Kent Libraries have informed Sandgate Parish Council that all their libraries will close from Friday, so we will be closing Sandgate Library from 1pm on Friday. We will of course re-open as soon as we are advised we can do so.
The Parish Clerks will continue to work their usual hours and the email (clerk@sandgatepc.org.uk) and phone (01303 248563) will still be answered.
All libraries closure notice-1Further the recent Government updates / press conferences, the Parish Council continues to receive updated information on the response to the Coronavirus pandemic and the response from various organisations. We’ll aim to keep this page up to date with that information and links, both local and national, over the coming days.
[Last updated: 23/3/2020 at 10.30]If you are able, join the volunteer response team in Folkestone and Hythe: https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/coronavirus
Other updates:
Sandgate Parish Council & Library
The library is now closed until further notice, and all activities and events have been cancelled with immediate effect. The Parish Clerk is working as usual and remains contactable at 01303 248563 or email clerk@sandgatepc.org.uk
All March Council meetings have been cancelled. Clearer advice is being sought on how meetings should continue in future / a potential move to online meetings.
At this time, Sandgate Park remains open, but please understand surfaces there are not regularly wiped and all users should be using appropriate social distancing. The Public Toilets on Granville Parade also remain open, but similarly, please exercise more than usual caution on hygiene including touching surfaces. And wash your hands for at least 20 seconds.
Community
There are numerous offers of help (and more are welcome from those who can), including to “shop, fetch and carry” for those who are not going out for a period of time, on some of the local forums online. Please note that you should of course keep safe and alert: if someone offers assistance, please take reasonable measures to ensure they are genuinely helping. There have been some sickening stories of people (NOT in Sandgate) knocking of doors and offering shopping assistance, only to then leave with the shopping money and not be seen again. there is no central verification of people offering to help (how could there be!) so act securely.
Those offers include:
District Councillors Tim Prater and Gary Fuller have been advised to suspend their two surgeries each month (at the Sandgate Farmers Market and the Sandgate Library) for a period of time, but are happy to help people as ever by phone, email, face-to-face appointment. If you want to contact them, their details are at https://folkestone-hythelibdems.org.uk/en/contact
Chichester Hall
Sandgate Farmers Market has been cancelled for the next few weeks, and all events in the Chichester Hall have also been suspended for now. Refunds are being offered for any event provider who wishes to cancel bookings.
For more information about the Farmers Market or the current status of events, email David Cowell at david@chichesterhall.co.uk
Folkestone and Hythe District Council
All Council meetings in March have been cancelled. there are regular updates on the services they provide and assistance they can offer at https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/coronavirus
All events on F&HDC land through until 31st July have been cancelled, including performances at the Folkestone / Leas bandstand.
Businesses
All pubs and clubs, cafes and restaurants in the area will have closed further to the government announcement on the evening of 20th March, but some cafes are still offering takeaway, collection and delivery options, including The Dog House. The Village Shop on Sandgate High Street remains open.
Elsewhere….
Folkestone Town Council
FTC have closed the Town Hall with immediate effect and are moving staff to remote/flexible working wherever possible.
All Council meetings in March have been cancelled.
All events and activities are being cancelled until further notice.
The Town Hall phone line (01303 257946) will be answered and officers will be contactable via email (http://www.folkestonetc.kentparishes.gov.uk/meet-the-officer-team/)
Hythe Town Council
Are meeting various community groups this afternoon to help co-ordinate cross town support.
Other
The Leas Cliff Hall has cancelled all performances and closed their cafe and the Channel Suite until further notice.
All events at Folkestone Quarterhouse have been suspended until Tuesday 14 April. During that time they will review the situation and decide the next steps.
This week we have planted some brassicas (varieties of the cauliflower family that are all different shapes, sizes and even colours!), more broad beans, and some sweet peas, a dwarf variety that should make small bushy plants. The great thing about all these early plantings is that they do not mind the cold and wet weather so much, and are happy to grow in cooler temperatures. They will also mature in early summer when the ground can then be cleared and another crop planted. Unfortunately, along with the new shoots come the slugs and snails looking for some tender pickings, and we have lost some seedlings that never made it out of the greenhouse! Never mind, new sowings have been made, and they will soon catch up with the earlier sown plants.
On Saturday we made a trip over to Hythe to collect our hop plants from the Hythe Hops Scheme along with other eager growers. As well as collecting the dormant plants, there was a seed and plant swap. Such a great way of swapping any seeds/plants you might not need. We were on the lookout for seeds and plants that would provide a treat for the bees. On Wednesday we had noticed that some bumble bees were out and about in the weak sunshine and were busy foraging, luckily we have a few flowering plants such as borage and violas in full bloom. Early flowering plants are so important for the bee population on days when they emerge and are so low on energy. There will be plenty of flowers for them to feast on later, but there is not so much to choose from right now.
We are sowing and growing as many things as we have room for and more, for the Incredible Edible project, and the nursery children. If you are a grower and have some spare plants or seeds, please consider us – we may even be able to do some plant bartering. We hope at some stage to be able to have a selection of plants that can help us to raise funds through donations….. So, if you will be looking for tomato plants, or maybe a few spinach or bean plants, keep an eye on our Instagram page or newsletter for what is available. We will also be putting up some notices at the garden to let you know what we may have, what is in season, and about any spare veg plants.
What’s next?
Such is the generosity and kindness of our community that the call for greenhouse space was answered, and we now have temporary homes for our seedlings to get going. Lee came up trumps with a small portable greenhouse for us to borrow, not even out of the box; and Kath has room in a greenhouse on top of her shed, just perfect, and we are very grateful.
This week we succeeded in sowing more seeds, planting out the radishes, and lots of hoeing and weeding as the site was starting to develop a green tinge of tiny weedy seedlings, and it is important to run a hoe or rake over the ground now before they have the chance to grow any bigger and therefore make the job of getting rid of them that much harder.
We are excited to announce that we are to be joining the Incredible Edible movement, combining forces with Cheriton and Broadmead in various projects around the area. If you have never heard of Incredible Edible before, here is the address to the inspirational TED talk by Pam Warhurst, a founder member of the movement which has now gone worldwide.
https://www.incredibleedible.org.uk/our-story/
The idea is to plant up any available space with fruit and vegetables or trees for anybody to help themselves to. It is free food, encouraging people to eat fresh, local and seasonal, and to cook from scratch. If you get the chance to check out the TED talk you will be amazed how such a simple idea made an impact that was life changing for many of the people involved, and helped to create a strong community.
There have been talks with the station manager and the railway Community Officer at Folkestone West this week, with a view to planting up the station platforms with edibles for commuters to admire and pick, with encouragement to water anything that looks like it could do with a drink. Sandgate will start with its own Incredible Edible planter in the High Street, and more areas will get the same treatment as time goes on. Sandgate Community Garden is featured in the March edition of Go Folkestone, and some of us will be helping to plant in Radnor Park on the weekend of 21st and 22nd March. Everybody is welcome to come along and help too, but contact info@gofolkestone.org.uk so that you can be kept informed of any changes to plans.
You may recall that we had joined the Hythe Hops scheme, and have bought four hops and membership for a year. We got the information that the plants are ready for collection next Saturday, and so we will take time out from our Saturday morning gardening session to collect them, and bring them back for planting along the wall where we hope they will be happy.
What’s next?
