You can see it from here

Readers of my previous blogs will know that I've been working for some time on what I've been calling my Sheppey project. It started out in my mind as a celebration of the natural beauty of the island, but less positive thoughts kept coming into my head, particularly as the island is under threat from developments which could impact on both the natural world and, in quite a major way, on people's everyday lives. 

When I first came here, someone told me that Sheppey wasn't the end of the world, but you can see it from here. It's a negative view, but there is a sense sometimes when you speak to people that they feel Sheppey is not what it was. They may still love it, but also feel it is in danger. 

There are many different views of Sheppey, from the people who live here, those who holiday here, those who remember it from childhood - and from those who've decided they don't want to live here.

I do want to live here, and I wanted to pull together the strands of why I do, and also highlight the threats. There was an increasing sense of urgency as more and more developments were proposed, so I have brought together - in words and pictures - how I feel about the island - and have produced a little book called 'You can see it from here - Views of Sheppey'.

The island is fragmented and the book likewise is fragmented - it's not quite how I envisaged it would be. Hopefully, in its different views, it captures different aspects of the island.

I have been fortunate already, in that the Aviation Museum in Eastchurch and Blue Town Heritage Centre in Sheerness are stocking it, so people can buy it from them. If you would like a copy (£5) and can't get to those two venues, just contact me through Twitter and I'll try to find a way to get one to you.