*UPDATE* The Kentish Express Folkestone has an excellent full page article on the Sandcastle Competition, we scanned it in at a nice big size, see it here*

Sandcastle Competition “Bigger & Better” as S&G Triumph!

On Sunday, the 4th Annual Sandcastle Competition, in aid of the Church Street Project, took place on Folkestone’s Sunny Sands.

Still recovering from Saturday’s carousing, we dragged ourselves down for the 10 am start, in order to take part. We had no idea, at that stage, that we would go on to be crowned this year’s champions, with our ‘Gary the Grotesque Gargoyle’ entry.

This year saw a record-breaking 45 teams taking part, and there was no shortage of imaginative ideas and inventive techniques on display, as Read the rest of this entry »

Back with a bang!

Spacious and Gracious are out of hibernation, and what better way to kick off our summer season, than to bring you action from this year’s Charivari parade. Praise be to Strange Cargo Arts Co, for all their continued efforts to bring this noisy, colourful event to our town. This year’s theme was, ‘A Night at the Opera’, and as usual, the procession wound its way from the harbour area, up the Old High Street, through the precinct, and up onto the Leas. The quality of the costumes and bands was as high as ever, as was the obvious commitment from all involved.

Read the rest of this entry »

Though Folkestone has had a covering of the white stuff, we have probably enjoyed less snow over the past week or so than many parts of the country. For birds from Scandinavia, like the many small flocks of redwings currently visiting the area, it is a relative haven. We’ve put together a short, informative video of some of our local birds as they forage for food, and generally find ways of coping with the harsh conditions. Also, as this week would have been Elvis’ 75th birthday, we’ve chosen The King’s version of Snowbird, for the soundtrack. Read the rest of this entry »

The team at S&G joined up with three amigos, to take part in Folkestone’s annual boxing day dip. The weather leading up to Christmas had been severe, and there was talk of disclaimers  and risk, but we were not to be deterred. Read the rest of this entry »

On Sunday, having had a mammoth bottled ale sampling session the previous night, (conclusion: we liked them all, but Gentleman Jack, at a quid a bottle from Asda, stood up well in more sophisticated company), we took our hangovers for a walk along the beach. Read the rest of this entry »

After a short, but intensive burst of work in London, I was glad to be back in Folkestone on Monday.

(The best thing about commuting to London, was the chance to try out the new high-speed service to St Pancras, which is a real treat, compared to the standard train journey. Folkestone is fortunate to be less than an hour away from London).

I thought I’d take my camcorder into the town centre, and, with the possible exception of the footage of the gargoyles on the church tower, film some of the urban backend of Folkestone, and put together a montage, with soundscape. Read the rest of this entry »