Sandgate Parish Council will broadcast this meeting as a video on Facebook live at the time of the meeting itself on our Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pg/sandgatepc/
Agenda-council-meeting-21-07-20-1
Kent County Council Director of Public Health, Andrew Scott-Clark statement on recent Covid case numbers in Ashford and Folkestone:
As part of our outbreak plans, we work closely with Public Health England to monitor the figures across Kent – the seven day rolling average for Ashford and Folkestone continues to decline from the peak seen in April/May, so this PHE report does not mean there is a current need for any local lockdowns.
While the figure for cumulative confirmed cases will always appear high for these areas, there is no comparison to be made between the rates of new cases currently occurring in Ashford and Folkestone, and areas such as Leicester.
We have seen a number of infections in care settings and these are being effectively managed but we have not seen any evidence of any widespread community transmission of COVID-19 and there are currently no plans to introduce any lockdowns specifically these areas. Should, however, the need arise, we will not hesitate to take further steps should it be necessary.
Ashford and Folkestone have seen higher rates than other areas and is a combination of higher testing rates earlier in the pandemic, a large NHS Trust and many care homes in the area plus the London commuter effect.
We have known Ashford has experienced high numbers for a while and as a result we have deployed mobile testing sites to this area to increase the amount of people who are tested to allow us to better understand how and why this is happening.
As a result we are finding more positive results because we know that some people can be infected with Covid-19, but not exhibit symptoms (asymptomatic cases).
The public should be reassured that the levels of testing across the whole of Kent have also been ramped up and we would expect to see a rise in the number of cumulative confirmed cases.
We have increased our testing capacity so that we are able to identify and confirm cases in our community and support the NHS Test and Trace programme. We appeal to residents to follow the guidance should they be contacted by NHS test and trace. This will all help us control the spread of the virus.
The NHS in the region have also been working hard making sure that there is sufficient testing resources for their patients and staff to get the testing that they need to support their safety and treatment.
The Government has also set up a home-testing service where kits can be delivered to someone’s door so they can test themselves and their family without leaving the house.
The message to residents remains clear – to follow national guidance on social distancing, use thorough and regular handwashing, and follow advice if contacted by the NHS Test and Trace system. For more information, go to www.kent.gov.uk/kentprotect
An executive decision was made in the week to meet up and work on the garden on Tuesday instead of Wednesday when it was super soggy. We might be a great working team but we do not enjoy being wet, and so please bear that in mind if you were making a trip up to the garden on either our Wednesday or Saturday morning session, that we do not work in serious rain! Saturday in particular was a very sociable morning with lots of people dropping in, and it was a real community garden with lots of banter and all round good fun in the sunshine!
We are busy trying to find room for the winter brassicas, the purple sprouting and kale. The cabbage white butterflies are very evident this week flitting about looking for somewhere to lay their eggs but we hope to have put them off by immediately covering the new plantings with a close woven mesh, making sure there are no gaps for the butterflies to get in. The pesky blighters can spot a fault in the netting with no problem and will be in there in no time at all laying the eggs of their brassica munching caterpillars. We still have to raise some of the mesh cloches where plants are starting to push against the netting; a job for next week.
Another week of kindness as we had more weed and oxygenating plants brought up for the pond, and two donations from Sandgate neighbours happy to see the Incredible Edible plantings in the Sandgate alley way as written about last week. The £15 given will go towards more compost and seeds to help towards keeping the project going, there are lots of ideas and more possible projects in the pipeline, and we will keep you posted as to further developments, it is all very exciting.
Blackfly is the issue this week… there certainly seem to be plenty of them and they are pestering our poor runner beans stressed already by the wind in the week, which of course attracts the blackfly. However Theresa was on the case, and spent time brushing and washing them off with a dilute mix of washing up liquid. With any luck, a couple of such treatments might do the trick and stop them from overwhelming the plants. The first dwarf beans are looking perky and a few bean pods might even be ready to pick next week.
Below is a picture of the sunflowers outside the fence and along the wall. The first two plants were snapped by the wind, the rest are incredibly still standing, and the first flower is starting to show colour. With any luck they will grow taller than the wall and make a real show.
What’s next?
Tony Quarrington would like to show you and others around our village: stroll along Sandgate’s characterful High Street and lovely promenade, learn of its history as an elegant holiday resort, dip into detours to discover great buildings and parkland, and explore the lives of many of its most celebrated individuals.
Sandgate Walking Tours cost just £5 per person for a 2 hour tour, but advance booking is essential to ensure reasonable group sizes (maximum number of 8 guests per tour).
To book call 07738 624522 or email tonyquarrington@msn.com
walking_tours_2020_posterDates are: Saturday 18th July (Sold Out), Saturday 1st August (Sold Out), Saturday 15th August, Saturday 29th August, Saturday 5th September, Saturday 12th September, Saturday 19th September, Saturday 3rd October, Saturday 17th October, Saturday 24th October.
Sandgate Parish Council Chairman Tim Prater & Parish Clerk Gaye Thomas were delighted with the reception from businesses up and down Sandgate High Street on Friday 10th July. The message time and again was clear: Sandgate is Open for Business!
From hairdressers and barbers through cafes, antique, clothing dnd home decor shops, cafes and pubs, all are back up and trading, with all making adjustments to keep customers and staff safe and disatanced.
Sandgate Chairman Tim Prater commented:
“It’s great to see so many businesses with their doors now back open and trading, even where they’ve had to make real adjustments to do so at this time.
“A number of businesses have been trading throughout since March, others have reopened since. So many local people have relied on the service provided by businesses like The Village Store and The Dog House through the Covid closure period, and it has been hugely appreciated.
“Some businesses like Roka and Loaf are currently entirely take-away, and others, like our pubs The Providence and The Ship Inn, and restaurants like Ti Lucks, are offering eat and drink in, but with reduced hours, spacing and additional in premises precautions to keep all safe. What is clear is that everyone is doing their best to work within the new guidelines.
“It has only been a week since some businesses have been allowed to reopen at all, but they were all delighted to be back, and there is a real buzz in the High Street again, with almost all doors now open: great to see. “
Photography: Joe Hudson.
The Folkestone Haven offers safe, inclusive and welcoming spaces for people who are struggling to cope with their mental health during the evening, weekends and bank holidays when other services may be closed.
The Folkestone Haven is for adult residents (18+) of the Folkestone and Hythe District who are experiencing difficulties with their mental health and feel unable to cope. This includes people who may be anxious or worried about anything affecting their mental health but don’t have support networks available to them. It is for people who use or have used mental health services and those who have never used them before.
It is open access and no appointment is necessary, and the service is completely free.
The Folkestone Haven is based at the Rainbow Centre, 69 Sandgate Road, Folkestone CT20 2AF (Folkestone.Haven@hestia.org 07827 533871). They are open Monday-Friday from 18:00 to 23:00 and Weekends & Bank Holidays from 12:00 to 23:00.
The Folkestone Haven’s aim is to support people using the service to reduce their crisis and anxiety, and to safety plan, drawing on strengths, resilience and coping mechanisms to reduce the need to use crisis services in the future. We will also refer and signpost to other support services.
Folkestone-Haven-Poster-New-010720-2-1You can learn more at https://www.hestia.org/folkestone-and-hythe-district
Folkestone and Hythe District Council have published their report on the recent consultation of amending the conditions on summer parking restrictions and hours in Radnor Cliff and Radnor Cliff Crescent.
A majority of residents in the roads were against amending the current scheme. The recommendation of the report is therefore that the changes should not be made.
https://www.folkestone-hythe.gov.uk/moderngov/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IssueId=19242&OptionNum=0