The Sentinel

Sentinel

Local Matters

Newington

a dce2.0 company

January 2021

This magazine is compiled and edited by David Cowell who is totally responsible for content.

If you do not wish to receive these magazines please email UNSUBSCRIBE to him at david@thesentinel.org.uk

The First World War Memorial plaque to Cyril Constance Wampach has gone missing from the family grave in Newington Churchyard.

It is not sure when this happened but it is believed to have gone during the first lockdown.

The Churchwardens have no knowledge as to its disappearance and enquires have drawn a blank.

Could I ask if anyone comes across this plaque being offered for sale or knows of its whereabouts that they get in touch with the Editor.

Thank you

Hythe Farmers Market

Takes place on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month from 10am to 1pm.

In the Methodist Church Hall, Chapel Street, Hythe.

Parking is available nearby.

For more information call Eric Chauvel Market Manager 0781 7521312 eric@thefrenchdelicatessen.co.uk

Over 55? this blog site might just be for you

Guest writers welcome 2

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Report from your District Councillor for Newington Just when we thought we were coming out of the crisis with news of vaccines, the variant coupled with many people not taking care plunge us back into the current Lock down.

However, things are looking up, Oakland Health Centre at Hythe has been busy administering the vaccine and this week sees a ramping up of vaccine delivery and the opening of new vaccine Centre at Folkestone Civic Centre and Lydd Airport. More info here: Covid-19 vaccination: Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (kentandmedwayccg.nhs.uk) Your surgeries will contact you with invitations to attend in accordance with priority order set by the government so please do not inundate them with calls as this will only result in wasting the NHS staff time.

In addition, more Asymptomatic testing Centre’s are being made available where residents can obtain a free test every two weeks. Hawkinge Community Centre is the latest addition. Book online at COVID-19 Test Appointments Home (healthit.org.uk) The Community Hubs at Three Hills Sports Park, Age UK Hythe & Lyminge and Romney Marsh Day Centre are fully operational and doing a superb job.

Throughout all of this we are very proud of our officers who are all working extremely hard to keep services running as well as helping with the response to fight the virus. In particular they have consistently been ahead of the game in passing on the Governments lock down grants to qualifying businesses in our District.

It was good to catch up with Newington Parish Councillors at a virtual meeting earlier in January and learn of their continuing good work during the Lock down.

Stay vigilant and stay at home as much as possible!

David Godfrey Cabinet Member for Housing, Transport and Special Projects 4

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Report from your County Councillor for Newington

Covid continues to dominate our lives and KCC is involved in many of the initiatives to combat the pandemic including a local test and trace system, testing for Covid for those without symptoms and ensuring as many of our services as possible continue despite the increasing challenge of staff sickness and self-isolating. Covid rates and transmission in Kent remain high so despite the good news about the vaccines the need for measures to limit transmission also remains high. Nothing brings this home more than the news that on 30 December KCC was asked to put in place a temporary mortuary for the rising number of bodies. Our plans for this had been made in April and this temporary storage in Aylesford with space for up to 825 is now operating 24 hours a day.

If you need to be out and about for your work then it’s a good idea to have a regular test to make sure you aren’t inadvertently spreading Covid as 1 in 3 of those who have Covid show no symptoms. KCC has now set up several testing sites for those without symptoms including Folkestone Library in Grace Hill and the Community Centre in Hawkinge You do need to book in advance not just turn up, but there’s plenty of capacity and you will get your result within a couple of hours. You can see all 22 sites and book online at www.kent.gov.uk/symptomfreetest The NHS is dealing with tests for those who have symptoms of Covid at www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test The NHS is also in the lead in dealing with the vaccination programme (see the District Council report).

The work done to prepare for a No Deal Brexit was needed instead for the border closure by France just before Christmas.

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The Covid testing that the French authorities now require was set up in double quick time at both Manston and Sevington and 0.02% of HGV drivers tested positive. Once the border reopened and Dover was unjammed, the backlog cleared quickly leaving a mountain of litter on our roads which is now being cleared. HGVs are now also required to have a Kent Access Permit to cross the border (rather more notice was given about this) and the new system appears to be working well though efforts are being made to get more drivers to get their paperwork in order and their Covid tests done before they enter Kent.

The Kent Resilience Forum continues to co-ordinate work across the public sector – Kent Highways, Kent Police, Highways England etc and I know many KCC staff have worked exceptionally hard over the Christmas and New Year period to deal with both the crisis caused by the border closure and its fall out.

Illegal parking by HGVs on our country roads has long caused damage to our verges and disruption to nearby homes as well as leaving some disgusting litter in its wake. The Government has now granted KCC powers to clamp and fine HGVs and KCC is using a specialist contractor for this enforcement work.

In the first week of operation, 195 vehicles across East Kent were clamped.

KCC distributed vouchers to families with children eligible for Free School Meals for the Christmas holiday period and KentTogether continues to offer help for those in need. kent.gov.uk/kenttogether or 03000 41 92 92 (this is a 24/7service).

I was pleased to join Newington Parish Council for their online meeting on 11 January. Among the topics discussed was the 7

welcome work done by local volunteers to clean up the litter left by the HGVs whilst they were delayed. Kent Highways plans to repair the road between Peen and Newington were also raised. The road often fails at this location so it needs a more fundamental repair. Once that is done the road will then be top dressed.

For news in between these monthly reports I now have a Facebook page called The Elham Valley which I keep updated with information which is often only released at short notice such as roadworks. You can also find me on twitter @susanjcarey Susan Carey, Member for Elham Valley Kent County Council

Everything changes; nothing changes My thanks to Hilary, Julius and Hugh Drake Brockman for giving me permission to publish this painting of St Nicholas Church skillfully executed by their Uncle, Randolph Charles Zouch Brockman in 1906. He was born on 8 Nov 1883 in Sandgate and

was baptised on 11 Jan 1884 in St Paul's Sandgate. He died on 12 Jun 1944 in Ashford at the age of 60.

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All now available in paperback and on Kindle Set in Folkestone in the heady days of the late 60s.

They say if you can remember it, you weren't there!

Two plays. One an imaginary meeting between Dylan Thomas and Brendan Behan in a Fitzrovia pub. The other is Caitlin Thomas reminiscing after the untimely death of her husband.

This is the tale of Hana, a young girl who moves from where she was born in London, to the Kent coast. They discover a wonderful area called Prince's Parade which is full of amazing animals, has a beautiful canal and is right next to the sea too! By buying this book you will be helping to protect it. All profits from it will be donated to the Save Prince's Parade campaign which aims to halt plans to develop the area into a housing estate.

Very funny, and surreal story about a man and a woman on their first date: Bolton Brady and Veda, set in London, November 2001. Bolton is forty, not into assets, has never lived with a woman and looked into the future and seen loneliness. So he decides to do something about it. He advertises in a lonely-hearts column, and receives six replies, but after experiencing one disaster after another only Veda remains between him and his sanity. As the day unfolds the line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred, building to a surreal, yet poignant, conclusion.

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This walk through the history of Sandgate to the present day was first performed at the Chichester Hall a decade ago on Wednesday, 9th June. It is now available on Kindle or in paperback.

Now available on Amazon. Great evocative yarns of worldly travels.

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SANDGATE FARMERS MARKET

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Shop Local. www.sandgatebusiness.org.uk

Friends of St Nicholas Church Newington Restoring and maintaining this historic building and its grounds

Charity number: 1122652

N E P S U S

D E D

The editor of The Sentinel is also responsible for sending Hythe, Newington and Sandgate related event information to the Folkestone Herald. If you have an event you wish to publicise it is needed by Tuesday at 17:00. The information should appear in the edition two weeks later although it is not guaranteed.

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To advertise in all three of The Sentinels with circa 3000 targetted readers and growing please email me at: david@thesentinel.org.uk for a rate card.

Thank you.

We are a small family run business, trading for over 30 years in the heart of Hythe High Street at number 51 (CT21 5AD) and we pride ourselves on customer service and of a range of products with high quality produce. We cater for all needs, whether it's a small treat for your pet, tapioca to make your favourite nostalgic pudding, or some of our delicious, local, free range eggs, perfect for cooking, baking and breakfasting!

At U-Weigh we have more than 400 items in store, ranging from cupboard essentials to sweet treats and snacks. We have a large selection of herbs, spices and seasonings to take your meal plans to every corner of the world, and to cater for the home bakers and amateur chefs, some cupboard staples; flours, sugars, cake mixes, pastas and rices. As dried food specialists, we all have a wide knowledge and will not hesitate to help with any queries or questions you may have.

Take a look at our many products, write your list and pop into the shop. We're also doing our bit for the planet by introducing paper bags, and don't forget, if you are trying to be more green, you can bring your own tubs, jars and containers to fill up. www.u-weigh.co.uk

www.facebook.com/uweigh/ From the cutting-edge London design agency Here Design - writer and poet Philip Cowell, and award-winning designer Caz Hildebrand, author of The Herbarium, this playful, original, beautifully designed book brings to life the punctuation marks we use every day, including: The dashing dash So-called "quotation marks" The colon: and on and on.

The shouty exclamation!

Kindle edition The three dots of... ÂŁ9.99 (Not forgetting the brackets) Hardback And even more 15

ÂŁ14.99 Great gift

Great gift only ÂŁ11.00 including P&P (UK mainland) www.the-find-online.com 16

If you have any photographs of the area either current or past do send them to me by email and I will feature them in future editions.

If you just have prints do drop them into Clyme House and I will scan.

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Support

Light lunches available local in church after lunchtime concerts

WOW Design-led gifts and interiors 76 High Street Hythe Kent CT21 5AL

01303 265340 www.facebook.com/wowhythe

Closed but please look out for information.

Have a great, safe Christmas 18

In the Church this February 2021 February 14 at 9.30.

Do look at the church notice board for further announcements.

Talking of which, we are trying to raise money to erect a new notice board with a door to protect the notices as the existing one is rotten and doorless.Since Covid-19 we have had to put the notices outside. If anyone feels able to make a contribution we would be very grateful. This can be done by using the QR code shown or handing the contribution to any Church member.

For any further Church information please call 01303 270604

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If you would like to submit an article or letter please ensure it is emailed to me by the 20th of each month.

I will print almost anything as long as it’s not libellous, racist or unkind.

Name must be supplied but can be withheld if requested.

Please put your articles etc in plain text or Word and images should be in .jpg, .tiff or .png.

My contact details are: Address: Clyme House, Hillside Street, Hythe, Kent CT21 5DJ Mobile: 07771 796 446 email: david@thesentinel.org.uk