Enjoy a glass of cider at Brogdale, an airshow in the memory of Amy Johnson and a concert to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust

Amy Johnson Air Show

All eyes will be on the skies on 15 August for a thrilling afternoon of action in the air above Herne Bay.

But there will be plenty to look at on the ground too, including a full-size replica Spitfire, Hurricane and Me 109 and a simulator giving would-be pilots the chance to experience what it would be like to fly with the world-famous Red Arrows.

The team will be showing off their skills as part of the Amy Johnson Memorial Air Show, but fans will also be able to meet the ground crew, known as The Blues, as part of the attractions along Herne Bay seafront.

And while the Vulcan bomber thunders overhead, retired pilot Paddy Langdown will be sharing some of his memories of flying the historic aircraft. Visitors can also find out more about Amy Johnson, the record-breaking pilot who inspired the event, who died when her plane came down in mysterious circumstances off the coast of Herne Bay.

Jane Priston, who has spent years researching the aviatrix’s life and links with Herne Bay, will also be on hand to discuss her findings.

Jane said: “We are lucky enough to have some really fantastic people joining us to help tell Amy’s story and spread her message that nothing is impossible.

“As well as the team working with me on the Amy Johnson Herne Bay Project, we will have members of the Canterbury Divers who are searching for the wreckage of the plane Amy was flying when she crashed and died off the shores of Herne Bay.

“We will also have representatives of the Women’s Engineering Society, which Amy was president of between 1935 and 1937, and the Croydon Airport Society. Amy took off from Croydon Airport on her epic flight to Australia in May 1930.

“Hers is an incredible story, and the Amy Johnson Memorial Air Show will be an incredible day, and I can’t wait to be able to be part of it.”

Amy’s Standard Avon car will also be on display, and visitors can meet craftsmen from Meltdowns, a studio and bronze casting foundry that is making a full-size statue of Amy to be unveiled next year, marking the 75th anniversary of her death.

Official Red Arrows merchandise will also be on sale, and representatives of the Royal Aeronautical Society and pilot training company CTC Aviation will attend the event.

The next generation of Red Arrows pilots could also get find out how to get their career to take off with the TG Arrows Scholarship, run by flying school TG Aviation. Four pilots have gone on to fly for the Red Arrows including the current Red 10, Mike Ling, who will be commentating on the display on Saturday. Raffle tickets for a flight in their Boeing Stearman will also be on sale – display pilot Tracey Curtis-Taylor will fly the same plane to Australia in Amy’s name in October this year.

Supporters will also be able to find out how to support Aerobility, a charity giving disabled people the opportunity to fly an aeroplane.

The ground attractions will be open from 10am and the flying displays start at 1pm.

For more information about Amy Johnson and her links with Herne Bay, visit www.amyjohnsonhernebay.com or search for Amy Johnson Herne Bay on Facebook.

For more information on the on-the-ground attractions, or Amy’s links with Herne Bay, please contact Jane Priston on 07931 109569.

For more information and the latest news, visit www.hernebayairshow.co.uk or search ‘BayPromoTeam’ on Facebook.

Anniversary Concert set to help raise vital funds

A concert to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust is set to provide a valuable fund-raising boost to the charity that looks after the National Memorial to the Few at Capel-le-Ferne.

The concert at the United Reformed Church in Folkestone on Saturday 22 August will be given by the Invicta Wind Orchestra, which attracts musicians from across the south east.

The proceeds from the concert, which will include William Walton’s music for the film The Battle of Britain, will be donated to the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.

With the orchestra’s members including many former military players or teachers, the 40-strong woodwind, brass and percussion group is similar to a military band.

As well as Walton’s score, the programme will include a number of traditional military marches, including those used in the film, and the first performance of a new but traditional march called Spitfire, written by Hythe composer Richard Hubbert.

It will also feature composer Nigel Hess’s Scramble!, and moving and reflective music by Martin Ellerby and Joseph Horovitz. The concert begins at 7.30pm. Tickets, at 10 (1 concession) are available from Memorialconcert@outlook.com

http://www.battleofbritainmemorial.org

Brogdale Artisan Cider Festival

The Brogdale Artisan Cider Festival is taking place on 29 and 30 August and is set to be bigger and better than ever. Local producers of artisan cider will be pitching up with barrels of scrumptious cider and perry, generally only available in selected outlets.

Single producers in attendance will include Kentish Pip, Turners, Kent Cider Company, Biddenden, Duddas Tun and East Sutton Vine Garden. The main bar will be run by Tiddly Pomme at Brogdale who produce Woolly Pig Cider. They will also stock over 20 artisan Ciders and Perry, mainly from around Kent although a couple of the West Country Ciders have proved exceptional enough to squeeze in!

A Cider Trail will guide visitors to each of the local producers encouraging sampling and scoring, to determine a favourite “Cider or Perry of the Festival”. The winning cider of 2014 was “Pip the Elder” produced by Kentish Pip and was entirely the peoples vote! Local bands will be playing through the weekend with headlines acts being Coco’s Lovers, Rudy Warman and Stu Edwards and Gone Country.

In light of popular demand last year two free shuttle buses will be running from Faversham train station to Brogdale throughout the weekend allowing visitors easy access from public transport routes. The buses will be running alternatively throughout the day to avoid any long delays in catching the bus.

Bernie Cranfield, Events and Marketing Manager for Brogdale Collections comments: “We have worked hard this year to grow the Cider Festival and offer visitors a packed weekend full of local food, drink, music and entertainment. Kent is really a hidden gem for fine artisan Cider and we are proud to support the smaller producers. Encouraging an appreciation for local produce is high on our agenda here at Brogdale and that really underpins our whole ethos for the weekend”.

Entertainment for all ages will include archery, pig racing, wellie wanging, space hoppers races, trifle eating competitions and outdoor games. Morris dancers will be in full swing on Saturday and the Swale Vehicle Club will be bringing over 20 classic cars over the weekend.

Debbie Hickman from Tiddly Pomme at Brogdale will demonstrate Cider Making from a hand press and Grow Plant Centre will demonstrate juice pressing in the Greenhouse.

There will be plenty on offer for the children also with a bug roadshow featuring large creepy crawlies and hands on bug crafts. The Kent Kite Flyers will be flying oversized kites and running kite making workshops along with the Teddy Bear Parachute.

Tickets can be purchased online at a discounted price through the website www.brogdalecollections.org