17 October 2007Vic Matcham- Fighting for Dover.
Picture and Words on Festival Steering Group Meeting from Barry Wadsworth-Smith.
The Festival of Dover 2008 Steering Group Meeting was held at Maison Dieu House 18th Oct 07, and although poorly attended went very well with some very positive comments coming from the floor.
The meeting was chaired by Cllr Ronnie Philpott and one very interesting move forward was the announcement from Deputy Town Clerk Julia Benstead that an A5 calendar for the first 4 months activities with a fridge magnet will be delivered to 15,000 Dover households. Further updates on a quarterly basis will be available from the website. Also check www.doverforum for news and updates.
There will also be a Christmas Card competition where the winning design will be produced and there are 3 possible sponsors waiting in the wings, there is a possibility of a Grand Firework Extravaganza like the Norwegian Gem celebrations lately, this will have to be looked into further with regard to sponsorship as it will cost around £2K and there is only so much money in the kitty.
Vic Matcham arrived later as he was helping local aspiring boxers with their training, he came full of passion with the great news that the Dover Tank will be coming to Dover, the Dorset Yeomanry have already arranged a low-loader to transport the tank to Dover which would normally cost around £3.5K, this is dependant on a secure place for insurance purposes. The possible sites would be either Dover Castle or Dover College, I think it will be the latter as I cannot foresee a low-loader getting through the portcullis at the castle.
A futher announcement is that on the day before the opening of the New Dover Seasports Centre, Lord Boyce will be in attendance with the Royal Marine Display Team staging a mock assault landing on Dover Beach. So things are moving forward at a great pace.
Editors Note :Many thanks for that BW-S. Great picture of Vic.
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Over to Marine Court for a lunchtime menu tasting session. I havent been to the new restaurant in earnest since the recent highly expensive-looking makeover, and was truly impressed. No more open spaces to intimidate, and of course no more smoking. It is now laid out brimfull of cosy nook and crannies, all sumptiously toned in warm colours. Nicely furnished too with allsorts of fine 'object d'art' spread liberally around to add uplift to that dining out experience. You could enjoy everything from a romantic occasion to a family dinner here in Marine Court and now of course they have waiter/waitress service too..which eminently suits lazy types like me.
The idea behind these interesting tasting sessions is that the participants will hopefully enjoy it all thoroughly and spread the word far and wide. Same participants are also required to fill in a questionnaire for the management so that they too get something serious from the session.
The new menu looks impressive and judging by the fab samples we had it tastes very very good too. Everything from Minted Loin of Lamb to Prawn Risotto to Chicken Makhani Curry proved fascinatingly good and a real treat. I also enjoyed among other things, a very good vegetarian dish...a roasted Vegetable and Goats Cheese Tart. So often vegetarian dishes disappoint but not this one. Eventually we will get our restaurant critic Doverforum Dick to visit the establishment to re-live the experience in real working terms, rather than in a special event situation. This is definitely one of Dover's best establishments now.
The picture on the left shows Barry Wadsworth-Smith of Doverforum, with the delightful and enthusiastic Emma Cowley Deputy Manager of Marine Court, and Roger Walkden well known councillor and Manager of the Dover Loyalty Scheme, all enjoying the occasion. Pic on right shows Audrey and Bill Hamblin of the Victoria Guesthouse here in Dover, discussing the delights on offer.
Here we have Peter Hanson co-owner of the Hubert House guesthouse along with Roger Walkden tasting the specialities of the new menu. After the tasting session we were taken into the Hotel to see the new layout and designs. This pic on the right shows the new family room. All nicely done. One excellent little question for families, and we've all been through it...just where do we put the offspring? Well, no problem here because incorporated in the design is an extra mattress that wheels out from underneath the bed, so everyone can get a good and safe nights sleep. Aaah lovely.
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DDC PRESS RELEASE
MAJOR NEWS WELCOMED FOR
CONNAUGHT BARRACKS SITE
Oct 16:Major news has been welcomed today with English Partnerships’ official announcement of its acquisition of the Connaught Barracks site. This follows a press conference and site visit today with Baroness Ford, Chairman of English Partnerships. This clears the way for plans for a sustainable and nationally acknowledged scheme of eco-excellence that will put Dover at the forefront on a national stage as a leader in this field.
The acquisition of the site means plans can be taken forward for a residential development of around 500 units with associated community facilities, with the intention of developing a nationally acknowledged scheme. This follows extensive work with Dover District Council and partners in the community to ensure the site is used to best effect for the benefit of local people. Plans for the site will now be developed, involving the local community as part of this process.
This follows a range of major developments coming together for Dover and the district. Work on key developments can already be seen underway, including construction on the White Cliffs Business Park and Dover Watersports Centre, work on the new transport depot for Stagecoach, which is an important step in bringing forward the comprehensive development of Dover Town Centre, and improvements to Dover Priory in advance of the high speed rail link, which is due to arrive in 2009.
Cllr Paul Watkins, Leader of DDC said: “We are continuing an enhanced relationship with national regeneration agency English Partnerships. The Barracks site is a major step to enable a range of houses and a level of development that will complement the district’s emerging regeneration agenda. English Partnerships and sister organization SEEDA are in Dover for the long term and the public should be reassured the right type of development with the best possible eco-standards will be taking place.”
ends –
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