Damian Collins MP says “As we get back into the swing of things our focus is inevitably on the future and the things we are planning to do in the twelve months ahead. I believe that one of the major priorities for 2011 for the area is how we can get more growth in the local economy, to create the new jobs we need and support businesses.

Just before Christmas I had a meeting in Westminster with the Energy Minister Charles Hendry to discuss how we can establish an agenda for a new power station at Dungeness. I was joined at the meeting by Shepway Councillors Rory Love and Carole Waters. I have been campaigning for a new power station at Dungeness since before I was elected to parliament and intend to keep the pressure up. I was pleased in the meeting that the Minister confirmed that the Department for Energy would support and attend a public meeting in Romney Marsh this month. This meeting will give people the chance to have their say in the latest round of consultations on the Government’s programme for new nuclear power stations. One of the biggest issues we have faced through these consultations is the objection of Natural England to the development of a new power station within the protected habitats sites at Dungeness. I want us to turn this argument around and establish an agenda for how we can overcome these objections, even if this requires new research to be conducted into the habitats at Dungeness and how it might be possible to restore them after the development takes place of compensate for some loss of habitat. The benefits that the new power station could bring to the local economy are too great for us to leave any stone unturned in our campaign to make it happen.”

http://www.damiancollins.com/2011/01/agenda-for-business-growth-in-2011/

This week we have received the very sad news of the death of Willie Richardson, who gave so many years of service to people on Romney Marsh, as a County and District Councillor and a former Coxswain of the RNLI Dungeness Lifeboat. He was also a wonderful man whose friendship and advice I hugely valued. He was much loved and respected by all who knew him and worked with him, and we all send our deepest sympathies to his wife Judith and their family. Willie had lived all his life in Dungeness and was a keen supporter of the power station, and the campaign to see a new one built. When I saw him to discuss this just over ten days ago he was full of enthusiasm and good ideas.

We will miss you Willie.

Today is also Remembrance Day when we mark the sacrifices made in by our armed forces at home and around the world. We also particularly remember those men who have lost their lives in Afghanistan in the last year, including Rifleman Peter Aldridge, who lived in Folkestone, and the members of the Royal Gurkha Rifles who have been on a tour of duty there; Rifleman Suraj Gurung, Corporal Arjun Purja Pun, Major James Bowman, Lieutenant Neal Turkington, and Gunner Zak Cusak.

As the years pass it becomes more and more important that we also remember the sacrifices people made in the First and Second World Wars. I believe that each new generation should understand what people did in those years to defend freedom in its darkest hours. We see reminders of this around the District, from the solitary grave of a Battle of Britain pilot on Romney Marsh, to the military cemetery at Shorncliffe and the Road of Remembrance in Folkestone.

Readers of my column will know that I have been involved for the last few years as Chairman of the Step Short project which is working to mark the role Folkestone played in the First World War. It is believed that up to nine million men passed through the town at that time, to and from the trenches of the Western Front in France and Belgium. In August, the Step Short memorial walk from outside The Grand on The Leas, down the Road of Remembrance and to the harbour, traced the last steps that many of these men would have taken on English soil. To help people understand more about the role Folkestone played during the war, and the stories of the people involved here at that time, the Step Short project is soon to launch a new website. This will include a walking guide for the route of the Remembrance Walk, information about places of interest linked to the war, as well as a lot of archive material from the period. I hope that this will be of use and interest to local people and visitors, and please let me know if you would like any more information about this, or the Step Short project.

Damian Collins MP for Folkestone and area

http://www.damiancollins.com/2010/11/remembrance-day/

http://stepshort.gofolkestone.org.uk/index.html

Related articles

• “Veterans Day, Armistice Day, Remembrance Day” and related posts (sunlituplands.org)
• Why we should remember not to forget (thepunch.com.au)

‘Dungeness RNLI Lifeboat’s Annual Blessing of their lifeboat ‘Pride and Spirit’ will be on Sunday 12 September, 5.30pm for 6 pm at the boathouse.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME’

Art Beat e-newsleter - September 2010

This e-newsletter can also be downloaded from the council’s web site at:

www.shepway.gov.uk/arts, together with last month’s Art Beat.

ARTS & EVENTS IN SHEPWAY IN SEPTEMBER

Wednesday 1st, 6.30pm: Drink and Draw at Home Ground Café Bar, open evening for artists to meet and draw together; organised by Anthony and MK Artlab, 41 The Old High Street, Folkestone. Tel: 01303 241079, www.homegroundcb.co.uk.

Wednesday 1^st, 7.30pm: Folkestone Rocks The Lanterns at The Lanterns, Rendezvous Street, Folkestone – featuring: Kuulama, YaMaHaRaHaRa, The Lion Men, APS, Rise and a top DJ. £4 on the door. For more info: http://www.blueskypie.co.uk/index.php?page=events.

Wednesday 1^st, 7.30pm: Trinity Organ Recital – Daniel Battle (Director of Music All Saints Parish Church, Carshalton) at Holy Trinity Church, Sandgate Road, Folkestone. Admission by programme at the door £7; children £1; www.thetrinitybenefice-folkestone.org.uk.

Wednesday 1^st, 8.30pm: Cuban / Latin Music Night at Gate 28, 28 High Street, Sandgate. Also on 8^th, 15^th, 22^nd and 29^th.

Wednesday and Thursday 1st and 2nd September, 7.30pm doors, 8pm start: Julian Clary - Lord Of The Mince at Quarterhouse. Having already thrilled audiences at over a hundred sell out shows across the UK, Australia and New Zealand, Julian brings his stand up show to Folkestone. Tickets £16, Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk. (16+).

Thursday 2^nd, 8.30pm: The Acoustic Beatles at Chambers, Cheriton Place, Folkestone, CT20 2BB. A great tribute to the classics. You’ll know all the words for sure! Free entry. 01303 223333. Facebook ‘the chambers’ or www.pubfolkestone.co.uk

Friday 3^rd, from 6.30pm: The Beat at Quarterhouse. Folkestone Skabour Festival 2010 kicks-off with headline act THE BEAT, one of Ska’s finest bands. Tickets £16, Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk. (16+)

Friday 3^rd, from 6.30pm: Gig At The Grand, Folkestone. Live music and BBQ. Craig Hammer with Noel Blackman, Toby James, Daniel Balsom and Alice Dawn. Tel: 01303 222222.

Friday 3^rd, 8pm: Letz Zep – ‘Led Zeppelin 30 Years Gone’ Tour at Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone. www.leascliffhall.co.uk.

Friday 3^rd, 8pm: Ska-Themed Open Mic Night at Home Ground Café Bar, 41 The Old High Street, Folkestone. Tel: 01303 241079, www.homegroundcb.co.uk.

Friday 3^rd, 8.30pm: Port-o-Jam at The Chambers, Cheriton Place, Folkestone, CT20 2BB. Starting off Folkestone’s SKABOUR festival in style! For tickets go to: www.folkestoneskabourfestival.co.uk or phone 01303 223333. Facebook ‘the chambers’ or www.pubfolkestone.co.uk.

Friday 3^rd and Saturday 4^th, 10.30am to 5pm: Rendezvous Street Art Mart, Folkestone – fine arts and crafts for sale. For further information, phone 01303 258594.

Friday 3^rd, Saturday 4^th & Sunday 5^th: Folkestone Skabour Festival. See panel below for more information.

Saturday 4^th, 10am – 3pm: Open Day at The Cube, Tontine Street, Folkestone. Come and hear about our arts courses for 2010-11. www.kent.gov.uk/adulted.

Saturday 4th, from 6.30pm: Folkestone Skabour Festival presents Arthur Kay and The Originals and Intensified at Quarterhouse. Including DJ sets from Tiny T/Big Phil Enthucal and Rhoda Dakar of The Bodysnatchers with accompanying visuals from the film Dance Craze. Tickets £12, Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk. (16+)

Saturday 4^th, 7.30pm: The Rat Pack – Vegas Spectacular at Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone. www.leascliffhall.co.uk.

Saturday 4^th, 8.30pm: The Scaredy Cats at Chambers, Cheriton Place, Folkestone, CT20 2BB. Live at Chambers for the SKABOUR festival. Top Ska band! Tickets through - www.folkestoneskabourfestival.co.uk 01303 223333. Facebook ‘the chambers’ or www.pubfolkestone.co.uk

Sunday 5^th, 10am - 4pm: Folkestone Arts, Crafts and Food Fair at the Harbour Square, market offering the best in local arts, crafts and fresh produce. Contact lucy@creativefoundation.org.uk for more information.

Sunday 5^th, 11.30 to 1.30pm: SKA Dance Jam at Dance Easy, 19 The Bayle, Folkestone CT20 1SQ.” Ska Jam special”. This months Dance Jam will have a Ska twist to tie in with Folkestone’s Skabour festival. Two hours of Ska music, weaved together by DJ Knewmi Cahony, with a Ska dance lesson thrown in, come and learn how to Skank and dance to Ska in a warm friendly environment. The Jam is a fun way to warm up for the other Skabour festivities. Cost: £5 (Tel: 07971 070620) lianwilson@gmail.com.

Sunday 5^th, 12 - late: Skabour DJ at Home Ground Café Bar, 41 The Old High Street, Folkestone. Tel: 01303 241079, www.homegroundcb.co.uk.

Sunday 5^th, 2pm: Babes in the Wood Open Auditions at Tower Theatre, Folkestone. All singers, dancers and actors are welcome to audition (minimum age 7 years). For further information phone 07711 710952 or email info@towertheatrefolkestone.co.uk; www.towertheatrefolkestone.co.uk.

Sunday 5^th, 2.30 – 4.30pm: Cantium Brass at the Leas Bandstand, Folkestone. Contact: 01303 850522.

Sunday 5^th, 3pm – 5pm: Salvation Army Band at the Bandstand, Oaklands, Hythe.

Sunday 5^th, 7.30pm: BlueskyPie Acoustic Night at Quarterhouse Bar and Restaurant, 45 Tontine Street, Folkestone CT20 1JT; plus drinks promotion - £2 a pint. Tel: 01303 858540. www.quarterhouse.co.uk.

Monday 6^th, 6.30pm: Welcome South at Quarterhouse. Tourstop Promoting presents Welcome South featuring live music from 8th Time Luckie (West London), Underline the Sky (Ipswich), Who’s Driving? Bear’s Driving! (Ipswich) and Oceanskylight (Folkestone) 16+. Tickets £6 adv, £5 with flyer, £7 door. Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk.

Wednesday 8^th, 6.30pm: Drink and Draw at Home Ground Café Bar, 41 The Old High Street, Folkestone. Open evening for artists to meet and draw together; organised by Anthony and MK Artlab. Tel: 01303 241079, www.homegroundcb.co.uk

Wednesday 8^th, 7.30pm: Trinity Organ Recital – David Flood (Organist and Master of Choristers, Canterbury Cathedral) at Holy Trinity Church, Sandgate Road, Folkestone. Admission by programme at the door £7; children £1; www.thetrinitybenefice-folkestone.org.uk.

Wednesday 8^th, Thursday 9^th and Friday 10^th: Friday Night Forever at The Tower Theatre, Folkestone. A modern musical about love at first sight written by Simon Sales. Tickets £7.50 full price and £6.50 concessions. Box Office 01303 223925, www.towertheatrefolkestone.co.uk. All profits from ticket sales are being donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Thursday 9^th, from 7.30pm: Jack Pound’s Open Stage at Butt of Sherry, Hythe. Contact 01303 266112.

Thursday 9^th, 8pm: FILM – Four Lions at Quarterhouse, The hugely anticipated debut feature film from Chris Morris (Brass Eye). The most inept terrorists the world has ever seen are about to make their mark on each other if nothing else. Tickets £3.50 adv and £4.50 on the door Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk.

Thursday 9^th, 8pm to midnight: Opening Night for Argentine Tango Dancing at Southcliff Hotel, 22-26 The Leas, Folkestone CT20 2DY. An open dance floor for Argentine Tango dancing and a “get started lesson from Pilatango” - for beginners and dancers of other disciplines. Fee £5.00 pp for evening. Further information www.pilatango.com; tel. 01303 310033. Prelaunch: 2^nd September, 8pm; booking essential.

Thursday 9^th, 8.30pm: Canary Wolf at Chambers, Cheriton Place, Folkestone, CT20 2BB. London-based Louisiana blues duo. Great raw blues with soul! Free entry. 01303 223333. Facebook ‘the chambers’ or www.pubfolkestone.co.uk.

Friday 10^th, 8pm: Live Music - James Kirby at Home Ground Café Bar, 41 The Old High Street, Folkestone. Tel: 01303 241079, www.homegroundcb.co.uk.

Friday 10^th, 8.30pm: Mums Old Vinyl at Chambers, Cheriton Place, Folkestone, CT20 2BB. Our longest serving DJ. Funk, soul, rock & roll. This guy plays it all! Free entrly. 01303 223333. Facebook ‘the chambers’ or www.pubfolkestone.co.uk

Saturday 11^th, 12noon to 6pm: Hawkinge Annual Fun Day – free event on the green and at the Community Centre. Live music: blues band, Kas and Ashik and dance performances.

Saturday 11^th, doors 7pm: 70^th Anniversary of Battle of Britain Concert in the Community Centre, Hawkinge. Tickets £10. Entertainment by Kas (the new Forces Sweetheart), Ashik and DJ Roger.

Saturday 11^th, 7.30pm: Michael Lezdkan (cello) and Angela Zanders (piano) Concert at St Leonard’s Church, Hythe. Works by Haydn, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Britten and Shostakovich. Tickets at £7 on sale at Brandon’s Music Shop, 55 High Street, Hythe, tel 01303 263108, or can be obtained at the door. (Admission free to those under 18 in full-time education).

Saturday 11^th, 8pm: Live Music – Four Wall Theatre at Home Ground Café Bar, 41 The Old High Street, Folkestone. Tel: 01303 241079, www.homegroundcb.co.uk.

Sunday 12^th, from 10am: Auditions for Aladdin at Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone. Juniors: 10am to 12noon; Teens & dancers: 12noon to 1pm; adults: 1pm onwards. For more info, visit www.communitytheatre.org.uk.

Sunday 12^th, 2.30pm – 4.30pm: UK Paper Band at Leas Bandstand, Folkestone. Tel 01303 852522.

Sunday 12^th, 2.30pm: The Amazing Bubble Man at Quarterhouse. Packed with lots of fun stuff and bubbles this is the perfect family outing. Tickets: £5 adult / £4 children / £15 family. FREE Shepway Find Your Talent creative workshop – Design your own Beach Ball in the Quarterhouse foyer, 11am and 12.15. Places are limited so please call to reserve your place. Box Office 01303 858500; www.quarterhouse.co.uk.

Sunday 12^th, 3pm – 5pm: Hythe Town Concert Band at the Bandstand, Oaklands, Hythe - playing a variety of music.

Sunday 12^th, 3pm: Classic Art Trio at SS Mary & Eanswythe’s, Folkestone: Sabine Rössert-Koye (soprano) Francis Hagemann (mezzo-soprano) and Eva Herrmann (piano) in a concert in honour of St Eanswythe - the Patron Saint of Folkestone. The programme will include’ Quia respexit’ from Magnificat J. S. Bach, ‘Prière’ C. Gounod, Romance in F sharp min. R. Schumann (piano) and Canzonetta sull`aria Duet from ‘Le nozze di Figaro’ Mozart. The concert will be followed by tea and refreshments and an opportunity to meet the performers. Tickets at £8 each will be on sale from 2.15pm on the day, advance reservations: 01303 257 248 (answer machine). Students in full time education are admitted free. Further details at www.dandi.me.uk/music/.

Monday 13^th, 7.30pm: Mish Mash Monday at The Lanterns, Rendezvous Street, Folkestone. A huge night of sound clash mish mash. Drum and base, dubstep, house, hip hop, indie, rock, death metal, thrash - a high octane night for all. Tickets £2 on the door.

Tuesday 14^th, Thursday 16^th, Saturday 18^th, 7.30pm: One Act Play Festival at The Tower Theatre, Folkestone. www.towertheatrefolkestone.co.uk.

Wednesday 15^th, 8pm: Drink and Draw at Home Ground Café Bar, 41 The Old High Street, Folkestone. Open evening for artists to meet and draw together; organised by Anthony and MK Artlab. Tel: 01303 241079, www.homegroundcb.co.uk.

Thursday 16^th, 8pm: FILM – Cemetery Junction at Quarterhouse, 1970s-set comedy written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Tickets £3.50 adv and £4.50 on the door. Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk.

Thurday 16^th, 8.30pm: John Crampton at Chambers, Cheriton Place, Folkestone, CT20 2BB. One of this country’s blues gods! A one man force. Free entry. 01303 223333. Facebook ‘the chambers’ or www.pubfolkestone.co.uk.

Friday 17^th, 7.00pm: The Mission Gospel Choir in concert at St Leonard’s Church, Hythe. Tickets on sale at Brandon’s Music Shop, 55 High Street, Hythe, tel 01303 263108, or can be obtained at the door.

Friday 17^th, 8pm: The Beatles, Blues and Blue Violin Project at Quarterhouse. Featuring former ELO and Electric Light Orchestra Part II members and current members of The Orchestra. Tickets £12/£10 conc, Box Office 01303 858500. www.quarterhouse.co.uk.

Friday 17^th, 8pm: Open Mic Night at Home Ground Café Bar, 41 The Old High Street, Folkestone. Tel: 01303 241079, www.homegroundcb.co.uk.

Wednesday 22^nd, 7.30pm: Railway Swing Band at The Tower Theatre, Folkestone. www.towertheatrefolkestone.co.uk.

Thursday 23^rd, 2.30pm: The Influence of the Arts on the Making of Gardens at The Tower Theatre, North Road, Shorncliffe, Folkestone. Dr Laura de Beden is a landscape architect who runs a landscape practice, lectures internationally and writes on landscape issues. She aims to enthuse as well as inform on the functional elements and principles shared among the arts and garden design, illustrated with some beautiful images. Folkestone Decorative & Fine Arts Society members free, visitors £5. For further info, e-mail folkestone@nadfaskentarea.org.uk or telephone 01303 239530 or visit our website: www.nadfaskentarea.org.uk

Thursday 23^rd, 8pm: FILM – The Ghost at Quarterhouse, Folkestone. Directed by Roman Polanski: when a successful British ghost-writer agrees to complete the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister, his agent assures him it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. Tickets £3.50 adv and £4.50 on the door Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk.

Thursday 23^rd, from 7.30pm: Jack Pound’s Open Stage at Butt of Sherry, Hythe. Tel: 01303 266112.

Thursday 23^rd, from 8.30pm: Hook at Chambers, Cheriton Place, Folkestone, CT20 2BB. Canterbury-based singer / songwriter – a night of sonnets and ballads from Jo Hook. Free entry. 01303 223333. Facebook ‘the chambers’ or www.pubfolkestone.co.uk

Friday 24^th, from 6.30pm: Kishor Gurung at The Tower Theatre, Shorncliffe, Folkestone. First UK solo performanc by this international Nepalese classical guitarist – in aid of the Folkestone Gurkha Memorial Fund. Tickets: £20. Box Office 01303 223925; www.towertheatrefolkestone.co.uk.

Friday 24^th, 7.30pm: BlueSky Pie presents: “Folkestone’s Own” at Quarterhouse, Folkestone. An evening celebrating the wonderful musical talent in our community, featuring the winner of the BlueSky Pie Battle of The Bands last July – Oceanskylight, plus Silver Foxes, Call Off The Search and loads more. Tickets £5 Tel: Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk. (16+)

Saturday 25^th, 8pm: Jenny Éclair – Old Dog New Tricks at Quarterhouse. “The sparky, irreverent mother of all female stand-up comics” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian. Tickets £18.50/£16 conc. Tel: Box Office 01303 858500, www.quarterhouse.co.uk. (16+)

Saturday 25^th: Lonestar Comedy at The Lanterns, Rendezvous Street, Folkestone. Tickets £9 or £15 with chilli. Headline: Ben Norris; support: Simon Donald, Paul McCaffrey and Josh Widdecombe. For bookings: www.lonstarcomedy.co.uk; lonestarcomedy@hotmail.com; Facebook your order to us using the Lonestar Comedy Group; Twitter your order to Lonestarcomedy; call Ian on 07771 796445 or in person at the Lanterns or at Googies Art Café. For full biographies of the comedians, please go to the website.

Sunday 26^th, 2.30pm to 4.30pm: Bandstand Marathon with the Crystal Palace Band on Leas Bandstand, Folkestone. The Bandstand Marathon first took place on the weekend of 27/28 September 2008 as part of the Open Weekend launch of the Cultural Olympiad. This year there will be over 60 concerts taking place simultaneously on bandstands across the country. www.bandstandmarathon.org.uk.

Sunday 26^th, 3pm: Sunday Concert: Ross Winters (recorders) and Anthony Halstead (harpsichord) at SS Mary & Eanswythe’s, Folkestone. ‘Renaissance to Revolution - an exploration of the rise of instrumental music’. Two leading professional British musicians bring all their skills to what promises to be a fascinating concert; followed by tea and refreshments and an opportunity to meet the performers. Tickets at £8 each on sale from 2.15pm on the day;  advanced reservations: 01303 257248 (answer machine). Students in full time education are admitted free. Further details at www.dandi.me.uk/music/

Sunday 26^th, 7.30pm: Open Mic Night at Quarterhouse Bar and Restaurant, 45 Tontine Street, Folkestone CT20 1JT; plus drinks promotion - £2 a pint. Tel: 01303 858540. www.quarterhouse.co.uk.

Thursday 30^th, 7.30pm: The Drifters at Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone. www.leascliffhall.co.uk.

Thursday 30^th, 8.30pm: The Jazz Police at Chambers, Cheriton Place, Folkestone, CT20 2BB. Swinging jazz. Free entry. 01303 223333. Facebook ‘the chambers’ or www.pubfolkestone.co.uk.

For full details of all events in Shepway, visit: www.discoverfolkestone.co.uk

ART EXHIBITIONS – SHEPWAY and EAST KENT

Now showing: Autumn shows – Trove/ Ladders in Landscapes at Dungeness Open Studios, ‘Marina’ (on the corner opposite the RH&DR station). Resident artist Paddy Hamilton. Paintings on linen, drawings and prints. All work is directly inspired by the ebb and flow of life on the shingle at Dungeness and the marshes. Atmospheric colours and strong compositions infused by the numinous and unforgettable landscape. Directions and further information at: http://www.paintings-for-sale.net/dungeness-open-studios.html.

Now to 18^th: Cristus Gallery Summer Exhibition at Cristus Gallery, High Street, Sandgate. For more information, contact Deborah on 07593377499, or visit our website www.cristus-gallery.com.

Now to 20^th: Folkestone Art Society Exhibition at The Palm Court at The Grand, Folkestone. The theme of the exhibition is H G Wells and his association with Folkestone and the area. The exhibition can be viewed during the normal opening times of the Palm Court Restaurant. Free admission, ample parking. www.folkestoneartsociety.co.uk.

Now to 30^th, 10am to 4.30pm, Mon – Fri; 9am to 5pm, Sat & Sun: Mark Duncan - Giving Up the Ghost at The Romney Marsh Visitor Centre, Dymchurch Road, New Romney. An exhibition of photographs.

3^rd to 15^th: Martin Everett – Residence at Georges House Gallery, Folkestone. The exhibition forms part of an on-going body of work created at the homes of former artists and writers throughout the south of England. Taken over a three month residency at Bateman’s, the former home of Rudyard Kipling, Martin’s photographs generate a powerful atmosphere and sense of place. www.strangecargo.org.uk.

4^th to 15^th, 11am – 6pm daily: An Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings & Prints by Chris Bone and Phyllis McDowell at the Grand (in the Ballroom), The Leas, Folkestone. The artists will also be painting in situ on Wednesday 8^th and Friday 10^th, 1pm – 3pm. The exhibition will include images of Kent’s especially threatened landmarks. Admission free; ample parking. Preview Friday 3^rd, 7pm – 9pm.

4^th – 17^th October: Thursday to Sunday, 10am - 5.00pm. Exhibition of Paintings by Sara Wicks, Cliff Howe & Kaija Bulbrook at the West End House Gallery, Water Lane, Smarden, Kent TN27 8QB. The exhibition also includes sculpture, jewellery, textiles and ceramics – ideal for collectors and for presents. www.wehg.co.uk. Telephone 01233 770261. Preview Friday 3^rd September, 5pm - 8.30pm.

4^th to 28^th: Exhibition at Pecheart Gallery, 55 Sandgate High Street CT20 3AH. Two outstanding West Country Artists combining / transposing inspirational work in Ceramics and Fine Art. For more information call 01303 249049. Open afternoon: 4^th Sept, 2pm to 4pm.

17^th to 29^th: Henry Seaton – Homes Fit for Heroes at Georges House Gallery, Folkestone. ‘Homes Fit for Heroes’ might be seen as a dream for a well-ordered city or simply the re-functioned remnants of serial production – or do they hint at a lost history when failed promises of homes made to returning war weary troops sparked a revolt? www.strangecargo.org.uk.

And coming in early October:

1^st to 13^th, 10am – 5pm (Tues to Sun): Box of Dreams at Georges House Gallery, Folkestone. Exhibition of work by creative groups and individual artists from across Kent taking part in Mind the Gap 2010, an artist–led project started by Canterbury artist Sandra Pearson which is open to all wishing to celebrate creativity for mental health. Launch event 1^st October, 12 – 4pm; www.canterburymindthegap.com,

info@canterburymindthegap.com.

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Image via Wikipedia

New MP Damian Collin made his maiden speech in the House of Commons today and wasted no time in bringing the issue of a new power station at Dungeness before the House. Here is a transcript of todays maiden speech.

Damian Collins (Folkestone and Hythe) (Con): It is a great pleasure to follow the hon. Member for North Antrim (Ian Paisley). It seems that his constituency has yet another passionate and powerful advocate to represent it in this Chamber. I am sure that Members will also have been delighted to see his father present in the Gallery to witness his speech. I, too, have the distinction of following in giant footsteps, and I am particularly pleased to have the opportunity so early in this Parliament to pay tribute to my predecessor, Michael Howard.

Michael Howard will be known by many Members on both sides of the House for his 27 years of service to his constituents and his fine record in Government, too, as Secretary of State for the Environment and for Employment and—I hope that my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) will allow me this observation at this moment—as possibly the finest Home Secretary that this country has seen since the war. He will also be fondly remembered by Members on this side of the House for his leadership of our party. He did not lead us to ultimate victory, but we would credit him with turning the corner of our fortunes and laying the foundations for the success that we enjoyed at the last general election. I was also privileged in my four years as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Folkestone and Hythe to benefit from his friendship, judgment and insight. I was very grateful for that.

In an interview for a book published recently, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister mentioned that Michael Howard had one of those brilliant lawyerly minds that meant that he could win an argument even when he was in the wrong. I am sure that all those who have known him and worked with him will have seen that quality represented first hand. He was undoubtedly one of the finest politicians of his generation in the Conservative party and we remember him warmly for that. He was also dogged and determined in the pursuit of the interests of his constituents. In that regard, he was certainly a man who had something of the fight about him and something of the right about him.

I have the distinction of being the fourth Member to be elected to serve the constituency of Folkestone and Hythe since its creation in 1950, although the Cinque Port towns of Hythe and New Romney, within its boundaries, have been represented continuously since the very first Parliament was summoned by Simon de Montfort in 1265. I am conscious—as were previous speakers, as the hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes) said—that I follow not just one distinguished predecessor, but a long line of people who have represented the people of Folkestone and Hythe in Parliaments over the years. That is certainly a great honour.

I should like to indulge the House with reference to two former Members whose careers might be particularly relevant to the political times that we find ourselves in today. Sir Edward Watkin, who was a Victorian railway magnate and responsible for one of the early attempts to build a channel tunnel at Folkestone, rebelled from his party in 1886 and sat as a Liberal Unionist in support of the Conservative Administration of the time. Sir Philip Sassoon, who created the beautiful Port Lympne estate in my constituency and was a cousin of Siegfried Sassoon, the war poet, was a elected as a Conservative Member, but in 1920 served as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to David Lloyd George in a post-war coalition Government.

The constituency is large and varied. It stretches for some 20 miles along the coast, from the Battle of Britain memorial just to the east of Folkestone, to Dungeness and the Kent-Sussex border. Inland, it includes the unique landscape of Romney marsh and the beauty of the Elham valley and the north downs. The entrance and exit of the channel tunnel is based in my constituency. Folkestone itself, although no longer a seaport and ferry port, is undergoing a very exciting process of regeneration, as it becomes a new hub for creativity and the arts, and I believe that it has a very bright future.

The constituency also included for the first time in an election the Saxon Shore ward, taken in from Ashford borough, but true cartographers would probably say that the constituency’s boundaries are constantly changing, not owing to the pains of the Boundary Commission but because of the shifting shingle peninsula at Dungeness, which is constantly moving with the climate. The force of nature is seen by the location of lighthouses that were once offshore but are now hundreds of yards inland. It is a truly unique place in the English landscape. Charles Harper referred to it in his 1914 guide to the Kentish coast as

“one of the most remarkable places in England…a waste of shingle, with here and there a sparse patch of gorse, and stretching as far as the eye can reach.”

That landscape has not changed much but for the notable addition of the arrival of nuclear power in the 1960s. Nuclear power at Dungeness is an issue in which my hon. Friend the Member for Wealden (Charles Hendry), the Minister for energy, knows that I have taken a strong interest, and on which I have corresponded with him. I should like to address some remarks in this debate to nuclear power at Dungeness.

Dungeness A power station was given approval in 1959, and a B-generation power station was commissioned in the 1960s and opened in the 1980s. That power station is due to start being decommissioned in 2017. There had been a long-held assumption in my constituency that we would be benefit from a new generation nuclear power station, as part of the Government’s new build programme. Earlier in the debate today, the right hon. Member for Doncaster North (Edward Miliband) cautioned us against sending out mixed messages on the future of nuclear power. Certainly, my constituents heard a very evident mixed message from the last Government: Dungeness was originally included on the Government’s list of possible sites for new build nuclear power stations and was then removed last autumn, and there has followed a consultation process in which my constituents have taken an active and lively interest.

There is a great deal of support for nuclear power in my constituency. I am sure that hon. Members who have nuclear sites in their constituencies know that there is a good deal of support for them, because they generate a huge number of jobs and important support for the local economy. In my constituency, the area of Dungeness and the Romney marshes remains a relatively deprived part not only of my constituency, but of Kent and the south-east of England. Nuclear power could play an important part in my community.

It appears from the consultation process launched by the last Government that one of the main reasons why Dungeness was taken off the Government’s list of potential sites was the objections of Natural England. It is one of the Government’s statutory consultees, and in some ways it is only doing its job, but its assessment, based on the habitats regulations, was that the loss of the vegetated shingle in the area around Dungeness power station could not be mitigated, as the landscape was unique. All of us in my constituency would agree that it is a unique landscape, but we are also mindful that the potential development land for the new power station is only 1 per cent. of the entire protected site of special scientific interest around Dungeness, Rye and Romney Marsh; we are talking about a relatively small area of development.

When, in 1959, the Minister of Power gave consent for the first power station to be built, he reached the conclusion that the mitigation necessary, and the damage to the area, was so small that it could not be said that the building of a power station compromised the integrity of the whole site. I know that my constituents will hope that the new Government can look again at the case for nuclear power in Dungeness and will draw a similar conclusion—that it may be possible to work to mitigate the impact of the building of a new power station without compromising the integrity of the entire site, which is greatly valued not only by my constituents but by people across the country. We see the great value that nuclear power has for our community, and we would like to encourage and support it.

In conclusion, my constituents believe that having a sustainable environment is foremost among everyone’s interests in the decades ahead, but we should also have a sustainable sense of opportunity for people, so that there is an opportunity for work, for a decent life, and for people to provide for their families and children, so that people can hope that their children will have a better standard of living than they have enjoyed. We might say that those are eternal dreams and ambitions, held by every generation, but they are only delivered and realised by the decisions that we take in this House every

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New MP for Folkestone and Hythe, Damian Collins, has wasted no time in calling for the previous decision on Dungeness to be brought back to the table to be discussed.

Shepway District Council and Kent County Council had also called for a rethink of the decision, made in November last year, not to go ahead with Dungeness C. A new power plant at Dungeness would create employment for around 400 staff and dozens of support staff. Dungeness, which has an exemplary safety record, currently has one active and one decommissioned power plant.

Mr Collins has written to new Energy Secretary Chris Huhne asking for a meeting to discuss a new plant at Dungeness and says “Some people have raised concerns over flooding risk, but that was not raised by the government last year,”

“The Environment Agency believes that risk can be contained, so it is simply down to how you mitigate the loss of some of the vegetated shingle around the power station.”

Green MEP Keith Taylor said his party was opposed to any development of nuclear power saying “We don’t think it is part of the energy solution we all desperately need”

The government approved 10 other sites for new nuclear power plants in England and Wales last year.

“One of the advantages of the Dungeness site is that the experts believe it can be brought online before 2020, which would be quite early compared to some of the other sites,” said Mr Collins.

“It is also the only site south east of London in an area of critical energy need.”