Better roads, a cinema and improved public transport - those were just a few things on the agenda at the relaunch of an action group.

A packed audience turned out for the relaunch of the Sheppey Community Development Forum at the Salvation Army Hall in Sheerness High Street on Tuesday (October 8).

Renamed Island Forum Sheppey, the future of the lobbying group, founded by Oasis Academy’s Steve Chalke to promote the Island in 2018, had looked in doubt after the trust pulled out of running the Island’s secondary school, leading to the creation of two new ones.

So Island campaigners Paul Murray and John Nurden called a meeting to test the water.

Mr Murrary was keen the forum sholuld be about action, not just words.

It had previously been instrumental in setting up the Sheppey Support Bus, a travelling community larder which offers things like debt advice service and mental health services.

“One thing we don’t want is for the forum to become another talking shop where nothing gets changed,” Mr Murray said.

“That is why we need more passionate Islanders to join us to help transfer these thoughts into actions.”

Members of the audience were also given Post-it notes to write down what they liked about the Island and what needed to be improved.

The state of roads, parking, the lack of safe cycle routes, no cinema and limited public transport were just some of the topics mentioned but c

Retired journalist Mr Nurden, now a Minster parish councillor, admitted: “We feared the forum might have lost its way and that there was no longer a desire for an independent organisation to blow the Island’s trumpet.

“But we were proved wrong.”

Mr Murray, who works for EKC Sheppey Secondary School in Sheerness, said: “The numbers spoke for themselves. We were delighted to see such passion from people from all walks of life and from different organisations determined to improve and promote the Island.”

Mr Nurden added: “It is obvious Sheppey needs a powerful voice and this forum can fill that vacuum.

“It is totally non-political. But we’d like the many parish and town councils to join us to discuss and work on Island-wide projects.

“There are many excellent organisations already doing sterling work. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel and duplicate what they are doing.”

An example mentioned was a Sheppey website.

It had been suggested the Island needed one but Visit Sheppey is already operated by Swale council and comes under the Visit Kent umbrella.

Former Swale employee Martin Goodhew, who works part-time promoting Faversham, said: “The problem with the Visit Sheppey site is that there is not a lot on it. There are no events and some information is three years out of date.

“Island organisations should be encouraged to use it more. It is an important shop window for Sheppey’s tourism.”

Among those present at the meeting were the principals of Sheppey’ new secondary schools, January Lorman and Matt Stevens; Swale councillor Dolley Wooster and veteran youth worker Ray Featherstone. MP Kevin McKenna sent his apologies.

There were also representatives from Sheerness Town Council, the Sheerness Town Team, Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust, the Sheppey Light Railway Greenway project; Sheppey Employment Forum, the Criterion Theatre and Blue Town Heritage Centre.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, January 7, at 6.30pm at the Criterion Theatre, Blue Town. For more information, or to offer your help, email Paul Murray at p.murray@ekcss.org.