For those interested in the levers and mechanisms governing development, there are links provided here fo the white paper Changes to the Current Planning System consultation, which closed recently. The key information on proposals are contained a further second stage consultation on the Planning for the Future white paper and its consultation, which closes at 11.45pm on 29 October.
As these matters affect our lives and our environment for generations to come, we hope this information will be useful and that some of our readers will respond with their views on these proposed changes.
The idea behind Community Champions was very easy to come up with.
We all know someone who regularly makes your day – just does something or says something habitually which brightens everything up. They go above and beyond the call of duty or what you might expect: the postman, the grocer, the neighbour… And in the recent months during the Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown, these were great people. They might say that they did nothing special, that they just did their job. But they did more than that. They all in their different ways made a difference to other peoples lives – and for that, we thank them.
You’ll find their stories in the gallery below. We hope to have more to share with you, as we pick up recommendations from members of their community and have the pleasure and privilege of saying very simply:
“Thank you for making a difference to everyday life. “
These are just some of our wonderful Community Champions – there are many more out there!
The Community Champions scheme is sponsored by The Woodshed Gallery, a Folkestone small business – and we are grateful to them for their generosity. We are looking for other sponsors to pick up the baton so that we can carry on appreciating these great people in our community.
Each of our Champions receives a certificate and a voucher towards a meal at one of the L&B group of eating houses: The Pullman, Lubens Pizza house, The Market Square, The Harbour Inn and their new venture at Tin and Tap.
AFRA was born from a simple concept: we want to make a difference by working together.
Who are we? We started meeting as a group of Residents Associations representing communities in and around the Folkestone & Hythe District. Over time, some additional members have joined the group, reflecting a common set of interests.
Will it make a difference? We hope so.
In place of the very justifiable expressions of frustration that we all get involved in from time to time, AFRA is all about working together to come up with positive ideas, solutions and suggestions for making Folkestone and Hythe a better place to live and work.
If we don’t make constructive suggestions, then we can’t complain if things don’t get any better.
And one thing that the CoVid19 virus has shown all of us: we are all in this together.
