More beach huts on the way to the Isle of Sheppey

More beach huts are on their way to the Isle of Sheppey following the appointement of a contractor by Swale Borough Council.

There are currently 55 popular beach huts on the island. The 26 new ones will be located at Minster Leas (pictured above) and Leysdown and will help meet the high demand and reduce waiting times. There are just under 200 people on the waiting list at the moment. Some of the huts will be available to buy, others for both long and short-term rentals.

There will also be a community hut at Minter as part of the new project. This will be available for a range of community groups to utilise, adding to the one already in Leysdown.

Works are due to start at Leysdown in mid-September and Minister in early November.

The council is also assessing whether to install further huts at Minster Leas, but say they would consult residents and key stakeholders before adding any new ones.

“Demand continues to grow to enjoy our beautiful coast," said Councillor Monique Bonney, chair of the economy and property committee at the council. “The beach huts have always been popular, and now we will have different ways of owning or renting them, to make sure they can be enjoyed by as many people as possible. Now we’ve got the green light, we’ll get to work planning and building the huts, so people can start to spend even more enjoyable days on our fantastic beaches.”

Pic courtesy Swale Borough Council

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Charles Dickens’ writing chalet restoration update

There are optimistic sounds coming from the campaign to restore Charles Dickens' writing chalet in Rochester which as you know has been in an increasingly poor state of repair for some time now. 

The project - a partnership between Medway Council and the Friends of Eastgate House - now has its own website where its mission statement is "to revive and reimagine Dickens’ Writing Chalet as a vibrant cultural space for the community". Here's what they say:

Alongside other key heritage sites — such as Eastgate House, the Six Poor Travellers, Restoration House and The Bull Hotel – the Chalet will become part of a compelling story about place, history and imagination. It will also serve as a platform for events and fundraising activities to secure its future use and ongoing maintenance, helping to preserve its legacy for generations to come.

Recent events over the summer have included opening the chalet to the public during August, and the presentation of a mini chalet scale model to the Annual Conference of the Dickens Fellowship. We'll keep you posted on further updates on this extremely worthy scheme.

Image courtesy Rye Design

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Cognito's wins Pub Shed of the Year competition

Wolverhampton Wanderers fan Glen Gandy from Willenhall has won the fifth Pub Shed of the Year competition run by Two Fat Blokes Bar Signs and and Ngage Radio.

His pubshed Cognito's cost him around £20,000 to build and took him two years. Features include a DJ booth, hot tub, jukebox and Space Invaders machine, Wolves tops around the walls, a large television, and fridge stocked with beer, as well as a beer garden with barbecue seating area and shower room. The name is a tribute to his late friend and comedian Ian Cognito.
 
The other finalists were The Cattle Shed in Walsall, pictured below and created by West Bromich Albion fan Kev Cattell (coincidentally a friend of Glen's), and the BrennInn in Burnley by Chris Brennan.
 
Glen wins a range of personalised items for his pub shed, including beer mats and a bar sign.

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