Bid to end `phoenix` firms tax loophole

Transcription

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Maidstone Town | Maidstone East | Maidstone South | Malling
September 2015 No. 221
Bid to end ‘phoenix’
firms tax loophole
News
THOUSANDS of pounds of tax is going unpaid because of entrepreneurs
who claim their Maidstone-based businesses are bankrupt, only for their
assets to be transferred to a company with a different name.
The recipient is known as a
phoenix company and although the
practice is legal, Maidstone Council is lobbying for a change in the
law after recently writing off
£636,883 in unrecoverable business
rates from 18 failed public limited
companies, accumulated during
seven years.
Downs Mail can reveal that Mark
Wilson (52) and his brother Robert
(56), who live at separate addresses
in Discovery Road, Bearsted, have
continued to run Strawberry
Moons despite being directors of a
string of companies registered at
the nightclub's address of 28-32
Gabriel’s Hill that wound up with
debts of £2.89m.
This figure includes more than
£630,000 owed to the taxman and
£63,895 to Maidstone Council.
The brothers were additionally
directors of two Ashford-based
companies – one previously trading as Strawberry Moons Ltd – that
went under with debts of £1.4m, including £327,000 to HMRC.
In all, one or both of the Wilson
brothers have served on the boards
of 10 companies that have folded in
the past seven years, owing £4.29m.
One of their failed companies
was 1MK Ltd, which had the same
address as the nightclub and went
under in May last year, owing
Maidstone Council £15,403. The
council’s policy and resources com-
Luke’s degree of success
A STUDENT from Maidstone who
was turned down for his 11-plus
exam is hoping to inspire others
after picking up a first-class honours
degree.
As pupils across the borough
received their A-level results, Luke
Coomber (21), from The
Hedgerow, Grove Green, proved
that academic success can be
achieved without attending a
grammar school.
Luke (pictured) said: “You are
very young when the choice is
made as to whether or not you are
good enough to go to a
3
grammar school. At that
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mittee recently agreed to write off
this debt.
However, since October 2014
they have been directors of Club
Trading Ltd, for which the registered address is 28-32 Gabriel’s
Hill. The following month Strawberry Moons issued a health and
safety statement that confirmed the
brothers remained directors of the
nightclub.
Robert Wilson said: “It is with
deep regret that these companies
went into liquidation due to the recession. It is also unfortunate that
Maidstone Borough Council has
had to write off £15,000 in rates.
“Everything has been
done in the correct and legal 12
Villagers’ bid
to buy up land
RESIDENTS in Bearsted and
Thurnham are staging a race
against time to save part of the former KIG land from possible development.
Two large plots of greenfield land
totalling more than 43 hectares
have been put up for sale at Bridge
Farm, Water Lane.
The site has remained under
threat even after the Kent International Gateway road-rail freight interchange proposal was refused
five years ago.
As Downs Mail went to press,
more than £500,000 had been
pledged by locals towards the purchase of the land.
More than 100 families have contributed £1,000 each, in addition to
two lots of £50,000, five of £10,000,
10 of between £2,000 and £5,000,
plus 30 smaller amounts.
The two plots advertised for sale,
with guide prices of £550,000£600,000, and £300,0004
£325,000, are at the western
[email protected]
23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent
Cost of living
ANNUAL service charges at a
controversial housing scheme in
Bearsted will be as high
5
as £1,342
Students celebrate
SCHOOLS across the borough
have reported
strong exam results. 18-19
Hospital boost
THE local NHS Trust says the
treatment of strokes is
20
improving.
Congestion hope
MANSTON Airfield will be used to
ease the misery caused
28
by Operation Stack.
Market in town
A NEW art market containing 80
stalls is coming to
29
Maidstone.
Internet boost
FREE wifi is to be set up
at Boxley’s Beechen Hall. 30
Obituaries
34-35
Comment
46-47
36
Crime Reports
47
A GARDEN statue was damaged
in Bearsted, where also a horse
was taken from a field and a recycling bin from outside a home.
Parish Councils 46-47
A NEIGHBOURHOOD plan referendum might take place in
Broomfield and Kingswood
early next year; Dog mess on the
Old School playing field in
Detling would be addressed; litter and air quality had become
problems during Operation Stack
congestion in Harrietsham,
where traveller activity was
noted; rubbish had been dumped
in the church car park and behind
the sports pavilion in Leeds; the
parish council clerk in Ulcombe
had resigned.
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News
downsmail.co.uk
Village enjoys sun and games
AB O U T 100 people enjoyed the
fourth annual Olympicnic hosted
by Downswood Parish Council at
Mallards Way Park, Downswood.
The free event, supported by
MPE Football Club, aims to bring
the community together for a few
hours of fun, games and friendly
competition.
There was a wide variety of
races including running, sack, egg
and spoon, piggy back, threelegged and relays. Wellies were
hurled great distances in the very
competitive welly throwing contest, endurance and skill were evident in the standing long jump
The Health MOT Roadshow
and speed bounce competitions,
while women demonstrated their came along to encourage visitors
superior strength by winning the to enjoy a healthy lifestyle, and
MPE provided a delicious barbetug-of-war against the men.
Continued from page one
time I was a very different person,
more interested in my friends.”
Luke left St John’s Junior School
in Grove Green
for Cornwallis
Academy. It was
there, says the
student – who
has hopes of becoming a university lecturer – that
Luke’s first-class reward
things began to change.
He said: “The teachers were excellent. They got me interested in
science and the different processes
behind how things work.”
Luke’s hard work secured him
eight GCSEs, many of A grade, and
a Btec in business. He could have
transferred to a grammar school at
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He said: “When I began my Alevels it was a wake-up call and I realised I had to knuckle down.”
Now home after three years at the
University of Essex, in Colchester,
Luke’s degree in biomedical science
takes pride of place.
Pictures: Andy Archer
cue and a face painter. The glorious weather boosted ice cream
sales and families and friends enjoyed picnics in the sunshine.
He said: “As well as the teachers,
my parents were always there if I
needed support.”
Luke now hopes to study for a
PhD. He said: “I’m particularly interested in the development of antibiotics and, one day, hope to
become a university lecturer.
“If someone had told me at junior
school I would go on to be a scientist I’d have been lost for words.”
Exam results – see pages 18-19
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3
News | Woodcut Farm
Farm earmarked for business use
MAIDSTONE Council still believes land at Woodcut Farm is
suitable for office and commercial
use – despite residents doing
everything within their powers to
prevent it.
The council’s strategic planning
committee has designated land at
Woodcut Farm for mixed employment in its upcoming local plan –
although this still has to go out for
public consultation.
The land is part of the site of the
Kent International Gateway freight
proposal, refused on appeal in 2010.
A report to the committee states:
“There is a unique opportunity in
the borough to provide a presti-
gious business park at Junction 8 of
the M20 that is connected to the
motorway network and that can
provide for a range of job needs up
to 2031.”
Bearsted Cllr Val Springett said
the decision would make the council a laughing stock, having fought
off Kig and, more recently, two applications to develop land south of
the A20 at Waterside Park.
She said: “You cannot mitigate
development on this site in any
way whatsoever. You cannot hide
any development from the North
Downs – it will be visible for
miles.”
Planning chief Rob Jarman said
he believed it was possible to minimise the disturbance to the topography and exercise strict control
over any permitted development,
insisting on enhancements to both
the landscape and the biodiversity
of the A20 corridor.
He said that although planning
inspectors had refused to allow Kig
and Waterside Park, they had not
vetoed all types of development.
Council leader Fran Wilson felt
Woodcut Farm was the “lesser of
two evils” as it did not involve cutting deep into the landscape, as did
the proposals for Waterside Park.
She said: “This is another of the
awful decisions we have to make.”
Woodcut Farm now joins a site at
Mote Road in Maidstone, Barradale
Farm in Headcorn and two in Pattenden Lane, Marden, as sites “suitable and available” for future
economic development.
The committee heard that Eclipse
Park was already “accounted for”
and there had been no proposals
put forward for Detling Airfield.
Cllr Springett stressed that developers must be prevented from buying up private land in the area to
give them ease of access to the site
and it was crucial development was
not allowed to “creep” to the west,
towards Bearsted and the land
which was now on the market.
Residents pledge cash to buy development land
end of the former Kig site and form
a sizeable green belt between residential development in Bearsted
and the M20.
The new Kig – Keep It Green – together with the Bearsted Woodland
Trust and Bearsted and Thurnham
Society were hopeful enough
pledges would enable them to put
in a bid prior to the closing date of
August 28.
If the bid is successful, the team
will launch a full-scale appeal for
donations – both large and small –
as well as making approaches for
grants and organising fund-raising
events.
Mary Richards, from the
Bearsted and Thurnham Society,
said: “I would urge and encourage
as many people as possible to take
part, however small. Fighting Kig
was a real community effort and
this could be similar.”
Richard Ashness, feasibility
study co-ordinator for the Bearsted
proposal, said: “It is a tribute to our
sense of community that so many
people are prepared to be so generous.”
The parish council has agreed in
principle to give £80,000 from its
land and buildings fund towards
the purchase, if residents are willing to stump up the remainder.
Half would be met during the current financial year and the remainder in April 2016.
Cash reserves
WHILE agreeing to pledge
£80,000 towards the appeal,
Bearsted Parish Council agreed to
retain some funds in case other
land in the village was to come on
the market.
Within hours of its August meeting, land at Banky Meadow and
Fauchons Lane was advertised for
sale with a guide price of £80,000.
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News
£25k annual fee for
Roundwell homes
RESIDENTS wanting to buy a
house in the planned Roundwell
Park scheme in Bearsted will have
to pay an annual service charge of
as much as £1,342.
The 50-home scheme on land
west of Cross Keys, which was
given planning permission in
April, will be managed by Premier
Estates, who will pocket almost
£25,000 every year from residents.
The charges will apply to the
owners of all 43 purchased homes
on the development – ranging
from £250 for affordable homes to
£1,342 for the most expensive fivebedroom home, paid annually in
advance – to cover day-to-day
maintenance. However, there is a
question mark about whether Premier Estates will be responsible for
maintaining the access bridge that
will go over the Lilk Stream.
Roger Vidler, of the Bearsted and
Thurnham Society, told Maidstone
Council’s planning committee:
“Premier Estates have a critical interest in how this is maintained.
There must be some joint responsibility.
“What safeguards will be put in
place to ensure that essential maintenance of critical systems, such as
the private rain gardens, is not simply ignored by the residents or
built over? What happens if people
refuse to pay the service charge?”
Matthew Stevens, managing director of applicant Country House
Developments, said that Golding
Homes was happy with the fees for
the 20 affordable units.
He added: “It is wholly appropriate that the management fees
should be apportioned based on the
size and value of each property.
Premier Estates looks after 24,000
homes and they say they suffer very
few non-payment issues.”
Cllr Clive English, chairman of
the committee, said: “If management committees are not doing
their job then residents can find another management company.”
The committee signed off the
Section 106 developer agreement,
which included a £25,000 contribution to open space and woodland.
It was voted through by six votes
in favour and six abstentions.
Angry members of the public
branded the decision to confirm
the go-ahead of the scheme a “disgrace”. One shouted: “You have to
vote – you can't hide behind your
abstention.”
New CEO at
Leeds Castle
Upgrade for
HE centre
SIR David Steel is the new chief executive of Leeds Castle.
He takes on
the day-to-day
running of the
castle following
the departure
of Victoria Wallace and seven
months with
estate director
Bill Lash as in- Sir David Steel
terim CEO.
Niall Dickson, chairman of the
Leeds Castle Foundation, said:
“Admiral Steel has had a stellar career and brings a wealth of experience, including responsibility for
the major heritage site at
Portsmouth, which contains HMS
Victory.”
Admiral Steel has moved to Kent
from Portsmouth.
STUDENTS at MidKent College
will have state-of-the-art facilities
when the college’s Higher Education Centre opens in Oakwood
Park, Maidstone this autumn.
The centre will be home to
higher-level courses in construction, engineering, teacher training
and education, business and IT.
Access courses will prepare returners for degree-level studies
and the college will also offer professional qualifications in accountancy, personnel development and
leadership and management.
The £19m investment in the centre is the second phase of the
wider redevelopment of MidKent
College’s Maidstone campus,
which has cost nearly £40m in all.
The building being redeveloped
was formerly the University for
the Creative Arts (UCA).
Christmas lights switch-on
THE Christmas lights will be switched on in Maidstone’s Fremlin
Walk on November 19.
Maidstone Town Centre Management is hoping to attract a
celebrity to perform the switch-on as well as entertainment from
school choirs and the Salvation Army band.
Efforts are also being made to co-ordinate late-night shopping
opportunities, possibly for two weeks in the run-up to Christmas.
Approaches will be made to Maidstone Council about parking
concessions.
5
News
downsmail.co.uk
New voice on
rural issues
A NEW group has pledged to provide a united voice on some of the
biggest issues affecting rural communities.
The Conservative “collective”,
The Rural Alliance, has emerged
after a string of approvals by Maidstone Council for developments
impacting directly on countryside
communities.
Rural Alliance member Cllr Martin Round says the group will
speak out not just on housing and
infrastructure but on aspects including rural “invasions” by gypsies and a “scant regard” for
neighbourhood plans, the protection of habitats and rural cultures.
The group comprises nine Conservative borough councillors and
parish and county council members. It promises to use its position
on the borough council, its good relations with the area’s MPs and
partnerships with groups such as
Kent Association of Local Councils
and the Joint Parishes Group to
raise rural concerns with the borough council.
Such issues include alarm that
junction 8 and the surrounding
area could become an industrial estate, planning decisions based on
the threat of appeal rather than
merit and action to deal with travellers.
Bid to beat isolation blues
TECHNOLOGY is being used increasingly to connect more and
more people.
From social networks, which
keep friends and family in touch, to
professional networks such as
LinkedIn, technology is rapidly replacing the written and telephonic
word.
Now, in a bid to reduce social isolation in the borough, Maidstone is
hosting the Kent Connects “Transformed by You” challenge to bring
people together in a new and exciting way.
Maidstone has one of the highest
concentrations of home-based businesses in Kent, with about 9,000
homeworkers in the borough, of
which half own their own business.
Some of the wards with lots of
self-employed homeworkers are in
rural areas, such as Marden, Yalding, and Boxley.
With the population of the borough expected to increase by 10.2%
(16,400) in the next 10 years, the
town’s challenge is “People are better together; how can we connect
them?” and local residents are
being invited to get involved.
A council spokesman said: “You
don’t have to have technological
know-how – we’re just looking for
ideas to get the ball rolling.”
The challenge is in two parts.
First, people are being asked to
submit their ideas which could
help anyone who might experience
social isolation – from local businesses looking to collaborate for
their mutual benefit, to those who
have just moved to the borough
and are looking for like-minded in-
dividuals to share an interest.
Then, the top ideas will be taken
forward to a ‘Hack Day’ on November 21 in the Business Terrace,
Maidstone’s new enterprise hub.
Here, developers and those with
an interest can come along to help
build a prototype solution, and
have the chance to win a package of
support to help make that prototype a reality.
The spokesman said: “We want
to take advantage of technology to
make sure that people have the
opportunity to build networks and
reduce isolation in our communities.”
If you think you have a technological solution to a problem related to social isolation, submit
your idea online at www.transformedbyyou.com.
David is Lions’ new president
DAVID Priestley has been chosen as
the new president of Maidstone
Lions Club. A retired building society
manager, he has been president of
the Maidstone club three times before.
David, who lives in Loose Road
with his wife Sandra, was involved
with Loose Swiss Scouts for more
than 30 years, many as chairman.
He is pictured with Lion Marion
Brooks, the club’s outgoing president. During her two years as president the club donated more than
£44,000 to charitable causes,
mainly in the Maidstone area.
Maidstone Lions Club belongs to
the largest service organisation in
the world. For more details call
David on 01622 745023.
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7
News
downsmail.co.uk
Cafe’s new
lease of life
A TOWN centre cafe has found a
creative way of making a living.
The Living Café in Earl Street has
prided itself on serving nutritious,
locally-sourced food in a friendly
and intimate atmosphere.
Now, when the soup and sandwiches are sold out, the cafe
switches at 4.30pm to serving liquid refreshment, thanks to the
Crafty Alehouse – a new micro-pub
pouring pints from four casks
stored in the cafe’s cellars.
Sandwiched between the Earl’s
and Druids pubs, the Crafty Alehouse is run by brothers Sam and
Joe Otway, and estate agent Ben
Siggins. The new owners hope to
attract customers looking for a
quiet drink before or after a meal.
Leaders wanted
SPORTING volunteers are being
sought.
They are needed for Maidstone
Harriers, Weavering AFC, Maidstone Canoe Club, Staplehurst
Cricket & Tennis Club, Allington
Chestnuts, Maidstone Lacrosse,
Barming Table Tennis Club and
Maidstone United FC.
To become a local leader visit
joininuk.org/local-leaderapplication/
I’ll be back, promises
cancer scare councillor
A POPULAR borough councillor
is fighting his way back to full
health after doctors gave him only
a 20% chance of surviving a cancer
scare.
Cllr Brian Mortimer, who lives in
Heath Road, Coxheath, went to
Pembury Hospital in May with a
suspected perforated bowel.
He was admitted and woke up 10
days later in intensive care, having
had both a cancerous tumour and
abscess removed.
He said: “Don’t ask me what
happened during those 10 days – I
have no idea. I was totally out of it.
Apparently, the doctors tried to
wake me up four times without
success; it was only on the fifth occasion, after 10 days, that I opened
my eyes.”
At one point, Cllr Mortimer’s
wife Dianne and close family were
told he had only a 20% chance of
pulling through.
The former Mayor of Maidstone,
known for his jovial and outgoing
personality, went on to develop
septicaemia (blood poisoning) and
developed a second abscess in his
leg, both of which were success-
fully treated.
He said: “I consider myself to be
a very lucky lad and am only
thankful I am here to tell the tale.”
After being bed-bound in hospital for a month, Cllr Mortimer (61)
now faces a six-month spell of
chemotherapy as a preventative
measure in case any cancer cells
have survived.
He said: “I’m not looking forward to it, but it is the sensible
thing to do.
“Every day is now so very precious to me, as there is still a lot I
want to do – but I’m alive and kick-
01622 902005
8
ing, that’s the main thing. I love life
– and I’ll be back!”
The former electrician and
builder, who has served Coxheath
and Hunton ward since 1996, paid
tribute to his family and friends
who had rallied round during his
convalescence.
He said: “I’ve had kind wishes
from people I don’t even know!”
Although it will be some time before he is back to full strength, Cllr
Mortimer has every intention of
getting back into the council chamber in the autumn.
He said: “My brain still works,
but my body soon gets tired and I
get frustrated that I can’t do much.”
Brian has been a stalwart of the
council, and a regular member on
various committees, since his election 19 years ago.
When not attending council
meetings and serving his ward
members, he enjoys playing the
guitar and playing in a band. He is
also a keen member of the Coxheath twinning association.
For more local news
www.downsmail.co.uk
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Sarah Ferrell – The Friendly Face Of Finance
If sorting out your
finances has been on
your “to do” list for
some time but never
gets done then local
financial expert Sarah
Ferrell is on hand to
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9
News
downsmail.co.uk
Facelift to boost
“twilight” zone
WORK to revamp The Mall in
Maidstone could see a new “twilight” shopping facility to bridge
the gap between day and nighttime activities.
A £5m facelift, most of which
will take place during the night,
will see new flooring, lighting and
entrances installed to the town
centre shopping outlet in a bid to
encourage more shoppers.
Longer-term, owners Capital
and Regional plan to spend
£100m on creating a cleaner,
brighter centre that will encourage shoppers to stay longer in
town – and spend more money.
New leisure facilities and additional food and drink outlets are
planned to bridge the gap between daytime shopping and the
town’s busy night time economy
– restaurants, bars, cinemas and
nightclubs.
The trademark canopy in King
Street will be taken down as part
of the first phase, being replaced
with a bright new glass entrance,
along with changes to the other
main entrance at the bottom of
Gabriel’s Hill.
Capital and Regional say improvements to another of their
outlets has seen a 2% increase in
footfall.
Access threat helps to
scupper homes scheme
THE owner of a dance and events
venue in Tonbridge Road, Maidstone says she was prepared to refuse developer access had a scheme
for five homes been approved.
Margaret Preedy (pictured) lives
at No 33, from where she has run her
dance studios for 15
years. She strongly
objected to a proposal to develop on
the former Budget
Rent-a-Car
site
nearby, and told
Maidstone Council's
planning committee, before its decision to refuse the
scheme: “The only access to this proposed site is across private land,
owned by me. There is no independent access.
“I have the right to move this access at any time with two months’
notice, which I could be forced to do
to protect my business, thus making
these plans non-viable.
“I run classes six days and
evenings a week for adults and children as young as four years old. I
run school holiday clubs with children on the premises all day. I have
The premises in Tonbridge Road
party and wedding bookings in for
every weekend this year, and into future years.
“It would be wrong to accept that
any of these events could be watched
by overlooking residents. This past
week, in excess of 1,400 people came
through my front door. Over a year
there could be 100,000 visitors.
“The front windows of the proposed development will be less than
2m from my busy car park with my
guests leaving late in the weekday
evenings and past midnight at the
weekends.
“I will not be prepared to accept
any complaints that may arise from
this and will insist on no windows
facing my premises and full sound
insulation used in the build.”
Mr Atkins, representing the applicant, said the site had been marketed
for business use for two years, but
had no takers.
However, Cllr Stephen Paine, a
member of the committee, said: “I
think I have supported every brownfield regeneration scheme since I became a councillor [in 2008].
“But for this one I really do have
concerns. The layout is very dense
and there is a lot of overlooking. It
has happened before, when we have
had housing next to a business, the
residents start a campaign. Before
you know it, a successful business
will have an enforcement notice,
which is the last thing we will want.”
Cllr Brian Clark, also on the committee, said: “It is ironic that a Renta-Car site caused less harm than
housing but we are shoehorning in
large family homes. I can see some
great problems if this goes ahead.”
The committee voted to refuse due
to the proposal's cramped design
and its lack of amenity area.
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News
Help charity to
bridge shortfall
MAIDSTONE Mencap is hoping
locals will dig deep to help the
charity keep its historic base in the
town’s Mote Park.
The charity, founded 47 years
ago, runs a popular playgroup, as
well as holiday and youth clubs, at
its base in the park’s Cobtree Hall.
But the former church is falling
into disrepair and now needs
£160,000 spending on the roof, guttering and stonework to ensure its
survival.
Maidstone Mencap is £52,000
short of funds for the first phase
and would need an extra £30,000 to
complete the second.
At a time when the charity is already struggling to stay solvent,
the news has come as a bitter blow.
The group is loathe to relinquish
the historic building in a picturesque setting where the children
can play safely both inside and out.
Consequently, it has launched a
campaign to raise funds and secure
any appropriate grants and dona-
tions toward the cost of the work.
Maidstone Mencap caters for
children and young people with
both learning and physical disabilities. Many of them also have additional medical needs, are autistic
and have difficulty communicating
or challenging behaviour, any of
which may mean they are excluded
from other clubs.
The playschool runs each Tuesday and Thursday in term time,
from 10am to 2pm, catering for up
to 25 children aged two to five from
Maidstone, Malling and the Weald.
A team of volunteers means the
children get one to one care.
The charity gets no government
funding so is entirely dependent
upon donations.
For more information on how to
help, donate or volunteer, visit
www.maidstonemencap.org
For more local news
www.downsmail.co.uk
Donda
Michaelas
will donate
a day’s
profits to a
charity in
memory of
Matt
Carapiet,
inset
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Chip shop cash for Matt
A BEARSTED chip shop is to donate a day’s takings to the memory of Matt Carapiet (23), who
died in the Nepal earthquake in
April.
He had been helping to build the
Self Help Community Centre, near
Siem Reap, Cambodia, as part of
his gap year travels through Asia.
Following Matt’s death, more
than £11,000 was collected to help
complete the project and pay for
teachers, stationery and food.
Matt enjoyed nothing more than
a plate of fish and chips from his
local “chippie” – the Marino Fish
Bar in Ashford Road, so for every
meal of fish and chips bought on
Monday, September 7, a donation
will go towards the community centre fund.
Matt’s mum Jill said: “Matt’s
dream was to use his skills to improve the quality of life for communities in poor countries and he
put this into practice in Cambodia.”
Ancient hall is re-opened
A 12TH-century hall in Maidstone,
mothballed for 15 years, is to open
to the public after a renovation.
The Corpus Christi Hall in Earl
Street is now available for private
hire. It was home to Maidstone
Grammar School for 300 years, from
1549, and housed the Whitbread
brewery. Part of the building was
most recently used as the reception
for Avis Rent-a-car, while the rest
lay empty for 15 years.
The hall still has original features
including two crown posts with
chamfered tie beams, a passage with
five stone arches, and traces of a
wooden partition that originally divided the hall in two.
The renovation has restored the
building, with its original sprung
floor and vaulted ceiling. Now, the
hall boasts a bar and kitchen.
The public can view the premises
from noon to 4pm on Sunday, September 13, as part of Maidstone
Council’s Heritage Open Days.
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11
News
Business rates | downsmail.co.uk
£100k debt wrien off
MAIDSTONE Council has written off more than £100,000 in unpaid business rates associated with the recently closed Wonderland nightclub.
Stephen Charles Thomas (62),
who is registered at a Milton
Keynes address, was a director of
two separate companies based at
Lockmeadow that have gone bust.
He was the sole director of NSG
(Maidstone) Ltd, which went into
liquidation in January this year
owing Maidstone Council £56,705
in business rates.
Mr Thomas was also one of two
directors of TMH (XL) Limited,
which went into administration in
July last year, owing the council
£59,318.
The council’s policy and resources committee agreed to write
off the £116,000 debt.
Going back to the 1990s, not long
after the Lockmeadow complex
was built, the premises has seen a
variety of clubs – including Jumpin
Jaks, Liquid and Envy and Ikon –
come and go.
For the past three years, its reincarnation as Wonderland had
young clubbers flocking to the west
side of the Medway. However,
Maidstone Council has approved
an application to turn part of the
club into a trampolining centre, to
be run by Gravity Fitness Ltd.
Wonderland closed its doors this
summer for the final time with a
foam party for under 18s.
WHEN a company goes bankrupt, a
second company can start up
overnight with the same directors –
but without any obligation to pay
for the failed company’s losses.
This is because they appear to be
different entities. The new firm is
known as a phoenix company.
Fraud happens when directors
abuse the phoenix company
arrangement by transferring the assets of the failing company below
their market value before insolvency, which reduces the funds
available to creditors.
There is no suggestion of any illegality in any of the companies we
have featured in our investigation.
Wonderland nightclub in Maidstone’s Lockmeadow complex could
become a centre for trampolining
Call for legislation to close loophole
manner. We are currently employing over 100 people full- and parttime in Maidstone town centre.
“We have been operating in Maidstone for over 22 years, contributing
millions in taxes and rates and will
continue to do so in the future. We
personally took heavy losses (approx £1m) but have continued to
reinvest into the Maidstone economy that is now coming out of one
of the worse recessions in history.”
Despite the debts already accrued
in charge of businesses that went
into liquidation, the Wilson brothers
were able to launch The Brenchley
in the High Street two years ago. At
the time their failed companies
owed at least £667 to Maidstone
Town Centre Management, who
still promoted
the opening of
the pub in its
summer 2013
newsletter.
The council
has sent a letter
to the Local
Government
Association calling for a change
Mark Wilson
in the law regarding
the
ease in which debts can be written
off and phoenix companies created.
The leader of the council Cllr Fran
Wilson (no relation to Mark or
Robert) would not comment on individual cases but said: “If a company known to us closes and
reopens under a different name
there is absolutely nothing Maidstone Council can do about it, other
than collect business rates in the
normal way. Until the Government
decides to legislate against it there is
little we can do.”
Cllr Steve McLoughlin, a member
of the policy and resources committee, said a possible solution was to
demand the payment of business
rates upfront from companies considered a risk.
Of the business rates that Maidstone Council successfully collects,
it gets to keep 40%, with 10% given
to KCC and the remainder to the
Government. Although more than
97.6% of Maidstone businesses pay
their rates on time, the council is
currently owed more than £1.5m in
unpaid rates.
Government and council both big losers
IN the past half-decade eight public limited companies, of which either or both of Mark and Robert
Wilson have been directors, have
gone bust with huge debts.
Documents seen by the Downs
Mail confirm that they are all
linked to Strawberry Moons’ registered address of 28-32 Gabriel's
Hill, Maidstone. They were liquidated on the following months:
February 2010 Wilson Fun Company owed £1.1m, including
£130,962 to HMRC.
March 2010 Partner Club owed
£703,842, including £82,305 to
HMRC and £32,937 to Maidstone
Council.
12
January 2012 Big Fix (Robert Wilson only) owed £104,679, including £82,771 to HMRC and £3,611
to Maidstone Council.
April 2012 Kent Nightclub (additional director June Wilson (83), of
Oak Croft, Bearsted) owed
£188,142, including £101,971 to
HMRC and £8,163 to Maidstone
Council.
May 2013 Mad Star (minus Robert
Wilson; additional director June
Wilson) owed £102,863, including
£78,969 to HMRC and £3,500 to
Maidstone Council.
May 2014 Kent Club (additional
director June Wilson) owed
£317,495, including £24,553 to
HMRC and £281 to Maidstone
Council.
May 2014 1MK Ltd (additional director Valerie Cradduck (62), of
Penenden Street, Maidstone)
owed £141,737, including £41,452
to HMRC and £15,403 to Maidstone Council.
March 2015 Openscore (additional
director June Wilson) owed
£318,705, including £88,323 to
HMRC.
Ailing pub
kept alive
A MARRIED couple have been able
to keep hold of The White Horse
pub in London Road, Maidstone
after being forced to put their
struggling company into liquidation.
Palmers Pub Company Limited,
owned by Lee Palmer (58) and his
wife Sandra (56), went into liquidation in November 2014, leaving a
£34,000 debt in business rates that
Maidstone Council has written off.
Due to difficulties in meeting
running costs of The White Horse,
which the Allington couple have
run since 2009, they lost their home
but remain the pub’s landlords
after a family member took it over
under a new company name.
Lee said: “It is unfortunate that,
despite all the hard work and effort
we have put into this business, we
were advised to go into liquidation
due to ever increasing outgoings
that we could not keep up with.
The biggest losses were ours, over
£100,000, forcing the sale of our
home, which has now all gone. We
did not let any local suppliers go
unpaid at any stage.
“Thankfully, a family member
was able to buy what was left and
allowed us to continue to stay at
the pub. We put our heart and soul
into what we do here to offer a decent and safe environment for people to relax and enjoy themselves.
“We are great supporters of local
music and of local charities. We
have helped to raise over £3,000
this year alone for various causes.
We will continue to provide a service to our community for as long as
we can.”
OTHER failed companies whose
unpaid business rates were recently written off by Maidstone
Council:
Farmshop Restaurant Ltd, operating as Turning Tables, 62-63a
High Street (£57,609).
Virgo (London), Ltd, 365/366
Dukes Walk, The Mall (£56,705).
Saffron (London) Ltd, 68 Week
Street (£53,279).
Super-Fly Clothing Ltd, 23 Fremlin Walk (£40,761).
Invent Events Ltd, 34c Gabriel’s
Hill (£30,883).
Infinite Leisure Hospitality Ltd,
15-17 King Street (£18,936).
Wimpy Maidstone Ltd, 5
Gabriel’s Hill (£16,915).
STC Fashions Ltd, 51 Week
Street (£12,720).
Footchain Ltd, 17 The Mall
(£419 – previous debts already
written off).
WHAT are your views on phoenix companies? Have you lost money in
unpaid debts because a company went under, only for its owners to
continue to trade the same as before? Should there be a change in the
law? Contact the editor on [email protected]
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13
News
downsmail.co.uk
Patients’ gallery of memories
PATIENTS at the Heart of Kent Hospice have discovered it is never too late to learn a new skill.
Terminally-ill patients who attend
day care sessions at Magnolia
House, part of the hospice complex
at Preston Hall, Aylesford, are leaving their legacy for the future in a series of paintings.
Inspired by nature, and sometimes
their memories, about a dozen patients put paintbrush to paper each
week to create watercolour works as
part of their art therapy.
The first selection of work went on
display at the Heart of Flavour café
bar in King Street, Maidstone to coincide with Dying Matters week,
with other paintings on display in
the hospice itself.
Now there is a plan to extend the
displays even further – with a possible auction of work.
Art therapy was introduced to the
hospice in January by therapeutic
arts facilitator Linda Walker. She
said: “The patients find it very relaxing and by focusing on the art
process itself, they are able to lose all
sense of time and temporarily forget
their cares and discomforts.”
Chris Avery from Loose and
Roger Hillier from Bearsted are
among those who find it easy to escape into watercolour landscapes,
Lakeland hills and bluebell woods.
Roger (76) was diagnosed with
prostate cancer 11 years ago and has
Patients
Chris Avery
and Roger
Hillier find
painting a
good way to
relax
been attending Magnolia Place each
week for the past year.
He said: “I look forward to coming
to the hospice. We are not here to
create masterpieces but I do find it
very therapeutic and enjoy the adventure of using colour in my
work.”
Chris said: “We usually have a
quiz as well – but that means using
our brains, while painting is more
relaxing, something you can get absorbed in.”
Diagnosed with motor neurone
disease nine years ago, Brian
Thomas (69), from Bearsted, said:
“When you are painting, it allows
your mind to wander, instead of
thinking about other things – it’s
very calming. I have also found out
more about my disease by chatting
to patients with the same condition.”
Only one of the current artists has
had any professional training and all
consider themselves to be “enthusiastic amateurs”.
As well as painting, Linda reads
poetry to some of the patients and
discusses art and artists with some
of the others who are too poorly to
pick up a brush themselves.
One of the most inspirational
things is how many of the patients
paint memories from their childhood and places they have visited.
Kate Hopper, who was diagnosed
with leukaemia 10 years ago, was referred to the hospice for community
care and support when her condition worsened.
She said: “When I paint, I get lost
in my painting. I go somewhere else
and forget my illness. I feel I can be
anyone I want to be when I paint.”
Solar success
for council
A healthy
donation
A GROUP of keep-fit fans have
raised £1,400 for Kent Wildlife
Trust.
The group of 16, who meet at Tyland Barn, Sandling, signed up to a
pilot Wellness Camp, launched by
DayOne Wellness.
The organisation, which promotes healthy living, donated 70%
of profits from the camp to the
trust.
Pip Lawrence, from DayOne Wellness, said: “The course had three
aims: information had to be easy to
consume; the changes we encouraged needed to be sustainable and
the programme had to be fun.”
JOHN
MUNSON
SHOW
TIME
Betty Blue Eyes
Valley Park School, Hazlitt Theatre
THERE will not be a better musical at The Hazlitt this year – there
is just a chance it could be equalled,
but never bettered.
The opening number of Betty
14
Linda said: “People are surprised,
but we have a lot of laughter here at
the hospice. It is not a sad place. The
art in particular is one way we can
create something positive out of
what could be a negative situation.
It’s all about giving the patients the
best quality of life they can have. ”
Some of her pupils have become
so engrossed in their new hobby
they now paint at home as well as
during their weekly hospice visits.
Roger said: “I can paint in my conservatory for hours on end.”
Kerry Harrison, the head of outreach and deputy director of health
services, hopes the hospice can soon
start a “creative Saturday” when
families can come along and work
on projects together.
She said: “It is all about preventing regrets and allowing the patient
to remain in control until the end –
not taking away their independence.”
The hospice will soon be launching a sunflower garden, where people can plant a sunflower in memory
of a loved one. It is also hoping to
buy a minibus to help convey patients to and from their day care. In
the meantime, they would welcome
offers of help from drivers who
might be able to spare a few hours
each week.
The group meets every Thursday
for a nutrition/lifestyle workshop,
followed by an outdoor exercise
class and a 10-minute relaxation
session. Participants are set goals
each week and have access to a private Facebook group to ask ques-
tions and keep each other motivated.
The next Wellness Camp at
Tyland Barn starts in September. To
book a place visit www.DayOneWellness.co.uk/wellness-camp
or email [email protected].
Blue Eyes, “Fair Shares for All”, set
the standards of energy, singing vitality, team work and acting that
ran strongly through the whole
performance.
Catherine Butler as the ambitious
wife, Benjamin Anderton as the
sensitive chiropodist husband and
Josephine Biggs as the convincingly-awkward granny were all terrific as the Chilvers family.
James Goodbody was outstanding as the evil doctor. Ryan Clark
always convinces and Samuel Murray's farmyard dance with Ben-
jamin Anderton was a memory to
treasure. The whole cast and ensemble had brilliance and ability in
depth.
However, the scenery took too
long to change. Could the cast have
helped? Could we have watched?
But the orchestra was wonderful
and played well during scene
changes. Costumes and hairstyles
were perfect and the programme
was well designed.
Next February there is another
Valley Park production at the
school. Make a note in your diary.
MAIDSTONE Council’s cost savings from solar panels have proved
so successful that the scheme is to
be extended.
Renewable energy technology
was installed at the council’s Park
Wood depot as a trial in March and
has exceeded all expectations in
terms of projected energy savings.
The council has agreed to install
further panels at Lockmeadow
Market Hall, Vinters Park Crematorium and Magnolia House in
Cripple Street, at a cost of about
£125,000.
The council would also like to see
solar panels on Maidstone House
and the Gateway building in King
Street – but these are owned by
Capital and Regional. If installed
on these buildings the council
would buy the electricity generated, not only reducing the council’s costs but also delivering CO2
emission reductions.
A council spokesman said: “It’s
appropriate to invest in improving
those assets that we do own while
also generating savings, but alternatives need to be looked at for
buildings that we don’t own, but
where we still want to achieve savings and CO2 emissions reductions.”
Good food at
its best
The Cock Horse
The Cock Horse, Detling
If finding a traditional country
pub with a warm welcome is like
finding treasure – then The Cock
Horse is certainly a hidden gem.
serving up a few new dishes too.
A range of cask ales as well as
some guest ales will complement
your meal.
Tucked away in the quiet village
of Detling the Cock Horse Inn
dates back to the 14th Century.
Publican Steve Thomas hasn’t
been around quite that long but
he does have a wealth of
experience in the trade – having
worked for Whitbread for 14
years - and certainly knows what
is required to create that warm
friendly feel of a traditional
country pub. Steve is keen to take
the pub back to its roots and be at
the heart of the local community.
The new decking area in front of
the pub or the garden to the rear
provide the perfect place to soak
up the last of the summer sun.
Walkers and dogs are assured of
a warm welcome too and the pub
will soon be offering regular live
music.
So, if you are looking for a great
traditional country pub then put
the Cock Horse, Detling on your
map.
A warm welcome awaits you.
Come and enjoy a meal in our
beautiful dining room.
Freshly made, traditional food
is served all day, every day.
TRADITIONAL SUNDAY ROAST
served all day Sunday - £10.95
The charming dining area is
tucked away to the rear of the
pub where diners can enjoy
classic dishes such as cod & chips,
salmon, rib eye steak, steak and
kidney pudding plus vegetarian
options such as wild mushroom
tagliatelle. With a new chef now
in place they are sure to be
Childrens meals also available
Find us at:- 39 The Street, Detling ME14 3JT
01622 737092
www.cockhorsedetling.co.uk
Fortify Café
Cavendish Tea Rooms
Maidstone’s vegan eatery offering
some of the best home-cooked
food in a relaxed setting
Now Fully Refurbished
32 High Street, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 1JF
T:01622 670533 E:[email protected] www.fortifycafe.co.uk
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
TripAdvisor
We deliver fresh local
& organic produce
to your door
TRIAL OFFER SUMMER BOX
3 for 2
made to order.
Our tea rooms are available
to hire for private parties
and functions.
Child & wheelchair friendly.
We cater for Gluten Free
diets and are able to meet
most dietary requirements.
We offer a selection of gifts including luxury chocolates,
biscuits & condiments plus a selection of fine china.
8 Cavendish Way, Bearsted
(Just off the A20)
Customer parking to rear
FREE
harvest4u.co.uk
Bespoke celebration cakes
Find us at
Order 2 deliveries and receive a third delivery
Order online at:
Enjoy breakfast or lunch
with friends in our stylish
relaxed & friendly tearoom.
Delicious afternoon teas
£14.50 per head*
Find us on
01622 737114
*(24 hours’ notice required for afternoon tea service)
15
News | GCSEs
downsmail.co.uk
Exam success for pupils
THERE was plenty of celebrating in schools this week as GCSE students picked up their results.
At Invicta Grammar School,
every student achieved at least five
A*-C grades and 62% of all grades
were A* or A.
Of all 173 students, more than a
quarter achieved straight A*/A
grades.
More than a fifth of all students
achieved at least 10 A*/A grades
and nearly half gained eight A*/A
grades. Notable achievements
came from Claire Tipton, who received 13 A*/A grades and an A in
AS maths, which she took a year
early; Pratima Gurung, Molly
Reeves, Jessica Gladwell, Natalia
Nadolska, Rhiannon Thomas,
Jessie Hammond, Molly Mackay
and Abigail Vant, who achieved 12
A*/A grades; Verity Adams,
Phoebe Dow, Emma Collier, Kiera
Phillips and Jessica Thornton, with
11 A*/A grades and an A grade at
AS level. Kerry Finch also achieved
12 A*/As and an A in her AS maths,
in which she scored almost full
marks in all modules.
Top performer Claire Tipton will
be returning to the school to study
A-level maths, chemistry, English
and politics. She will also be
among three Invicta students representing the UK at the World
School Forum in Italy in October.
Claire is hoping to study law at
Cambridge.
Classmate Kerry Finch hopes to
study maths at Cambridge after
she finishes year 13 in Invicta.
An overjoyed Molly Reeves will
continue her studies with maths,
classical civilisation, English and
history at A-level and is hoping to
study history at university.
Students at Valley Park School
are celebrating another recordbreaking set of GCSE results, with
59% achieving the gold standard of
five A*-C passes, including English
and maths – 3% up on the previous
high of last year.
With 208 students sitting GCSE
exams this year, the overall pass
rate of A*-C was 67%, with 13% of
grades at A* and A.
High achievers were Bilson Gurung, Hannah Everest, Nicole
Kakel, Josie Edwards, Harry
Wheelwright, Stefan Crowhurst
and Alexander Roberts, who all
achieved at least six A* grades.
At Swadelands School in
Lenham, special mention went to
Christine Bordean, who achieved
three A*s and seven A grades; Ella
Ottoway, who achieved 10 GCSEs
including four at A grade and
Caitlin Spiers who earned 11, three
at A* grade and eight at A.
At Maidstone Grammar School
more than 50% of all subject entries
were graded A* or A – 1% higher
than last year.
18
Clockwise from above, girls at Invicta Grammar School celebrate
their results; Sutton Valence School students Jessica Grindlay,
William Grabowski, Emelia Browning and Sam Gray got 43 As and
A*s between them; Liam Boellitz and Cameron Croucher were
among the top performers at New Line Learning Academy
More than 98% of students
gained five A*-C grades including
maths and English, with almost
one in five achieving five or more
A* grades.
Sixty per cent of students gained
five or more A*/A grades and 87%
of the year group were awarded
the English Baccalaureate.
Twenty-two students achieved
six A* grades or better, with five –
Samuel Baxter, Max Green, Saurav
Parmar, Joshua Shaw and Lewis
White – earning at least 10 A*s.
Thirty per cent of students at
Maidstone Grammar School for
Girls achieved 10 or more A*/A
grades and 66% at least five at the
same grades.
Deborah Stanley, Headteacher
said: "Particular congratulations go
to Emily Saunders and Bethan
Gilmore, who each achieved at
least 12 A*s."
Four students at Sutton Valence
School broke all previous records
by achieving 43 GCSE A* and A
grades between them.
The teenagers will continue their
studies at the independent school
with the hope of achieving similar
success at A-level.
They were Emelia Browning,
William Grabowski, Sam Gray and
Jessica Grindlay, all of whom outperformed their predictions, with
Jessica coming top of the class with
12 A*s. In addition to the individual successes, overall results saw a
third of students achieving five or
more A* or As. In fact, 93% of
pupils achieved five or more A*-C
grades, while the national figure
was nearer two-thirds.
Months of hard work and determination paid off for students collecting their GCSE results at New
Line Learning Academy, in Maidstone, with Cameron Croucher and
Shannon Ashby leading the way,
with six A*s and As each.
Laura Valach secured five A*s
and As; Emily Morrison, four A*s
and As and Liam Boellitz three A*s
and As.
Overall, 93% of students
achieved five or more GCSEs.
Cheers of joy could be heard at
Cornwallis Academy, in Hubbards
Lane, Linton, as students opened
their envelopes to find top GCSE
grades.
Aisling Hunt achieved an impressive eight A*s and As, including biology, chemistry, English
language and literature, maths and
physics; Toby Newman and
Phoebe Cox both collected six A*s
and As; Ashleigh Burr five A*s and
As and Joseph White and Zach Stiff
both secured three A* and As.
The school’s overall pass rate, for
five or more GCSEs, was 93%.
At Oakwood Park Grammar
School more than a third of students achieved at least five A*/A
grades and an average point score
per entry of 10 As.
Outstanding performances came
from Benjamin Gowers who
achieved 12 A*s and Cameron Gibson who earned 10 A*s and two A
grades.
Other students gaining A*/A
grades in 11 or more subjects included Isaac Bourne, Kamal El
Badawi, Jonathan Hook, Daniel Inglis, Neil Langridge, Callum MacGregor, Josiah Mulabi-Kalete,
Rohan Raju and Alex Sheppard.
A-levels | News
downsmail.co.uk
Swadelands pupils Amber Qizilbash, Alfie Costiagn, Hannah Owen, Hannah
Qizilbash, Ellie Byrd, Harvey Willis and Shannon Morley
Dual success for girls from Invicta Grammar School, which also raised more
than £43,000 for charity
Students make the grade
MANY youngsters across Maidstone have been celebrated their strong A-level results.
At Invicta Grammar School, students achieved 69% A*-B grades,
alongside raising more than
£43,000 for charity.
Head Julie Derrick said: “The students have achieved 200 A* and A
grades and from our 160 students,
100% achieved A*-E grades, 90%
A*-Cs, with 12% A* grades.”
The number of students achieving an A*-B grade in two or more
subjects rose from 21.7% to 42.5%.
Lisa Phipps earned a place to
study veterinary science at Edinburgh as did Kate Boniface at the
Royal Veterinary College and Beth
Rose at Bristol; Charlotte Summers
will go on to study medicine in
Birmingham and Katie Driver, the
same subject in Bristol.
Kiera Doughty, with five A*s,
will study mathematics at Cambridge; Lauren Satchwell, five A*
and As, management, Bath; Lisa
Phipps, five A* and As, veterinary
medicine, Edinburgh; Mercedes
Brown, four A* and As, physics
with astrophysics, Bath; Felicity
Murray, four A* and As, psychology, Bath. Head girl Katie Driver
will study medicine at Bristol after
gaining four A*/As.
Valley Park School had a record
set of results, with its 80 Year 13
students achieving a 57% pass rate
at the top A and A* grades and 87%
at A*-C.
Fourteen gained A and A* in
three or more subjects. High performers were Briony Everest,
Ayesha Cooper, Poppy Harris, Rojina Giri, James Kiell, Titas Kuprys,
Zoe Noble, Emily Nurden, Nelson
Rai, Mitchell Ranger, Sam Read,
Harry Simpson, Danielle Spry and
Kim Warren.
Eighty per cent of sixth-formers
at Swadelands, in Lenham, celebrated gaining an A grade in at
least one of their subjects, with 69%
achieving top grades in two. A
record number secured places at
university in subjects including occupational therapy, criminology,
dance, media and sport.
Shannon Higerty, Harvey Willis
and Danny Cook gained five A-levels. All three plan to attend university in September.
Results from Maidstone Grammar School were even better than
last year, with just under 60% of all
A-level entries graded A*-B and
nearly one in three grades at A* or
A. Twenty-five students achieved
at least three A grades or better,
while 14 gained two A* grades or
better and nine achieved three A*s
or better.
Top scholars were Sam Coward,
with four A*s and William Grace,
with four A*s and top grades in all
three Step exams for entry to Cambridge for mathematics. This was
the first time any MGS student had
gained top grades in all three Step
papers. The school also achieved its
best AS-level results yet.
At Maidstone Grammar School
for Girls, 98.9% of pupils achieved
five A*-Cs including English and
maths. Sixty-nine per cent of pupils
scored five or more A*/As, with
60% of grades either As or A*s.
Sixth-formers at Future Schools
Trust, which covers Cornwallis
and New Line Learning academies, set a new record with this
year’s A-level results, with 75% of
all grades being A*-C.
Head girl Rebecca Hubbard is off
to the University of Greenwich to
study event management after securing A* grades in travel and
tourism, and business. She was also
awarded a B in design technology.
Cara Brown achieved an A* in sociology, an A in RE, and Bs in English literature and history. She will
study sociology at Bath University.
Deputy head boy Philip Hollamby secured the grades he
needed to enrol on a primary
teacher training course at Canterbury Christ Church University. He
leaves with an A* in business, a B in
English literature and a C in geography.
Students heading off to Russell
Group universities include Layla
Richardson, who is going to Cardiff
to study archaeology and Amber
Rose Mckenzie, who will study
English literature at Liverpool.
At St Simon Stock Catholic
School, students notched up a
100% pass rate in their A-level and
vocational examinations, with 92%
achieving two or more A-levels and
43% the top A*-B grades. This is a
rise of almost 10% on the previous
year.
The highest performing students
were Sarah Pattinson and Clara
Senior, followed by Grace TashieLewis, Lara Epsley, Mikaela
D’Souza, Matthew Brown, Domas
Dregva and Daniel Ellesmere.
Head Brendan Wall said: “The
highest achieving students gained
grades equal to our best in 2013
and will be attending the top Russell Group.”
A third of sixth-formers at Oakwood Park Grammar School
achieved A*-A grades.
Cornwallis
students
Amy
Pearce,
Harry Gollop, Shottie
Hopkins,
and head
girl Rebecca
Hubbard
Rabey Chowdhury will take his
place at Cambridge, studying natural sciences, after gaining three
A*s and an A.
James Handy, Nelson Talukder,
Ivan Pilfold and Andrew Collins all
gained two A*s and two As. James
and Ivan will do mathematics at
Warwick University, while Nelson
will study physics at Imperial College, London.
Great Britain fencer Simon Dacey
managed to combine the rigours of
training with his studies and after
achieving four As will be taking a
gap year prior to studying chemistry or biochemistry at a university
in London. After his A-level results
and a rigorous selection process,
Nelson Sinclair Strong has been
awarded a scholarship at the Royal
Academy of Music in London.
Maplesden Noakes School, in
Maidstone, reported “outstanding
results”, showing “year-on-year
improvement” in its results.
Michaela Porter earned two A*s
and an A, securing a place at Warwick University; Jordhan State
earned a Distinction*, two A grades
and a place at Surrey University;
Charlie Powell earned two As and
a B and a place at the University of
Kent; Mukeh Lansana an A*, A,
and B and a place at the University
of York; Amie Hine gained a Distinction*, two Bs and a place at
Southampton. Jack Batters, Tom
Calvert, Ellis Rose and Josh Gilbert
all achieved Distinction* for their
BTEC in sports studies.
Students at Sutton Valence
School celebrated some excellent
results, with 17% gaining As or A*s.
For the second year, the A*-B
pass rate was 70%, despite Ofqual
limiting grade inflation by reducing the number of A grades
awarded since 2010.
Every candidate passed their
exams, with 86% gaining A*-C.
The independent school had 44%
achieving the top ABB results required by the UK’s leading research universities (the Russell
Group).
19
News | Health
downsmail.co.uk
Beer care for stroke patients
MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust is reporting ”encouraging” improvement in
treating strokes, with Maidstone continuing as the top stroke unit in North and West Kent.
Latest data shows 55% of patients
were scanned within an hour at Tunbridge Wells and 33% in Maidstone.
The data for 12 hours was 86% for
Tunbridge Wells and 89% for Maidstone.
The trust says there was a
“tremendous improvement” at
Maidstone, which was given an A
rating for October-December compared with a previous D rating.
But both hospitals were given D
ratings for thrombolysis because
they did not hit the 11.1% national
average.
Maidstone admitted 44.4% of patients to the stroke unit within four
hours and Tunbridge Wells 27.3%.
In the first three months of this year
Maidstone was above the national
average but Tunbridge Wells was
below.
In April specialist assessments by
a physician were completed within
24 hours in 69% of cases in Maidstone and 68.2% in Tunbridge Wells.
Figures for the quarter were 73.5%
and 76.5%.
Stroke is the third biggest killer in
Incident app
AN app on hand-held devices for
reporting incidents has been introduced by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust as a safety
measure for staff.
Nurses and junior doctors are
among the first wave of clinical
staff at the trust to also be equipped
with devices to record a patient’s
vital signs and have remote onsite
access to these at any time.
The move follows a successful
ward trial and is being rolled out
on all wards during the summer.
The benefits are widespread and
hospitals using this technology are
seeing a marked improvement in
patient outcomes.
Not so happy
AN annual drop of 2.4% has been
recorded in the percentage of patients who report their experience
with GP services in Maidstone and
the rest of West Kent as “very
good” or “fairly good”, taking the
current 86.6% further from the 93%
standard. West Kent is above average for Kent and Medway and the
national average of 84%.
By Dennis Fowle
the UK and a major cause of longterm disability. People who have
had a stroke need rapid access to a
specialist medical team around the
clock to maximise their chances of
survival and recovery.
NHS clinical commissioning
groups across Kent and Medway,
which plan and buy local health
services, are reviewing how stroke
patients are managed within the
vital first 72 hours.
In West Kent, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and NHS
West Kent Clinical Commissioning
Group (CCG) have already undertaken work with Healthwatch Kent,
residents and patients to look at people’s views of stroke services. This
found:
There is public support for new
higher standards of care covering
the critical first 72 hours of a stroke
patient’s care and a need for the
NHS to develop ways of achieving
these.
The NHS needs to improve the
whole of the stroke patient’s
pathway, including the care stroke
patients receive out of hospital.
The NHS needs to improve the
information and support available
to patients and carers after a stroke.
Quality needs to be maintained
within a timeframe that provides
maximum opportunities of
recovery for patients.
The NHS needs to improve planning about how and when a stroke
patient can leave hospital and the
next steps in their rehabilitation.
Now NHS West Kent CCG, as part
of the Kent and Medway-wide review, wants to build on what has
been heard so far by asking local
people what they think of the Kent
Wards combined to improve service
WORK has started on the next
phase of ward redevelopment at
Maidstone Hospital with the £3m
transformation of Jonathan Saunders and John Day wards into a
new respiratory ward.
This latest scheme combines the
wards into one large dedicated respiratory ward with better facilities,
improving privacy, dignity and
comfort for patients.
Patients will be treated in new
four-bedded bays with en suite
conveniences rather than the hospital’s older six-bedded bays,
which have no en suite conveniences.
Other schemes that have recently
been completed at Maidstone Hospital include:
Extended and developed hospital admissions lounge to provide more privacy, dignity and
comfort for patients.
GPs’ concern at reports delay
INCREASING concerns about delays in receiving diagnostic reports
from Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals have been reported
by GP members of West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group.
GPs (and patients) require speedy reports on CT and MRI scans and
the group continues to voice concern “about time to report, work outsourced and governance/consent in place”.
Now the group has written formally to Maidstone and Tunbridge
Wells Trust and the trust has been asked to report in person at a performance meeting. The group has requested a further report covering
X-rays and ultrasound.
The problems lead to delays in GPs recommending to patients required treatments – and frustration for patients who are unable to
make GP appointments until they know their report is in hand.
Bullying policy Nursing shortages increase
THE NHS West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group is updating its
bullying and harassment policy following a staff survey and will ensure employees are more fully
aware of the processes and support
provided.
20
and Medway picture of stroke care,
and what would be important to
them if they had just had a stroke.
The focus in this next round of discussions is on the care provided
across Kent and Medway in the first
72 hours following a stroke and
what might make it possible for the
NHS to meet in full the national
standards for care in this vital period.
A report to West Kent Clinical
Commissioning Group says the
stroke service provided in Kent does
not meet recognised quality standards set out in the National Stroke
Strategy (2007).
The group says there is difficulty
recruiting specialist staff. A key
problem is that consultant numbers
are about 50% of the recommended
level. There were problems, too, relating to nurses and therapists.
A Case for Change is currently
being considered for approval across
Kent and Medway. The public and
stakeholders will be involved and
people who have experienced stroke
services will be sought out.
MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells
Trust is reporting nurse vacancies
across all directorates.
In May, vacancies rose to 12.3%,
compared with last year’s 8.6%.
Recruitment has been successful
from Italy (13 new nurses) and 33
new starters commenced work in
May/June. The trust is attempting
to improve recruitment through social media, its website and adverts.
One impact has been an increase
in the nursing and medical agency
spend.
Improved facilities within the
main entrance with a brighter
main reception area, new shops
for Maidstone Hospital League of
Friends and a new coffee shop.
Way-finding has also been improved in the hospital.
Improved facilities for
women’s colposcopy services.
A new 12-bed unit for the elderly and frail.
Speeding up
appointments
SUE Southon (pictured), lay member for patient and public engagement, reported to the Clinical
Strategy Group of
West Kent CCG
that there was
often a public
misconception
that it was difficult to get a GP
appointment and
she said this should be challenged.
Dr Bob Bowes, chairman of
West Kent CCG, said there was
variation between practices. He
felt practice participation groups
could investigate changes to improve a practice system.
For information about your GP
practice go to www.nhs.uk/servicesearch/gp/locationsearch/4
Bourne Musicians Music Classes
LEARNING
FOR LIFE
Babies and children aged 3 months to 5 years
FREE
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Book Now For September
Take a look at our five page
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Term times classes in
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e: [email protected]
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Tiny Tots Nursery School
Est.1969 • OFSTED Inspected
Tel: 736270 / 630001
Memorial Hall, Manor Rise, Bearsted ME14 4DB
W.I Hall, The Street, Bearsted
We encourage and develop the skills required for school
by learning through play, in a friendly, stimulating and
happy environment.
Mon-Fri 9.15am-12.00 term time with extended sessions
for older children
Toddler Group Wed 9.45am-11.30am
SCHOOL
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also
Weekday Mornings
9.15 to 12.30 for children 2 to 5 years of age
Teeny Tiny Tots
A very successful parent and child group.
Grandparents welcome too!
Wednesday afternoon 1.30pm - 3.30pm
for children 0 to 2 years. (Term time only)
OFSTED INSPECTED
registered charity no. 1014449
Contact Kate on 07803 979317
www.3bearspreschool.org
One School
many journeys
Open
Morning
Preparatory School (Nursery to age 11)
Friday 2nd October 2015
T: 01622 842117 | E: [email protected]
www.svs.org.uk
An Independent co-educational
day and boarding school for
pupils aged 3-18 in the
heart of Kent
21
LEARNING FOR LIFE
For many of us, September is
synonymous with the start of a new
academic year. Little ones start
nursery, older ones move from
primary to secondary – and the
teenagers fly the nest for university
or further education.
Although we tend to link the
concept of education with
schooling, in reality it’s something
that begins at birth and continues
until the day we die: we never
really stop learning.
The trick is how to maximise the
resources that are available to us!
It’s well documented that
learning becomes more difficult
as we grow older. With preschool children soaking up
knowledge like tiny sponges, the
choice of a nursery or play group
should be just as important
as their eventual choice of
university.
It’s also a good time to start
thinking about teaching your
toddler a second language –
picking up vocabulary is so much
simpler for children under the age
of 7.
When you tot up the costs of
extra-curricular classes, however,
- whether in French, music, ballet
or football - you may want to
consider investing in private
education. With bursaries and
scholarships available at most
schools, it needn’t be as costly as
you think.
A well-run nursery, whether in
the state or private sector, should
combine the various aspects of
learning – cognitive skills,
thinking and reasoning, motor
skills, good habits and social skills
– with structured play.
A motivational curriculum
structured around play will teach
a whole host of skills to your pre-
schooler, without them even
realising.
The first day at ‘real’ school is
always emotional for mums and
dads but here in Maidstone we are
fortunate to have a wide choice of
good schools, both in the state and
private sector.
St Simon Stock Catholic School
“A very good school with outstanding features”
(Offsted Report 2010)
You are warmly invited to our
Open Evening:
Tuesday 6th October 18:00-20:00
Headteacher’s address at 18:00 and 19:30
Open Mornings:
Wednesday 7th & 21st October
Commencing at 09:00
Sixth Form Open Evening:
Thursday 19th November 18:00-20:00
Headteacher’s address at 18:00
A Christian learning community with high academic standards and excellent pastoral care.
Oakwood Park, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 0JJP www.ssscs.co.uk 01622 754551
22
LEARNING FOR LIFE
Most people will opt to send
their children to the primary
school closest to their home – but,
increasingly, popularity and oversubscription mean some children
are having to go elsewhere.
So, moving house to be close to
your preferred choice of school
might not be such a good plan
these days!
But all is not lost. Small, rural
schools might be favoured by
parents wanting a ‘home from
home’ environment, but the bigger
schools tend to have better
facilities – particularly for sport.
Free schools and academies
likewise have more freedom in
how they use their budgets and, at
senior school level, can be a good
choice for those wishing to pursue
a vocational career.
Kent is one of the few places in
the UK still to have grammar
schools – although many parents
choose for their children not to sit
the Kent Test and go to the school
of their choice, which may offer a
curriculum more tailored to their
abilities and future career path.
Although a string of good
grades at GCSE and A level is still
considered the prime route into
University, well-rounded students
with a broad-based knowledge
tend to be highly sought – hence
the introduction of the IB
(International
Baccalaureate)
which is now available in several
Maidstone sixth forms.
It’s a system which has
worked well in Europe for
many years and one which
enthusiastic, good ‘all-rounders’
find especially attractive.
Students who are still struggling
to reach a career decision are
generally advised to follow the
subjects they enjoy. There’s little
point headscratching with maths
and further maths if you’re more
of a wordsmith; likewise, unless
you’re keen on science with a bent
towards medicine or veterinary
work, you may want to think
twice before battling with biology
and chemistry.
You’re more likely to get good
grades from subjects you enjoy
than those that you find mentally
draining.
No career path runs smoothly,
however, and all is not lost if those
keenly-sought exams fail to make
the grade.
Adult education classes offer a
wealth of options for academic
and vocational study – and there’s
always the Open University for
those who want to combine a
career with further education.
Increasing numbers of retired
and semi-retired people are
signing up for the OU as well as
the University of the Third Age
(U3A) proving you’re never too
old – or too young – to learn!
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23
LEARNING FOR LIFE
•
LEARNING FOR LIFE
•
LEARNING FOR LIFE
•
LEARNING FOR LIFE
Your child’s future
starts
here...
11+
open
events
2015
Parents and their daughters are
warmly invited to our 11+ Open Events.
Open Evening
7KXUVGD\2FWREHUSP±SP
7DONVE\RXU+HDGWHDFKHU0UV-XOLH'HUULFNZLOOWDNHSODFHGXULQJWKHHYHQLQJ
Open Mornings
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*XLGHGWRXUVFDQEHSUHERRNHGKWWSERRNLQJVLQYLFWDYLDWRUJXN
Est. 1989
Day Nursery School
Nursery School
Out of School Holiday Club & Holiday Club
Places now available
Linden Lea Day Nursery School
Ofsted grading of outstanding in all areas
take children from 3 months old from
8am - 6pm. Call... 01622 735094
for details or arrange a visit.
Free childcare available at
both nurseries for 2 & 3 year olds.
LINDEN LEA OUT OF SCHOOL
CLUB PICK UP FROM:
Madginford, Roseacre, Thurnham &
St Johns. Please call
07947 817766 for details.
Weavering St
Maidstone
Kent ME14 5JR
+
+XQWVPDQ/DQH0DLGVWRQH.HQW0('6
XQWVPDQ/DQH0DLGVWRQH.HQW0('6
www.lindenleachildcare.co.uk
01622 735094
Open Evening: Tuesday, 22nd September 2015, 5.30pm-8.30pm
Open Mornings: 22nd, 24th, 25th, 28th and 29th September 2015
24
Home to Home
Environment
LINDEN LEA NURSERY SCHOOL
Based in the lounge of Downswood
Community centre from 9am-1pm
(term time only) for 2-5 year olds.
Please call 01622 735094.
7(RI¿FH#LQYLFWDYLDWRUJXN
7(RI¿FH#LQYLFWDYLDWRUJXN
www
www.invicta.viat.org.uk
.invicta.via
i t.org.uk
3 months to
Pre-School
LEARNING FOR LIFE
•
LEARNING FOR LIFE
•
LEARNING FOR LIFE
•
LEARNING FOR LIFE
WE
ARE
NLL
Buckland Road
Maidstone
ME16 0TJ
Tel: 01622 759036
Website: www.maplesden.kent.sch.uk
Email:
[email protected]
Open Evening 2015
5 pm – 8 pm, Thu 8th Oct.
Open Mornings 2015
9 am, Mon 12th – Fri 16th Oct
by prior appointment only
25
News | Sponsored parish council
downsmail.co.uk
Bank holiday proposal
for Music on the Green
THE organiser of Music on the Green is hoping to bring Bearsted a bank
holiday bonanza in 2016.
Back to school
THREE members of the parish
council are to speak to local schoolchildren about British values and
democracy.
Roseacre Junior School approached the council, along with
Maidstone Council, to address
their pupils about the local government system.
Parish council chair Fiona Redman will visit the school in November, along with Cllrs Dan
Conner and Paul Young.
The chairman has also agreed to
approach Madginford School to see
if it would like a similar visit.
It has also been suggested that
the schools might like to get involved in designing a logo for the
parish council.
Green facelift
THE village green is about to get a
spruce up for spring.
The parish council has agreed to
powder coat all the metal benches
on the Green once the cricket season ends, provided an initial trial
proves successful. It will cost between £60 and £80 to powder blast
each bench, which will be taken
away and worked on two at a time.
The council has also awarded a
contract to Arbour Tree Surgery to
tidy up trees and overhanging
branches in the conservation area
and Rosemary Road.
Members are seeking advice on
the best way to manage the willow
tree, which overhangs the pond.
Plans for a day-long festival of
music and fun in July had to be
shelved when it was discovered it
would clash with cricket club fixtures.
Now Bearsted Events, the not-forprofit organisation founded to
arrange the music extravaganza, is
hoping both the club and farmers’
market will jump aboard for an August Bank holiday weekend with
something to cater for all tastes.
Bearsted Events spokesman
Joanne Conner said: “We had chosen the date in July without realising the cricket club has first call on
the Green throughout the cricket
season.
“There has been a lot of support
for Music on the Green and we are
duty-bound to bring those supporters an event.
“It is just unfortunate that an
agreement is in place that the majority of the parish council was not
privy to. Had they been, we would
have gone about things very differently.”
The licence with the cricket club,
which allows the club to use a section of the Green for an annual peppercorn rent of just £1 on each
Saturday throughout the season,
was only signed last year, after a
three-year tussle between lawyers
Music on the Green could return for August Bank Holiday next year
acting for the club and the previous
parish council. It cost the parish
council £950 under a fixed fee agreement, while the cricket club ended
up with a £6,000 legal bill.
Mrs Conner said: “The licence
clearly stands and must be respected. However, we are trying to
reach a compromise which will
keep everyone in the village happy.
“At the moment, this looks like it
could be the August Bank Holiday
weekend next year.”
The provisional plan would be for
cricket as per the fixtures on the Saturday, music on the Sunday and, if
the stallholders are in agreement,
Call to enforce drive decision
THE parish council is to chase land which does not belong to the
Maidstone Council over the issue of property.
unlawful development on a patch of
The parish council has contacted
“no-man’s land” adjoining the vil- KCC to get the path listed as a publage green.
lic right of way but has been told the
Now that the council has refused backlog is so great that this could
to grant the owner of 1 Smarts Cot- take up to two and a half years.
tages a certificate of lawful developIt cannot be added to the deeds
ment, the parish council wants for The Green at the land registry, as
FIVE companies are to be asked to enforcement action to remove the the land is not owned by the parish
tender for replacing the Church works which have been put in place. council, as it once thought.
These include two sets of gates, a
Cllr Richard Ash has agreed to
Landway lights.
After repeated attacks by van- fence and a block-paved drive on take up the matter of enforcement.
dals, the parish council has decided
21 of the present 23 bollard lights
will be removed, leaving just one at
each end.
CHRISTMAS is coming … to a Green near you! The parish council
In their place, there will be seven
is considering arranging a festive event on the Green, which could
evenly-spaced four-metre tall black
include a Christmas farmers’ market, Santa’s grotto and carols sung
column LED lights.
by local choirs.
It is hoped the work can be comDiscussions have already begun with the farmers’ market stallpleted by mid-October, before the
holders over potential dates in late November/early December.
nights draw in.
Lights quotes
Festive celebrations on Green
This page is sponsored and edited by:
Bearsted Parish Council
www.bearstedparishcouncil.gov.uk
26
the farmers’ market and the annual
charity cricket match between the
club and the Bearsted and Thurnham Club both taking place on the
Monday.
But Mrs Conner said: “We don’t
want the farmers’ market stallholders to think we are pushing them
out, so the decision has to be theirs.”
With the market manager on holiday, negotiations were ongoing as
the Downs Mail went to press.
Mrs Conner said: “It seems to be
the best option on the table at the
moment which will provide something for everyone – music, sport
and great local food and produce.”
Property fund
to be built up
THE parish council has voted to
put £5,000 each year into its
land and buildings fund.
The fund was started in 2011,
following the Kig inquiry, to
build up a pocket of reserves
which could be used to purchase
land or property for the benefit
of the village.
The council increased the precept with the aim of raising the
necessary funds, but failed to
set any money aside in the fund
after the first year.
Members agreed to put in the
sum of £20,000 to cover the
past four years and voted to
add a further £5,000 each year
from now on.
Council Office: Madginford Hall, Bearsted
Telephone:
01622 630165
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Chairman:
Fiona Redman
MEETINGS HELD SECOND TUESDAY OF MONTH (7.30PM)
AND THE PUBLIC IS VERY WELCOME
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27
News
downsmail.co.uk
Manston plan to solve Stack
THE use of Manston Airfield should ease local traffic congestion, according to the Government.
The decision to make temporary
use of the disused airfield near
Ramsgate while Operation Stack is
in force follows a series of meetings
involving the Government, Highways England, Kent Police, KCC
and representatives for the ports,
Eurotunnel, and lorry drivers.
Operation Stack is implemented
when problems at the Port of Calais
lead to delays on ferry services and
a backlog of lorries, which force the
closure of the M20, usually coastbound from junction 8 near
Hollingbourne.
Prior to the Manston decision,
Operation Stack had closed the
M20 on 27 days this summer, causing gridlock throughout the Maidstone area.
The idea of a contraflow, offering
coastbound motorists access to the
M20 on the London-bound carriageway, had been seen as a likely
solution. But Highways England
had rejected the idea as “too dangerous”.
It says using Manston’s runway,
when required, as an alternative for
freight traffic will provide shortterm additional capacity to help
manage freight traffic on its way to
the Port of Dover.
It says it will work alongside Operation Stack to reduce disruption
on the M20, with holiday-makers
“clearly sign-posted” to the ports
and tunnel, and perishable, health
and hazardous freight, including
livestock “routed directly to the
Channel Tunnel and Dover” rather
than being stacked.
Transport minister Lord Ahmad
described the decision to use
Manston as a “viable short-term solution”.
He said: “By using Manston Airfield we have secured an interim
solution while we work to find a
longer term resolution.”
The deputy chief constable of
Kent, Paul Brandon, said: “We have
been in a critical situation in Kent
since the middle of June and, in
that time the situation in Kent has
been acknowledged as a very real,
national issue.
“The option to divert freight
bound for Europe to Manston Airfield, whilst very challenging, has
become more feasible in terms of
resourcing and logistics.”
KCC leader Paul Carter said:
“Our principal concern has been to
keep Kent moving.”
How scheme will work
How Manston Airfield will be used when Operation Stack is in force:
1. All freight will first be stacked coastbound between M20 junctions 8
(Maidstone Services) and 9 (Ashford), and this section will be closed to
non-freight traffic.
2. If more space is needed the closed section will be extended to junction
11 (Westenhanger).
3. “When required” (says Highways England), certain “non perishable”
freight will be diverted and stacked at Manston Airfield, near Ramsgate,
until it can be directed to ferry services at Dover.
WHEN MANSTON AIRFIELD IS IN USE
Freight
Dover-bound freight coming from the west will use the M20 to junction
7 (Maidstone), where it will be diverted via the A249, M2, and A299 to
Manston.
Dover-bound freight coming from the north (Dartford Crossing) will use
the A2, M2 and A299 to Manston.
From Manston, freight will use the A256 and A2 to Dover.
Channel Tunnel-bound freight will stay on the M20.
Tourists
Dover-bound tourist traffic will be encouraged to use the A2, M2 and A2.
If already on the M20, Dover-bound tourist traffic will be diverted off at
junction 7 (Maidstone) and via the A249, M2, and A2 to Dover.
Channel Tunnel-bound tourist traffic will use the M20 and A20 following
signs marked with a hollow circle diversion symbol.
Highways England says routes will be clearly signed and key sites
manned, with vehicle recovery resources at strategic points.
Camp site delight for
Detling show-goers
THE Kent Agricultural Society,
which runs the Detling showground, has unveiled improved
facilities for show-goers who opt
to camp or caravan close to the
venue.
The site – less than a minute’s
walk from the showground – has
proved so popular that the society
sought permission to upgrade its
facilities.
Scragged Oak Caravan Park
now offers new showers and toilets, a new reception area, laundrette and a shop – all part of a
£150,000 investment. It follows
multi-million pound improvements, offering increased conference and event space, at the Kent
Event Centre in recent years.
The Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr
Daniel Moriaty, who officially
opened the site, spoke highly of
the initiative and said he believed
it would be a perfect base for visitors touring the area.
The site, open from March 1 to
October 31, is set in woodland on
the North Downs and has 80
pitches, many with electric hookup. It is managed by wardens
Harry Flavell and Jan Perry.
High price of
traffic chaos
MP Helen Whately has revealed
the extent of local problems
caused by Operation Stack.
The Mid Kent MP said: “Visiting
Maidstone Hospital I heard about
midwives whose journeys to work
are taking two or three hours instead of their usual 20 minutes.
Pregnant women are worrying
how they will get to the hospital in
time when they go into labour.
“I have had letters from businesses unable to pay wages because customers have stopped
coming. Leeds Castle is seeing a
huge hit, and funeral services say
mourners are missing services; I
could go on, but I suspect almost
everyone reading this knows how
bad the situation is.”
She called for compensation to
those in Kent who had lost money,
including police (more than £1m
lost), social services (more than
£5m) and businesses (£1.5m each
day Stack is implemented).
A spokesman for Leeds Castle,
which is located off M20 J8, said:
“Due to Operation Stack, we are
approximately 30% down on budgeted visitor figures which translates as roughly £90,000 income
loss for the charity.”
Survey request
Kent County Agricultural Society finance director Glyn Charlton (left)
and vice-chairman James Forkhall,
with Maidstone mayor Cllr Daniel
Moriarty at the opening of the refurbished camp site close to the
Detling showground
BUSINESSES are being asked to
complete a survey to let the Government know the full cost to Kent
commerce of Operation Stack.
A handful of questions quiz businesses about their concerns and ask
bosses what should be done about
the ongoing problem.
Responses will contribute to a
joint KCC and British Chamber of
Commerce report to ministers.
To complete the survey go to
www.surveymonkey.com/s/Operation_Stack.
Missed a story? Find archived editions of the Downs Mail FREE at www.downsmail.co.uk
28
News
downsmail.co.uk
Art market to wow town
A VIBRANT art market is set to
shake up Maidstone’s Lockmeadow, where the market hall
will be turned into a colourful
fantasia of fascinating art and
music.
The first Maidstone Art Market
takes place on Saturday, September
19, in the historic Lockmeadow
Market Hall.
The market, from 9am to 4pm,
will feature some 80 stalls with
artists from across Kent and the
South East.
Exhibitors include Emily Tull,
one of the national finalists in the
Sky Arts portrait artist of the year
competition; street artist Hannah
Adamaszek; award-winning musician Rennie Pigrim and Ieuan Edwards, a printmaker based in
Broadstairs, who has produced
stunning artworks for album covers and books.
There will be singers, poets,
dancers and performers to provide
entertainment throughout the day.
A charity art auction will raise
funds for Maidstone and Mid Kent
Mind and The Foundling Museum
in London and donations have already come from artists including
Ralph Steadman, Gavin Turk, Stuart Semple (ambassador of Mind),
Tessa Farmer, Nick Veasey, Sadie
Hennessey and comedian Micky
Flanagan.
Secret bids for the auction can be
made at www.artmarketme14.
wordpress.com and the auction
will be hosted by Raj Bisram from
Channel 4’s Four Rooms.
Project manager Ali Farmer said:
"We wanted to deliver an event that
was unique to Maidstone and
with a number of other groups and
organisations, including Cruse, for
breavement support; Maidstone Day
Centre, to assist the homeless; and
the Listener scheme in local prisons.
This year it also piloted a referral
scheme with a GP practice.
Founder members Laurel and Bill
Cooper, Mandy Perrin, from Samaritans Central Charity, and the deputy
mayor of Maidstone Cllr Derek Butler were among the guests invited to
celebrate the branch’s 40th anniversary at its AGM.
For more local news
www.downsmail.co.uk
Fire crews cut
man from car
Helpers listen in – for 40 years
MORE than 14,000 people in distress
turned to the Samaritans in Maidstone for help last year.
The figures were reported at the
annual general meeting of the local
branch, which has been offering support for 40 years.
The Maidstone centre’s 70 volunteers spent 224 hours a week listening to people’s problems. With
out-of-hours calls diverted to other
branches, the Samaritans were able
to offer help all day, every day.
Maidstone Samaritans also works
something nobody had put on before. We hope that it puts Maidstone back on the map and injects
some vibrancy back into its artistic
culture."
“I want to champion the arts –
making them more accessible locally. We have had such a massive
response from everyone that I hope
in the future it will become an annual or a two-day event."
Deputy mayor Derek Butler presents a long-service award to retired Samaritan Daphne Earnshaw
A MAN involved in a two-car collision in Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone had to be cut free by fire
crew.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service was
called to the accident where the
trapped man, in his 30s, was complaining of neck and chest pain.
Firefighters gave the man oxygen
and first aid while they used tools
to remove the driver’s door.
He was then taken to hospital by
SECAmb paramedics.
Whether
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29
News | Sponsored parish council
downsmail.co.uk
Boxley Parish Mail
CHAIRMAN: Ivor Davies CLERK: Pauline Bowdery ASST CLERK: Melanie Fooks
Parish Office, Beechen Hall, Wildfell Close, Walderslade, ME5 9RU
Tel: 01634 861237 email: [email protected] Website: www.boxleyparishcouncil.org.uk
Contact details for parish councillors can be obtained from the parish office, the Useful Contact Details leaflet or the website
Flora and
fauna return
IT is now three years since the
Weavering Diamond Jubilee Orchard was opened and it is slowly
maturing.
Some trees have needed replacing but as anyone visiting the area
will see there are apples, damsons,
hazel and cobnuts. The top orchard
part of the site is gradually being
re-colonised by wildflowers and
grasses creating diversity and habitats for wildlife.
It was a deliberate decision of the
parish council to allow this part of
the site to return to meadow and it
maintains grass walks through it
for residents and dog walkers. To
some people it may look neglected,
but in fact it is a wildlife haven.
The play area is well used and in
their regular visits to check the
safety of the equipment and site,
councillors and office staff are often
approached by residents saying
how welcome the site is.
Prior to the parish council taking
over the site, the grass was regularly closely mown which meant
there were fewer habitats to support much wildlife. Due to the
change in the maintenance regime,
wildlife recently spotted includes
green and lesser-spotted woodpeckers, bullfinch, starlings, grass
hoppers, moths and blue tits. The
site has some reptile and hedgehog
areas and an insect hotel is soon to
be added.
Grant for hall
GROVE Green Community Hall
has been awarded a £500 grant towards the cost of a defibrillator for
resuscitating victims of cardiac arrest when at the hall.
Training will be undertaken, but
defibrillators can be used by untrained people as the machine gives
step-by-step verbal instructions
and it won’t allow anyone to shock
someone who has a pulse.
Many villages and community/public buildings are installing
these units and the parish council’s
own hall and office has one.
Discover nature with
latest walks leaflet
BOXLEY Parish Council and Kent Wildlife Trust have launched another
walk leaflet which takes in Boxley Warren and The Larches.
It can be purchased for £1 from
KWT Tyland Barn and the walks can
be done individually or combined,
so you can do three miles, 5.5 miles
or 7.5 miles. The leaflet also has a
“What to look for on the walks” section, which is handy if you are unsure about plants etc.
Representatives of the parish
council had a preview of part of one
of The Larches walks. One councillor said: “We had a delightful time
learning about the various plant
species and grass chalkland management on this site. It did mean we
didn’t do as much of the walk as we
expected because we were constantly stopping to see interesting
plants and insects, including orchids, scarlet pimpernel, stemless
thistles, ground pine, butterflies,
Members of
the parish
council
enjoy a
preview of
the walk at
The Larches
buzzards and many more species.”
The chalk grasslands at the North
Downs are extremely precious and
covered by local and European legislation so KWT's management is
vital for these habitats.
Parish council chairman Ivor
Davies said: “The parish council is
proud to have the headquarters of
Volunteers’ storage boost Wifi at hall
WALDERSLADE Woodlands Group (WWG) has had its new storage unit installed at Beechen Hall.
The group,
which undertakes volunteer
work in Walderslade
Woodlands, obtained
a National Lottery grant towards the cost
of an additional
storage unit.
Rob Burrows,
chairman of the
group, said: “The support of the National Lottery is vital for small community groups like us. The new unit allows for secure and safe storage. The
parish council’s grant supports the day-to-day costs of the group but every
now and again there is a large scale project where we try to source additional funding and of course we were delighted to receive this.”
The photograph shows the team taking a break from improving access
to the new store.
Allotments
THERE are vacant plots at the
parish council’s allotments for residents interested in growing their
own fruit and vegetables. Details
can be obtained from the parish
council website or the parish office.
30
KWT in the parish and the work of
the wardens, officers and especially
the volunteers is to be applauded.
“Special thanks must go to Helen
Knell for producing the walk leaflets
as she has done a fantastic job and
walked all of the routes.” The parish
council gave a grant to KWT for producing the series of walk leaflets.
New date for next meeting
THERE is a change to the date of the next meeting. It will now be
on Friday, September 11 at the European School of Osteopathy,
Boxley, starting at 7pm. MP Helen Whately will attend.
THE estates committee agreed that
equipment could be bought to
allow free wifi at its hall and parish
office. With the increasing use of
the hall, hirers and trainers will
find the facility very useful.
Provision of this service needed
careful investigation to ensure that
the council’s financial and administrative systems were kept secure.
Councillors and members of the
public attending parish council
meetings will have internet access
if they want, say, to check sources
of information or to email information to their own accounts.
Facebook page
DURING the school holidays the
parish office has been using its
Facebook page and website to advertise events in the area that might
be of interest to families.
This will be repeated close to and
during every school holiday. The
parish council also uses the website
to notify residents when the
freighter service is in the area etc.
The parish office would welcome
comments, via email, on how the
service could be improved.
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Mary Black
Obituaries
MARY Black (84) lived in Bearsted from
1986, and previously lived in Bower Close,
Maidstone from 1976.
She was a Lib Dem
councillor for
Allington and mayor
of Maidstone between
1990 and 1991.
Born Mary Penrice
in Glasgow, her
previous homes
included a London
hostel where she
stayed while working
for the Civil Service.
Mary married Robert, “Bob,” in 1957 and
the couple raised daughters Deborah and
Shauna. They moved to Cuxton when Bob’s
career with HM Customs and Excise took
him to the Medway towns. Mary taught in
Strood and for a number of years at Clare
Park in West Malling. Prior to becoming a
councillor Mary stood for parliament as a
Liberal Party candidate in the Medway area
in 1974, coming close to securing the seat.
Daughter Shauna said: “My mother cared
passionately about education and had a
strong sense of fairness. She was the kind of
loyal friend who would always step in and
help others, and was also quick to laugh.
“Her teaching and communication skills
were exceptional, she got excellent results
with challenging pupils and authored a
series of “How To…” books which sold
nationally and were aimed at helping
youngsters who struggled.
“My mother was always resourceful and
inventive; along with her writing skills she
was also a skilled artist.”
Mary – who was widowed in 2012 –
leaves her daughters and four
granddaughters – Natasha, Farrah,
Madeleine and Alana.
17sec. Roy also won the Kent Cycling
Association’s Best All Rounder
Competition four times between 1959 and
1969. He remained competitive in the sport
and for the San Fairy Ann club well into his
old age. Roy famously ended his stint of
national service in Cyprus by cycling home
from the island. He also enjoyed other
active sports including diving and skiing.
Roy’s engineering skills were applied to
cycling and he built bicycles for fellow
cyclists. Roy was taken ill on a “Wednesday
wobblers” ride with San Fairy Ann on
August 5 and his condition rapidly
deteriorated to the point where paramedics
could not save him.
Roy leaves his wife and son Andrew. Son
Ian pre-deceased him when he was killed in
an accident while out cycling some 18 years
ago.
Tony Robinson
TONY Robinson (78) of the Square,
Lenham was central to local life in the
village for more than 40 years. He moved
locally with wife
Carole as proprietors
of Lurcocks shop,
offering a
delicatessen, offlicence and other
supplies. His
background was in
retail and Tony had
an in-depth
knowledge of wine.
Tony soon became a noted local character,
known to most in the village.
He and Carole ran the shop until they
retired in 2003. Tony maintained his
involvement in local life by working with
the parish council as the village handyman
and was a trustee of the Douglas
Almshouse charity.
Parish clerk Margo McFarlane said:
“Tony was very active and well known and
Roy Manser
respected. He was a member of the team
ROY Manser (81) of Charlton Lane, West
which established the new community
Farleigh was one of the best known and
centre and remained closely involved with
longest serving members of San Fairy Ann
it for the last 11 years.
Cycling Club.
“He was a member of Lenara, the local
His membership of the club went back 68 active retirement association and the
years and he achieved national recognition Lenham Enhancement Association, which
as a racing cyclist.
involved him doing work on the colourful
Barming-born Roy followed his father
planters throughout the village. In his
into the blacksmith trade and went on to
younger days Tony was a keen sportsman
start his own engineering business –
and he played cricket for Lenham.
Andian Construction. The company was
“He made a massive contribution to the
named after his sons, Andrew and Ian, who village and he will be missed by lots of
he had with his wife Pamela.
people.”
Many of his former club mates, friends
Tony leaves his wife, children
and family have commented on his
Christopher and Joanne and three
achievements and passion for cycling.
granddaughters.
Among his early feats was a fifth place in
the national 25-mile championship in 1958.
In 1989 Roy and Anthony Wallis set a
national 10-mile tandem record of 18min
Amanda Miller
AMANDA Jane Miller (50), of Hunton, was
well-known locally from the work she did
setting up and running the county-wide
property management
business Simon Miller
and Company.
Born Amanda Smith
in Essex, she trained
as a secretary and
worked as a medical
secretary in Marble
Arch.
Amanda met
husband Simon at a
party in 1980 and the couple were married
in January 1984. Prior to Hunton their
homes were in Gillingham and Larkfield.
Amanda was baptised as a Jehovah’s
Witness in 1981 and remained dedicated all
her life. She was mother to Lauren,
Alexander, Constance and Morgan.
Simon Miller and Company was
established in 2000, growing to a wellknown and county-wide operation. The
company’s website paid a fulsome tribute:
“Amanda was characterised by her
seemingly inexhaustible cheerfulness and
enthusiasm for life. She was considered one
of the most modest and humble women
who, despite tremendous ability, always
shied away from publicity and praise.”
Amanda had baled breast cancer since
2007, a fight notable for the positivity and
determination she brought to it.
She leaves her husband, children,
grandchildren Hamilton and Fox-Belle,
parents, one brother and one sister.
Frank Conn
FRANK Conn (92) lived locally for about 27
years. He moved to Detling where he was
very active in the local community, living
there for 18 years
before spending five
years in the Royal
British Legion Village
and a further four
years in Allington.
Born on the Isle of
Dogs, Frank was in
the fire service at the
start of the war and
was mobilised into
the Army, for whom he served as a ground
gunner in the Shetland Isles and Ireland
before being transferred to the RAF and
doing the same job at Detling and Manston
airfields.
Frank’s time in Detling eventually led to
him becoming central to the campaign for,
and design of, the memorial that now
stands in the village commemorating the
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named Twopack by team-mates and had
graduated from the youth ranks to the
senior squad at Hythe Town. Having
turned out for the first team last season
Henry scored his first goal in a pre-season
friendly against a Maidstone United XI this
summer.
Tributes included a Facebook RIP page
with more than 1,000 members, some of
whom contributed at a fundraising event
in Lenham, raising £170 for a wreath in the
shape of a Vauxhall Corsa.
Hythe Town FC paid tribute to Henry
stating: “Henry was one of the nicest
people you could meet and had the
potential to go all the way to the top and
we at Hythe had high expectations of him
in what would have been his first full
season at senior level.”
Neville Phillips
NEVILLE Phillips (84) was well known as
a housebuilder and farmer.
HENRY Fulcher (18), of New Romney,
Born in Chatham he moved locally as a
was a talented footballer well known
boy and aended
from his time at the
Maidstone Grammar
Soccer Elite Football
School. His homes
Academy at
included about 30
Swadelands School in
years in
Lenham.
Hollingbourne, time
Henry died after
in Bearsted,
losing control of his
Willington Street,
Vauxhall Corsa and
Barming and 25 years
hiing a tree in
farming near Marden.
Tenterden.
Neville was
The player was
married to Bey for more than 55 years
Henry Fulcher
and was father to twins Mark and Sarah.
Son Mark said: “My father will be clearly
remembered by many people locally. He
was a master builder involved in house
building from the 50s to the 70s, a time in
which he built houses in places like
Lenham, Spot Lane, Willington Street and
many locations around the Maidstone area.
“He had talent as a sportsman and
played rugby as a boy. He opened both the
bowling and the baing for Rumwood
Cricket Club in Otham and in his 30s took
up golf, playing at Bearsted and
Ringlestone and playing his last round at
the age of 84.
“People will remember my father as a
larger-than-life character; intelligent,
interesting and funny.”
Neville, who was widowed in 2013,
leaves his twins and grandchildren James,
Alice, Sophie and Tom
Obituaries
service and sacrifice of the airfield in the
war.
Frank’s working life included time in the
car trade, working as a baker, a milkman
and a bus driver, and clerical work for the
police. Before Detling, he lived with Alice,
his wife of over 60 years, in High
Wycombe and Orpington. Frank was
father to Stephen and Joyce.
Son Stephen said: “My father was
involved in a lot of Detling life. My father
and mother were paperboy and girl to the
local village and also turned up on a
scooter to do duties as Father and Mrs
Christmas at the local school. He got on
with everyone and was a loveable and nice
guy who kept his energy until very late in
his life and donated to lots of charities”.
Widowed nine years ago, Frank leaves
his children, four grandchildren and seven
great-grandchildren.
Damen Crompton
MAIDSTONE’s Damen Crompton (36)
died in a motorcycle accident.
Damen was heading to his home in
Reculver Walk, Senacre on the A229 Loose
Road when he lost control of his
motorcycle. Damen’s partner Lianne
Farrow paid tribute at the scene of the
accident.
Damen worked for the past four years at
Dempson Ltd, a packaging company in
Hermitage Lane, Maidstone. The company
has supported his family through the
tragedy.
There is no charge for our obituary service. Call Neil Nixon on 01622 630422 or email [email protected]
Shelter for town’s homeless Charity lunch
PLANS are being prepared for the
A small number of staff co-ordi- ing to get funds for the ongoing
Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter nate the work of the many volun- work of the shelter scheme.
scheme.
teers and the scheme is now
Mr Miller said: “We have a plan
The scheme, launched two years
ago, offers overnight accommodation for the homeless during some
of the coldest nights of the year,
supplementing the services offered
by other homeless charities in the
town.
In 2013/14, seven churches offered a welcome to 10 guests each
night for eight weeks; last winter,
this was extended to 15 guests for
12 weeks.
The plan is that this model will be
replicated in winter 2015/16, starting on Monday, December 14.
Last year, more than 200 volunteers helped to run the scheme,
which hopes to get a similar – or
greater – amount of support this
year.
Bill Miller, the minister of Maidstone Baptist Church in Knightrider
Street, has taken over as chair of the
Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter
from Major Grayson Williams, who
has retired from the Salvation Army
in the town.
Pastor Miller was chair during
the first season so is already well
used to the work involved and
there are a number of new trustees
coming on board.
actively seeking funding from a
range of sources, including charitable trusts.
Mr Miller said: “Until we secure
enough funds to employ the workers we cannot recruit, but we are
hoping to have our first worker in
place earlier in the year than was
possible in 2014.
“This will help greatly with all
the necessary preparations and engagement of volunteers.”
Even now, volunteers are work-
in place and are working towards
another winter when a warm welcome can be offered to those who
would otherwise be sleeping rough
in our town.
“The outcomes in previous years
have been amazing – often lifechanging.”
The trustees hope each church
can appoint a volunteer representative to help communicate and coordinate volunteers and church
congregations.
Archdeacon leads the way
A SLEEP-OUT is being held in Maidstone at the end of September to
highlight the plight of the homeless
in the borough.
On Friday, September 25, the
Maidstone Deanery is hosting a
sponsored sleep-out, led by archdeacon Stephen Taylor.
Each church in the town is being
asked to nominate one representative prepared to sleep outdoors from
10pm to 8am, with only a sleeping
bag and cardboard box for comfort.
There will be a limited amount of
shelter if it rains.
The event is being organised by
Heather May and Diane Enfield on
behalf of the deanery.
Spokesmen Andrew Sewell said:
“We want to raise awareness of the
homeless in town and the services
available and the launch the recruitment of volunteers for the winter shelter, as well as raising funds
to support the homeless in Maidstone.”
FORMER Spandau Ballet singer
Tony Hadley will be the special
guest at a ladies’ lunch at The Mercure Hotel, Maidstone on Friday,
October 9.
The event, in aid of children’s
charity Action Medical Research,
starts with a drinks reception at
midday followed by a two-course
meal and live entertainment from
Tony, plus a raffle.
The singer has been a supporter
since 2003, when he took part in the
charity’s trek to Peru. As an ambassador he performs at social events
and joins fund-raising treks, as well
as hosting the annual Tony Hadley
Golf Classic.
Tickets priced at £45 are available
from
action.org.uk/kent-ladieslunch-tony-hadley.
Gardens open
TWO gardens in Back Street, Leeds
are open on Sunday, September 20
in aid of Heart of Kent Hospice.
At Arnold Yoke, formal landscaping complements the 15th-century
Wealden farmhouse, while the garden of Inverarnold houses a collection of more than 200 deciduous
and evergreen trees and shrubs.
Both gardens are open 2pm-5pm.
There is limited wheelchair access.
Assistance dogs will be admitted
and refreshments will be available.
35
downsmail.co.uk
Comment
Mote Park well worth a quid
R E C E N T Maidstone Council invest-
ments have improved Mote Park magnificently to make it even more popular locally
and see it rated second best in the nation.
Purchased for £50,000 from the Lord
Bearsted family almost 100 years ago, Mote
Park has proved a wonderful council investment and residents will want it preserved and improved for years to come.
I think few will complain about a proposed new parking fee of £1 for six hours,
especially as the income will be used to
maintain and further improve the park.
Government has imposed massive financial restrictions on local authorities in the
troubled economic times and funding nonessential services is a great problem.
I think most of us who pay to park will
appreciate its great value.
MailMarks
DENNIS FOWLE President
[email protected]
How about the noise? On the cricket
ground side it was no problem at all when
I was there. The wind was blowing from
the west and I am sure this helped. Friends
living in Downswood, Vinters Park, Grove
Green and Bearsted heard much more, but
I believe there were few complaints. Noise
levels were monitored and limits were not
breached. Perhaps limits could be reduced
somewhat in future.
The festival brought a lot of people and
money to Maidstone and I believe there
were many happy visitors and businesses.
I understand it could well return.
Ramblin’ Man
I welcome Maidstone Council’s policy Political football
to increase attractions (and income) from
Mote Park – but I expressed fears about
noise from the big two-day Ramblin’ Man
music festival.
I was close to it for two days at The Mote
cricket ground and was impressed. The festival was professionally organised and the
large audience was mostly mature, friendly
and responsible. The nearby roads were
busy at times, but with visitors arriving over
a long period, and leaving at non-peak
times, I was not aware of serious problems.
The political football of Maidstone’s
local plan is being booted in the direction
of the right goal at long last.
When the Tories were in control they
commissioned an expert independent report on the evidence-based need for more
than 19,000 new houses in the borough for
the period 2011 to 2031. They knew this evidence would be tested by a Government
inspector and if it failed, the desperatelyneeded local plan would be rejected.
Bypass v old firs
bypass if the planners would let him build
a village in Kingswood.
Dear Sir – In the August Downs Mail a
This would make sense – pulling out old
mention was made about who was going to fir trees instead of building on the Green
finance the Leeds-Langley bypass.
Belt.
Mr Schroeder says he would finance the
David A Last, by email
This figure was strongly challenged as
massively over the top by local political opponents in the build-up to May’s general
and borough elections. I always felt they
were playing to local voters worried about
the level of development, especially in
some rural areas, rather than working to
meet Maidstone’s greatest need.
And KCC leader Cllr Paul Carter (Con)
was still more vociferous in damning the
number – even after KCC commissioned
its own independent report which, to his
fury, largely mirrored the report commissioned by Maidstone Council.
These long delays may well cost Maidstone dear, as we currently have little protection against developers with their own
ideas for using greenfield land for housing.
It is not a good scene – and sadly Maidstone Council is now subject to ridicule.
New Lib Dem leader of Maidstone
Council Cllr Fran Wilson is working well
to bring together all politicians, including
KCC, to finally get the local plan on the
road. Tough decisions must be taken in the
face of continued local resident opposition.
If not, the borough’s housing target could
well swell under government pressure to
beyond the current evidence-based 18,560.
She has accepted she has “failed” to reduce
the target substantially.
The Tories will have a wry smile – but
hopefully they will continue to play a leading role to see past wrongs righted.
For more local news read the
Downs Mail online at
www.downsmail.co.uk
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Rugby club to make fresh start
MAIDSTONE Rugby Club look
set for a new ground – leaving
The Mote after more than 50
years in the centre of town.
The move follows a successful
season on the pitch for the club,
but disagreement with The Mote
Cricket Club, which own and
share the ground.
Earlier, the cricket club had suggested houses would be built on
part of the rugby club’s training
ground to finance developments
that they say would transform the
ground’s sports facilities.
However, the rugby club were
not happy with having to relinquish part of their training
ground, forcing cricket club chair-
36
man Glen Aukett to say that these
plans were “on ice”.
Now the rugby club’s vicechairman, Paul Firmin, appears to
have offered a way out for both
sides by allowing them to move
elsewhere in the town. Up to three
potential sites are under discussion with Maidstone Council as
part of a larger development plan
concerning Mr Firmin.
The rugby club say the opportunity to move away from The Mote
has received the backing of the
club committee and the membership will be presented with the full
details shortly. They say initial
discussions between the club, Mr
Firmin and Maidstone Council
representatives have been positive, although they recognise significant hurdles need to be
overcome before a more formal
confirmation of the details can be
released. Maidstone Rugby Club
remain a significant tenant of The
Mote and their lease agreement is
up for renewal next May.
The Mote Cricket Club will consider in the next month their policy regarding the lease. Dennis
Fowle, chairman of The Mote CC
development committee, said:
“We have delayed any new lease
offer to rugby since the end of
May until the rugby club’s plans
are a little clearer. Our priority is
to safeguard the cricket club and
this magnificent site for local sport
and the community. Building a
new pavilion and improving facilities are integral to that.”
The rugby club’s Jim Tinsley
said: “Regarding the ongoing saga
on development at The Mote, the
protracted discussions which involved the rugby club, the cricket
club and Maidstone Council were
not able to be resolved as we in the
rugby club are not prepared to
sacrifice playing and training
space to allow development on
our 1st XV pitch.
“Our proposed exodus from
The Mote should allow both clubs
to realise their full potential as important sports centres in Kent.”
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(
Call our sales team now - 01622 630 330
Rayner Brown Construction Ltd
We undertake all types of building work including:
Kitchens, bathrooms, driveways, landscaping, renovations & extensions
FREE advice and quotations
Tel: 01622 739960 or 07966 386428 (Mark Brown)
e-mail: [email protected]
37
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Builders Continued
Len Valley
Home Improvements
For a free friendly quote
please call
Adam on
07809 708244
01622 862136
Chimney Maintenance
Kent Carpet Cleaning Company Ltd
Professional Carpet Cleaning
Online
Employment
opportunities
within our website’s information hub
Jobs, apprenticeships, graduate
programmes, work experience plus
help and support to find work and
develop your career.
www.downsmail.co.uk
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
[email protected]
Council approvals obtained for extensions, alterations etc.
Call Beck Associates (01622) 736309
[email protected]
Looking for a professional, local, family run
carpet cleaning company?
Then give Chrissy and John a call
• Upholstery Cleaning • Leather Suite Cleaning
• Stain Removal • Stainguard Protection
Special Offer
Free bottle of Spot & Stain Remover
01732 872 199
07860100295 John 07801 561696 Chrissy
[email protected]
www.kingshillkentcarpetclean.co.uk
"WE CLEAN
OVENS!"
Building Plans
BUILDING PLANS DRAWN
Cleaning Services
Business Directory
Advertise from as little as
£3.00 per month
Call 01622 630330 or visit
our website for more details
www.downsmail.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
Carpenters
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
Brian’s Carpentry
Service
• Windows • Doors • Frames
• Skirting • Fences
• Gates
No Job Too Small
01622 752205
0793 920 6067
31, Sheppey Road, Loose, Maidstone
Wood Works
FULL CARPENTRY SERVICE
FROM DECKING TO DOORS,
KITCHENS & FLOORS.
ALL JOBS BIG & SMALL.
MAKING THE BEST OF WOOD IN AND AROUND THE HOME
CALL Cliff on 07940 854927 or 01622 729092
Reliable, Local Carpenter
FOR FREE ESTIMATES CALL GERRY
01622 631149 / 07929 522990
Bedrooms - Wardrobes Wooden flooring
custom made & fitted
Kitchens custom made & fitted
Door framing & hanging
Internal alteration
Security Lock fitting service
Fences & Gates
Windows including sash
Staircase Renovation & repair
Repairs & Velux
Property Renovation
Architraves & Skirting
38
Computer Services
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Double Glazing
LE GL
DOUB
Electricians cont.
AZING REPAIR M
AN
BEARSTED
Misted Sealed Units Door Handles
Broken Glass
Door Locks
Window Handles Letter Boxes
Broken Hinges
New Doors
New Windows
FREE ESTIMATES
OVER 30 YEARS EXPERIENCE
07808 849432 or 01622 738683
DRIVEWAYS
Block Paving
Patterned Concrete
Tarmac Driveways
Shingle Drives Patios
01622 850491
Mobile: 07885 253623
Warren House Headcorn Road
Sandway Maidstone
TOTAL ELECTRICAL SERVICES
BEARSTED • MAIDSTONE
Kent & Sussex
Drives
Specialists in Block Paving, Resin
bonded surfaces. Also red or black
tarmac. Hot tar chippings. Pea
Shingle. Free Estimates. All new
work guaranteed for 10 years.
Tel: 01622 809105 /
01580 891668
Mobile: 07789 360748
www.kentandsussexdrives.com
Landway Surfacing
Driveways, Block Paving, Tarmac & Shingle,
Council Approved Drop Kerbs, Resin bonded Drives
All work fully insured and guaranteed
For all your domestic electrical requirements.
•Full rewires
•New fuse boards
•Sockets, Lighting
•NICEIC Part P registered
•Competitive rates (no vat)
•For free quotes and advice call Neil
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.
[email protected]
I.WALLOND FENCING
ALL TYPES – REPAIR/RENEW
Est. 25 YEARS
FREE ESTIMATES
01622 844956 07931 368710
www.IWallondfencingcontractors.co.uk
Tel/Fax - 01622 734817
Mobile - 07795 471 196 or 07799 867 524
Fence me in & alot more
100 The Landway, Bearsted, KENT ME14 4LB
•Driveways •Tar & Grit •Tarmacadam
•Footpaths •Block Paving•Car Parks
Garden Maintenance
& Contractors
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Decking
Patios
Clearance
Gates
Pergolas
Concrete bases
Retaining walls
All types of fencing
undertaken
Tel: 01622 631941
07876 540250
Garden Services
Fencing
For free advice and quotation call:-
Email - [email protected]
Website - www.landwaysurfacing.co.uk
FENCING
LANDSCAPING
Tel. 07763 613451
Electric Rewired
Drives
BUTLER
Fencing cont.
All types of Fencing & Gates
Installed & Repairs
All Aspects of Garden Services, Landscapes,
Decking, Patios, Paths & Paving.
Regular Contracts, Lawn Mowing,
Hedge Cutting etc.
Call Colin on 07521
377306 or 01622 853978
Forestry First Ltd
Tree Surgeons & Landscapers in Kent
All arboricultural tree works
undertaken. Fully insured.
www.forestryfirst.co.uk
01622 616133
BRANCHING OUT
TREE SERVICE
All aspects of tree cutting, Re-shaping,
Crown reduction. Felling of dangerous
or dying trees. All hedges and shrubs,
topped and shaped
Site clearance, prompt services
FREE ESTIMATES
01622 880218
07796 772020
Council Approved Drop Kerbs
Free Estimates
WE BEAT ANY GENUINE QUOTES
01622 743037
07729 862518 / 07771 523799
www.rssurfacing.com
Electricians
L.W Electrical
Part P Registered
All electrical work undertaken
24hr Call Out • Free Estimates
Fully Qualified & insured
OAP Discounts
Ring Lee
01622 737016 07906 517599
S COPPER
ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION
Maintenance and Servicing Est 1993
General repairs, maintenance and restoration.
ALL WORK CARRIED OUT BY QUALIFIED
CITY & GUILDS ELECTRICIAN
Free quotation services — No call out fees
For friendly advice call Simon Copper on
07564 209437
01622 765761 (Evenings)
www.wrightsfencing.co.uk
ADVENT
ELECTRICAL SERVICES (Kent) LTD
No1 Locally Since 1996
For all your electrical
requirements from an extra
socket to a full rewire.
For a friendly local service call Jon Hughes
01622 630585
Mobile:0771 2653355
56 Ware Street
Bearsted
Qualified to
17th edition
Part P
Reg’d
David Matthews
Fencing
• 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
39
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Garden Services continued
Garden Services continued
L.W.LANDSCAPING
ARBOUR
TREE SURGERY
Fully Insured & Reliable
‘Trust your local experts’
All Aspects of Tree Work
Tel: 01622 260149
Mob: 07772 231419
Felling • Pruning
Hedge Cutting
Stump Grinding
Fully Insured and Qualified
Free No Obligation Written Quotation
z Fencing z Treework
z Turfing z Decking
z Levelling Ground
z Jet Washing Service
z Astroturf z Patios
z Clearance z Driveways
01622 759119 07771 970570
www.arbourtreesurgery.co.uk
For a free site survey call:
01622 527106
07788 532926
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
Organics a Special Interest
Call Tony on Maidstone 01622 891328
ad ad ad ad ad
TANTONS
Tree Surgeons
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
JB Landscaping
Landscaping
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
Tel: 01622 828036
Mob: 07763 905464
01622 630312
www.tantonstreesurgeons.co.uk
and find us on www.yell.com
ad ad ad ad ad
Follow
us on
0$,'6721(
/$1'6&$3(6
3523(57<
6(59,&(6/WG
We offer the following services:
Hedges • Mowing • Weeding • Conifer Topping
• Tree Removal • Ponds • GardenClearance
Garden Maintenance: Private Gardens, Commercial Contracts
fully insured, free quotes.
Call 01622 739586 or 07976 367 593
Handyman
No job too small
Competitive prices
•Painting & Decorating • Plastering
• Tiling • Fencing
• Laminate Flooring • Plumbing
General Household Maintenance.
Any odd jobs considered
Phone Lee for quotes
Maidstone & Kent
T: 01622 755750 M: 07738 658751
3 Plains Avenue, Maidstone ME15 7AT
www.yourmaidstonelocksmith.co.uk
24 hour service locks opened
new locks fitted security checks
emergency work undertaken
07894 138224 01622 204491
Day
Evenings or to leave a message
Fully insured
MIKE LEWIS
PROPERTY MAINTENANCE
• HOME & GARDEN
IMPROVEMENTS & RENOVATIONS
• INTERIOR & EXTERIOR PAINTING
& DECORATING
• WALLPAPER HANGING
• GARDEN MAINTENANCE
• DECKING & PERGOLAS
•FREE QUOTATIONS
• SMALL JOBS UNDERTAKEN
Painting & Decorating
LADY INTERIOR
DECORATOR
NO JOB TOO SMALL
FREE ESTIMATES
Call Lynda Daniel
on 07733 354617
MALCOLM ROBERTS
20%
discount*
on production of this advert
* not to be used in
conjunction with any other
offers
Tel: 01622 851222 Mob: 07786 07 01 07
www.maidstonelandscapes.com
LOOK: Please check our reviews and other
companies you may use at www.uktc.org
Established 1990 Director: M Potter
( 01622 630 330 (
Locksmith
MIKE LEWIS
FULLY INSURED/WORK GUARANTEED, VERY PROFESSIONAL/FRIENDLY SERVICE
Top Quality Materials/Workmanship from design to completion - FREE ESTIMATES
Call our sales team now -
Handyman Services
TEL: 01622 663192
MOB: 07810 486146
LANDSCAPING - Drives, Patios, Pathways, Brick/Stone Walls, Block/Stone Paving,
Tarmac, Decking, Fencing, Turfing, Ponds, Water Features, Garden Clearance,
Sheds/Summer & Play House Bases, Tree Surgery etc
BUILDING WORKS - Extensions, Porches, Conservatories, Garages, Groundworks,
Roofing, PVC Windows, Doors, Soffits, Fascias, Floor/Wall Tiling, Decorating etc
40
The Bearsted Green Gardening Co.
All grass, shrub & general maintenance also planting and landscaping.
ad ad ad ad ad ad ad
No job too big or small
• Fencing • Treework
• Turfing • Decking
• Levelling Ground
• Jet Washing Service
• Water Features
• Astroturf • Patios
• Clearance • Driveways
GARDENING
SERVICES
ad ad ad ad ad ad ad
EPIC
LANDSCAPES
TONY YOULES
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
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
ON 01634 308067
Mob: 07788 142576
FOR A FREE QUOTATION
Free from landlines
Ironing Services
• Quality Decorating at a
fair & competitive price
• Fully insured &
references available
• Dulux approved
Tel/Fax: 01622 737225
Mobile: 07816 149502
www.sr-interiors.com
email: [email protected]
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Painting & Decorating continued
Y
Decorator Y
D. STEWART
All decorating
interior & exterior
Pictor
FREE ESTIMATES
Painting- Wallpapering Internal/External Work
Lady Decorators - Clean & Reliable
No jobs to small or large
Refs available - Free Estimates
Bearsted 730541
TEL: 07860 838729
LEE Hughes
Services
PAINTING & DECORATING
SERVICES
Interior & Exterior Work
Undertaken
OVER 25 YEARS EXPERIENCE
City & Guild Qualified
Tel: 01622 759040
www.downsmail.co.uk
• Interior & exterior painting
• Wall papering • Plastering
• Fully insured
• Friendly & reliable service
Call Nick for a
free quotation
07921 193298
01622 206702
Scott Duffy, 42 Reinden Grove,
Downswood, Maidstone ME15 8TH
Not just a decorator,
but one with over
40 years experience
now semi retired,
so can offer a cheaper price
D K PLASTERING
BARMING PLASTERING
• Internal & External Plastering
• Reliable Professional Clean
Friendly Service
• Free Estimates
• Over 25 years experience,
references available on request
• Registered with mybuild.com
All plastering work carried out
• Excellent Work • Excellent Prices •
FREE Quotes
Call David 01622
R K Plastering
Plumbing & Heating
All Aspects of Plastering
Internal / External
Plastering Over Artex
Coving
Free Estimates
Clean & Reliable
IRELAND PLUMBING
All domestic plumbing &
heating work undertaken
boiler installations,
servicing and landlord
certificates
Call Rob on: 07984 609133
www.rkplastering.co.uk
07912 892341
Follow
us on
making water work
Heating
● Wall & Floor
Plumbing Tiling
● Complete
● 25yrs experience
Bathrooms
●
01622 747272 /
07885 950959
01622 687200
Larkrise, Green Lane,
Boughton Monchelsea.
HALLFORD DECORATING
Painting & Decorating Services
Call for free estimate
• Plastering • Carpentry • Property Maintenance
• Ceramic Tiling, Floor Tiling, Laminate Flooring
Call Martin Hallford on 07956 234273
Your friendly local service - Bearsted
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
512663
[email protected]
Chris Bourne Plumbing Services
●
727534
Mobile: 07974 891795
07857 702418
[email protected]
Professional
Interior Decorator
01622 862136 - 07525 083348
• All aspects of painting
& decorating
• Plastering service available
Plastering continued
M B Plumbing and
Heating
Boiler repairs and installs
Leaking taps
No Job too small, No call out fee,
Free estimates
All types of plumbing work.
Please call Matthew on
07929 544 856
All gas appliances installed, serviced and repaired
Boiler installations & breakdowns
Solar installations & maintenance
Gas cookers installed & repaired
Power flushing
Landlord gas safety checks
All plumbing work undertaken
City & Guilds and A.C.S qualified
Call Neil Tel: 01622 683476
Mobile: 07725 696030
218594
GAS, HEATING, PLUMBING & RENEWABLES
NO CALL OUT CHARGE & FREE QUOTES
For all your plumbing needs
General Repairs • New Taps
• Toilet & Cistern Repairs
PLUMBING Bath & Shower Installation • Leaks & Fault Finding
Call Gary 07738 902116 01622 736266
Pest Control
Kent Wildlife Control
Pest Control/Mole/Rabbit/Rats
Wasps same day service from £25
07580 884053/01622 814112
www.kentwildlifecontrol.com
Call our sales team now -
01622 630 330
Plastering
MID KENT
PLASTERING
01622 631915
0781 392 7162 / 0791 994 6328
Plastering, Rendering & Screeding
New Ceilings & Repairs
Coving & Stud Walls
Tyrolean & monocouche rendering
FULLY INSURED
Commercial & Domestic
www.midkentplastering.co.uk
Benjamin Terry
Plumbing and Heating
• Free Quotations for all your plumbing and heating requirements
• All calls handled promptly and efficiently.
• No job too small
306005
Heating Bathrooms Plumbing Boiler Servicing
Landlord Gas Safety Certificates
LPG, Air Source Pumps and Natural Gas
01622 725558
[email protected]
07968 424228
41
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Roofing Services continued
Plumbing & Heating continued
A.P.S Ltd
Gavin Francis
Central Heating Installations ex British Gas
Roofing & Chimney Services
• 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
• New roofs & repairs
• Slating/Tiling/Lead work
• Chimney rebuild/repairs
• Pointing
• Guttering Services
Your local plumber
07860 174959
Forge Lane, East Farleigh,
Maidstone, Kent ME15 0TH
E:[email protected]
A B MOYLER
PLUMBING & HEATING
Family Business Est. 1973
•
•
•
•
•
Bathroom & Tiling
NO JOB
All plumbing work
TOO SMALL
Power flushing
Additional Radiators
Hot water cylinders
Specialists in
Flat Roofing
Full systems overcoat and repairs
Up to 25 year Guarantee Available
For a free survey/quotation
Please call Joe on 07786
Free estimates & all works guaranteed
0800 0232665/01622 729600
Vicarage Lane, East Farleigh
[email protected]
802959
HIGH TOP ROOFING
SERVICES
ALL TYPES OF ROOFING WORK & REPAIRS UNDERTAKEN
TILING • SLATING • FLAT ROOF • LEADWORK
COMPETITIVE RATES
• All Work Guaranteed • FREE Advice & Estimates •
Tel: Maidstone (01622) 736130 Mobile: 07946 085259
STEVE JARRETT
NO CALL OUT CHARGE • FREE ESTIMATE
07976 298296
01622 863771
R. WEBSTER
EST 20 YEARS
PLUMBING & HEATING
HEATING AND PLUMBING ENGINEERS
Reg No. 185889
High efficiency boilers and heating systems installed, existing systems
updated, all gas appliances repaired and serviced.
Fault finding.
All plumbing work undertaken.
New bathrooms, en-suites, showers etc.
Free estimates.
All work guranteed.
No call out charge - Proudly advertising in the Downs Mail for 12 years.
A1Roofing Services
• TILED ROOFING • FLAT ROOFING
• LEAD FLASHING • PVC FASCIA / SOFFITS
• FULL REPAIR SERVICE
Tel: 01622 296011
Mob: 07884 180595
For a prompt reliable service
25 years & 25,000 roofs
& all our guarantees are
insurance backed for the
full 30 years
Tel: 01622 208621
Mobile: 07949 241982
Property Maintenance
Roofing Services
TNC Property
& Landscapes
COMPLETE ROOFING SERVICE
Driveways and Paving
Block paving refurbishment
• Full Roof Installation
• Tiling & Slate Roofing
• uPVC Fascias & Soffits
• Chimney Repointing or Removal
• Roofing Repairs & Maintenance
(level sunken areas, clean & sand)
Lawn construction
Fencing new and repairs
Brickwork/patios re-pointed
Fully Insured
Call Tremayne
01622 758221
Find us on
07748004252
www.apolloroofing.co.uk
30
W!ey
L NmO
urv
s
e
CAfL
ree ho
For a
0800 0434 342 / 07899 905 301
The Fibreglass Roofing experts
07808 414965
See the working display we created in Notcutts 25 years ago
or 01622 853601
for a free, no obligation quote
www.flatroofcokent.co.uk
Online
Advertise your unwanted items FREE - www.downsmail.co.uk
42
Classified
downsmail.co.uk
Skip Hire
st ry
a
F ive
l
e
D
Waste Collection
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
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
www.dbody.co.uk
24Hr - 7 Days A Week
Prompt & Friendly Service
The Paddock, Detiling Hill, Maidstone, Kent
Window Cleaner
MB WINDOW CLEANING
• 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 [email protected]
Leisure
Bouncy Castle
PENFOLDS AMUSEMENTS
Bouncy castles and children’s carousels
01634 365427 | 07710 772597
Public
Notice
R & P Aerial Service
Trailer Hire-Sales-Repair
01622 631717 or 078069 12345
Kent Trailers
Aerials
Indespension Agent
Livestock, Plant, Recovery,
Van, General Purpose
Trailers in stock
New & Used
Detling
01622 730063 07860 318166
Digital Freeview
FM Radio DAB Radio
[email protected]
Satellite
Freesat
SKY HD
State Registered Chiropodist
and Podiatrist
111 Madginford Road Bearsted
Home visits and evening
and weekend appointments available
Goods Vehicle Operator’s Licence
TV Aerials, Satellites & Repairs
STEPHEN GRAY
01622 630393
Mr Jon Martin trading as Glebe Fencing Ltd of 108
Hockers Lane, Detling, Maidstone Kent ME14 3JJ
is applying to change an existing licence as follows.
To to keep an extra 2 goods vehicles and 0 trailers
at 108 Hockers Lane, Detling, Maidstone Kent
ME14 3JJ
Trailor Hire, Sales & Repairs
Health
& Beauty
Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings)
near the operating centre(s) who believe that their
use or enjoyment of that land would be affected,
should make written representations to the Traffic
Commissioner at Hillcrest House, 386 Harehills
Lane, Leeds LS9 6NF stating their reasons, within
21 days of this notice. Representors must at the
same time send a copy of their representations to
the applicant at the address given at the top of this
notice. A Guide to making representations is
available from the Traffic Commissioner’s Office.
Recruitment
WANTED
French speaker to assist in
the delivery of fun French
language clubs for primary
school children. Term time
only. Flexible hours. Training
and material provided.
Good rates of pay.
To apply and for further
information, email
[email protected].
TV Wall Mounting
From a standard install to hidden cables
Free initial visit
PAUL MILL Television Est.
Ltd
1981
01622 751000
• See the latest Panasonic LED, Latest 4K, Smart & 3D Screens
• Youview Record, Pause, & Rewind TV, BBC iPlayer, ITV Player & 4oD
• Your local Sky expert, SKY HD, multiroom & “hidden” dish installation
• Freeview & Freesat, Expert aerial and dish installation service
Please phone us for free friendly advice today
www.paulmilltelevision.co.uk
We pride ourselves on being a local business offering outstanding service
Upholstery
BEARSTED UPHOLSTERERS
•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
(01622) 863069
Unit 3, Little Caring Farm, Caring Lane, Leeds, Maidstone
TRUSTEESHIPS
MAIDSTONE
FUSION Maidstone, Healthy Living Centre, based in Parkwood,
Maidstone, is a well-established and growing voluntary
organisation with ambitious plans for expansion of its services.
New Trustees are sought to complement existing Trustees and
bring further passion, drive and experience to its Board.
We are looking for community-minded individuals from a range of
backgrounds, including the local community, commercial, public,
charitable, health/social care/education/Church sectors, and who
can demonstrate a track record of effective performance,
strategic thinking and sound and effective judgement. We are
looking for up to four new Trustees to complement Fusion
Maidstone Board of Trustees.
For an initial discussion and to request an information pack
please contact:
Martin or Tracey on 01622 691177 or
email [email protected] /
[email protected].
43
On the Road
All MOT’s
£40.00
d
r
a
y
Til Auto’s
SILVERBACK RECOVERY
Car recovery and transportation
Light commercial
Cars for scrap removed
Competitive rates
CALL ROGER ON:
MoT Testing
01622 813733 07740 123495
Free re-test and minor adjustments
Service and repairs carried out to all
makes and models
At
Local recovery service now available
Tyres • Exhausts • Tracking
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45
downsmail.co.uk
Parish Councils
Broomfield and Kingswood
Police report Two crimes were reported –
theft from a motor vehicle at Gravelly
Boom Road and criminal damage in
Charlesford Avenue. Anti-social behaviour
reports within the park could not be
accessed as they fell under a different ward.
The clerk was asked to write to Anne Barnes,
Police and Crime Commissioner, regarding
the lack of reporting other local crime issues
as had previously been available, and
appeared to still be available to other local
parishes.
Neighbourhood plan The proposed
schedule, leading to a possible referendum
in January/February was discussed. The
clerk was asked to contact Designscape and
arrange a meeting to discuss the outcomes of
the parish public consultation as soon as
possible.
Sports field Work on the removal of the
Levercrest area would commence at the end
of September. A revised quote for the
fencing from Jacksons had been received
which had increased the cost of the
installation considerably. Councillors agreed
to order the fencing from Jacksons but to ask
John Baker to install it. The annual safety
report had been received but the clerk had
been unable to circulate it as was requested,
by email. There were many queries as to the
accuracy of the reporting for which the clerk
was still awaiting replies. The clerk had also
requested to be informed when the
inspection would take place so that she
could aend, but for the third year running,
Playdale had not complied. She
recommended another company be used in
future.
CCTV A meeting had been held with
Maidstone Council community support
officer regarding temporary installation of
CCTV at the sports field. However, a camera
could not be supplied due to the lack of an
adequate secure electricity supply. A quote
would be obtained to install the required
power supply.
Padlock Additional chains and a padlock
would be bought for the main gate of the
sports field as the chain had been stolen.
Handyman There had been three
applications for this post. It was decided to
appoint John Baker. Regulations required,
where possible, employment of local
tradespeople and the other two applicants
did not come from within the parish.
Tall Trees The cost to the parish council for
the sale of the Tall Trees leased area and to
relinquish the lease would be £500 plus
disbursements plus Vat for each piece of
land. The costs for the purchase of the land
were similar. The tenants had offered to pay
£3,500 each on the basis that the parish
council pay all costs. The clerk was asked to
contact the tenants and inform them that it
was now the parish council’s intention to
have the land valued as per legal advice and
that due to anticipated costs, it would
require all costs to be paid by the purchasers.
Detling
Scragged Oak Action was being taken by
Kent Highways regarding this junction.
Public forum A resident spoke regarding
overgrown trees at a property in Princes
Way. The clerk was asked to write to the
owner. The issue of overgrown trees at the
rear of Princes Way was also raised.
However, these were covered by
46
Ramblin’ Man will be back
DEBATE continues about the merits of Maidstone hosting the Ramblin’ Man Fair but the
organiser of the largest rock concert ever
staged in the town has already confirmed another event for the weekend of July 23-24
2016.
Super Early Bird tickets are already on sale
though no specific acts have been confirmed.
Among this year’s festival-goers most comments were positive and tickets for 2016 have
been bought. Adrian Powell, who camped out
over the weekend, described the festival as
“well organised and enjoyable [with the] right
number of people.”
Some residents were not so positive and
Maidstone Council confirmed it had received
25 formal complaints, a few of which came
from residents of Audley House, which had
the sound system from the main stage
pointed in its direction.
Philip Urquhart, village manager of Audley
Mote House, said: “We are aware of some Audley Mote House owners raising concerns regarding the level of noise and light
disturbance that carried on until 11pm… as a
management company we also contacted
the council on their behalf.”
Maidstone Council’s reply to the complaints said: “The environmental enforcement
team along with an independent acoustic engineer monitored the sound levels throughout the event. Although the music was
audible in some areas around the park, the
preservation orders. It was agreed that the
parish council would write to the owner,
stating that it would support an application
to have these cut back.
Neighbourhood Watch Clr John Clayton
spoke regarding the need to have an active
Neighbourhood Watch scheme within
Detling and to have details of police contacts
published for residents’ information. The
clerk would liaise with PCSO Megan Day
regarding an article for the Detling News.
Grants Cllr Kennard was looking into
possible grants for a community shop.
Dogs Concern was raised regarding the dog
mess on the Old School playing field. The
issue would be placed on the next agenda
for further discussion.
Monks Meadow The fence had been
repaired by John Monk. The chairman noted
that the poppy seeds distributed around the
parish had grown well at Monks Meadow.
Wildlife Kent Wildlife Trust had
undertaken a survey at the Scragged Oak
viewpoint.
Showground traffic Cllr Evernden raised
concerns regarding the traffic problems at
the Elton John concert at the showground,
stating the traffic had been backed up on the
A249 for hours. He raised concerns about
the traffic management of the event and
future events. A meeting was being arranged
by the showground management. It was
agreed the clerk would liaise with KCC Cllr
Jenny While and borough Cllr Nick de
Wiggondene regarding this maer.
Downswood
County report KCC Cllr Gary Cooke
confirmed that the road markings at the
junctions of Deringwood Drive and minor
roads would be repainted. Assurances were
There were few complaints from those who
attended the Rambin’ Man Festival
sound levels set in the license were not
breached at any point during the event.” It
has promised to monitor this issue in future
and to ensure the emergency hotline for
noise complaints extends to an out-of-hours
service in 2016.
Sainsbury’s near the site saw a sales boost
from festival-goers, while the Eden Café in
central Maidstone saw extra breakfast business on the Saturday from campers at the
festival who had endured a wet night. HMV
in town confirmed increased sales of CDs of
some acts who had appeared.
Liz Marks, of Downswood said: “The noise
was extraordinary and relentless…we may as
well have been right in the park for the volume we had both days, well in to the night. I
had many friends say the same.”
given that liaison with Arriva and KCC
transport department was taking place daily
to avoid disruption of the bus service during
the planned road works.
Play area Foxden Drive play area was due
for completion by September 1. A quote had
been received for £320 for leylandii pruning.
Len Valley Derek Doyle, liaison officer of
Len Valley Preservation and Angling Society
(LVPAS), gave an update on the current
status of the society now that there was a
new commiee. Various issues were
discussed and a joint meeting was arranged.
Defibrillator Installation costs of £545 plus
electrician’s fee and purchase of children’s
pads were agreed. There was likely to be a
further cost for a key pad as it was agreed to
purchase a lockable cabinet.
Garden competition In addition to winners’
prizes supplied by the parish council,
Rumwood Garden Centre would supply £10
vouchers for three highly-commended
gardens. Pictures of the winning gardens
would be published on the parish council
and Rumwood websites. Prizes would be
presented at the Christmas event.
Fete The Downswood Community
Association fete was successful. Money
taken at parish council stalls was passed to
the association.
Spires Medical Centre Borough Cllr
Gordon Newton and the chairman had
aended a meeting with GP Dr Singh.
Despite lengthy discussion, it seems that the
centre, owned by Dr Singh, was to close,
although the parish council had yet to
receive official notification. The desination of
section 106 money set aside for Downswood
Surgery was to be investigated, as well as GP
practices in Maidstone town aainable via
bus and willing to register patients from
Downswood. A leer would be sent to the
downsmail.co.uk
had circulated a report as to why she felt
Harrietsham should not be designated a
rural service centre (RSC) in Maidstone’s
local plan. It was agreed to write to
Maidstone Council to object to Harrietsham
being designated as a RSC.
Air quality Cllr Kay stated that the air
quality during the past six weeks had
deteriorated to the point that he had now
Harrietsham
been given an asthma pump. Information
about the current issues in Harrietsham had
Warden’s report Community warden
been passed to MP Helen Whately. It was
Martin Sherwood had changed some of his
suggested that all the villages along the
shifts so he could monitor the Glebe Field
due to recent reports of anti-social behaviour diversion route should get together to
and possible traveller activity. He asked that complain about the issue.
anything untoward be reported to the police Flytipping There had been a large number
of complaints about the items that had been
on 101, before contacting him or the parish
flytipped on the Booth Field. This is private
council. He had not been able to spend as
land which makes removal difficult. The
much time in the area as usual as he had
been assisting with Operation Stack and had chairman of the trust, Richard Cook had
confirmed that the damaged fence and
been working with trading standards
officers on providing support for vulnerable vegetation in the walkway between Church
Lane and St Welcume’s Way would be
people in Maidstone who have sent money
rectified. Maidstone Council’s new cleansing
to scammers.
Public forum A resident reported there had manager, Ian Packer, had been very helpful,
confirming that the items had been
been an increase in the amount of lier in
removed.
the village since Operation Stack had come
New account format The proposed new
into force. Another resident said she had
format had been circulated which would
completed a lier pick every Sunday and
help members of each commiee see the
usually filled 1.5 black bags with rubbish.
budget for which they are responsible and
Since Operation Stack had been imposed,
help each commiee to supply budget
this had increased to four bags which took
about four hours to collect. It was suggested information from November 2015, ready for
that further volunteers be found to assist this the new financial year (2016/17). The precept
had almost doubled in recent years and the
by posting something on Facebook. A
target should be for no increase next year.
resident complained about the state of the
Remix The group had received a loery
roads in Goddington and Holm Mill Lanes
fund grant of £9,000 which would be used to
which were used as a rat run during
Operation Stack. These had been reported to run a new group called Remix Rewired and
form part of the Monday evening youth
Kent Highways. The issue would be raised
club. The grant would provide a tutor from
again at a forthcoming meeting with Kent
Rhythmix, a group which helps with mental
Highways.
wellbeing through music, and would supply
Neighbourhood planning Terms of
studio equipment for the children to record
reference for the neighbourhood planning
their own music. It was hoped in the long
working group were adopted. These stated
term, that the studio could be used by others
that the working party would consist of
to help raise funds for the parish council and
councillors and volunteers from the
village hall trust.
community. Councillors could now start to
Glebe Field The recent report of traveller
establish the group.
Rural service centre Cllr Amanda Chinnery activity at the field was noted. It was agreed
Leeds
Highways Sightings of HGVs in the village
should be reported to the clerk or on the
website – a photograph and/or registration
number is needed. Potholes should be
reported to Kent Highway Services.
Speed Watch Cllr Ian Bowles was making
progress with Kent Police and the seing-up
of a Speed Watch group.
Website The village website was now up
and running, with plenty of information.
Residents could also sign up for the village
newsleer or make comments on the forum
page.
Playing fields The new swing seats had
been fied and funding for tennis courts and
the extension of the car park was being
considered.
Lier There had been fly-tipping in the
church car park and behind the sports
pavilion. Maidstone Council had been
instructed to remove and dispose of this but
there would be a charge as it was deemed to
be on private ground. Rubbish was still
being dumped in the recycling area in the
church car park. If this persisted, the
recycling bins would have to be moved.
Ulcombe
Crime report There had been 17 minor
incidents reported to the police, most of
them in the same location. There were no
reports of anti-social behaviour. Residents
were warned to be aware of bogus callers
and traders and to report anything
suspicious on 101.
Resignation The clerk had given notice of
her intention to resign from the post as clerk
and responsible finance officer. This was due
to a change in her personal circumstances.
Recreation ground A noticeboard and picnic
bench had been bought for the recreation
ground.
Neighbourhood Watch
Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police
a van in Dogwood Close, Lordswood.
A Giant mountain bike, a Dewalt plane,
an angle grinder, a ladder and fishing
equipment were among items stolen from a
garage in a block in Blenheim Close,
Bearsted.
A parked vehicle was entered in Ware
Street, Weavering and a wallet and its contents were taken.
An office at a block of flats was broken
into in Holland Road, Maidstone.
A parked vehicle had its window lock
damaged in Basmere Close, Vinters Park.
Tools including a Makita grinder, Dewalt
saw, Makita drill and generator were stolen
from a garage in Ashford Road, Bearsted.
Tools were taken from a van in Dogwood
Close, Lordswood.
A garden table and five chairs were stolen
from the garden of a home in Taylor Close,
Harrietsham.
A Citroen parked in a driveway was broken into in Creve Coeur Close, Bearsted
Park. A TomTom satnav and a pair of sunglasses were stolen.
The wall of council premises was damaged in Oxford Road, Shepway.
Two parked vehicles were keyed in Foley
Street, Maidstone.
Solar lights were stolen from the garden
of a home in Bramley Crescent, Bearsted.
An attempt was made to steal a post box
in Ringlestone Road, Wormshill.
Fencing was damaged at a premises in
Charlesford Avenue, Kingswood.
Crime reports
A STATUE in the garden of a residential
property in Willington Street, Bearsted was
damaged. A second statue was also moved
in an attempt to steal it.
An unsecured vintage bicycle was stolen
from the back garden of a home in New Cut
Road, Weavering.
A horse was taken from a field in
Roundwell, Bearsted.
A tree was cut down without permission
in Yew Tree Close, Lordswood.
Two Boardman bicycles were stolen from
a garage at a home in Chatham Road, Sandling.
A plastic wheelie bin was stolen from Yeoman Lane, Bearsted.
A resident was woken by a dog barking
in Fir Tree Grove, Lordswood. On looking
out to see what was happening they found
that someone had attempted to force their
garage door.
A phone was stolen from a van while its
owner was working at a property in
Roundwell, Bearsted.
A Bailey Olympus caravan was stolen
from a field in Scragged Oak Road, Detling.
Fencing at a farm had been cut.
Kent peg roof tiles were stolen from a
property in Grange Lane, Sandling.
Tools were stolen after entry was made to
that soil, costing up to £1,500, should be
placed in strategic places around the field
until a permanent solution was found.
Parish Councils
MP and copied to health minister Jeremy
Hunt.
Open spaces Cllr Greenhead reported that
the Jubilee Stone area needed to be
managed. An open spaces working party
had cleared Foxden bank of neles to give
the whips a greater chance of survival.
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2 Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, Kent ME14 4DT 01622 630330 www.downsmail.co.uk email: [email protected] Printed by Newbury News.

Bid to end `phoenix` firms tax loophole

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