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HOWARD'S WAY.... a weekly column from Michael Howard MP

29 June 2006<IMG height=195 hspace=10 src="images/michaelhoward3.jpg" width=130 align=right vspace=10 border=0>

Last Friday I paid a return visit to the Early Years Centre at Hythe Community School in Cinque Ports Avenue. I opened the Centre some years ago and was delighted to see the progress which has been made.

The Centre includes a baby unit, a nursery and toddler unit, the Puffins Playgroup for children between two and five, an Out of School Club, training facilities and mother and toddler groups.

I was shown around by Carolyn Chivers, the head teacher of Hythe Community School, of which the Centre is a part. The Centre is assisted by Sure Start one of the present Government’s programmes which my party promised to continue at the last election.

The Community School is soon to merge with St Leonard’s Church of England School and an exciting future for the children of Hythe is in store. I am greatly looking forward to it.

My next call was Etchinghill Village Hall where I had convened a meeting between local residents who have been suffering from quite severe flooding, Shepway District Council and the Ministry of Defence, which owns some neighbouring land from which the floodwater originates. We came up with a plan which it is hoped will at least mitigate the considerable nuisance which local residents have had to endure. The Ministry of Defence have agreed to do the necessary work and we all hope it will do the trick.

I then went to the Civic Centre to discuss the future of the proposals for new Sports Centres for Folkestone and Hythe with Robert Bliss, the Leader of the Council and the senior officers of the Council. We agreed a way forward and all now depends on a positive response from the Government which I shall do my best to achieve.

Next I had a very useful meeting with John Patterson, the head of the Folkestone Academy. My last port of call was the office of the Channel Chamber of Commerce at the Shearway Business Centre for a photo-call with ChannelMoving.com a flourishing local business which is expanding.

Just one day looking at different aspects of life in Shepway and the many reasons for being optimistic about our future.