Backed by the people!

I thought I’d share this photograph of my new t-shirt.

I designed it online last weekend and it was delivered this morning. One of only two made, it was produced at no cost to the taxpayer of course!

The front shows the Stop Estuary Airport campaign logo, with the most recent version of my photo-wall on the back - featuring many local residents.

Keep up to date with the Stop Estuary Airport campaign by clicking here. Alternatively, take a look at the website run by the Friends of the North Kent Marshes here.

No surrender!

  

No surrender, no Thames Estuary airport!

It's been a while since I added anything on here about opposing the ludicrous idea of constructing an airport in the Thames Estuary. But that doesn't mean the issue has gone away, sadly. Far from it!

I thought I'd include my most recent ‘Stop Estuary Airport’ photo-wall produced last year, to highlight the parliamentary petition currently being organised by the MP for Rochester and Strood, Mark Reckless. Mark represents all of the communities on the Hoo Peninsula - from Cliffe to the Isle of Grain.

You can show your support for opposing a Thames Estuary airport, and for Mark's petition, by completing the online petition form on his website. Just click here to get involved.

If you’re concerned about the possible destruction of the Hoo Peninsula, please make every effort to get your voice heard! Tell all your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues about the petition - let's send the message, loud and clear, that there'll be 'no surrender' from the people of the Hoo Peninsula!

Stay in touch with the Stop Estuary Airport campaign by visiting Medway Council's dedicated website. Another excellent resource is the site run by the Friends of the North Kent Marches, click here to visit.

Step up and save the peninsula from destruction!

  

BBC Radio Kent airport debate arrives on the Hoo Peninsula!

On Tuesday 30 October BBC Radio Kent will host a community debate to give local people a chance of having their say about the future of aviation in the south east.

A panel of experts will come together at the Cliffe Memorial Hall, near Rochester, for the debate. Doors open at 6pm. If you’d like to be in the audience, you can request tickets by emailing Radio Kent here, or by writing to BBC Radio Kent, The Great Hall, Mount Pleasant Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1QQ. Admission is strictly by ticket only. 

Tickets are FREE, but are limited to a maximum of two per person and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Stop the Thames Estuary Airport!

The campaign to prevent our area being destroyed by a Thames Estuary Airport has really taken off!

Medway Council, the RSPB and Friends of the North Kent Marshes continue to work hard, and in partnership with local residents, to prevent this catastrophe from happening.

My Photo Wall - a work in progress!

Although the media hype has calmed down in recent weeks, local residents are being encouraged to ‘keep up the pressure’ and maintain the campaign momentum.

That's why it is great to see more and more residents and businesses across the Hoo Peninsula displaying posters, leaflets and car stickers.

The dedicated Stop Estuary Airport campaign website, run by Medway Council, provides detailed information about where you can pick up leaflets, posters and car stickers. It also explains how you can get involved in the campaign.

As well as the Medway Council site, it’s also worth taking a look at the website run by the Friends of the North Kent Marshes by clicking here. The RSPB website also has an interesting section about the Estuary Airport proposals, with lots of useful and detailed analysis and information.

Step up, get up and together let’s Stop the Thames Estuary Airport from becoming a reality.
  

News of Thames Estuary Airport proposals reach Switzerland

An unexpected package landed on my doormat yesterday, post marked Zurich. As I don’t know anyone in Switzerland, I wondered what on earth it could be!

It was from an organisation called SVS / BirdLife Switzerland and contained the latest edition of their magazine ‘Ornis’ - which reminded me of a request a couple of months ago from them to use one of the pictures from this website.

I don’t claim to be anything other than a keen amateur when it comes to photography, but it was nice to see one of my snaps actually published in a magazine. The image they selected shows a view of Hoo Flats, as seen from the Saxon Shore Way along the River Medway. The photo appears as part of an article about the Thames Estuary Airport proposals. Not speaking very good German, I’m afraid I can’t tell you ‘exactly’ what the article says.

Lots of interest in our little corner of the world. But not really a great surprise given that parts of our local area are internationally important to wildlife.

If you want to know more about why our local landscape is so important, visit the dedicated pages on the RSPB website here.

  

No Estuary Airport - the community delivers!

The last couple of weeks have been busy, with local residents across the Hoo Peninsula getting involved and delivering thousands of Medway Council and RSPB ‘anti airport’ campaign leaflets. And we haven’t stopped delivering yet - there are still more to do!

I’ve been out delivering with a team of residents from Hoo. We have nearly completed deliveries in the village - the largest settlement on the peninsula. 

We were given a morale boost at the beginning of the month when Mayor of Medway, Councillor Ted Baker, visited the village. The Mayor attended a meeting of the Parish Council and met with its representatives and members of the local community. He was happy to show his support for the campaign objecting to an airport being built in the Thames Estuary.

If you would like to find out more about Medway Council’s campaign, visit their dedicated website by clicking here.

  

No Estuary Airport - local artists have their say!

As part of the campaign objecting to an airport being built in the Thames Estuary, local artists have joined forces to present ‘Beauty or the Beast’ - an anti airport art exhibition.

Artists and photographers will be sharing their own interpretations about what an airport would mean to them and they hope to highlight what they say are the ‘inconvenient truths’ behind such a scheme.

Click the image below to see the promotional flyer.

Organisers of the exhibition, which will run from Friday 30 March for one week, hope to counter the glossy artist impressions produced by those who have proposed the building of a Thames Estuary airport.

The opening event will be on Friday 30 March (7pm to 9pm) at Nucleus Arts (Chatham Art Centre, 272 High Street, Chatham, ME4 4BP).

  

Medway Council against a Thames Estuary Airport!

Lots of people from across the Hoo Peninsula have been busy distributing Medway Council leaflets, car stickers and badges, as part of the campaign against an airport being built in the Thames Estuary.

Here’s the current flyer:

Medway Council will be providing updates on their campaign website, just click here to take a look.

  

RSPB ‘stepping up’ to say No Estuary Airport!

Leaflets are being delivered across the Hoo Peninsula, calling on local residents to oppose the idea of building one of the largest airports in the world - right here in the Thames Estuary.

A leaflet produced by the RSPB asks residents to go online and take ‘e-action’ by emailing the government to object to the proposals.

As everyone involved in previous campaigns knows, a scheme like this would destroy our cherished and much loved natural environment - a spectacular wetland of global importance! 

If you’d like to ‘step up’ and get involved, just click here.

  

No Estuary Airport!

Over the last couple of months there has been growing speculation and debate about the possible building of an airport in our area. As most people will know, there are two main proposals. One being an island airport in the estuary and the other a scheme on the Isle of Grain.

The RSPB are highlighting the threats to our much cherished wildlife and have been recording the views of local residents - posting them on their website as part of an audio feature (podcast) on the issues surrounding these proposals. Click here to have a listen.

Rolf Williams from the RSPB

If you’re interested in reading more about the negative impact these devastating airport ideas would have on our local landscape and wildlife, or to get involved in the RSPB ‘No Estuary Airport’ campaign, their website is one of the best places to go. Just click here to find out more.

You might also like to take a look at ‘No Estuary Airport’ website run by the Friends of North Kent Marshes, just click here.

Medway Council’s ‘No Estuary Airport’ website can be visited by clicking here.