The best laid plans......

Hello, and welcome to my post.

I'm sorry it's late and Vlogless, but this week I've had to throw in the towel and go with the flow. I'm not complaining though because it's been fabulous.

It kicked off to a good start with the culmination of the Passion for Shoreham at Shoreham Fort. The weather was perfect, and the event was relaxed and well supported. In fact, all three days were well attended and it was a treat to see neighbours revealing their acting talents. I take my hat off to all those involved in planning the performances, which really brought the community together.

In case you couldn't get there, here is a snap shot of the final day.

The Last Supper.

The Crucifixion

Jesus was serenely played by Paul Muzzall of Sompting Community Church. Helen Morris poured her heart and soul into the role of Mary Magdalene, and Edgar Powell, playing Bartholomew, gamely continued after a nasty fall.

After three weeks of entertainment, the Adur Festival has drawn to a close and it's time for us to find our own fun as the volunteers from Friends of Shoreham Fort, Beach Dreams and Churches together in Shoreham step down.

Next week will, hopefully, go according to plan, so I'll be back with comments on the EON public consultation that wasn't, What makes us Human? and my book.

Thanks for popping by. Have a great week and see you next Friday.

Next stop, Passion for Shoreham.

Hello and welcome to my blog. It's nice to see you again.

I've got lots to get through today, so I'm going to dive straight in.

Last weekend was Beach Dreams, and, as always, it was a joyous event. The bands were great, the sun was warm, thousands of good humoured people turned up, and the traffic was a nightmare. In fact, in a rare moment of girl power, I engaged in a bit of traffic control when the shuttle bus got struck at the top of Ferry Road.

Talking of power, from Friday 14th - Sunday 16th June, Passion for Shoreham will be taking centre stage as actors and singers re-enact the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The plays will take place around the Church of the Good Shepherd, St Mary de Haura, East Street, Marlipins Museum and Shoreham Fort. The Passion starts at the Church of the good Shepherd at 7.00 p.m on Friday and we are encouraged to wear warm clothing and bring something to sit on. On Saturday, the action moves into town. Monologues will be performed in the upper room of the Marlipins Museum at 10.45 a.m and 1.00 p.m whilst the plays will start at 11.00 a.m in East Street. On Sunday, the Passion moves back to the beach with performances starting at 2.00 p.m at Shoreham Fort. Do take a picnic and something to sit on. As the final day deals with the death and resurrection, I'm expecting some powerful performances.

Moving onto another sort of power, the next public consultation on the Rampion Offshore wind farm proposal is due to start tomorrow. E.ON's website has not been updated to show when and where we will be consulted, and nothing has come through the post. However, I understand that they will be advertising in the local and national press. I was highly critical of the lack of effective publicity for their last public consultation, and I know it's early days, but I've got an awful feeling of deja vu.

Right, I have to dash off now because I'm in the middle of writing Bill's war memoir. Bill is a 98-year-old beach resident who served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the Second World War. His is a  fascinating story of humanity on the battlefield and I'm aiming to finish the book before the end of summer.

I've finally sorted out the new look Vlog, so next week, I'll be back on screen.

Thanks for dropping by and see you next Wednesday.

Rampion and telecommunications: Will it still be good to talk?

Hello and welcome to my blog on this sunny but windy day here on Shoreham beach. Classic burning weather this.

Well, I'm in a very happy mood today because its been a fabulous week and I managed to read Rampion's Environmental Statement on telecommunications in less than an hour. Marvellous. But before I tell you what I've learnt, did you know that the BBC has a document on how wind farms can effect TV reception? I got terribly excited when I first read that, then realised that was probably not a good sign so have decided to give myself a rest from reporting on Rampion.

However, before I do, I need to answer this week's question:-

"Could the proposed wind farm effect our radio and TV reception, mobile phone and GPS signals during the construction, operational, and decommissioning phase of the development?" 

Unlike the question, the answer is short. It's no, or,  if you prefer,  "overall, the magnitude of potential impact is considered negligible," and negligible means, "no significant impact on the system are anticipated." There is, however, a "distinct possibility" that there will be an impact on marine radar and VTS radar, so, if you sail, you may want to read the report in full.

Now as I said earlier, its been a fabulous week in Shoreham, particularly for our Christian community, as last Friday four Deacons were ordained in town.

Stephen Sharpe, a Catholic deacon, was ordained in St Peter's and three Anglican deacons were ordinated in St Mary de Haura. By an astonishing co-incidence, both services were held at the same time and in a wonderful show of unity, the Anglican Vicar of St Giles went to the Catholic Ordination and as the bells rang across town, the Catholics offered prayers for the new Anglican deacons. Later this month, we'll see more examples of Christian unity with the Passion for Shoreham, spearheaded by the Church of the Good Shepherd here on the beach.

Passion there was a plenty at last week's Military History Weekend at Shoreham Fort.

We popped along on Sunday and were struck by the number of people that came in period dress. This event is getting bigger and better each year and it was heartening to see that spectators brought along a blanket and settled down for the day.

If you couldn't make it, here's a flavour of the weekend.

Thanks to the Friends of Shoreham Fort, for putting on a great weekend. 

Well, as the Marquees were removed from the Fort, others were being erected at Beach Green. Yep, another army of enthusiastic and committed volunteers are gearing up for Beach Dreams, our free annual festival of music. Toploader, ("Dancing in the Moonlight"), will be head lining on Saturday night and the incredibly chilled, yet talented, Richard Durrant, will be playing on Sunday morning. 

As always, the festival kicks off on Saturday morning with parades from the Church of the Good Shepherd and the Beach School, merging at Beach Green at 12.30 p.m

West Beach parade 2010.

The church parade will process down Kings Walk and the school parade will jiggle up to the top of Shingle Road before joining Old Fort Road. They will take about 30 minutes to reach Beach Green and there will be rolling road closures along the routes so do expect delays. 

Incidentally, I will be returning to the Vlog idea in the near future. Until then, have a great week and see you next Tuesday.