This Saturday 4^th February 2012 at The Chichester Memorial Hall, Sandgate

from 10.00am until 12.30pm

Baking Competition – bring along your cakes, pies or tarts made with Bramley Apples – judging at 11.00am.

Our produce will have an apple theme this week including pork and apple sausages, apple preserves, strudels and pies and much more!

The Sandgate Bakery – freshly baked bread, pies and biscuits, French cheese

Juicy Fruits – fresh fruit and vegetables

Izzy’s Deli – homemade lasagna, soups, meat and vegetarian pies, pizzas and home cooked ham freshly sliced, English cheese

Catherine Jordan Cakes – large and small cakes, seasonal fruit pies and tarts, scones and biscuits

Old Hall Farm, Brookland – traditionally reared meat & sausages, rare breed lamb & pork and fresh eggs

Alkham Valley Preserves – jams, preserves, raw honey and quail’s eggs

Eco-Friendly Cleaning – eco-friendly cleaning products

Sandgate Farmers’ Market is in the Chichester Memorial Hall on the first and third Saturday of each month from 10.00am

At the next Farmers’ Market on Saturday, 4th February the theme will be Bramley Apple Week. As a part of the fun, Zoe is organising an apple pie baking competition. You are invited to celebrate by baking your favourite cake, pie or tart using Bramley Apples.

Bring your entry along on Saturday 4th February and the entries will be judged for their delicious taste and appearance by Cllr Robert Bliss, Chair of Sandgate Parish Council. Robert is a great supporter of our market and comes along every time - and our stall holders suggested that he would make a great judge of local culinary expertise!

There will be lots of delicious produce on sale made from apples including pork and apple sausages, apple preserves as well as pies and tarts and of course Bramley Apples!

Download pdf of Chich New Extra here : chichnewsextra31

Following the Sandgate Community Trust’s successful application for a £50,000 grant from Kent County Council I am delighted to tell you that communityUk has been chosen by the Steering Group to provide Sandgate with its WiFi broadband service. The monthly costs for this service will be:

Up to 2Mbps      FREE
Up to 4Mbps      £3.99
Up to 8 Mbps     £7.99

It is estimated that 70%-80% of Sandgate residents will get the free service when first set up. Trees and buildings can prevent signals getting to a property but there are ways to solve the problem - they just sometimes take a little longer to resolve.

The service provides residents with a superb gateway to the internet offering:

* Free Webmail (CUKmail)
* Support for learners of all ages (CUKlearning)
* An on-line employment/job-seeking system (CUKcareers)
* Local news and information
* Internet Radio (CUKradio)
* Social Networking (CUKsocial
* Support for small businesses through the CUKbiz channel
* CUKkids, comprehensive Channel for youngsters of all ages
* and much more

CommunityUK.net was the only company that offered a real
community aspect to their broadband proposal plus their business model means that they can provide a free service with no set up or on-going user maintenance costs.

Sandgate has been divided into three zones and the first, the Valley, will be the first installation but it is expected that all three zones will be live by the end of the first quarter in 2012.

Sandgate will be one of, if not the first community in Kent to get a free broadband service and I hope you will agree that this is a very exciting development for Sandgate and a welcomed Christmas present.

Action with Communities in Rural Kent has a number of very interesting and worthwhile work experience placements available for young people across Kent. These opportunities are part of our European funded project, Progress, Greener Futures for Young People. Please see attached project information and recent press release.

We are looking for young people ideally between the ages of 17-25 (but this is flexible) who want to find a job for themselves in the not-for-profit sector. Job description attached.

They will work as volunteers for 3-6 months helping to develop a project within their host organisation. All this is based on Social Enterprise and Community Entrepreneurship, which is the theme of our project.

There’s an interest and very practical training course that runs alongside the work placements and the young people will become part of a county-wide network to exchange ideas and to develop their knowledge (and confidence) in the hope that with mentoring of their host organisation’s staff plus the project team etc, they will be able to help generate new income that could lead to creating a career for themselves.

In this project we are working with partners in Sweden, France and Spain, all from the Social Economy and each with a really interesting way of working. Keen young people will be able to take part in the wider work of the project and could enjoy some travel to our partner countries (this would be optional of course).

We have a number of community groups and social enterprises waiting for a young person to join them on placement. We also have one or two spaces left for organisations who might wish to offer a placement to a young person.

So, if you are working with, or know of, a young person who might be interested in our project would you please put them in touch as soon as possible? Equally, if your organisation would like to benefit from being part of our project please let us know.

Please contact Maureen Walby on 077030 48602 or email Maureen.walby@ruralkent.org.uk for more information.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Operation Nightingale comes to Folkestone: A group of injured soldiers learn the skills of archaeology at Folkestone Roman villa as part of their physical rehabilitation.

Eight soldiers from 1st Battalion The Rifles (1 RIFLES) took part in the excavation of the Iron Age settlement and Roman villa at East Wear bay, Folkestone, for five days from Monday 24^th October.   All of the soldiers had been injured on active service in Afghanistan. They helped in the excavation as part of Operation Nightingale, a new initiative being developed by the army to use archaeology as therapy for recovering soldiers.

It is hoped the project will help to facilitate a return to the regiment for successful participants or provide a focus or hobby for those that may leave, as well as providing a sense of worth and purpose for the participants through learning new skills and building on team-working and social skills.

The excavation at East Wear Bay is taking place as part of a three year community archaeology project, ‘A Town Unearthed: Folkestone Before 1500’. The project is a partnership between Canterbury Archaeological Trust, Canterbury Christ Church University and the Folkestone People’s History Centre and is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Roger De Haan Charitable Trust, with additional contributions by Folkestone Town Council, Kent Archaeological Society, Kent County Council,  Shepway District Council, East Folkestone Change Together and the Tory Family Foundation.

The dig, which is being directed by Keith Parfitt of Canterbury Archaeological Trust, has uncovered new evidence about the Roman occupation of the site, but also significant evidence of a large Iron Age settlement that existed there before the Roman period, and which seems to have been a major focus of power and trade in the 1^st centuries BC and AD.

Corporal Steven Winterton of 1 RIFLES has already spent four days at the site, as part of the development of Op Nightingale. His finds included a small Roman intaglio gem, probably a setting from a finger-ring. Corporal Winterton said, “I’ve really enjoyed the experience so far. It’s been brilliant. I’ve always had an interest in archaeology and this week has rekindled that. The project has been a great help in lifting the day-to-day burdens following my injury. It gives all of us participating in the project the chance to acquire new skills to help develop our future careers.”

Rifleman Jake Watts who was at the Folkestone Roman Villa dig last week said “I didn’t know what to expect when we were told we would be doing archaeology but I went into it with an open mind and I have enjoyed it, especially the precise work”

Rifleman Watts and the others have previously been digging in the spill from badger sets on Salisbury Plain where they found Iron Age material. Rifleman Ashley Meredith said “To be honest when I came into it I thought it would be quite boring but when we were told what we were looking for and about the things that we had found – pottery bones, flint tools - I started to become interested.”

Operation Nightingale is the brainchild of Sergeant Diarmaid Walshe of 1 RIFLES. Sergeant Walshe, who is also a qualified archaeologist, said, “These soldiers have all endured a lot during operational tours. Due to the complex nature of their physical and mental injuries sustained in Afghanistan, the Army is looking at new and innovative ways to promote recovery. It is my belief that archaeology is the perfect way to achieve this, whilst enhancing their rehabilitation process. We are investing time and resources to aid these soldiers, with a firm belief that fieldwork and recording will aid their recovery.”

More than 500 soldiers from 1 RIFLES have deployed to Afghanistan where they have had considerable success in ensuring that local people can live and work in a safe environment.

The excavations at the villa dig continue. Recent discoveries include the remains of a pre-Roman road or path constructed of small stones that possibly led down to the beach. The dig continues for seven days a week and the site can be visited in any day between 10.0 am. and 4.00 pm.

For further information on A Town Unearthed contact Hannah Lewis on 01303-850614 or visit the website: www.atownunearthed.co.uk

Young people of Catch22 Folkestone Running Social Enterprise Activity at Sandgate Farmer’s Market.

On Saturday 15^th October 2011, several young people from Catch22’s Kent Learning & Employability programme will be selling their ‘Chocolicious’ pure, organic, luxurious chocolate bars at Sandgate Farmer’s Market. MP for Folkestone & Hythe Damian Collins supports the project and will be attending the event.

Sandgate Farmer’s Market have generously donated a stall to the group of 16-18 year olds who have been working on this project for a month in conjunction with local entrepreneur Kieran Renihan of ‘the Chocolution’ chocolate company.

Andrew Rist, Course Leader for Catch22 Folkestone, says: “Catch22 works with thousands of young people all across the UK, but far too often people don’t get to hear about the extraordinary work we do. These young people have worked very hard to create an end product that they hope to sell to the general public to raise money for the charity. It should be a great day and the young people are very excited about it”

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Catch22 spokespeople, case studies and photos are available. Please contact Andrew Rist for further details. 07872 418577. I would be very happy to pass on photos and quotes from Mr Collins/Sandgate Farmer’s Market to you post event.