Winter Solstice Celebration at the Landmark garden 21st Dec 2016

We have our free Community gathering the Winter Solstice celebration at the Landmark Garden on Wednesday 21st Decemeber 5:30-7:30pm. 

This is to mark the end of one growing season & the start of another and celebrate the work all our our volunteers have done over the last year and the great support from our local community.

Mulled wine, Seasonal eats and cakes, Storytelling with Roisin and music from the Deal Hoodeners, Jon & Elaine, Adrian O and Sunshine Ukes so far...

Please bring a jar and tea light to chase away the darkness! Donation of food welcome.

Dress toastie.

NB: The event is weather dependant ...so if it is pouring down we will be in the bar!

Charlotte Daly has a Jar painting session in the Landmark Garden on Saturday 17th Dec from 11am.

Bring a washed jar, an old tea-towel and a large nail or old nailfile please. We will paint the jar, use the towel to stabilise it and the nail/file to etch out shapes. For very young children stencils will be used instead of the nail/file.

You can leave any spare jars or tea lights in the Garden by the planter.

Dover District Council is looking for Flood and Snow Wardens

Dover District Council is looking for volunteer Flood and Snow Wardens - Please follow the links if you are interested

DDC are looking for volunteer flood wardens to help us monitor areas that are at risk from flooding.

Full training is provided.

Find out more and how to volunteer »

DDC have teamed up with Dover District Volunteer Centre to launch a new Snow Warden Volunteer scheme. Snow wardens are volunteers from the local community who give up their spare time to help clear snow during bad weather. Find out more and how to volunteer »

Victoria's Green Matters - 8th December 2016

Deal With IT's Secretary Victoria Nicholls writes a regular column in the East Kent Mercury:

It is astonishing to read that air temperatures are 20°C above the seasonal normal in the Arctic and sea temperatures are nearly 4°C higher than average for the time of the year.

This sort of dramatic change makes it likely that tipping points will occur; this happens when a natural system, such as the polar ice cap, suffers sudden change that has a huge effect on surrounding ecosystems which is often irrevocable.

There are several climate tipping points, identified in the Arctic Resilience Report released last month. The research was compiled by eleven organisations including the Arctic Council and six universities. Amongst other changes there is growth in dark vegetation on the tundra which replaces the reflective snow and ice, absorbing more heat; as the tundra warms more than normal amounts of methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas, are released; there are movements in snow distribution that warm the ocean which result in changed climate patterns many miles away in Asia where the monsoon may be altered.

The Arctic ice cap helps to cool sea and air temperatures by reflecting most of the sun’s radiation back into space. It also acts as a cooling system when winds blow over it and the ocean currents flow under it. It has been known for a long time that the ice cap plays a vital part in the global climate systems but to observe and monitor these systems has been both difficult and expensive and only in recent years have scientists been able to make detailed evaluations.

Human activity throughout the world has led to climate change of an unprecedented degree and will greatly increase the risk of more tipping points occurring so reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is vital.



If we need yet another focus for anxiety, it has been revealed that the US president- elect has plans to remove the budget for climate change science, used by NASA and others, for research into Arctic changes, and to spend the money on space exploration!

Hands on workshop on real Chocolate 21st Jan 2017

If you want to get hands on with Chocolution in the New Year our friends at The Chequers are hosting 2 chocolate experiences . 

The first is a 1 hour introduction into the bean to bar process and is a perfect gift for the chocolate lover in your life. Spaces are limited.

Sat, January 21st, 2017
2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
£15.00

See more

Results from the Great British Beach Clean in Sept 2016

Deal With It's Beach Clean back in September 2016 was part of the Marine Conservation Society's 'GreatBritish BeachClean' - a nationwide survey of our beaches.

The MCS has recently published its results - they can be found here

The September 2016 Great British Beach Clean saw just short of 6,000 volunteers clean 364 beaches around the UK, recording the litter they found. The results have revealed a mixed picture.

We picked up a huge amount of rubbish - 268,384 individual pieces, although this is a little lower than last year.

The number of plastic bags found have almost halved in a year. We think that’s down to the charge at the checkout, which is now in place across the whole UK.

But there was an astonishing rise in the amount of balloon related litter, up over 50% on 2015. There were more drinks containers, bottle caps and lids, too – up more than 4% on the previous year.

DDC Energy Deal Scheme Could Help You Save Money On Your Energy Bills

Energy Deal Scheme Could Help You Save Money On Your Energy Bills

You could save money on your energy bills with the latest round of Energy Deal – that’s the message from Dover District Council, who are launching the latest round of the popular collective switching campaign today, (06 December).

Residents can register to take part in the latest round up to 13 February 2017. Energy suppliers will then be invited to compete with their best offer at an energy auction. Residents registered with Energy Deal will be sent a personalised offer showing the winning tariff, which they can then decide whether they want to accept.

DDC is working in partnership with Dartford, Gravesham, Tonbridge & Malling and Tunbridge Wells councils to operate the Energy Deal scheme. For more information or to register, please see the Energy Advice pages or leave contact details on 01304 872428.

Xmas Deal Beach Clean - 4th Dec

Massive thank you to our 28 volunteers out on a Sunny Deal Beach Clean today - picked up a lot of small plastic stuff with over 45kgs collected.

The Beach Clean will be on Sunday 29th January 2017 at 10am Deal Pier