September Go 2009 Folkestone Action group X-rated contents? Find out why this issue comes in a plain brown wrapper on the contents page. www .gofolkest one .org .uk “Welcome to Wards” Whether it’s “à 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 [email protected] for further information or to discuss the hospitality package we can put together for you. Wards Hotel, 39 Earls Avenue Folkestone, Kent CT20 2HB HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, FOLKESTONE 2009 Music Series SEPTEMBER 2nd Organ Recital by Morley Whitehead Starting at 7.30pm in Holy Trinity Church Folkestone Admission charges Adults £7, for members £5, children £1 5th “The Red Herrings” Jazz band Starting at 7.30pm in Holy Trinity Church, Folkestone Admission charges Adults £7, FOR members £5, Children 9th Organ Recital by David Flood Starting at 7.30pm in Holy Trinity Church, Folkestone Admission charges Adults £7, FOR members £5, Children £1 Enquiries Tel: 01303 221130 Contents 2 The plane now leaving St Pancras 4 Update on the Oops!! future of the The last edition of the magazine museum concentrated on the effect that 5 How to keep up the recession was having on the with modern town as a whole and this was technology illustrated by the front cover which was a photo of a shopfront in Sandgate Road. 6 The fight of the century Unfortunately, it was just a little bit too effective and readers picking up copies either thought that 8 A curious Go Fokestone was shutting down or the outlet coincidence distributing the magazine was. So we thought 11 Drinking in that we would play it safe this time by just having Folkestone a plain cover!!! 13 Empty homes That said, this Magazine has become So popular scandal that we are now increasing the number of pages from 32 to 40 and the printed issues up 500. 14 A rather special lady - a look at our The Step-short project is moving apace. The war memorial awareness weekend is set for 3rd and 4th October. You will find more information Inside. 17 The future of the Leas Lift (1) Don’t miss Folkestone’s link to the siege of Sydney Street London. 18 The summer programme for the Also coming to your area soon, is Folkestone’s ampitheatre Own Radio Station, Academy FM. 20 Community radio We do invite our readers to write in with issues comes to town and articles, that they feel would contribute to the well being of the town of Folkestone. 22 The future of the Leas Lift (2) Also if you wish to respond to articles in the magazine, we are happy to consider those too. 26 The future of adult education We reserve the right to edit. 28 Step-short 32 Planning news Ann Berry. Editorial Committee: Ann Berry, Chair Go Folkestone Lynne Smith, Richard Wallace, Terry Begent, Philip Carter Please send all comments/ contributions to Ann Berry, 35 Birkdale Drive, Folkestone, Advertising rates CT19 5LP Full page from £65, quarter page from £30 (colour + 50%) per edition 1 service will give other members of the public to buy tickets to try out the The plane service before it starts for real. As we pointed out in “The Javelins are now coming” in the March issue, the drivers cab looks more like an aircraft cockpit and the comparison with high-speed leaving St flight doesn’t end there. If you woke up in the loo, for example, you would have no idea you were Pancras? onboard an aircraft or a train - they are so much alike. All the airline jokes Ann Berry, Philip Carter and Terry being made by the Begent take the first public flight from the lucky “few” about new St. Pancras International station flight attendants were shocked into silence as Claire, We didn’t hear a whistle, not surprising one of the “cabin crew”, actually picked really considering the amount of up a microphone and started giving the double glazing around, but the inertia kind of flight (sorry) journey information that pressed us back into our seats left that you would expect when flying us in no doubt that the train was abroad. moving and the digital clocks in each carriage told us that it was on the dot of 1 o’clock, as promised. The pressure against our seats didn’t diminish – in fact it got stronger with each passing second – a sure sign that the acceleration was continuing, if not increasing. We knew we were going fast but there was no other sensation of speed as we pulled out of St Pancras station on the first of the new high-speed trains to carry members of the public. Go Folkestone has been working with Southeastern Trains over the past couple of years as a “stakeholder” having an interest in ensuring that the public views were included when planning the new high speed service being started in December. As a result Ann Berry, Philip Carter and I were asked if we would like seats on the trip, which was arranged to publicise the launch of the “preview service” at the end of June. This 2 As we waited with baited breath, and in same way that you have to when going vain, for her to point out where the up or coming down in a plane. (The emergency exits were and how to use train is travelling so fast that the air in a the oxygen masks in case of cabin tunnel doesn’t have time to move out decompression, she told us instead of the way and it results in a build up of when the train would leave (and it did atmospheric pressure inside the tunnel to the second), how fast we would be and also inside the cabin carriage) travelling (300km/H) and how long it would take to get to Ashford The only thing clearly missing from our comparison with an airline is what International. some unkindly call “Trolley Dollies”. When she neglected to mention, There is no buffet car on this train nor though, was the need to swallow to a trolley coming round with goodies. clear the pressure in your ears as you The logic of Southeast Trains is quite passed through a tunnel in exactly the simple in this respect, you just aren’t on the train long enough to make it worthwhile. Once you have made the trip this seems blindingly obvious, indeed there is hardly enough time to queue for the loos. If it isn’t vacant when you get the urge, don’t bother queueing! There’s little point in looking for the next one further down the train, by the time you get there you will be in Ashford. Southeast Trains is working on the principle that when we juggle the cost versus convenience options we’re going to come down in favour of the high speed train. Judging by our own experience on the preview trip, they may have got it about right!!! 3 Proposals for a new museum for the town’s history alive for the people of Folkestone and foster a sense of Folkestone are under discussion place and community, creating further within the town, following a opportunities for local people to study recent report. the history of the area”. For a town of its size, Folkestone has an unusually large number of organisations with a heritage interest Preserving plus a good source of volunteers to Folkestone’s history staff a museum. Local Historian Eamonn Rooney says, “There is tremendous support for a By Nick Spurrier museum in Folkestone, which has an astonishingly interesting history from the Roman Villa on East Cliff though The report, written by Sam Hunt, of the the Anglo-Saxon settlement and Kingsghurst Consulting Group, was medieval period to the development of commissioned by the Folkestone its fishing industry and its rise as Heritage Working Group* which has probably the most fashionable seaside been meeting regularly over many resort in the country. months to discuss the possibility of setting up a new museum. It has also played an important part in the defence of the country.” It is intended that it will complement the History Resource Centre proposed The Folkestone Heritage Working by Kent County Council to replace the group will now look in more detail at existing museum on Grace Hill. the sort of museum Folkestone could sustain, at how it should be In the recently completed report, Sam administered. Hunt explains that a Museum in Folkestone could be sustainable with Jan Druker said, “There is a lot of hard the present collections of Folkestone work to be done, but this is a strong Museum serving as a base, and diverse group with a long-term supplemented, when appropriate, by commitment to preserving the heritage material held by Kent County Council of Folkestone” and other bodies. *The Folkestone Heritage Working The collections are made up of art, Group comprises representatives from archaeology, geology, natural history, Folkestone Town Council, Shepway social history, coins and medals. The District Council, Kent County Council, archaeology collection could be the Folkestone People’s History enlarged by finds from the Channel Centre, Folkestone & District Local Tunnel rail development.