Gardens can be wonderful places for wildlife. It really is easy and inexpensive to create a mosaic of wildlife rich areas - From a simple window box to an imaginatively planted vegetable plot.

So if you’re proud of your wildlife friendly garden, then why not share the secrets of its success with Kent Wildlife Trust?

It’s FREE TO ENTER and open to ANYONE WHO GARDENS IN KENT, however large or small their plot and whether they are a business, community group, school, allotment, private garden or even a collection of adjoining gardens. The closing date is 30 June.

Shepway DC is supporting this friendly competition again this year (main contact is Laura Pinkham in Environmental Services). Are you interested in taking part? Or perhaps you may be able to promote the scheme to groups you work with e.g. allotment groups, schools, residents etc.

It’s a simple entry form, free and open to anyone who gardens in Shepway/Kent, however large or small their plot and whether they are a business, community group, school, allotment, private garden or even a collection of adjoining gardens. The closing date is 30^th June.

Further info including online application form on following link…

http://www.kentwildlifetrust.org.uk/our-work/wild-about-gardens/

Dear all,

a new drama series of Great Expectations is in the offing and location scouts are on the lookout of a property for Mrs Haversham.

Any of you know a nice down at heel and crumbling country or manor house? Or even if inside is nice, do you know one with a really wild and overgrown garden?

Hints are most welcome!!!

Gabrielle

105.9 Academy FM, Folkestones new community radio station, has announced that it will go on air at 12 noon on Thursday 31 March 2011. Broadcasting from the Folkestone Academy, the station will serve the communities of Folkestone, offering a comprehensive variety of programmes 24 hours a day, and will be commercial free.

Folkestones new radio station has been set up as an independent charity, and is funded entirely by charitable contributions. One of its primary aims is educational: 105.9 Academy FM will encourage young people to get involved, whether they are students at the Folkestone Academy or at one of the other places of learning in the town. It is hoped that the station will also become a focal point for community groups and local charities to help them promote their work and gather support.

105.9 Academy FM Station Manager David Sharp said: We plan to broadcast an entertaining mix of music and speech. Programming will be varied, and local people will present shows and play music that is not often heard on other local radio stations. We intend to feature music made in Kent every hour of every day to ensure that our talented local artists can be heard.

For more information or to get involved with volunteering for 105.9 Academy FM please contact Station Manager, David Sharp, on dave.sharp@academyfmfolkestone.com.

The website for Kent and Medway people to sign up for My Kent Big Weekend will be fully live with all free tickets available from Monday, January 24, but there is no need to rush.

The event organisers at Visit Kent are reassuring residents that they have plenty of time to choose from the 13,000 tickets available to discover more than 100 of the county’s top attractions ranging from hidden gems to internationally renowned cathedrals and castles.

The website at www.mykentbigweekend.co.uk will be live for more than three weeks from Monday and visitors will be able to register an interest in the attractions they would like to visit.

Once the website closes at midnight on Thursday, February 17, tickets will be allocated in readiness for the My Kent Big Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, March 26 and 27.

The My Kent Weekend has grown out of the Kent Big Day Out, which was first launched by Visit Kent, the county’s tourism champions, five years ago.

The aim is to raise awareness of all the attractions and destinations across the county that welcome 44million visitors every year contributing more than £2.5 billion to the local economy.

Sandra Matthews-Marsh, chief executive at Visit Kent, said: “We are now ready to have a whole weekend dedicated to celebrating our world-class tourism, leisure and hospitality businesses. Two days will enable even more people to take advantage of the free tickets and explore the many new and established attractions on their doorstep.

“Last year we did experience IT problems with so many people trying to log on to our website at the same time. So this year Visit Kent is following in the successful footsteps of such popular ticket events as Strictly Come Dancing and Wimbledon

“We are giving people more time to look through all the attractions and destinations welcoming My Kent Big Weekend visitors. Once ticket registration has finished, we will hold a ballot and people will only be allocated tickets for attractions they have chosen for the day they have selected.”

Two free My Kent Big Weekend tickets are available per Kent household and anyone without access to the internet can register for tickets at their local visitor information centre.

Attractions taking part in the My Kent Big Weekend 2011 include historic houses, castles, gardens, steam trains, museums, theatres, river cruises, vineyards, wildlife parks, outdoor experiences and golf centres.

For full details of all destinations offering My Kent Big Weekend tickets, and to register the attractions you would like to visit, go to www.mykentbigweekend.co.uk

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Resurface Driveway Cold Calling: A resident in the Otford Area was cold called yesterday by a man in a white transit van looking for the (previous) elderly resident who had moved out. He gave out a flyer anyway, with “Special Offers for a limited time”. He offered to resurface the driveway. The resident found his behaviour suspicious.

The resident said no, and later tried the phone number on the card which wasn’t answered. He contacted the KCC Community Warden who alerted Trading Standards.

Spike Booster: Kent Trading Standards have received a complaint from a Kent resident who received a telephone call from a man trying to sell her a ’spike booster’ for a one off payment of £99. The spike booster was said to reduce electricity bills by 40%. The resident was asked for her bank details which she refused to give, although she felt intimidated by the ‘hard sell’ tactics of the person on the phone. She asked where they had got her details from and she was told it was from her electricity supplier, but she does not believe this to be true.

Kent Trading Standards recommends that family members and neighbours check with elderly or vulnerable members of the community to ensure they do not provide their bank details over the telephone to businesses calling them. If you are unsure about a business contacting you obtain their details and contact them back at a later date, when you have had a chance to research them and check them out.

Businesses are permitted to make sales telephone calls to consumers in their home, though the number of calls from companies offering to sell goods and services can be reduced by registering your telephone number with the Telephone Preference Service, which is free. Registration may be completed online at www.tpsonline.org.uk or by telephoning the Telephone Preference Service on 0845 070 0707.

If you would like shopping advice, or if you have had a caller at your door or on your telephone who you are concerned about please contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06. Further consumer guidance notes on scams, unwanted telephone calls and consumer rights are available online at www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/kent/consumer.

Kent Trading Standards operate an approved good trader scheme called Buy With Confidence. To find an approved trader please call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or look online at www.buywithconfidence.gov.uk

Kent Trading Standards advise consumers to be wary when dealing with people turning up at their door offering to do work. We advise you to use tradesmen that have been recommended to you by friends, family and neighbours. You can also find traders via the Buy With Confidence good trader scheme, run by Trading Standards. Our Officers vet businesses on the scheme for trustworthiness and to make sure they comply with consumer protection laws.

If you have a caller at your door who you are concerned about please notify Trading Standards via Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or the police. To find out more about Buy With Confidence please also contact Consumer Direct.

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My Kent Big Weekend is all about encouraging local people to explore where they live and discover hidden gems on their own doorstep. We want to instill a sense of pride about where people live and encourage them to share that enthusiasm with visiting friends and relatives.

Visit Kent, at Kent County Council staged this popular event showcasing the county’s attractions, leisure and entertainment venues on Saturday, March 27 2010. It was the fourth Kent Big Day Out organised by Visit Kent as part of its preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games.

The first four Big Day Out events in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 were a great success.  The Campaign Reports for all are available to download below. Visit Kent is now taking sign ups for its My Kent Big Weekend 2011, to be held over the weekend of Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 March 2011.

Sign up to take part in My Kent Big Weekend 2011

If you would like to sign up your attraction to the My Kent Big Weekend 2011, please complete this form and we will be in touch shortly. If you have any questions about the event or have problems completing the form, please telephone 01622 696936 or 01622 696935.

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