When the stage school which my daughter attends (Step Up Music Theatre School) were successful in their auditions, and were chosen to compete in the live finals of the U.K. channel 5 programme, ‘Don’t stop believing’ I was so happy for this hard…Read More

When the stage school which my daughter attends (Step Up Music Theatre School) were successful in their auditions, and were chosen to compete in the live finals of the U.K. channel 5 programme, ‘Don’t stop believing’ I was so happy for this hard working, talented bunch of kids and their dedicated principle, Nathalie. These youngsters always work hard and support each other all the way. Being part of ‘Don’t Stop believing’ was a big thing for the stage school as a whole, not only the pupils eligible to actually compete in this televised competition based on the very popular US programme ‘Glee.’

The group were invited to stay in accommodation near to the Maidstone studios, in Kent, for a few days leading up to the live show so that they could rehearse for the programme.

The days leading up to the show really gave the performers a great insight into the way a show such as this comes together. Not only did they have to work on their song and dance routines but they had to be able to give interviews for television; they also started to learn how very important appearance is in the industry, as they were fitted for costumes and given practise hair and make-up sessions in preparation for the live show.
It was overall a great experience in which they met the show’s presenter Emma Bunton, as well as vocal coaches and choreographers and many other professionals from the television and performing industry

As for watching the live show, tickets were difficult to get. One could apply online but getting a ticket didn’t mean you definitely would get in; just the chance if you queued early enough and it then depended on demand and how near to the front in the queue one was. Well, I was so pleased when Step Up’s manager, Nathalie, said she would pull parents’ names out of hat for the few priority complimentary tickets she had been allocated. I was delighted when my husband and I were lucky enough to be chosen.

On arriving we had to wait until being shown through and instructed to make our way to the marquee for priority ticket holders. It was a hot day and so we were pleased to get into the shade of the marquee and be able to purchase a refreshing drink from the bar.

The toilets were mobile and the unit was ramped and so access was good for wheelchair users. Disabled guests were also helped into the studio and there were seats near to the front available for wheelchairs users.

Access into the studio was orderly. Once we were seated, in a block near to other friends and family of Step Up, we had a look around. My husband was seated next to supporters of another show choir and they chatted and the atmosphere was generally pleasant once inside the studio. I was pleased that the rows were well tiered with a good view, I would think, for most of the audience. We were sitting behind the judges. The sound was good. We were asked to tuck bags and coats well under the seats and to keep all aisles clear as the compere, Emma Bunton, was likely to mingle with the audience and needed a clear pathway.

The judges were introduced. They were Anastacia, Duncan James, Tamzin Outhwaite and Charles "Chucky" Klapow.

By the time the live show and the first heat arrived, we had seen a lot of pre-show publicity; it had been very exciting to see Step up appear on various television programmes. I was very proud of the way they presented themselves on interviews and I also heard (as expected) that they had behaved well, as always, took all advice on board, whilst preparing for the show.

The show itself was entertaining. This was the first time I have been in the audience for this type of show and it gave a great insight to how this type of show is produced. Everyone and everywhere were busy with cameras moving about, makeup artists rushing on to apply some make up to a judge. The warm up man was funny and had the audience standing, clapping, cheering and becoming excited to see the forthcoming show.

The show consisted of six acts; Step Up was the third act to appear and, in my opinion, for such a young group of amateur children who attend a stage school for only a few hours a week, they truly surpassed themselves. Their vocals, in my opinion, were superb and they managed the choreography, while singing, as if they were professionals.

I loved their look and thought it went well with a young, vibrant group; the bright, funky trainers, make up and costumes in yellow, purple, pink…in fact all bright hues strongly in evidence. The hairstyles were amazing in their intricacy and, fortunately, stayed in place throughout the lively act.

They sung their rendition of Steve Wonder’s ‘Signed, sealed delivered, I’m Yours’ combined to create a very effective ‘mash up’ with Aretha Franklin’s, ‘Think.’

But the general consensus seemed to be from the public and judges that the system used to put through the acts wasn’t a very good one. The judges said their bit which seemed honest and fair and then there was a very small window of time for the general public to make their telephone vote. Many complained they couldn’t get through. An act came top which it was generally thought that these were not the ones who should have won and wouldn’t have if they hadn’t told their sad tales. The next two acts were then asked to perform again so that the judges could decide who to send through as a wild card.

The ensuing comments on television and on blogs in the week following and in the subsequent shows made it apparent that there was controversy over the system of voting. Personally I hate the way these shows seem nowadays to beg for a ‘sob story’ and then this can be more important to the programme than the talent displayed. Step Up’s manager Nathalie has no time for this and always insists that she wants her students to succeed because of their talent alone and will not relate stories of hardship. Many of the pupils have had troubles but this shouldn’t be shared on account of a talent show. In the end true talent, if given a chance will shine through and lack of it too will ultimately show. But I feel that while shows ask participants to provide a sob story then the results will often not reflect true talent. If this were done in the way of a programme such as X Factor, with acts appearing over a few shows then talent would have time enough to shine through and viewers would become a little bored with sob stories. I am not hard; I can cry along with the rest of the viewers but if it’s a talent show then that’s the criteria to be judged on. But then, as we all know, Life isn’t fair so we all have to just get on with it and the kids from Step up always do this.

Step Up pupils and management seemed very happy with their performance and what they had learned from the show. I feel that this was the start to success, and perhaps paved the way, for Step Up schools to achieve their well-deserved success in other television shows and auditions.

I feel that the televised series of this show failed somewhat; probably mainly due to the obvious failings of its voting system. The panel of judges, I felt, really tried to do their best but each week had to contend with choosing a wild card sometimes not from the acts that they liked the most. I believe that the judges were brought along for their expertise in the industry and so should have had more say in who went through to the final programme, or the show’s contestants should have been wholly judged by a public vote with a longer time slot given to enable successful phone votes.

As for the kids from Step Up well, once the show was over they climbed on to the coach, which took them away from the Maidstone studios, positively glowing. They were happy and triumphant in the knowledge that they had done their best and had positively shone.

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Kent – a county of castles and garden of EnglandWe visited Kent during the first week of December 2008. We stayed at Broome Park, Barham between Folkestone and Canterbury just off the A260. This mansion house and its estate was once the home of Lord…Read More

Kent – a county of castles and garden of England

We visited Kent during the first week of December 2008. We stayed at Broome Park, Barham between Folkestone and Canterbury just off the A260. This mansion house and its estate was once the home of Lord Kitchener of Khartoum. On site is an 18 hole golf course which provided the view from our bedroom window. My husband was very good and spent the time with me exploring the Kent countryside and sites rather than on the course so I cannot comment on how the course played, only that it looked very English and green from our window.

On our first day we decided to explore the coastal ports from Dover to Dungeness and also look at Romney Marsh. I always feel that English seaside resorts have a rather sad and unloved look in winter with so many rather tired arcades and cafes closed, the sea grey and that strong wind that blows you along in one direction and you have to struggle to walk against going back. But off we went to have a look at these places that are so popular for family holidays and retired people alike.

The seaside resorts south of London have been popular as holiday places since the railway lines opened up and made it possible to get there easily from London. Folkestone was, until the outbreak of WWI, one of Britain’s leading resorts. It remained popular between the wars and indeed for some years after as well. It lost popularity when cheap airfares to Spain and other sunny resorts allowed people to holiday further afield. Today these southern sea ports are a gateway to France, Folkestone, of course now has the Channel Tunnel terminal just minutes away from its town centre.

The area along this bit of coast was important throughout history and in both WWI and WWII many soldiers left these shores for battles in France and aircrews left from local airfields to fight in the Battle of Britain. Just on the outskirts of Folkestone is the Battle of Britain Memorial Museum which was unfortunately closed for the winter when we tried to visit.

Along the coast are a number of Martello Towers where anxious watch was kept in case Napoleon invaded our shores – they are large, round and rather threatening but they do remind us of how real the threat of invasion was at this time. For the people living along this coast .The Towers later became signalling stations and .look-outs against smugglers. They were used again as sentinels on the front line in 1914 and in 1940 after Dunkirk they were part of the defensive plan against Hitler.

Driving further along the coast you come to Hythe, an ancient town with its history dating back to ‘1066 and all that’. In 1278 King Edward I granted a Charter to give Hythe tax concessions in return for providing 5 ships with crew which could be converted into warships if needed .Hythe was one of the Confederation of the Cinque Ports – Hythe, Hastings, New Romney , Dover and Sandwich which were bound by this rather unusual charter. Of these five former ports Sandwich and New Romney are no longer on the coast and Dover is the only one still a port today.

The threat of an invasion by Napoleon not only saw the construction of the aforementioned Martello Towers but between 1804 and 1809 an incredible Military Canal stretching 28 miles, 19 metres wide and 3 metres deep was dug by hand. The idea was that this would stop or slow down Napoleon and his troops from getting to London. Today this canal is a place of relaxation, a great place for bird watching as well as being important for drainage and irrigation for Romney Marsh.

For railway enthusiasts there is the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway which leads on across the marshy area and Dungeness Nature reserve to the Old Dungeness lighthouse listed in 1992 as an Historic Grade 11 building. It was opened by His Royal Majesty the Prince of Wales in 1904 and survived two world wars before being decommissioned in 1960.

Dover, famous for the ‘White Cliffs’ is a strange sort of town. The white cliffs are amazing and really stand out but underneath them is the post of Dover which cannot really be described as attractive. I remember when I was a child visiting my great aunt who lived in a house right under the cliffs. When we went To Dover recently not a lot seemed to be that different!

On the top of the cliffs you will find an almost perfect looking child’s impression of a castle. The castle was built in Roman times and had been a very important strategic military castle overlooking the coast of France in the narrowest section of the whole English Channel known as the Straights of Dover. We didn’t go in to the castle but we did visit the White Cliff experience which was a pleasant way to spent an hour and learn a bit about the history of the immediate area.

There are some fascinating tunnels beneath the cliffs. The Secret Wartime Tunnels are a complex web of passages and rooms and which were to play a major role during World War II.These tunnel barracks were used during the Napoleonic Wars and then again World War II when they were converted to become Bomb Proof Bunkers.

After visiting these five ports we spent a day at Leeds castle which is an amazing place. I wrote a review on this some time back. Leeds castle is near Maidstone in Kent and is known as Leeds castle because way back in Saxon times it was The Manor house of Esledes which became a fortified castle in about 1119. The name Esledes became shortened in speech to Ledes which in turn became Leeds. This castle has had a long and interesting history from this time forward. This is well worth a visit.

On another day we visited Canterbury cathedral and the city of Canterbury. While we were in Canterbury we spent an hour or so in the ‘ Canterbury Tales’ where you are taken through various scenes and hear some of Chaucer’s tales told by characters from his stories.

The Cathedral has to be one of the most famous cathedrals in the world and is a visit recommended by me and my husband. The cathedral was the founded in 597AD, and is the head Church of the Anglican Church of England. It has some of the oldest and most beautiful stained glass windows in the country. It is possibly most well known because in 1170 Thomas Becket was murdered in the Cathedral.

My mother’s family ancestors lived in Fordcombe in the manor so we went for a look to see if we could see this place, near Tunbridge Wells. My aunt tells me it was a hotel or boarding school at one time and when it was for sale last time she and my grandmother were able to go in and look around. My aunt remembers staying at the house when her grandmother lived there. We did find the house but were not so lucky as to be invited in!

There are many other interesting places to visit in Kent but our time was limited so this is about all we managed to visit in our week. Kent is a lovely part of our country and if time allows when we have explored other counties we have not seen as yet then we will return to explore Kent further.
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Dover is usually seen as just the ferry terminal and a possible place for a night's stop-over. But even if for those living there, Dover has a distinctly down-market feel, to a tourist Dover has a lot to offer and it's certainly worth a weekend…Read More

Dover is usually seen as just the ferry terminal and a possible place for a night's stop-over. But even if for those living there, Dover has a distinctly down-market feel, to a tourist Dover has a lot to offer and it's certainly worth a weekend or a few day-trip visits.

THE TOWN AND SIGHTS

Dover goes back to the Romans: in fact you can see remains of Roman lighthouses in the castle and at Western Heights as well as some ruins of Roman foundations and a Roman painted house in town.

It was always the principal crossing point to France and it still remains so, having a claim to being the busiest ferry port in the world.

What is interesting about Dover is that it is NOT like the other coastal towns - it has nothing seasidy-resorty about it. It is shabbier, yes, it doesn't have the Regency or Victorian seaside promenade, no pier as such, no rock sold on the seaside; and it doesn't seem half as dead even in the middle of winter as a lot of the resort towns do.

It is also built along a deep valley and doesn't have much of a seafront. There is a bit with some beach and a promenade, but no usual seaside tat; just a pebbly beach and a square mile of sheltered waters for rowing or dinghy sailing in the part of the port between Eastern and Western docks. A walk along the Prince of Wales pier is worth taking for the views of the port, sea and cliffs; and there is a fairly mediocre cafe at the end by the lighthouse (a cup of tea is a cup of tea, however).

There are boat tours of the port in the summer (5 GBP/person) which are fun for those interested in shipping in particular.

- Castle-

The principal sight of Dover is its castle, dominating the town from its position on the top of the eastern cliffs. There had been a manned garrison here since the Norman times until the 50s and the whole site is a maze of buildings, walls, battlements, tunnels and towers well worth a half-day visit and the 8.50GBP entrance fee.

The main parts of the castle include the Roman lighthouse and the Saxon church of St Mary-in-the Castro (reputedly the best Saxon church in Kent), the medieval keep with its engaging exhibitions on travelling court of Henry the VIII, the wartime tunnels which are open to visitors and with multimedia displays allow a glimpse of the life in Dover fortress during Operation Dynamo (evacuation of Dunquerke) and the WW2 and medieval tunnels. The walk on the battlements is perhaps the most attractive part of the whole castle experience as it allows for breathtaking views of the surrounding countryside, port and town as well as Napoleonic-time fortifications on the Western Heights.

-Other Sights in Town-

Other sights include the museum - the interesting part is the Dover Bronze Boat gallery; showing remains of what was the oldest found seagoing boat in the world (3 500 years old) with a lot of background information in a high-tech gallery on the top floor of the Museum.

The exhibition with models of Dover port showing its development from modern times till now is also very interesting if you are into this kind of thing.

The Museum is attached to what is called Dover Discovery Centre and what houses amongst others a new library, UKonline centre with free Internet access (do not bother with the Internet cafe unless UKonline is closed and the library computers are occupied).

Crabble Corn Mill is apparently the oldest working mill in England, one of the many that were built along the banks of River Dour. There is a cafe, free educational exhibition in the basement and a a guided tour of the mill itself (charge applies).

-Cliffs-

The best sight of Dover is not really in Dover tough and it's the famous, famous White Cliffs. There are actually two of the cliff areas - one of them to the west towards Folkestone (Shakespeare Cliff) which looks absolutely spectacular as you drive into or out of town on the A20. To get there drive/take a bus to Aycliff and cross the A20 on foot or drive to Capel-le-Ferne and walk from there.

The eastern cliff area starts at Langdon Cliffs just above the Eastern Docks and is in my opinion definitely more interesting. Either drive to White Cliffs Visitors Centre (cafe and information at a kind of gateway to the cliffs run by National Trust) or take the bus/walk to Eastern Docks and then follow the footpath up to the cliff-top.

Less famous and perhaps unknown to anybody but the locals and specialists in military history is area of Western Heights; also a bit of a cliff hiding massive military fortifications from Napoleonic era - very impressive in a grim way but now a nature reserve protecting lost of valuable wildlife. There are three clearly sign-posted walking trials.


GETTING THERE

Very easy reachable by car (less than an hour from southern M25 in good traffic); Dover is surprisingly hard to get by public transport. Train from Waterloo East or Charing Cross takes about 2 hrs and costs 20 GBP for a day-return; a National Express coach takes over 3 hrs to Victoria at the cost of 11 GBP day return (the time makes day return not a terribly viable option).

If you are staying in Kent, there is plenty of local public transportation from the likes of Ashford, Canterbury and coastal towns.
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Though Kent is on London's fringe, it is far removed in scenery and attitude. Orchards and hop fields abound earning the county its title "The Garden of England."Kent's place as the Garden of England goes back over 400 years and is believed to date…Read More

Though Kent is on London's fringe, it is far removed in scenery and attitude. Orchards and hop fields abound earning the county its title "The Garden of England."

Kent's place as the Garden of England goes back over 400 years and is believed to date back to King Henry VIII. Apparently he very much enjoyed a bowl of Kent cherries, and was thereafter personally responsible for many orchards being established here. Blossoms of these orchards still contribute to the garden-like aspect.

Kent is right at the South East tip of England. Its history goes back to Roman times. It has many historic towns, more than the average amount of intriguing castles, beautiful stately homes and historic attractions.

It took us 4 hours to drive here from our home in the North West of England. The main reason for our visit was to take our 5 year old son to see Santa Claus at Lapland UK, near Tonbridge Wells. We found so much to see and do that we actually had to be very selective due to the short duration of our stay.

The main highlights of this trip for us were:

- spending a morning wandering around and exploring the nooks and crannies of Royal Tonbridge Wells. This is one of the most elegant towns in England and is full of antique shops and other interesting shops as well as cafes and lovely restaurants;

- visiting Lapland UK, just 10 minutes from Tonbridge Wells in the middle of a forest. We arrived at dusk, spent 4 hours in the replica Lappish village with a very excited 5 year old and had a thoroughly enjoyable and magical time;

- spending a day at Leeds Castle, 5 miles from Maidstone, the county town of Kent. The castle is beautiful - a national treasure and to see it decorated for Christmas was wonderful.

- visiting Chartwell - one time home of Winston Churchill and his family and now a National Trust property. We wandered through the gardens and admired the spectacular views of the Kent countryside.

- driving through Kent, passing through beautiful little villages whose names I do not recall - all beautifully decorated for Christmas, enjoying the beautiful rolling countryside and counting all the "oasthouses" which we found really interesting.   Close