Big Plans for Folkestone

Two weeks ago the students of SES learned about Folkestone and we focused on regeneration.

Folkestone was a popular summer town to visit in summer but the world changed and Folkestone too.

Now things are changing again and you can visit the Harbour Arm - a lovely part of the harbour with bars and restaurants selling local food. But alone this place is not enough.

SES students learning about the local council

Roger De Haan has big plans. He is a multimillionaire who wants Folkestone to become the new Barcelona. To achieve his objective he invest millions of pounds in different constructions, such as the multi storey skate park and the regenaration of the seafront.

Folkestone seafront in the future

the seafront today

Nowadays the seafront is changing, because it has the Lower Leas Coastal Park, with trees and grass and play zones. The site of the old Rotunda is empty but there is one project to revive the place. In summer they will start to construct a project which will take many years, building luxury and affordable houses and many new shops and restaurants.

The new place will create 300 temporary jobs and 300 permanent jobs.

The total area is 23 hectares and the total investemnt will be 189 millions pounds. The plan is catch the atention and make an atractive place for the people, with 1000 outstanding houses and sides for jobs.

My Story in Folkestone

The View from the Leas, my favourite view in Folkestne

In this post Ahmed tells us about the time he arrived in Folkestone and his time at the school...

I stepped out the taxi on a cold night in Folkestone and I didn't know what to expect . I came to Folkestone to learn English in SES but , first I needed to find my host family that I will live with . I asked the school how I could find my host family and they gave me some advice . I arrived at the house and knocked on the door but nobody answered. I waited in front of the house in the cold night in the dark for half an hour.Then suddenly the door was open and a woman said, that she was sorry she had been asleep and asked me to come in.

The Leas and the Grand Hotel, Folkestone

The first day at the school was good but  I had to do a presentation in front of the other students . It was my first presentation in English and I don't want  to lie, it was really bad .I got embarrassed but everybody was really friendly with me;l they didn't laugh at me they helped me to improve my English and my presentation skills . After a month I started to give some very good presentations with less mistakes thanks to the teachers , the director and also my friends in the class . After two months I got used to the school and the town. Folkestone is  a very wonderful small town with nice people . The thing I love the most in Folkestone is when I walk along the Leas at the top of the cliff looking out over the beach and the sea . It's  amazing and a breathtaking  view that I have never seen before .


Moreover, I MADE A LOT OF FRIENDS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD THANKS TO THE SCHOOL. At the weekends some of my friends in the school go to visit our other friends who have gone back to their countries , for example , my friend Chiara . She is from Italy and she finished studying  in the school . Tetsu is one of our friends that I have had in the school and he visited Chiara at the weekend in Italy . Not only her but also other people from France , Germany , Russia , Switzerland and other European countries. This school gives you a lot of chances to travel.

in York

In my fifth month I made a trip with four of my friends -  from Italy Alvesa and Chiara, from Japan Tetsu, and  finally from South Africa Geromo around the whole of England. We visited a lot of good places in England. We started from Folkestone and we finished in Manchester . In the beginning of the journey we visited Cambridge , Oxford , Nottingham and York. We stayed in York for one night and we went around it. I loved York. At the end of the day we arrived in Manchester . Manchester is a very big and noisy and I didn't really like it .However, we took a different way back to Folkestone . On the return route we visited Birmingham and stayed there for one day. It was a really nice big town. At the end we arrived at Folkestone .

I enjoyed my time in Folkestone it was one of the best experiences I  have had and now I still have one month more lift I will finish in the beginning of June after that I will head back to Kuwait . In Septermber I will return to England  again to go to the university in Wales .

Honestly I will miss the teachers and the school and the feeling that I didn't have in it the other schools of being in a family. Thank you Steve , Sue , Gavin , Adam , Patty , Rodica and the other teachers that I met - you are not only my teachers, you are my friends . THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

The Harbour arm



Breezy, fresh and cosy that’s the harbour arm in Folkestone and as that a perfect example of regeneration. Last year, they opened the harbour area for the public and since then every weekend hundreds of people stroll past the little cafes and bars.
The harbour offers a variety of local seafood and other goodies. Moreover, the big Greek bus serves Mediterranean food on Saturdays and on Sundays and also for the ice cream fancier there is a place with tasty Italian “gelatos”.

But the Harbour offers more than good food, the view of the “white cliffs” in Folkestone and on sunny days you can see France. For kids there is a small playground and if you are interested in the history of the area they have a nice short background information inside the arcade. So, making a visit to the Harbour is a lovely trip in any weather.








Obviously, the emblem of the Harbour arm is the old lighthouse but at the same time this lovely building operates as a champagne bar. If you don’t fancy a glass of best fizzy champagne, you can try several kinds of beers while listening to live music. On the Harbour, every weekend they present live gigs with all kind of music.
I recommend going to the Harbour arm in Folkestone for everyone, no matter what age. It’s a perfect place to go with your family or friends to have just a good time, relax and enjoy this breath-taking spot.



http://www.folkestoneharbourarm.co.uk