Lovely Charing - Kent

Wood You Like, Best Flooring Retailer 2010

Exciting news from the desk of Wood You Like:

The readers of the magazine Interiors Monthly have voted for the 2010 Best Awards:

Best Flooring Retailer ( 1 - 2 stores)

Just returned from our short break we received a very nice surprise in the mail: the above framed certificate of the readers choice in the category Best Flooring Retailer ( 1 - 2 stores).

All winners in all categories will be announced in next month's issue of Interiors Monthly.

Thank you Allan

From the village

A BIG Thank you to Charing Stores

The recent snow affected all of us in one way or another. I had 14" of it in my garden and, as I write, it has only just melted and disappeared. I was one of quite a few people in Charing who were snowed in, so I needed extra help.

There is one person who I believe deserves our extra thanks. Allan Dixon of Charing Stores normally has an early start to his day, but during the snow this was lengthened quite considerable. With a 3.30am start he delivered the milk, returned to base and sorted the newspapers and magazines for delivery, returning again to sort out groceries for delivery. He did this mostly on his own, using his van and a sledge. This took him much longer than usual and he helped so many people like myself, who could not go out. He literally went that extra mile to help so many of us.

So many thanks Allan for pulling more than your own weight to help us all where you could.

From all the snowed in folk of Charing: Thank you Allan!

Charing Business Association - what's being done so far

In the last few months the CBA committee has been working hard - mostly in the background, however we are sure you have noticed some busy activity in (and around) Charing's busy High Street. Where other villages seem to struggle to attract visitors, new villagers and shoppers, Charing is definitely going forward.

First of all, coming into Charing from the roundabout everyone is welcomed with our charming banner:

Charming Charing, where there is always something going on

Secondly, all CBA members (17 businesses and growing) can now be recognised by the window badge proudly stating CBA's cath-phrase: committed to the community.

Thirdly: the Charing website has a constantly growing number of readers (from in and outside the village, some even as far as France!) who want to be kept up to date on everything that is going on in the liveliest village in Kent- from activities from local organisations to interesting offers from CBA members.

The committee itself has gone through some (minor) changes, roles and responsibilities are now defined (you can download the list of contact details of the committee here - includes R&R's), becoming strong and effective. Every month there is a committee meeting to discuss/celebrate plans realised, plans in progress and future plans. You might not notice the immediate effect, but rest assured it is definitely putting Charing "on the map" in the most positive way.

Plans afoot:

• large and up to date map of Charing's plentiful landmarks to be installed in the High Street
• monitoring the number of cars of commuters really using the Station's car park 
• erecting "brown" village signs on the A20 (includes applying for grant for the signs)
• CBA stall at the Christmas Evening Event
• a whole list of activities for 2010 - so stay tuned (or subscribe to the newsletter and be informed by email the minute a new article is published here.
• Calling all other Charing Businesses to join the CBA and make Charing's community stronger and stronger.

Kent on track for a high-speed boom - Times Online

An important part of improvements being made to London’s transport infra-structure ahead of the 2012 Olympics, the new service – known as the Javelin – will make much of Kent feasible commuter territory. Estate agents and home-owners alike are salivating at the prospects for the property market.

Journey times from London to Ashford will be more than halved to 37 minutes; Folkestone will be 63, as opposed to 98, minutes away, while Ramsgate, at present two hours from the capital, will be 84 minutes by train.

It is the nearby villages, however, especially those perched on the slopes of the North Downs bisecting the county, that are more likely to become a honeypot for City commuters.

via property.timesonline.co.uk

That's what TimesOnline reported way back in 2007. The future is already here: The Javelin (High Speed Rail Link from SouthEastern) is already speeding down the line every morning from Ashford International Station to St. Pancras in London.

Charing is perfectly located on the A20 just 6 miles from Ashford International Station, has its very own station that'll bring you to AIS in no time at all if you don't want to drive down to Ashford.

If you know someone is looking to combine both the good life in a thriving village and the practicality of High Speed Rail travel to London and the Continent (Eurostar) direct them to our own Estate Agents:

Patrick Russel Estate Agents and Saddlers Estate Agents (both members of Charing Business Association - committed to the community)

Any of them will be very happy to source the perfect home for them. You can also tell them our village has "everything you need on their doorstep"

When innocent little games stop being innocent

Ever had a contest to see who could shoot furthest with a blowpipe or catapult? Good little innocent games we all played one day or the other. Trying to hit the furthest tree or a let a empty tin tumble from a wall, great fun.

It stops being innocent when the 'ammunition' hits properties of others. Accidental, yes that happens sometimes, so no harm done? Specially when the property doesn't seem to have received any damage, the little pebble just bounced of the window. Or the car doesn't seem to have a dent in it at all.

We've all done it and thought nothing of it: no harm done - even if we tried to scare away cats or birds - they only seem to hurry along, away from what 'hit' them so they must be alright.

Perhaps we never realised how a sudden bang to the window made the owners jump right out of their skin - what on earth happened? Is someone shooting at us? Are we being targeted by yobs, vandals?
What if the next 'lucky shot' will smash the window in a thousand pieces and someone gets hurt?

That's when innocent little games stop being innocent: when it effects innocent and unsuspecting others. Over the last few weeks "little" incidents like these have been reported, from a cat being found death after it was hit by an air gun (not in Charing) to properties (in Charing) being hit by who knows what just after dark. On at least one occasion the police had been called by the owners fearing their home was under prolonged attack.

No matter what is used as 'ammunition': coins, little stones or pebbles, plastic bullets or marbles - it only takes one 'lucky' shot to cause damage, even if it was not intentional aimed and just an accident. Harm can be easily done.

So please, warn/tell children - no matter what age, be it primary school age or secondary school age - that innocent little games can have dire consequences for others (and themselves).

Let them make sure that they use obstacles for target practising that are far away from properties. Far enough away for 'ammunition' not to hit any property, even accidental. And, of course, to leave wild live alone.