Haven't enjoyed it the last few times I went so I'm not really bothered, but we went past today and Earl Brownes was closed down, the building is up for sale.

Went there today, very nice, all fancy and new and a few ales on too. No longer a Shepherd Neame, definitely worth checking out.

Hmm bit short notice to be sending this press release out isn't it?

Including Finance Advice & Talks and the chance to win cinema tickets!

The University Centre Folkestone offers full and part-time courses in the

creative industries, including:

* Performing Arts

* Information Technology

* Multimedia

* Visual Art

* Business and Management

Come to our next open day and get the chance to:

* Meet course tutors

* Go on a tour of the building

* Attend essential talks on student finance

* Discover what the UCF Summer University is all about

* Win cinema tickets

Finance Talks at: 10.30 and also at 12.30

For more details please contact UCF on:

FREEPHONE: 0800 804 8500

ucf.ac.uk

info@ucf.ac.uk

Fulfilling your potential is closer than you think - in Folkestone

I just heard today that the Red Lion has been closed for the past three months, and is all spanking new after a major refit and cleanup. I've been avoiding that place for a long time, obviously long enough not to notice it'd be out of action for that long, but do you know what? I'm going to revisit it this weekend! I hope it's good.

Sellindge Music Festival is happening on 7th & 8th June 2008 at Hope Farm, Gibbons Brook, Nr Ashford, Kent, England, TN25 6HH. See you there!

GBP40 for the weekend, so cheaper than most festivals, and it ought to have a proper indie vibe, but the lineup is not that strong, and there are a lot of other festivals out there... Good luck to you, send me some free tickets if you want me to say something nicer, I'd come along!

Headliners Idlewild and Mark Morris an' t'ing, I can't copy and paste the rest from the official Sellindge festival lineup as it's all images, so go there and check it out.

An apparent eye witness has come forward to the tragic death on Friday, claiming that NO, there was not a crowd to witness the event and NO, no-one was holding up a mobile phone filming:

Asd for what you've been told about people there taking pictures etc on they're phones of it happening? That's utter Bull sh*t! It was surprisingly quiet for the time of day and the ambulance seemed to take forever to cover her body.

So that's that settled then. I guess details will be all over the Folkestone Herald etc this week.

I didn't realise there was a Folkestone connection to all the Bridgend nonsense earlier in the year either, how sad. From kentnews.co.uk back in February:

A young woman has killed herself while on holiday in Folkestone after hearing about that her cousin had tried to take his life.

Kelly Stephenson, 20, from Bridgend, South Wales was on holiday in Folkestone with her family when she heard that her 15-year-old cousin, Nathanial Pritchard, had attempted to hang himself late on Wednesday.

Note this is not connected with last Friday's events.

I think this is a new development, I just got an email:

Winner of the KM award for good food

The Hermitage 15 Cheriton Place Folkestone Kent Tel:01303 251 251

Website Menus: thehermitagerestaurant.com

new! New! New! New! Sunday Lunch

GBP14.95 - 3 courses

Regular correspondent Woodo sent me this:

I did promise a review of the "swing afternoon" at the Sandgate Hotel but as the weather was so great we spent most of the day in Bar Vasa however, we did pop in to catch the last couple of songs from the performer.

Basically it's a guy with quite a good voice sing to backing tapes but unfortunately only an audience of four (six when we got there) as everyone else was on the patio taking in the sunshine. A bit soul destroying for the poor bloke but then again, he was competing with the best (weather) day of the year so far...

He sang a couple of numbers while we were there but it wasn't what I would call "swing" (a la Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Andy Williams, etc...), "Ain't no Sunshine" and another "soulish" type song (which escapes me at the moment), not quite "an afternoon of swing" but as I said, we turned up pretty late in the day so but maybe he'd already done that genre before we turned up.

Shame I didn't know about it in advance so I could big it up here... no we didn't win, in fact we didn't even get to the pub in time to join in properly, but we sat and drank and played along anyway, very enjoyable!

Hi

Looking for a Folkestone t-shirt with a basic design, maybe something like this...

Can anyone help?

Thank you

The Fisherman’s rest is rubbish and I won’t be using that place again, decided to pop in for a drink last weekend (3rd May) with my wife and friends, only to be told very rudely by the Landlord to leave as it was a private function. The place looked open as usual, with no one stopping you from going in, he made you look as if you had just gate crashed the function. So to all who like a local pub with some atmosphere and friendly staff, avoid the Fisherman’s as it’s crap.

New dates for our charity boot fairs in Folkestone for 2008 have just been announced, with the next boot fair being held on Saturday 3rd May.

Due to a potential change in use of the Shorncliffe Road field, it was initially thought that we would not be able to hold any boot fairs this year. But the owners of the field have now allowed us to hold fairs until the end of July 2008. The full dates are therefore:

Saturday 3rd May

Saturday 26th July

All fairs start at 7.00am and any changes to these dates will be posted on our website, www.westbrookparents.org.

Thanks!

It's all kicking off at the Hop Farm this year isn't it? Neil Young is there on the 6th, and according to the NME, there's a Mighty Boosh festival the same weekend. No tickets on sale for that yet I don't think, so could all be a lie,

keep an eye on ebay maybe for Booshstock (Glastonboosh?), but get Neil Young tickets here...

Naked Art Studio are still selling their original art from the good town of Folkestone... check them out.

I create very affordable, modern & abstract works of original art and paint using a rich blend of colours, textures and metallics (hand-mixed because the 'off the shelf' metallics are too predictable!) I absolutely love the light-reflecting qualities of the metallic paints - constantly changing in different light sources.

Hello i saw your 'ad' and was interested in if you teach spanish and the costs of it. I am still at school and am currently learning spanish for my GCSE's but wanted to extend my vocabulary to intitle me to be able to speak more. If you could please get back to me it would be most appreciated x

Recently our 5th Print competition of the season was held and judged by Kevin Harvey a member of St. Mary’;s Bay Camera Club and , a very experienced photographer with excellent tips on how we can improve our photography. Winners (points our of 20) of each section were as follows:-

OPEN SUBJECT

Novice:- Steam power from Leeds by David Connell 20

(8 entries) Underneath the spreading chestnut tree by Jan Mackay 19

Intermediate:- Morning mist by Eve Wilson 20

(10 entries) Otter by Derek Green 19

Advanced:- Kingfisher with fish by Marie-Laure Stone DPAGB 20

(11 entries)

PORTRAITS:-

Novice:- Bird of prey by David Connell 17 17

(3 entries) I’m in charge bt Chris Willis 17

A day in the woods bt Martin Aylett 17

Intermediate:- Rosie & Josie by Derek Green 18

(4 entriies)

Advanced:- Amur Ghurka Veteran by Frank Barraclough 20

(8 entries) Africa the land of my fathers by Marie-Laure Stone DPAGB 19

The above winning photographs, scoring 20 points, can be seen on our website at folkestonecameraclub.co.uk

We are now fast approaching the end of our season, with only a few more meetings, Projected Image Competition No. 6, the Clay Cross Exhibition, Peter Heritage (set subject) cup competition,combined with the Reg Walker Cup (best of last seasons digital images), and the St. Aubyn Trophy competition (Landscape Prints), and the final evening of the season our 6th Print Competition. These meetings and results will then lead to our Annual Dinner and Awards Night in May.

In addition to these meetings we will be holding our monthly Practical Evening and our Special Event of the Kent County Photographic Associations Bi-Annual Audio Visual Competition, which is being held at the St. Andrews Methodist Church Hall, Surrenden Road, on Saturday 19th April at 2 p.m. Further information can be obtained on our website.

We have had a very successful season with many new members joining us.

Our programme covers many aspects of photography and we try to suit everyones taste, age and ability Our motto is ‘We don’t Teach, But You Learn’. Our new season will commence in September, and the Programme will be on our website for viewing from late August.

Our meetings are held at the St. Georges Church, Audley Road, Folkestone (on the corner of Shorncliffe Road, opposite West Station) on Mondays at 7.45pm. New members are always welcome, if interested please phone Mrs Jenny Barraclough (Press Officer) 01303 245399, or e mail jenny-bar@btconnect.com

Jumbo Gumbo are at the Hook and Hatchet on Thurday May 1st (NOT 30 April)

Emily and the Beast Band are on the previous day, Wednesday 30 April.

Dont forget the Boughton Monchelea Morris Dancers and their guests Maenad are performing on Thursday 8 May.

Dear Sir Madam,

I am the one of the member of the Gurung Society Kent and living in Church Road Folkestone. We are planning to hold BBQ party on 26 or 27 (not confirmed yet) of July 2008 and wondering if we hold our party at your club ground. Please accept my apology if I approched the wrong venue or person.

Khusiman Gurung

BBC Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe is calling for bands from Maidstone and across Kent to get in touch with Radio 1 for the chance to be part of Radio 1's Big Weekend – The Fringe Festival. The Fringe will celebrate the local music scene, from guitar bands through to bedroom DJs, MCs and everything in between. The event takes place in the town in the week preceding Radio 1's Big Weekend.

Bands can apply by going to bbc.co.uk/radio1/bigweekend where all the details of how to get your band on to the Fringe Festival are explained.

A panel made up of BBC Kent Introducing presenters James Bursey and Tom Kirkby, Radio 1 DJ Huw Stephens, the Radio 1 Live events team and Radio 1 producers will be responsible for selecting the bands to play live at the Fringe.

BBC Kent Introducing will host a night during the Fringe featuring bands selected by the show. From this line-up Huw Stephens will choose his two favourite bands who will go on to play the BBC Introducing stage at Radio 1's Big Weekend.

Please get in touch by April 21st. If you get a slot on the Fringe Festival we will be in touch by April 25th with all the details of your show.

I do feel sorry for Jimmy Godden as it appears that anything he owns seems to catch fire.

I mean it's wasn't so long ago that some b****** set fire to another property that he owned (Mr B's Arcade on Margate seafront), burning it to the ground. Then there was the fire at Rotunda amusement park in Folkestone which was another one of his places. Oh and before then another seafront arcade that he kindly bought to renovate in Ramsgate was burnt to the ground by some evil scumbag... now how's that for luck?

I just hope our wonderful ladies and gentlemen up at Margate Police Station will soon catch the brainless moron who seems to have something against Mr Jimmy Godden.