Apologies for the delayed post loyal readers, I know I promised I would post my coverage of this event on Sunday but I was whisked away for a lovely short break (more on this later).

On Friday 20^th April I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the above mentioned event. As many of you know, my sense of direction leaves somewhat to be desired so I was not relishing trying to find the venue hosting this event. Luckily for me, one of the contributors to the fundraising raffle was kind enough to suggest we car share and go along together: unluckily for her the beautiful arrangement she had prepared for the auction [see here for examples of her work: [http://www.vintagefloraldesign.co.uk ] did not survive the emergency braking she had to do when a kamikaze cat leapt in front of her car up the narrow country lane which I live. The cat survived though so - technically - she’s a hero; well done Gwenda at the Vintage Floral Design Company.

Entering the car park of Tonbridge School several minutes later than planned we were both rather in awe of the grandeur of the venue: Tonbridge School is distinctly unlike any school I’ve ever been to – excellent choice of venue Steph and congratulations to you for being able to secure it for your event. Following the sign posts (a school with sign posts in the grounds?!) we found the E.M Forster theatre and the huge crowd that had gathered to learn a little bit more about the author Susan Lewis and to help raise funds for Breast Cancer Care. Trays and trays of canapés and gorgeous pink ribbon cupcakes were laid out for guests to enjoy; along with glasses of champagne. Waiting in the reception I had a good look round at all the other guests; male, female, young and old were all gathered and then I spotted the author herself. I was immediately struck by how glamorous Susan looked and how down to earth her demeanour was.

Guests were all then guided to the auditorium for the evening’s presentation, question and answer session; and the much anticipated raffle and auction.  The evening kicked off with a brief overview of the need for charities such as Breast Cancer Care. The aim of this organisation is to get the best possible support and information for anyone affected by cancer. It was also strongly emphasised that this charity is not just for women: two out of every twenty people diagnosed with Breast Cancer are, in fact, men.  An acknowledgement of thanks was given to:

Tonbridge School for kindly hosting the event

http://www.tonbridge-school.co.uk/hire/

Random House publishers:

www.randomhouse.com/

PR Louise Page for introducing Steph and Susan to one another and for always being a support to Steph in planning such events:

lcampbell@randomhouse.co.uk

Amanda Watters at the Goody Bag Company for providing the goody bags for guests:

http://www.goodybag.org.uk/

Choccywoccydooadah for providing a masterpiece of a cake for auction:

www.choccywoccydoodah.com/

Catherine Glazebrook for being a photographer with a smile and for auctioning her services:

http://www.catherinehillphotography.co.uk/

Louise Hudson for providing the cupcakes - even though she was called by accident

The Pink Power Ladies for being a team and for being true friends at the same time

Lynn, Lisa and Chloe at Breast Cancer Care for not being driven absolutely mad by constant calls about event planning.

The evening progressed smoothly into the “In Conversation with” and to help you all get to know the author a bit better I have tried to transcribe as much of the Q&A as possible for you: as this is fairly lengthy it will be included in a second post. It’s great to get to know the author behind the books and a really enjoyable evening was had by all.

Steph Harrison is a Sevenoaks, Kent, resident whose mission in life is to organise events that raise awareness of and funds for, Breast Cancer Care. Steph very kindly agreed to meet with me and answer a few questions relating to her up and coming event “In Conversation With” and book signing event with Sunday Times bestselling author Susan Lewis in aid of Breast Cancer Care. Susan is the writer of twenty seven novels and two volumes of the memoir: Just One More Day and One Day At A Time. Steph has also very kindly brought along a lovely goody bag for me (I LOVE presents!).

Here is a little bit of my conversation with the organiser of “In Conversation With”.

Q: I already know a little bit about your motivation in fundraising for Breast Cancer Care but I think it’s important for my readers to understand the background behind this if you wouldn’t mind?

A: No, not at all. My reason behind supporting Breast Cancer Care is that the charity were such a support to me when I was diagnosed [Steph is back fighting fit now, thankfully] and I found that there was no other organisation like them in terms of the provision of information and support after diagnosis. I truly felt that they cared for me and they were always at the other end of a phone when I needed them. My first event that I organised was my way of thanking them and giving back after their support; after that I just felt that their message was one that needed to be delivered. I’ve found that Breast Cancer Care is as focused as I am on the importance of early detection and self checking [Steph shows me that my goody bag also contains a copy of Breast Cancer Care’s Health Booklet].

Q:  May I ask what your fundraising hopes are for this event?

A: Absolutely, our fundraising objective for this event is over £3000. So far we’ve raised around £2000 with this event just with the ticket sales: there are still more tickets on offer and we’re hoping to raise the rest of the funds on the night through the auction and raffle.

Q: It sounds like you have an achievable aim, so how are Breast Cancer Care supporting you in this event?

A: As always Breast Cancer Care will be there in the background: they will send representatives to support us on the night, provide us with literature for the goody bags and they’re always on the other end of the phone if I need fundraising inspiration [something I know Steph is virtually never short of]. I may not have cancer anymore but they are still there for me. I genuinely feel that the team at Breast Cancer Care have become true friends for life!

Q: So, tell us, how exactly did you end up in collaboration with bestselling author Susan Lewis?

A: Well, following some of my previous events, Susan’s PR officer sent me a copy of Just One More Day: the perfect introduction to Susan’s writing. I was so moved by her portrayal of a family torn apart by cancer that I had to write to her and tell her how it had affected me. We then started up a correspondence and realised how fantastic it would be if we could organise and event together. This is my first event working with Susan as we organised one last year but I was taken ill so had to postpone so I am really excited about this one.

Q: It all sounds very exciting, how easy has it been to organise an event on this scale: it’s not exactly low profile?

A: [Laughs] Do you know, I’ve actually found this one pretty easy to organise. I’m lucky enough to now have a supporting team behind me: Ann, Karen, Vanessa and Erica - The Pink Power Girls have been fantastic. We’re currently one team member short as one of the ladies is undergoing chemotherapy: she’s desperate to be there on the night supporting us though. That’s what makes organising these events so amazing: these people are such an inspiration! They’ve all got their own personal battles to fight and yet they all want to do what they can towards these events. To be honest, the biggest obstacle we’ve had has been finding a suitable venue to hold the event. Thanks to the previous events I’ve organised I’ve made some pretty good relationships with some really generous businesses: the food and prizes for the night have all been donated. The only things left on my to do list are to pick up the cake and the glasses and setting up Friday evening; otherwise we’ve got everything covered!

Q: So what can attendees expect on the night?

A: Well, the guests will all receive a goody bag on arrival at the champagne and canapés reception. The evening will then kick off with the “In Conversation With” which will lead into a question and answer session, then there is due to be a performance by the fantastic Amy Coulshaw, the raffle and auction and then Susan will start the book signing. Plus they get to see me: all that for £20, what a bargain!

Q: [Laughs] well of course! So, tell me, what will you be doing once this event is over: a bit of rest and relaxation?

A: Probably collapsing! No, I’m kidding, although it does take a lot out of me; the events give me such a buzz. It usually takes a few days to recuperate afterwards. Although I’ve not allowed myself so much time to rest after this one as I’m driving up to Liverpool the next day to see the Royal Deluxe.

Q: I think I would be more inclined to rest for a few days myself. Dare I ask if you have more upcoming events in the pipeline?

A: As always! Yes we have the Breast Cancer Care Benefit Concert being held at Sevenoaks School on the 6^th July. There are currently four acts due to be performing including: The Find, Sarah Lillie, Amy Coulshaw and one act tbc. All of the acts are all fresh, new and (as yet) unsigned: very talented people looking to get a break. The concert will also be a part of the Sevenoaks festival. Around June/August time we will be holding the annual Strawberry Tea. This is a Breast Cancer Care initiative which involves getting cakes, tea and lovely ladies together to raise funds and awareness.

I am very much looking forward to attending the event next Friday 20^th April at Tonbridge School and hope to see many of you there! For those of you that really want to be there but are unable to attend this time I will be posting an update of how the night went next Sunday. For those of you interested in attending please leave a comment in the box below and I will provide more details.

If you are interested in finding out more about Susan Lewis go to: www.susanlewis.com

If you are interested in finding out more about Susan’s publishers go to: www.rbooks.co.uk

If you want more information on Breast Cancer Care go to: www.breastcancercare.org.uk or call the free Helpline on 08088006000

To support Steph in her fundraising endeavours please go to: www.justgiving.com/stephanie-harrison6

The opening remark of Jon Snow's speech at the launch of the Turner and the Elements exhibition was a telling one.

"I have been to Timbuktu but I have never been to Margate" the Channel 4 News presenter quipped apologetically as he addressed the great and the good at the Turner Contemporary last night (Friday, January 27).

Everyone knows Margate has been essentially seen as a bit naff for the best part of about 25 years but as the keynote speaker continued his speech, the shift in attitudes towards the seaside town became apparent.

A committee member the Tate in London and a passionate watercolourist, Jon had spent the afternoon sneaking a peak at the exhibition of 88 Turner works now on show in Margate.

He referred to Turner's oil painting New Moon and gushed "the sunset you see in that painting is the one I have seen tonight." He marvelled at the Turner Contemporary's architecture and how the gallery would allow Turner's works to be seen in the natural light which inspired the Romantic painter.

The Turner Contemporary is largely being credited as the spark for this renewed interest in Margate but as JMW Turner and now Jon Snow have recognised, the key ingredients have always been there - it has just been getting the right attention for them.

There are fewer more beautiful scenes than a sunset in Margate, which is very unusual owing the town's north facing position. That light is captured superbly inside the Turner Contemporary and reflected unsurpassably in JMW Turner's work. The way he developed his style of capturing the elements on paper and canvas was largely developed in Thanet and north Kent, so to see these works all in one place will no doubt pull in vast numbers of visitors to the area.

"We are seeing the beginnings of people talking about Margate as a cultural destination," said journalist John Kampfner, who is also the chair of trustees at the Turner Contemporary.

"The buzz has been here now for a year since the building was completed last January and the attendance speaks for itself. We have had well over 350,000 people in nine months. We were planning for 150,000 in the year.

Also running at the gallery is the walking art exhibition of Canterbury-based artist Hamish Fulton. When asked how he felt about his works going on show at the gallery, he decided instead to draw attention to the Turner works, such is the significance of the exhibition.

"The privilege of making an exhibition with the Turner paintings is great. It is great to see real Turners as opposed to the ones inside books - the actual paintings themselves. When you look at them close up you can see the detail."

The former editor of the New Stateman, Mr Kampfner continued: "We have had incredible success and plaudits for the first two shows but this one really does take us to new heights.

"It is a combination of Hamish' eclectic approach to multimedia art and an extraordinary Turner show with so many works.

"The way it has been put together with the different elements is a sight to behold. I will see it so many times because it will take people time to appreciate the full majesty of the exhibition.

"The critical reviews have also been very strong. It is not just about the art either. Margate will become a visitor destination when Dreamland opens. It is just up and up."

Margate has certainly felt the touch of Turner. But don't take their word for it. Take a look yourself.

Turner and the Elements runs until Sunday, May 13.

Hamish Fulton: Walk runs until Monday, May 7.

Not often does a life as short as Amy Winehouse's erupt such a spilling of emotion.

Like many I was not surprised but still shocked when the news broke that the 27-year-old singer had been found dead at her Camden home on Saturday afternoon.

Her later life was plagued by that very cruel "disease of addiction" described by comedian and actor Russell Brand, himself a former drug addict.

Yet I was saddened to find myself also not surprised but still shocked by the wave of comments that have been posted on the KentOnline story about the Rehab singer's demise.

"Vastly over-rated and her demise is entirely self-inflicted" read a comment from Hardly News.

"Beats me how someone with half as much talent as an everyday female pub singer got so famous" were the views of Maureen.

Someone leaving their name as Lord Sir Barry, the Pride of Kent - no doubt believing himself to be hugely funny - wrote: "The most pertinent question is thus: what has the death of a talentless, thick, smelly junkie singer, from London (albeit fake American) got to do with Kent?

"I couldn't care less about this waster popping her clogs. KoL should stick to stories about car crashes, lost cats and non-league football!"

How a fragile woman who has only just passed away in what strongly looks like hopelessly tragic circumstances can be subjected to this kind of comment is brutal.

To clear one point up, her Kent connection is admittedly not hugely strong - her London cabbie father Mitch lives in Greenhithe. Yet many people in Kent will know him and this is a story that has connected with thousands of people who live in the county, proved by the high number of comments on the story.

Yes everyone accepts that she fell into the trap of drink and drugs. It is not clever to point out that she was a recovering drug addict. It is heartless to imply that she somehow deserved death.

On the talent front, inevitably her second album Back to Black is going to become one of 'those' albums now. She had the ability to perform in the classic style of soul, R&B and even jazz but not lose that "what you looking at?" swagger of her Southgate upbringing.

The woman won five Grammys. Not the actions of "an everyday female pub singer" or someone who was "vastly over-rated."

Clearly these self-righteous, downright uncalled-for twitterings are not limited to KentOnline. Most people's views on their place in society is also widespread. Many of the comments left were respectful, which should be acknowleged.

That Amy has joined the fateful 27 Club - which includes the likes of Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin - will no doubt automatically propel her into the category of legend.

But it is nothing less than deserved. She was a huge talent who never fully reached her potential and that - regardless of how she lived her life and what contributed to her death - is a tragedy in itself.

The vultures are circling; the press is the enemy within. I will not regurgitate the allegations about the News of the World or the rumours surrounding other newspapers, this has been recycled for the last 72 hours; nor will articulate the political fallout – both David Cameron and Ed Miliband hired former News International employees (both have allegations about them). And Labour and Tories were both guests at a recent dinner party, hosted by Murdoch.

Instead, I wish to raise one point. The press in general. Limited reports are suggesting ordinary journalists are witnessing hostility from the public. Andrew Gilligan noted a wave of e-mails, criticising his work and abilities as a journalists, something he has never witnessed. According to Mr Gilligan he is not the only journalist to experience this.

McCarthyism-esque inquiries will damage our reputation as a democracy – a free press is fundamental to holding the government to account. Regulation on their abilities to conduct investigation journalism would be a disaster for Britain. Yes, the hacking scandal was immoral, but it was a failure of the criminal justice system. It was the Metropolitan Police which warned against a public inquiry and turned a blind eye to criminality at a variety of news papers.

Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water. You might find the press irritating. But as Edmund Burke elegantly pointed out, the press are the fourth estate and the true guardians of liberty.

THE government has caused concerns among councils by several recent pronouncements.

Cuts, more cuts, changes in ground rules ....

One recent letter from Bob Neill, the Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, has added a few ripples to the pool of consternation. He wants to encourage bloggers, tweeters and assorted amateur cameramen to report and record what councillors are doing, as they are doing it, and for the future stars of screen to welcome this with open arms.

Try raising your camera in Medway Council!

Come to that, produce a mobile phone, aim its camera anywhere close to a seat of power, and you are likely to attract the Evil Eye from either side of every councillor's face as the officers descend on you from all corners of the chamber.

It's not unique to Medway. Many are far worse. Every council is worried that the occasional slip, sneer or outright bit of abuse will become worldwide news. Yet Mr Neill makes a convincing argument for openness.

"It is essential to a healthy democracy that citizens everywhere are able to feel that their council welcomes them to observe their local decision-making and through modern media tools keep others informed as to what their council is doing.

"The mainstream media also needs to be free to provide stronger local accountability by being able to film and record in meetings without obstruction," he wrote to council leaders and monitoring officers.

"Council meetings have long been open to interested members of the public and recognised journalists, and with the growth of online film, social media and hyper-local online news they should equally be open to Citizen Journalists and filming by mainstream media.

"Bloggers, tweeters, residents with their own websites and users of Facebook and YouTube are increasingly a part of the modern world, blurring the lines between professional journalists and the public."

He added: "... I want to encourage all councils to take a welcoming approach to those who want to bring local news stories to a wider audience."

I asked the chairman of Allhallows Parish Council, Cllr Yvonne Forrest, last night whether her council would open up in the way that Mr Neill suggests. After all, Allhallows has not been having the easiest of existences with recorders and writers - professional or amateur.

Mr Neill's letter came a fortnight after her council insisted that only the clerk could record conversations, scenes and actions.

It is a great pity.

Had the council not barred the cameras, tape recorders, DVDs, blogs et al it would have made for the sort of entertainment that few (other than seasoned journalists) get to see, and which stretch the credence of the written word.

She considered the question.

"It would need a change to our Standing Orders," she said. And no, there were no plans for such a discussion.

There is hope for the peninsula's eager emailers, Tweets and Blog-ettes: Cllr Mark Skudder asked for it to be discussed at the next meeting of the council. The spoken request will not be enough, however. He has to use modern communication methods (an email) for the request to be considered.

Dibley-on-Sea would rival anything Dawn French might have conceived.

They say if you can remember the 1960s then you weren't there.

Perhaps the O2's new nightclub Proud2 is pushing for a similar slogan, judging by the incredible party they threw for their press launch on Thursday.

Yes Thursday. Four days ago and I still can barely remember anything past 11.30pm from that night. The occassional free bar is a wonderful perk of the journalistic world but they never lose their devastating potential.

And on Thursday, it felt like they caused Armageddon for my liver.

Ok, so I fell fowl of having a few too many glasses of champagne and can barely report on The Bees, Nero and The Mystery Jets, pictured left, who performed on the night to the, shall we say, enthusiastic crowd.

That doesn't make me a criminal but it did make me ponder my attitude towards drinking.

Did I go out with a couple of my mates on Thursday with the intention of getting mind-bogglingly bladdered at the free event? No I didn't. Did we decide we were going to take advantage of the free booze on offer? You bet!

There lies the problem. Although we claim to know our limit, all notion of moderation went out of the window once what was on offer became free.

Was my shaky camera work at the opulently laid out and impressive club a sign of unprofessionalism? Or did I just have a few too many on a night where I was letting my hair down?

Perhaps we deserved the raging hangovers (mine suffered at work) the following day. But should we feel bad about it?

I was still at work at 8am and able to report on what was going on. Work hard, play hard is a philosophy that has served many before me well and will serve many well in the future.

Should I have felt naughty for arriving at my desk bleary-eyed the next day, even though I got on with the task in hand? Answers on a postcard please.

****

In Strictly news, Tom Chambers appears to be the main star set to grace the stage at the New Marlowe Theatre when their first programme of events gets underway in October.

He will don his dancing shoes once again for Top Hat, the first ever stage version of the 1935 film starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.

Tom was never my favourite Strictly Come Dancing champion. Lisa Snowden or Rachel Stevens should have won that year but no one could deny he was a charmer.

Also Tom made no secret of claiming Fred and Ginger were his dancing idols during his run to the glitterball in 2008.

Which surely means his toe-tapping antics will be a coup for the new Marlowe, who will stage the show before it goes on a West End run.

A ludicrously long time since my last posting for which I apologise to my legions of followers, who have no doubt been logging onto this blog and left deflated to see that it was dormant. I've been, well, a bit busy but now back up and running on the blog front. I should take a leaf out of Channel 4 news legend/icon John Snow who told us on a visit to Medway on Friday that he had to blog first thing in the morning at a quiet time because there was no way he'd be able to fit it in later once the news agenda for the day was in full flow. You got the feeling during his talk at the Bob Friend Memorial Lecture, hosted by the Centre for Journalism at the University of Kent at Medway, that it was, basically, a chore. His bosses insisted he did it daily because it brings in 'traffic' - a word he used with thinly-disguised disdain. But here was no luddite, no technophobe, no journalistic has-been hankering for the days of typewriters and telex machines. He loves Twitter. A relatively recent recruit to the phenomenon, he confessed he tweeted a lot and found it a valuable tool in sourcing and checking information as well as imparting it (telling his followers what was coming up on the nightly news, for example). An informative and entertaining evening included a question from Medway council chief executive Neil Davies enquiring about his trademark ties to which he replied that it was the only way an older newsreader might fit with a smart new studio set brought in some time ago.

I said I'd been busy and one reason was preparing for an exciting new brief in overseeing our Gravesend and Dartford operations. It is a long way from my first day as a journalist, stepping into the dusty corridors of the Isle of Thanet Gazette some 26 years ago. Well said it is a long way - about as far as you can get without leaving the county (which I haven't in that time). But there's still an excitement and anticipation for any journalist tackling a new area. First impressions, are, well, dangerous so I'll reserve them.But for starters I like the fact that the car park at the St George's Shopping Centre multi-storey charged me a quid for about three hours. The High Street is beautiful, even on a dreary Monday morning in February.  I've been recommended an Italian cafe called Leonardos for exquisite spag bol, apparently so I look forward to trying that out. Next stop Dartford.

One of the perks of the job is the annual invite to 10 Downing Street for the regional media reception. So it was off to Mr C's pad last night along with other editors and publishers the length and breadth of the country. A few even pop over from Northern Ireland. Due to the change of government it meant it was my third in about 11 months. And all have been very different. Just over a year ago Gordon Brown entertained us in what turned out to be a rather fevered atmosphere with virtually the entire cabinet out in force with what seemed to be a genuine attempt at getting a handle from local editors about what was happening on the ground. There was a distinct feeling that they could just scrape home at the forthcoming election - whether that was just denial or optimism based on reality, I don't know. Second time around in the summer and we trooped up for cocktails at chez Cam and while the PM was working the room assiduously and with his normal charm and ease, there were a distinct lack of 'Team Cameron', who were presumably preoccupied with the business of a new government. Last night it was just the man himself, from what I could gather, and we got a 'speech' which hasn't happened before. There was a message to get across to the assembled ranks and the prime minister wasn't going to miss this opportunity. He wanted 'an intelligent debate' in the regions about cuts and the Big Society. His government had given the media to tools to open up local government to their audiences and he wanted 'something in return'.