Deal Seedy Saturday 5th May 11am to 1pm

Saturday 5th May 11am to 1pm – Deal Seedy Saturday – Seed and plant swap at the Landmark Community Garden, Deal High St

Please bring seeds and plants to swap or donate – great way of growing something new and different or just get going in growing food.

As well as seed swap Sandown Castle Community Garden will be there will their home-made bird nesting boxes, Deal in Bloom will be on hand to highlight this year’s RHS SE in Bloom + Britain in Bloom which Deal town is part of, The Deal Hop Farm will also have a stall and a twiddling demonstration for members of the farm. Music will be supplied by the Landmark Ukulele Club

Organised by Deal With It – Deal’s local community green group

Captain's Garden @Deal Castle update

Captains Garden update: 
poppy river is coming on, the barley has started and 17 of our 21 hops are motoring.

Good progress on clearing the beds.

We would like to complete this in the next week ... so all diggers very welcome next 23rd Tues and 26th Thursday 10am to 1pm

We also hope to string the hop garden next week.

Donations for planting always welcome :)

NEXT: Public Open Day Bank Holiday Monday 28th May 1-3pm

Where does the Plastic Go? - DDC Talk Thursday 19th April 7pm Deal Town Hall

Remember the days before we relied on Plastic? Smugglers Records today 5:30pm

The bees are taking over the colliery - Snowdown

Former East Kent colliery vision: small business park and rural visitor attraction

 

 

Environmentally-friendly beekeeping company to bring new life and innovative small business opportunities to former colliery site
Wide range of new jobs to be created for local community to boost regional economy
Ambitious project to combine research, development, nature and industrial heritage in unique environment
Unique rural visitor destination for glamping, events and staycations

An exciting new project could transform a former East Kent colliery into an environmentally-friendly hub for start-up businesses, artisan producers, research, development and innovation, while at the same time creating an authentic and unique rural visitor attraction, the like of which you won’t find anywhere else in the UK.

Snowdown Colliery closed as a working coal mine in 1987. Since then, the 100-acre site has cut a forlorn figure in the rural landscape between Dover and Canterbury.

Now, 31 years later, plans are afoot to breathe new life into the colliery site, to see it reborn as Snowdown Park. A wide range of jobs, skills-based training, education and research opportunities will be created, alongside a new country park visitor destination for glamping, events and staycations, all giving a huge boost to the local economy and the environment.

Unlocking Snowdown’s potential while creating a genuine buzz at the heart of this ambitious transformation of a long-neglected corner of East Kent’s industrial heritage will be those much-loved friends of the earth…honey bees.

Local businessman and entrepreneur, Patrick K Murfet, Director of Bee Equipment Ltd, is spearheading the dynamic and environmentally-focused Snowdown Park project.

Currently based in the nearby village of Bridge, near Canterbury, Kent, Bee Equipment Ltd manufacture and supply beekeeping equipment for commercial operations and individual apiarists across the UK, mainland Europe and beyond.

A unique combination of nature, heritage and business innovation are the driving forces behind the plans for Snowdown Park.

The Bee Yard is the working title given to the top portion of the Snowdown site, close to the former colliery buildings. The Bee Yard will encompass the business park element of the proposal, the name giving a flavour of the style of the development and its artisan feel. The remainder of the site will form the new country park and visitor attraction: Snowdown Park.

The Bee Yard development at Snowdown Park will bring a much-needed hub for creative and artisan businesses, as well as providing an international centre for research and development into the health and welfare of the honey bee to the region.

The heritage of the former colliery will be seamlessly woven into the new scheme; Snowdown Colliery has a number of buildings of interest, which it is hoped can be brought back to life, preserving the iconic character of the site in a revitalised natural setting that is economically viable.

The natural landscape and topography of the former colliery will be integral to the sympathetic development of Snowdown Park. Once open, lovers of wildlife will be able to learn about bees and beekeeping, while enjoying the huge diversity of flora and fauna on the site, which will be key elements of its appeal for visitors.

Snowdown Park will become a magnet for nature-lovers and creatives, with opportunities for glamping, staycations and all kinds of events, once East Kent’s most exciting and original working-park development is up and running.

Patrick K Murfet said: “We are really excited about the opportunities for job creation and recreation that our unique development of Snowdown Park at the former Snowdown Colliery site offers.

"We have been working with the Coal Authority, the Plumptre Trust and Dover District Council on these exciting plans at the old Snowdown Colliery site for three years, and as everything starts to come to fruition we couldn’t be happier. All parties are supportive of the scope of the development, knowing that the site will be imaginatively and sympathetically reworked for a new generation.

"We aim to contain the redevelopment of the site to about 30 per cent of the total acreage, retaining and working with the site’s original landscape where possible.

"After all this time, we are looking forward to the start of a new and positive chapter for the Snowdown Colliery site.”

Cllr Keith Morris, Leader of Dover District Council, said: “This is a visionary project to bring the former Snowdown Colliery site back into economic and recreational use, playing its part in the exciting regeneration and investment programme driving new jobs and opportunities in the Dover district.

"The team at the Bee Yard at Snowdown Park are creating a real buzz around beekeeping, at a time when we’re starting to realise just how important bees are to world food supply.

"Snowdown Park, together with Discovery Park and the Betteshanger Sustainable Parks form a world-class cluster of environmental and life-science businesses.

"At the same time, Snowdown Park will be open to the public, providing an excellent outdoor facility for local people and visitors alike to enjoy.”

Note to Editors:
For further information about The Bee Yard at Snowdown Park, please contact 01227 832227 or emailinfo@snowdownpark.co.uk

#PlasticFreeDeal - Daily Plastic Info Stalls in the high St

#PlasticFreeDeal as of Plastic Free Deal Week are holding daily information stalls in the High St in Deal

These explain how people, schools and businesses can join in the campaign to reduce the amount of single use plastic in Deal and Walmer

We also have a number of examples of the products people are using in their own homes or businesses as substitute for single use plastic

Please come along and visit us 10am to 12pm Deal High St (either outside St Georges or in the precinct)

#PlasticFreeDeal Week Starts

 A week of events from the 15th to 21st April 2018 to highlight the plastic issue and hopefully turn the tide. 

New campaigning group PlasticFreeDeal is supported by Deal With It and is part of the Surfers Against Sewage initiative #PlasticFreeCoastlines

The aim of the campaign is to get all Individuals, Businesses in the town, Community Groups and Local Government to take a pledge to reduce its usage of single use plastic by at least three items.

Their website can be found at www.plasticfreedeal.org.uk - facebook page and Twitter
https://twitter.com/PlasticFreeDeal

#BigSpringBeachClean - Walmer Castle Beach Clean 16th April 2018

Lovely day for our second beach clean of #PlasticFreeDeal Week at Walmer Castle on Monday 16th April.

We had about 40 people today who collected 95kilos of rubbish.

Lots and lots of bottles found today. We had 20 volunteers from KCC, a group from Bright Sparks Pre-school and great support from passing dog walkers, runners & cyclists

who joined in.

Thank you everyone for coming.

Thanks for Sonja, Vicky, Ian & Steve from Deal With iT for organising and Kristina from KCC and Mark from English Heritage at Walmer Castle for support + welcome tea & coffee!

#BigSpringBeach Clean - Deal Beach 15th April

Massive thank you to everyone who volunteered their time on todays Deal Beach Clean - this was part of #BigSpringBeachClean a national initiative by Surfers Against Sewage of 570 beach cleans involving 30k people around the country this weekend.

It was also start event for Plastic Free Deal week. We think there was some 120 people who collected an amazing 164kilos of rubbish mainly avoidable single use plastic.

Thanks to organisers Rose, Ian, John and Steve.

I was great to see local scouts, volunteers from Sandown Castle Community Garden and fantastic turnout from A Company Kent Army Cadets.

Next one is on Bank Holiday Monday 28th May at Deal Pier