Photos row nursery fury after upgrade

Transcription

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Maidstone Town | Maidstone East | Maidstone South | Malling
April 2016 No. 228
Photos row nursery
fury after upgrade
News
THE Government education watchdog Ofsted has been accused of double standards by a pre-school in Linton dubbed “inadequate.”
There was a public outcry by parents after Cherubs, which meets at
Linton Village Hall, was downgraded from “outstanding” because the manager occasionally
took photos to reassure parents
their children were happy.
The nursery has now been reclassified as “good” but manager
Cindy Fox is still reeling from four
months of stress and the fear she
might lose her business.
Mrs Fox said: “Following the October inspection, the pre-school
was under the very real threat of
closure as it was unable to request
any government funding for new
children who wanted to join.
“The threat has now been lifted
following the recent re-inspection
where Cherubs was graded as
good in all four areas.
“The support received from all
parents whose children attended
Cherubs during this time has been
nothing short of brilliant and has
helped us get through what has
been a very stressful time.”
Parents leapt to the defence of
Cherubs and a petition attracted almost 2,500 signatures. The case was
even raised in the House of Commons. Mrs Fox’s husband Steve
said: “We had parents and settings
[other establishments] from all over
the country commenting on the petition, stating that they had a similar policy in place and have not
been penalised for it, which indicates inconsistencies or double
standards.” Cherubs had a policy
in place and always adhered to it.
Steve added: “We still feel that no
rules were broken and if we cannot
take and privately share photos
with parents there should be a total
ban on sharing photographs
through social media.”
The nursery has changed its policies and no longer takes pictures of
the children. However, Mrs Fox has
complained to the Ombudsman
about the original classification.
Even if the Ombudsman finds in
Mrs Fox’s favour, Ofsted is not
obliged to change or remove the
contentious report from its website.
Mr Fox said: “We are still waiting
for the Ombudsman to review our case as we still 30
Carys makes light work of title
A BARMING teenager lucky to be alive after being
born severely premature is targeting the Olympics
after winning a regional weightlifting title.
Carys Harper, 15, who attends St Augustine’s Academy in Maidstone, won the Lion Heart category at this
year’s Celebrate Maidstone awards for overcoming difficulties to achieve great things.
Born 12 weeks premature and weighing only 3lb,
Carys – daughter of Zoe Reed and step-dad Chris – was
initially unable to breathe without an incubator. Diagnosed with dyscalculia, a brain disorder causing difficulty in making arithmetical calculations, she struggled
at school but with the help of Jayne Bradshaw, her mentor at St Augustine’s Academy, she refused to give up.
Her fighting spirit led her to take up kickboxing, receiving her junior black belt in March 2013.
Teacher Michael Blackford introduced her to
THE best efforts of campaigners,
including local MPs, have failed
to prevent the closure of
the Dorothy Lucy centre. 4
Election decision
KENT’S controversial police and
crime commissioner Ann
5
Barnes will not restand.
Friday is market day
A FARMERS’ market will take
place every month in
8
Jubilee Square.
Moving from Mote
MAIDSTONE Mela will be held in
the town centre for the
first time, this September. 25
Photos exhibition
MORE than 50 people attended
the launch of the Yalding
Riverside Pop Up Gallery. 28
Religious concern
A PROPOSAL to rebuild a mosque
in the town centre has
29
been criticised.
Worship dates cut
SOME church services have been
temporarily axed in a restructuring programme. 30
Comment
Crime Reports
weightlifting and, in just two years she has gone from
beginner to competing at a national level. Carys won
silver in the British Schools Weightlifting Championship in February 2015 and gold in the 2015
18
London & SE Junior Championships,
Hospital woe
YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT
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Care home to shut
23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent
DRASTIC financial measures
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which lost £15m in its first year.
Full story – page 20.
46-47
34-35
35
ANIMALS were released during a
Staplehurst farm break-in.
Obituaries
44
Parish Councils 45-47
HYMNS, prayers, readings and the
national anthem could mark the
Queen’s birthday in Boughton
Monchelsea; free dog-waste bags
might be provided in Chart Sutton; turkeys and peacocks were
stolen in Hunton; flooding concerns were raised in Loose; members in Yalding were to be gagged
to stop them speaking out.
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Maidstone South April 2016
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Learn more
about Brexit
BUSINESS owners in Maidstone
anxious to learn more about what
impact a British exit from the EU
could have on employment in the
UK – and their own organisation –
are invited to attend one of a series
of workshops in the town.
The impact of the June 23 referendum on UK employment law is
one of the topics being examined
by Kent law firm Furley Page in
partnership with Kent Invicta
Chamber of Commerce.
They will be led by Andrew Masters, partner and head of employment at Furley Page, and Amanda
Okill, an associate who specialises
in employment law.
They take place at the Mercure
Maidstone Great Danes Hotel. For
details, call 01233 503838 or email
events@kentinvictachamber.co.uk.
Friends meet
THE Friends of All Saints’, Ulcombe will be holding their annual
general meeting at the church at
7pm on Monday, April 18. All
members are welcome to attend
and contribute ideas for the future
of the group.
For more local news
www.downsmail.co.uk
Lady rowers show they
can take on the best
YOUNG women from Maidstone
Invicta Rowing Club have been
showing the country that “Kent
Girls Can”.
The club are supporting the KCC
sporting initiative which is aimed at
getting more girls into sport.
Three eight-women crews were
among those taking part in the recent Hammersmith Head race on
the Thames – a shorter version of the
Oxford and Cambridge boat race.
This was the first race on the
Thames for many of Maidstone’s
crews and a different experience
from the sheltered River Medway.
MIRC press officer Richard Baldwin said: “This was a great club performance against tough opposition
and despite quite a bit of lost training due to high river levels.”
Five boats from Maidstone raced
over the 4.5km course, against 147
competitors drawn from rowing
clubs and schools from across the
South East and Thames Valley.
The Maidstone Women’s Junior 18
crew came in at the fastest time of all
WJ18 crews on the day with an impressive 13.24mins, coming in 91st
overall.
Ns Flooring
The Junior Ladies crew with coach James Knight
Second in this category were the
Women’s Junior 16 girls eight, who
had to race up an age group with a
time of 13:34, coming 99th overall.
Both girls’ crews beat Emanuel
School’s crew, who were racing on
their home water.
The adult ladies’ eight finished in
13:52 and were placed 109th overall,
while the club’s youngest crew of
the day was the J15 coxed quad finishing 118th overall in 14:00 and
third in their category.
The fastest Maidstonian was director of rowing, Brian Humphris,
who finished eighth in 11:46 and
winning Masters Eights after being
invited to row in a London RC crew.
The Junior 18 boys eight came second to London Oratory School and
34th overall with a time of 12:21.
The Junior Ladies went to London
with coach James Knight to receive
their winning pots for the Hammersmith Head. Six of the crew, plus cox
Cathy Metcalf, were present to receive their trophies.
The crew were also presented with
two plaques for Fastest Junior Ladies
Crew and also WJ18 8+.
Anyone interested in rowing or
coxing at Maidstone should go to
www.maidstoneinvicta.co.uk
or
find them on Facebook.
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School reunion
FORMER pupils and staff of Headcorn School are invited to a reunion
on Saturday, May 21.
Those attending are invited to
bring a photograph or memorabilia
from their time at the school to add
to a memory wall.
The get-together – from 1-5pm –
is being co-ordinated by Ross Dentten, of Mayflower House (Blue),
who was at the school in the 1970s.
The current head and chair of
governors will give a presentation.
Anyone who wishes to attend
can register at www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/9CPQ58P or by calling
01622 891070. Those with class photos or video footage that they
would like to share on the day are
asked to send an email to
hcp.xpups@gmail.com.
Driver banned
A 20-YEAR-OLD Marden man was
banned from driving for 20 months
after admitting drug driving and
using a vehicle in a dangerous condition.
Mid Kent Magistrates’ Court
heard that Billy Lee Draper, of
Stilebridge Lane, also admitted
driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence, driving without insurance, and possessing
cannabis.
Draper must pay a £300 fine, £85
costs and a £30 victim surcharge.
Closure date set for
Dorothy Lucy Centre
KENT County Council has voted to
close the Dorothy Lucy Centre and
care home.
Despite efforts by local councillors, campaigners and MP Helen
Whately, the county council’s adult
social care cabinet committee voted
to close the care home in Northumberland Avenue, Shepway, from August 2016 and to end dementia day
care provision from March 2017.
Cllr Brian Clark made a final bid
for a reprieve at the meeting, with
Marian Reader and Anna Ralph.
Both ladies made a case to keep
the centre going, based on the excellent service provided and the lack of
like-for-like services locally.
Cllr Clark said KCC should defer a
decision, claiming it had so far failed
to find any local alternative services
in the private sector.
He said: “KCC has had to extend
dementia day care provision at
Dorothy Lucy to March next year
after finding no suitable alternative.
“Given the clear lack of current alternatives for dementia day care in
south east Maidstone; this is not the
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Cllr Brian Clark, Anna Ralph and her
father-in-law John Hoggin
time to make the decision on closure.
“KCC should be deferring the decision until credible alternative services are available for the whole
package of services offered by
Dorothy Lucy."
His views were echoed by Mid
Kent MP Helen Whately who said:
“I am disappointed the Dorothy
Lucy Centre is to close. It is a muchvalued community asset and the
staff there have done great work caring for the frail and elderly, as well
as providing support to local families who needed respite facilities.
“I am pleased I was able to help
get Kent County Council to hold
back their decision while they carried out research to identify alternative providers for the services.
“This was particularly important
for day care services at Dorothy
Lucy, which now won’t be withdrawn until March 2017, rather than
this month as originally planned.
“While I understand the reasons
KCC put forward for closing the centre, providing high-quality health
care locally is a must. I will continue
to monitor the situation and press
KCC to ensure good replacement facilities are in place before the final
closure of the Dorothy Lucy Centre.”
KCC says the Dorothy Lucy Centre is no longer fit for purpose, along
with Kiln Court in Faversham.
Mrs Whately said: “There are opportunities for health agencies to use
this overall situation to improve provision in Maidstone and across Kent,
particularly for dementia care home
and nursing care home beds.”
downsmail.co.uk
Police elections | News
I’ve done my
time, says Ann
KENT’S police and crime commissioner Ann Barnes is not standing
for re-election.
Mrs Barnes, who was elected to
the post in 2012, has been a prominent figure during her term of office
– and not always for the right reasons.
She has fought to retain the number of police officers on the streets in
the face of swingeing budgetary
cuts and has set up a successful sexual assault referral centre and improved the services of victim
support in the county.
But she received widespread
ridicule after appearing in a fly-onthe-wall documentary on Channel 4
about the role of the commissioner
(pictured).
Mrs Barnes made a public apology and admitted she had been unwise to appear in the programme, in
which she struggled to explain what
her role involved and was filmed
having difficulty defining an approach to policing priorities called
“the onion”. She also failed to write
her title correctly on a whiteboard
and was filmed painting her nails in
the office.
A former teacher, Merseysideborn Mrs Barnes moved to Kent
more than 30 years ago and has
been a magistrate since 1986. Before
being elected as commissioner, she
was chair of the Kent Police Author-
ity for seven years.
Having spent more than 15 years
in police accountability and governance, Mrs Barnes believes she has
done her “time” and said: “I am
content that I have delivered what I
said I would and Kent Police is in a
very strong and sustainable position
for the future.”
She warned candidates vying to
replace her that they will need to be
prepared to work around the clock,
listen to the public and put the people of Kent first – not a political
party and not Westminster.
She concluded: “I have been honoured to have the chance to meet
and work with so many wonderful
individuals and organisations who
work tirelessly in Kent to make life
better for our communities. Their
compassion, professionalism and
kindness is inspirational.
“We should never forget these unsung heroes who only want the best
for us and I am proud to have got to
know and work closely with them.”
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Timetable of the election
NOMINATIONS close for the role
on April 7 – so there is still time
for more candidates to put themselves forward for election.
The poll will coincide with local
authority elections on May 5 and
the count will take place at Dover
Town Hall on May 6.
Nadeem Aziz, chief executive
at Dover District Council, has
been appointed the returning officer.
Mrs Barnes will relinquish her
reign on May 11 and the new
PCC will take command the fol-
lowing day. The electorate will
have two votes. Any of the candidates who get more than 50% of
the vote in the first count will be
elected.
Otherwise, all but the top two
candidates are eliminated and
the second preference vote
comes into play, ultimately deciding the candidate with the
most votes.
Mrs Barnes was elected with a
majority of 53,889 but this year’s
victory is likely to be much less
clear cut.
Conviction could bar Fergus
PROPERTY tycoon Fergus Wilson has launched a controversial highprofile campaign in his bid to be Kent’s next police and crime commissioner.
However, with a conviction for assault to his name, he might have to
pull out of the race.
Mr Wilson (67), from Boughton Monchelsea, says he has instructed
his solicitors to appeal against the conviction, in April 2015, after he
was found guilty of hitting estate agent Daniel Wells and fined £1,500.
Candidates who have put themselves forward so far include: Henry
Bolton (Ukip), Tim Garbutt (Ind), David Naghi (Lib Dem), Tristan Osborne (Lab), Gurvinder Sandher (Independent), Matthew Scott (Con),
Fergus Wilson (Ind) and Steve Uncles (English Democrats).
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Thames crossing route
gets council backing
MAIDSTONE Council has given
the thumbs up to a new Thames
crossing joining the M2 near
Gravesend.
Highways England has identified
three potential routes for a twin
tunnel between Essex and Kent and
come down in favour of option C,
which would link up with the M25
or emerge close to Shorne.
Maidstone Council agrees that
this option would be the best route
for alleviating congestion at Dartford while having most benefit for
the people of Kent.
The council’s strategic planning
and transportation committee
heard the proposed crossing would
have no direct impact on the borough of Maidstone but could result
in economic benefits.
The twin tunnel, costing between
£4.3bn and £5.9bn to build, would
have a 70mph design speed along
its length. Motorists would be
charged to use it.
Although it is more expensive to
build and maintain a twin-bored
tunnel than a bridge or an immersed tunnel, Highways England
believes this kind of crossing has
The route of the
Eastern Southern
Link is the option
preferred by
Maidstone
Council for the
proposed
Thames Crossing
the least environmental impact.
A new crossing would draw
some 13-14% of traffic away from
Dartford, improving journey times
at Dartford by five minutes and
journeys from Kent to the M25 by
up to 12 minutes.
It is estimated north-south crossing capacity across the river would
increase by 70% in its opening year.
Maidstone Council believes the
preferred route has the potential to
unlock greater regional economic
benefits than the alternatives.
The new road could be open in
2025 and Highways England consultation manager Martin Potts
said: “The number of responses
and people we’ve seen at the events
has been really encouraging.
“We need to get the best balance
between improving journeys and
getting value for money while
managing the impact on the local
area.”
The Lower Thames Crossing will
be the first new crossing of the
Thames east of London since the
Queen Elizabeth II Bridge opened
near Dartford 25 years ago.
Charity shop
for homeless
MAIDSTONE’S newest charity has
signed the lease on its first shop.
MADM – Making a Difference to
Maidstone – was set up to help the
homeless and disadvantaged in the
town and works
with other charities
to help those who
live on the streets or
sleeping rough.
Mid Kent College
has refurbished the
shop, in Church
Street, as a community project, and students are lending a hand with interior design.
The charity needs a warehouse or
storage space for furniture and
goods that have been donated.
Charity founder Amanda Sidwell
has befriended most of the town’s
homeless, through her work with
the winter shelter scheme, meals
for the homeless at the Baptist
Church and Salvation Army and
CRI Maidstone (the West Kent Recovery Service for drug and alcohol
abusers), and is known by the soup
run teams and numerous associated organisations/charities.
She is also looking for volunteers
to help man the shop, which was
due to be open by Easter. Email her
at mad_amanda@hotmail.com or
call 07769 268962.
www.collins-windows.com
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Market plan for town
A MONTHLY farmers’ market is to
be introduced to Maidstone’s Jubilee Square as part of a drive to increase footfall in the town centre.
The monthly market – on the
fourth Friday of the month – will be
organised by Maidstone council in
conjunction with the Kent Farmers’
Market Association and Produced in
Kent – and will coincide with pay
day for many town centre workers.
Since the creation of Jubilee Square
in 2012, there has been no set policy
for its use.
A similar suggestion failed to get
off the ground last year because it
would have required planning consent, as did a proposed Christmas
market.
Previous attempts to hold a farmers’ market at Lockmeadow and outside County Hall have failed but
officers believe the square would be
much more successful, as it is centrally located.
Research has shown that between
3,000 and 4,000 people per hour pass
through Jubilee Square on a Friday,
which should prove profitable for
stallholders and for the council.
Officers believe up to 32 stalls
would fit on the square and a plan-
ning application will be submitted
for this.
As it can take up to 90 days to get
street trading consents, the council
hopes the markets will start in June.
About 80% of the stalls would sell
food, while the remainder would be
given over to crafts.
There was some disagreement between members of the town’s heritage, culture and leisure committee
as to whether the square should be
hired out by political or religious
groups and the council is to look
again at what kind of events will be
permitted to take place.
Cornwallis appoints new principal
FUTURE Schools Trust has announced the appointment of Isabelle Linney-Drouet as principal
of Cornwallis Academy.
Mrs Linney-Drouet joined the
school in Linton in September last
year on an interim basis but has
now accepted a permanent post.
Sir Nick Williams, chief executive of Future Schools Trust, said:
“The governing body agreed it has
been extremely impressed by Isabelle’s leadership since she
joined in an acting capacity and is
delighted to appoint her to the
post.
“In
the
six
months Isabelle
has been at Cornwallis, she has
made a number of
important changes
to the running of
the school and we look forward to
seeing her lead the academy towards even greater success.”
H A M I LT O N
Mrs Linney-Drouet was previously vice-principal at Highworth
Grammar School, Ashford, where
she was responsible for raising the
achievement of pupils to outstanding levels.
Mrs Linney-Drouet said: “I am
delighted to accept the permanent
role of principal at Cornwallis
Academy. I look forward to continuing the relationships with students, parents and staff to ensure
we achieve the best outcomes.”
Vegan festival
first for town
MAIDSTONE will host its first
vegan festival on July 23, with
stalls, live music, a vegan pop-up
café, children’s activities, talks and
more.
With an estimated 175,980 vegetarians and vegans in Kent, the festival is set to be a major
crowd-puller. It follows
Kent
Vegan Festival, which was attended
by more than 1,500 people in Canterbury last year.
The festival will take place at
Maidstone Methodist Church in
Union Street from 11am to 4pm.
Local businesses with veganfriendly products are invited to
apply for stalls by emailing
info@maidstoneveganfestival.co.uk.
With “flexitarianism” on the rise,
and one in eight people looking to
replace meat, eggs and dairy with
plant proteins, the festival aims to
be a welcoming place for both longterm vegans as well as those curious about this way of life.
The organisers said: “Relax in the
garden with a slice of cake as you
take in the sounds of some of Kent's
finest bands. Learn more about this
compassionate way of living and
how veganism helps animals, people and the planet.” Entry is £2 per
person, and free for under 16s, who
must be accompanied by an adult.
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Work aims to
cut traffic jams
A £1.8M scheme to improve the
flow of traffic along Willington
Street is set to get underway later
this year.
As the primary route linking villages south of Maidstone with the
A20 and M20, Kent County Council wants to make improvements to
the road, starting with the junctions
at both ends.
Both junctions are significant
“pinch points” on the A20 and
A274 corridors, with the traffic signals causing delays at peak times.
Ashford Road has an average
two-way daily flow of between
13,800 and 21,800 vehicles per
hour, to the east and west of the
Willington Street junction.
At peak times, it can carry up to
1,850 vehicles an hour.
Sutton Road has a two-way average daily flow of 19,000 and peak
flows of 1,680 vehicles per hour,
according to KCC.
A significant number of vehicles
use Willington Street to avoid congestion in the town centre.
“At present these signalised junctions at each end of Willington
Street are heavily congested under
peak traffic conditions,” says a report to KCC’s cabinet committee
for environment and transport.
The committee agreed to the
widening of the A274 near the
junctions with Willington Street
and Wallis Avenue and to create a
left-turn lane into Willington Street
from Ashford Road.
The Willington Street Junction
Improvements Scheme forms the
first part of the Maidstone Integrated Transport Package, which
has been provisionally allocated
£8.9m from the local growth fund
via the South East Local Enterprise
Partnership (SELEP), for spend between now and 2019/20.
SELEP has now recommended
the approval of £1.3m local growth
fund to the project in 2016/17 and,
subject to Government approval,
the funds will be released to KCC.
This, together with local developer Section 106 contributions of
£500,000, would enable the scheme
to proceed.
No land needs to be acquired to
make the improvements and residents will be informed when work
is to start, via a mailshot.
DivorceCare
D O N’ T L E T YO U R PA S T I N F LU E N C E T H E F U T U R E G O D H A S F O R YO U
Roz Yates, Bill Murray, Claire Ryan and oncologist Dr Russell Burcombe
Clinic tribute to cancer patient
A NEW clinic providing acupuncture for people with breast cancer
has been officially opened at Kent Oncology Centre.
The Susan Murray Ear Acupuncture Clinic has been set up with
support from the Murray family from Headcorn. Susan Murray, a
former patient at the Kent Oncology Centre, at Maidstone Hospital,
died in June 2015, and her husband Bill and children were keen to
do something positive in her memory.
With the help of Macmillan nurse clinician Claire Ryan and acute
oncology nurse Roz Yates the clinic was set up, primarily for people
living with secondary breast cancer. It was opened by Mr Murray
and saw its first patients in March.
The complementary therapy aims to promote relaxation, encourage well-being and assist in the management of menopausal symptoms – a common symptom of breast cancer treatment.
Restaurant offers cash for kit
SPORTS clubs and teams will find out if they have won £1,000 of new kit
to celebrate the first anniversary of ASK in Maidstone. Applicants have been
busy rallying their fans for a public vote to find the winner.
Entry forms were available at the restaurant in Earl Street, which wanted
applications from junior and youth sports clubs and teams (up to U16). The
public will be able to vote for their favourite from a shortlist of three, via the
ASK Italian Facebook page or through a token system at the restaurant.
Voting will close on Sunday, April 24.
The winner will be announced at the restaurant on Wednesday, April 27.
Vote Sandher for
Kent Police &
Crime Commissioner
on 5 May 2016
DivorceCare
is a course
designed to
help people
heal from
the trauma
of divorce or
separation.
Spaces are limited
The course focuses on Jesus as the only true healer of our soul. Each session
explores a different aspect of how divorce can effect our lives, built around a
video seminar, group discussion, and the opportunity to talk things through with
others that can relate to your experiences.
Course runs every Tuesday evening 7:30 - 9:30pm starting 26 April to 12 July at the
Restoring Hands building, George Street, Maidstone, ME15 6HD. Course fee £35.
If you or anyone you know is interested in attending the course please register
your interest by calling the Jubilee Family Life Centre on 01622 430125 or emil:
divorcecare@jubileefamilylifecentre.org.uk
www.familylifecentre.org.uk
10
“ Your Independent local candidate
standing up for the people of Kent
keeping party politics out of policing.”
www.sandherforpcc.org
SandherForPCC
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downsmail.co.uk
Lions’ cash for
support service
A BEREAVEMENT support service in Maidstone, which was facing closure after KCC pulled the
plug on its funding, has found a
backer in Maidstone Lions.
The Cruse Centre in Marsham
Street, where trained councillors
offer free and confidential support
to hundreds of people every year,
was due to run out of money in
April, after losing £5,000 in funding from the county council.
But Maidstone Lions has said
the service must continue and has
offered £5,575 to keep it going
while it looks for long-term funding.
Cruse’s Alison Blair said: “We
were disappointed when we were
told that we were to lose our fund-
ing. Our volunteers provide firstline telephone and email support
and face-to-face counselling that is
well-known across the county for
its contribution to bereavement
care. The Lions’ group has helped
us in the past and we are extremely grateful for their support.”
Peter Hooper, Maidstone Lions
welfare chairman, said: “I had the
privilege of seeing the dedication
of these volunteers when I was
mayor of Maidstone in 2004-5, so I
had no hesitation in recommending to the Lions that we support
this worthwhile cause.”
Alison said: “This grant will enable us to keep going while we
look to secure permanent funding
from April 2017.”
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Neighbourhood
watch chair quits
THE chairman of Maidstone and
District Neighbourhood Watch has
resigned.
Jim Wilson (right), who has been a
member of the association for six
years and its chairman for the past
two and a half, has resigned as
chairman but is remaining a member of the committee. Members have
elected Linda Sinclair, from Barming, who was the association secretary for nine years, as his successor.
The association is struggling to attract members to the committee, despite a plea at the AGM in
November. Although one new
member came forward, another one
resigned after being involved for 22
years.
Mr Wilson said: “We really need
some younger blood but young
people nowadays are so very busy.
The scheme has been running in
Maidstone since the 1980s, providing crime and safety awareness and
advice throughout the borough.
There are currently 485 coordinators who disseminate information to
14,000 households.
The committee has a secretary
and treasurer but needs six people
including a database manager,
products manager and website
£1295
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a
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manager, all of whom are prepared
to give up two hours for meetings
once a month.
Mr Wilson, from Penenden
Heath, said: “Linda brings with her
a unique historical knowledge of the
association. She has many contacts
with the co-ordinators and police
representatives.”
In a letter to members, he said: “I
thank and acknowledge the support
you have given me during my
tenure as chairman and sincerely
hope that some of you will consider
becoming committee members.”
Singers’ summer concerts
THE programme chosen by the Maidstone Singers for their two summer
concerts this year embraces major sacred works by two of Britain’s leading living composers: Bob Chilcott's Requiem and Sir Karl Jenkins’ Stabat Mater.
The concerts will take place at All Saints’ Church, Maidstone at 7.30pm
on Sunday, June 19 and St Mary’s Church, West Malling at 7.30pm on
Saturday, June 25. Soloists are Stephanie Crooks, Diane Seargeant and
David Clarke. Tickets: £12 for adults, free for U18s.
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Store planned
RESIDENTS in south Maidstone
are to get a new superstore as part
of the 600-home scheme at Langley
Park, off Sutton Road.
Supermarket giant Aldi hopes to
open a 1,254sqm store towards the
end of 2017, creating 40 jobs.
The park will also feature a Toby
Carvery and several smaller retail
units, ranging in size from 72sqm
to 400sqm.
Aldi’s Maidstone store in Well
Road opened in 2011. A second
store is due to open off Hermitage
Lane in Aylesford later this year.
A spokesperson for the company
said: “Now that planning consent
has been granted at Langley Park,
we are working with the developer
on the construction plans. We look
forward to making it easy for residents to shop and save closer to
home.”
Charity quiz
A CHARITY quiz night to raise
funds for Hi Kent is being held at
the United Reformed Church in
Maidstone’s Week Street.
The quiz will take place on Friday May 13, meeting at 7pm for a
prompt 7.30pm start.
The cost is £8 per person and includes a ploughman’s supper.
Teams will be of up to six people.
For more information, contact
L.Clayton@hikent.org.uk.
downsmail.co.uk
Town flying the flag
to celebrate St George
MAIDSTONE will be emblazoned
with red and white bunting when
it flies the flag for St George on
April 23.
Patriotic performances will be taking place throughout the town centre, to celebrate the patron saint’s
day, with St George and the Dragon
playing a prime part in proceedings.
Yarn bombers are already busy
knitting their fiery dragons to install
in Jubilee Square.
Morris men, clog dancers, traditional music and innovative folk
rock will be among the entertainment provided in the town, celebrating everything that is English.
The event is being run by One
Maidstone, a new Community Interest Company that has been created by joining the Town Team and
Town Centre Management, with the
support of Maidstone Council.
Although Saint George’s Day is
not an official national holiday, it is
celebrated by various Christian
churches and is the traditionally accepted date of the death of Saint
George in 303 AD.
One Maidstone events organiser
The Honk Project
Zoe Sparkle said: “Last year’s event
was a great success and this year’s
celebration is shaping up to be even
better. What a great excuse to fly the
flag for England and celebrate its
finest traditions.”
The programme gets underway at
noon, with the popular Maidstone
band Fate the Juggler in Jubilee
Square, followed by the Sally Ironmonger Trio.
Back by popular demand from last
year are the Black Lion Courtiers, a
five-piece Indie folk band from
Rochester, who perform from
2.20pm, followed by another Medway folk band, Larkspur at 3.30pm.
The oldest building in Maidstone,
the Royal Albion in Havock Lane
(off St Faith’s Street), will host The
Legendary Skynflynt Big Band at
2pm on an outdoor stage. They are
also putting together a special pie
and mash menu.
Re-enactment battles are also on
the cards.
For younger children, there will be
magic shows at 2.15pm and 3.15pm
at D'Lishious in Market Buildings,
and Maidstone Museum is running
a children’s craft workshop where
they can make their very own
dragon to take home. Face painting
will be free for under 12s in Jubilee
Square and Fremlin Walk.
Street theatre is provided by Theatretrain and the Hazlitt Youth Theatre and the eccentric Honk Project’s
dancing day trippers – mad moped
enthusiasts with music – will be at
Fremlin Walk.
S
D
R
I
B
E
H
T
D
E
FE
FOR LESS
13
News
downsmail.co.uk
999 chief quits
over delays
THE head of the South East’s ambulance service has quit following
revelations that services were intentionally delayed.
Chairman Tony Thorne’s resignation comes shortly after the chief
executive Paul Sutton went on
“mutually agreed” leave of absence
from his post.
The South East Coast Ambulance
Service (SECAmb) NHS Foundation Trust was investigated after it
admitted delaying sending help for
certain 111 calls during a pilot project, transferring them instead to
999, which earned them a low priority and gave the ambulances an
extra 10 minutes to respond.
The health regulator Monitor
said the trust had not fully considered patient safety.
Mr Sutton said the trust had
wanted to make sure the most ill
patients were responded to
promptly. However, he did acknowledge that it had not acted in
the right way.
Under NHS rules, calls designated as life-threatening are supposed to receive an ambulance
response within eight minutes.
The calls affected were in the second most serious category – Category A Red 2 – which covers
conditions such as strokes or fits
but which are less critical than
where people are non-responsive.
One national newspaper has
claimed the practice was responsible for at least 11 deaths – something refuted by SECAmb.
An independent review has said
there were fundamental failings in
the pilot scheme.
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patient Association, said:
“Any decision that downgrades urgent category ambulance calls in
order to massage performance targets is deplorable and undermines
the confidence that the public
places in NHS leaders.”
Read our archived editions FREE online at
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Cricket club aims for top
A MANAGEMENT structure
aimed to make The Mote the best
cricket club in Kent was presented to the annual meeting.
The club now have seven management groups: cricket (led by
club captain Alex Fordham);
ground (Howard Waters working
with new groundsman Chris
Dale); finance and strategy (new
treasurer Paul Heynes); development (Dennis Fowle); community
engagement and membership
(Laurence Waters); house (John
Fuggle); and social and fund raising (Nick Aldridge).
The aim is to offer “enjoyable
cricket for all, providing a thriving membership, with the best
playing and pavilion facilities,
while running a 1st XI able to regularly challenge for the Kent
League premier title”.
The Mote, with four Saturday
teams, as well as Sunday and
midweek sides, plus an expanding colts section, are looking for
promotion from division one to
the premier division of the Kent
League after missing out at the
final game last season.
Chairman Glen Aukett said the
£4m development plan, to include a large new pavilion, was
on hold while the club negotiated
with Maidstone Rugby Club over
playing space. Rugby’s current
lease expires on May 31.
Anyone interested in playing
for the club can call 07725 418305.
Cash for maternity services
MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge
Wells NHS Trust (MTW) has been
awarded £16,000 as part of a drive
to make the NHS one of the safest
places in the world to have a baby.
The money will be spent on simulation equipment to train midwives, doctors and ambulance
staff in a range of labour and birth
scenarios to ensure they are confident and skilled in dealing with
all situations they might encounter.
The training will also allow
healthcare staff to have confidence
to support women in their choice
of where to give birth to their baby
– whether at home, in hospital, or
in a birthing centre.
Applications for funding, from a
pot of more than £2 million, were
considered by the Department of
Health and representatives from
the Royal College of Midwives
and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
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SPRING FUN FOR NURSERY SCHOOL
Children from Brishing Barn nursery enjoyed
some Spring fun as they experienced the joy of
‘Living Eggs’ – watching eggs hatching into baby
chicks. We had 10 eggs delivered and 9 hatched.
The children were fascinated by the experience
and helped care for the
newly hatched chicks –
giving them a first-hand
experience of life cycles.
It proved to be a very
rewarding activity. This is
now an annual event here
at the Nursery. We also
had zoo labs here and
the children enjoyed
watching the cycle of a
caterpillar turninng into a
beautiful butterfly.
can enjoy
stimulating play.
The Nursery
prides itself on
providing excellent
home-cooked food
and have a healthy
eating policy.
Nutritious meals
and healthy snacks
are prepared onsite
by the nursery’s
own cook, using
high quality
ingredients.
Parents and staff
enjoy warm relationships
and communicate well to
ensure each child receives
the best provision for
them. Brishing Barn is
also the only nursery in
the area to offer
Nurserycam, which
enables parents to log
onto a secure website
and see their children
throughout the day.
Set in a beautiful Grade II listed
barn in Boughton Monchelsea, just a
short distance from Maidstone town
centre, family-run Brishing Barn
provides a welcoming environment for
little ones.
Five bright and colourful rooms cater
for children from birth to pre-school age.
Attractive, good quality toys and
resources provide fun ways for children to
learn and youngsters are given a wide
choice of age-appropriate activities. The
nursery also has a garden where children
WE CURRENTLY
HAVE SPACES
AVAILABLE
in our Little Owls &
Tawny Owls Room for
children aged 22-36
months and are also
registering
pre-school places for a
September start
Call now for
further details
01622 749800
or email
mail@brishingbarnnursery.co.uk
Call now to arrange
to meet the team and discover
our unique environment.
Brishing Lane, Boughton Monchelsea, Maidstone ME17 4NF
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dental practice
Emergency
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YOUR MP
Helen Grant
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Our prices are based
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Late evening &
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To see how we can help call
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146 Heath Road, Coxheath, Maidstone, ME17 4PL
Helen Grant, MP for
Maidstone and the Weald,
holds regular surgeries
around the constituency.
If you would like to
arrange an appointment
to discuss an issue
of concern to you,
please e-mail Helen
at helen.grant.mp@
parliament.uk
or telephone
020 7219 7107.
helengrant.org
Produced by Helen Grant MP, House of Commons,
London SW1A 0AA
15
News
downsmail.co.uk
Former MP’s
charity date
THE former MP for Maidstone and
the Weald Ann Widdecombe is
making a return visit to her “patch”
to speak at a charity function for
Heart of Kent Hospice.
The novelist and star of Strictly
Come Dancing will be recounting
stories and anecdotes and voicing
some of her outspoken opinions at
the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood on
Saturday, June 11.
The former shadow home secretary will speak about her childhood
in Singapore and reveal what life
was like at the centre of British politics – as well as her moment of stardom on Strictly.
She will take questions from the
audience and sign copies of her latest book, Strictly Ann.
The Heart of Kent Hospice this
year celebrates 25 years of providing
care across Maidstone, Tonbridge,
Malling and the surrounding areas.
Chief executive Sarah Pugh said:
“We are hugely grateful to Ann for
donating her time to support our
work and help us to raise the vital
funds we need to provide care for
our patients and their families.”
Tickets, which include a drink,
cost £25, with limited front row
seats at £30. To book go to
www.hokh.org/events or call the
fundraising team on 01622 790195.
Teenager Ben leading
way for young talent
BRITAIN’S next Richard Branson
is busy building up his empire
from an office at Maidstone’s Business Terrace.
The Virgin mogul has described
Ben Towers as “one of the UK’s most
exciting young entrepreneurs”.
Ben, who is still only 17, set up his
first business at the age of 11, designing websites from home.
He is now an award-winning entrepreneur, with three companies
and a six-figure turnover.
As most of Ben’s early work was
carried out online, nobody had any
idea of his age and he was offered
his first public speaking engagement
– at ExCel in front of 3,000 people –
aged only 15.
Today, he is an ambassador for
Young Start-Up Talent (YST) awards
and for the National Entrepreneurship Challenge, a scheme set up to
teach and inspire enterprise in
young people in schools.
He also works alongside the Federation of Small Businesses to inspire
young people.
Ben’s digital media and web de-
Entrepreneur Ben Towers
sign agency, Towers Design, employs 15 people and has more than
700 customers.
He is also behind the social media
management company Social Marley and he is working on a third
company, NGBT, a social media
management platform.
He was tempted to the county
town by the attractive office rents
available at the Business Terrace,
which is in the Maidstone Gateway,
King Street.
In December, Ben was named
number one on The Times Maga-
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zine’s Superteen Power List.
He has also shot up the Richtopia
British Entrepreneurs Top 100, to be
placed at number 34, along with tycoons Richard Branson and Lord
Alan Sugar.
He has more than 63,000 followers
on Twitter and regularly appears on
television.
Ben still lives at home with his parents in Gillingham, but is hoping to
buy a house in Maidstone.
He is busy campaigning for business bank accounts to be made available for youngsters under the age of
18 and trying to influence the payment gateways and merchant accounts, which also restrict the ability
of U18s to be in business.
He said: “I want to be sure that if
there are budding young entrepreneurs out there that they aren’t held
back by their age.
“I hope I can provide valuable
support, things which I wished I had
known when I was starting out.”
For more about Ben read our
feaure in Mid Kent Living magazine at www.downsmail.co.uk.
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Dining
Out
Spring is in the air and the weather is warming up so why not get
out and about and enjoy some of the great seasonal produce
being served at one of your local eateries.
You can expect a warm welcome
at the Krishna Indian Restaurant
in Headcorn. Housed in a
traditional Tudor building, the
low beams create a cosy
ambience. If you like trying a
variety of dishes then why not get
over the Wednesday hump by
opting for the £12.95 buffet menu
– a selection of Indian food that is
sure to please everyone. Be sure to
book in advance it’s a popular
night.
Haven Farm Shop in Sutton
Valence offers a great selection of
local and organic produce which
is sourced direct from Kent
Farms. In addition to all the fresh
produce on offer there is also a
great selection of local juices, pies,
quiches, ice creams and sorbets
plus fresh bread and cheese. The
popular farm shop also offers a
veg box delivery scheme – order
online for delivery or ‘click and
collect’ your produce at a time
that suits you.
HAVEN
Local and Organic
farm shop
North Street,
Sutton Valence ME17 3HS
(Opposite the village Hall)
01622 844789
Selling a great selection of local & organic
produce sourced direct from Kent Farms
We deliver fresh local & organic
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SPRING OFFER
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Order 3 consecutive deliveries and get your fourth box free
Order online at:
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Open: Mon – Sat 8am to 6pm
Sunday 10am to 4pm
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BREADCheeseMILKEggsCEREALHoneyFRUITPasta
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‘COOK’ READY MEALS & much more
Indian Restaurant & Takeaway
Break up the week with our
Wednesday Buffet
Wednesday Buffet
£12.95 per person
Whether you want a quick
dinner or a sociable evening
with friends, we offer a wide
selection of starter and main
course dishes to suit every
palate. It's a good opportunity
for you to try something new
whilst still enjoying familiar
favourites.
DINNER IS SERVED!
Join us for the dinner event of the year which combines
a sumptuous three course meal and classic comedy action
as Basil, Sybil and Manuel do their very best to look after
you in their typical crazy style.
a: 41 High Street, Headcorn, Kent TN27 9NL
t: 01622 890665
w: www.krishna-restaurant.com
17
News | Celebrate Maidstone
downsmail.co.uk
Town’s stars shine at ceremony
REPRESENTATIVES from businesses, schools, charities, public services and arts groups gathered at
the Celebrate Maidstone 2016 gala event to recognise the contribution of the town’s brightest stars.
Annette Hinton
Those attending the black tie-affair at Kent County Showground,
near Detling, included Deputy
Lieutenant of Kent Bill Cockcroft,
Deputy Mayor of Maidstone Cllr
Derek Butler, and MP Helen Grant.
They enjoyed performances from
the Hazlitt Youth Theatre, the
Maidstone Nepalese Dance Group,
and the King Street band.
When asked what she thought
the best thing was about receiving
the lifetime achievement award,
winner Annette Hinton, of Maidstone Mediation, said: “Recognition
for our wonderful team of peacemakers, who give up their time, visiting people in their homes and
helping them to talk to each other.”
Neil Pattison, chairman of Celebrate Maidstone, said: “Maidstone
is growing and benefits from strong
businesses, a healthy economy, and
high employment.
“We also need quality of life resulting from a strong community
glued together by love, compassion
and forgiveness. Let us follow the
example and inspiration of the people recognised by these awards.”
Sarah Allsebrook of Frederic Bistro
Annabelle Pearsall, Maidstone Museum Donna Carr
Janet Judges
Steve Purvis
Jill Maynord
Lionheart title
for Carys
Continued from page one
ranked first in the county for her
weight category.
Her dream is to compete at the
Olympics and become a successful
physical trainer, encouraging other
young children to take an interest
in this otherwise male-dominated
sport.
Carys was
one of eight
community
stars given
awards at the
gala event,
which took
place at the
Kent Showground near
Detling.
C a r y s
thanked Mrs
Bradshaw, Mr Blackford and the
Reverend Kes Grant for support
and nominating her. She also paid
tribute to her weightlifting coach
Matt Vine, who gives up his time to
train with Carys three days a week
and attend competitions at weekends all over the country because
he believes that she has the potential to fulfil her dreams.
Chairman of Celebrate Maidstone, Neil Pattison said: “Carys is
an inspiration to us all, demonstrating that even difficult hurdles
can be overcome with determination and a fighting spirit. A worthy
winner and a star of Maidstone; we
are proud of you, Carys.”
Celebrating contributions to community
Lionheart – Carys Harper (sponsored by Maidstone Churches).
Customer Experience – Jill Maynard (sponsored by Manak Solicitors).
Jill and her husband Jim established Zeroth Clinical Exercise in
2003 to provide exercise therapy
and rehabilitation for people of all
ages, including support for MS sufferers, children with behavioural issues, and those tackling excessive
weight, as well as improving fitness. Jill “listens, helps, supports,
encourages and treats people like
they were an old friend.”
Business – Frederic Bistro (sponsored by Creation Healthcare).
The Earl Street restaurant was
nominated due to its high standards, relaxing and homely atmosphere and excellent consistency in
18
food quality. The restaurant was
also awarded runner-up in the Kent
Independent Trading Awards in
2013. Rated highly on Tripadvisor,
Frederic Bistro is fast becoming a
jewel in Maidstone's dining and
restaurant experience.
Visitor Attraction – Maidstone
Museum
Recently refurbished, the Maidstone Museum contains a rich history of the county town that is free
to all entrants. Dawn Hudd, head of
economic development at Maidstone Council, said: “From investing in essential maintenance works
to scheduling an exciting calendar
of events and exhibitions, our aim
is to aid the development of Maidstone as one of the most significant
areas of culture and heritage within
Kent.”
Mentor – Janet Judges
Janet has worked as a volunteer
for more than 20 years, serving
Maidstone Police Station. She has
made a difference to the lives of
hundreds of young people who
find themselves in police custody.
Her patience, commitment and
warm friendly nature enables her to
advise young people in a way that
makes a difference, and in many
cases reduces their offending.
Innovator – Steve Purvis
Steve is part of the charity Parents
is the Word, which brings together
parents in Park Wood. Steve has
been a key person in helping with
the children’s work and to distribute food parcels, and regularly goes
above and beyond for the charity.
Community – Donna Carr
(sponsored by Golding Homes).
Through Donna’s hard work,
Maidstone Parkrun has become one
of the largest parkruns in Kent. It
has more than 4,000 registered
members and a regular turnout of
200-300 runners. Donna started
Maidstone Parkrun, which is run by
volunteers, just over two years ago.
Donna is present every weekend
encouraging runners, joggers and
walkers of all ages.
Lifetime Achievement – Annette Hinton (sponsored by Kent
Event Centre).
Annette worked hard to establish
Maidstone Mediation in the 1990s,
training volunteer mediators and
pioneering what was a relatively
new concept. Since then the idea of
mediation and restorative justice
has been duplicated across the
country and internationally.
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19
News
downsmail.co.uk
Kims’ £15m loss in first year
MAIDSTONE’S newest private hospital, the Kent Institute of Medicine and Surgery, made a £15m
loss in its first year of operation.
Delays in signing up to the NHS
“Choose and Book” service (now
known as eReferral) and the failure
of consultant surgeons to fully
commit to the ground-breaking
new hospital, off M20 Junction 7
near Weavering, meant income was
lower than anticipated, forcing the
board to restructure and re-finance.
Accounts for the hospital, which
opened in April 2014, reveal that although Kims had a turnover of
£8.76m in its first year, it ended the
year with a shortfall of £15.22m.
Existing lenders put an additional £2m into the project, while a
four-year “rent holiday” was
granted under the property lease to
help ease cash flows.
Directors realised the hospital
was facing difficulties in November
2014 and brought in a new management team to run the hospital.
On its advice, the board was
forced to restructure or face running out of funds by December
Devil rides
into town
By Dennis Fowle
EASTWICK was not ready for
the raunchy antics of the
Devil and three witches. Was
Maidstone? Answers will vary
widely.
Maidstone Amateur Operatic Society, with a proud tradition of bringing popular
musicals and light opera to
the town, bravely staged the
2000 American show, The
Witches of Eastwick, which
tells of the impact of the rampant Devil arriving in a small
town and especially on three
attractive
but
frustrated
ladies. Their antics and language left little to the imagination.
It gave a large cast a chance
to enjoy a very lively show
and the dance and choral
scenes were colourful highlights. The lasting memory,
though, is confident performances and voices of the three
witches
(Lili
Westlake,
Kathryn
Norman
and
Christina Whitehead) and the
power of Ben Smyth as a very
unlikeable Devil.
The mix of contrived American accents and some strident
music did not always make
listening and understanding
easy.
The society is promising us
Sweet Charity on April 3-8,
2017.
20
2015.
Measures implemented to pull
Kims back from the brink included
the issue of new share capital,
which raised £7.8m and the conversion of £33.7m of loans into equity share capital.
Founding directors Steven Bernstein, Franz Dickmann and his son
James Dickmann all resigned while
Peter Goddard was appointed executive chairman, Simon Rust finance director and Simon James
chief executive.
Their end-of-year report reveals
the original business plan was for
the hospital to generate high value,
high complexity patient procedures
but the initial take-up was lower
than anticipated.
This was partly due to the hospital missing the deadline to tender
for NHS work and instead having
to rely on sporadic referrals.
“Uncertainty of NHS work
streams led to the number of con-
sultant surgeons fully transferring
across to Kims being lower than expected, with a consequent impact
on revenue,” it adds.
During the year, more than 1,600
private and 1,200 NHS patients
were treated at Kims, but only 12%
of the beds and 20% of the operating theatre capacity were used.
Since registering with the eReferral service, which went live on September 1, there has been a
significant increase in the number
of active consultants at the hospital
and the first CQC inspection, carried out in September last year, was
extremely positive.
Chief executive Simon James
concludes: “The company has had
a challenging year in performance.
This led to the need for significant
additional funding and highlighted
the need for a more appropriate
sustainable capital structure.
“With the restructuring in December 2015, the directors are con-
fident that the company has sufficient appropriate funding.”
Kims took two years to build and
cost more than £100m. It boasts
some of the best hi-tech equipment
and consultants in the country and
has since carried out a number of
ground-breaking procedures, including open heart and keyhole
heart surgery.
Speaking in October last year, Mr
James said: “I have never seen a
healthcare company make money
in its first year. It’s a business that
has to be resource-led, as you have
to recruit staff before you can take
in patients.”
He believes the hospital can
break even in its third year – still
sooner than the accepted norm of
five to seven years for a private hospital.
He said: “It will be hard work,
but it is achievable. We have had
great support from the consultants,
which is really good.”
Concern raised over local plan
THE scale of development in the
Maidstone Local Plan has been
condemned by CPRE Kent.
The countryside campaigning
charity has said it is concerned
about the proposed 18,560 new
homes in the absence of “sound
supporting evidence”.
It is also concerned that land
near J8 of the M20 remains allocated for employment.
Responding to the local plan presubmission document, the group
also expressed concern that the
draft Integrated Transport Plan has
not been agreed with KCC or the
Maidstone Joint Transportation
Board, while the cost of providing
much of the necessary supporting
infrastructure is unknown.
CPRE Kent is concerned that
most of the proposed housing –
84% – is allocated on greenfield
land, which will not encourage the
development of brownfield land.
It argues the scale of residential
development in villages and rural
settings is disproportionate to their
size, and is unlikely to promote
sustainable journeys.
Chairman of
the CPRE Kent
Maidstone Committee
Gary
Thomas
(pictured) said: “This local plan would
cause enormous traffic problems
and a strain on school, health and
travel facilities.
“The number of new homes is
unrealistic and unsustainable.
There will be a loss of greenfield
land.”
Public consultation on the plan
Comments
THE inspector, appointed by
local government secretary
Greg Clark, will decide if the
local plan is legally compliant,
sound and complies with the
duty of Maidstone Council to
co-operate with adjoining
planning authorities.
All comments will be considered and the most important issues raised will be considered
at a local plan hearing, chaired
by the inspector in Maidstone.
has now closed. The response will
be discussed by the council in
April and the plan revised if necessary before being submitted to the
Secretary of State.
School’s wartime life recorded Pugin outing
THE former head of Maidstone Girls’ Grammar
is looking for memories from former pupils for a
book she is writing about the school during the
war.
Mary Smith (right) has been asked by the
school to compile the book, using wartime illustrations painted by former art teacher Miss Keen.
Mrs Smith said: “If you think you may be able
to help, even if your knowledge of the time seems
insignificant to you, please get in touch.”
Email central@mggs.org, marking your subject
for the attention of Mary Smith.
THE Ulcombe Friendship Club is
going on an outing to Ramsgate on
Wednesday, May 25 to visit Augustus Pugin's house, The Grange, and
his church, St Augustine's.
Pugin was an architect who designed the Houses of Parliament.
The cost will be £24, which includes
the coach and entrance fees. If you
are interested in attending, call
Molly Poulter on 842988 or Pat
Davis on 844855.
For more local news www.downsmail.co.uk
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News
downsmail.co.uk
Mela takes to streets
to find new energy
MAIDSTONE’S
culturally-diverse Mela is going on the move.
The Mela, which takes place in
September each year, will be moving from Mote Park to the town
centre, with a new format which is
designed to reach out to wider audiences.
The Mela was introduced in 2002
to build a better understanding between local communities and celebrate the diversity of Maidstone’s
residents.
Featuring music, dance and food
from around the globe, the Sunday
afternoon event quickly became a
successful, well-respected and culturally diverse celebration.
But with the town’s changing
population – and the need to make
the Mela financially self-sustaining
– organisers now plan to take the
festival to the masses.
The first Maidstone Street Mela
will be a celebration of culturally
diverse arts, with street performances and interactive arts workshops.
It will take place at venues
around the town centre on Saturday, September 10.
GDF Productions performing at the Maidstone Mela last year
Cllr Gordon Newton, chairman
of Maidstone Council’s heritage,
culture and leisure committee, said
moving the Mela would re-energise the festival.
He said: “In view of the changing communities and the competing demands on us as a local
authority, it is time to consider
what the Mela represents and what
format it should take.
“Research will help to clarify this
and investigate how it can be
funded to make it sustainable.”
The council will be consulting
with the local communities who
have been engaged through the
Maidstone Mela Advisory Group
and aims to meet those communities that never have been, or are no
longer, engaged and ask them for
their input.
Cllr Newton said: “Since 2002,
the town and its population have
changed considerably.
“This is a good opportunity to
update and re-energise this great
event, to reach new audiences and
to bring together more people to
enjoy music, dance and food from
within our multi-cultural community.”
New chair
for Tories
MAIDSTONE and The Weald
Conservative Association has
elected a new chairman to lead
its battle to regain overall control of Maidstone Council.
He is former Maids t o n e
borough and
Kent County
councillor
Alan Chell,
who held the
office
for
three years
when Helen
Grant was selected as the parliamentary candidate.
Retiring chairman Brian
Moss highlighted in his report
Mrs Grant’s general election
success in doubling her majority to about 10,000.
Cllr Matt Boughton was
elected deputy chairman (political) and Andrea Thorpe
deputy chairman for membership and fundraising.
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25
News | Elections
Key players stand down at election
THE political parties have been setting out their stalls ahead of the Maidstone Council elections.
Up for grabs on Thursday, May 5
will be one post for each of the 19
wards contested this time around –
a third of the seats on the council.
Several long-standing councillors
are not running for re-election.
Among them is Bearsted’s Cllr
Richard Ash, elected in 1992. The
retired schoolteacher is a former
mayor and has been a member of
the Maidstone/Beauvais Twinning
Association and the Mid Kent
Downs Steering Group, as well as
the Quality Bus Partnership and
voluntary group Involve.The Con-
servative group has selected Mike
Revell, a retired optometrist from
Essex, now living in Bearsted, to
contest the seat.
Cllr Ian Chittenden, a borough
councillor in South ward for the
past 10 years, is stepping down for
health reasons, although he plans
to continue as county councillor for
the North East Division.
He said the biggest challenge had
been problems relating to housing
development applications in the
south of Maidstone and the inherent increase in traffic congestion.
He said: “Success in opposing additional housing in both Tovil and
Boughton Lane has been especially
pleasing.”
Conservative
Cllr
Daphne
Parvin has served North Downs for
32 years, during which time she
was mayor and represented the
council on the Brenchley Charity,
the Cutbush and Corrall Charities,
the Mid Kent Downs Steering
Group and the Upper Medway Internal Drainage Board.
Lib Dem Cllr Jenni Paterson has
served on the council for 21 years
and been vice-chair of the Cobtree
Manor Estate Charity Committee.
Labour Group leader Cllr Malcolm McKay, who made his first
foray into politics in 2012 as ward
councillor for Shepway South, has
decided four years is enough. The
former electrical wholesale manager (62) said: “There are things I
now want to do. But I have enjoyed
my time as a councillor. While politics will always be a mix of frustration and rewards, I do feel I have
represented the ward well and
done my best.”
Stephen Paine (Con)*.
Headcorn: Sarah Barwick (Lab); Georgia
Dallas (Lib Dem); Derek Eagle (Green);
Nick Goddard (Ukip); Shellina Prendergast (Con).
Heath: Alan Chell (Con); Marlyn Randall
(Lab); Bryan Vizzard (Lib Dem)*; Geoff
Wilkinson (Green).
High Street: Denise Joy (Lib Dem)*; Joe
Mamo (Con); Dan Wilkinson (Lab);
Gareth Phillips (Green).
Marden & Yalding: Rachel Hill (Lib
Dem); Tim Licence (Lab); Steve
McLoughlin (Con)*; Jim Shalice (Green).
North Downs: Patrick Garten (Con); Barbara Neill (Green); John Watson (Lib
Dem); Daniel Williams (Ukip).
North: Maureen Cleator (Lab); Michelle
Hastie (Lib Dem); Jeff Tree (Con).
Park Wood: John Barned (Ukip); Belinda
Bassett (Green); Matthew Burton (Con);
Andrew Cockersole (Lib Dem); Daniel
Moriarty (Ind)*; Marsha Todd (Lab).
Shepway North: Chris Garland (Con)*;
Dinesh Khadka (Lib Dem); Geoff Harvey
(Labour); Steve Muggeridge (Green);
Michael Wardle (Ukip).
Shepway South: Milden Choongo (Lib
Dem); Robert Hinder (Con); Stuart Jeffery (Green); Theresa Lyons (Lab); Eddie
Powell (Ukip).
South: Steve Cheeseman (Green); Paul
Cooper (Con); Wendy Hollands (Lab);
Paul Wilby (Lib Dem).
LIST OF BOROUGH COUNCIL CANDIDATES
THE Downs Mail went to press before
nominations closed, so this list of candidates may be incomplete. To see the full
list of candidates, go to Maidstone Borough Council’s website at www.maidstone.gov.uk
Allington: Diana Lewins (Lib Dem);
Barry Ginley (Con); Marianna Poliszczuk
(Lab); Guy Tanner (Green).
Barming: Patrick Coates (Lab); Fay
Gooch (Ind)*; Lizzie Hare (Lib Dem); Ben
Knowles (Green); Robert Pettit (Ukip);
Sam Lain Rose (Con).
Bearsted: Jim Grogan (Lab); Ciaran
Oliver (Green); Michael Revell (Con);
Geoff Samme (Lib Dem).
Boughton Monchelsea and Chart Sutton: Jean Harvey (Lab); Caroline Jessel
(Green); Mark McGiffon (Ukip); Steve
Munford (Ind)*; Cheryl Taylor Maggio
(Con); Jan Webb (Lib Dem).
Boxley: Wendy Hinder (Con)*; Hannah
Patton (Green); Mike Thompson (Lib
Dem); Jacqui Wardle (Ukip); Lauren
Wright (Lab).
Bridge: Alan Bartlett (Con); Donna
Greenan (Green); Georgia Harvey (Lib
Dem); Bruce Heald (Lab).
Coxheath & Hunton: Ken Baker (Lab);
Emily Fermor (Lib Dem); Ron Leagas
(Con); Mike Summergill (Green).
East: Richard Coates (Lab); Martin Cox
(Lib Dem)*; Ben Darlington (Green);
Steve Shepherd (East).
Fant: Keith Adkinson (Lab); Rosaline
Janko (Lib Dem); Ian McDonald (Green);
*denotes sitting councillor
Public Notice
Licensing Act 2003
Notice of application for a Premises Licence
Notice is hereby given that Ramblin’ Man Fair c/o Spirit of Rock Limited has applied
to Maidstone Borough Council on 6/4/16 for the grant of a premises licence to use
the premises at Mote Park, Maidstone in respect of the hours/ the provision of
regulated entertainment/ the provision of late night refreshment/ for the sale by
retail of alcohol.
Namely on
22/7/2016 between 12:00 – 01:00 in Glamping for the provision of regulated
entertainment, late night refreshment and sale by retail of alcohol.
23/07/2016 between 11:00 – 23:00 in the Main Arena for provision of regulated
entertainment and retail of alcohol. 22:00 – 01:00 in Glamping for the provision of
regulated entertainment, late night refreshment and sale by retail of alcohol.
24/07/2016 between 11:00 – 22:30 in the Main Arena for provision of regulated
entertainment and retail of alcohol. 22:00 – 01:00 in Glamping for the provision of
regulated entertainment, late night refreshment and sale by retail of alcohol.
Any person who wishes to make a representation in relation to this application must
give notice in writing of his/her representation by 5/5/16 stating the grounds for
making said representation to: Maidstone Borough Council Licensing Office,
Maidstone House, King Street, Maidstone, Kent ME15 6JQ. The Register of Record
of Application can be viewed by members of the public during office hours at
Maidstone Borough Council Licensing Office, or accessed online by visiting
http://pa.sevenoaks.gov.uk/online-licensing/ Representation shall be made in writing.
It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with
an application for a premises licence. The maximum fine for which a person is liable
on summary conviction for the offence is £5,000.
26
Local elections | News
downsmail.co.uk
Conservatives
Annabelle Blackmore – leader
“A Conservative-led council will
continue to protect and enhance
services across the borough.
“A Conservative-led council understands it is your money which
must be used wisely. With the reduction in the money we receive
from central Government, the Conservatives are keen to seek commercial opportunities to generate
income to maintain our important
frontline services. We want a
county town of which we can be
proud and we want to create further jobs by supporting projects
such as the Enterprise Zone at
Junction 7.
“The Conservatives want significant improvement in broadband
speeds, especially in the rural
areas. We will work with Kent
County Council to assist in the
Lib Dems
Fran Wilson – leader
“Running down our borough is
easy. We can always find fault so it
is good to reflect on what we have,
such as our wonderful countryside
and a county town where over
50% of retailers are independent.
“Lib Dems believe we must do a
better job of encouraging everyone
to take a pride in where they live,
but it is also our responsibility to
ensure that, even with financial
constraints, the borough council
continues to deliver the frontline
services that matter so much to
residents.
“For example, it is the council’s
job to maintain a clean and tidy
borough, but there must be zero
tolerance of those who persist in
despoiling our streets and countryside.
“We must provide decent homes
Ukip
Dave Sergeant – leader
“We have a strong team of candidates representing Ukip in this
year's local elections, who are experienced in business, local politics and community issues.
“With the state of the two main
parties both nationally and locally
I would not be surprised at us
gaining a number of key seats.
“Locally the Conservatives are
split down the middle while the
Lib Dems are constantly changing
their minds about our housing
needs. These two things alone
should cause voters to think about
electing Ukip candidates.
“Ukip participates in crossparty talks, is represented on a
number of committees and we
voted against the recent council
tax rise. Key issues include our inability to sustain the large amount
planning,
routing
and mapp i n g
needed for
the infrastructure to
support
this aim.
“A Conservativeled council
wants to drive further improvements in the frequency of the highspeed train service in Maidstone
and attract businesses to the town.
“The Conservatives will continue to protect our parks through
careful management of these assets
to ensure their long-term future is
appropriately funded. We will seek
opportunities to improve our recycling rates and further reduce the
waste sent to landfill through
changes to service delivery.
Labour
in
sufficient numbers. We
cannot tolerate further delays
to our local
plan as we
must regain control over
where and
when those homes will be built
and where economic development
will be encouraged.
“Finally Maidstone must lift up
its head as the county town to include improved bus and railway
stations, plus a first-class town
centre toilet as these are things by
which we are judged.
“Huge challenges lie ahead but
Lib Dems will continue to work
hard to make improvements happen.”
Independents
of building
in our rural
areas and
its effect on
our infrastructure,
which includes education,
health and
transport.
Ukip encourages tourism but more visitors should mean more toilet
facilities. Ukip will be campaigning for more toilets throughout
the borough.
“During the campaign Ukip
candidates, while positively promoting our policies, will not attack our opponents personally.
We do reserve the right to challenge any opposition party's policies that we deem to be wrong for
Maidstone.”
Paul Harper – new leader
“The Maidstone Labour Party approaches the May elections in good
heart. Our membership has tripled
since August. We are targeting to
win up to four additional seats on
the council in May, giving us six, to
hold the balance of power.”
Paul said the council’s top priority, after the local plan, was to focus
on the housing crisis and the ability
of people to afford a home in their
communities.
“Linked to this we need more
quality well-paid jobs in the borough,” he said. “Labour opposes
over-development of the urban
areas. We believe in improving
public transport – more frequent
buses on main roads and local
neighbourhoods, new rail stations
for Tovil/Fant, Allington etc will
improve rail access.
“Finally, we are the main party
Fay Gooch, spokesman for the
Independents
“Independent councillors have no
party line to follow and no party
politics. Our common sense and
practical approach to decisionmaking means we are free to challenge, ask the difficult questions
and seek the right answers.
“We recognise how vital it is
that Maidstone has a local plan in
place as soon as possible if it is to
fend off external pressures for yet
more housing. Meanwhile we
continue to fight hard to mitigate
its impact on our wards.
“We support independent retailers and small businesses and
the vital contribution they make
to the success of the town centre
and to the borough-wide economy; we particularly acknowledge the value and draw of large
Greens
Stuart Jeffery – co chair
“We have fielded the largest number of candidates ever in Maidstone this year, reflecting the
continued increase in the level of
support we have seen over the
past few years. Our message is
one of social and environmental
justice.
“We want house building in
Maidstone to be aimed at younger
people and others in need of
homes rather than unaffordable
sprawling executive homes across
fields and around villages. We
want real action on air pollution
which kills 130 people each year
in Maidstone: investment in walking, cycling and buses to reduce
the amount of traffic on our roads.
“We want to see communities
built and thrive, not see them destroyed by ideologically driven
promoting
cycling
both
for
carbon
neutral
travel and
leisure. All
these will
provide
practical alternatives
to the car.
“We support schemes to improve your neighbourhood’s environment, and are looking to see
how we can increase street trees
and protect open spaces including
parks, allotments and playing
fields.
“Maidstone has a strong cultural
sector, we will work with our arts
community to use the arts to help
regenerate the borough. Arts are a
proven way to regenerate local
communities.”
companies
and
the
multinationals. We
recognise
that more
needs to be
done to enh a n c e
M a i d stone’s
prosperity
and to attract inward investment.
“We are well placed to face the
decisions that need to be made,
such as how to continue providing value-for-money services for
our residents in the face of everdecreasing government funding,
and how to offset the cost of accommodating the ever-rising
numbers of homeless people. Devolution of services could bring
opportunities for services to be
provided even more effectively.”
austerity.
Greens will
f i g h t
against the
closures of
m u c h
needed
p u b l i c
services
such as the
Dorothy
Lucy Centre and we are the only party opposing the privatisation of the
NHS. We want to see employment Maidstone move from its
focus on retail, broadening the
range of jobs and focusing on creative arts, music and media. We
really do care about our community, Maidstone can become a
great place to live and work but
only the Greens have the ideas
and political will to make this
happen.”
27
News
downsmail.co.uk
Waging war on road damage
RESIDENTS are being urged to report road problems – especially potholes – to the highways authority via Kent County Council’s website.
Linton parish councillor Ron Leagas, who is hoping to win the vacant
Maidstone Council seat in Coxheath
and Hunton at the May 5 elections,
found one of residents’ chief complaints was the state of the roads.
Mr Leagas was particularly worried about a deep hole on West Street
near the Village Hall in Hunton (pictured), which could easily cause a
burst tyre.
He reported it to KCC and found
it had already been reported several
times and was scheduled for repair
in the next few weeks.
Mr Leagas said: “The KCC website is an excellent and simple way of
reporting problems on the roads, especially potholes.”
Residents are asked to report pot-
Two-car crash
A WOMAN was flown to hospital in
London by air ambulance after a
two-car crash which closed the road
in Nettlestead.
Firefighters had to cut the woman
free following the accident in Maidstone Road.
The road had to be closed between
its junctions with Hampstead Lane
and Bow Hill.
Emergency crews stabilised the
vehicles before using a hydraulic
ram, cutters and spreaders to create
space for paramedics to get to the
woman who sustained serious injuries in the accident.
Firefighters helped free her from
the wreckage and assisted the air
ambulance crew at the scene before
being flown to London.
Family support
holes and other faults on line at
www.kent.gov.uk/highways, where
details can be uploaded and locations pinpointed on an interactive
map.
The site also lets residents report
broken signs, overgrown trees, street
light faults and traffic signal faults.
A spokesman for KCC said: “Providing this information has helped
speed up the rate of repairs.
“We work hard to maintain our
roads to help prevent problems and
potholes in the future and typically
spend around £15-20million each
year on resurfacing our roads.
“We schedule in planned work
each year, usually during warmer
months and select the right method
at the right time to get best value for
money.”
KCC promises to put right most
problems within 28 days, but the
website also allows you to check the
progress of a complaint.
The site also lets you view all
planned roadworks in a particular
location on an interactive map and
explains the process for claiming
compensation for damage to your
vehicle.
There is also a free mobile phone
app called Fix My Street, which allows you to take a photo of the problem which is then sent directly to
KCC (or whichever local authority is
responsible for highways in that particular area).
In the event of an emergency, residents should call 03000 41 81 81.
Gallery born out of flood disaster
MORE than 50 people packed into
postmaster Tim Chapman’s home
for the launch of the Yalding
Riverside Pop Up Gallery.
Visitors browsed a stunning
collection of photographs and
paintings by this month’s artists in
residence – David Jenner (pictured)
and Cheryl Johnson – while
enjoying canapes made by Valerie
Lovett.
Tim and his wife June added a
third storey to their riverside home
following the floods of 2013, which
devastated many properties in
Yalding.
They now live on the two upper
floors of the property on the banks
of the Beult, leaving the ground
floor virtually empty.
Both June and her daughter Mel
are talented artists and members of
the Yalding Art Group and rather
than see the space go to waste,
they decided to open it as a popup
gallery, for local artists to showcase
FAMILIES with children under five
are invited to join activities at Headcorn Children’s Centre.
The centre, which works with
health visitors to support families, is
at the village hall in Church Lane,
Headcorn and is open on Tuesdays
and Wednesdays from 8.30am to
4.30pm and on Thursdays from 1.304.30pm. For more information call
01622 892189 or email headcornchil- A FORMER magistrate sacked over
drenscentre@kent.gov.uk.
comments he made on same-sex
adoption has now been suspended
from his role with the local NHS
THREE people were trapped in their trust.
Richard Page (69), from Headvehicles following a two-car crash in
corn, was struck off the bench after
Warmlake Road, Chart Sutton.
Firefighters using hydraulic rescue saying it was better for a man and
equipment worked closely with woman to adopt a child, rather
paramedics from South East Coast than a same-sex couple.
The devout Christian has now
Ambulance Service's Hazardous
Area Response Team, to create space been suspended as a non-executive
director of the Kent and Medway
so the casualties could be treated.
Spinal longboards were used to re- NHS and Social Care Partnership
move and transport the casualties to Trust (KMPT).
Mr Page worked in mental health
a waiting ambulance for further care.
for 20 years and served as a magis-
their work.
Visitors at the launch were
captivated by David Jenner’s
limited edition night and day
pictures, captured painstakingly
over 10 or 11 hours. David took up
to 1,000 photographs for each work
and put them together over 100
hours, to create moody views of
London, Venice, Southwold – and
Yalding.
The award-winning photographer
lives in East Peckham and has his
studio in Nettlestead. As well as
working in graphic design and
printing, he tries to create one night
and day scene each year.
Cheryl Johnson, from Kingswood,
has been passionate about horses
from the age of 10 and now creates
equine-themed oil and mixed
media paintings, both traditional
and abstract.
Both David and Cheryl’s work is
on display until April 27, during the
gallery’s opening hours from 2-5pm
on Monday, Thursday and
Saturday.
Next month’s exhibitors are Ann
Telfer, founder of the Yalding Art
Group, who has previously exhibited
at the Royal Academy, the Mall
Galleries and the Royal Watercolour
Society, and photographers Conrad
Feaver and Valerie Lovett.
NHS director to fight suspension
Road accident
28
trate in Maidstone and Sevenoaks
for more than 15, until being
sacked by Lord Chancellor Michael
Gove last month.
The Judicial Conduct Investigations Office removed Mr Page from
office after finding his views prejudicial, but the father of three plans
to take the case to an employment
tribunal.
Mr Page, who lives in Grigg
Lane, has said it is impossible to be
a Christian and maintain a role in
public life nowadays.
He said: "It would appear no
longer possible to be a Christian, to
state what the Bible actually says
and what the Church has believed
for 2,000 years, and maintain a role
in public life in today's Britain.
"My seat on the NHS Trust came
as a result of my long service in
mental health and total commitment to the NHS – none of that has
changed."
KMPT chairman Andrew Ling
wrote to the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA) requesting
the suspension, claiming Mr Page's
comments and continuance as a
trust member would have a major
impact on staff and patients, particularly lesbian, gay, bisexual and
transgendered staff.
News
downsmail.co.uk
Mosque plan
raises concerns
NEIGHBOURS have expressed
concerns over a plan to level Maidstone’s mosque and rebuild it as a
three-storey building.
A planning application submitted
to Maidstone Council proposes
transforming the Mote Road premises into a centre for worship, including a prayer room, classrooms,
kitchen, offices, library and washing
facilities for the Islamic community,
with three shops, for lease, to pay for
the building. However, there would
be just two parking spaces, with the
applicant suggesting up to 200 worshippers would attend services.
Maidstone Council, which will determine the application, has received
almost 20 letters from neighbours,
concerned about the size of the development and parking problems.
Others have expressed concern
about the scale of the building,
which would overshadow neighbouring properties.
Neighbour Andy Woodward is
concerned the development could
damage the foundations of his property in Mote Road.
He describes the current singlestorey mosque as a “ramshackle se-
ries of extensions”, but says a plan to
turn it into a three-storey building
represents “total overdevelopment”.
He also comments on the parking
problems caused on days of worship, adding: “There is not enough
parking in Melville, Kingsley, and
Hastings Road already.”
John Peden moved to Melville
Road less than two months ago and
says he is already aware of parking
and congestion issues. In a letter to
the council, he says: “It is already
difficult enough to navigate the
roads around this area and find a
parking space. The extra traffic that
this redevelopment would potentially bring in would make an already bad situation much worse.”
He says the building would overlook properties and “lead to a level
of discomfort” for neighbours, and
questions the need for shops within
the development, which is 400m
from the town centre and across the
road from Sainsbury’s.
Hayley Collins, from Kingsley
Road, says residents who pay £25 for
parking permits already find they
can’t park and more shops would
add to the issue of illegal parking.
Powerboat win for Ben
POWERBOAT racer Ben Jelf (pictured) has received the RYA Eastern Regional Youth Champion Award at London’s Alexandra Palace.
The 15-year-old Swadelands School pupil, from Ulcombe, was nominated for the award following another successful season that saw him
claim his 10th and 11th consecutive British titles in 2015 in the powerboat
and sprint GP RYA GT30 championships,
leaving him unbeaten in the category.
Ben’s nomination also recognised the support he offered his team-mates during the
season.
Ben, who is sponsored by Peters & May
Racing, is a third-generation powerboat
driver and has been competing for five
years. He also acts as a member of the pit
crew for his dad Colin.
Colin said: “For Ben to have been nominated for the RYA Regional Youth Championship awards is a great honour, but for
him to have won it for the second year running against the calibre of youngsters that
the awards attract is a phenomenal
achievement and I couldn’t be prouder.”
On winning the award, Ben said: “To have been nominated for the award
is an honour in itself but to have actually been chosen to win it from such
a high standard of people is fantastic.”
Sponsorship to restore organ
HEADCORN’S Sponsor a Pipe appeal to raise money to restore
the organ at the village church has raised more than £6,000.
The organ has 668 pipes, more than 500 of which have been sponsored. With Gift Aid, the project raised over £6,200.
Church warden Anne-Marie Trustram said the work would take
four weeks. Once it was completed there would be a village singalong to celebrate the work.
29
News
downsmail.co.uk
Services cut at
rural churches
SOME church services in the Suttons have been temporarily axed as
part of a restructuring of the Headcorn and Suttons benefice.
Two years ago, the benefice had
the services of not just a vicar, but
also a curate and help from the ordained chaplain at Sutton Valence
School.
Diocesan cuts and changes of
personnel mean there is no longer
a curate in the benefice, nor an ordained chaplain at the school, and
the vicar Rev Fiona Haskett, who
was appointed in February last
year, has had to manage the four
churches on her own.
She said: “Although we are very
fortunate in receiving help from retired clergy and in particular
Canon David Trustram, we are
now having to face the fact that our
current service structure is no
longer sustainable.”
Each church within the benefice
used to have one service each Sunday, but, in common with many
other parishes, cuts have had to be
made.
For a trial period, there is to be no
6pm service at East Sutton on the
second Sunday of the month and
no 6pm service at Chart Sutton on
the third Sunday.
Rev Haskett said: “We apologise
to all those who are affected. We
hope those people who would normally attend these services will
take the opportunity to worship at
one of the other benefice services.”
The changes will be reviewed by
the vicar and the parochial church
councils in due course.
Charity sale
GRAB a bargain at Maidstone
Mencap’s plant, book and cake
sale on Saturday, May 21.
The event starts at 2.30pm at
Cobtree Hall, School Lane (off
Willington Street), Maidstone.
For details contact Rita on
07790 643218.
Partnership to promote
pride in county town
A NEW town centre partnership is powering forward to make the county
town the pride of Kent.
One Maidstone – a collaboration
between the former Town Centre
Management and the Town Team,
backed by Maidstone Council – is a
community interest company (CIC)
formed with the aim of promoting
Maidstone’s status as the county
town.
The not-for-profit organisation is
politically independent and aims to
act as a catalyst to communication
between members and local authority decision-makers.
Unveiling the new logo and the
mission statement for One Maidstone, at Strawberry Moons nightclub in Gabriel’s Hill, One
Maidstone chairman Andy Davey
said: “We aim to bring together
businesses, the community and the
voluntary sectors ensuring the
town continues to be worthy of
being the county town of Kent.”
Four key working groups will
deliver key projects to benefit the
town centre and the business crime
reduction partnership MaidSafe.
Board members and supporters of One Maidstone at the launch
These will focus on events, public
realm improvements (regeneration
and street scene), marketing and
volunteers, which would include
training stewards to support town
centre activities.
The new branding and logo for
One Maidstone was created by
Maidstone-based graphic design
company Geomedia and the promotional video compiled by Gareth
Powell of PlayMountain.co.uk, also
based in the town’s Royal Star Arcade.
Award nomination call
DO you know anyone who deserves
an award for their work in the community?
Chartered accountants Perrys are
seeking nominations for exceptional
individuals in Kent who will be honoured at an awards ceremony in
November.
Perhaps you know somebody
who has done something incredible
or shown strength in the face of adversity - or maybe they are exceptional because they have tirelessly
worked to help others?
Shortlisted individuals will be put
to a public vote. The winner will be
revealed and presented with a trophy and other goodies.
Stewart Pope, CEO at Perrys,
which has been operating in Kent
since 1983, said: “We would like to
encourage everyone to take part and
nominate an individual they feel is
exceptional. Whatever the reason
we want to hear about them.”
To make a nomination email exceptionalawards@pmwcom.co.uk
with a description of the individual
and why they are exceptional and
include your contact details.
The deadline for nominations is
Monday, April 25, 2016.
Cllr Fay Gooch, deputy leader of
Maidstone Council, said: “It is so
important we have a long-term vision for the town centre to make it
stand out as the county town. We
have a strong cultural side, a huge
retail element and some fantastic
small businesses – a wonderful
mix.”
The CIC has pledged to organise
at least four major events each year
– the first of which is the St
George’s Day celebration on April
23 (see page 20 for more details).
Musical picnic
ORGANISERS are tuning up for the
annual Marden big musical picnic.
The picnic in the park – on
Southons Field in Maidstone Road
– will raise money for the Friends of
Marden’s Heritage. The event from
2-8pm on Saturday, June 4 will feature old favourite acts, plus a few
new ones.
There will be stalls, games and
races, refreshments, a barbecue, a
bouncy castle and plenty of singing.
There will also be a family picnic
on the field to celebrate the Queen’s
90th birthday on St George’s Day,
Saturday, April 23.
Ofsted happy after nursery changes policy
Continued from page one
strongly believe that the grading issued in October was incorrect and
that we have still not been fully informed of what rule/law has been
broken. We are also aware that other
schools and nurseries take photographs and send them via e-mail and
we fail to see the difference.”
Ofsted has stopped outsourcing
pre-school inspection contracts following the incident. The October inspection was carried out by the Tribal
Group education support service but
the most recent inspection was by a
senior Ofsted inspector, who said she
30
was happy that the nursery had
tightened up procedures.
Inspector Jo Caswell said: “Good
improvements have been made
since the last inspection. Staff fully
understand their responsibilities in
protecting children. All legal requirements are met. The weaknesses
identified at the last inspection have
been tackled effectively.
“Children are very happy. They develop a good range of skills which
help them to be ready for starting
school. Parents are very happy. They
describe the staff as 'amazing', 'brilliant' and 'fantastic'.”
Mrs Fox said it was impossible to
tell if the “inadequate” listing had
impacted on her business but said:
“We have had requests for places
with parents stating that, whilst they
were aware of what the pre-school
had gone through, they were keen
for their children to attend Cherubs,
as they felt that if we were prepared
to challenge Ofsted and the system
for what we believed to be right then
they were sure the level of childcare
their children would receive would be
delivered with the same effort and
commitment – and that meant
Cherubs was the place for them.”
Cherubs’ Steve Fox with the
contentious original report
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31
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Popular surgery told to improve
YALDING doctors’ surgery has been deemed in need of improvement – despite it performing
above the local and national average.
An inspector from the independent health regulator, the Care Quality Commission, declared the
Benover Road surgery (pictured)
inadequate in two key areas –
safety and leadership.
Professor Steve Field, who inspected the practice on behalf of the
CQC in January, found the surgery
to be effective, caring and responsive. But he found issues in the dispensary, where there were
instances of medicines not being
managed, recorded and dispensed
in line with current guidance and
legislation.
He also found that records containing confidential patient information were not held securely so
that only authorised staff could
gain access to them and was also
concerned that the practice had not
carried out a risk assessment or
tests for legionella.
The surgery has condemned the
report as a “stressful nonsense”
and senior partner Dr Anthony Fincham said: “We scored good on all
aspects of patient care. In fact, the
inspectors said they had seldom
Winemakers
scoop awards
TWO wine producers from the region raised a glass to their own success at the Taste of Kent Awards.
Hush Heath at Staplehurst – producer of the country’s most exclusive pink fizz – took the Kent
Countryside Award after judges
praised the business for its “incredible attention to detail and real care
for the landscape” at the awards
night at the Detling Showground.
Also taking the honours was Nick
Hall, whose Herbert Hall Brut 2013
Traditional Method sparkling wine
was runner-up in the Kent Wine of
the Year category.
The handmade sparkling wine,
which is on sale at retailers including Harrods, Harvey Nichols and
Fortnum and Mason, is produced in
Marden from estate-grown organic
chardonnay, pinot noir and pinot
meunier grapes.
The judge noted: “This is very
well balanced, with fresh bright
notes and a touch of cobnut and
honey. It is better than a lot of champagnes I have tasted.”
Nick Hall said: “I was surprised
that we were the only sparkling
wine among the three finalists. As
winemakers we were all pleased to
receive some local recognition.”
The other finalist was Ortega,
from Biddenden Vineyards and the
winner was Bacchus, produced by
Chapel Down Vineyard, Tenterden.
32
seen better patient feedback.”
Professor Field accepted the practice had good facilities and was
well-equipped to treat patients and
meet their needs. Those patients interviewed said they were treated
with compassion, dignity and respect and that they were involved
in their care and decisions about
their treatment.
The inspector applauded the
practice for working closely with
other organisations and the local
community in planning how services were provided to help ensure
that they met people’s needs.
Dr Fincham said: “The two categories in which we were deemed
inadequate were safety – relating
mainly to the fact that old paper
medical records were not locked up
at night – and our habit of pinning
back fire doors when a room is in
use – ‘without having an appropriate protocol on fire door management’.
“Since all the doors in the buildings are fire doors, the reasons behind this are obvious – people
sometimes like to see each other
and communicate!”
He added: “We now have an appropriate protocol and have ordered locking shutters to encase the
old medical records, which we seldom use but are duty-bound to
store for the NHS.”
He added: “The second category
in which we were deemed inadequate on was leadership – this was
mainly because our staff folders
were kept in two separate places,
rather than all being kept in the
same filing cabinet. Needless to
say, this fault has been rectified.”
If the surgery can prove it has
made the necessary changes within
the next six months, all categories
will be upgraded to good, without
the need for a follow-up inspection.
Patients back
GP service
THE National GP Patient Survey results published in July 2015
showed the Yalding practice was
performing above the local and
national averages.
Of patients surveyed, 87%
found it easy to get through to the
surgery by phone, compared to a
CCG average of 76% and a national average of 73. It was found
that 95% were able to get an appointment to see or speak to
someone the last time they tried
(CCG average 89%, national average 85%) and 93% of respondents to the GP patient survey
described the overall experience of
their GP surgery as fairly good or
very good, compared with the national average of 85%.
Nine out of 10 patients said they
would recommend their GP surgery (CCG average 81%, national
average 78%).
Volunteers plea to boost profile of river
VOLUNTEERS are needed to help
turn the Maidstone stretch of the
Medway into a tourism draw.
The Maidstone River Park was one
of a lasting legacy of projects,
funded partly by the National Lottery to celebrate the Millennium and
comprises a 10km walk along the
river, from Teston Country Park to
Allington.
Raising the profile of the river
Medway in Maidstone and the
range of activities centred around it
was a key part of the council’s destination management plan (DMP).
Now, a group of individuals hadtaken up the reins and set up a trust,
but they need more practical help.
The Maidstone River Park Trust is
a volunteer community group, but
the trustees hope to establish a community interest company to support
its activities longer-term.
Chairman Ian Tucker said: “Our
aim is to make the river an attraction
in its own right and an important
part of the visitor experience in
Maidstone.”
Volunteers from the trust will work
closely with the Environment
Agency, Kent County Council, Maidstone Council and others to maintain and promote “the borough’s
greatest natural asset”, according to
Mr Tucker.
The environment agency has offered to clean up the section of the
river between Teston and Allington
Lock and the group is now looking
for community support to carry out
a five-day clean-up along the banks
between Lockmeadow and Whatman Park.
The River Park Project has already
been allocated £1m in funding from
Maidstone Council to create a cycle
path the length of the river, linking
Barming and Allington, which will include a cycle hub at Lockmeadow.
The Medway Valley Countryside
Partnership, which is dedicated to
environmental conservation in Maidstone and Malling, will also play a
part in the project.
Anyone who would like to get involved can contact the group via the
website or email info@maidstoneriverpark.co.uk.
Open weekend at sports club Tombola appeal
HEADCORN Cricket and Tennis
club is holding an open weekend to
attract new members to play or just
enjoy the facilities.
Visitors can go along to the club
from 10am to 4pm on May 15 and
16 to try out the facilities and enjoy
refreshments. Equipment and
coaching will be provided.
The cricket season starts in May
and the club runs two teams on a
Saturday. They are also hoping to
have friendly games on Sundays.
Tennis is played all year round
on three floodlit hard courts, which
can be used at any time. There are
club nights on Tuesdays and Fridays, when the bar is available.
For details call Mike Donnelly on
07778 304129, Christine Brunger on
01622 890560 and Richard and
Katherin Daking on 01622 850652.
FRIENDS of Headcorn church are
appealing for prizes for their
tombola stall for church funds.
Bottles of wine, beer and spirits
are welcome as are sweets and
chocolates. Donations can be
taken to Sweet William Florist in
Oak Lane or left in the basket at
the back of the church.
For more information email
jenny@muntonline.com.
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downsmail.co.uk
Comment
Local elections so hard to read
AT this stage, with a month to go, it is
spin of the coin time again for forecasters of
who will really control Maidstone Council
after the elections on Thursday May 5.
As usual it is a close battle, with the Conservatives probably needing a net gain of
one seat to ensure their desired overall control. With this would probably come the significant position of leader of the council,
which was lost last May when Lib Dem Cllr
Fran Wilson had a majority of one vote at
the annual council meeting when she was
also backed by the majority of Independents, Ukip and Labour councillors.
The Conservatives hold 25 of the 55 seats.
Two Independents usually vote with them.
They feel they are well-placed to win control but they campaign hard to achieve a
comfortable majority. There are many uncertain ingredients – but one certainty is the
local Lib Dems will still be punching well
above their weight to strengthen their position.
There are several key battlegrounds in the
relevant 19 wards and the power battle will
probably be decided by the results in these
nine: Bridge, Coxheath & Hunton, Fant,
Heath, High Street, North, Park Wood,
Shepway South and South.
A political change in any of the other 10
wards (Allington, Barming, Bearsted,
Boughton Monchelsea & Chart Sutton, Boxley, East, Headcorn, Marden & Yalding,
North Downs and Shepway North) would
be a significant surprise.
The Conservatives will need to hold in the
three marginal key seats of Bridge, Coxheath & Hunton and Fant – no easy task –
and look for gains mainly in Lib Dem-held
Heath, High Street, North and South or in
Mote Park is fine as it is
Dear Sir – Having lived in Maidstone all my
life, I have seen Mote Park change, but I’m
afraid a lot of the recent changes have not
been for the beer.
Many of us appreciate the peace and
tranquillity of the park and the nature which
makes its home there and would like it to
remain that way, without the need for even
more building and commercialisation.
Yes, perhaps it does need a new cafe, but
only because the present one was built with
such a definite lack of forethought and
planning and one of the biggest problems
has always been the lack of stock control. I
have been in the cafe at least three times only
to be told I couldn't have a cup of tea as they
had no milk. On another occasion during the
school holidays the only ice creams they had
were the very expensive ones. A lot of the
mothers weren’t too impressed with this and
none of this is hard to sort, but unfortunately
that is the way it always seems to be.
In this modern stressful world, a lot of
people love to escape to the peace of the
MailMarks
DENNIS FOWLE President
dfowle2011@aol.com
Current council make-up
Conservative
LibDem
Independent
UKIP
Labour
25
20
6
2
2
Labour-held Shepway South and Independent-held Park Wood.
The Lib Dems have dominated High
Street for many years but it is a ward where
population migrates more than most, and it
became marginal last year when Cllr Fran
Wilson ended with a 119 majority over the
Conservatives. The Tories are targeting it in
May and believe their hard work can now
bring success for Joe Mamo against former
Mayor, Lib Dem Cllr Denise Joy.
The Tories also believe they can succeed
again in North ward, where they pulled off
a surprise victory last year after long Lib
Dem dominance. It was only a 25-vote win
– but with long-standing Lib Dem Cllr Jenni
Paterson now standing down, there will be
an intriguing battle between Michelle Hastie
(Lib Dem) and Jeff Tree (Conservative).
South ward has often fluctuated and the
Tories see their chance with the retirement
of stalwart Lib Dem Cllr Ian Chittenden
(Paul Wilby is the new candidate). There
were only about 100 votes in it last year and
park and do not want this interrupted by
Segways, noisy model boats etc. There are
already too many cars in the park and one
has to be very careful when taking small
children or dogs over there.
Less environmental damage might also
give the nature of the park a chance to
recover. There has been talk about provision
for nature but most of us long-term residents
have sadly seen it all decline over the years.
If we don’t all help protect it, it will
disappear altogether.
This is one of the few places in Maidstone
where we can make a difference and we
ought to limit the damage.
I do love Mote Park and care passionately
about its future. I resent all these commercial
ventures. I met a number of mothers at
Gillingham Strand last year and they were
moaning about the fact that they couldn’t
come to Mote Park during the summer as
they had several small children and didn't
want to spend the entire day being pestered
by their children to be allowed in the fair!
I did complete the survey when asked at
the park, but let’s face it, the questions were
Tory Paul Cooper will be looking to overturn that.
The reverse applies in Coxheath &
Hunton, where prominent Tory Cllr John
Wilson is retiring. The Tories believe they
have a strong replacement in Ron Leagas,
but the Lib Dems hold the other two seats
in this ward and they will be looking for a
gain to ensure the hat-trick through youthful local candidate Emily Fermor.
Both the national and local political scenes
make forecasting so difficult this year.
The Tories did well last year on the back
of a successful general election campaign
while the Lib Dems floundered. Has that
tide turned at all? Labour defend Shepway
South locally, but will divisions nationally
over the party leadership affect local support?
Will passions over the EU referendum impact locally?
In Maidstone borough the Conservatives
reckoned they suffered because they had to
lead the essential but controversial local
plan which required very heavy residential
development. This year council leader Cllr
Wilson has had to front the local plan and
take flak from many unhappy residents. It
is a poisoned chalice she has drunk from
bravely.
I did not have courage to forecast the final
outcome last year. This year it is even more
difficult…
The EU vote
LAST month’s Mail Marks when I rea-
soned why I will vote for Brexit brought a
record number of emails and other contacts.
Thank you. I will touch on them next
month.
worded to get the answers they wanted – not
to get honest answers and opinions.
Mote Park is not a London park and I for
one, whilst I do appreciate the path round
the lake, would suggest hands off everything
else. Leave us to enjoy it just as it is.
Jean Howland, by email
Retake control of borders
Dear Sir – After 70 years living here I am
appalled at how Maidstone has been forced
to change over the past five years or so and I
too will be voting to exit the EU (Mail
Marks, March).
Maidstone has become so overcrowded
and immigration is radically changing the
culture of our town. It will get worse until
Britain gains full control of its borders.
We are having huge residential
developments imposed on us very much
against our will; road journeys now take so
much longer; our GPs and hospitals are
totally overstretched and delays for patients
are unacceptable; and too many parents
have deep concerns about finding desired
Contact our team ...
34
Stephen Eighteen
Diane Nicholls
Jane Shotliff
Dawn Kingsford
Editor
Assistant editor
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downsmail.co.uk
Vote for Brexit
Dear Sir – I feel guilty my generation is
creating through EU membership a
diminished Britain I will be ashamed to
leave to my children and grandchildren.
(Mail Marks, March).
I am patriotic and have loved living in
Maidstone, Kent and England. I cannot bear
to see what now happens through
overcrowding and the financial crises I
consider are closely linked to our EU
membership, especially on welfare
payments.
I love Europe too, and believe we can
work well with our friendly neighbours
without all the serious downsides of EU
membership. We have to give this a chance
and vote for Brexit.
Mary Jameson, by email.
the money we save can be used to make
Britain great again.
Australia and America don’t let in
criminals, so why should we? We won’t
have so many people using our NHS that
we pay into and they don’t, so thank you
for your article.
John Maplesden, by email
Jobs an illusion
Dear Sir – When yet another supermarket
proposal comes up, I have to give a wry
smile as the bid always includes “hundreds
of new jobs” (Downs Mail, February).
With the proliferation of supermarkets
and Tesco even closing some down, it’s
obvious that one person’s supermarket job,
is another person’s redundancy.
We can only buy so much. There isn’t an
inexhaustible supply of money, unless
you’re in government of course.
Why not merge the park and ride in with
the store, to supply all the local shops? It’s
something that more understanding
councils seem to manage quite easily!
Phil Granger, Alma Road, West Malling
Cut Road, Ashford Road, Willington Street
and Suon Road as a heavy goods route
instead of constructing a Leeds Langley
bypass from the Suon road directly to
M20 Junction 8. This already creates major
delays from M20 Junction 7 along this
residential route to the industrial
Parkwood area and the agricultural
businesses serving south, south east and
east of Maidstone. This will only get worse
because of the vast amount of housing
already under construction and planned
for the future in these areas.
S Russell, Matfield Crescent, Maidstone
Comment
places in schools.
Brexit may bring early uncertainties but I
will live with these to expel the hand the EU
casts over our country.
Robin Brand - by email
Solar panels are lesser evil
Dear Sir – I am uerly disgusted by the
decision of Maidstone Council's planning
commiee in their rejection of the plan for
a 72-hectare solar farm near Staplehurst.
Once again the Nimbys win.
The excuse that "rain cascading from the
panels will alter the drainage on the site" is
complete hogwash. The rain from each
square metre panel would finish up exactly
where it finishes up today.
Hope article sways votes
The use of the term “cascading” is
Dear Sir – I was so pleased to read Dennis
sickeningly emotive. There would be no
Fowle’s article regarding the EU, and that
extra rain, which currently cascades
Lower Thames crossing
you plan to vote to leave.
nowhere. The field of panels could be well
It is good that people who have not made Dear Sir – I note that KCC prefers the
hidden by a hedge and no-one would be
their minds up will read your view and it
Lower Thames Crossing Option C coupled any the wiser as they drive past.
could help them make their choice. I’m like with widening the A249 as a beer longThe alternative is that central
you; I really want to leave the EU but I am term option than using the A229. I agree
government constructs nuclear power
sad when I see so many lies from people on with this suggestion but only if KCC
stations. If a solar farm malfunctions, the
the news, saying we need to vote to stay in. rectifies a long-standing deficiency in Kent panels could be removed in a couple of
It’s the only chance we will get to vote
strategic highway routing.
weeks. If a nuclear power station
KCC has been well aware for some time
out, and it would be fantastic if we do get
malfunctions Kent could be uninhabitable
out. I’m so disappointed that David
that the A249/M20 interchange is already at for decades (as Fukushima, Japan; Three
Cameron is trying to keep us in the EU; he peak capacity at certain times of the day
Mile Island, USA and Chernobyl, Russia.
is on the wrong side.
because traffic which needs to bypass
If there is a time when Nimbys should be
I’m sure the Queen, if she could say,
Maidstone to the East also uses this
ignored, then this is it.
would want out. We can close our borders, junction, in addition to the main traffic
I have nothing whatsoever to do with
route of A249/M20.
we will save so much money, we can
this proposal, my first knowledge of it was
choose who we let in we can stop
KCC has, by default, utilised the
reading about it in the Downs Mail.
importing other countries’ criminals, and
residential route of Bearsted Road, New
D J Massey, Mill Lane, Coxheath
Neighbourhood Watch
Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police
A garden shed was broken into in Lower
Road, East Farleigh, but nothing appeared
to have been stolen.
A security padlock and chain were cut to
gain entry to a secure area outside a block
of flats in John Day Close, Coxheath.
A small silver Ifor Williams trailer was
taken from a farm shed in Bowley Lane,
Boughton Malherbe.
A Volvo C70 was keyed in Oak Lane,
Headcorn.
Two 5ft entrance gates were stolen from
the drive of a property in Collier Street.
A metal postbox was stolen from outside
a property in Southernden Road, Boughton
Malherbe.
An electricity distribution box in
Sherenden Lane, Marden, was damaged
and parts of it stolen.
A house was burgled in Maidstone Road,
Yalding, and items taken.
Copper earthing cable was stolen from an
electricity pole in Benover Road, Yalding.
Tools were taken from a van parked on
the drive of a home in Stanley Close,
Staplehurst.
A door was damaged in an aempt to
enter a house in Claygate Road, Collier
Street. No access was gained.
A failed aempt was made to break into a
property in North Street, Suon Valence,
causing damage to a door.
Fencing was damaged at a property in
Cayser Drive, Kingswood.
Offenders caused damage to the door of a
home in The Parade, Staplehurst.
A Stihl chainsaw and a Husqvarna
chainsaw, along with hand tools, were
stolen from a Ford Ranger pick-up in Lees
Road, Yalding.
Crime reports
FARM animals were released during a
break-in at a farm in Clapper Lane,
Staplehurst. Items, including a set of
electric clippers, two harnesses and halters,
and a goat and a chicken were reported
stolen and a horse was injured.
The baeries were stolen from nine golf
buggies at The Ridge Golf Club in Suon
Valence.
A petrol leaf blower, two Stihl hedge
trimmers, a Stihl chainsaw and a Stihl
strimmer were taken from a garden shed in
Chapel Place, East Farleigh.
Property was stolen from a vehicle in
Chart Hill Road, Chart Suon.
A would-be thief ran off after being
disturbed by the owner of a Daihatsu that
had been broken into on the drive of a
home in Redwall Lane, Linton.
Garden tools were taken from a shed in
Huntington Road, Coxheath.
Damage was caused to the hedge at a
property in East Street, Hunton.
Tools were taken from a garden shed in
Dean Street, East Farleigh.
A vehicle was keyed in Linden Road,
Coxheath.
Tools and fishing equipment were stolen
from a van on the drive of a property in
Claygate Road, Yalding.
A vehicle was stolen from a business park
in Gravelly Boom Road, Kingswood.
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36
07940 854927
01622 729092
All aspects of
CARPENTRY
Doors, Windows, Kitchens
supplied and fitted, Loft
Conversions, Doors hung,
Locks fitted, Skirting,
small alterations,
Plastering and Tiling
All work guaranteed.
FREE ESTIMATES
Family business established 21 years
01622 743648
Mob: 07711 291921
31, Sheppey Road, Loose, Maidstone
We accept payment by
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Chimney Maintenance
Cleaning Services
Electricians cont.
"WE CLEAN
OVENS!"
H & G Chimney Services
Chimney sweeping service
Long established
ICS registered • All types of flu
All pots-cowls supplied & fitted
Complete re-builds
Re-pointing
Guttering, roof & valley repairs
01622 739439 07860 318166
info@chimneysweepkent.co.uk
Using van mounted cleaning tanks,
your oven hob and extractor is
cleaned to showroom shine without
smell, mess or fuss. 1000's of
delighted local customers.
Oven cleaning from just £49
Please call James on
01622 616168
www.ovenwizards.com
Fencing
Computer Services
TOM HOPE offers the following services:
Most types of fencing undertaken
Fields rolled, harrowed and fertilised (ATV spread if wet)
Flail mowing (untidy field to a lawn)
Having (whole or part job) bale wrapping, baling, round, quadrant and conventional.
Horse manure loaded and taken away.
13 tonne 360 with experience operator, full range of bucket’s concrete breaker
Circular saw for overgrown hedges – other services available (anything considered).
REQUIRED: Fields for haying and grazing.
Drives
LTJ SURFACING
Family run Business for over 27 years
Specialists in: • Tarmac • Block Paving • Concrete • Bonded Tar and Gravel • Resin Bounded
• Brickwork • Driveways • Patios • Footways • Alterations and Repairs • Carparks and Roads
• Pressure Washing • All other Groundwork undertaken private and commercial
We offer Machine and Hand Lay Tarmac Teams
For a Free Site Survey and Advice please call 07799 351299 or 01622 436933 Or visit us at www.ltjsurfacing.co.uk
BUTLER DRIVEWAYS
Block Paving Patterned Concrete
Tarmac Driveways Shingle Drives Patios
01622 850491 Mobile: 07885 253623
Warren House
Headcorn Road
Sandway
Maidstone
Heritage Driveways
Block Paving and Driveways
FOR SALE:
Oak offcut’s ideal woodburner (large loads). Half tonne apple bin’s – used once.
All type and shapes of forage. Clean brick and block hardcore, also plannings.
Large quantity of farmyard manure any size load, collected or delivered.
All above subject to availability.
Telephone/Fax: 01233
756673
Fence me in & alot more
All types of Fencing & Gates
Installed & Repairs
All Aspects of Garden Services, Landscapes,
Decking, Patios, Paths & Paving.
Regular Contracts, Lawn Mowing,
Hedge Cutting etc.
LANDSCAPES
DRIVEWAYS
Tree work
Block paving
Turfing
Tarmac
Fencing
Shingle drives
Raised Beds
Patios
Decking
Concrete
FOR A FREE QUOTE AND ADVICE PLEASE CALL:
01622 890352 OR 07340 100780
Electricians
Electric Rewired
The new 17th Edition wiring regs are applied
We are Part P Certificated
For all your Electrical needs
From extra sockets to house rewiring
Replace old light fittings with new fittings
Call Alf for your free quote
Ring 07831 247843 or 01622 738680
www.electricrewired.co.uk.
alf@electricrewired.co.uk
ELECTRICIAN
ATLANTIC ELECTRICAL
For all your electrical needs
Fuseboards, Re-wires, Certificates
NICEIC Part P registered
Free Estimates, Friendly Service
Fully insured, 25yrs Experience
Call Steve 01622 747257
Mobile 07985 474176
Uplands, Halstow Cl, Maidstone ME15 9XA
I.WALLOND FENCING
ALL TYPES – REPAIR/RENEW
Est. 25 YEARS
FREE ESTIMATES
01580 890649 07931 368710
www.IWallondfencingcontractors.co.uk
David Matthews
Fencing
07947 565008
Family run
business
07890 818783
Call Colin on 07521
377306 or 01622 853978
Tarmac, Concrete all groundworks
I N V I C TA
Mobile:
www.wrightsfencing.co.uk
No1 Locally Since 1996
• Free estimates & friendly advice
• All types of fencing at
competitive prices
• Fencing supplied and erected
• You talk directly to David at all
stages for your fencing
• Go on, give him a call on
Phone: 01622 755342
Mobile: 07749 202140
Garden Services
INVICTA
GREEN LAWNS
Artificial Grass
Specialists
We Supply and install
Artificial Grass
Please call for a free site
survey – 07493 140330
TONY YOULES
GARDENING SERVICES
Do you long for a beautiful and well maintained garden?
Don’t have the time or know-how? I DO!
• Fully qualified, at C&G & NVQ levels I & II - FULLY INSURED
All grass, shrub & general maintenance - also planting and landscaping.
Organics a Special Interest
Call Tony on Maidstone 01622 891328
37
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Garden Services cont.
Garden Services cont.
MAIDSTONE TREE SERVICES
Professional Tree Services
Tel: 0800 567 7175
maidstonetreeservices@gmail.com www.maidstonetreeservices.co.uk
ARBOUR
FAIRVIEW FARM
Fully Insured and Qualified
Free No Obligation Written Quotation
For a friendly &
professional service & advice
01622 759119 07771 970570
NPTC qualified)
Please call:- 01622 743428
Mob:- 07817 517 733
Complete Garden
Maintenance
TREE SURGERY
TREE MAINTENANCE & GARDEN SERVICES
for a helping hand with:TREE SURGERY:
CROWN REDUCTION, FELLING,
PRUNING, HEDGE & SHRUB TRIMMING, CLEARANCE
SEASONED LOGS SUPPLIED,
MOWING (lawns)
FULLY INSURED (City & Guilds
‘Trust your local experts’
All Aspects of Tree Work
Felling • Pruning
Hedge Cutting
Stump Grinding
Fully Insured
Free Quotes
Tel 01622 206431
Mob 07932 752875
www.boatmanlandscapes.com
• Grass cutting, from field to a garden
•Hedge cutting • Weed control
• Japenese Knotweed treatment
• Fencing • Rubbish removal
• Hedge & tree reduction • Turfing
• CRB Checked
www.arbourtreesurgery.co.uk
Handyman Services
Forestry First Ltd
TANTONS
Tree Surgeons
ad ad ad ad ad ad ad
ad ad ad ad ad ad ad
ad ad ad ad ad
Maidstone Medway Surrounding Areas
TREE FELLING CHIPPING
CONIFER TOPPING
CLIMBING/DISMANTLING
SITE CLEARANCE SPECIALISTS
HEDGE TRIMMING LOGS
POLLARDING FREE ADVICE
STUMP GRINDING SPECIALISTS
Clean & Tidy Friendly Service Guaranteed
Public Liability Insured/
Approved Contractor
Tree Surgeons & Landscapers in Kent
All arboricultural tree works
undertaken. Fully insured.
www.forestryfirst.co.uk
01622 616133
Weald Garden Care
Mowing, Weeding, Hedge
trimming. Fence and Shed
painting and repairs.
Patios and drives cleaned.
Written quotes.
www.tantonstreesurgeons.co.uk
and find us on www.yell.com
ad ad ad ad ad
Phone Neil
07753 328366
JB
Landscaping
Landscaping
01622 755898 Mobile
EPIC
HANDYMAN
No job too big or too small.
Painting & decorating,
all roofing works & repairs,
chimney’s, guttering & gutter
cleaning, pressure cleaning,
fencing & brickwork & driveways
07554 267087
0800 4748750
Free from landlines
Locksmith
No job too big or small
• Fencing • Treework
• Turfing • Decking
• Levelling Ground
• Jet Washing Service
• Water Features
• Astroturf • Patios
• Clearance • Driveways
Tel: 01622 828036
Mob: 07763 905464
For a free site survey call:
01622 527106
07788 532926
L.W.LANDSCAPING
Fully Insured & Reliable
Tel: 01622 260149
Mob: 07772 231419
z Fencing z Treework
z Turfing z Decking
z Levelling Ground
z Jet Washing Service
z Astroturf z Patios
z Clearance z Driveways
LEE Hughes
PAINTING & DECORATING
SERVICES
Interior & Exterior Work
Undertaken
OVER 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE
City & Guild Qualified
Tel: 01622 759040
• Quality Decorating at a
fair & competitive price
• Dulux approved over
30 years experience
• Fully insured
Tel: 01622 737225
Mobile: 07816 149502
www.sr-interiors.com
email: info@sr-interiors.com
C. TAYLOR
LANDSCAPES
Drives, Paths, Patios, Fencing,
Turfing, Shed Bases, Decking
All aspects of treework &
garden clearance
Fully Insured
For a free estimate
or advice
please call Jim
THE HANDY MAN
Sheds constructed & repaired
Door hanging • Flat Pack Furniture
Interior & Exterior Decorating
Many small jobs undertaken
Please phone with your requirements
07834 601428
01622 630312
38
PRACTICAL PHIL
Painting & Decorating
continued
Maidstone & Kent
T: 01622 755750 M: 07738 658751
3 Plains Avenue, Maidstone ME15 7AT
www.yourmaidstonelocksmith.co.uk
INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING &
DECORATING SPECIALISTS
PROPERTY REFURBISHMENT
COMPLETE HOME IMPROVEMENTS
Painting
Paperhanging
Partitioning
Carpentry
Coving
Wood & Laminate
Floors
24 hour service locks opened
new locks fitted security checks
emergency work undertaken
FREE ESTIMATES & ADVICE • FULLY INSURED
CALL CHRIS ON 07970 980611
Rathbone Decorating Services
Interior & Exterior
Works Undertaken
No job too small
with special rates
for pensioners
• Free Estimates • Friendly Personal Services
• Domestic and Commercial • Qualified Tradesman
Tel 01622 721491 or Mobile: 07753 487796
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Painting & Decorating continued
Roofing Services
MALCOLM ROBERTS
Over 25 years’ experience of maintaining people’s homes.
A friendly, reliable service.
Painting & decorating, Wall Papering, Tiling and all aspects of DIY.
CALL MALCOLM - FOR A FREE QUOTATION
ON 01634 308067 Mob: 07788 142576
Plumbing & Heating
Plastering
R K Plastering
Chris Bourne Plumbing Services
making water work
All Aspects of Plastering
Internal / External
Plastering Over Artex
Coving
Free Estimates
Clean & Reliable
Heating
Wall & Floor
Plumbing
Tiling
Complete 25yrs experience
Bathrooms
Call Rob on: 07984 609133
www.rkplastering.co.uk
A.P.S Ltd
COMPLETE ROOFING SERVICE
Roofing & Chimney Services
• New roofs & repairs
• Slating/Tiling/Lead work
• Chimney rebuild/repairs
• Pointing
• Guttering Services
• Full Roof Installation
• Tiling & Slate Roofing
• uPVC Fascias & Soffits
• Chimney Repointing or Removal
• Roofing Repairs & Maintenance
Free estimates & all works guaranteed
www.apolloroofing.co.uk
0800 0232665/01622 729600
07808 414965
or 01622 853601
for a free, no obligation quote
Vicarage Lane, East Farleigh
ACEpointing@BTinternet.com
Security Systems
01622 747272 /
07885 950959
Larkrise, Green Lane,
Boughton Monchelsea.
IRELAND PLUMBING
All domestic plumbing &
heating work undertaken
boiler installations,
servicing and landlord
certificates
•Plastering •Painting & Decorating
•Laminate Flooring•Home Improvements
FREE NO OBLIGATION QUOTE
07804 927680
07912 892341
D K PLASTERING
All plastering work carried out
• Excellent Work • Excellent Prices •
FREE Quotes
Email: dk.plastering@hotmail.co.uk
Call David 01622
727534
Mobile: 07974 891795
512663
tezzaireland@msn.com
tINTRUDER ALARMS
tCCTV SYSTEMS
ACCESS
S CONTROL
tACCES
NO CALL OUT CHARGE
& FREE QUOTES
For all your
PLUMBING
plumbing needs
New Taps • Toilet & Cistern Repairs
Bath & Shower Installation
Leaks & Fault Finding • General Repairs
Call Gary
07738 902116 / 01622 736266
Plumbusters
PLUMBING & HEATING SPECIALISTS
We are a well established family run
company with over 25years experience
based in maidstone covering Kent, we
can help you with your bathroom or
kitchen design and install, we specialise
in central heating repairs and upgrades
including boiler replacements.
Double Glazing Repairs
& Locksmith Services
Please call for a FREE quote
Tel: 01622 672743 Mobile 07703 442025
Gas safe No 521635
www.plumbusters.co.uk
Gavin Francis
Central Heating Installations ex British Gas
• New Boilers
• Noisy Boilers and repairs
• Burst pipes & leaks
• Bathroom & shower installations
• FULLY INSURED
• ALL WORK GUARANTEED
& AT COMPETITIVE RATES
199173
NO CALL OUT CHARGE FREE ESTIMATES
Security.Improved
Security.Improved
• Locks repaired or replaced
Access
• Letterboxes
• Hinges & window handles
• Broken glass & misted units
• Lost key replaced & doors opened
• Patio doors, runners & rollers
• Doors that are difficult to close and lock
Denied
01622 611107 / 07967 625 447
Your local plumber
07860 174959
01622 721779
Forge Lane, East Farleigh,
Maidstone, Kent ME15 0TH
E:gavinfrancis66@gmail.com
We accept payment by
39
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Skip Hire continued
st ry
a
F ive
l
e
D
Skip Hire continued
D.T
SKIP HIRE
Over 20 Years Experience
Prices from £110+VAT
01622
843511
South Belringham Yard, South Lane,
Sutton Valance, Kent ME17 3BD
C Pr
o o
lle m
c pt
ti
o
n
Skip Hire 3, 4, 6
& 12 Yard Bins
Covering Maidstone
& The Weald
EA Registered
Fast & Prompt Service
Commercial
& Domestic
Friendly • Effecient • Reliable • Competitive
P
I
N
B
I
N
S
Commercial and domestic
1-14 day hire
Same day delivery
2-4 yard mini skips
6-20 yard skips
Roll-on, roll-offs
Council approved
Tipped at our site
70% waste recycled
Crushed concrete
Top soil
Grab hire also available
NEW SITE
NOW OPEN
Detling
Aerodrome
Maidstone
BMP SKIP HIRE
2/ 3/ 4 & 6 YA RD
• SAME DAY SERVICE
• FAST FRIENDLY SERVICE
• WE RECYCLE YOUR WASTE
E.A . RE G
01622 858887 07870 680 979
GRAB HIRE
Removal of
• Clean Soil
• Tarmac
• Hardcore
& Brickwork
• Muckaway
We deliver / Collect jumbo bags
We collect General Waste
Freephone
01634 724420
0800 028 49 00
Screened soil delivered
Trailor Hire, Sales & Repairs
Upholstery
Trailer Hire-Sales-Repair
UPHOLSTERERS
BEARSTED
Kent Trailers
• 3 piece suites, sofas & chairs
re-upholstered & repaired
• 3 piece suites individually made to order
• 100’s of fabrics to choose from
• DIY supplies • Collection & delivery
• Antique restoration
Indespension Agent
Livestock, Plant, Recovery,
Van, General Purpose
Trailers in stock
New & Used
Detling
01622 730063 07860 318166
(01622) 863069
info@kenttrailers.net
Unit 3, Little Caring Farm, Caring Lane, Leeds, Maidstone
Waste Collection
D. BODY LTD
Waste Collection
Cesspool Emptying
Septic Tanks
Drain Clearing
Sludge Removal
Treatment Plants
Gulleys & Forecourts
High Pressure Jetting
Domestic & Commercial
ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSED CARRIERS
01622 631688
D.BODY
40
www.dbody.co.uk
24Hr - 7 Days A Week
Prompt & Friendly Service
The Paddock, Detiling Hill, Maidstone, Kent
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Water Services
Health & Beauty
PILATES
Foot Care
at Langley & Staplehurst
ALL MAKES OF WATER SOFTENERS
SERVICED • SALES & SERVICE
• FILTERS & REVERSE OSMOSIS
• FREE SURVEY PROMPT INSTALLATIONS
ALL OTHER MAKES SERVICED
CHIROPODIST
Benefits:•Alignment•Strength
•Flexibility•Endurance•Stress
relief Mondays at 1.30pm Langley
& Thursdays 1.30pm Staplehurst
6 weeks course £42
Mrs Linda Abnett
01622 891333
Mobile 07787 838645
Look after your body and it will
allow you to enjoy your life more!
Follow
us on
Call Gina on 07864 914056
or email: klime3@me.com
Foot Health Professional - Katherine Morton MCFHP MAFHP
Registered member of The British Association of Foot Health Professional
Visiting Practice - Nail cutting and filing, corn and callus
removal, fungal nail infections, verrucas and ingrowing toe nails
Mobile: 07960 072999 Home: 01732 875447
BLOCK SALT
SOFTENER
Katherine.morton875@gmail.com www.kmortonfhp.com
01474 812005
BARNSIDE, WROTHAM ROAD, MEOPHAM
www.softwaterservices.co.uk
enquiries@softwaterservices.co.uk
Nail Expressions
Mobile Nail Technician
Full Set of Acrylic
Nail Extensions
Mini Manicure
Gel Polish
£35.00
£20.00
£5 OFF
with this advertisement
Many Other Treatments Available
Web Service
Window Cleaning
EXPAND YOUR
BUSINESS
MB WINDOW CLEANING
• Google Marketing / Search
Engine Promotion • Web Site Design
• E-Commerce Websites • Hosting
• Email • Web Site Maintenance
01732 842454
HPC Registered.
• HOME VISITS •
• Domestic & Commercial
• Window Cleaning
• Conservatory Roof Cleaning
• Gutter, Fascia & Conservatory
• Professional & Reliable Service
• Power washing available for block
paving & patios
01622 863502
07950 211 507
www.mbwindowcleaningservices.co.uk
enquiries@mbwindowcleaningservices.co.uk
Window Services
Miranda
DOUBLE GLAZING REPAIRS
1st appointment
only
For an appointment
Call Faye 07711 485749
www.Facebook.com/NailExpressionsMaidstone
Dance
Lenham
Ballet School
R.A.D. Ballet
I.S.T.D. Tap & Modern
3 years to senior level
Adult Tap & Street Dance
Summer Term
starts 11 April
01622 850329
more than a ballet school
www.lenhamballetschool.co.uk
Online
NEW
EMPLOYMENT
SECTION
within our website’s
community notice board
Jobs, apprenticeships, graduate
programmes, work experience
plus help and support to find
work and develop your career.
www.downsmail.co.uk
Recruitment
Front of house staff required
at THE COCK INN, Boughton Monchelsea
Min age 18, no maximum age.
Evenings and weekend with some flexibility.
Full and part time shifts.
Pay above minimum wage.
Contact Jo on: 01622 743166 or drop in a CV!
41
On the Road
Farleigh Forge Garage
MoTs
SAPPHIRE CARS 01622 663000
Maidstones Local Taxi Service
www.sapphire-cars.com
Servicing and general
repairs to all makes
Tyres and tracking
Free local collection and
delivery by arrangement
Air Conditioning
Established since 1985
For All Your Local Journeys
z 6 Seater Vehicles
z 8 Seater Mini Buses
DRIVERS
z VIP Chauffeured
Mercedes
URGENTLY
z No Extra Charge
REQUIRED
After Midnight
z Airports
z Ferryports
z Stations
z Available 24-7
z All Drivers are
CRB checked
07814 681 098
www.kkautomotive.co.uk
Tel:
01622 726473
Lower Road, East Farleigh
Luxurious, Executive Business Travel
Sapphire
Cars provides a
24-hour V.I.P. & Executive
luxury chauffeured car service for
corporate clients. We guarantee discretion,
reliability and professionalism providing an
impeccable standard of service to companies and
private individuals throughout Maidstone and Kent.
Experience first-class travel, allow us to greet you
at a location of your choosing and whisk you
away in style, comfort and total safety.
All our taxi drivers have been vetted and , licensed by Maidstone Borough Council and have
passed a council test of their knowledge of the local and surrounding area. All our taxi drivers
are also issued with a unique ID number, so that we know who is driving our taxis at all times.
CAR BATTERIES FROM £36.99 inc VAT
Antifreeze De-Icer Bulbs Wipers
Headcorn, TN27 9SH
www.psautoparts.co.uk
01622
891777
AUTOSPRAY
SOLUTIONS
MOBILE BODY REPAIRS
For the ultimate paint finish!
• BUMPER SCUFFS • KEY SCRATCHES • ALLOY REFURB
• VANDOLISM DAMAGE TO PAINTWORK • DENTS • MACHINE POLISHING
• FULLY GUARANTEED TO MAIN DEALER STANDARD • FULLY INSURED
FREE
ESTIMATES
Before
GET YOUR CAR
READY FOR WINTER
Before
MOBILE BODY REPAIRS
SCUFFS, SCRATCHES, DENTS etc
SAVINGS UP TO 50%
COMPARED TO BODYSHOPS
Fully guaranteed to main dealer standard
Fully insured
15 years experience
Insurance work welcome
Call now for your free quotation on
01622 727263 / 07773 340049
or email
After
Proud
sponsors of
Bearsted
Cricket Club
After
• 6 day operation
• Around 1/4 of body shop price
• Reliable, professional and flexible
Call: 07771 621 769
touchupsltd@gmail.com
42
www.touchupsltd.co.uk
info@autospraysolutions.co.uk
Follow
us on
Winner of
tradesperson of
the year 2013
On the Road
ACE
M.O.T. and
Clutch Centre
Vehicle Maintenance,
Service & M.O.T.
Open Mon – Fri 8:00 - 5:30 Sat 9:00 – 12:00
M.O.T. only Sun 9:00 – 12:00
All MOT’s
£40.00
d
r
a
y
l
Ti Auto’s
MoT Testing
Free re-test and minor adjustments
Service and repairs carried out to all
makes and models
Local recovery service now available
Tyres • Exhausts • Tracking
• Cam belt kits supplied & fitted
• Broken belt damaged repaired
• All makes, petrol & diesel
736 London Road, Larkfield, Kent ME20 6BG
Te l : 0 1 7 3 2 8 7 0 3 6 8
FREE COLLECTION AND DELIVERY
SERVICE WITHIN 10 MILE RADIUS
Tel: 01622 663662
Unit 5, Bridge Industrial Estate,
Wharf Road, Tovil, Maidstone ME15 6RR
H & C Motors Ltd.
Independent BMW & Mercedes Specialists
Why pay main dealer prices?
Affordable, advanced technology servicing
01622 752364
www.handcmotors.co.uk
19-25 Rawdon Road, Maidstone, ME15 6PT
Servicing & Repairs while you wait,
close to town centre
Dealer Level Diagnostics
MOTs by appointment
Free Courtesy Car by
Appointment
Air Conditioning Specialists
Convertible Hood Specialists
Over 70 years’ of combined
experience and accredited
training with local main dealers
We service all makes & models
Approved by Trading Standards
43
downsmail.co.uk
Mike stands down from rail post
A NOSTALGIC look back over 13
years of success in building the Kent
Community Rail Partnership was the
focal point of the group’s annual
stakeholder meeting.
The meeting, held at Maidstone
Town Hall and opened by the Mayor
of Maidstone, Cllr Daniel Moriarty,
was the last for retiring founder and
chairman Mike FitzGerald.
Mr FitzGerald, a former councillor
and mayor, who lives in Chart Sutton,
said he was delighted to be leaving at
a time when the partnership was on a
high, having just won first place in a
national competition and secured a
three-year contract to remain in partnership with Sustrans.
He told the packed council chamber: “The Department for Transport
and all political parties support the
concept of community rail and I
would like to express my special
thanks for the huge commitment of
the line members and volunteers who
From left, Sarah Deakin and Guy Schofield of Kent Community Rail
Partnership, Matt Fraser of Southeastern and Mike FitzGerald
are the strength and depth of our organisation.”
Mr FitzGerald , who was presented
with an album of old photographs
and a poetic tribute, said: “It was an
unbelievable send-off. I was quite
overwhelmed by the warmth of the
reception I got.”
Kent CRP brings together a range of
local community groups to help sup-
port improvements to local rail links
and facilities.
It is already looking to expand its
activities in the region, having secured the three year contract with
stakeholders to continue its hosting
partnership with Sustrans, the charity
which is enabling people to travel by
foot, bike or public transport for more
of their everyday journeys.
There were a number of presentations during the meeting, looking forward to new developments and art
installations at local stations on
SwaleRail and the Medway Valley
Line and the audience was transfixed
by the inspiring presentation about
the MoonQuarter station redevelopment in Heerlen, Holland, by charismatic Dutch artist, Michel Huisman.
The partnership plans to send Mr
FitzGerald and his wife Maureen on a
short break to Heerlen to show their
gratitude for his 13-year service.
The partnership recently won first
place in the Abellio challenge, a nationwide competition, with its innovative proposal for Smarter Travel for
transition year school children.
The Kent Community Rail Partnership includes Sustrans, KCC, Maidstone Council, Tonbridge and Malling
Council, Southeastern Railway,
parish and town councils and NuVenture Coaches.
Read our archived editions FREE online at www.downsmail.co.uk
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies
Elly Bernhardt
GARDEN enthusiast Eleanor “Elly”
Bernhardt chose a humanist funeral,
surrounded by family, friends and flowers.
Elly, who lived at The Green, West
Farleigh, was born in Southampton, where
she went to art school, before taking up a
job as a window dresser at Peter Jones in
London.
She made celebration cakes for all
occasions and rarely did a Christmas fair,
summer fete or fund-raising event in the
village pass without an “Elly” contribution
to the raffle.
She was a member of the Farleighs WI
and taught her friends many different
types of art and craft. She was also a helper
at the Evergreens, where her tea and cakes
were legendary.
Elly (67) was never happier than when
busy in her garden, where she used all
kinds of oddments and artefacts to artistic
effect.
She leaves a husband Paul, daughter
Gemma, son Toby and five grandchildren.
Frank Woolle
RESIDENTS have lost a popular and
highly-regarded Police Community
Support Officer.
Frank Woolle (64) lived in the Medway
area but was known, especially in Teston
and Barming, for his work in law
enforcement and building community
support. Originally from the north of
England, Frank worked in the legal
community and later trained as a PCSO.
Barming ward Councillor Fay Gooch,
who knew him well from his local work,
said: “Frank’s funeral was packed out and
many local people went. There was a
massive turnout from his police colleagues
and a lot of personal touches.
“He was held in very high regard, and
perfectly combined the community
qualities of engaging with people with the
ability to be firm and uphold the law. He
will be very much missed.”
Frank leaves his wife, daughter and one
grandson.
Ruth Bollen
THE funeral of village stalwart Ruth Bollen
was held at St Peter and St Paul Church,
Yalding, of village stalwart.
Ruth (71) came to Yalding with husband
Andrew in 1971, where they raised their
two children Mark and Emma.
Ruth sang in the choir and became the
first female server, along with her
husband. The couple were regulars at
church events.
She loved children, especially
grandchildren Lucy, James and Spencer,
and worked at the old Weald Playgroup,
now Twyford Pre-School. More recently
she helped run the church’s Lile Fishes
group for pre-school children and Helping
Hands.
She was a member of the Mothers’ Union
for more than 30 years as well as an active
member of Yalding WI, which she once
represented at a Buckingham Palace
Garden Party.
She fought a brave bale against cancer
for more than a year and continued to take
part in village life, even administering
Communion from her wheelchair at
Christmas.
The Stone Shop
Memorials. Any natural stone supplied,
lettered and installed anywhere.
Inscriptions added to existing memorials
Renovations and memorial
cleaning
The Stone Shop
Station Hill, East Farleigh, Kent.
01622 726633
There is no charge for our obituary service. Call Neil Nixon on 01622 630422 or email nlnxn@aol.com
44
Obituaries
SIR Peter Maxwell Davies CH CBE (81)
was a patron of Kent Music. He took an
active interest in music created throughout
the county and engaged both with teachers
of music and musicians.
The Lancashire-born composer and
conductor was a
major figure in the
UK classical music
community; noted for
a personal journey
that took him from
being the composer
of difficult and
challenging works to
become the Master of
the Queen’s Music.
Despite living in the Orkney Isles from
1971, Sir Peter was a noted advocate of
local music, and remained passionate
about music education. He had been a
patron of Kent Music since 2006.
The association’s chief executive Peter
Bolton described Sir Peter as “a great
supporter of music education for all” and
noted “we will cherish his patronage and
his musical legacy”.
Sir Peter first came to prominence when
forming the group New Music Manchester
with composers Harrison Birtwistle,
Alexander Goehr, Elgar Howarth and John
Ogdon. He was awarded a number of
honorary doctorates and was a keen
environmentalist.
One of his best known compositions –
Farewell to Stromness – celebrates the
environment around his Orkney home.
downsmail.co.uk
Crime report There were eight crimes
reported in January and February: three of
criminal damage; one aempted criminal
damage; a theft; a burglary and two
burglaries from outbuildings. In the same
period last year there were 15 crimes.
Warden’s report Liz Lova said checks had
been made on elderly and vulnerable
people in the parish. There had been a rise
in flytipping and lier. Liz had been doing
some lier-picking as part of the Clean for
the Queen clean-up. The parish council had
engaged a contractor to carry out some
lier-picking in Roman Way.
New member Richard Martin was co-opted
on to the council by a unanimous vote.
Queen’s birthday Rev Phil Goodey had
contacted the council about the possibility
of a joint parish council and church event to
celebrate the Queen’s 90th birthday. Rev
Goodey suggested a meet-up on the
recreation ground or green on Sunday, June
12 with hymns, prayers, readings and the
national anthem. It was felt the recreation
ground would be most appropriate. Cllr
Sara Evans agreed to liaise with Rev
Goodey and Junction’s Mark Price about
the event. Cllrs Jill Skinner and Richard
Martin agreed to assist.
Orchard A resident was concerned that the
orchard at Campfield Farm was being
fenced off to prevent public access. Cllr
Munford said the land was within the
parish of Loose, but was owned by
Boughton Monchelsea Amenity Trust. The
trust had the land on a condition of it being
leased out for agricultural purposes on a
200-year lease. The resident said people had
been walking their dogs on this land for a
number of years and wanted to continue to
do so. Cllr Munford said there had been
problems with dogs’ mess which had
contaminated apples leading to large
amounts of fruit being rejected by
supermarkets. Notices had been put up in
the past asking dog owners to clean up
after their pets, but the problem had
remained. It was noted that the public right
of way through the corner of the orchard
was being maintained.
Caravans A resident asked whether the
caravans on land at the back of the farm
were being legally occupied. It was noted
that this land was in the parish of Loose
and the resident was advised to contact
Maidstone Council if desired.
Furfield Park The quote received from
Steve Waring for landscape maintenance
work to the open space was accepted.
Defibrillator The clerk had chased up the
Community Heartbeat Trust regarding a
quote for the public access defibrillator in
Church Street.
Budget The draft budget for 2016/17 would
be brought to the next parish council
meeting for agreement by members.
Mobile libraries As well as the Green and
the Cock Inn, the library stopped at the
village hall car park. The clerk said this was
not a proper stopping point but merely a
lunch stop for the driver. It was agreed that
the clerk should respond to the KCC
consultation requesting a stop at the village
hall to be maintained. It was also noted that
alternatives to the mobile library were
already in existence, including the home
library and the Touch a New World
scheme, which helped people get online
using volunteers.
Maintenance It was agreed to accept Darryl
Solman’s quotes for repairs to the village
gateways (£460) and the sign at Gandys
Lane (£485). The clerk said the planters in
front of the gateways had been found to be
in good condition. Mr Solman’s quote was
to renovate both the gateways and fill the
planters with soil. The clerk would plant up
the planters if the parish council paid for
the plants. A budget of £100 was agreed.
Cllr Peter Herrin said he had the original
Bolescrew Hill sign that had fallen off the
ragstone wall. The clerk would get in touch
with Mr Solman for a quote for
reinstallation. The new doors were being
made by Peter Skinner and Mr Solman had
quoted £250 for painting. This was agreed.
Homes scheme The parish council had met
with the developer about the plan for 41
homes on land at the junction of Church
Street and Heath Road. More agreement
had been obtained on design, screening and
the requirement for no street lighting.
Trees An application had been made to
grub out trees on the Church Street nut
pla. Maidstone Council was opposing this.
Reservoir Cllr Herrin said the best time for
remedial work at the Parkwood Farm
reservoir would be after the summer. He
had contacted seven contractors but there
had only been interest from one. Cllr
Herrin would continue negotiations with
this contractor.
Pond Cllr Herrin said the pond next to the
woodyard had been extended by KCC.
Annual parish meeting The date was
agreed for May 17, 7.30pm. A budget of
£250 was agreed for catering. The focus of
the meetings should be the parish
organisations, all of whom would be
invited to aend and speak. It was
suggested that information on proposed
housing should be made available at the
meeting for residents to view.
Church Street play area An insurance
report and maintenance work was required.
Recent Zurich and Maidstone Council play
area reports had identified a number of
repair and maintenance issues. It was
agreed to accept a quote for Maidstone
Council for £534 for the necessary work.
Road surface Cllr Angela Whybrow was
concerned about the poor quality of the
road surface on Heath Road, from Linton
crossroads to the primary school. The clerk
would contact KCC about this.
Fete Preparations for this year’s fete on July
2 were well under way. Classic cars would
be featuring, with many other aractions.
Honour boards Cllr Bill Brown researched
parish council records dating back to 1894.
He was now in a position to place an order
for the honour boards for the village hall.
Play area signs The play area signs were
awaiting installation. The clerk would
arrange a quote from the handyman.
Boom Road. One case of anti-social
behaviour was reported, in Cayser Drive.
Chairman Following the resignation of the
chairman Cllr Terry Baker, Cllr Mike
Darling was elected to the role.
Pre-school The pre-school wished the
parish council to continue with its
contributions towards the rent of the village
hall and had supplied a business plan. It
requested the remainder of the contribution
to go towards the rent. The parish council
was happy with the business plan. The
chairman would make contact regarding
the financial projection.
Kerbstones The handyman would be asked
to repair kerbstones at Broomfield village
green.
Gravelly Boom Road Concern had been
raised about the amount of rubbish here
and although in Langley parish, it was
affecting Broomfield and Kingswood
residents. Langley had been notified. The
handyman would be asked to contact the
new land agents and arrange clearance.
Annual meetings The annual parish
meeting and the annual parish council
meeting will be on Monday, May 16.
Parish Councils
Boughton Monchelsea
Chart Suon
Public session Anna Wight provided
members with details of plans for nine new
houses on Warmlake Road. She was
advised that previous applications for new
housing had been turned down due to the
lack of doctor’s surgery/school in the
village.
Signs Members noted that KCC Cllr Eric
Hotson had agreed to support the
Slow/Danger signs on Chart Hill Road and
that this was currently being progressed by
Michael Heath of Kent Highway Services.
Dog mess Regarding dog mess on the
Memorial playing field, providing free
waste bags would be investigated.
Football pitch Members discussed the lack
of matches played by TriSports and Three
Suons due to inclement weather and
agreed not to ask for further payments
from the clubs in respect of their second
half-instalment of pitch hire fees.
Rubbish An increasing amount of rubbish
was being dumped. There had been a good
turnout, including Cubs, Scouts and
Beavers, at the lierpick and an autumn
one was suggested.
Shop Work was progressing slowly. It had
been decided to get a professional
shopfier to fit out the inside. The
commiee was aiming for the installation of
the new shop by the May bank holiday.
Defibrillator Carol Filby, leaseholder of
Lilypie Café, had agreed to the parish
council siting the new defibrillator on the
wall of Lilypie as requested.
Broomfield and Kingswood East Farleigh
Oaklands The clerk reported on the
borough planning commiee meeting at
which the Oaklands application was heard
and advice received from Kent Association
of Local Councils. Councillors agreed that
the clerk writes to Maidstone Council. Cllr
Hoy proposed that Broomfield and
Kingswood was willing to fund a judicial
review should it be necessary.
Policing Four crimes had been reported –
criminal damage in Cayser Drive;
burglaries in Gravelly Boom Road and
The Walk and theft of a vehicle in Gravelly
Theft PCSO Mahew Judges reported one
crime – the theft of a garden ornament from
Dean Street.
Signal boxes There was a meeting about
the signal boxes on the Medway Valley
Line. The council considered whether it
was prepared to lease the box at East
Farleigh and make use of it, but felt it could
not take it on. The council would contact
Barming Parish Council, but any group in
the village interested in taking it on as a
community venture should email
the clerk on
46
45
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Parish Councils
46
West Street and East Street had been
relocated to the green a few metres further
along. The parish council would like the
20mph advisory limit outside the school to
be made permanent.
Village fete The fete will be on June 18.
Helpers were needed for car parking.
Precept Members agreed the budget for
2016/17 with the precept set at £25,000,
which created a tax of £80.13 per property.
surrounding areas, with some found. There
had been reports of mud and stones being
thrown at property and several youths and
their parents had been spoken to.
Co-opted Jane Cowin was co-opted to the
vacancy on the parish council.
Local needs housing The applicant had
appealed against Maidstone Council for
non-determination on the Maidstone Road
development and the clerk was asked to
view the documents as to whether
correspondence had been received from the
Langley
Planning Inspectorate.
Marden in Bloom Cllr Boswell explained
Community warden Dawn Riach-Brown
the aim of Marden in Bloom and the
had contacted Golding Homes about the
lack of lighting in the alley at Skinners Way. possible areas of improvement and
Some Langley residents were aending the placement of planters. Fundraising events
youth club at Suon Valence and would be were planned and several businesses had
been approached for sponsorship.
competing soon in a football tournament.
Councillors agreed that the parish
Bins The weekly bin emptying had now
started. The clerk said there had been a few caretakers would undertake the watering of
up to six additional planters twice a week.
issues with regards to the bin emptying at
the village hall but these had been rectified. This would be reviewed annually. The
plants in the village troughs had not
Football club A donation of £5,000 to
flourished and would therefore be
Langley Football Club was approved for
removed. It was agreed to plant up again in
their changing room extension at the
the spring.
village hall. It was agreed that £750 would
Marden station Items still not rectified
be paid immediately to help cover the
included faded car park markings and
East Suon
invoice for the footings and the balance
blocked drains.
would be given when the remaining
Play area The surface was very thin and
finance was in place to finish the structure.
had holes. The parish council accepted
Village walk The clerk and Cllr Young had
quotes from Outdoors Living for £405.90
Nelestead
plus Vat for painting the swing and £351.50 identified some areas along the Leeds road
which would be suitable for additional
Police report PCSO Nicola Morris reported
plus Vat for cleaning the play area.
there had been a burglary (non-dwelling) in
Police report There had been no crimes, but planting of bulbs and cherry trees. Early
Maidstone Road when a lawnmower and
a possible poaching incident was reported. discussions with Kent Highway Services
seemed positive.
tools were stolen and an arson in Station
Highways Workhouse Lane was due to be
Road. There had also been a robbery in
closed from March 21 for up to six weeks.
Maidstone Road where three males entered
Planning Parish councillors recommended
Loose
a property and jewellery was stolen.
refusal of an application for false chimney
Chaerbox Cllr Jackie Benne stated that
stacks at Great Oak Farm, Friday Street, but Flooding Members of the public raised a
Chaerbox takes place every third Tuesday
not that it should go before the borough
number of maers regarding the flooding
of the month at the Hop Pole public house.
planning commiee. It was felt that the
in Well Street. These included: recurring
Village hall CCTV repairs had been done.
stacks were not in keeping with a
issues with silt flooding a resident’s pond
traditional barn conversion in the area.
and killing fish; issues regarding Well Street Field The council accepted the quote from
All Seasons grounds maintenance
School KCC was proposing to expand
had been raised in October without any
contractors regarding the King George V
Headcorn Primary School from 210 to 420
response from Kent Highway Services;
places.
problems with blocked gullies, for example field. Councillors wanted a monthly update
from the contractors on how many cuts had
at the boundary of Palm Coage. Borough
ward Cllr Sue Grigg said the site was being taken place.
Highways The clerk would contact UK
Hunton
closely monitored and the developer was
complying with everything requested. The Power Networks regarding the tree in
Policing Two crimes had been reported –
theft of two turkeys and two peacocks, and chairman agreed that the developer was not Maidstone Road and would chase progress
on hedge-cuing bordering the Old School
at fault but the blame lay with Maidstone
theft of tools, both in Lughorse Lane. Cllr
Wyles reported that gravel was taken from Council which was shortsighted and scared House property.
Stone A quote had been received for £225
of refusing a planning application that
the village hall car park. The number plate
for repair of the stone sign outside the King
could end up going to appeal.
of the vehicle used in the theft was
George V field. The clerk would contact the
Annual meeting The annual parish
provided to the PCSO who also helped to
trustee of the field to see if a grant was
meeting will be on Wednesday, May 4 at
review the footage from the village hall
available.
6.30pm for a 7pm start.
CCTV cameras.
Restructuring The parish council currently Planning An application had been received
Playing field The chairman of the King
regarding The Three Sons in Hampstead
holds 69 meetings in a year, which the
George V playing field management
Lane, Nelestead for residential use for a
commiee, Danny Peacock, reported on the chairman felt was too demanding on
gypsy family including two amenity blocks
councillors’ and clerks’ time, considering
last meeting. The drain in the car park as
and two chalet homes, fencing and hardthat there were five vacancies. There was a
working well. Should any holes appear in
standing. Members objected to the
financial drain on time taken to set up and
the car park surface, there was spare
application because the site is in the
run meetings. All councillors should
material to resurface it. There was £3,442
Metropolitan Green Belt, a flood plain zone
consider ways of restructuring and report
remaining in funds. A new gate and
and the access to the property is
fencing had been fied. The commiee was back at their next relevant commiee
inadequate.
meetings.
to consider replacing the old pedestrian
Precept An increase of 5% for the 2016/17
gate.
Pavilion Remaining work to do on the new precept was agreed. This would mean a rise
Staplehurst
of £2.89 a year on a band D property.
cricket pavilion was new signs, changingCo-opted Patrick Riordan was co-opted to
room fiings and installation of decking.
fill a vacancy on the parish council.
Ditch The ditch in West Street was now in
Marden
Renewal The parish council’s membership
good condition and Bill Axell would be
of Action with Communities in Rural Kent
rodding the culvert soon. Landowners need Police report There had been five crimes
was renewed for 2016/17 at a cost of £50.
to take ownership for the ditches which
since the last meeting – theft, theft of a
Jubilee Field drainage Councillors agreed
border their properties to ensure they
motor vehicle, burglary other than
remain clear.
dwelling, burglary in dwelling and criminal in principle to support the Jubilee Field
Highways The bus stop at the junction of
management commiee’s funding
damage. Quad bikes had been stolen from
Continued from page 45
eastfarleighpc@googlemail.com.
Bridge working party The council had
received an email from Anthony Mather at
KCC outlining the issues around the idea of
using traffic lights to control traffic at the
Bridge/level crossing. Though not highly
positive, he did not rule out the idea. The
council agreed to ask MP Helen Grant to
set up a meeting with Kent Highway
Services, Network Rail and the parish
council.
Play area The council accepted a quote
from Barge Landscapes for £3,049 to do
remedial work on Vicarage Lane play area.
Annual parish meeting This is set for April
26 at 7.30pm in The Old School Hall, Lower
Road. Refreshments will be on offer.
Elections There is a parish council election
on May 5.
Speed watch The rota was set until July
and the first session took place on March 1.
Resigned A leer of resignation was
received from Cllr Lyn Topley. Changing
work paerns made it impossible for her to
aend meetings regularly.
downsmail.co.uk
Ulcombe
noted that many flytipping incidents were
quickly reported by members of the public
for removal. She hoped to aend a
fundraising event near Ulcombe Church on
April 17 and was liaising with the
organisers regarding road signs on the
Lenham Road to help make the event safer
for pedestrians.
Dogs The “No Dogs” signs for the
recreation play area/car park had been
received. A borough-wide audit of all dog
waste bins was being carried out and any
not widely used would be removed. The
clerk would request that the one by the
village hall be removed.
Village party No response had been
received from residents to form a working
group. It was felt that, as time was running
short, a picnic on the recreation ground
could be arranged for June 11.
Medals It was resolved to order 130
commemorative medals for school pupils to
mark the Queen’s 90th birthday.
File storage Three four-drawer files would
be purchased up to the value of £350.
Highways A layby appeared to be
emerging in the Ulcombe Road near the
junction of Boy Court Lane.
West Farleigh
Public discussion The 30mph sign was
repeatedly being removed in Charlton
Lane. This had been reported to Kent
Highway Services again, urging it report
the issue to Kent Police. The chairman was
Suon Valence
very disappointed as everyone had fought
so hard to get the speed limit lowered.
Concern was raised about dog fouling,
reported that anti-social behaviour had
especially as a resident had seen a fellow
reduced since the youth club had started.
parishioner not clearing up after their dog.
Cleaner The caretaker and cleaner of the
The community warden said he could help
pavilion and toilet had resigned. The clerk
had acquired the services of the village hall to tackle this issue. A resident raised
concerns about lier in the village. The
cleaner, who was self-employed.
clerk would report these to Maidstone
Parish clinic It was agreed that the clinic
Council and find out when the village was
would be reduced to the first and third
due its lier pick.
Thursday of the month from 11am to 1pm
Police maers There had been one crime –
and that a councillor must be present.
the theft of a vehicle on Lower Road.
Neighbourhood plan The clerk had
Highways Potholes in Ewell Lane from
completed the end of grant return Charlton Lane had not been rectified. The
£1,745.91 was to be repaid.
clerk would contact Kent Highway
Car park The hockey club had requested
Services. A large boulder was sticking out
the use of the car park next season and
from the verge in Ewell Lane about 300m
were prepared to give a donation. The
parish council agreed to a three-month trial. from the green. This was extremely
dangerous and a vehicle was witnessed
Pavilion The boiler had to be repaired at a
hiing the boulder and being forced into
cost of £295.20.
the middle of the road by the impact.
Kent Men of Trees The parish council
Play area Councillors had spent some time
decided not to enter the competition.
dismantling the roundabout to see whether
Church path It had been reported that a
the bearing issue could easily be resolved.
nearby landowner was going to cut back
It was likely that the repair would be about
the trees over the path. The clerk had to
apply to Maidstone Council for permission £2,300 while the potential cost of a new one
with easier to maintain parts would be
to crown lift.
from £3,000 to £6,000. The clerk was asked
Bowhalls The parish council approved an
to obtain information on play areas where
allotment holder’s offer to cut back the
the roundabout had been installed about
willow trees on the allotment and use the
two years ago so that councillors could go
material.
and view before commiing any more
Lighting Haven Power had not billed for
money to the replacement.
the street lighting for nearly two years
Marquee The parish council marquee
despite being chased. It was now asking
would be professionally cleaned for £50.
more than £5,000. It was agreed to offer a
Stepping down Borough Cllr John Wilson,
payment of £4,000 or go to the
who is stepping down at the election in
ombudsman.
May, was thanked for the support he has
Noticeboard A noticeboard on the A274 at
given the parish council over the years.
the north end of the parish had been
Lambing day Cllr Martin thanked all who
damaged. The clerk would write to the
landowner insisting that this be reinstated. came to the lambing day which aracted a
great turnout of about 230 people.
Councillors thanked Cllr Martin and his
wife, Candy and son, Ollie for making the
day such a success. It was lovely for 70
children to see a birth.
Donations were agreed of £600 to West
Farleigh Evergreens and £400 to All Saints’
Church. The Sports Club had requested a
donation of £510.39 for the defibrillator case
which was approved as a one-off grant. The
WI had submied a request as it was about
to update and improve the hall including
new windows, toilets and kitchen. It was
felt that no further money could be
awarded this year, but if money was still
required next year (2016/17), a further
request should be made.
Parish Councils
requirements up to £2,000 and requested
that further quotes be obtained, including
from the installer of the original drainage,
and that grant funding be investigated. A
representative of the commiee reported
that the football pitches were at times
unusable due to some areas failing to drain,
with up to four months use being lost. This
meant Staplehurst teams had to play more
away games and pitch hire fees were being
lost.
Caretaker The caretaker was currently
working two mornings a week. He would
be aending to a repair of the memorial
bench by Crown Coages in High Street.
Parish surgery Residents had discussed
concerns about the crossroads, the
development at Hen and Duckhurst Farm,
advertising boards on roadsides, Headcorn
Road speed limit, dog fouling, lier at The
Parade, the gas leak roadworks and
Neighbourhood Watch activity.
Speed Watch The new speed indicating
device was being bought and the old one
would be offered for sale.
Carnival Councillors agreed to book a stall
at Staplehurst Carnival and Fete for £10.
Clean-up Following the successful village
clean-up day, the council agreed to buy
additional equipment – 10 bag openers for
a total of £80 and 10 lier pickers for £11.99
each. The youth club would be given £50 in
thanks for the use of its building on the
day.
Oliver Road A meeting was to be held with
Taylor Wimpey to discuss progress towards
handover of the open space.
Yalding
Church clock The parochial church council
had obtained permission to fell the tree that
was obscuring the view of the clock. An
invoice had been submied for payment of
the annual maintenance of the clock.
Poo fairy banners Banners encouraging
people to pick up their dog’s mess would
be moved, one to outside the tea rooms.
Yuletide market The market had more or
less broken even. The working party review
had suggested several areas requiring
improvement, including the traffic
congestion while stallholders were seing
up. It was agreed to apply for the road
closure to move from 4pm to 3pm. The
working party would appoint someone to
manage traffic and stallholders would be
asked to arrive after 3pm and have all cars
removed by 4pm.
Flood wardens A test of messaging via text
was carried out during the recent heavy
rains as there was vandalism of the
telephone cable and some flood wardens
were without phone or internet. Those with
Callflow internet remained online even
though the phones were out. Cllr Michael
Stewart thanked the chairman for the email
news bulletins which really helped people
during the wet weather.
Press and media policy Councillors agreed
that the press and media policy should be
adopted. Cllr Andy Sanders wished for it to
be minuted that he did not agree with the
policy in relation to councillors not being
allowed to speak to the press.
Scout scarves The Scout group was
considering buying new scarves/neckers
bearing the Yalding logo and had asked if
there was a possibility of a donation
towards them. The chairman suggested that
the Scouts be asked to complete a grant
application form for £500.
Precept The 2016/17 precept was set at
£57,648, meaning an increase from £58.32 to
£60 for a band D property.
Queen’s birthday Ideas were requested for
the celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday
on April 21.
Tree The WI has asked to plant a tree in
Yalding village to commemorate its 100year anniversary. It was suggested that an
oak tree be planted on The Lees.
Lyngs Close A resident had raised
concerns about double parking at the top
end of Lyngs Close, especially on the
corner. It was feared a fire engine would
not be able to get through. The clerk would
write to Golding Homes.
Glass The bin lorries were leaving broken
glass in the village. The clerk would talk to
Maidstone Council.
47
OUR REPUTATION
SPEAKS FOR ITSELF
windows : doors : conservatories
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0%
7
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t on
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Sorry no
a
s
rice
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k
Just the
www.southernglassmaidstone.co.uk
NEW SHOWROOM NOW OPEN
Monday to Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 1pm
1a Brunswick Street East
Maidstone ME15 7UX
01622 686732
WE DO NOT employ pushy salesmen on commission. WE DO employ our own fitters.
WE DO insure all our guarantees for peace of mind. WE DO give prices over the phone.
Downs Mail is published by Mail Publications Ltd (President — Dennis Fowle, Chairman — Claire Procter, Editor — Stephen Eighteen, Sales Manager — Bill Brett)
2 Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent ME14 4DT 01622 630330 www.downsmail.co.uk email: info@downsmail.co.uk Printed by Newbury News.

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