howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
doesn't charlie look young in that picture?
taken before the trials of being a parliamentarian took the inevitable toll.
Guest 660- Registered: 14 Mar 2008
- Posts: 3,205
Hope all goes well tomorrow,I am afraid I am at work keeping the wheels of the railway running,but good luck!
If you knew what I know,we would both be in trouble!
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Don`t forget the Hospital Rally..............10am to 12 noon.........Lets bring Dover alive and kicking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How did it go chaps? I am just back from Durham complete with son and eager to hear about it!!
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
I was in the town at 11.00am and the rally had finished.I met a person who had taken part however as I did not take part I shall not comment further .
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,895
I was told there were about 200 people but I was also told not that many, so take your pick.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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I would imagine about 150 to 200 not a bad turn out at all . Thank you Reg and all of those who where involved in arranging it
Guest 672- Registered: 3 Jun 2008
- Posts: 2,119
It was really weird Jan, loads at the square and by the time we got to the war memorial half had gone, I think Rooks and the burger stall had a lot to do with it.
Thank's to Guz I got some cracking shots from the town hall roof.
grass grows by the inches but dies by the feet.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
good photos ian, looks like it all went well considering today was an important christmas shopping day.
Guest 675- Registered: 30 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,610
The rally was a good idea and a fair turnout. It showed that there is a great depth of feeling in Dover for the need for a hospital in the town and that people are prepared to go out and demonstrate this feeling.
All the facts show the need. One of the busiest ferry ports in Europe with huge problems on the roads, often causing horrendous delays, and yet we have no functioning A & E. Even by road it can take hours to get to and from Ashford and by public transport it can easily take over three hours each way, depending on the time of day. A growing population with plans in place to increase the numbers. With the numbers passing through the port and the chaos inclement weather can cause on the roads in and out of the town the consequences of a major accident or incident in bad weather do not bear thinking about.
However the PCT or Health Trust wish to put all services into Ashford and Margate leaving us with little more than a clinic. All the speakers at the rally, who spoke well and passionately, walked right into their plans. It was clearly stated at the trust presentation that they liked the Buckland site because they could build their new clinic and sell-off the rest of the site for development. It was also clearly implied that they wanted to save even more on the site by not including Maternity Services. All this is public knowledge and yet all the speakers were demanding that they begin building NOW. What a gift to the Health Trust. This is exactly what they want, build their clinic, sell off the land and leave nowhere to expand. All of this they can do and turn around and say it was a public demand and we gave the people what they asked for.
There is space for a proper hospital, with beds, on the Buckland site and with careful planning it can be done without disrupting what services we have left. By temporarily moving the physio department to the present health centre new facilities could be built on and then the existing hospital can be refurbished. Best of all this could be started sooner rather than later as the site is already there.
If the Health Trust get their way and respond to public demand to build now by building their glorified poly-clinic, how long before they decide that two 'health centres' are not required and sell off the one in Maison Dieu Road?
I whole-heartedly support the call for a new hospital in Dover, it is long overdue and very much needed, but with the current plans in place calling for an immediate start in building could see any hope of ever getting one vanish forever.
Politics, it seems to me, for years, or all too long, has been concerned with right or left instead of right or wrong.
Richard Armour
Indeed and well said. We need the hospital, and it needs to be the right one. I know all the statistical arguments guffed out by the PCT, but simply the fact that we have busy and sometimes challenging port, with opstack to consider, UKBA stuff and our own population as well, saddled with a less than helpful public transport system, it really does seem a no-brainer to have a proper cottage hospital with A&E.
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
great spread of photos from paul and colette on the front page, many familiar faces there.
the hospital issue seems to be taking the same path as the dtiz thing and i tend to take the same line on both.
neither will be perfect but the choice seems to be that or nothing, in the case of the hospital i have confidence that reg, charlie and co have the drive to ensure that a standard is set at buckland that is a lot higher than anything we have now.
Guest 656- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,262
We joined the throng which was approx 200 strong, to lead the fight for Dover to 'Demand a New Hospital Now'. Take a look at the photos on the Front Page and of course the ones above, they show the passion and determination of the demonstrators who all surged up to the town hall demanding to be heard. Organiser Reg Hansell and fellow campaigner Mrs Chris Baker done us proud, Chris who at 80 years old, is an avid campaigner to this cause, she has 35 years of Nursing experience behind her. The demonstrators today were extremely passionate about getting not only what Dover wants but what it NEEDS!-A Proper Hospital
A stalwart job was done today by our MP Charlie Elphicke and indeed our speaker, Councillor David Hannent and our Mayor Ronnie Philpott.
As you can see in one of the photos above PaulB has taken up the challenge as an on the spot TV Reporter for Meridian, Well Done that man! Hope you can resist the temptation to jump ship, the money may be good, but remember, you do the Forum for the love of it
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
Well, it has to be good-bye hospital or good-bye Charlie E. You have a Conservative MP, the Conservatives are determined to PRIVATISE the NHS. Such is democracy in Britain today.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
Many thanks to the.............Management & posters of Dover Forum..........on the coldest morning of Winter so far.
It looks like a good result, good turnout, nice one guys. There is no doubt about the need, we just need to find the right pathwya and that includes the funding as well as the design. And what a real show of committment. Well done people!
Guest 663- Registered: 20 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,136
Yes it was a good turnout and it showed that dover does feel very strongly about wanting a hospital,and that for what ever reason the PCT seem to be dragging their feet over this issue, numerous meetings have been held and still we wait.
Hey there PaulB not everyday you get to interview an MP
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Yes indeed a good turnout. Well done to yourself too Reg for organising it all and being the driving force. A well done goes to MP Charlie Elphicke too...always good to see people working from any side of the political divide and standing together for Dover. We saw it in the past with Pauli Watkins and Gwyn Prosser marching and speaking on the anti prison rally. I still have pictures of that ancient occurance somewhere.
Cllr David Hannent was at the forefront again and was the continuity speaker at the event yesterday.
Yes indeed.. as per Ian's picture above as referred to by Colette and Jan. The Meridien reporter didnt arrive, just the cameraman, and yours truly was roped in to ask the questions for TV...interviewing Reg and Charlie among others. So there we are...never a dull moment.
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
Its the same guys who always work hard to make these things happen....two familiar faces here. Re David Hannent see the post above and also in shot here is sound man extraordinaire and ace forumite Terry Nunn
Main coverage and more pictures on the frontpage of ...
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,316
Except Paul that I didn't supply the sound. Due to an enormous cock-up there was no power available.
I was hoping to go out with a bang as it was to be my last event but it was not to happen. Put it all down to a lack of liaison and a foreshortened march. The event was advertised as being between 10 and 12. I won't dwell on it but nobody thought of any contingency plan.
Anyway, to go back to my comment about it being my last, I will still do St George's Day, Remembrance Sunday and Merchant Navy Day but no more, I've had enough.
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
