Use the form on the right to contact us.
You can edit the text in this area, and change where the contact form on the right submits to, by entering edit mode using the modes on the bottom right.
Herne Bay, England, CT6
United Kingdom
Community website for all things Herne Bay (Kent, UK). Covers: The Downs, Herne Bay Museum, Herne Bay Historical Records Society, Herne Bay Pier Trust, Herne Bay in Bloom, East Cliff Neighbourhood Panel, No Night Flights, Manston Airport, Save Hillborough, Kitewood, WEA, Local Plan and much, much more...
Good news - the QVMH Fête is going ahead as planned, despite CCC/Serco trying to rush them hundreds of pounds of charitable donations to advertise themselves with a banner across the High Street. (Apparently Serco are a bit red-faced about this over-enthusaistic charging. Good.)
Anyway, here's a copy of their poster. Just click it to enlarge it. Better still, print a copy and pop in it your window.
The BBC have been doing a video survey around Britain's coast, and arrived at Herne Bay:
Larger seaside resorts in the South East such as Hastings, Eastbourne and Margate have attracted significant investment with millions of pounds being spent on the Jerwood, the Towner and the Turner Contemporary galleries. How are smaller resorts such as Herne Bay holding their own and keeping tills ringing?
A pretty upbeat and optimistic piece - have a look and see for yourself.
Oh look, here's another good thing that Our Council seems to be hell-bent on stamping out. Like the recent bus rally (but much more worthy) it doesn't take many brain cells to figure out that the hospital fête is a good thing that deserves encouragement and support, not fleecing. CCC are happy to fritter £17,000 of our money on new ceremonial robes for the Lord Mayor (which will benefit how many people, and how?) but insist on chiselling £400 from the Friends of QVMH (which benefits how many people, and how?).
How much does it cost to put up a banner? Council bean-counters wanted £400 from hospital fundraisers to erect one over the High Street advertising their annual summer fete next Saturday. Organisers were stunned to be told of the cost - up from £200 last year and £120 the year before - and decided to scrap the aerial advertising and use the money to help patients instead. But Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital League of Friends spokeswoman Sandy Winkworth said it was a bitter blow to the hard-working team of volunteers.
"It is a disappointment. We just can't justify that sort of cost, particularly as we'd have to pay to alter the banner to this year's date as Well. Every penny We raise goes towards the hospital and the patients and keeping it as a service for Herne Bay. It's a shame that we can't get more support from the council."
The shock estimate came just weeks after bureaucrats tried to charge volunteer organisers of the Herne Bay Bus Rally £850 in compensation for the car parking spaces they would take up. After negotiation, they agreed to accept £200 instead. Mrs Winkworth added:
"It does seem unfair when all these events are organised by volunteers for charity. If the cost had increased by 10 or 20 per cent on last year we would probably have paid it. But when we raise between £6,000 and £7,000 it is a big percentage of the fundraising and it seems a waste. We have to try and get posters around town instead but people just don't look at them. The sad thing is that the banner really worked by reminding people of the fete and the date."
Council spokesman Steve James said the cost included a £50 admin charge. He said:
"The charge is applied by our contractors, Serco, and covers their costs. But they expect to have a new piece of machinery next month and once they have that it will reduce the admin and labour costs of putting up a banner. Those savings will be passed on so we hope next year the cost will be lower."
The fete, from 2pm on Saturday, September 3, will include cake stalls, children's rides, clairvoyants and a raffle. Donations are welcome, and for more information call 01227 367894 or 01227 452070.
HB Times 25th Aug 2011 l.crudgington@KRNmedia.co.uk
The League of Friends to The Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital Herne Bay says it has become too expensive to advertise its annual fete on September 3 with a banner across the High Street. In the past the charity has used it to publicise the event but says the cost of putting up the banner has been doubled by the city council's contractor. But members are keen to promote the fete which is traditionally their biggest fundraiser of the year. Committee member Sandy Winkworth said:
"We felt the cost of the banner at more than £400 was now just too high and not a good use of our funds."
Council spokesman Steve James said:
"Unfortunately our contractor Serco has had to pass on the full cost of erecting banners like these, but it is soon to acquire a cherry picker which it says will make it much cheaper in the future. Sadly it will probably arrive too late for the Friends."
The fete opens at 2pm and there will be about 40 stalls and sideshows including bric-a-brac, plants, jigsaws, clairvoyants, cake stalls, tombola, children's rides, barbecue and refreshments. There will also be two raffles and a subscription stall encouraging new life members for £10. Mrs Winkworth said:
"All money raised goes towards the hospital. Over the past few months we have spent about £35,000. The corridors have been redecorated, a new digital TV has been put in the outpatients waiting area, new blinds for the day centre, various pieces of equipment and quite a bit of tidying work on parts of the gardens. The work goes on to keep our hospital in good shape. If anyone has anything that they would like to donate to the fete, we are happy to collect almost anything except clothes. Please call Rina on 01227 367894 or Liz on 01227 452070. Alternatively, items can be delivered to our little shop in the hospital."
HB Gazette 25th Aug 2011
Two years ago, I applied to register the Downs as a Village Green. In November this year, Kent County Council will be holding a public inquiry to decide whether to register the Downs as a Village Green.
The Public Inquiry will run from Monday 28th November until Friday 2nd December, and will start with hearing evidence from people who have used the Downs. Read MoreProperty developer Kitewood has unveiled plans to develop a new primary school, shopping centre and up to 1,375 homes on the outskirts of Herne Bay, on land between Hillborough and the Altira Business Park in Broomfield. This idea first surfaced in July 2010, when everyone was up in arms about the increasing risk of death on Blacksole Bridge. Click here to read up on the back-story, and find out who the bad guys are.
The plans for the proposed development will go on show during a public exhibition at Reculver Primary School
Kitewood have also set up a website to keep people updated on the plans, and say they intend to compile reports on the feedback and use them if proposals need re-shaping. Visit: www.hillboroughextension.com
If you have any comments on this proposal, you can add them below, or you can visit www.hillboroughextension.com, or contact your councillors or MP.
Here's an excellent little piece from the BBC, explaining how windfarms happen - it's not nearly as easy as you might think. It's worth zooming in on The Workers in the first picture, just to get a clear idea of just how BIG these turbines are... Click to see more.
Herne Bay famous faces John Altman and Nicki Chapman had a stiff challenge on their hands as guest judges at the annual beach hut competition. A fiercely contested event saw owners get right into the festival spirit with an array of colourful designs and themes for their huts.
Former EastEnders star John and TV personality Nicki were joined by Jenny and David Cross from the Friends of the Herne Bay Museum in the judging as the number of entries exceeded expectations. Organiser Andrew Cook was overwhelmed with the response:
“The sun came out to shine and many hut owners frantically dressed theirs in time for judging. Competition was fierce and the quality was higher than ever before, some owners came from as far away as Yorkshire to enter. We had to give out some additional prizes to make the judges’ lives a bit easier. Jill Bell eventually took the honours for best dressed hut with her Mrs Sweeney Todd theme. It was great to have both Nicki and John there as they are firm believers of what Herne Bay has to offer and the town’s future potential.”
Kentish Gazette 16th Aug 2011
Herne Bay was awash with colour on Saturday as crowds turned out in force for this year’s carnival. The morning’s wet weather cleared in plenty of time for young and old to line the route and enjoy the annual parade from Lane End, along Western Esplanade through Central Parade, the town centre and back to Sea Street.
Around 60 floats, including 11 visiting carnival courts, brought noise and colour to the sea front, lead by music from the Herne Bay Sea Cadets band.
Among them were best in carnival, The Red Wheelies from Canterbury’s MS Therapy Centre. The ladies, famed for their formation dances on mobility scooters, dressed up as knights of the realm in full battle armour. Other entrants included members of the town’s football club and roller hockey clubs, as well as Greenhill Gymnastics Club and the Hasland Dance Academy.
The team from domestic carers Bluebird Care won the Carol Bosworth prize for creativity. In the evening, the Kings Hall hosted the traditional post parade party, with music from band Kelly’s Hero’s.
HB Times 15th Aug 2011
Metal thieves are running rampant through Herne Bay and not even your kitchen equipment is safe, according to one trader. Delicatessen boss Steve Dansey said his fridge has been plundered for parts - not once but twice in recent weeks. He said:
"My fridge was delivered on a Monday. On Tuesday when we went to assemble it we saw all the aluminium brackets had been stolen. It was assembled on Wednesday and by Friday they'd clipped the copper pipes off the back, even though it was running!"
On Tuesday he saw a teenager sifting through items left for a second-hand shop and taking scrap metal away on his bike. Mr Dansey, who runs Butterfly Meadow in the High Street, added:
"He had a black bag on his bike for the scrap. It seemed very Well organised. He wheeled his bike to the end of the road and just Waited to be picked up."
Other shopkeepers say they have spotted thieves stealing metal strips from steps, and in January iron drain grids were stolen for their scrap metal value, leaving holes in the road. Police are working to combat the problem by visiting about 50 breakers yards and scrap metal dealers across the county. Chief Superintendent Steve Corbishley, Kent Police's head of partnership and communities, said:
"Metal theft is a national problem and one of the UK's fastest-growing crimes, and it's having an impact on communities in Kent. We've had church roofs and school buildings targeted, telephone cable and manhole covers stolen by thieves recently. Around 15 million tonnes of metal is recovered nationally each year, with a sale value of £13 billion, which gives an illustration of the scale of this criminality, due to the rising value of commodities like copper. We are visiting scrap metal dealers, and will continue to work on days of action to raise awareness and to target suspects when we have information they are involved in crime."
ed.targett@KRNmedia.co.uk
Organisers admitted this week they were considering cancelling the annual event when Canterbury City Council demanded payment for unused parking spaces. Julian Bowden, who took over running the rally last year with Nigel Coupe, said:
"The city council's events team and town co-ordinator Chris West have been brilliant, and know how many visitors the rally brings to Herne Bay. But then the council’s parking services department stepped in and dropped a bombshell by demanding £850 compensation for lost revenue from the spaces the buses use in William Street car park. It was virtually the same amount We raised for our chosen charity, Demelza children’s hospices, last year. We felt it was a little excessive."
The volunteer organisers were also hit with a bill for £40 to cover administration charges. But a deal was struck at the 11th hour over the compensation demand. Mr Bowden, said:
"We had a very sensible meeting and reached a compromise of £200. Luckily we carried out a traffic management survey the weekend before which showed only 53 spaces were used on the Sunday. After our buses and coaches have taken up 216 spaces there will be 48 spaces left. We thought that was nearly adequate."
However, he admits his survey coincided "unknown to us" with the Whitstable Oyster Festival, which kept Herne Bay parking artificially low. The team hope to cover the costs with extra advertising in the programme. Council spokesman Rob Davies said:
"The original charge was based on the loss of the whole car park to the event. However, we discussed the situation with the organisers and agreed on a lower fee. We hope the event is a great success."
This year Bay bus driver Chris Ingram has rejoined the organising team after a year off. Organisers are expecting 40 buses, ranging from a 1937 pre-war single-decker East Kent coach to an open-top former Maidstone and District bus. The rally runs from 10am to 5pm on Sunday; there will be a free shuttle service from the station and free bus trips around town.
John.Nurden@KRNmedia.co.uk
Well, dear reader, here's an interesting little something... a report on our dainty little town, as viewed through the eyes of a visitor from afar.
RE: Herne Bay Pier Pavilion
Dear Sir/Madam,
We recently visited Herne Bay for the first time and on the whole enjoyed our day in the town. However, we were both rather horrified and aghast at the sight of the 1976 Pier Pavilion.
After recovering from our disbelief we decided that while a building so municipal, imposing and downright ugly may have made sense on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Milton Keynes, as the focal point of a 'Victorian' coastal resort it was akin to seeing the Queen making a public appearance with chocolate spread smeared on her cheek.
We understand it comes from a period of history when architects and town planners were realising that they could make or save a lot of money by dispensing with beauty, care, aesthetics and consideration and that function very much took priority over form, but I have never seen such an ugly building having such an inappropriate impact on its surroundings: Nothing short of traumatic.
No passing of time, changing of fashion or understanding of irony could ever make the Pier Pavilion 'fit' in its present surroundings.
One or two Monty Python sketches come to mind, luckily never actually put into practice, but the most pertinent would have to be the famous image of the oversized, naked foot descending and crushing a collection of otherwise harmonious and innocent 'bystanders' accompanied by the sound of someone blowing a raspberry.
PLEASE dismantle the Pier Pavilion if only as a kindness and a lifeline to the rest of the seafront and the businesses that depend on it, and we, and others, may consider visiting Herne Bay again.
We feel sure it could be removed even more quickly and 'carelessly' than it was put there 35 years ago. Please do let me know if there are any plans to this effect.
Yours sincerely,
JH
;)
Perhaps it has been a major tourist attraction in some ironic way. Maybe the people of Herne Bay have grown to love it. Or does it serve to keep the nasty tourists away. Perhaps roller hockey is more popular than I first thought?!
Other than the Pier Pavilion which I have to admit is a bit of a talking point, I should say that we did have a lovely day and would definitely choose Herne Bay over Whitstable on most counts on our next escapade from London.
Local litter action group 'Shore' is a load of Rubbish! is still going strong, and their project for 2011 is Message in a Bottle.
With the help of two local schools (Westmeads Whitstable and St Stephens Canterbury) they are constructing a full-sized beach hut from recycled materials, including 2 litre plastic bottles filled with beachcombed litter and facts about marine litter. Message in a Bottle is now on at:
Reculver Visitor Centre open Thursday-Monday 11am-5pm till 29th August, on display are:
;)
Herne Bay Band Stand/Sea Front
August, location TBC
Reculver Visitor Centre
1st-29th August
11-5 Thursday-Monday
Horsebridge Centre Whitstable
8th-18th September
9-6 Monday-Saturday 10-6 Sunday
For more information, and great pictures of work in progress and previous exhibits, visit
