Latest news with #Walmer
The Herald
04-08-2025
- Automotive
- The Herald
Triumphant return for Victor at Victory Raceway
Pieta Victor made a triumphant return to dirt oval racing after a lengthy break at round five of the DO4SA Dirt Oval Regional Championship that took place at Victory Raceway on Saturday night. The regional championship comprises six rounds with racing taking place at both Victory Raceway in Walmer and at the PE Oval Track Club, along Mission Road in Greenbushes. Racing in the V8 American saloon class, Victor dominated the opening heat with a masterclass of skill and speed in wet and slippery conditions. He was content to slot into second place behind Rohan van Vuuren in the next two heats, but came out with guns blazing to win the final dominantly, much to the delight of the large crowd. Damon Miles was the class act of the 2.1 modified class with a full house of wins in the heats as well as a resounding win in the final that saw him being voted as the driver of the day. The competitive 1660 modified saloon class continued to provide high drama with many incidents and accidents eliminating many of the top drivers as the night progressed. Marthinus Muller continued his fine run to stretch his lead in the regional championship. Pierre van der Berg was back to his best in the heavy metal class, taking the win in the final after being pushed hard by Neville Ellard. Josh Sletcher and Dawid Grundlingh enjoyed a consistent evening in the hot rod class while Pieta de Lange stretched his now unassailable lead in the 1600 stock saloons with the win in the evenly matched class. The class results were: 1600 saloons: 1 Pieta de lange (E185), 2 Reghardt Joubert (SA3), 3 Ruben Barnard (C139) 1660 modified saloons: 1 Marthinus Muller (E46), 2 Chanell van Tonder (E173), 3 Melindre Marais (E92) 2.1 modifieds: 1 Damon Miles (SA2), 2 Rimon Landman (E154), 3 Johan Knoesen (E49) Hot rods: 1 Dawid Grundlingh (C727), 2 Reghardt Joubert (C133), 3 Ludolf Olckers (C98) Heavy metals: 1 Pierre van der Berg (SA1), 2 Joshua Sletcher (C100), 3 Neville Ellard (E71) V8 American saloons: 1 Pieta Victor (SA1), 2 Wayne Holland (C21), 3 Juan Roesstorff (SA3) Driver of the day: Damon Miles (SA2) The Herald
The Herald
04-08-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald
Gqeberha local is on a mission to share African stories with youth
News Premium By Faith Mtwana - 04 August 2025 After four years of living and working abroad, local performing artist and arts educator Litha Xhanti Hewitt-Coleman has returned to Gqeberha and brought with him a burning passion to share African stories with as many young minds as possible. Raised in Walmer and New Brighton, Hewitt-Coleman moved to Thailand to teach English, however, due to his passion for drama and the arts, teaching English proved not to be enough for him...
The Herald
31-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Herald
Regional racing returns to Victory Raceway
The fifth round of the DO4SA Regional Dirt Oval Championship takes place at Victory Raceway on Victoria Drive in Walmer on Saturday evening, with just two rounds left in the championship that sees races taking place at both Victory and PE Oval Track Raceway on Mission Road in the Greenbushes area. In the 1600 Stock Class, Pieter de Lange has dominated, holding a large lead in the championship with a 102-point advantage over second-placed Ruben Barnard, with Deon Kretzmann in third place. The 1600 Stock Class continues to grow with a mix of youngsters moving up through the ranks from the development and rookie classes, as well as some seasoned racers enjoying the competitiveness that the class offers. In the fiercely fought 1660 Modified Saloons class, Nadia Rautenbach has moved up into third place, a mere two points behind Charne Schuin, who is just 25 points behind championship leader Marthinus Muller. In the 2.1 Modified Class, Malcolm Els is leading the charge and has stretched his lead over Rimon Landman to 55 points with Dawid 'Baba' Grundlingh in third, a further 33 points adrift. The Hot Rod class has a runaway leader in Kiaan Aylward, who now has a huge 239-point lead over Ludolf Olckers, with Annuschke Landman a further 28 points behind in third place. Danie de Vos (SA2) is comfortably in control of the Heavy Metal Class despite bombing out of the last round and not making it into the final. It has allowed Joshua Sletcher to close down the gap to 40 points in second, and David Victor 53 points behind in third. In the V8 American Saloon Class, Juan Roesstorff is the new championship leader with a 58-point advantage over Wayne Holland, who has moved up into second place, with Rohan van Vuuren dropping down to third place, trailing Holland by 31 points. This event is also the seventh round of the Victory Raceway Club Championship where Marthinus Muller leads the 1660 class by 104 points, Danie de Vos the Heavy Metal class by 187 points, Annuschke Landman the Hot Rod class by 60 points, Rimon Landman the 2.1 Modified class by 152 points, Reghardt Joubert the 1600 Saloons by 64 points and Juan Roesstorff the American Saloons by 121 points. The gates to Victory Raceway open at 1pm with racing set to start at 5pm. Upcoming events: August 2: Algoa Kart Club Championship round 5 at the Celso Scribante Kart Circuit August 9: Algoa Motorsport Club Circuit Racing round 5 at Aldo Scribante Raceway; Slake Motorcycle Enduro at Bushmans River. Navigational Enduro August 16: Inner City Motorcycle Enduro, Baakens Valley August 22: Regional Extreme Festival, East London Grand Prix Circuit August 30: Alles-op-Wiele Car Show at Daniel Pienaar Technical High School. The Herald
Times
26-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Times
How we gave a chintz-filled Kent villa an arty makeover
Quitting the city buzz for a simple life by the sea seems to go one of two ways: deep regret or coastal convert. Ben Cotton, the founder and director of east London gallery Hang-Up, and his partner, Danielle Reddi, a doctor, decided to ease themselves gently into life in Walmer, a peaceful little seaside town next to Deal in Kent. While they were still living in a Victorian terrace in Stoke Newington, north London, they bought a holiday flat down here. 'Walmer is going through an interesting time with lots of creative people moving to the area,' Cotton says. The family — the couple have two sons aged ten and eight — were staying here when Covid struck. 'We had the luxury of sea views, big skies and a sense of space. Back in London, we always went to the same park, but here we had so many different places for our daily walks,' Reddi says. 'When we eventually went back to London, we had a moment of clarity and decided to make a life down in Kent. We moved back into the flat and started house-hunting,' Cotton recalls. Having befriended a local estate agent, Cotton was able to view this place before it even came onto the market and they snapped it up. 'It's a beautiful house, right by the sea but with a totally private garden. We were very lucky,' Cotton says. The house is a large one — many of its neighbours have been divided into two homes — and is originally Georgian with Victorian additions. But when the couple first viewed it, the era that screamed out at them was the Eighties, with chintz curtains, patterned wallpaper and a kitchen divided between two tiny rooms. • Read more expert advice on property, interiors and home improvement It was the problem of the kitchen that saw them bring Studio Ulanowski on board. Straddling architecture and interior design, and with bases in both Kent and London, the practice felt like a good fit. Having come up with plans to create a new heart-of-the-home kitchen in the former dining room — think olive green cabinets, richly veined marble counters and Portland stone floors — architect Eryk Ulanowski's role spread to encompass the whole house. 'The brief was to hold on to as much of the original house as possible, but to make it feel more current. We wanted bold colours and playful elements. And it had to work as a family home, even as the boys grow up,' explains Reddi. The new boot room is perfect for kids trailing in from school or the beach, with nooks for each person's stuff. From there, the boys can move into the den/playroom next door, or take their own staircase — once the servants' back stairs — up to their colourful bedrooms and shared bathroom. 'At the moment, they love hanging out with us, but the house is prepared for when they become more independent,' says Reddi. As well as their own suite and a guest suite, the couple, who both work in London two days a week, have their own offices upstairs. Cotton often does yoga in the new gym, once the kitchen. Next to the couple's bedroom, another room shares the same balcony and sea view. Having toyed with making it a dressing room, the pair decided, with Ulanowski's guidance, on a far more fun alternative: a cocktail snug. 'In the summer, we use this for relaxing with the kids after dinner, but it's also a late-night hangout with friends,' Reddi says. Given that Cotton has his own gallery, it's no surprise that the house has been designed around his art collection, such as the Grayson Perry etching hanging over the kitchen hearth and the Kostas Papakostas over the snug's sofa. 'Some pieces are permanent and some will come and go. Hang-Up balances work by big names including Banksy, Andy Warhol, Basquiat, Tracey Emin and Bridget Riley, alongside helping younger artists to gain exposure.' Here at home, Cotton has curated a collection of artists with a local connection such as Studio Lenca (based at Emin's TKE Studios in Margate). With the art collection in mind, Ulanowski devised a palette of complex, nuanced colours, inspired by the local landscape, which flit between light and dark as you move from room to room. 'We always knew we wanted a change from art gallery white,' Cotton says. The house is also elevated by bespoke joinery throughout — with everything from the kitchen cabinets to the living room display shelves crafted by another former Londoner, Hazel Thomson of Harbour Joinery Workshop in Ramsgate. 'Hazel's designs helped to make the whole house feel cohesive and considered,' Cotton says. The pair admit that it took them a while to feel settled here but now have'an amazing network of friends, mainly through the kids' school', Cotton says. For both of them, coastal living has been a huge part of the appeal. Reddi loves to soak in the bath or sit in bed with a cup of tea, drinking in the sea views. She sometimes joins Cotton's morning swim group on warmer days, although he swims all year round. 'It's a fantastic way to start the day and even if it's tough getting in, you never regret doing it. Living by the sea has made us feel more healthy and closer to nature.'
BBC News
10-07-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
King talks to Kent RNLI crew about small boat rescues
King Charles III spoke to an RNLI crew about small boat rescues in the English Channel during a visit to the Kent coast. At Walmer lifeboat station on Thursday the monarch spoke to three crew members honoured for a rescue operation 10 miles off the coastline. A total of four people died and dozens were rescued when the small boat they were on began taking on water in December 2022."Do you get a lot of those call outs?" the King asked. "Not so much here," replied volunteer crew member Daniel Sinclair, adding that stations in Ramsgate and Dover were more used to dealing with Channel Sinclair, who has been an RNLI volunteer for 17 years, told the King the small boats were "not very seaworthy" and described the operation as "traumatic".He told reporters later: "It was a very chaotic and stressful call out for us on board our Atlantic 85."We saved five people's lives, stopped them from drowning and it was bitterly cold but the adrenaline kept us going."The King spoke about the issue of small boats when he delivered a speech at a state banquet on Tuesday, marking the start of French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to the told Windsor Castle dinner guests about the deepening co-operation between the UK and France that will protect against "profound challenges" like terrorism, organised crime and "irregular migration" across the English Channel. King Charles remarks came on his first visit to Kent as toured Walmer Castle, an official residence and favourite place of his grandmother up until her picked up rubbish on Walmer beach, waving his litter picker at the crowd hoping to see told one resident as he shook their hand: "Those shingles are very hard work".Deal and Walmer residents gathered in their hundreds as Charles waved and shook hands with many of reporting by PA Media.
