31.01.12 Thamesteel workers given jobs advice at Sheerness support day Steel workers being made redundant after the collapse of a Kent manufacturing firm are being offered employment advice. A support day is taking place for the 400-strong workforce of Thamesteel in Sheerness, which went into administration last week.

31.01.12 Redundant Kent Pfizer staff 'finding jobs' About two-thirds of the workers who left the Kent Pfizer site after being made redundant last year have found other jobs, it has emerged. Dr Annette Doherty, site leader for Pfizer Sandwich, said some had remained in the biomedical sector while others had left Kent and moved to other roles.

31.01.12 Dreamland newsletter available The newsletter includes details of the public Inquiry into Thanet District Council's proposed Compulsory Purchase of the Dreamland site from current owners, Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company.

31.01.12 Fishing focus newsletter available This includes the final result from the 2011 December Fisheries Council in relation to the UK fleet along with CFP reform details.

27.01.12 Turner exhibition opens in Margate Works by JMW Turner, including 12 oil paintings and 72 watercolours, go on show at Turner Contemporary gallery. "Turner and the Elements" is at the Turner Contemporary Margate, free, until 13 May 2012.

27.01.12 MCZ newsletter issue 8 The MCZ Project Newsletter is designed to keep stakeholders up-to-date with the work of the Marine Conservation Zone Project through to designation. An edit is provided below, but you can subscribe to the full version.

24.01.12 Flood insurance fears for thousands of Kent homeowners More than 30,000 Kent homeowners are at risk of flooding and many could face insurance problems, experts have said. In the past year, the Environment Agency has reduced the risk for 3,000 Kent homes but 34,000 remain at high risk, spokesman Mark Douch said.

24.01.12 Magnetic soap could help in oil spill clean-ups An international team of scientists has demonstrated the first soap that responds to magnets. This means the soap and the materials that it dissolves can be removed easily by applying a magnetic field. Experts say that with further development, it could find applications in cleaning up oil spills and waste water.

19.01.12 Thames Estuary airport idea 'pipe dream' Politicians in Medway have condemned plans to examine the idea of building a Thames Estuary airport in a consultation on UK aviation. They argue the proposed airport hub would be a waste of money and damage the environment off the Hoo peninsula.

19.01.12 "On the Marshes" RSPB newsletter available This newsletter provides updates from the RSPB's North Kent team, with news from varioys reserves, including aew project at Great Bells Farm on the Isle of Sheppey.

17.01.12 Balanced Seas - ammendments report available This report, collates corrections and clarifications to the MCZ site descriptions for the Final Recommendations. The report does not introduce new aspects to any of the recommendations that were not discussed in Balanced Seas stakeholder group meetings.

13.01.12 Shoresearch programme for 2012 announced Shoresearch is Kent Wildlife Trust’s volunteer scheme to identify and record animals and plants in their habitats on the shore. The aim is to build a baseline of data on the wildlife that occurs on the shores around Kent, to help promote its conservation.

10.01.12 Margate's Dreamland public inquiry under way The future of Margate's closed seafront amusement park being debated at a public inquiry. Thanet District Council wants to compulsory purchase the Dreamland site from landowners the Margate Town Centre Regeneration Company (MTCRC).

10.01.12 New Dover to Calais ferry service announced Two ferry companies have announced their intention to run a service between Dover and Calais, a day after SeaFrance went into liquidation. DFDS and LD Lines put in a bid to acquire some of SeaFrance's assets, but the bid was rejected by a French court.

10.01.12 Plans for Northfleet Harbour restoration outlined Northfleet Harbour is an historic site on the Thames, near Ebbsfleet and the Northfleet Harbour Restoration Trust has been set up to reverse decades of neglect and bring it back into use.

01.01.12 Kent prepares for Charles Dickens bicentenary events Kent is preparing to be in the spotlight in 2012 for the celebration of the bicentenary of Charles Dickens. The Victorian author spent some of his youth in Chatham, had holidays in Broadstairs and died in Higham, near Rochester. Many of his stories are set on or inspired by the Kent coast.

17.12.11 UK fishing fleets get higher fish quotas but less time at sea British fishing fleets will be able to land more fish, but face fewer days at sea, following EU talks in Brussels. The British government says it achieved victory for the UK fishing industry in the annual Common Fisheries Policy negotiations.

30.11.11 Successful Kent Coastal Conference at Turner Contemporary BBC Coast presenter Nicholas Crane gave the key note address for the Kent Coastal Conference in Margate on Tuesday 22 November. The conference, co-ordinated by Kent Coastal Network was financed by the European regional development programme and Visit Kent.

29.11.11 Government approves second ferry terminal at Dover In what is being described as a significant vote of confidence in the strategic direction of the UK’s busiest trust port, the Government has today formally given the go ahead for Dover’s second ferry terminal (Terminal 2).

11.11.11 Royal visit for Turner Contemporary Today, (11 Nov) Her Majesty The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh visited Turner Contemporary. An honour for the gallery, this historic moment came after a hugely successful first seven months, which has seen Turner Contemporary welcome over 300,000 visitors.