November 2013 Photo: David Noble The Leas in Winter www.gofolkestone.org.uk Membership renewal Community Action Group working for positive Change and Pride in Folkestone Membership Renewal due by 5th November 2013 Please make Payment / cheques payable to Go Folkestone by one of the methods below: Post your renewal to: Go Folkestone, Membership Secretary Or Alternatively Internet Banking: Mrs Nicola Tolson Lloyds TSB Sort Code 30 93 34 Flat 4 . 21 Clifton Crescent Account 02359029 Folkestone Kent CT20 2EN Use your name as your Reference Cut ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Membership renewal Single membership £10.00 In receipt of benefits £ 5.00 Couple at same address £15.00 Junior membership (under18) £ 5.00 Name: _____________________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ Telephone Number: __________________________ Mobile: __________________________ Email Address: ________________________________________________ Contents Editorial 4 45 5 6 8 On Wednesday 13th November Go Folkestone will be holding its 12th Annual General Meeting at 7.30pm in 10 Wards Hotel, Earls Avenue. An invitation to attend has gone out to members along 12 with a notice to elect the Officers, but there are other positions to also be filled. Only Fully paid up members will be able to vote. To make it easier for members to 13 remember to renew their membership, it was suggested that November 5th would be a sensible date and so 15 would always be in time for voting at the Annual General meeting. An overview of the Step Short Project will be 16 given immediately after the business of the AGM has concluded. Over the past year we have updated our website and 18 introduced a new Facebook page to provide a more direct means of communicating local news and showing Folkestone at it’s best. 20 We continue to receive many varied and interesting 22 articles for inclusion in the magazine as you will see in this issue. Please keep them coming. Folkestone is a great place, so help us to tell everyone. 24 25 Ann Berry Chair, Go Folkestone 26 35 Birkdale Drive, Folkestone. CT19 5LP Email: [email protected] Editorial Committee: Ann Berry, DavidNoble, PhilipCarter, and Richard Wallace. Magazine Layout: Mike Tedder 1 CITROËN SELECT APPROVED USED VEHICLES AT WILMOTHS FOLKESTONE MODEL COLOUR MILEAGE REG PRICE MODEL COLOUR MILEAGE REG PRICE MODEL COLOUR MILEAGE REG PRICE ŊňĐō ŐŇ ġ ňŐčňōō ňŋġŇŌġňŇ ŁňŇčŐŐŌ ŋʼnĐŇ ňōŇ ŏčʼnŎň ŊŇġňʼnġňň ŁňŌčŐŐŌ ŌʼnĐŇ ňōŇ ōčŎŏŋ ŊňġŇŌġňʼn ŁňŐčŐŐŌ ŊňĐōňʼnŇ ġ ňŌčŋŎŎ ŊŇġŇŐġňň ŁňňčŋŐŌ ŋňĐō ňňŇ ʼnŏġŇōġňŊ ŁňŎčŐŐŌ Ō ŋʼnŇŇ ŇňġŇŊġňŊ ŁʼnŌčŐŐŌ ŊňĐōňʼnŇ ġ ʼnčʼnʼnŎ ŊŇġŇōġňň ŁňňčŐŐŌ ŊňĐō ŐŇ ňŊčŌňŏ ňŇġŇʼnġňň ŁňʼnčŊŐŌ ŊňĐōĒ ŐŇ ġ ʼnŏġŇōġňŊ ŁňŋčŋŐŌ Ŋ ňĐōňʼnŇ ġ ŊňġŇňġňŊ ŁňŋčŋŐŌ ĥĘĥ ĥňňʼn ĥŊŇ ĥ ŁōŇŇē WILMOTHS FOLKESTONE 01303 245588 FOORD ROAD, FOLKESTONE, KENT CT19 5AE www.wilmothsfolkestone.citroen.co.uk 2 CITROËN SELECT APPROVED USED VEHICLES AT WILMOTHS FOLKESTONE MODEL COLOUR MILEAGE REG PRICE MODEL COLOUR MILEAGE REG PRICE MODEL COLOUR MILEAGE REG PRICE ŊňĐō ŐŇ ġ ňŐčňōō ňŋġŇŌġňŇ ŁňŇčŐŐŌ ŋʼnĐŇ ňōŇ ŏčʼnŎň ŊŇġňʼnġňň ŁňŌčŐŐŌ ŌʼnĐŇ ňōŇ ōčŎŏŋ ŊňġŇŌġňʼn ŁňŐčŐŐŌ ŊňĐōňʼnŇ ġ ňŌčŋŎŎ ŊŇġŇŐġňň ŁňňčŋŐŌ ŋňĐō ňňŇ ʼnŏġŇōġňŊ ŁňŎčŐŐŌ Ō ŋʼnŇŇ ŇňġŇŊġňŊ ŁʼnŌčŐŐŌ ŊňĐōňʼnŇ ġ ʼnčʼnʼnŎ ŊŇġŇōġňň ŁňňčŐŐŌ ŊňĐō ŐŇ ňŊčŌňŏ ňŇġŇʼnġňň ŁňʼnčŊŐŌ ŊňĐōĒ ŐŇ ġ ʼnŏġŇōġňŊ ŁňŋčŋŐŌ Ŋ ňĐōňʼnŇ ġ ŊňġŇňġňŊ ŁňŋčŋŐŌ ĥĘĥ ĥňňʼn ĥŊŇ ĥ ŁōŇŇē WILMOTHS FOLKESTONE 01303 245588 FOORD ROAD, FOLKESTONE, KENT CT19 5AE www.wilmothsfolkestone.citroen.co.uk 3 CHERITON LIGHTS FESTIVAL IS BACK IN FEBRUARY Go Folkestone is happy to see that the very successful Cheriton Lights Festival first put on last year is going to be repeated this year on Saturday 22nd and Sunday 23rd February. It is fairly early days to see precisely what is going to happen, but there are some ideas coming to fruition now that the Arts Council England has agreed to become the main sponsor, reflecting the startling success of 2013. Also helping have been many other bodies such as the Roger De Haan Foundation, Shepway District Council and Folkestone Town Council. Last year The Cheriton Lights Festival was at times quite magical. Many people thought that Cheriton, though it had its own district council from 1911 until 1936, was just a suburb without enough identity or culture to support a big local arts event. But they were wrong. The very lack of excitement in normal times made people willing to give it all a chance, and it worked. On the Saturday last year drumming bands, schools and community groups combated some very cold if dry weather, joining Strange Cargo in their lantern procession through Cheriton and Morehall. Highlights included Andrew Baldwin’s roaming mechanical Firefly and Ross Aston and Karen Monid’s breath-taking projection and sound installation Spiritus at All Souls Church. The latter with eerie sound and beautiful images of stained glass and other lit pictures would not have been out of place on the National Gallery. Due to artful ‘visual mapping‘ the contours of both All Souls and the Baptist Church did not spoilt the effect. In 2013 several other ideas are forming the basis of a similar light show. One idea is the fact that the distinctive Dormobile brand had its factory in Cheriton at Caesar’s Way. In an effort to make the event truly local some aspects of this such as the distinctive camper vans, and the link of Dormobile to ambulances, taxis and fire engines may influence the displays. I think it would be ill advised not to repeat at least some of the other- worldly experiences that the church displays last year evoked, since light at night is essentially spiritual. It would be great for some of the best of last year to be seen again. But Strange Cargo pulled it all off last year so they know what they are doing. What we do know is that last year 20 people had exhibitions and installations in their houses or gardens and this year there are more than 40 lined up. In 2012 Terry Perk’s mesmerising Kaleidoscope was the best: a large mirrored triangle sticking about 20 feet out of his living room into Quested Road which formed a giant changing and rotating pattern if you looked down the middle. You won’t forget anything like that this year, and there is double the chance of finding that stand-out creation. The stalls should also stretch further down to the Morehall end of town. Unfortunately, at the moment last year’s bonfire is not going to be repeated. Whether it be Guy Fawkes Night or February don’t you wish that insurance and other matters hadn’t made the public bonfire almost extinct? Still, not a bad time to have your own in the garden and make an evening of it. Have a practice this November 5th! Last time on the Sunday there was a sculptural phoenix bonfire and pyrotechnic display that was watched by thousands. Strange Cargo are still planning how to highlight the Sunday, though the exhibitions, models, stalls and light displays will be out there. If you have an interesting idea or a house to put forward then do so quickly. Certainly Strange Cargo are keen to talk to anyone associated with the old Dormobile Works or Martin Walters. Ps. Who owns the former ambulance depot at 3 Coombe Road? 15 feet wide and 120 feet long, there must be something strange to be done with it. 4 Minister for Education opens new Folkestone Primary Academy and Glassworks Sixth Form Centre Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Education and Childcare Elizabeth Truss MP officially opened two new school buildings in Folkestone on Tuesday 8th October. Folkestone Primary Academy has relocated this term to brand new buildings, set close to and on the Park Farm Road side of the secondary school . The new £6.2million primary buildings were designed by Guy Hollaway Architects, and provide accommodation for up to 450 children, taught in classes of twenty, and a new Kindergarten phase. The building itself incorporates innovative teaching aids and other technology, including solar panels. The Glassworks Sixth Form Centre, set in the heart of Folkestone’s Creative Quarter, has been established to respond to the success of the Folkestone Academy’s sixth form since it was established when the school opened in 2007. Demand for place exceeds capacity at the Academy, and numbers of students entering sixth form were 85 in 2007 and 340 today. Chair of Governors of The Folkestone All Age Academy Roger De Haan said: “Improving access to and quality of education for all of Folkestone’s young people is central to our vision to make the town a better place in which to live and work and bring up a family. Already we have seen a dramatic change for the better in academic results and there is evidence demonstrating that these improvements are being mirrored in non-selective schools across the District. Our mission is to raise aspirations of Folkestone’s young people and prepare them for a more successful future.” Academic performance has shown continued improvement: according to the Gold Standard of 5 A* - C GCSEs including Maths and English, results have improved from 14% in 2008 to 52% in 2013. Performance by the same measure has risen at ALL four non-selective schools in the Shepway District, appearing to indicate that the increased competition has helped raise standards across the board. This overall improvement in academic performance is even more marked when seen in the context of Kent’ selective education system. Unlike its predecessor school, Folkestone Academy included a sixth form. Since 2009 ever rising numbers of its students have continued on to higher education, and at least 100 are expected to go on to university in summer 2014. The Academy is oversubscribed. The new Glassworks Sixth Form Centre has therefore been established to provide improved amenities and accommodation for up to 500 students by 2020, in the heart of the Creative Quarter.