Dreams can come true and they certainly did on Saturday at
Reachfields, where Hythe Town made it through to the first round
proper of the FA Cup for the first time. This is an incredible
achievement and I was thrilled to be at the ground to watch the game
and share in this special moment for the club. The last time a side
from the Kent League made it through to the first round of the Cup it
was the 1957/58 season. Their reward is a trip to football league side
Hereford United, a club with their own track record of giant killings
when in the 1970’s, whilst still in the old Southern League, they
knocked Newcastle United out of the Cup. Let’s hope that this time the
roles are reversed and that Hythe can add another higher league scalp
to their impressive run in the Cup. I would like to add my special
congratulations to the club Chairman Paul Markland and the team
manager Scott Porter.
Last Friday I visited Greatstone Primary school to meet Headteacher
Nicola Wood, and the staff and pupils. I was also interviewed by the
School Council and as always received some searching questions. In
particular I was interested to discuss the future needs of communities
on Romney Marsh and along the coast with regards to the kinds of jobs
that might be available when these pupils leave school. Following that
I joined Pete Talbot, the Headteacher of Castle Hill Primary School in
Folkestone to see their work and also join some of the pupils for
lunch in the school hall.
On Monday morning I was invited to see the nuclear decommissioning
work at Dungeness A power station. Hundreds of people are employed
there which shows how the active live of a nuclear power station
continues long after it ceases to produce electricity. Some of their
work is also at the cutting edge of technology in this industry. I was
pleased to note as well that the Department for Energy has been able
to protect its support for nuclear decommissioning; following the
Government’s spending review.
Later that day I was joined by the Headteachers of Brockhill Park and
the Highview/Foxwood schools, Sonette Schwartz and Neil Birch, along
with Yvonne Parry the Chairman of Governors at Highview/Foxwood and
Fiona Chapman the Deputy Headteacher of the Folkestone School for
Girls, for a meeting with the Education Minister Jonathan Hill. We
were there at the Department for Education to press the case for
investment in new buildings for these schools, and also Pent Valley
and the Harvey Grammar School. The schools have been affected by the
review of the Building Schools for the Future programme, which the
Government is conducting to make sure that as much of the funding
available goes to the schools that really need the investment, and
that as little as possible is wasted on consultants and unnecessary
regulations; problems that schools had complained about under the old
system. However, we were reassured that the review will be concluded
by the end of the year, and that funding will be prioritised for those
schools in the greatest need for new buildings.