looker · 22nd october 2010 3 lydd town council had the annual presentation of its yearly...

LookerThe

The Community Newspaper for the Romney Marsh

Well known and very popular father of two, Andrew

Bourne, 42, died in a two-car crash on the A2070

just north of Hamstreet, at 7.35 p.m. on Monday

11th October.

The accident happened when the Vauxhaul Astra

driven by Andrew collided with a Citroen Saxo. The

driver and a passenger in the Saxo were taken to

the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford. Four fire

engines from Ashford, Folkestone, Charing and

Aldington dealt with the incident.

Forensic investigations continued late into Tuesday

morning and the Police are appealing for witnesses,

01622-798538.

Andrew was manager of the long established

Bourne Removals at Rye and also worked for his

father's removals firm Turks at Lydd.

Andrew followed in his father David’s footsteps with

his love of cricket, playing for Folkestone Cricket

Club for twenty-eight years. He had served as first

team captain and was a good fast opening bowler

who scored valuable runs down at the lower order.

Andrew grew up in Lydd and was educated at

Southlands School in New Romney.

“Anyone who knew Andrew knew that he was one

of life’s nice people”, said Craig Avery. “Always first

to have a laugh with his mates, he was also a much

loved father who liked nothing more than playing his

cricket and then afterwards having a laugh in the

pub!”

His Facebook page is filled with tributes from

people who are still trying to come to terms with the

loss. Some of the comments show how much he

was loved and respected in the local community.

What a terrible tragedy for this to happen to Andrew,

still so young with so much more to give to life. I

am so shocked and deeply saddened by the news.

My love and sympathies to his family.

We started playing golf with Andy almost 30 years

ago and he used to thrash us at that too. Such was

his skill, he really did have a great eye for all sports

and was an inspiration for me at ‘Fitness First’

which I referred to as my ‘Fat Tax’ when he would

ask me why I hadn’t been for a while!. I will miss

our chats. He would always ask about how

everyone was getting on and was such a gent. Still

can't believe it and my thoughts are with his family.

From The Editor.

These are just a few of the comments seen on his

Facebook page. Both Craig Avery and myself have

known Andrew for many years and this is one of the

hardest things we have had to write. But with all the

e-mails sent to the paper and the posts on

Facebook, it only goes to show what a popular man

he was. Our sympathies go to his family - he will be

greatly missed.

Edition 4

Fire Fighters - latest update on page 14

People shocked over loss

of ‘Bourney’

Andrew playing at Lords.

Paper Template issue 4_Layout 1 15/10/2010 17:33

22nd October 2010 www.thelooker.co.uk

EDITOR’S

WORDWell four

editions in and

we are still here!

Some people

(including

myself) did not

know how The

Looker would pan out when we first

launched the paper. The novelty

has worn off and we have already

learnt a lot about putting the

newspaper out.

The one thing that I had no idea

about was the actual amount of

time it takes to physically put

together all the copy and get out

and about with my trusted camera

to get the pictures.

The other thing we hoped would

happen is that we would get a lot of

people wanting to write for us,

sending in articles and writing

reports for us. It certainly makes

my job a bit easier!

I have been asked a couple of

times over the past month how we

went about setting the paper up…

well the truth is that we had no

idea. Some of you may know that I

was the person who set up the

Romney Marsh Handbook with a

partner from Hythe. The

arrangement was that I would write

the copy and she would do all the

artwork and put the Handbook out.

After a while she sold her half and I

carried on my own. One of my

biggest regrets with the

Handbook was that it came out

every two months so we could not

really cover much ‘news’ as it was

out of date by the time we went to

press.

The Handbook was more of a

Directory and as such I started

losing interest in it. When we

started The Looker, I made the

decision that running both the

Handbook and the Looker would be

too much of an undertaking. I have

now subsequently sold the

Handbook to another local lady,

Debbie Allen, who is re-branding

the Handbook as the Marsh

Directory. She also runs five other

publications around the Ashford

area and I wish her lots of future

success.

The Looker has made a conscious

decision to attract different

advertisers than the Handbook and

the pricing is also a bit different.

We have also been asked if we

plan to ever go ‘colour’. Having

thought about this we have decided

that when we launched The Looker

we would make it look, feel, and

even smell like a traditional

newspaper. So for the immediate

future we will be keeping the paper

black and white and also keeping

our advertising prices the same

(which means you can have a

boxed advert for less than a pound

a day)!

Being someone with my own

business it is very important to

explain to people how essential it is

to advertise. Quite often we are

told, ‘times are hard I cannot afford

to advertise’. Well as we see it, that

is even more good reason to let

people be aware that you are still in

business.

So, can you afford not to be in

The Looker! It must be worth

giving us a try. Seventy businesses

around the Marsh have invested in

advertising with the paper which is

a fantastic achievement for a

business less than a two months

old! The Looker is a big believer in

supporting local businesses, and as

the old adage goes, ‘Use Them or

Lose Them’.

Sometimes there is a false

economy in driving to a big

superstore. Recently I needed

some gluesticks so went to a local

DIY Store and noticed that they

were 70p more than a national

chain. However, when you think

about it by the time you make a 30-

mile round trip to Ashford or

Folkestone, not only have you paid

for the fuel you have added wear to

your car and also taken at least an

hour out of your day. On this

occasion I went back to my office in

time to pick up the phone and take

an order which I would have missed

if I had not shopped locally!

Every effort is made by The LOOKER

newspaper to ensure that the information is

correct. The LOOKER newspaper

reserves the right not to publish unsolicited

material being sent through to the

publication. Personal views expressed in

this publication are solely those of the

respective contributors and do not reflect

those of the publishers or its agents. All

material supplied to this publication is at

the owner’s risk.

Reproduction in whole or in part of this

publication is strictly prohibited without prior

consent. Photographic rights remain the

property of The LOOKER Newspaper.

Contact The Looker

Tel:01797 366450

Editorial

Tel: 0790 0080 656

Distribution

Tel:07866 502 578

E-mail: [email protected]

Web:www.thelooker.co.uk

The Looker is available from

Best Kebabs Lydd, Lydd Airport, Botolphs Bridge

PH West Hythe, Brenzett Garage, City Of

London PH Dymchurch, Coach House Coffee

Shop New Romney, Coastal Kebabs, Colorcraft

New Romney, Dungeness Lifeboat Station,

Dymchurch Garage, Elsie’s New Romney,

Greatstone Fish Bar, Haugelands Farm Shops,

Heath Artcrafts New Romney, Romney Kebab

Shop Littlestone Rd New Romney, Kebab Shop

Station Road New Romney, Lathe Barn Bur-

marsh, Littlestone Lifeboat Station, Lydd

Butchers, Lydd Fish Shop, Lydd Golf Club, M &

M Richardson Fish Shop Dungeness, Mittells

Newsagents Lydd, Park St Stores Lydd, Prince

Of Wales PH New Romney, Red Lion Snargate,

Rod & Line New Romney, Romney Cycles,

Romney Spice, Royal British Legion Dymchurch,

Royal Oak PH Brookland, Sainsburys New

Romney, Spar Greatstone,Lydd on Sea, Lydd &

New Romney, Tandori Cottage Lydd, Tesco's

Dymchurch, The Britania PH Dungeness, Broad-

acre Hotel New Romney, Captain Howey PH

New Romney, Cinque Ports PH New Romney,

Dolphin PH Lydd, The Gallery Dungeness, The

George PH Lydd, The Library New Romney,

Neptune PH Dymchurch, New Inn PH New Rom-

ney,The Ocean PH Dymchurch, Paper Shop

Littlestone, The Pilot PH Dungeness,The Plough

PH New Romney, The Railway Appledore, Royal

Oak PH Lydd, Rose & Crown PH Old Romney,

Royal Mail PH Lydd, The Seahorse PH

Greatstone, Ship Hotel New Romney, The Ship

PH Dymchurch, The Star PH Lydd, The Star PH

St. Mary's-in-the Marsh, Varne Boat Club,Varne

Littlestone, Fish Bar Lydd on Sea, Warren Golf

Club Littlestone, West Hythe Garage, Ward &

Partners New Romney, Marsh Insurance

Services, Shaw Rabson New Romney, James

Hawkins & Co New Romney,The Warren PH

New Romney, The Woolpack PH Brookland,

The Bailiff’s Sergeant SMB, Newsagents SMB

and Foords SMB.

2


www.thelooker.co.uk 22nd October 2010

3

Lydd Town Council had the annual presentation of its

yearly competition ‘Lydd In Bloom 2010’ recently.

The event was open to all the residents within the

borough. The Guild Hall was packed with expectant

entrants, wanting to see if they had won a prize.

They waited for Cllr. Marie Masters to announce the

winners.

All residents are automatically entered into the

competition and voted for by a local judging panel.

After the awards most of the residents left before the

full council meeting (full report .)

A huge fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday 10th

October, forcing the closure of the Ashford Road

between Five Wents crossroads and Ivychurch.

Firefighters spent more than 24 hours, not only

fighting the initial blaze but also damping down and

making the rest of the haystack safe. When The

Looker visited the site, power workers were working

on damaged overhead lines.

A spokesman said that although investigations were

still taking place looking into the cause of the fire, it

could have been caused by internal combustion. The

farmer who owned the haystack was not available as

we went to press but it is thought that several

thousand pounds worth of hay was destroyed.

If you have any information about the fire, contact

Kent Police on 01622-690690 or call crime stoppers.

Lydd is “Blooming”

Marvellous

Lydd In Bloom Winners at the Guild Hall.

Best Garden & Best Overall

Mr & Mrs H.R. Elliot (Greatstone)

Best Town Garden

Mr. & Mrs D.T.F. Bourne

Best Town Business

The Royal Oak

Best Town Basket

Mr & Mrs J.J. Flanagan

Best Coastal Garden

Mr & Mrs H.R. Elliott

Best Coastal Baskets & Tubs

Mr & Mrs DJ Martin

Best Coastal Business

The Pilot

Best Allotments

Mr M.F. Peirson

Haystack mysteriously

burnt down


4


News in

BriefVandals

Disable Mini-buses

New Romney Day Centre has

recently been targeted by

mindless vandals taking the

silver out of the catalyst

converters on two of their

mini-buses, leaving them with

only one that is road worthy.

The minibuses are vital to a lot

of people on the Marsh and

surrounding areas and many

people rely on the Day Centre

for food and companionship. It

is a very well-used, community

service which is missing the use

of two of its buses.

How long before

someone is killed?

Has Fairfield Road, New Romney

become a RAT RUN? The road

which runs between Sainsbury’s

and St. Nicholas School is being

used by inconsiderate drivers as a

rat run to avoid the town centre

traffic and the Sainsburys traffic

lights. This road is very often full of

small children going to school and

people going to Sainsbury’s.

The path isn’t very wide along this

road and many people still walk

their children to school and have to

walk in the road. When you add

this to the amount of cars parked

while children are being dropped

off at school you have the recipe

for a disaster.

The introduction of speed humps

would seem like a good idea and a

20mph speed limit for the entire

length of the road could be good

starting points. If these measures

would be to expensive, how about

the use of PSCO’s to be in the road

at school drop off times? I am NOT

out to batter the already

beleaguered motorist but just to

ask for some common sense to be

applied before it’s too late. What

do you think. If you live along this

road, or have an opinion, please

feel free to write into the paper or

look at the webpage and leave a

comment on the forum

By Terry Edwards

Butch the ‘Great Escape

Pig’ dies

Butch and Sundance were the

Tamworth pair of pigs that escaped

from the abattoir in Wiltshire and

ended up having a film made about

them and their antics. Butch, who

proved to be a massive hit, has

sadly passed away. He was 13

years old and the pair were living at

the Rare Breeds Centre at

Woodchurch.

In January 1998, the two 5-month-

old Tamworth rare breed boars

escaped while being unloaded at a

Wiltshire slaughterhouse. The

agile pair went "on the run", chased

by an army of abattoir workers,

police and news reporters.

Their dramatic escape from the

abattoir, just before being

slaughtered and their wily tricks to

evade capture attracted media

attention and also captured the

hearts of the animal-loving British

nation. The two resourceful hogs

were given the names "Butch

Cassidy" and "The Sundance

Pig".but now only Sundance

remains. A plaque is going up at

the Centre to let the public know

about this amazing pair of pigs.

Butch & Sundance



Romney Marsh FM plans to be

back on the air again early in

November. The station, which is

run entirely by volunteers, has

applied for a 28-day licence

from Ofcom, the organisation

responsible for radio licensing.

Don Stanni, one of the radio

station organisers said, “The

support for the radio station is

amazing. We have had a good

following with our online internet

radio which broadcasts 24 hours

per day, but the majority of our

local listeners do love it when

we broadcast our FM service.”

The cost of running the station

for 28 days is around £7,000

and Mr. Stanni said that, “It was

fantastic that local businesses

still support the station.” He

pointed out that the station has

the ability to play 30 different

adverts in its schedule, but with

the global recession hitting

everyone, it is great that local

firms still find the money to

support the station.

If you are interested in helping

with the station, either as a

presenter or a production

assistant, you can contact the

station by calling 01797-362000

or e-mail

[email protected]

Elsewhere in The Looker you

can see a schedule of the

current live internet shows which

you can listen to online at

www.romneymarsh.fm

David Wimble, who presents the

breakfast show, had a great day

out recently when along with Dave

Shackles they visited Tony Prince

(known in the 60s and 70’s as the

Royal Ruler) at his home in

Maidenhead and got to see his

amazing collection of memorabilia

and his record collection, which he

collected during his days on Radio

Caroline and 208 Radio

Luxemburg.

Tony was instrumental in helping

give breaks to groups such as the

Beatles and the Rolling Stones and

helped Europeans keep up-to-date

with the trends of America with his

interviews with Elvis Presley, who

went on to become a good friend.

Listen to Romney Marsh FM In

November and December to hear

the interviews.

5

RMFM Back

On The Air

Tony & Dave Shackles

Tony Prince & David Wimble


6


RECREATING a characteristic feature of the

landscape of the Romney Marsh in the eighteenth and

nineteenth centuries, a replica of the type of

rudimentary shelter used by lookers (shepherds), is to

be constructed at the Romney Marsh Visitor Centre.

In the heyday of the Marsh as sheep country, more

than three hundred huts, ten feet square, brick built,

with earth floor, peg tile roof, bare rafters and a

fireplace and chimney stack at one end, dotted the flat

landscape, essential refuges in the lookers' isolated

existence. Now, only the ruins of a few remain.

Construction of a Looker's Hut as an educational

feature at the Visitor Centre is part of the EU-funded

Green Transmanche Network project to encourage

rural tourism and improve conservation management in

two areas of Kent, the Romney Marsh and Reculver,

near Whitstable and also at the Arena Centre, near

Boulogne.

The location of the new attraction was decided at a

recent (September 20, 21) meeting at the Romney

Marsh Visitor Centre of representatives of public

authorities, tourism and environmental organisations

from both sides of the Channel, which are engaged in

the three-year TGN project.

Also agreed were the final details of a cross-border

programme to enable Kent and French school

children to visit the sites and experience the new

bilingual educational tools being developed by the six

TGN partners: Kent Wildlife Trust; Shepway District

Council; Canterbury City Council; Discover

Folkestone, Hythe & Romney Marsh (DFHRM);

Communaute d'agglomeration Boulonnais and the

Boulogne Shepway/Canterbury Co-operation

Organisation (BOSCO+)

Lynn Dockar, of BOSCO+, co-ordinator of the

project, said that visits to the three sites by

schoolchildren and other groups would start at Easter.

Work on the construction of the looker's hut was

scheduled for June.

DFHRM manager, Chris Kirkham, said that an

awareness campaign on both sides of the Channel was

attracting wide interest in the objectives of the 773,000

euros (£670,000) TGN project, which was intended to

produce a long-lasting legacy of benefits for rural areas

in East Kent and Northern France. Among public

events to be held next year are family-fun eco-fairs in

Folkestone, Herne Bay and Boulogne.

'Heritage' Hut to be

Marsh attraction


7


New Romney is in danger of losing its Christmas lights

this year unless there is a significant boost to

membership of the Romney Marsh Business

Association. Among its contributions to the local

community, the Romney Marsh Business Association

(RMBA) facilitates most of the funding for the lights

each year. The cost of installing and maintaining the

lights is considerable and current membership

numbers may not support it. This also brings into

question the feasibility of New Romney’s Late Night

Christmas Shopping, an event that has traditionally

boosted our High Street traders. To maintain these

aspects of New Romney’s Christmas celebrations it’s

essential to generate new members to RMBA.

To this end, the RMBA is re-launching with a party at

The Curry Lounge in November. The Associations

many benefits to traders will hopefully encourage new

members to join and secure the future of our

Christmas lights and festivities.

The aim of the RMBA is to actively promote

businesses on Romney Marsh. Originally

membership was restricted to High Street traders, but

this has now been extended to incorporate all

businesses in the wider locality of New Romney and

the surrounding Marsh villages and countryside. It

seeks to increase trade for its members by raising

awareness of local businesses, attracting tourists and

encouraging residents to ‘buy local’. This is achieved

through networking events for members, inclusion in

the RMBA website and collective Chamber of

Commerce membership.

RMBA members meet informally on the first Tuesday

of every month at different Marsh venues (see the

website for venues). This provides a networking

opportunity for traders, both on and beyond the High

Street. It also gives members the opportunity to

contribute to local business ideas and initiatives, and

discuss any issues affecting local trade.

Within the RMBA website, www.newromneyba.co.uk

each business will have its own webpage affording

web presence for those companies that don’t already

have it, plus links to existing websites and increased

optimisation for those that do. The website enables

anyone to access up-to-date company profiles on all

RMBA members.

RMBA enrolled businesses are also collectively

members of the Channel Chamber of Commerce.

This entitles them to professional advice through its

legal helpline, other business advice and the benefit of

business rate reductions.

The RMBA will be holding the launch party on

Tuesday 16th November at The Curry Lounge, High

Street, New Romney, with an invitation to all local

businesses to attend and find out more. The evening

will include a fantastic meal by RMBA member, The

Curry Lounge, a presentation about the association

and a chance to chat to existing RMBA businesses.

Members of the Channel Chamber of Commerce will

also be attending.

If you are a local business owner and would like to

attend, please reserve your free ticket at The Curry

Lounge. Tickets are available from 2nd November

and are restricted to one representative per business

(additional tickets are available for £10.00 each).

Annual membership of RMBA is £25. For more

information please contact

Cheryl Hulton, 07908-664389

or by email: [email protected]

The next RMBA meeting is at 6 p.m. on Tuesday

2nd November at The Broadacres Hotel in North

Street, New Romney.

Romney risk losing

Christmas Lights by Kate Meredeth


. . . There were Sentries at the end

of most roads in Littlestone and one

was situated on the railway bridge,

halfway along The Avenue. When

mum used to take me shopping into

New Romney, we would call in at

Archie and Ethel Boulden’s

bungalow for a cup of tea on the

way home. Ethel would walk with

us as far as the railway bridge but

she was not allowed to go any

further. People from Littlestone had

to show their Identity Card to go

into New Romney and back again.

. . . My father and our neighbour

built an Air Raid Shelter at the back

of our house near the Golf Course.

It was underground so that when

the sirens went, we used to

scramble into it. I remember there

was a safe in there and also some

biscuits and I believe a ‘Potty’ as

well. One day, some soldiers came

in with buckets of a yellowy

coloured liquid and you can guess

what Mum thought it was and said

so in no uncertain terms. But it was

in fact sherry that had been washed

up on the beach from a ship that

had sunk. The soldiers took dad

down to the beach, through the

minefields and barbed wire and

they bottled it up. Apparently it was

very potent and it lasted for a long

time, only coming out for special

occasions.

. . . One day a bomb was dropped

and it landed at the side of Pope’s

Hotel on the seafront. It bounced

and hit a tree in the Avenue and

there was a mark on that tree for

many years afterwards. On that

morning I remember hearing a

terrific bang and the windows blew

in. My father came into my

bedroom and lay on top of me

sheltering me from the glass.

. . . I can also remember the first

doodlebugs going over our house.

Mum and I stood on the back door

step and watched this flying object

with flames coming out of the back.

The soldiers were shooting at it with

everything they could lay their

hands on but it went straight

through. When the air raid sirens

went off we often used to go down

under the stairs as dad thought that

would be better than the Air Raid

Shelter. One day, my father saw

me pick up something from the

garden which was like a bottle.

Apparently it was some sort of

bomb but luckily the soldiers

disposed of it.

. . . The Civil Defence headquarters

were in the Assembly Rooms and

the Warden in charge was Mr.

Roberts (who later had the local

printing business in the High

Street). The full-time rescue team

included Sam Cook, Lomas Jones,

George Bolton, Percy Cloke, Reg

Williamson, Jim Tedham and John

Gordon. The top of the Church

Tower was used as the Air Raid

Lookout. I can remember seeing a

Typhoon crash land in the field

opposite the junction of St. John’s

Road and the main Lydd Road. I

also remember seeing lots of

Anti-Aircraft Guns along the shore

at Littlestone.

. . . There was a Nissen Hut at the

rear of the Scouts Hut in Church

Lane, roughly on the site of the

present Scouts Hut. It was the

headquarters of the local Home

Guard and included an armoury of

rifles, grenades, ammunition and

other explosives. After the war, it

was handed over to the Army Cadet

Force as their headquarters.

. . . Many of the properties from

Littlestone to Dungeness were

converted to machine-gun posts

and later included workshops and

pumping stations etc. in connection

with PLUTO (Pipe Line Under The

Ocean). Along the coast at

Littlestone, just above low water

mark, I can remember the scaffold

barrier, topped with barbed wire.

There were also three ‘mulberry

harbours’ just off shore. Two were

blown up at the end of the war but

because the remains were an

underwater danger to local

fishermen, the third one was left.

Part of it can still be seen today.

. . . In July 1940, King George VI

visited the town and I remember

having a day off school and

standing in Station Road with lots of

other children and local people

waiting for him to travel down to

Littlestone to inspect the coastal

defences. The King also inspected

the Somerset Light Infantry who

had their headquarters in

Southlands School. I believe their

Officer’s Mess was in ‘Craythornes’

in Fairfield Road.

. . . Around 1942, some of the local

lads decided to organise a football

team (we called ourselves the

‘Romney Busters’) and we used to

have our meetings in a bus shelter

in the High Street. Eventually we

had enough players and also a

couple of reserves.

Marsh

Memoriescompiled by John Wimble

8



9

We used to play our matches on a

piece of ground off Station Road,

where the clinic is today (the Sports

Ground had been ploughed up).

We played some of the Army

Platoons but never ever beat them

although we did occasionally win

matches against the ATC and Lydd.

Some of the players I can

remember were Cecil Pumphery,

Derek Frew, Bert Paine, Lawrence

Flisher, Joe Masters, Bert Tyrell,

Bob Bark, Ted Paine, Dennis

Polden, Doug Gillham and Bernard

Ellis. Bill Gillham was our referee

and we used to buy him twenty

cigarettes for refereeing our

matches. We didn’t have any shirts

so we went round the town

knocking on the doors of the

families of the pre-war New

Romney team asking if we could

borrow their kit as their men folk

were away on war duty!

. . . Apart from the football matches,

there wasn’t very much

entertainment locally. Very

occasionally, there was a picture

show in the Ship Hotel and a

couple of times a week, we used to

cycle to the cinema that was at the

far end of the High Street at Lydd.

They had programmes Mondays to

Wednesdays, Thursdays to

Saturdays and a separate one on

Sundays. Paul Carey was a good

mate of mine and we sometimes

scrounged a lift in one of the

coaches – although we had to go

the long way round via Greatstone

and Dungeness. We also

occasionally were allowed into the

cinema in Lydd Camp.

. . . Sometimes, dad would let me

go down to the sea front and I

remember when the ‘mulberry

harbours’ were blown up. One was

destroyed opposite where the

house known as the ‘Mustard Pot’

is. I also remember the Flying

Fortress that crashed at ‘The Hoy’

behind Queen’s Road. We

became friendly with the Americans

and scrounged what we called

‘Aeroplane Glass’ which was really

Perspex. Some of the children

used to burn holes in it and shape it

to make jewellery etc. The

American troops used to give us

half-a-crown (12½p) to take

messages to the Land Army Girls in

the hostel that was based near

Brodnyx corner, between New

Romney and St. Mary-in-the-

Marsh.

. . . Looking back, New Romney

was quite a dangerous place to live

in – the field where Southlands is

today was mined and the only

building there was an old pavilion.

Not only that but some of the things

that us lads got up to would be

frowned upon by the authorities

today! I won’t name names but we

used to collect jettisoned petrol

cans and cut a hole in the top and

use them for canoes on the local

dykes. We used to go over the golf

links collecting smoke flares and

setting them off. I remember

putting carbide in beer bottles and

making home-made bombs. We

used to squeeze live bullets in the

school gate and then hit them with

a stick that had a nail in it. We

used to ‘borrow’ fog signals

(detonators) from the branch line

station signal box, put them on the

RH&DR tracks and drop bricks on

them from the sheep bridge along-

side the mainline station.


From “New Romney & District

in the 1940s”.

Contact John Wimble

, 01797-362295

for further details


10


Local Governance Review

Dear Editor

I attended the Shepway District Council Meeting last

night and am delighted by the decision to preserve our

Parish from the aims and objectives of the Coastal

Community Group (CCG). This meeting is only one of

many that Brian Godfrey, a member of one of the

oldest families on the Marsh, a born and bred Lydder

and myself attended in our efforts to stop this group

from breaking up one of the oldest and hitherto

respected Parish Councils in the UK.

I would like to thank Cllrs Chris Albrow and Graham

Snell who until relatively recently were unaware of the

activities of the CCG over the past three years, for

their valuable support.

At one stage of the procedure, through Shepway’s

General Purposes Committee, the CCG was

demanding the elimination of not only the entire

population of the town of Lydd but Dungeness also,

Democracy Coastal Community Style.

The veiled threats from Cllr Reverend Alan Davis

against our Shepway Councillors, Vicki Dawson and

Clive Goddard regarding next years local elections are

duly noted.

Before the arrival of the Rev Davis in our midst there

never was a problem with the coastal strip of our

beloved Parish. It was always adequately

represented by former Councillors David Donoghue,

David Alford, Mr & Mrs Oiller, Roy Gentle, Alison

Ryde, Bert Ryder, Tony Hills, Alan Pearson, Roy

Gentle and Ken Foster.

Next years elections could herald quite a number of

surprises as, at last, the people of our Parish have

woken up to what could have happened to them.

Finally I am asking the Rev Davis the following, how

do you justify increasing the council tax contributions

of our parishoners by 40% in the last three budgets

and what proportion of that was spent on the coast

Michael Walsh By e-mail

The Lydd Club Day Committee are holding an evening

fund-raising concert for Lydd Club Day 2011 featuring

the Snowdown Colliery Welfare Band together with the

Snowdown Colliery Welfare Male Voice Choir at the

Community Hall, Manor Road, Lydd on Saturday 27th

November - doors open 7pm and the concert

commences at 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £10.00 per head including a 'Welcome

Drink' and Buffet and will be available from November

1st from Mittells, High Street, Lydd, Park Stores, Park

Street, Lydd and Tom Smith, Claremont Villa, Station

Road, Lydd, Romney Marsh TN29 9ED.

The band and choir seldom appear together. We are

therefore privileged and proud that they have agreed

to perform for us to raise funds for next years Club

Day.

This promises to be an excellent evening and no

doubt tickets will be 'snapped up' as soon as they are

on sale! Licensed Bar and Raffle. See you there!!

Tom Smith - Publicity Officer - Lydd Club Day Committee

The epistle according to Lynne Beaumont, leader of

Shepway Liberal Democrats (Opinion, 23rd

September) seeks to mislead your readers in its

discussion of the call for a separate coastal parish in

Lydd and its mysterious reference to ‘the block vote of

Tory members’.

As Lynne Beaumont well knows, the General

Purposes Committee was unable to make a

recommendation to the full council at its meeting in

July because the residents of Lydd Town, unlike those

who live on the coast, had not been consulted, in

accordance with Section 34 of the Guidance issued by

the Department of Communities and Local

Government and the Electoral Commission.

The motion passed at the meeting, which I proposed,

required a referendum to be held in the town (where

57.4% of all Lydd residents live), before any final

recommendation or decision could be made. Cllr.

Beaumont must surely be aware that the

famous economist, John Maynard Keynes,

himself a member of the Liberal party, once said that

‘when the facts change,

I change my opinion’.

Following the

referendum, the facts

have of course

changed. In the town,

884 residents (81%)

were against the

proposal. Hence,

across the whole of

the parish of Lydd,

both town and coast,

a decisive 57.4% of

residents have rejected

a split.

Unsurprisingly, therefore

the recommendation of

Your Letters

Cllr Russell Tillson


11


the General Purposes committee

not to establish a new coastal

parish reflects the stated will of the

people, which clearly supports the

‘community cohesion’ that is a

prime objective in the 2007 Act

which provides for governance

reviews.

In other words, they have voted for

‘one town, one community, one

parish’.

Cllr. Beaumont claims that ‘the

Conservative Whip is out’. This is

of course arrogant nonsense, since

no such whip exists. As Secretary

of the Shepway Conservative

Group, I would be responsible for

applying it if did exist, but there is

never any need, since

Conservative councillors have

always exercised their individual

judgement in the light of the

evidence and the views of local

residents. Rather, it is the Liberal

Democrat Group rather than us

that always seem to go in for block

voting, and so I am amazed that

this hoary old myth has again

resurfaced. On previous

occasions, the accusation has

referred to planning applications,

where the use of a whip would of

course be unlawful. As Lynne

Beaumont is perfectly well aware,

I was one of several Conservatives

who voted AGAINST all of the

Lydd Airport, Hythe Sainsbury’s

and Nickolls Quarry applications.

As an elected representative who,

unlike the Liberal democrat leader,

actually lives in the Marsh area, I

bitterly resent the absurd

suggestion that I am one of those

‘who do not have the best interests

of Lydd and the Marsh at heart’.

As Cllr. Beaumont points out, there

are indeed local elections in May

next year, though it would seem

that it is her party rather than mine

that is preoccupied with them.

Residents across the District will

make their own judgement then,

though I am confident that they will

choose to support a genuinely

democratic party that is turning

Shepway into one of the best and

most cost-effective councils in the

country rather than one that

specialises in carping criticism,

misinformation and publicity stunts.

Yours faithfully,

Cllr. Russell Tillson

Chairman of Folkestone and Hythe

Conservatives

Dear Sir,

I feel the need to share my

disappointment that the field

opposite the potato factory can no

longer be used for walking the dog

again. I know the farmer has every

right to use it for his sheep but

even so, having had a short

reprieve whilst various excavations

went on, it was brilliant being able

to use it again.

I know I am not the only one to

think this!! No doubt the next time

we can all walk there with our dogs

is when umpteen houses have

been built and all there will be is a

tarmac or concrete footpath to walk

on!

Right, that's it - I've had my moan.

Forum Post from Goldengirlc

The field between Rolfe Lane and

Cockreed Lane. Pictured is earth moving

equipment used in the recent archaeological

survey which alerted local residents of the

proposed planning.

Dear Sir,

What can be done for the older

residents in Dymchurch?? I was

reading the article about the

vandalism in Dymchurch...This is

an on-going thing for some of the

elderly residents in that area. For

instance,.the elderly couple who's

windows are constantly pelted with

objects at night, their car has been

vandalised quite a few times, they

are on their fifth wing mirror and

the latest is the smashed

windscreen, (apart from the

scratches and dents). I asked if

she had reported this to the police,

she said it isn't worth it, so I

advised her to,.and I'm glad to say

she did. I also advised her to keep

complaining the different incidents

to the police as she wasn't

bothering as nothing can be done..

When the lady bravely asked the

kids to stop, she was given

disgusting verbal abuse, then her

windows were pelted again. The

police can only drive around, but

the kids see them and disappear.

This has been going on for a long

time, as when we had the heavy

snow she had to go out and try to

clean off the paint like substance in

cling-film they had thrown at the

windows and bungalow.

There are quite a few elderly

residents that have to 'put up' with

this behaviour from the kids,.the

wrecked playground,.the wrecked

toilets on Syn Day. When is it

going to stop?? When someone is

hurt may-be?

Forum Post



Creating jobs, providing

opportunities for young people and

supporting businesses are amongst

the greatest challenges we face on

Romney Marsh.

It is undoubtably a unique and

beautiful landscape. A place of

history, vibrant creativity and rich

agriculture. It has always been, as

the name of this newspaper

suggests, a working community. At

it’s best it is one of the most

compelling examples of mankind

working and co-existing with nature.

One hundred years ago, many

would have been employed working

on the land or sea. The world is

very different now, and people will

instead work in shops, small

businesses and of course for our

major employers like the EDF

Nuclear Power Station at

Dungeness. Dungeness B station

puts around £20 million a year into

the local economy, an almost

irreplaceable level of investment. It

is for this reason that I strongly

believe we must have a new

generation power station, built

alongside the existing sites. Many

readers may know that this is an

issue that I have taken up in

parliament and directly with

members of the government since

my election in May. I intend to keep

up that fight until we get the go

ahead for a new station.

There have been a number of

concerns that people have raised

with me regarding the Power

Station, and why it might not be

possible to build a new one. Some

say that the expansion of Lydd

Airport could stop it, but this is not

the view of either the Civil Aviation

Authority or the Health and Safety

Executive who advise the

government on these issues. Others

have raised the risk of flooding from

the coast, but the Environment

Agency have advised the

Government that they believe that

these risks can be managed, and

have to be to protect the marsh land

and the exisiting nuclear sites.

The Secretary of State for Energy

Chris Huhne, has stated that the

preferred sites for new nuclear

power stations would be alongside

existing sites and where there is

strong local support; Dungeness

would certainly pass both of these

tests. So why have we not been

given the go ahead. It is simply

because of the objection of Natural

England that to allow a development

within the Dungeness to Pett Level

Special Protected Area would

contravene the EU Habitats

They are putting the welfare of the

vegetated shingle above everyone

else. Natural England have taken

this view despite the fact that the

development site is on land largely

disturbed by the building of the

existing nuclear stations, and is less

that 1% of the entire protected area.

I do not believe that this develop-

ment could be said to disturb the

integrity of the whole site, something

that the regulations require them to

consider. In other countries

development has been allowed in

such protected areas; one example

of which was the German

government’s support for the

expansion of the airport at Baden-

Baden.

Natural England have also recently

announced that they would like to

expand the special protected area

around Dungeness by a further

2,500 hectares. Given the develop-

ment site for the new Power Station

is only around 50 hectares, if this ex-

pansion of the protected area were

to go ahead, that would surely be an

adequate compensation. However,

many people may have a general

cause for concern about what

expanding the protected area might

mean. Would this further extend a

dead hand across the area, stopping

any necessary future development

and even obstructing some of the

work on the coastal flood defences.

At a time when the country is looking

for investment from the private sec-

tor and overseas into our economy,

and we need to find new sources of

clean and readily available energy, a

new power station at Dungeness

would also seem to be in the

national interest. It’s proximity to

London and important location within

the South East means that transmis-

sion costs for the station will be

lower than from other sites. Industry

experts also believe that a new

power station at Dungeness could

be one of the first built and supplying

energy. The double whammy would

also be that without it, we would

probably end up importing more

nuclear energy under the sea from

the French.

For the long term success of our

local economy, and the energy

needs of our country taking forward

the proposal for a new power station

is the right thing to do.

The landscape around Dungeness

can be maintained and protected

alongside this development as it has

been for centuries.

So I hope you will join with me, and

say ‘yes to Dungeness’.

12

Damian Collins

MP

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On behalf of The Looker I

attended the last full Council

Meeting held at the Guild Hall.

The beginning of the meeting

was very civil with prizes being

given out to local residents for

the best kept gardens in both

town and coastal districts. As

this ended most of the people

left the chamber clutching their

prizes.

At this point I thought this was

going to be the highlight of the

night, how wrong I was! The

first part of the meeting after

prayers moved on to public

questions. The Mayor,

Rochelle Saunders then said

that there were no public

questions as these needed to

be submitted at least three

days in advance. However, a

local resident informed Cllr.

Saunders that he had in fact

informed the Clerk six days

prior to the last full meeting,

which was subsequently

cancelled!

The Mayor then let the

gentleman speak about the

problems with speeding

motorists on the Rype and also

concerns about the new play

area on the Rype. None of his

questions were answered

directly other than Cllr Goddard

stating that he would have a

word about the speeding

youths, especially when local

football matches were taking

place.

After that, the main meeting

started. I am trying to find

words to describe the fiasco

that ensued. It was so clear

that the council is divided. The

highlight for me was when Cllr

Goddard suggested that a

donation of £300 should be

made to help maintain a public

notice board situated in

Greatstone, only for the coastal

councillors to reject it! (am I

correct in thinking that for the

past three years they have

been stating ‘what has Lydd

Council done for the coast’.

Well on this display they don’t

accept it even when they do try

to help!

Other subjects being debated

on the night included the new

play area on the Rype aimed at

5 – 11 year olds and the

installation of a street light.

Several councillors suggested

that the light be turned off at

9.00 p.m. Cllr Godard then

suggested that ‘surely there

was no need for a light as what

right thinking parent would want

their 5-year-old out after dark’

and that it would only

encourage gatherings of older

youths. He was then shouted

down by Cllr Rev Davis and Cllr

Goddard asked for any

comments to be passed

through the chair and that the

outburst be noted. I for one

thought that Cllr Goddard acted

in a fair and professional

manner and the outbursts were

totally uncalled for!

This was the first time I had

ever been to a council

meeting. I was expecting a

high level of decorum and

professionalism, how wrong I

was. It came over as a group

of school children all trying to

get their own way and spitting

their dummies out when the

couldn’t.

So in conclusion I have a

suggestion for the people of

Lydd. As we all know times are

hard and Christmas is coming

with all its associated costs, so

don’t spend your hard earned

money taking your children to

Canterbury to see this year’s

pantomime, you have a free

one right in your town. Go to

your next council meeting and

see how the people you

elected act on your behalf.

More importantly perhaps

having seen the way that a

large majority of councillors in

Lydd behave, perhaps locals

could play their part in running

the coast and town areas of

this council. I will be finding out

how you go about standing for

the council and will publish my

findings in the next issue.

Guide Dogs for Blind

AssociationTuesday 2nd November

Coffee & Cakes & Xmas Cards

at Frenchlands, Rolfe Lane,

New Romney.

From 10.00 a.m. - 5 p.m.

British Legion Coffee

MorningIn aid of the Poppy Appeal

Saturday 6th November

10.00 a.m. - 12 noon

at All Saints Church, Jefferstone

Lane, St. Mary’s Bay

Christmas FairNew Romney Methodist Church

Saturday 6th November

from 9.30 a.m.

Greatstone Primary School

Open DayWednesday 10th November

9.30 - 10.30 and 1.30 - 2.30

13

Lydd Town

Council

Meetingby Terry Edwards

What’s On



Since our front page of issue 3,

we have been inundated with

correspondence relating to the

Romney Marsh’s three retained

fire stations.

Below are two examples...

Dear Editor,

Perhaps the most worrying aspect

of the discussions about proposed

changes in the retained element of

the Fire and Rescue Service is that

the firefighters have been "asked"

by senior management not to

discuss this with the media. I have

been assured by Ms. Millington that

this did not preclude them from

speaking with others. However,

when I as a member of the general

public asked questions of the

retained firefighters, comments

were only given on the basis of

anonymity, as the way the given

instructions were perceived was

that any firefighter who spoke out

would be subject to some form of

retribution. In other words there is

a climate of repression within the

Kent Fire Service, at least

emanating from the level of area

manager. I asked two weeks ago

for this policy to be at least

clarified, if not removed, but at the

time of writing nothing has been

done.

Apparently there has been

consultation with other public

bodies regarding changes, but on

checking with both district and

parish councils there is no record of

any approaches.

The contracts being offered to

retained firefighters are much more

restricting than that which they

presently hold. Whereas now their

primary job is with another

organisation, the offered part-time

contract is such that the KFRS

(Kent Fire and Rescue Service) is

the primary contract and other

activities must fit around

what the KFRS wants.

Whereas most employers

are willing to release

firefighters under present

arrangements because

there is a degree of

flexibility, they are unlikely to do so

with the proposed arrangement.

This will lead to a loss of presently

employed retained firefighters and

difficulties in recruiting them in the

future. This in turn will lead to

"rationalisation", i.e. the closure of

firestations.

What senior management are

doing is putting in a self-fulfilling

prophecy situation where it can

say, "There is no alternative!".

I suspect that there are more facets

to this matter that I am

investigating, and what is clear is

that there is a hidden agenda that

will reduce costs of the KFRS on

the Marsh, but ensure that the

rewards of senior management will

at the very least be maintained.

More on this on another occasion.

If Marsh residents want to feel safe

in their homes then they need to

make their voices heard loud and

clear.

Ted Last

More alarmingly, The Looker

received a letter from a current serv-

ing fireman. With this letter was a

questionnaire sent to every retained

fireman on the Marsh.

The letter said . . .

In fighting to protect fire stations

and appliances across Kent, the

attached Q & A sheet has a very

important comment that states,

“Many employees are providing

120 hours a week ‘on call’ cover.

The intention is that the maximum

number of hours ‘on call’ will be

more in the region of a maximum of

60 hours per week.”

This reduction of 50% will result in

a reduction of appliance availability

by half! This may be even worse

as many firefighters will not be able

to commit to definite hours due to

their primary job, the potential for

work hours and overtime to

change, thus resulting in them not

being able to meet their new

“contract” hours of availability for

the fire service.

Currently they can change their

electronic availability system to

reflect they have had to go into

work. This will no longer be an

option. With this in mind many may

be forced to resign and as a result

there will be even less people

available to keep the appliances

available for fire calls.

It must be noted that the current

Chief Fire Officer has just

announced his decision to retire

early.... It makes you wonder why

he has taken that decision now,

especially as ultimately he is

responsible for this reduction of

cover!

Anon By Post

14

Update on

Marsh Fire Fightersby David Wimble

The Editor with Questionnaire



Ferrets on the

Marsh

Do you know that there are wild

ferrets on the marsh? Well I didn’t

until the other day when I was out

in my car and saw a ferret walking

along the Ashford Road. I stopped

and thought I would try to see if I

could get it out of the road. I wish I

had not bothered because as I tried

to pick the little fellow up it bit me

and wouldn’t let go. I now have a

lovely chunk missing in my finger

for my troubles. So if you do see a

ferret walking or dancing in the

road, take my advice and leave it

well alone. If you have been

ferreting and have lost a ferret, you

could try looking along the Ashford

Road. One thing’s for sure, I have

a very sore finger for my troubles

Mandy Heath

Lydd Twinning News

Skittles and Sausage & Mash

Evening on October 31st

at The George Hotel Lydd

and also a Murder Mystery Night

on November27th, also at The

George Hotel.

Tickets from the George Hotel

or committee members.

We have to try to raise more

money due to the council not

giving us a grant.

15

Visit our Website

www.thelooker.co.uk


It comes to us all and unless you believe in ghosts it

will catch up with you one day.

Yes, enjoy your life now because one day we all die –

and often leave our loved ones behind to carry on

living their lives and coping as best they can. As you

know, it is going to happen and you could show your

love by preparing now and making a will. It’s not

morbid, it’s practical and it makes a lot of sense to do

this simple thing and save your family the hassle of

sorting out your estate after you have gone.

Can’t afford it? Wait until they see the bill for sorting

out the estate because you didn’t do it! Don’t know

how to go about it? Anybody who prepares wills for a

living is quite capable of guiding you through the

process.

Can’t be bothered? The government will say who gets

what whether you like it or not.

Don’t be daft – make a will!

The writer, Roger West, is a Chartered Financial

Planner, specialising in mortgages and protection. He

can be contacted at [email protected] or by phone

on 0800 002 9080.

Do you enjoy exploring the countryside of the Romney

Marsh? Would you like to walk or cycle a route of the

Marsh or surrounding area and help keep it in good

condition?

The Romney Marsh Countryside Partnership has over

200 miles of circular walking routes and cycle routes

on the quiet footpaths and lanes of the Marsh and

surrounding area. Each walk and cycle route explores

the wildlife and history of that area; from the smuggling

heritage of Dymchurch to the ruined churches around

New Romney and the wildlife along the Royal Military

Canal.

We need volunteers to walk and cycle the routes,

checking that routes are clear, signposted correctly and

bridges and stiles are safe. You may like to do a single

route as a one-off or do a series of routes in a

particular area; perhaps you would like to adopt your

local route and walk or cycle it on a regular basis.

The route packs have been published to encourage

local people and visitors to explore the Romney Marsh

countryside; more people using the footpaths and

lanes will have a positive impact on their maintenance

in the future!

If you are interested please contact Mark or Owen at

the Romney Marsh Countryside Partnership on 01797

367934 or e-mail: [email protected]

16


Were There’s a Will

There’s a WayRomney Marsh Rangers


17



18

You can grow your own flowers and

vegetables and know that they are

fresh and free from artificial chemicals

and preservatives.

You need have no worries as to the

quality of your crops as they will

mature and ripen naturally and you can

have the satisfaction of harvesting your

own produce. It is always exciting to

dig up your first potatoes or to watch

the runner beans that you sowed as

hard, dry seeds in spring grow around

their poles, attracting bees and forming

long, luscious pods in summer. You will

get a real sense of achievement as

you watch your plants grow and

mature and are able to take home

bags of your own crops, knowing that

you haven’t had to queue at the

checkout and pay top price for them.

If you have ever tasted home-grown

vegetables you will remember the very

special flavour quite unlike that of

anything bought from the supermarket.

Why pay extortionate prices for flowers

when you could pick your own from

your own plot? Or you could just leave

them to cheer the other plot holders as

they pass and admire your plot.

Having an allotment means that you

have to get out into the open air. It is a

means of taking exercise without the

boredom of a work-out and you can

spend as long as you like at any one

session and can stop when you have

had enough. You don’t have to run the

Marathon or even go jogging round the

houses after a session on the

allotment. You will feel you have done

your daily exercise routine, knowing

that your efforts will be worthwhile,

since you will be working to till the

ground and improve your crops.

How many children are unwilling to eat

greens and other vegetables? If they

have grown or helped grow them they

are sure to want to try them! You know

that by giving the family home grown

produce you are giving them the best.

Working an allotment is therapeutic, a

change from the workplace or the

home. You can work off your

frustrations and anger by digging or

pulling out the weeds. It will give you

an added interest that requires both

mental and physical exertion in

planning what crops to grow and when

to sow or plant and in the day to day

maintenance of your plot. It will take

your mind off your problems and give

you a quiet and peaceful environment

to work out possible solutions.

Some plot holders have greenhouses,

others use what methods they have

available to give additional protection

for crops

Allotments are friendly places where

you meet all sorts of different people,

with different interests. The whole

family can get involved and can work

together with a common purpose or

you may just want to get away from

them for a while and be on your own!

You need never feel isolated on an

allotment because there will always be

people passing and ready to exchange

ideas and offer advice. You need never

be afraid to ask what crops to grow or

how to set about it. You can be

assured that there will an abundance

of knowledge and experience which

you can tap into and before long you

will be sharing your experiences and

expertise with new tenants.

There is much to learn about the

environment and nature. You can

learn how to make compost and

recycle your kitchen waste to improve

the fertility of your soil and grow bigger

and better crops. You will learn to

recognise the song of the robin or the

call of the green woodpecker. You will

come across ladybirds, lizards and

slow worms. Your children will learn to

care for the environment and be

encouraged to discover how plants

grow and develop. If they have a part

of the plot that is their own

responsibility they can have the

satisfaction of growing and eating their

own radishes or onions, for example

as a change from watching TV or

playing computer games.

You can start at any time, although the

best time is the autumn when weeds

and grass are beginning to die down.

There is no rush to plant or sow new

crops until the spring and the ground is

usually just right for digging to prepare

and feed the soil for the spring. New

Romney and Lydd Council both have

allotment sites.


Down the

Allotment?by Ian Dimmock


19


It seems that Natural England, a Government

QUANGO, want to take over and control what we are

allowed to do on our Marsh.

According to a public consultation which has just

started, they want virtually the whole of Romney

Marsh, Denge Marsh and areas from Hythe to Rye

and beyond to become “Sites of Special Scientific

Interest”, and European RAMSARS (whatever they

are) you can more or less guarantee that they are

something to control what we are able to do on OUR

Marsh. The Shepherd understands from some

farmers that even their gardens are included in this

great land grab.

We all want to see the countryside in all its glory, but

this over protection is damaging to the people who live

and work in the area, it will stifle all changes that we

may want to carry out to what is in effect our land.

You will need Natural England’s permission to remove

a dead bird from your garden, this apparently has to

be done in writing, so how long will this take.

The Shepherd thinks that it is about time these control

freak QUANGO’s were told to leave us and our

countryside alone. If they get their way will we be able

to walk on our land? Maybe not as we may tread on

some special plant or lizard or something else that

they think may be on the Marsh, we may scare a bird

that is protected, we may not be able to enjoy our

countryside because it is protected! What then is the

point?

The Shepherd

View from the HutThe Shepherd


Letter to the Editor

It seems that Lydd Parish Council manage to completely mess up

once each month. Last month it was trying to split the Parish. This

month I understand they have refused a yearly grant to Town

Twinning, an organisation that is set up between councils to

promote friendship and cultural exchanges between European

nations. Lydd Town Council was instrumental in setting up our

twinning with Etrechy in France and the Mayor and council there

wholeheartedly support their Town Twinning with both money and

organisation. Our Council does nothing!

One wonders if our coastal councillors group refused the grant in a

fit of pique at not getting their own way over splitting the council.

After all it is called “Town Twinning” and we all know they do not like

Lydd Town!

Tim Crompton,

11 High Street, Lydd.

2020


Just For

Fun Crossword

1 2

3

4 5 6

7

8 9 10

11

12

13

AAccrroossss1. Fear of death4. Fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your

mouth

11. Fear of water12. Fear of blood13. Fear of confined spaces

DDoowwnn2. Fear of the number 133. Fear of dogs4. Fear of spiders5. Fear of cats6. Fear of fire7. Fear of books8. Fear of getting ill9. Fear of pain

10. Fear of developing a phobia

So you think you know your phobias? Try our just for fun crossword

The UK Population is approximately

60 million people. 32 million people

are retired. That leaves 28 million

to do the work.

There are 17 million in either school

or universities, which leaves 11

million to do the work. Of this there

are eight million employed by the

govenmeant, leaving three million to

do the work.

1.2 million are in the armed forces

looking for Osma Bin Laden or

fighting in Afghanistan, which leaves

1.8 million to do the work.

Take from that the 800,000 who

work for local councils and that

leaves one million people to do the

work.

At any given time there are 488,000

people in hospitals or claiming

invalidity benefit leaving just

512,000 to do the work.

Now on the last count there were

511,998 people in prison, which just

leaves just two people to do the

work. That is clearly you and I....

But I’m busy writing this, and you’re

busy reading it, so that leaves no

one to do the work!

This is clearly why we’re in deep

trouble in this country!

Why our Country is in so

much trouble!


SudokuPlace a number from 1 to 9 in each

empty cell so that each 3x3 block,

column, and full row includes each

of the numbers from 1 to 9 only

once.

2121


Issue 3 Crossword Solution

Issue 3 Sudoku Solution


22



23



24


The history of matches between New Romney and

Lydd goes back over 100 years. Both clubs were

formed at the end of the 19th Century and an early

match saw New Romney run out as 12–0 winners. In

the early days, Lydd played at The Banks and New

Romney on Southlands playing fields. Lydd moved to

The Rype just before the First World War and New

Romney to Littlestone Road in 1925 when Alderman F.

W. Maude left his land for the use of sport in the town.

In the early days, there were no pavilions at the

grounds and players had to change at home.

Matches continued after the First World War but were

suspended during the 1939-45 War with matches

resuming in 1946. It was probably in the 1950s that

the matches created the most interest and the games

were always very exciting and entertaining although

sometimes for the wrong reasons! Crowds used to be

large, sometimes four or five deep and supporters

even used to cycle to Tenterden on Good Friday to

watch their teams in the Weald of Kent Charity Cup

Final.

Some memorable games were played including the

following. In 1950, Lydd beat New Romney 3-1 at

Littlestone Road in the Folkestone Junior League with

Ted Frampton scoring a hat trick for the visitors and

Bill King replying for New Romney. A couple of years

later, New Romney were outclassed again with Lydd

winning 7-1.

In 1954, New Romney won the local

‘derby’ 2-1 in the last game of the season.

George Gillham and Bill King scored the

home sides goals and Michael Nickolson

replied for the visitors. The teams were

New Romney: W. Aldridge, Barlow, Webb,

Pumphery, D. Aldridge, Masters, Penfold,

E. Finn, W. Finn Gillham & King. Lydd:

Wood, Pope, Nickolson, Noakes, Ellis,

Tart, Wood, King, Williams, Lindsey,

Weaver.

The next year, in an exciting Folkestone

Junior League Div 1 match, New Romney

lost at home by the odd goal. New

Romney opened the scoring through Billy

Ellis and went further ahead in the second

half through Ian Tosh. In a Lydd attack,

‘Docker’ Williams reduced the deficit and

shortly afterwards Mick Lindsey equalised. ‘Docker’

scored the winner minutes later.

A particularly frustrating end-of-season for the New

Romney supporters was in 1958 when their club lost

to their great rivals in the Lydd Charity Cup Final and

also the League Cup Final. In the Lydd Charity Cup,

played on the Rype, the game produced a real thriller

with Lydd winning by the odd goal. George Gillham

scored a hat-trick for New Romney but it wasn’t

enough as goals from Mick Lindsey, Willis Burgess (2)

and Michael Nickolson saw the home side scrape a

4-3 win.

In the 1962-63 season, New Romney obtained

revenge and beat Lydd 2-0 in the Lydd Charity Cup

Final with Mick Lindsey and Ray Crook both being

sent off. The two clubs met in three finals in the

1972-73 season with Lydd winning the Ashford Charity

Cup and Kent Junior Cup and New Romney the

Weald of Kent Cup.

Ironically, over the years for various reasons, a

number of players moved from one club to the other

which added to the great rivalry between the two

teams. New Romney won the Weald of Kent Cup

again in 1975, beating their great rivals 3-2. John

Young and Ned Smith scored the winners’ goals with

Peter Barnes and Bruce Marchant replying for Lydd.

Pat Lindsey was sent off for Lydd.

New Romney beat Lydd again in the 1980 Final to win

the Weald of Kent Cup for the seventh time. Terry

Byrne scored a hat-trick for New Romney and Andrew

Lindsey scored for Lydd.

Although the rivalry between the two teams still exists

today, sadly the number of spectators attending the

matches is nowhere like it was in the ‘good old days’.

Thanks to Margaret Williams for the Lydd photograph and to ‘Lydd

Football Club’ by Peter Lindsey for help with this article.

New Romney FC

v. Lydd FC

A Long Rivalry

by John Wimble

New Romney Ist XI 1955-56. Bill King, Mick Dray, Bert Tyrell, Fred

White, Bob Barlow, Dennis Aldridge, Dick Apps, Cecil Pumphery,

Billy Ellis, Peter Webb, Kim Hunter & George Gillham.


25


Lydd 1st XI 1951-52. Harvey Brattle, Brian Lindsey, Bill Flisher, Eddie

Gillett, Ted Pope, Taffy Huntley, George Bingle, Will Wood, Bernard Ellis,

Docker Williams & Frank Armstrong.


26


SOCCER SIXES


27


The current strong north easterly wind is due to keep

blowing all week. Don’t despair, we are having and it

should continue, superb bass fishing in the surf. The

whiting are getting bigger (up to 1 1/2lb) and more

codling are being reported day by day. The cutting

tides are biggest at the beginning of the week and the

smallest on Saturday, so bait will be in very short

supply! Best baits, cocktails, worm (lug or rag) and

squid, cuttlefish worth a go...it’s tougher!

Pirate Springs and Littlestone

On a rising tide it should bring in some bass and

whiting.

Back of the boats

This is still the ‘hot spot’ for bass with plenty of fish up

to 4lb...This should continue.

Dungeness

Only a few cod reported so far, but the whiting are

getting bigger, bass are frequent with a smattering of

flounder, dab and sole. Behind the Power Station

down towards the ‘Diamond’ should give you the best

chance on a rising tide...the Power Stations make a

lovely windbreak!

Dengemarsh & Galloways

We have had a lot of small bass up to around 3lb

reported. Hopefully this should continue with the

usual whiting (better after dark). If anybody catches a

few codling let me know.

Jurys Gap

Bass should still be the target around high water.

Boat Fishing

It has been a slow start to the cod season. Yes some

good fish have come out all ready (up to around 13lb

on the Dinghy’s) but not great numbers but with this

weeks forecast I would think only the Charter Boats

will get afloat, if the wind drops who knows.

Tony Hills

Seagull Fishing Tackle

Fishing forecast for Dungeness

and District

for week commencing 11th October 2010


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