It was good to see that nearly half a million people visited Turner Contemporary in its first year.

It was always a gamble going ahead with the £17m project but Kent County Council and arts funders recognised that culture can contribute to economic regeneration.

They looked at the example of the Guggenheim in Bilbao and hoped to replicate that transformation in Margate and East Kent.

Despite the cynicism of many locals, the early signs are encouraging. While the town centre may still leave something to be desired, there is evidence that new businesses are moving in, that restaurants are busier.

It’s early days, but you sense a greater buzz around the place.

Turner was not an instant success, and the big numbers may slightly flatter to deceive.

There will always be a strong interest in something new, and the fact that admission is free can only help. But the initial show was disappointing.

It was not uncommon to hear first-time visitors declare it would be the last time. Nice building and great seaside location, shame about the content, was a typical response. A single Turner was not enough to get the pulses racing. No wonder some London commentators were dismissive.

But The Kiss, the current exhibition of Turner drawings and sketches - Turner and the Elements - and the Hamish Fulton’s Walk gave the gallery a real artistic reason for visiting.

Turner C turned a corner with Turner J M W and the next big one - Tracey Emin - will bring even more national and international prominence.

The latest numbers for economic benefit to East Kent - £13.8m - are arguable as they contain £7.6m of publicity value derived from media coverage.

It is an uncertain valuation, but nevertheless, there is no doubt that coverage has brought, and will bring, visitors to Margate. This year, the international visitor numbers are relatively low - just 2% - and Guggenheim can surely beat that tiny proportion. But it’s a start. And trains will speed up after a £5m upgrade of the Ashford - Thanet track.

Cultural regeneration is a slow burn. There is srtill a long way to go but the early signs for the economy Margate and East Kent are encouraging.

Well this entry is a special one as I have a business man who is affiliated with Maidstone United F.C!  Come on you Stones!!!

His name, Terry Casey, 61 years of age from Maidstone.

Terry is currently a company director but most of his time is consumed with his extensive work for a charity he operates in Ethiopia.  So good to hear of a Kent resident giving something good to the world. When not involved in his charity work, Terry is heavily involved in with the current construction of the new Maidstone United stadium in Maidstone.  Finally the Stones' are coming home and their is a lot of buzz from the people of Kent to see their local team return where they belong after spells in Ashford and Sittingbourne.

Terry does not have much spare time aside from that so understandably he could not comment further on my 'what do you do in your spare time' question.

An interesting fact that I have found out about Kent is that Leeds Castle is sometimes referred to as Ladies’ Castle. The reason being because many Queens of England have lived there Eleanor of Castile Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife and even his daughter Elizabeth all have lived in the castle.  Did you know that?  Well you do now!

Terry does not eat out in Kent very much but instead prefers to eat out in London.  If you want a good place to eat in the capital, I personally recommend you try the Texas Embassy Cantina near Trafalgar Square.  This place does awesome Mexican food and superb strawberry margaritas.

When asked to supply me with a story that summed him up, Terry responded "My character should be summed up by others, not by me."  This is one of the most intriguing answers I have ever received and Terry is right.  Others should decide on our characters, it is not for us to decide what we think we are.

Terry is closely associated with his Irish roots as opposed to his Kentish background and I respect that he could be honest and say that to me.  It all to easy for people to just make up a sentence for me to publish about Kent but if they are truly more associated with other places than its better to be honest about it.

And now for my random question, If you could take on the life of any person, past or present, who would it be and why?  Terry again gave me another interesting answer.

"I am very happy with myself"

A very good answer, if you are not happy with yourself than you wouldn't be happy being anyone else.

A big thank you to Terry and my very best luck to him and the Maidstone United team for the final stages of the stadium development.  I can't wait to see them in action at home!

Keeps those eyes peeled for more interviews, you never know it could be you next!

If you live in Kent, let's talk!

If you would like to appear on my blog, all I ask is that you live in Kent and that you are willing to talk to me for 10 - 15 minutes about yourself.

If you think you'd like to give it a try, drop me an email on millendauthor@gmail.com and we will see what we can do!

You may not like Tracey Emin but you have to hand it to her – she's a great flagwaver for her home town of Margate.

She guest edited the Today programme earlier this week and featured a piece on the town's economic revival and the importance of Turner Contemporary in that process.

Emin has not always been a good role model for young people. Her Turner prize-winning unmade bed with associated detritus was not to everyone's taste and did not endear her to traditionalists.

Her ripe language in some of her work also upset the purists, even though it's pretty commonplace to anyone listening to yoof chatter.

But things are changing. As she gets older, she is becoming less of a wild child, more an inspiration to a new generation, and more an ambassador for Thanet.

Despite a minor outcry – the lot of most artists while they are alive - she has just been appointed professor of drawing at the Royal Academy and pledged to donate her fees to students.

Young people can identify more easily with Emin than a stuffed shirt like bumptious art critic Brian Sewell who became a target for East Kent abuse after dismissing Turner Contemporary as a white elephant and Margate as Slough-on-Sea.

Emin also went back to King Ethelbert School in Birchington which fostered her love of art and still has a strong art department. She spoke to young people about their feelings about art and its importance to their lives. It was all good stuff and a positive perspective on a reviving East Kent. It might well encourage a few more visitors to the area in 2012.

And while on that subject, I wish you a profitable and healthy New Year.

The Government may not get it, but the exciting new Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury is a great example of investing for growth.

It was a bold decision by the City Council to back a £25m project amid credit crunch and signs of a looming public spending crisis.

Yet it had the faith to press ahead, relying on ingenuity, passion and determination to raise the money from numerous sources without raiding the council tax coffers. Private individuals and charitable foundations injected nearly £5m, and the soon-to-disappear South East England Development Agency chipped in a couple of million.

It could have gone horribly wrong, provoked local cynicism and banner headlines denouncing council profligacy on the “fancy” arts instead of spending on hospitals and schools.

But no – it went ahead with near unanimous backing from all quarters.

And what a good job it did. This is cultural regeneration at its best. It recognises Canterbury as a city of culture and the central role a theatre can play in every citizen’s life. It is also a legacy to future generations. And it will earn big revenue as well as kudos for the city.

It is a civilising symbol – a winning combination of traditional theatre design inside with contemporary external architecture – that will repay its initial investment many times over. Well done to all involved. And also to Prince Edward whose thespian talents were well to the fore on stage on opening night.

There is a lesson here for Maidstone, the County Town which has dithered and dithered over a theatre project for decades. Years ago, it could have shown the boldness that Canterbury has demonstrated in spades. Now it is well behind Dartford and Bromley, let alone Canterbury. It missed its cue, and the age of austerity is hardly the best time to stage a revival.

It is always upsetting to learn of the death of heroes, but even more so when their lives are cut short at too early an age.

The real sadness is that Apple’s Steve Jobs and cricket’s Graham Dilley had so much more to offer.

Both fifty-somethings had achieved remarkable things and the world would have benefited even more had they been spared to enjoy their rightful span.

Jobs was a communications revolutionary. He was not the early pioneer but followed an illustrious line of people like telephone’s Alexander Graham Bell, Alan Turing, the Bletchley Park founder of computing, and Tim Berners Lee, inventor of the internet.

Like all those greats, he changed ways of thinking and behaviour and advanced the human condition through the development of new technologies, or at least harnessing existing technologies to new purpose.

There will be some who bemoan the iPod, iPhone and iPad (pictured) for replacing human-to-human with human-to-gadget interaction. For creating a generation dominated by machine.

But it would be foolish to denigrate the creativity of Jobs who gave us machines before we knew we needed them, with a near-human understanding of what we wanted from a machine, and the visual tactile pleasure of good design.

He was an anorak in a suit – although he rarely wore one – with a rare combination of business acumen, enterprise, innovation and technological know-how.

In pioneering Pixar, a CGI era replaced hand-drawn cartoons and brought joy to millions worldwide – and of course spawned a multi-million pound merchandising empire.

Apple was a failing company in the late 90s. I would speak to a few dedicated Apple lovers but most people were into ubiquitous Microsoft software and cheaper hardware.

With a succession of brilliant new devices, he changed the fortunes of a company to create a world leader and iconic brand.

His business messages will be standard texts for generations of business students and potential entrepreneurs. He will be an impossible act to follow.

Dilley, an Ashes hero of Headingley 1981, is like Geraint Jones. A player who contributed so much to victory over Australia but far less appreciated than the more extrovert Botham, Willis or Flintoff.

He was a down-to-earth Dartford boy who achieved greatness as a fast bowler for Kent and England, and later coaching at Loughborough. Like Jones, he was modest, shunning the limelight that should have been justly theirs.

They join the ranks of talented but unassuming people in all walks of life who too often miss the plaudits that their noisier – but not always as effective – colleagues enjoy.

I'm back again for another fantastic interview.  Where do these people hide in Kent?

This week's special guest on my blog is the wonderfully truthful and exceptionally brave Sian Murphy, 48 from Hoo near Rochester, Medway.

Although the picture is quite clear, Sian would like to reiterate that she is a woman as her name is sometimes confused with Sean.  Don't worry Sian, they will never make that mistake.

Currently, Sian runs her own business, Stormchasers, with her husband Mark.  In conjunction with her work at Stormchasers, Sian works with 2 other professional to make up The Ruby Marketers.

If you are wondering exactly what the company is, I will tell you!  The company specialises in helping local business owners who are computer illiterate or did not have the priviledge of using a laptop when they were younger to market their business online.  The range of services they offer is so vast which can start from setting up a Business Blog for a business to setting up social media profiles and as Sian puts it 'Give them the confidence and know-how to start using it.'

If that wasn't already enough, Stormchaser is branching out in another field of their business.

'Another part of my business is run by my husband Mark and he builds starter websites for businesses as part of Stormchasers at AskStormchasers.'

I was intrigued to find out more and did a bit of 'Googling' and came across an interesting article on the following website:

http://leavingthearmedforces.com/stormchasers/

I found a great quote on this website which described Stormchasers as a business that  'Is about leaping forwards into the storm, and coming back out the other side into a brighter and calmer world.'

I think this is a great acknowledgement of Sian and Mark's hard work.

And for any potential new and bright minds that want to begin their own business, take this advice from Sian.  'My tip for setting up in business is to give it time.  Work out how long it will take you to get it all up and running and get work finished - and then double it!'

'Set goals and then plan how you are going to achieve them and don't give up too soon, but be prepared to bend and sway as things change.  Smile, laugh, share and have 1 full day off each week.'

Wise words and I think, sensible advice for new business minds in the making.  Thanks Sian!

Moving on to Kentish matters, Sian likes the diversity of the landscape in Kent.  'We have rolling countryside, inland waterways, estuary shorelines and seaside all within a 70 mile radius.  To top it all off we also have some fascinating industrial areas with some really unexpected hidden treasures.'

Sian particularly like Hoo Church Cemetery.  Before you feel a shiver go down your spine, listen to the reason.  'A bit odd I know but unlike so many graveyards, Hoo is full of life.  Despite the age of many of the gravestones, there are flowers and shiny windmills, some truly wonderful trees to sit under when it's raining and some well placed benches for when the sun is out.  There are often children playing or just hanging out in their hoodies chatting to each other, whilst other villagers walk their dogs.  It's the happiest graveyard I've ever been to!'

Maybe I could have saved this for Halloween but I think it is great to hear something out the ordinary in an ordinary day in our lives.  Plus, I have never heard someone describe a graveyard in detail without using the words 'depressing' and 'upsetting' before.

As you know, my avid readers, as of 2011 I introduced a new question to my blog in which my interviewees tell me a specific fact or snippet of information about our beloved county.  Sian had a really interesting and historical one this week!

'One day I'm going to walk the Saxon Shore Way.' Sian begins. ' The Shore Way follows the line of historic fortifications that defended the Kent coast at the end of the Roman era.  The Shore Way is 160 miles long and starts from Gravesend and goes right the way around to Hasting, East Sussex.'

'There's lots to see along the way from ports, coastline and stunning countryside and of course that sense of history that walking along an ancient footpath - following along in the footstep of goodness know who always amuses me.'

Further to Sian's comments about the Saxon Shore Way, there are also four Roman fort remains, dating from the 4th Century that line the trail.  The only one I am familiar with is the one in Dover.  Kent is very rich in history but it is always great to learn about new things that different Kent residents know from their own experiences.

One of my favourite parts of the blog is eating spots! 

Sian enjoys eating at two pubs in Kent, namely The Ringlestone Inn and The Pier at Upnor, Rochester.  'I like them because the food is good and so is the atmosphere.  We also like to take a little picnic along the shoreline at Hoo every now and then.' 

You can't beat a Ham and Colman's Mustard sandwich, a bag of kettle crisps and a healthy slice of Chocolate Fudge cake! Delicious.

When not working, Sian enjoys cooking and eating meal with the family with a good bottle of wine, which she finds is her 'favourite pastime.'

This is followed by watching a movie whilst nodding off on the sofa.  A pastime of many in Kent I assume.

But there is more!  'When Mark and I are on our own, we enjoy walking and can often be spotted meandering mindlessly around the haunts of Hoo with nowhere in particular to go.'

'I also make rag rugs from old clothes and cloth, mainly for decorative purposes.'

My blog now enters a more serious tone that I believe needs delicate and careful attention as I am writing it.  Normally, I take great delight in listening to my interviewees explaining a humourous story to me about themselves, whether it be of them waking up semi nude on a beach after an initiation ceremony at University or walking into walls for no apparent reason.

Sian tells me a story that she is currently closing in her life at the moment.  One that has me wanting to stand up and applaud her bravery and courage to be able to tell a volunteer bloggist she has never met a very close and personal chapter of her life which I greatly appreciate and hope you find I have describe in a way that is befitting to you.

'2 years ago Mark and I used to have jobs.  I worked in local Government and Mark was a Project Manager.  We were both unhappy with our jobs and spent years talking about leaving and starting our own business.  I'd already trained as an NLP (forgive me if I'm wrong - Neurolinguistic Programming) practitioner and copywriter but unfortunately we didn't plan properly and then in

2009 found ourselves so stressed and miserable that we just decided to hand in our notice and quit.'

So, on 1st August 2009 there we were with no salaries, but some rather grand business plans.  On 17th August, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.  That stopped us in our tracks for a while.'

'It's now 2 years later and whilst I'm still on medication, our business is finally taking off after lots of false starts.  I could write a whole book on false starts but we have learned so much.'

'It sounds odd but whilst it might seem like the worst possible time to get cancer, in fact it was the best and it might even have been a lifesaver.  Had I been diagnosed whilst I was still at work I think I never would have left because of the security around the sick pay.  If I wasn't diagnosed just 2 weeks after we both left our jobs we would have just transferred our hectic lifestyles from jobs to businesses.  It would have been the same except now we wouldn't have been receiving monthly pay cheques!'

'Today we've both learned the lesson that money isn't that important, although of course that is also now our challenge because when you are in business you have to value money to some extent or you don't earn any of the damn stuff!'

'We also say thank you got what we do have instead of moaning about what we don't and we really do have so much.  Today we are working with some fabulous people the universe has sent us the perfect business partners and associates.  Our offices are up at the Innovation Centre and we have the most amazing fun.  It's all the good stuff about being at work in an office such as being around friends and having someone to share your triumphs and challenges, but without all of the grim stuff of having to dance to someone else's tune.'

As upbeat as ever, Sian claims ' We're having a ball!'

Now one of my favourite parts of the blog where my interviewees put the world to rights with their opinions on how to make Kent a better place.

"I would get planners in Medway to either change or introduce a required ratio of concrete to plants and greenery in the large housing development that are springing up around Hoo.  Many of the houses open directly onto the street, there are no gardens to speak of and the roads are so narrow they are like little brick tunnels.'

Sian likes to see 'a bit of green' when she looks out the window and whilst she doesn't live a development house, it still forms part of the landscape.

'Given that these estates have replaced fields, it would seem ecologically important at least to give a cursory nod to keeping some greenery around!'

I totally agree with that point and think that planners and developers should look closely at where they are building and how it will affect the local surrounding for both the locals and the wildlife.

So we come to my random question of the week and this one is a really good one!

If you could become any person in the world for one day, who would you become and why?

'I tried so hard to think of someone who wasn't too obvious but I couldn't, so I plumped for Oprah Winfrey, a bit of a cliche I know.'

'I chose Oprah because I want to know how it feels to be her.  She had a difficult childhood, dealt with racism and has overcome so much to get where she is.  She has such a clear vision about her life, that I want to know how that feels so I can recreate it for myself.

Well, this has been one of my most intense blogs yet, with highs and lows, cheerful quips and serious tones but overall I have enjoyed writing this one very much.  I hope Sian receives the recognition she deserves, not just through this blog but through the business world too.

Sian - my very best wishes for your future and a speedy recovery and I hope your business will continue to bloom!

So that's it for another week folks! (No Looney Tunes pun intended) but check in again soon for my newest interviewee.  Who knows, it could even be you!

If you live in Kent, let's talk!

If you would like to appear on my blog, all I ask is that you live in Kent and that you are willing to talk to me for 10 - 15 minutes about yourself.

If you think you'd like to give it a try, drop me an email on millendauthor@gmail.com and we will see what we can do!

Kent was made to look an embarrassing laughing stock by the M20 chaos last weekend.

Queues tailing back from Junction 8 halfway to Ashford plunged innocent travellers, many from the Continent, into a four-hour crawl through Maidstone.

What should have been a simple 20-minute run well away from the county town became a nightmare. Drivers and passengers had to get out of their cars to find relief from the stress of going nowhere.

This was travel misery on a grand scale and surely it could have been better managed. The Highways Agency was in charge and failed to properly foresee the chaos that would ensue.

Why was no contraflow system? Why was there no diversion along the A20.

It was hard to see any signs indicating trouble ahead in the Ashford area, and while that made the A20 thankfully relatively empty - good for local drivers and residents - it did nothing to ease the pain of the cars, trucks, coaches and vans stuck in gridlock.

Cricket matches were cancelled because teams could not get through until several hours after the scheduled start time.

Numerous appointments were missed. No doubt many people felt ill. And our overseas visitors must have thought they had arrived in a country that would shame the Third World.

We know essential work has to be carried out. But surely it can be planned better. Apparently, the Highways Agency had wanted to do the work over one weekend and two working days but Kent County Council thankfully persuaded officials to change their mind.

Blocking the slip road at J8 during weekdays is already causing enough chaos for residents in Bearsted, with tailbacks a regular feature of the village and Ashford Road. But the complete closure was something else. Road work planning must be done better.

The M20 is a strategic gateway from mainland Europe to Kent and the rest of the UK. The Highways Agency must sharpen up its act. By way of compensation, how about the Government agreeing to Kent collecting a tax on every heavy vehicle driving through the county?

Well, 2011 has been a busy one and my blog has suffered. I apologise for not keeping up with it but now I am back and so is my next interviewee.

This is Gabriela Margarita Houlgraves or 'Gabby', 34 from Sittingbourne.  Gabby works as a Customer Support Assistant at Maidstone Library.

Our beloved county is the reason I write this blog.  It is the best!

Gabby loves our county to because it is 'so green!'

"This surprises a lot of the people here when I say it.  You all [Kent residents] think it's very, very urbanised, but I just look at the vast fields and meadows.  Always so close and forests everywhere, and think 'Dude, this is the Shire!"

As you can tell from the last part of that quote, Gabby is a Lord of the Rings fan. Everyone needs to have a hobbit!

As part of my 2011 revamp, I have added a question to all my new interviewees which has been instated to find out if the people of Kent have interesting facts or information to share with me.  I always like to learn new things about Kent!

Gabby has selected to inform us about the history of Dover Castle, commissioned to be built by Henry II in the 12th century.

"The tunnels were first dug for the Napoleonic Wars, and then used as a command centre for Operation Dynamo which was the operation set up for rescuing soldiers from Dunkirk.  This is all well known."

This can be found on the English National Heritage website: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk

What was more intriguing was what Gabby relayed next.

"There was also a lower level call 'Dumpy' which was the command centre during the Cold War and it was going to be opened to the public after the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act made it legal to do so.  But English Heritage went under there and found a lot of subsidence and were not as sturdy as the Napoleonic ones and also left in a hurry when the level got decommissioned, so they're not structurally sound. Lovely chalk!"

"And that is why the public won't be allowed down there!"

Gabby feels it is a shame as she would love to go down there and see them.  I would love to see it as well, it sounds fascinating.

We moved on to one of my favourite subjects: FOOD!

Gabby likes to dine at Maggie's cafe on Week Street.  I agree Maggie, whoever she is, does a blinding fried breakfast!

"The wholemeal baguettes and fillings are wonderful, not to mention the salads, the chilli, the cakes and pastries (all home-made) and the staff are the friendliest in town."

Also, Gab enjoys eating at Kitsu, a Tunbridge Wells based place that has, in her words 'The best sushi and teriyaki beef I've ever had."

Equally, Gabby likes an Indian at the Royal Tandoori in Chatham, traditional chips from a chippy in Lenham and her favourite pub is the Ringlestone nr Harrietsham.

We definitely have something in common here!

I always like to be a little bit nosey and find out what my interviewees get up to in their free time.  It feels like I can relate to them if they have something in common with me (in addition to food of course).

"Reading, reading, reading. I can't get enough of books!" Gabby says. "Guess it's lucky I work in a library!"

"I also love visiting English Heritage sites, you see something new every time.  And spending time with family and friends.  Nothing beats a house full of the people you love, all having fun and laughing, sharing life and food & drink."

I think Gabby is a great person, who lives life to the full.  That's the kind of people we need more of in this county to keep up its awesomeness.

This is always my favourite part of the interview: hearing a short story that sums the interviewee up.  I have heard some whoppers since I have been writing this blog - waking up half naked on a beach, buying items such as a bouncy castle on impulse, walking into walls or buying 'Chillis' when you are supposed to buy 'Jelly'.

"I was born in Puerto Rico (in the Caribbean), and I moved to New Orleans to my master's degree.  I still miss New Orleans, every day I'm not there, though I wouldn't live anywhere else in the world but here, in Kent."

That's what I like to hear!

"My first apartment burnt down, soon thereafter, I met Mark (now my husband- he's English, of course), and moved into a lovely shotgun house in New Orleans (For all who are not familiar, it is a narrow, rectangular building)."

"Mark and I got engaged, and i started getting my paperwork for the visa to come here to live and get married. There was a rumour that someone burned down their house near my house to collect the insurance money. The whole block of houses, including mine, burnt down.  I barely had time to grab my cat and laptop and run out of the house.  When I came back to see what was left, almost everything was burnt, except my visa papers and my winter clothes, and a crocheted Afghan my gran had sent me from Puerto Rico."

I want it noted now that Gabby has done fantastically to bounce back from this ordeal where others probably would have rolled over and given up.

"I took that as a sign from God and the Universe that I needed to go with my heart, to Mark and England.  And I didn't look back."

"Do I miss my family and friends from the other side of the Atlantic?  Oh yes!"

"Would I change anything? Not really. I only wish I'd met Mark before so we could have stated our life together sooner and that I had the power to teleport so I could visit my gran and my friends as often as I liked."

What a great story with both highs and lows but an overall outcome that is justly deserved.

It is always important to evolve and progress over time. That is true in both people, nature and our much loved county.  Gabby has some interesting suggestions on how to achieve this.

"I think we should have a better public transport network and it should be more realistically priced, so that people are seen to be quite foolish to take their cars out.  

I agree as I walk every where and think they should pump more money into transportation.

"If the buses and trains took us to where we wanted to go, frequently and cheaply enough, I swear people would give up cars quicker than you can say 'petrol'.  This is particularly true for people in rural locations, who are often quite isolated if they don't have a car.  But even between town centres, the service provision seems almost random!"

I think Gabby talks absolute sense and is valid in that our services are at times extortionate and something needs to be done to preserve the environment for the future generations.

And now to the finale.  My random question of the week.

You hear the four minute warning, you know it will only take you 10 seconds to get into a safe place, what would you do with the other 3 minutes and 50 seconds?

"That's a hash one!  Wow. I wasn't expecting that."

I like this reaction as it is meant to be surprising and awkward to answer.  It is my unique thing!

"I am close to Mark and Sebastian (my son) so I can make sure they're safe with me but even if not, the same applies.  Get as many people as I can into the safe place, hold them close and send a prayer up for the rest of my loved ones and the world!"

Sounds depressing but a nice answer and a good way to round off this sensational lady's interview.

Thank you Gabby for your time and I wish you all the best for the future. This interview has been a pleasure!

Well that's all folks for this week, check in again soon to see who will be my next victi... interviewee!

Many years ago in fact as far back as 1264 there was a town called Meregate, which later became known as Margate. Steeped in maritime history it also became a very popular holiday resort for both rich and poor.

Inventions such as the bathing machine a contraption that was wheeled out to sea for both men and women to change into their costumes, made the experience of swimming ‘proper’ and drew more and more holidaymakers.

Margate was on the rise and both the famous and not so famous made a beeline for the stunning beaches, warm sunshine and good old Kentish beer. Songs and poems and films were made about Margate and families enjoyed each other’s company. Life was good for Margate. Well, if we ignore the mods and rockers having a pop at each other in the 1960s…

But in a cruel twist of fate Margate fell out of vogue. Gone were the wealthy tourists, and instead, Margate became home to desperadoes’, and many economic migrants, as well as many disenchanted Londoners sent to Margate by the various councils of London to enjoy the town and live free. Well almost.

The Victorian pier was largely decimated by a storm in 1978, mysterious fires destroyed buildings, unemployment started to climb and property prices headed south.  The UK was in financial turmoil in the 1980s, and Margate began to suffer more than most.  One newspaper called Margate ‘Britain’s Top Ghost Town’ and they didn’t mean of the spooky kind.

But hey presto, a glimmer of hope was there in the Noughties. But some evil landowners, it was said, decided to offer ‘incentives’ or might have been ‘bribes’ to some land and estate agents and not to pass on offers from buyers to sellers.  It was so they could buy them on the cheap! Boo I hear you say, and you would be right. Allegedly.

Huge government grants became available and suddenly the money was gone and some evil people might have trousered the lot. Allegedly.

Humble shopkeepers were asked for more rent and when they could not pay, they were chased to the end of the globe for the funds. Allegedly.

A huge gallery then appeared in 2011 with much acclaim, and with the gallery came the crowds. Many coming down to Margate yet again in mechanically propelled vehicles, as well as something called HS1. 

With the crowds came the sunshine, but beneath Margate’s rebirth, a few of those who felt wronged and a few with morals decided to start to expose those people, which they thought were responsible. Their aim is to make Margate the great place it deserves to be, without the alleged corruption. Like all good stories, there is bound to be a happy ending…

At long last, the news we had been hoping for has blown in from Denmark.

As I have reported from time to time, Kent officials have been pushing for a wind turbine factory in the county. It made such a lot of economic and logistical sense to locate it close to many potential and actual projects.

Yet successive governments with Northern constituents to please favoured manufacture in the North, and dangled attractive grants before manufacturers’ eyes. Let’s not forget that Kent has a long and fine tradition of manufacturing.

Its GDP from making things has been the biggest in the south east outside London. Vestas is not a done deal. Those 2,000 jobs - and some – in and around the Port of Sheerness depend on Government assurances about its commitment to renewable energy.

And if it is, the firm needs to win contracts to build the turbines. Given its massive reputation, that should not be too much of a problem. Skills and infrastructure are also key elements in any inward investment decision.

The Sheppey Bridge was a key development, and Kent County Council’s commitment to vocational training for young people is also a major factor in persuading a firm like Vestas that it will be able to recruit most of its skills locally. Swale Skills Centre, which opens new facilities later this month and launched the DONG Energy (UK) Wind Turbine Apprenticeship is ideally placed to meet the need.

London Array and Kentish Flats have already created jobs in Ramsgate, but turbine manufacture was always elusive. Hopefully, no more. And as Vattenfall argued so powerfully last week at the University of Kent, there should be plenty of work for Kent-based suppliers. Six years is a long time to talk with no guarantee of success.

So it’s good for Locate in Kent, the doomed SEEDA, UK Trade and Investment and local councils that their persuasive powers have finally worked. You need patience in the inward investment game and LiK officials have developed it in spades. So hats off to them and the rest whose efforts could now see Kent become a hotbed of turbine manufacture for a burgeoning industry - right on its doorstep.