I've been happy to hep my friend Joy Austin for years in promoting the summer Charity Boot Fairs she has run for years at St Mary's College Playing Field in Shorncliffe Road, Folkestone.

The profit on the pitch fees (after costs) goes to two charities close to Joy's heart: Macmillan Cancer Support and Cardiac Risk in the Young.

You'll have seen that the diggers have again hit the beach and started the regular (and very necessary!) beach management works. I asked Folkestone and Hythe District Council who lead the works on the timetable, and they say:

"Works started on the beach management on Monday 4th April and are expected to last for 8 weeks. We are aware that crosses the Easter holiday and are keeping a close eye on weather and visitor traffic. The contractors are aware we may need to limit operations and movement as need be.

I've written before about the £150 Energy Rebate, and how payments will be made to people in Folkestone and Hythe.

Paying tens of thousands of people by DD is not a thing the Council team has done before (business Covid grants for example were on a much smaller scale, as there are far less businesses than residents), so they are needing to build processes and test systems. They absolutely don't want to get this wrong!

I hugely support giving more support to families for their soaring energy bills at this time. Notices are arriving of eyewatering price increases from 1st April from almost all suppliers, and there is no sign that is going to change in the near future. Households need help, and they are going to need help over months and years, not just one-off payments.