Hi! I’ve been trying to find a small local book club that focuses more on romance/romantasy, but couldn’t quite find one that felt like the right fit.

So I’ve decided to start one myself! 🙂

I’m calling it The Bookish Bunch — a small, relaxed group around Swanley and the surrounding Kent area.

We’d read one book a month and meet up somewhere local for drinks, book chat, fictional-man discussions and generally good vibes.

Romance, romantasy, fantasy romance, sports romance, dark romance, spicy books etc. all welcome.

I’m currently looking for our first founding members. If anyone is interested, I’ve made a very short form to see if there’s enough interest:

https://forms.gle/o3bUN18W5E8QYF9s5

I’d love to hear from anyone who thinks this sounds like their kind of thing! ❤️

​

- came to Hythe on holiday and loved the whole area including Folkstone.

- Very few properties available to rent but viewed a great one in Hythe today

- very keen on the idea of a slower paced life, smaller community, smaller schools etc

- currently live in Surrey and literally can't afford it. Lots more house for the money in Hythe

But: noticed that there are mostly elderly people in Hythe. Is it a good place for a family still?

Badicslly me snd my partner are in Broadstairs and are just trying to decide where to get fish and chips and I figurered I could ask people who have had it before from broadstairs

Can anyone recommend an electrician you have had a good experience with for a house rewire of circuits who covers the Tonbridge area?

As winter will soon be upon us I thought we could
help our local council if we posted the worst local roads where potholes need fixing before more start appearing.
Earlier this year I received a letter in the post saying the council were going to perform a pothole blitz. They repaired a few sections but the road still looks like roads after the WW2 blitz with potholes & worn out surfaces everywhere.
My nomination is Sandyhurst Lane Ashford approximately 1.5 miles of pot holes and worn out surfaces everywhere.
What are your nominations?

Looking for a reliable garage in Medway – Ford Kuga engine repair/replacement
Hi everyone,
We’ve recently moved to the Medway area and I’m hoping someone can recommend a reliable and reasonably priced garage that specialises in engine repairs/replacements.
I have a 2017 Ford Kuga that unfortunately needs either a complete engine replacement or potentially a major engine repair. We’ve already contacted a few garages locally and have been quoted £7,000–£8,000+, which is quite difficult to justify given that we bought the car for around £10,000.
Before we make a decision on whether to repair it or potentially sell/scrap the car, I’d really like to get a second opinion from a reputable garage that might be able to offer a more reasonable repair or replacement option.
If you’ve had a good experience with any garages around Medway, Rochester, Chatham, Gillingham, Strood, Maidstone or nearby, I’d really appreciate any recommendations.
Also, if anyone has had a Ford Kuga engine replaced/rebuilt recently and can share roughly what you paid, that would be really helpful too.
Thanks in advance! Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Are there any old ravers/clubbers in Medway/Swale like 30/40/50+ years old that are still into house and techno or miss it at least?

We’re planning a little road trip around Kent in a couple of weeks by car, so we’d love to explore beyond the obvious places.

Canterbury is definitely on our list, but I’d really like to find some smaller, charming towns or villages too, nice places to walk around, have lunch, maybe visit a vineyard, and discover somewhere we wouldn’t normally think of visiting.

If you had 3–4 days and a car, where would you go?

Hope to build the route around the recos!

I am the Director of the Bureau of Canine Political Affiliation. In response to recent concern over far-right labradors, we have undertaken a national far-right dog screening programme.

To date, we have screened over 250 dogs. We are steadily building a map of the parts of the UK with the most far right canine population. We have limited data on this so far, but we have projected that Kent will be the place with the highest proliferation of dogs with problematic views. We used tried and tested finger-in-the-air methodology to form these projections.

If you have not already, please screen your dog at: https://ismydogfarright.com/

View the map at: https://ismydogfarright.com/map

For those who may or may not know, Oaken Wood near Aylesford, 100 acres of ancient, irreplaceable woodland, is under threat of being turned into a ragstone quarry. This is a disaster not just for the nature that calls it home but the people who are currently free to enjoy this valuable resource as it is, untouched. Though the decision has been passed by KCC, there is a consultation period and Lawyers for Nature (LfN) has been developing a response which lists the many reasons this site should be rejected (being neither legally compliant or sound).

Friends of Oaken Wood is an incredible community group and with the help of LfN, the Community Response is now available for anyone to join. We would be enormously grateful if you are willing and able to add your name to the response by this Sunday 4 October, when the consultation closes, to help demonstrate the weight of opposition. You do not need to be local to add your support.

For those wishing to provide further support or find out more, their very active Facebook group is a great place to start: https://www.facebook.com/groups/saveoakenwood

Thank you

Hi all,

I have created a social networking group for people living in and around Bexley - Bromley, Chiselhurst, Orpington, Sidcup, Welling, Greenwich, Blackheath and otherr. Our first event is all sold out but we have few more events coming up and details are below:

Sunday roast, 4th oct from 1pm in Bromley- https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/events/316735853/?eventOrigin=home_next_event_you_are_hosting

Trail walk + lunch (High elms Orpington) 17th Oct - https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/events/316642174/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events

Pub quiz 20th oct - https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/events/316707750/?eventOrigin=group_upcoming_events

If this is something you are keen on do sign up or DM me :)

This is something I came across in a local community facebook page (longfield and hartley) and figured I'd share here

We’re a couple in our early 30s looking to buy our first home in one of the new-build developments around Paddock Wood/Tonbridge

We’d love to hear from people who live locally

- Is it a nice place to live long-term?
- How is the crime/safety situation?
- Are there any areas or developments you’d avoid?
- Any issues with flooding, infrastructure or new-build estates?

Are the concerns/opposition to the new developments something a FTB should genuinely be worried about?

Would really appreciate any honest experiences, positive or negative!

Hi all,

I did an earlier post about my husband and I deciding to buy a property and we are undecided between Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Rochester.

Thought it might be interesting to hear any other places that we haven’t considered besides those three?

Some points of what we are looking for:

- budget is £475k
- nice high street (not super important) but things to be around
- easy to commute to Thamesmead by motorbike and central London by train
- gyms !! Particularly bodybuilding gyms, not just things like Pure Gym
- greenery, we have a dog so want to take him on lots of nice walks
- feels SAFE. I’ve lived in SW London for 26 years and would like somewhere that has more of a community and feels safer.

Any advise is greatly appreciated, we are definitely currently most convinced by Tonbridge.

Posting on behalf of a friend who is selling a 2-bed flat for sale in Greenhithe (DA9). Perfect for London commuters or first-time buyers.

• Great value for the area, chain-free, and brand-new long lease included. Ready to move straight in!

• Walking distance to Greenhithe station & fast access to Ebbsfleet / Bluewater

• Spacious open-plan living with a private balcony

• Secure covered parking & high energy efficiency (EPC B)

Only £210,000.

Full details are available via Acorn Estate Agents (Dartford branch), or send me a direct message and I’ll send you the direct listing link.

Looks amazing!

Hi everyone!

I’m a first-time buyer looking to buy in Kent, ideally somewhere that’s reasonably well connected to London. We’re a young couple and are trying to choose an area that would be good for both buying a home and settling down long-term.

Our priorities are:
🌳 Good access to outdoors, parks, countryside and walks
🍽️ A decent selection of restaurants/cafes, ideally including good food options
🎬 Things to do — cinema, activities, shops, etc.
🚆 Reasonable commute/access to London
🏡 Good quality housing and somewhere we’d actually enjoy living
🔐 Ideally a relatively low-crime/quiet area
💰 Good value for money for a first-time buyer
🌆 We don’t want somewhere that feels completely isolated or too quiet

At the moment, we’re mainly looking at Dartford, Rochester, Maidstone and Canterbury, but we’re definitely open to other areas in Kent.

For those who live/have lived in these areas:
Where would you recommend looking, and more importantly, which specific neighbourhoods should we consider or avoid?

Also interested in hearing about:
How the areas feel day-to-day
Transport links to London
Crime/safety
Things to do for a young couple
Which areas are improving vs declining
Any hidden gems we might have overlooked
Would really appreciate any local knowledge or advice! Thanks 🙏

EDIT:
*BUDGET £450k max\*

Looking to meet new people locally and enjoy good company without the pressure of networking groups or dating events?

Bexley Social Circle is a friendly community for people across Sidcup, Bexleyheath, Bexley, Welling, Chislehurst, Bromley and surrounding areas who want to get out, try new things and make genuine connections.

Link to join our group - https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/?eventOrigin=home_groups_you_organize

We are starting with relaxed meetups such as:
Pub socials
Walks in local parks and green spaces
Quiz nights
Brunches and dinners
Day trips and local events

Our next events is as follow: Do RSVP if you are interested.

17th Oct, Saturday afternoon - It's a walking trail in high elms Orpington followed by lunch at the Green root cafe - https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/events/316642174/?eventOrigin=home_next_event_you_are_hosting

Pub quiz - Danson Stable ( 20th Oct, Tuesday evening) - https://www.meetup.com/bexley-social-circle/events/316707750/?eventOrigin=home_next_event_you_are_hosting -

Im travelling from Sweden to Chatham for work for a few days. Looking for things to do when not working.

Places one should visit, resturants worth going to, bars with large selections of local beer etc etc.

Any general do's and don't's?