Town team general meeting
- 30 May 2013 23:11231596But Keith, the cherry-picking of phrases has already started!
And no-where did I mention Governments this time - except to exclude them.
If something as clear as crystal English is already misinterpreted, I'd end up going blue in the face repeating myself, and will have to change my identity on the NHS sheet to - Blue British
Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - 30 May 2013 23:30231598One thing is for sure. If the idea is not presented to the Team it will not be considered. I don't see any point in discussing this further.
If anyone wants to come to the meeting with an idea that they want to implement that benefits the Town Centre and that the Town Team can help to facilitate, then please, please come along.
Alexander, you are most welcome but you have to want to do something, not just talk about it. It is very simple. - 31 May 2013 00:57231601Thanks so much, Simon, but it is the other way round.
Others would have to decide whether to do something, if we're talking of this proposal, as I clearly have already done something in proposing it.
If the Town Team is made up of retailers, then presumably you purchase products from factories and sell them in your shops or at market stalls.
My proposal is that we have a factory in Dover town or district producing something that the retailers can buy and sell, with Made in Dover written on the label.
Claro?
As the whole world and their dog come to Dover but no-one invests in Dover, the idea is, that Dover (and District) put the money together to open and run such factory. And also, at some point, earn on dividends from an eventual profit.
It could be a clothes factory, for example.
One could start with one simple project, and expand if it goes well.
As of yesterday I figured that I may even have £100 to invest in it, which is quite a substantial sum for me.
That said, if something well thought up took hold and was successful, being innovative and original as it is, it could even bring in greater returns than originally imagined, and snowball into an even greater success.
It could end up in the national press: Dover produces clothes Made in Dover, at honest English wages, not at £30 quid a month.
It could become a national hit!
If you wait too long, Simon, Folkestone may get there first, once the idea is out and about.
What then?
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - 31 May 2013 02:00231603Well good luck to Folkestone then...
- 31 May 2013 08:18231609Some positive contributions, we hope to see you all at the meeting.
Pauline's idea is a very good one, if I'm honest I have no idea how we would go about administering such a scheme. Pauline, please come along to the meeting and raise this point, if nothing else it will be a worthwhile discussion.
Alexander, your concept is admirable and a wonderful idea, but at this stage it's just that, a concept. It seems we would need a factory, plant and machinery, staff, training etc etc which would run into £000s. This is well above the remit of Town Team, but if you were to prepare a costed business plan we'd de pleased to look at it and see how we could take it further. Again, please come to the meeting to discuss. - Keith Sansum1
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31 May 2013 13:00231654balls in your court alexanderALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 31 May 2013 17:15231681For now there is my A4 sheet.
Well a costed business plan in the form of a clothes producing factory could be phase 1.
A shame there are no green grocers in the Town Team, as an orchard could have been helpful.
I'll see if I can come along with a partially costed plan on 10th June.
There is a decorating job for that period, but I'll move it out to the next day.
Judging by the prices Marks & Sparks charge, I estimate the same could be produced and sold here for even less than that price.
The idea would be, to promote a Made in Dover campaign and place billboards all over Kent.Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - 31 May 2013 17:20231682I also surveyed the price of Clark's shoes made in India, and believe they could be made here and sold cheaper.
A tour in De Bradlei's gave the same result.
Shoe Zone sell plastic shoes cheaper, but I'd be looking at leather shoes Made in Dover and sold cheaper than Made in India.
All in all, some research has already been carried out.Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - 31 May 2013 17:21231683The shoe factory could be phase 2, by the way.
Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - Keith Sansum1
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31 May 2013 19:22231695will be interesting to see what the town team think of alexanders plans
and any way forwardALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 31 May 2013 21:05231705Both the clothing and shoe factories based in Deal have closed.
- 31 May 2013 22:51231713Well this goes to show, that we have a fantastic opportunity to get something up and running, as evidently there are no factories left. So we'd be probably supported by large swathes of the local people in trying ti reestablish some local economic production.
Hopefully there will be people at the meeting prepared to support my proposal, and together we could find ways of moving it forward. There appear to be some good responses thus far, which is encouraging.Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - 1 June 2013 01:08231715Thinking of a logo, that is open to discussion.
One could be: Industrious Dover, with a representation of a Dovorian handing an entire garment to St. Martin.
A surprised St. Martin responds: well done, lad, you've managed to pull yourself out of poverty!
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - 1 June 2013 09:49231742supporting your proposal and finding money to finance it are two very different things alex, the town team are working on a shoestring.
- 1 June 2013 12:11231751That must be taken into account, Howard.
But once the idea is up and running, it can be given thought.
Preliminary research would require assessing whether we have people in Dover and adjoining areas who'd be interested in this kind of employment, as mentioned in the above posts;
where to find skilled people to offer training and management;
how much it would cost to start a production centre;
how eventual profits would be managed as to further investment and dividends, and several other aspects.
As for people who might wish to participate in the financing, that too would require some assessment.
However, an idea must first be presented for it to be considered.
Importantly, if the intentions are community-friendly and transparent, intended to promote employment locally in productive economy, that is the point.Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - Keith Sansum1
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1 June 2013 23:43231814no one im sure would disagree with such plans
but like howard says theres a big amount of finance required
still not sure where this is coming from??ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 2 June 2013 01:10231819If the plan is presented, Keith, then it becomes known.
If the idea is considered worthy, then people can decide whether to participate with financial investment in return for shares rendering dividends (on condition there is a profit).
The plan excludes borrowing from financial institutions. Any investment would be in return for shares.
Before any investment were made, the plan would need to be fully costed and approved and all legal requirements set in place.
Basically we are talking here of clothes and shoes made in Dover.
These could be sold in Dover, elsewhere in Kent, beyond the Wall in Scotland, and oversees.
A trademark could be advertised and become a household name.
Production could increase and more people could be employed.
We would be offering a Made in England brand, specifically Made in Dover.
The exclusion of middlemen making enormous profits and a policy of sale directly to the retailer would keep retail prices within limits.
Good quality at fair prices with NO cheap labour.
What I am presenting is an idea and a partially costed plan, and I'd be prepared to invest £100 from my savings once it were up and running (in return for an equivalent share).
There would be full transparency in all investments and economic operations, with one or more employed accountants keeping track and doing the paperwork.Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ - 2 June 2013 02:17231820This is how the old Co-operative Society started many years ago, the general public were offered £1 share, each share had a number, I still remember my families numbers, it started I believe as a food outlet, then expanded into clothing, electrical, furniture, butchery, chemists, funeral directors, haberdashery etc, the dividends kept the people loyal, paying out every so often a bonus on the amount they had spent at the stores, you could also get Mutualality tokens to spend in the stores payable over 20 weeks at no extra cost, these were collected by a regular collector weekly, Roly Ecoff used to collect ours, this sort of thing helped the less fortunate, to get what they needed in clothes or furniture that they could not go and buy outright,
This is a good idea of Alexanders, there are a lot of people out there that live on the breadline, and taking out a share that would pay a bonus perhaps yearly to start with, gradualy bringing it to quarterly would encourage people to join - Keith Sansum1
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2 June 2013 09:38231840lets see how the town team together with alexander move forward with this oneALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS - 2 June 2013 13:00231862The response is encouraging, so if people put in their ideas on how to bring forward the project then we could already start looking at where possible production sites could be located.
Perhaps a building could be rented.
What we would need is some skilled workers with experience in manufacturing of clothes and shoes who can offer training.
Machinery will need to be purchased, and all health and safety requirements assessed.
There would also be need for designers of clothes and shoes.
When everything is fully assessed at paperwork level and all stages of the project have been finalised, and skilled workers have been found as well as aspiring workers willing to be trained, then, and only at that point, would any financing in return for shares take place.
Up to that point everything will have to be voluntary input.
If good quality garments and footwear are displayed as model items produced and sold at fair prices, in order to get production running all we'd need to do then is advertise the brand and receive orders.
An initial success could then rapidly pick up into a greater success.Chanters, Drums and Drones Potty Time http://youtu.be/99fMqpjnXYA
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Kent First http://youtu.be/04F3mAP3fV4 Keep banging on http://youtu.be/qYCU_SKmkGQ