The Sewing Space - a new business for Sandgate opened in November - at 104 Sandgate High Street.

• Sewing classes for children and adults
• Craft classes: knitting, felting and more
• Open Sewing: machines for hire
• Craft kits & sewing supplies
• Private ‘Activity’ Parties

Do something different with your friends! Have a great time together, learn a new skill and go home with a beautiful, handmade project.

Day & Evening Classes begin this November in time to make Christmas or New Year gifts. So hurry to the website for details and join us now!

www.TheSewingSpace.co.uk

Great News Sandgate now has its very own wine club!

Join up and become a member and benefit from great deals on top quality wines from Frances, Italy and Spain. Wines are bought directly from the winemakers and delivered to your door. All it takes is a phone cll or email to place your order.

The yearly membership fee is £20 payable with your first order and this will allow you to buy our wines at wholesales prices.  All we ask you to do is to buy a minimum of six bottles per month from a selection we choose from our extensive wine list.

If you would like to join or if you have any queries or would like to know more about the wines please contact Simon Grainger on 01303 226692 or email: sgrainger@thestrictlywineclub.co.uk with your details.

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.

A new book by Nicholas Reed ISBN 978-1-901167-21-4

Major Ronnie Reed was Case Officer for Agent Zigzag, and the face behind Operation Mincemeat. He is introduced through a collection of recently released reports and photos from the National Archives, and intimate family snaps. How did this young man, with no money and minimal qualifications, reach such an important position in his twenties?

Why did Agent Zigzag (aka Eddie Chapman) give Ronnie his Iron Cross, awarded to Zigzag by Hitler himself? And how, within ten years, did Ronnie find himself heading the anti-Russian department of MI5, dealing with notorious spies like Philby, Burgess and Maclean?

In an interview filmed in 1994, shortly before Ronnie’s death, his son Nicholas learned his story in detail. Here Nicholas reproduces the interview and fills in the background of The Man Who Never Was.

The book will be published by Lilburne Press on 8th November 2011, price £9.95. Further details from www.lilburnepress.co.uk, or phone 01303 257 659.

This 200-page book, with 160 photographs, will be launched at the Folkestone Book Festival with an illustrated talk by Nicholas at 2 pm on Tuesday 8^th November 2011. Box Office: 01303 858 500.

DON’T MISS: Also in November, Chapman and Reed are featured in a six-page article in the November issue of Britain at War magazine. Another article about Chapman and Ronnie Reed will appear in the Daily Mail Saturday magazine for Saturday 12^th November, following an interview with Nicholas.

Nicholas was also filmed for a TV documentary, to be called “Double Agent – The Eddie Chapman Story”, to be shown on BBC2 at 9 pm on Tuesday 15^th November.

As the Olympic Year is fast approaching Visit Kent now presents My Kent’s Big Weekend Out 2012 - the biggest and best yet!  This year we are tying the event in with the Visit England Tourism Week which will provide important national marketing support as well as adding a transmanche element to promote our attractions to our French neighbours.

The event offers thousands of FREE tickets to Kent residents over the course of the weekend 17th and 18th March 2012. In return attractions get an opportunity to promote themselves to local people as well as gaining profile through local press, website and social media.  Over 85% of attractions who took part last year thought it was an excellent event for them and generated over £150,000 in secondary spend. 80% of local residents that took part said they would revisit the attraction they went to while 98% said they would recommend it to their friends and family.

Simply complete the online form below or for further details call Kelly Sharp on 01227 812905 or email on Kelly.sharp@visitkent.co.uk.  The deadline for registration for this event is 31^st December 2011, but we would appreciate your prompt confirmation of details.

Sign up the Big Weekend 2012 here