Go Folkestone

Many interesting articles again this month. With grateful thanks to all those who supply us with their own inimitable style of writing. The Seafront Development Consultations have got off with a good start. If you would like to take part please see the article inside this issue and book your place at the Quarterhouse. There is a short article on a Great idea for a Residents Parking Permit set up by Shepway District Council this year. One of our members who lived in Radnor Park Lodge as a young child has written of a few of his memories of his stay there. See who is cycling 1000 miles from John O‟Groats to Folkestone to raise money for the Church Street Project. Check out the date for the second Step-short WW1 Project commemorative march down the Road of Remembrance. Hats off to the Organisers of Folkestone‟s mini Covent Garden in June, Lots happening in Rendez-vous Street with several of the local shops taking part. A plea from the Chair: please take a look at the two areas of help we need to keep Go Folkestone up and running, Membership secretary and treasurer. See article and advert in this issue.

We are always happy to receive comments and

articles - please send these to:

Ann Berry, 35 Birkdale Drive, Folkestone CT19 5LP.

annber35@supanet.com

The editors reserve the right to edit all articles.

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Painting and Pedaling In June 2010 Shane Record, local artist and Gregg Brown, an IT professional will be cycling 1000 miles from John O‟Groats to Folkestone to raise money for The Church Street Project, a registered charity based in Folkestone that provides counselling and creative therapies to young people in the Shepway area. If you would like to find out more about the Church Street Project and see why it is worth supporting, visit their website at www.churchstreetproject.co.uk. Setting off from John O‟Groats on June 9

th., Gregg and Shane hope to reach Folkestone‟s

sunny shores on Saturday June 26th. If you would like to follow their progress, or struggles

along the way follow you will be able to do this on Facebook or Twitter, which can be found at www.shanerecord.com. Shane, who has a gallery in The Old High Street, will be producing artwork along the way to be auctioned off for the charity on his return. Anyone who would like to come to the arrival party and auction is welcome to e-mail Shane for an invitation at shane@shanerecord.com .

Helping Gregg and Shane are CREATED, who set up a website for The Church Street Project and did the charity pages on his website, Folkestone Town Council, who are helping with the costs for the journey, Hayne Barn Tennis – who helped them replace their former rust bucket bicycles with ones which should go the distance and Robinson Studios, who printed their T-Shirts. But on the road they will be on their own with only a repair kit and a few simple tools to help them if things go wrong. If you would like to sponsor Shane and Gregg please visit their „Just Giving‟ account at www.justgiving.com. 100% of money pledged will go to the charity.

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A new Community Mini bus for the Folkestone Sports Centre.

The Friends of Folkestone Sports centre trust managed to raise the £28.000 funding for the very colourful mini Bus that will enable those who would otherwise find it difficult to access the Folkestone Sports Centre‟s many facilities, including those in rural areas The mini bus was handed over to the FSCT who will run it The service is free to those in the stated group. Tessa Stickler the FTC Manager requests that people get in touch so that needs can be assessed and a timetable set up. Among the groups which could also use the Mini bus are those who use the Sports centre such as the swimming club, they will be able to hire the mini bus to transport their club to fixtures. The Mini bus has the facilitiy to transport disabled people and the seating is remov-able. It also has the capacity to carry equip-ment to Schools and clubs. Among those who generously supported the project with funding were Kent County Council £9,000 Shepway District Council £2000 Folkestone Town Council £3,500 The Roger de Haan Foundation £11,500 the rest of

the funds were raised by the Friends and their supporters. Enquiries about the Mini bus call: 01303 850222

Ann Berry,

Chair of Friends FSCT

Photo: Trevor Minter - Roger De Haan Trust Roland Tolputt – KCC Ann Berry Keith Cane - SDC Ladies - from Lynwood residents Ass. Staff member of FSCT

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Creative Arts Promote Wellbeing and Health! Folkestone has its very own centre for researching the health benefits of participation in the creative arts. The Sidney De Haan Research Centre, based in the University Centre Folkestone, was established in 2004 with generous support from the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust. The Centre is named after Roger‟s father who was affected by dementia in later life, but continued to gain enjoyment from the arts and music despite the effects of his condition. The research centre‟s main interest is focused on singing and its benefits. Currently it is running a major research project on the value of regular singing for people aged over sixty

funded by the National Institute for Health Research. It is also exploring the value of singing for people with enduring challenges to their mental health. It has set up a network of choirs across East Kent for mental health service users in collaboration with Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT. Two other health issues where singing may be beneficial are lung disease making breathing difficulty and Parkinson‟s disease which affects movement and speech. The Centre has recently set up new singing groups for people with these conditions.

Singing is only one form of participation in the arts, and the Centre is also interested in the value of drumming, dance, the visual arts, drama, reading literature and creative writing. In the autumn, we will be running workshops to explore the value of participating in each of these activities. The wide range of arts activities means that there is something for everyone! And the effects of participation really help to lift the spirits and improve wellbeing. All our events are free and open to the public. Please visit our website for more details of our work. Or contact Isobel Salisbury on 01303 220870. We would be very happy to hear from you! http://www.canterbury.ac.uk/centres/sidney-de-haan-research/

Stephen Clift and Grenville Hancox Centre Directors

Hoop Dance combines technical moves and tricks from the circus and gymnastics with freestyle dance. Space within and outside of the hoop is explored and this activity is generally accompanied to music. Hoop Dancers use heavy, larger diameter hoops and frequently rotate the hoop around all body parts including hips, chest, neck, shoulders , thighs, knees, arms and hands. Everyone can hoop using the professional hoops pro-vided and no experience is necessary. This workshop is aimed at beginners but is suitable for those wishing to improve or learn new tricks. Whether you want a cardio based dance class or just some fun and laughter whilst keeping fit then this playful and creative activity is for you. The workshop is FREE but places are limited. To book a place or for more info ring 01303 760600.

Hoop Dance Workshop with Sharna Rose at University Centre

Folkestone

Tuesday 8 June

6-8pm

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Just Plain Fishy!

Roger de Haan‟s plans for the seafront continue to develop slowly but surely with successful planning applications for two restaurants on The Harbour, and works on the old Brewery Tap pub. The big restaurant has been linked with Marco Pierre White by the newspapers. Maybe, maybe not, but the pair of units is a clever

idea. The Cabin Café and Jettys will be demolished for the showier building which will curve out concavely into the current Outer Harbour slightly to enlarge the area. A lot of glass will ensure a beautiful outlook for diners. The viaduct will be preserved on one side of it with a terrace peeping over. Not much scope for trains! The rear fish diner will be technically on 1-2 Back Street, aka the former whelk boiling building just across the cobbles. It is a fairly plain, glazed, flat-topped box, and will perhaps be a bit more of a chippy and café. Certainly promises have been made that the fishermen and other workers will have a replacement for The Cabin. If they are built then Go Folkestone hopes the character of The Stade will not be too much more eroded, and that works don‟t take place at peak season. Let‟s keep the cobbles and some of the arches and clapboard buildings, or replace them in character. But with some much needed income for local fishermen for the „daily specials‟ and a real draw for day-trippers and tourists, most of us will be pleased that permission has been granted. The Brewery Tap may have been finished by the time you read this. Somehow a ground floor bar restaurant, 32 seat first floor restaurant and one bed second floor flat sharing with a small rooftop terrace (good for smokers) has been shoe horned behind the existing façade which stood on it‟s own for some months. Of course the Victo-rian faience tiled façade, mainly in green, black and brown is a show-piece, and the drawings show little obviously changing from the front except a dormer window. If modern offices for Roger de Haan‟s son‟s business manage to be fitted successfully behind the Edwardian Pipers‟ façade as intended, that will be a double bubble. His business is the Vue maps business, familiar to sightseers in London.

Richard Wallace

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Harbour Consultation timetable announced The Folkestone Harbour Company today announces the timetable for its community consultation that will help inform a new approach to develop Folkestone Harbour and seafront. Public consultations will take place in May and June on proposals that have been put forward by Sir Terry Farrell, one of Britain‟s leading architects. Public meetings will be held at Quarterhouse, 45 Tontine Street, Folkestone, on the following dates: Tuesdays 18 and 25 May at 7pm; Thursday 3 June at 2pm (spring bank holiday week): Monday 14 June at 7pm; and Saturday 26 June at 11am. Places at each presentation are free but must be reserved by telephoning the box office at Quarterhouse on 01303 858500 (answer phone out of hours) or by emailing info@quarterhouse.co.uk. A public exhibition will be held at 3 - 7 Tontine Street, which is within view of part of the proposed site, beginning on Wednesday 26 May and continuing until Wednesday 9 June, open from 10am – 4pm each day. Local schools will be invited to take part in the consultation through events organised in conjunction with individual schools. An online summary of the proposed approach will also be available for consultation from mid May at www.folkestoneharbour.com There will be opportunities to offer feedback at all stages of the consultation. Folkestone Harbour Company spokesman Trevor Minter said: “This process will offer local people opportunities to hear about the new approach that Sir Terry Farrell is advocating. We are keen to receive feedback, and people will have a chance to put forward their ideas for development of the public areas.” Sir Terry Farrell was commissioned by Kent County Council to draw up a 20-year vision for Kent encompassing regeneration, transport, housing, landscape and economic growth, and presented his proposals at a series of events around Kent in January 2010. Sir Terry‟s work in Folkestone has been commissioned directly by The Folkestone Harbour Company.

by Peter Bettley on behalf of the Folkestone Harbour Company

peter.bettley@strandhouse.org

01303 245838

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All Rivers Flow …to Lake Maiuko.

Maiuko lays bare her Luso-African soul on stage at the Quarter House - a review by Adelina Pereira Saturday, 14

th March. A full house at the Quarterhouse in Folkestone, and justly so! Why?

Maiuko & The Quartet, and guest artists were featured on the evening‟s bill. By my book, more than enough reason to brave the dismal grey drizzle which persisted throughout the whole evening. On my train journey down to Folkestone for the concert, I recalled some of the previous performances by Maiuko I have had the privilege of attending. During my musings and cogitations, no matter how hard I endeavoured to analyse, rationalise and categorise Maiuko and her music, place her in a box, define her genre, suss her out, - which is something, I gather, music reviewers and critics are supposed to do - I came up with nothing other than an image of a large, serene lake somewhere on the Southern African plains, a body of water where heaven and earth meet, and life is born. Then it dawned on me that in fact this was it! This was exactly what Maiuko is all about: the rivers of life flowing from all four cardinal points into a lake, which is Maiuko herself and her musical creativity. In this place, this place of water, the subtle, haunting and nuanced textures of Maiuko‟s smoky voice evoke the cultures of the great Limpopo, Tagus, Niger, Thames, Amazon and Mississippi Rivers. Hers is a fusion of sound which is timeless and universal, and defies the boundaries of definition and convention we are so accustomed to in the Western world.

Photograph by Dan Desborough

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When I arrived at the venue, I enquired at the front desk as to Maiuko‟s whereabouts, to which the doorman on duty that evening promptly replied: “Oh!, so you‟re looking for our local vocal goddess of soul!” How appropriate, I thought. “Yes, that is precisely who I am looking for!”… Accompanied by her quartet, and guest musicians, Paul Cheneour on flute, and Vince Trent on drums, Maiuko made her appearance on the Quarterhouse stage donning a high two-tiered, dreadlock coiffure in homage to her Swazi heritage. Maiuko‟s repertoire for the evening offered a mixed bag of old and new from her previous and forthcoming albums, as well as a few classics such as Feeling Good, in which her lazy, husky vocals conjured up the hot, sundrenched cotton fields in what is in essence an anthem to hope. Her purred rendition of My Oh My, from the album Different Wars, was purely feline, sensual and ultimately jazzy. Purporting to grace the audience with an insight as to one of the major influences in her music, Maiuko gave a smouldering, evocative rendition of Four Women, a song made popular by the inimitable Miss Nina Simone, which narrates the poignant, tragic lives of four prostitutes in the American Deep South. Enhanced by Paul Cheneour‟s sweeping flute and Maquenzie‟s smooth keyboards, The Light brought a certain Celtic flavour to the mix, to which Maiuko‟s restrained vocals added extra delicate depth. The first half ended with José and Mozambique, a deeply moving tribute to Maiuko‟s mother. her perennial wisdom and the happy days of childhood spent in her company in the former Portuguese colony. The second half kicked off with Love Games, where Richard Maquenzie‟s keyboard solo was masterful - slightly reminiscent of Chick Corea in his earlier Elektric Band days. Shuffle au Butel, a joint effort by Maiuko and Max Middleton, composed in a bar in the South of France, was presented in a new, more vocal-oriented arrangement. An intriguing piece of jazz fusion with a definite hint of the nineties. With Voa, Maiuko taps into her Afro-Portuguese roots yet again. True to its name, Voa is a Portuguese fado with a soaring melody line, the perfect vehicle to showcase Maiuko‟s extensive vocal range. Sung acapella to a zouk tempo on the cajón, Voa tells the eternal tale of lovers parting ways. It was gratifying to see Scott Wyllie‟s double bass come to the fore in many of the songs, contributing significantly to the melody line, as opposed to the less obtrusive background role often attributed to this instrument. The use of the cajón added a little spice to the rhythm section. A percussion instrument of Afro-Peruvian origin, the cajón is purported by some to have been developed in the early nineteenth century by African slaves, who, as musical instruments were forbidden to them, used crates and boxes to play their music. Since then, the cajón has travelled the world over and is seemingly here to stay. For the last four songs, Maiuko was joined by guest artist, Laye Sow. This effervescent singer/composer from Senegal is building up quite a following in the UK. His exuberant stage presence, strong voice and engaging manner brought a powerful burst of energy to the evening‟s proceedings. The Néné and Uere Uere duets with Maiuko, performed to wildly contagious elemental tempos, provided the perfect excuse to get up and dance. And that is what the audience did! They got up and danced! The evening drew to a close with an old South African favourite, Pata Pata, and a huge mass of gyrating bodies out on the floor. Maiuko, Lake Maiuko? Who is she, what is she? How to describe her music? Afro-jazz? Nu-soul? Afro-fado? Luso-zouk? Blues? To be honest, I don‟t really much care! Call it what you will! All I know is that it‟s great music, and it makes me feel good! Roots Harmonia, Maiuko‟s latest album, is due for release later this year. Be sure to pick it up!

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From Skate Park to Mini golf. Five years ago, Go Folkestone sort funding through KCC and our then parliamentary candi-date Michael Howard and with permission from Folkestone sports centre Trust to have a Skate park put on the sight of the Tennis courts in the Folkestone Sports Centre. This started off a great success and fulfilled a need to enable young people to use their skateboards at minimal cost of only £2.00 all day. Since then another facility was opened up for skateboarders and another looks likely, these are free of cost to users. During the course of the five years people who lived in the local vicinity complained of the noise given off by the skate boarders and an acoustic fence had to be erected at a cost of £25,000. As time went on people started to break in. They cut the wire fence and damaged the acoustic fencing. The sports centre trust were constantly having to make repairs. The final straw was when bikers got in and added even more damage to the ramps, the staff of the Sports Centre was constantly asking them to leave, this lead to the staff being verbally abused. Because of the damage and latterly deterioration to ramps the sports centre trust felt that they could no longer justify spending any more of the charities money on repairs. The Manager of the Sports Centre contacted Go Folkestone and asked that they remove the ramps. A meeting was called between members of Go Folkestone, KCC, SDC and Sports Centre Management to decide the best way forward. After much discussion it was decided that we would offer the ramps to the other local Skate Park. Unfortunately this was turned down, as this would mean that the area there would have to be tarmaced as the ramps required a hard standing. Then there would be the cost of removal. Also there was a question of space. The other alternative was to offer it to others. It was suggested and agreed that SDC would send out letters to all local Councils in Shepway asking if they would be interested in having the ramps. Three replied and only one took up the offer, but only in part (two ramps). Since then, on further discussion with the Sports Centre Manager, it was agreed that the best of the wood was to be recycled and turned into a mini golf course (see the skeletal base of the mini golf course on left) and sits on the same site. Much progress has been made. The theme

is: A tour of Folkestone, with the holes representing areas of interest such as the, Martello Tower, Leas Cliff Hall etc. Also on the same site would be an area for Street Hockey. Both these activities will be in place in time for the summer. So go down to the Folke-stone Sports Centre this summer and tour Folkestone like you‟ve never done before.

Ann Berry.

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The Lodge, Radnor Park We moved into The Lodge in Radnor Park when I was about eleven in 1951 - I lived there until I left home in 1961. My father qualified as he had worked for the council most of his life. My mother and father discussed moving, but at the time we were living in a non self contained flat in Boscombe Road, so I don‟t think the decision was too difficult; they were lucky to be given the tenancy at that time of housing shortages,. The tiny timber framed building at the entrance to the Park just across from the Central Station was originally the Park Keeper‟s house. The previous tenant was Mr Lewis, the last Park Keeper to live there. It was a bit like living in a miniature estate in the middle of the town. In the park we had room for cricket, football, tennis courts and fishing and the yacht sailing pond and it all felt a bit like mine. And when all the sport made you hot and thirsty there was always the water fountain attached to the cottage to duck your head under. Inside the Lodge were four small rooms and a scullery. Despite the fact there were four lavatories we only had one, outside in the yard. The other three were public conveniences park users. For the first few years the only way to get into the house was through the same entrances to either the ladies or the girls loos; quite an ordeal for a young man to be seen going in and out of the girls loos day and night. Before we moved in, an old fashioned range and boiler were knocked out of the middle room to make a tiny modern dining / sitting room and the whole house was brightly redecorated to my parents taste to hide the cream and green (or was it brown) glossy paint. There was no central heating and no bathroom until a few years later. To go upstairs was a perilous flight of wooden stairs with sharp bends top and bottom, which my mother always took at top speed wearing her high heels. My bedroom at the back looked out over the St Eanswythe‟s fountain and rose beds to the park, the Royal Vic Hospital and beyond to the North Downs. In addition there was always the constant theatre of every day life outside our windows as no one realised we were on the other side of the net curtains. These cameos included a not so young couple that for a time met close to the house. The man was bearded and frequently brought a horse with him. My father christened him Mellors after the gamekeeper in Lady Chatterly‟s Lover. We never had any real vandalism, but once in a while at night someone would see the lights through the curtains and throw a stone at the window just to keep us on our toes. In those days there was a hedge and shrubs all around the park; access was through the main gates which were never locked. On the roadside was a very wide pavement with flower-beds and across the road The Central Hotel (The Park Hotel) had a jetty shaped pavement that formed a cove like area for parking. Today‟s roundabout came much later as traffic increased, but before our time in the Lodge, there had been a triangular island with parking for horse drawn taxis and a hut for the drivers. Despite its drawbacks it was a great place to spend ones childhood, always noisy with friends from the park and once a day the sound of The Golden Arrow screaming across the Central Station Bridge. Although it is now empty and very small by modern standards, for anyone who grew up in Folkestone it is as vital a part of our town landscape as the Foord Viaduct and part of the backdrop to daily life. My parents lived there until they died, the last being my dad in 1990. It would be nice to see it performing a useful purpose again. I believe a tea kitchen/garden and tourist office has been suggested. But it seems a shame that something cannot be done to bring it back to life again.

David Noble

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St Augustine’s Centre – Austere and Friendly – Like a piece of Fruit – the outside is hard and simple while the inside is soft and fleshy.

If you walk or drive up Dover Road from town, pass the Dover Road Health Centre on your left and the bright round building known as „The Children‟s Centre‟ you will then see or possibly miss the old austere brick building between Bellevue Street and St. John‟s Street, St Augustine Centre. The building was originally the church hall attached to St Michael‟s Church opposite which was demolished in the 1950‟s and is known as the Husband Memorial Hall in memory of one of the past vicars the Rev Husband. The stone on the front of the building states it was laid by Lady Lumb on the 12

th September 1910, so presumably this was when the

building was built making it 100 years old, another centenary. Perhaps someone would like to tell us whether this is in fact the case by sending a letter to the editor. Does anybody know who Lady Lumb was? For all the buildings austere looks from the outside it is the most enlightening and friendly place on the inside. The church on the ground floor is shared between St. Augustine‟s under the auspices of St. Mary and St Eanswythes on The Bayle and St. Marks and Fontini Greek Orthodox Church. Inside the church is small, very light, airy and gives a comfortable friendly atmosphere. I‟ve attended a baby‟s christening there and found the service to be very relaxed, with the priest and her attendant making the service very child and family friendly. To the right of the building are double doors opening to a large staircase, the walls adorned with vivid paintings. This staircase takes you to an upper hall called the „Laxon Hall‟ named af-ter the curate who raised the money to revamp the Centre in 1993. This hall is used for numer-ous activities but is mainly used by the St Augustine‟s Centre Project. It is a family centre for both parents/carers and their children. “Scalliwags” is for pre-school children with no lower age limit, to mix, play, enjoy other children‟s company, and is open 4 days a week. Young parents get a chance to join a 6 week cookery course, or learn the basics of Healthy Home Cooking. This includes a cookery demonstration and provision of ingredients to take home and cook for their family. Cooked meals are also provided at a very reasonable cost on some days. During most school holiday periods “Scalliwags” continues to operate for pre school toddlers, and for parents/carers with school age children as well. The centre also holds fantastic family fun days during the school holidays along with outings. Parent workshops are held during term time on various topics including Paediatric First Aid, Parenting Skills, Keeping your family Safe and Family Literacy, etc. There is also an office and well equipped kitchen which can be used by the parents who have home difficulties. St Augustines have spread their wings with the use of the „Children‟s Centre‟ next door they have The Activity Zone (TAZ), an after school club for primary age children held daily and during school holidays, where the children can participate in Sports, Games, Arts and Craft. The Centre is fully used during the week, with the New Age Kurling Club on Monday evenings (also on a Saturday afternoon once a month for people with disabilities) run in conjunction with Mencap. On other nights are Tae Kwondo, Folkestone Angels Twirling Group for youngsters, Kung Fu, Boars Tooth, Brownies, Guides and a Band Practice. There is also a minibus, obtained last year for outings etc., this is available to hire for community Groups at competitive rates. For more information please contact either, Carol, Ann, Dot, or Liz on 01303 220780.

Vera Neaves

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Folkestone Master Collection

There are around 650 items of fine art that belong to Folkestone Museum. Lack of space means that they are rarely displayed and, though six large canvasses are hung at the Sessions House in Maidstone and the vast painting of “Belgian Refugees at Folkestone Harbour in 1914” by Fredo Franzone has found a home at The Grand, the remainder are in almost permanent storage, including the Master Collection. This collection of over 213 drawings derives it name from Mrs. Amy Master who in 1924 presented it to the Folkestone Museum and Art Gallery, where it was first exhibited in 1925. Though Noel Annesley of Christies has indicated that the original collector, Thomas Man Bridge, was pretty indiscriminate, with the result that about half of the drawings are mediocre, he has also written that it is rare to find such a collection outside of galleries in London, Edinburgh, Oxford and Cambridge and that “some of [the drawings] are distinguished, some even of International importance”. The artwork ranges from the late fifteenth century, with two drawings of the Florentine School to the watercoloured drawings by William Collins in the early nineteenth century of scenes of working life in France, Germany and Italy. Highlights include a red chalk study of “A Boy, Half Length, His Chin In His Hand” (illustrated here) by the Italian painter Giovanni Francesco Barbieri - Il Guercino (1591 –1666), who was well known for his superb drawings, and “The Risen Christ with Adam and Other Figures appearing to the Magdalen”, also in red chalk, by Jusepe de Ribera (1591-1652), who after his arrival in Naples in 1616 became the best known painter in the city. Seven of the drawings, including four by Agostino Carracci (1557-1602), were shown in the Primitives to Picasso exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1962 and in 1980 one by Francesco Simonini of a mounted cavalry officer was exhibited at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini in Venice. A catalogue of some 79 of the drawings, was compiled by Hugo Chapman of the Old Master Drawings Department at Christies in 1991. The subsequent touring exhibition arranged by the Arts and Libraries Department of Kent County Council visited London, Dunkerque in France and nine other towns including Folkestone. In his introduction to the catalogue, Noel Annesley describes the double sided sheet of nudes by Perino del Vaga (1500-1547), who was a major assistant to Raphael, as probably the most important item - “a drawing of which any museum would be proud”. Like all the contents of Folkestone Museum, the Master Collection has been in the care of Kent County Council since Local Government reorganisation in the 1970s. At first sight it would seem important that these drawings are returned to Folkestone, where they could be a major attraction, contributing further to the arts led regeneration. On the other hand there is some doubt that such a specialist collection would prove of great interest to the general public and certainly the costs of storage, insurance, environmental control and security of display might present insurmountable problems. Other suggestions have been to lend the collection to another museum with similar holdings or to dispose of it by sale, the money raised being used to help fund a new museum.

Nick Spurrier The majority of this article has been complied using “Kent Master Collection” – a catalogue compiled by Hugo Chapman of Christies. Kent County Council Arts & Libraries. 1991. Many of the drawings should soon be seen on the Kent on Canvas website: http://art.kent.gov.uk/index.cfm?event=catalogue.categoryList

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PUB FACES DECISION TIME

The Morehall Pub, once one of the highest trading pubs in Folkestone, is on the market with Fleurets at an asking price of £325000 including four bedroomed accommodation, and faces possible total redevelopment. Should it remain as a pub or perhaps even a pub restaurant, marked out from the crowd by it‟s ornate terracotta front : a Prezzo or a Hungry Horse for Folkestone? Should it be a demolition job for yet another block of flats or houses, hopefully as neat as the one opposite? Or should the building be converted to three storey flats, with a couple of houses in the car park, to try and preserve the area‟s Edwardian character ? I would say the pub restaurant, but then I don‟t like to see pubs go.

This fine pub was built around 1910 but amazingly failed to get more than an off-licence. The temperance lobby said there were enough pubs, though the White Lion was the nearest west-ward. A full licence was finally obtained in 1950 after a local petition and until a recent and mysteriously bad run of licensees it was very successful.

Several Folkestone pubs have bitten the dust since 1990, mainly due to more people drinking cheap supermarket booze, aided perhaps by an unfortunate breakdown in taboos against drinking heavily at home. At least most of them have been poorish pubs for most of the time: The White Lion (shooting incidents), Bouverie Arms (taxi no-go area), The Railway Bell (plain and ugly), Oddfellows in The Stade (pub of a thousand names) and pavement fronted beer-houses such as the Invicta, Martello, Two Bells and Prince of Wales. But when a potentially nice pub and nice building like the Morehall may go altogether, things are getting serious .

Do you agree or would a block of flats be an improvement?

Richard Wallace

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NEW TREASURER REQUIRED! I feel the time has come for me to hang up my hat as treasurer of Go Folkestone after nine long years. It‟s been an interesting position and its not just figures that have been the high light, along with keeping a tight reign on the accounts, but involvement with nearly all the projects that Go Folkestone have been involved with over the years. Where do I start, was it at the very first group meeting that took place at the Pavilion, in Sep-tember 2001 or was it later that I wondered what I had let myself in for. Philip Carter was there to greet us all as we entered the building, all of us booted up and completely raring to go, lets get Folkestone back on the map, lets make it a better place, yes! It‟s in such a beautiful part of the country we need to make it a more radiant place for people to live and work, also encour-age visitors to come. Now what could I do? So when Philip said he needs someone to take over as treasurer, I knew this was something I felt confident about. Had I not had 30 year‟s experience in banking 25 of these in branch banking, I had always been used to looking after other people‟s money. In recent years I had also been a treasurer on the South West Essex Keep Fit Associations before moving to Seabrook near Folkestone. Before leaving the bank I‟d been able through our bank union to have the chance to be trained in constructive committee work, and as every-body knows, you can‟t beat union committee work. I will continue as treasurer until 31 August 2010, the end of Go Folkestone‟s financial year, from then on we will need a new person to take over. I will be around in the interim period, should that person need any assistance. Whoever takes over will find that the job is interesting and I have found that there have been periods when the job is not too demanding. Please HELP and keep Go Folkestone alive and kicking because this TREASURER‟S JOB is a vital position within the ORGANISATION.

Vera Neaves

Contemporary arts, crafts and gifts in the heart of

Folkestone’s Creative Quarter

Unique gift ideas, handmade jewellery, ceramics

and affordable art in a range of media - call in to

see us soon!

Chimaera Gallery

42 Tontine Street

Folkestone CT20 1JU

01303 211621

www.chimaeragallery.co.uk

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had more cheap paint than they had expensive pens or spray paint. Similarly when black bags were left on the church forecourt, I was able to discover by searching through them, admittedly a rather unpleasant business, to whom they belonged and return them to their shop entrance. They were never left again. But this cannot solve the problem of litter dropped randomly on the street. To prevent this some countries are quite ruthless: Singapore imposes fines of S$1,000 for a first offence and S$2000 for reoffenders, together with a Corrective Work Order, consisting of cleaning a public space in bright jacket, an event to which the local press may be invited. No one is spared so that a business man who claimed that a tissue flew out of his car window while he was using it was sentenced to street cleaning. Cigarette ends, matchsticks, anything will result in a fine and chewing gum is simply banned. The consequence is an immaculately clean city, but perhaps many would object to this authoritarian approach. Indeed some would say: why get so worked up over a few cigarette ends, the odd black bag and take away food carton and does anyone really notice the chewing gum beneath their feet. Well, as the article “broken windows” and a subsequent book showed, in areas where graffiti proliferated and litter abounded there was some evidence that crime and anti social behav-iour also increased but as the area was tidied up and buildings repaired crime fell. And there are more insidious effects of littering: while it may just be simply unpleas-ant to dig ones hand into the sand on a beach and find an old banana skin or apple core, plastic bottles entering the sea eventually disintegrate into tiny pellets that have a devastating effect on marine life. And an untidy town is simply demoralising, as was indicated in a heartfelt letter to a recent Folkestone Herald, telling of the litter in Tram Road and on the nearby railway line, described by the writer “a tip”.

It took a couple of weeks for anyone to realise that the old Toyota had been abandoned in Lower Payers car park. Then a bits of it started disappearing – the hub caps, a wing mirror, a wheel. The bonnet was opened and it became a sort of free spare parts shop. A smashed window seemed to signal that it now had a further use. As I parked my own car one morning, I saw a black bag on the driver‟s seat of the Toyota. Others followed until the car was full, then more appeared around it until it was almost buried under a mountain of rubbish. Recently, as the result of pressure from local businesses and as the nearby shops have been upgraded, Quarterhouse and the University Centre built and the car park itself partly resurfaced, the situation has improved in the Lower Payers car park. But who is to blame for the accumulation of litter in certain areas of Folkestone and in many other towns or at the side of roads or motorways? What happened with the car is of course a case of some people saying to themselves “Well if somebody else has left rubbish there it must be alright for me to do it” – a theory first propounded in an article entitled "Broken Windows" by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, which appeared in the March 1982 issue of The Atlantic Monthly.

There are those who will discard rubbish anywhere without thought, but there is no doubt that if deposited litter is left around, graffiti ignored and buildings left to decay then the litter, decay and graffiti will increase, so one way to stop it is to constantly ensure that the town is kept tidy. Though this may prove expensive for local authorities in the short term, it is likely that in the long term there will be savings. I have seen this work myself. While caretaker of the Methodist Church in Canterbury, I watched graffiti accumulate on the walls to the side of the forecourt. As they were white it was cheap to paint out what had appeared during the night, so I did this every morning. After a week it ceased to appear and never recurred, probably as the result of the perpetrator‟s realisation that I

A Load of Old Rubbish

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So what is the answer? Should we think of going for the ruthless approach in Singapore or do we carry on urging cash strapped Shepway District council to keep the town clean and try and educate people to think before they drop litter. A couple of weeks ago I saw lonely temporary sign on the roundabout at the junction for the Stop 24 on the M20 exhorting people to “Take your litter home”. A well meaning gesture but will it really have any effect?

Nick Spurrier

Snippets:

Rendezvous Rumpus! An event is being organised to raise money for St Peter's and St Eanswythe's schools. Michelle Kellett and Anthony Pound have been in discussions about this after they initially met to talk about how to raise the profile of the Rendezvous St area which is aiming to be 'Folkestone's Covent Garden' over the summer period. As Michelle has previously organised schools events in Shepway in the past, Shepway‟s Arts Officer, Amanda Oates thought it would be a good idea for Michelle and Anthony to meet. The event will be held on Saturday July 10 and is still in the earlier stages of planning (having only been agreed on two weeks previous to this article!). Rendezvous Rumpus will have the feeling of a Fun Day for families including activities such as; fete like stalls where children and families can make things or play old fashioned games like 'fish pond' or 'skittles'; puppet shows; bouncy castles; a farmer's market; live music; food stalls; and maybe even a 'Folkestone's Got Talent' competition. There is to be no charge for the stalls or activities but the organisers would like a 15% contribution from profits to go the schools. Anyone who would like a stall or to set up an activity is more than welcome!!!

Please contact Michelle at St Peter's on 01303 255 400 if you would like anymore information.

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Folkestone Inshore Rescue

If you have been down on Sunny Sands beach during any of the last four summers, chances are you will have seen the members of Folkestone Rescue patrolling with their 3.7metre inflatable safety boat, or the bright yellow and red rescue boards they use to help protect the users of this popular beach. The team behind this belong to an independent charitable organisation providing beach safety and inshore rescue services to Folkestones beaches. Efforts to found the service followed a potentially serious incident in 2005 and thanks to a petition to the Council, a safety boat service was reinstated on Sunny Sands beach in 2006 by Sunny Sands Rescue Boat Association. This was partly funded by Shepway and Folkestone Town Council through donations, with other funds coming from private sources and supporters. All the crew, management and fundraisers are volunteers who give up their time for free. Today, Folkestone Inshore Rescue as it is now known, is a small charity which provides summer lifeguard and safety boat services to the outer harbour and Sunny Sands beach area of Folkestone. They currently operate the aforementioned 3.7metre inflatable rescue boat plus several rescue boards and kayaks from Sunny Sands beach. They are supported by approximately 25 volunteer lifeguards and crew ranging in age from 14 through to retirement age. Many of the volunteers have extensive seagoing experience and safety training; all give up their time for free. During the first few years of operation, Folkestone Inshore Rescue has helped hundreds of people in difficulties, with incidents ranging from simple wasp, jellyfish or weaverfish stings through to serious injuries resulting from falls from or onto rocks. They have helped police in dealing with lost children, tombstoners and anti social behaviour on beaches, assisted craft in difficulties ranging from capsizes and fires, as well as the retrieval of children and adults adrift on air beds, and helped a number of swimmers in difficulties.

Photograph by Dan Desborough

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In late 2009 it was decided it was time to extend the range of service from Sunny Sands and the Warren westwards as far as Sandgate. The decision was made to acquire a bigger faster boat and in early 2010 work started on a 7metre Gemini Rigid Hulled Inflatable inshore rescue boat, powered by a 100hp engine, which will give Folkestone Inshore Rescue the ability to provide emergency cover to all of Folkestone‟s beaches. In order to keep costs down the boat has been built by some of the volunteers under the watchful eye of experienced marine engineers and project managers, with manufactured flotation collars supplied by Gemini Industries Ltd. The boat should be ready by the end of May 2010. Folkestone Rescue works closely with the Marine Coastguard Association and the RNLI but is entirely separate and does not receive any funding from either of these organisations, so all funds have to be raised by the volunteers and supporters. Fundraisers have been organised by BlueSkyPie and held at The Lanterns Club and at Googies Art Café. The Lifeboat Inn has events planned for June and July and more events are planned throughout the year. Contribu-tions come from members of the public who are keen to help a local charity, and there is also some funding from Sandgate, Folkestone and Shepway Councils as well as assistance from the Folkestone Harbour Company. Folkestone Rescue considers it‟s service to be an important part of a strategy to promote Folkestone as a safe beach and watersports centre, and was pleased to be involved with a national Windsurfing event hosted in Folkestone at the end of May. If you are interested in joining Folkestone Inshore Rescue either as a volunteer or as a fund-raiser, please email them at FolkestoneIRB@BTinternet.com they would be very happy to hear from you.

Steve Thompson

Smile Train is a charity which focuses on solving the problems of cleft lip and palate in develop-ing countries. There are millions of children with unrepaired clefts who have little to no prospect of ever being helped. Their parents are so poor, they could never afford surgery. So they wait and they hope and they pray that someday, someone will come along and help them.

It costs as little as £150 to give a desperate child not just a new smile, but a new life.

Folkestone acoustic duo, Cultured Pearl are supporting Smile Train by playing a fundraising gig at The Ark, Noah‟s Ark Road, Dover on Friday 23rd July from 7:30pm. Tickets are just £5 and all proceeds of the event will go direct to the charity.

For tickets, phone 07976 828468

or at Chimaera Gallery,

42 Tontine Street, Folkestone

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Folkestone’s Mini Covent Garden – Rendezvous Street and Church Street

Sandwiched between Sandgate Road and the Old High Street are shops and cafes that John Parry believes could become one of the liveliest areas of Folkestone or as he says “a sort of mini Covent Garden. He has recently moved Moda to Rendezvous street where it is a welcome addition to a fascinating collection of Businesses. Concentrating on high quality gifts some handmade and local, his shop is one of the best places to hunt for that Christmas or birthday gift with bags of all sorts by Cath Kidson, Poole pottery, Jewellery by Carrie Elspeth and other fashion accessories, jams, & chutneys from the local Wooden Spoon Preserving Company, baby shoes by Daisy Roots, wooden toys by Bigjigs and handmade cards by Alexis Weston, who lives locally and also supplies Liberties and Selfridges. A few doors from Moda is Googies Art Café which has an excellent and constantly changing menu using mainly local produce. It has also established itself as a centre for art, putting on regular exhibitions of photography, painting and sculpture, and for music with live events several times a week. It is an ideal place to relax and chat or work at your laptop making use of the free wi-fi. The street is home to a number of other places to eat or drink, Including Djangos, next door to Googies where you can get a sandwich, breakfast and other meals. Outside they have several tables with comfortable chairs. Towards the bottom of the street, The magnificent old Baptist church houses The Samuel Peto pub, a branch of J.D. Wetherspoon and opposite is the Polish run Sweet Rendezvous, where not only can you get a sandwich, salad or cake to go with your tea or coffee but also buy Polish bread baked on the premises. Nostalgia plays a part in two shops: At Humbugs of Folkestone you can buy traditional sweets stored in those big glass jars that those of over fifty will remember from our childhood. Hats for so long out fashion are now seen more often so if you thinking of getting one try Retro Hats in the nearby Church Street. Almost next door, Harvey & Hart run by David Bratton and Matt Flynn produce Giclee prints, some with a hint of those marvellous railways advertisements produced in the nineteen thirties, at affordable prices by artists from all over the world. Opposite, Home Time is one of those second hand shop shops where you might find anything and astonishingly the owner has a print described as a “Landscape with bridge by Sir Thomas Gainsborough, grey wash watercolour, 17 x 12 signed. shows a scene during the artists travels in the lake district in 1783 unfinished probably due to a sudden change in the weather”. For over a hundred years there has been a florist at 8-10 Church Street, which has recently been taken over by Tanya Henton and renamed Stem by Stem. In addition to supplying bouquets from £20 and arrangements for weddings, offices, restaurants and bars, they also stock Summer bedding plants, herbs and tomato plants and can complement their flowers with the addition of chocolates, teddies and locally made flower scented soaps. Finally Pumpkins and Dragonflies wedding dress boutique offer gowns for all special occasions for all shapes and sizes and budgets as well as pre-designed wedding packages, while Boutique – Ella Fashion, run by Ella who has 27 years of experience as a dress-maker and her daughter Aggi established their business in Folkestone two years ago. Their bridal gowns, evening frocks and ball gowns together with cocktail and cruise dresses are handcrafted with personally designed details, much of the sewing being done by hand. In addition to making bespoke garments they have an exclusive couture collection.

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Rendezvous Street and Church Street comprise one of those areas with an abundance of independent locally controlled businesses that are gradually making Folkestone a great place to visit. As John Parry “the day time pedestrianisation gives it great potential. During the Summer we are going to get loads of acts and street entertainers and already have a mime artist and musicians booked. Over Easter Googies organised a music event that attracted a lot of people. There was a real buzz about the place.”

Nick Spurrier

Shepway Car Park Permit - A Great idea! Early this year Shepway District Council through their leaflet, invited residents to take up their offer of a £50 per year Resi-dents Car Park Permit. My thoughts on reading the leaflet were I‟m all for that, what a great idea and benefit for those people who use SDC car parks more than once a week. If you only park your car for one hour, once a week, at the present cost of £1.10 per hour that would total to £57.20 so you would al-ready have saved money. SDC state that you can park in short term car parks for up to 2 hours maximum and up to 3 hours maximum in long term car parks using their scheme. Important: You can only use this permit once a day, so the need to manage the trip to the car park needs some thought if you are using the car parks more than once on any one day. Additional helpful thoughts on this through my experience are: If you want to stay longer than the 2 hours for short term car park (you could be in a meeting for example) and you do

not want to have to rush back to buy another ticket to cover the additional time, purchase your ticket from the machine for the first hour, then set the time on your parking clock to start from the time your purchase ticket runs out and place the two together in the window. Always check if you are parked in a short or long-term car park. It has made life so much easier when parking with regard to having the right change. Parking the car and going to the ticket machine, then back to the car to place ticket in the window. If you want to find out about how to apply for the Shepway Car Park Residents‟ Permit contact, Shepway District Council on 01303 853690 Thank you SDC for this excellent scheme.

Ann Berry.

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Folkestone Library gets a facelift A selection of new books, an improved layout and a bigger children‟s section including computers will be some of the changes being made at Folkestone Library when refurbishment works start there next month. Work to make the building easier to use and more welcoming will also include new display shelves and modern furniture and décor to create a bright atmosphere. Essential mainte-nance will be carried out at the same time and a more energy efficient and reliable heating system will be installed. To carry out the work, the library will be closed from Monday 10 May until early August 2010. Customers will be able to borrow additional items to cover the closure period and from 11 May they will be able to borrow books from a smaller temporary library at Folkestone Adult Education Centre, The Cube, Tontine Street. In addition, nearby Cheriton and Wood Avenue libraries will be open for longer during the closure period. Skills Plus students will still be able to access the classroom at Folkestone Library while the refurbishment is carried out. More details about the re-opening date will be advertised nearer the time. Kent County Council Head of Libraries, Cath Anley said: “It‟s very important that libraries are easy to use, well–equipped and welcoming, so that residents and communities can make the most of the services they offer. This refurbishment project is going to make a big difference and I look forward to seeing the changes.”

More information about all of Kent‟s libraries is available online at www.kent.gov.uk/libraries or by phoning 08458 247 247.

Notes : Kent libraries offer a wide range of services from free access to books, computers and infor-mation (including local history) to the hire of music, audio books and films. They also offer a wide variety of activities and events for all ages. The Cube temporary library service opening hours from Tuesday 11 May: Tontine St, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1SD. Tel: 0845 606 5606 Monday 9.30am – 5.00pm Tuesday 9.30am – 5.00pm Wednesday 9.30am – 5.00pm Thursday 9.30am – 5.00pm Friday 9.30am – 5.00pm Wood Avenue Library extended opening hours from Monday 10 May: Wood Avenue, Folkestone, CT19 6HS. Tel: 01303 254226 Monday 9.00am – 5.00pm Tuesday 9.00am – 5.00pm Wednesday 9.00am – 5.00pm Thursday 9.00am – 5.00pm Friday 9.00am – 5.00pm Saturday 9.00am – 4.00pm Cheriton Library extended opening hours from Monday 10 May: Cheriton High Street, Folkestone, CT19 4HB. Tel: 01303 275163 Monday 9.00am – 6.00pm Tuesday 9.00am – 6.00pm Wednesday 9.00am – 5.00pm Thursday 9.00am – 6.00pm Friday 9.00am – 6.00pm Saturday 9.00am – 5.00pm

For further information contact Kate Nowowiecki at Kent County Council Media Centre on 01622 694932 or e-mail kate.nowowiecki@kent.gov.uk

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2-Tone Folkestone

How many followers of popular music recall the 2-Tone era of the early 1980s? If your musical history includes Ska, which originated in 1950s Jamaica and was revived by bands such as Madness and the Specials 20 years later, then you are in for a treat this Autumn. In early September, Folkestone harbour will become the stage for the “Skabour” festival. This is part of the renaissance of the 2-Tone scene of the late 70s and early 80s which is taking off in the UK and America, following the reunion tour by “The Specials”. So why is Folkestone hosting this event? The link to 2-Tone is local resident, designer and artist, John Sims, who was an integral part of the 2-Tone scene and designed much of its iconic black and white art work, exemplified by the “Dance Craze” poster (right). John worked as a freelance designer for Chrysalis Records in the late 70s and then joined them as Art Director working on music acts such as Blondie, Billy Idol and Spandau Ballet. According to him “the highlight of this era was when, in 1980, I won the NME Best British Single Award design for Blondie„s hit single entitled “Dreaming“. In 1981, there were two prestigious Design and Art Direction Awards and a co-director award for the runners up in the Record Business‟ Best Video Production”.

His best known work from this period was for the 2-Tone label, brainchild of Jerry Dammers of The Specials, which was set up by Chrysalis Records to handle a number of the bands, with largely multi-racial line ups, caught up in the Ska revival which gathered pace in Coventry during the 1980s. John was assisted by fellow designer David Storey on The Specials single “Ghost Town” and The Selecter album “Too Much Pressure”.

After The Specials split John joined Zomba and Jive Records as Creative Director and in1984 formed his own design studio Bouncing Ball Design, working in Clerkenwell and Hoxton. He now works locally for a diverse client base under the style of the Blondie inspired “Picture This Design“ ( www.picturethis.co.uk) and is a founder member of the Folkestone Arts Collective (and formerly Co-operative) (www.folkestoneartists.org.uk).

In 2008 it was announced that The Specials would reform for a special 30th anniversary tour in 2009, marking the first time they had worked together since 1981. The only member missing from the original line up was Jerry Dammers. As the project gathered pace, a website was set up to cater for the demand for original artwork. This can be found at http:www.2toneposters.co.uk .

An exhibition of the original artwork was held in Margate which coincided with the Specials tour date in the town. The designs have also been displayed recently in Brighton and Coventry (home of 2-Tone). In New York a show of original artwork is planned for 21st April and John

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is designing a sleeve for a New York Ska band which is organising an exhibition of his work in Central Park during August.

Locally John is working to organise the Folkestone Skabour Festival due to take place on the 3rd, 4th and 5th September. The planned opening cere-mony and Ska party, a showing of the cult film “Dance Craze”, plus a headline performance by The Beat will take place on Friday 3rd September at Quarterhouse . A mix of Ska bands and Ska DJs will perform on the harbour and Stade. Kent scooter clubs, including The Real Deal, The South Coast Pirates and the Dover All Saints are planning to attend. The Festival continues in the evenings with bands playing at Quarterhouse, The Lanterns, The View, Googies, Home Ground and others will also host performances.

“This ART 2-Tone” Exhi-bitions are planned for Chimaera Gallery and Googies. Details can be found at www.folkestoneskabourfestival.co.uk Peter Bettley, spokesman for the Creative Foundation has commented that “The Skabour Festival is sure to be a great event and we‟re glad they‟ve chosen to use Quarterhouse as one of the main venues.” We are fortunate to have John‟s contacts and expertise together with the drive and commitment of many members of our community. With such a diverse range of events including the free music at the Harbour, bands in many local venues and exhibitions at Googies and Chimaera Gallery, it‟s sure to be a great success.

Liz Brown

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Three Stars for Folkestone?

Reading in the local press of the possibility of Marco Pierre White running the proposed new restaurant on The Stade, reminded me of a journey back from a holiday in France a few years ago. Around lunch time one day, we reached Saulieu, a small walled town in Burgundy, home to the exclusive restaurant La Cote d‟Or, whose famous chef Bernard Loiseau had recently killed himself through fear, it has been said, of losing his three star Michelin rating. Perusing the menus outside, we quickly realised that we could not afford a meal, even an entrée being beyond our means. We were joined by a French couple who obviously had no intention of eating there and were drawn, like us, by the fame of the res-taurant and a slightly ghoulish attitude to the tragedy that had occurred. So though fame and fortune may be the happy accompaniment of a three star Michelin rating, pressure to maintain standards can be a painful constant. On the day before the new guide comes out, those whose rating has been changed are notified by phone. For those with no previous rating, it is obviously good news but of course for those with three stars it can only be bad. As a Michelin inspector said in a recent television documentary, “They know we haven‟t created a fourth star especially for them.” Marco Pierre White felt this pressure and in 1990 decided to quit while he was ahead, surrendering his three stars and ceasing to cook, becoming instead a restaurateur. Our stop in Saulieu, a not especially significant town, demonstrates the undoubted attraction of

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a good restaurant with a well known chef or owner. The odds of having one in Folkestone have been shortened because some celebrity chefs have taken to running several restaurants or even chains. Since becoming a restaurateur, Marco Pierre White in partnership with Jimmy Lahoud owns the Belvedere and L'Escargot restaurants in London

and also has a stake in The

Yew Tree Inn near Highclere in Hampshire. Raymond Blanc now helps run six brasseries, including one in Tunbridge Wells. Jamie Oliver now owns three Jamie‟s Italian Restaurants and three more are planned and Gordon Ramsay runs at least a dozen restaurants or pubs. Of course it would be naive to think that a prestigious restaurant is suddenly going to change Folkestone‟s fortunes on its own although fish chef Rick Stein‟s presence at Padstow in Cornwall has had such a beneficial effect on the town‟s economy over the years that some have nicknamed it “Padtsein”. For Folkestone, It is more likely that it would be another piece in the jigsaw puzzle being put together to create a new image of the town, together with the Country Park, the new shops and cafes in Tontine Street, Rendezvous Street and the Old High Street, Quarterhouse and the University Centre. The Michelin Guide says that its two star restaurants have "excellent cooking, worth a detour" and three star "exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey". Let‟s hope that, if a well known chef or restaurateur does decide to take on the restaurant on The Stade, they can create one that will at least be worth a detour and bring more people into Folkestone, who might also spend money elsewhere in the town and possibly become regular visitors. Though we did not eat at La Cote d‟Or in Saulieu, which had attracted us to the town in the first place, we did find there another restaurant, more suited to our pockets.

Nick Spurrier

STEP –SHORT

World War 1 project

are organising their Second Commemorative March as we move towards 2014 the 100th

Anniversary of the start of WW1. Step –short will be holding their second commemorative march down the Road of Remem-brance on Sunday 1

st August. Starting at the Grand on the Leas at

11am proceeding down the Leas then on down the Road of Remembrance past the inner Harbour and finishing on the hard standing of the harbour. Army vehicles will be on show there. We are continuing to work on other activities If you wish your group to take part please contact Ann on: 01303 278644

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annber35@supanet.com

35 Birkdale Drive Folkestone Kent CT19 5LP

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Membership form

Type of membership you want: (please tick as appropriate)

□ Single membership £10.00 □ Couple at the same address £15.00 □ In receipt of benefits £5.00 □ Junior membership (under 18) £5.00

First person

Your preferred title: Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss/Other :-

First Name:

Surname:

Email address:

Mobile:

Second person (for joint membership)

Your preferred title: Mr/Mrs/Ms/Miss/Other :-

First Name:

Surname:

Email address:

Mobile:

Home address

Town:

County:

Postcode:

Telephone:

Please post your form with a cheque made out to “Go Folkestone Action Group” to: Membership Secretary, 24 Harbour Way, Folkestone, Kent CT20 1NF (01303 250906)

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