News

The fourth public meeting held by the Lorry Park Alliance to discuss the proposed lorry park solution to operation stack on land bordering Aldington, Smeeth and Sellindge will take place at Brabourne/Smeeth Village Hall between 6.00pm and 7.30pm on Saturday 19 April 2008

The hall is situated at the junction of Lees Road and Manor Pound Road, Bircholt Forstal, Brabourne.

Keith Ferrin from Kent County Council has agreed to attend and answer questions from local residents.

Ashford MP Damien Green has again been invited to attend as he has been unable to attend previous meetings.

By Alan Haines

The second Hawkinge Community Litter Pick will take place on Saturday 26th April from 10.00am to midday.

Having a clean litter free environment is high on people’s priorities so the litter pick is an opportunity for Hawkinge residents of all ages to get involved in cleaning up their community and to improve the street scene.

The previous community litter pick in October attracted over seventy people. Fiona Thompson a resident of Gilman Close, Hawkinge said, “it was a fantastic day which brought the community together, it was amazing to see how much litter gets dropped”.

The KCC Community Warden for Hawkinge, Tanya Clark said, ”having frequent clean ups like this makes people think twice before they drop litter again, so the area stays clean and tidy for much longer. If there is a particular area in Hawkinge that you feel could do with a clean up then please contact me on 07811 271303.”

The litter pick will start at the Community Centre in Heron Forstal Avenue at 10 am and will finish with a free buffet lunch at midday. If you are interested in taking part and making a difference to the community just turn up on the day.

The event is supported by The Hawkinge Partnership, Hawkinge Parish Council, Shepway District Council, The White Cliffs Countryside, Project Kent County Council and the Clean Kent Campaign.

Story by David Godfrey

Hawkinge Harry and the East Kent Giants joined others from France and Belgium in Grand Fort Philippe near Dunkirk, France on Sunday by invitation of the Town Mayor.


Despite the freezing cold weather it stayed dry for most of the parade until the snow finally arrived at the very end of the afternoon.

After the parade through the town and port, all the Giants were presented to the Mayor and received a small souvenir plus a contribution to our Hawkinge Events Group funds.

Harry is not only putting Hawkinge on the map but contributing well to our community funds in preparation for the Fun Day on 13th September.

This year’s event will be bigger and better then ever before.

The NCT Cheeky Monkeys Tea Party is the charity’s biggest fundraising event of the year. Throughout May, hundreds of NCT branches and many local nurseries will be hosting a tea party – so why not get involved by coming to a local event or holding your own tea party?

Tea parties will include lots of activities for children such as arts and crafts, colouring, drawing, mask and hat making, singing, dancing, face painting, games to play and, of course, plenty of tea!

But people in Shepway and Dover may want to attend the NCT’s biggest Cheeky Monkeys Tea Party on Sunday 11 May 2008 held at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park and Gardens near Hythe. As well as the tea party, you will have access to the rest of the park to visit the animals - so take your cheeky monkeys to see the real cheeky monkeys!

Belinda Phipps, Chief Executive, NCT, says; “Our NCT Cheeky Monkeys Tea Party event is going to be our best ever - with lots of monkey business! All money raised will go towards supporting the charity’s vital information and support. So why not swing on by?”

Star of ‘ I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’, Nancy Sorrell, says; “Since becoming a parent myself, I know how important it is to receive valuable information and support. The NCT Cheeky Monkeys Tea party is a great day out for all the family. It’s also an excellent way to raise much needed funds for the NCT and help them to provide services to expectant or new parents.”

To find out where your nearest local NCT Cheeky Monkey’s Tea Party is, to plan and register your own or to book a place at the NCT tea party in Kent – please visit: www.nct.org.uk/cheekymonkeys

NCT charity provides valuable services, classes, counselling, information and support to over a million expectant and new parents each year. Funds raised help towards NCT’s vital work in providing a range of services such as:-

£10 provides 15 new mothers with a copy of bumps and babies magazine
£100 provides 20 hours of support to new parents at a local branch group
£250 pays for three months of training for one NCT specialist worker
£500 funds 10 hours of NCT antenatal classes for young parents
NCT Cheeky Monkeys Tea Party is supported by Pampers.

By Chris Johnson

The next meeting of the Hawkinge Community Events Group will be held at 7.30pm on Wednesday 26 March at the Partnership Office in Canterbury Road, Hawkinge.

All are welcome to come along and help us plan and run the Hawkinge Community Fun Day.

 

Getting people to join in can be a tricky problem but a one day seminar held in the village could help to break the ice.

The one-day training course aimed at local residents and representatives of clubs, groups and organisations who run community events and activities in Hawkinge is to take place on Saturday 26th April.

It tackles the problem of how to encourage more people to attend community, leisure and social events. Participants will gain essential skills that they can use within their own clubs and organisations so that successful events and activities for the whole community can be delivered. Delegates will also learn how to overcome barriers to participation

The course will run from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm at Hawkinge Community Centre and is free for attendees. All training materials and refreshments will be provided.

Barbara Bradley, The Hawkinge Neighbourhood Manager, said, “This is a great opportunity for club, group and event organisers to assess how they currently do things and take steps to inspire and motivate people to attend and continue to participate” .

Places are limited and early booking is essential, so if you wish to reserve your place or you require more information please contact the Hawkinge Management Team on 01303 858663.

There will be a Battle of Britain theme to this year's Hawkinge Fun Day and work has already begun to make it an even bigger and better event than last year.

Set to take place on Saturday 13th September, volunteers from the community are needed to bring their skills and enthusiasm to help organise this fabulous family event.

The Community Fun Day has been an annual event since 2004 and is organised by residents themselves as a celebration of life in Hawkinge.

Last years event was attended by over 2,000 people and attractions included bouncy castles, a bungee run, human football, kangaroo boxing and an assault course.

There were also displays and demonstrations from The Hawkinge Flyers, Premier Performing Arts and The Check Shirts Line Dancing Club.

Sarah Holness, one of the organisers said, "The volunteer organisers are key to the events success and it's essential to tap into the wealth of enthusiasm and skills of the people that live in Hawkinge. Anyone that wants to be involved with this exciting community project can contact me on 01303 858663".