Transport is forever a key issue for those of us who live in East Kent, with attention moving between the threats of blockages on the motorway network, and the services on the trains.

One of the fixtures on the Ashford Business Calendar these days is the Growth of Ashford Conference set up by Wilkins Kennedy. This year’s was held at the Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, and it was very cheering to see extra chairs being brought in before the start to meet the demand.

Motorways are much in our minds at the moment, with the works at various stages of the M20 causing short-term pain for we hope will be long-term gain.

I am always fascinated to discover unexpected Ashford connections with people from history who have a national reputation, and the unveiling of the new Memorial Civic Beacon in North Park provided another opportunity.

There was a real buzz on the air at my Over 50s Fair last Friday. St Mary’s Church in Ashford Town Centre was packed with more than thirty stalls, and I am delighted that those who attended, from all ages over 50, said that they found it useful and enjoyable.

Like everyone else I have been bowled over by the sheer number of Snowdogs that I come across around Ashford at the moment. On a sunny September afternoon the ones in the Memorial Gardens look particularly good.

In a week’s time I will be trying a new experiment to see if I can help older people in and around Ashford. It’s an Over 50s Fair, which I hope will attract as big a crowd as the Jobs Fair I held earlier in the year at Ashford College.

One of the parts of the public sector which attracts not enough attention is the probation service, which does a hugely important job.  From the Ashford office of the Kent Surrey and Sussex Community Rehabilitation Company, which does probation work here, there are 193 service users.

This week I want to pay tribute to two examples of the excellent voluntary spirit that exists in the Ashford Borough, allowing people to improve the lives of others in their own spare time.

The decision by Ashford Borough Council to approve the plans to develop the Waterbrook site near Junction 10 is one of the most significant taken by the planning committee in recent years.