When times are tough, it pays to advertise 


THE Loss of C&H Fabrics


from Maidstone town centre is a serious and sad blow – but I cross swords with its bosses when they blame Maidstone Council. The council does not fix


business rates. And Maidstone has worked well to increase footfall compared with neigh- bouring towns. C&H has been very poor on


promoting itself in and around Maidstone – and in today’s highly competitive times you cannot live on past glories for ever. Most thriving businesses


also know how to market/pro- mote themselves and there must be many good stories in C&H which remain unknown. As a newspaperman I de-


clare an interest in this. But I am also close enough to appre- ciate many wise local business people know the importance of good, well-targeted advertis- ing.


When I was a young jour- nalist I remembered a ditty


MailMarks


DENNIS FOWLE - President Kent Campaigning Journalist of the Year 2001 email: dfowle2011@aol.com


which went something like this:


The turtle lays 1,000 eggs, The clever hen but one. But with all her clucks and


cries She knows it pays to adver-


tise. This stands good at most


times – but especially now when retail trade is under such serious threats.





A job too big? I WATCH local councils


trying to make savage cuts in costs with trepidation and sympathy – but I have great fears for Tonbridge and Malling and Gravesham who


LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Lack of support Dear Sir - Following Dennis Fowle’s recent comments about the Government not helping local businesses, it would ap- pear, with the forthcoming de- parture of C&H Fabrics, that local government and landlords are not helping either. C&H Fabrics, as you doubt-


less know, is a family-run con- cern and has been in business in Maidstone for 40 years. It is a bastion of quality mer-


chandise and quality personnel who have the expertise re- quired to help customers (a rare virtue these days). Does this mean that there will


be another building standing empty in Week Street, indeed opposite the old A&N building which has lain dormant for seven years? We are particularly outraged


that this store is closing as we patronise it frequently, but in general we are very sad that the so-called “county town” of Kent is being allowed to slide into rows of cheap or empty shops. Yes, we have Fremlins Walk,


but empty shops are appearing there, too, and the High Street is a mess. We know that the council is planning to spend £4m on a re-vamp of the lower end of the High Street, but the question in our minds is “Why?”. Surely Maidstone would be


better served if they used that money to ease the pain of exist- ing businesses and build a solid foundation of good retailers be- fore embarking on a restoration of a part of the town that few


plan to share a chief executive. Surely the person at the top


needs to be totally in charge in these difficult times and I can- not imagine how anyone can have strong hands-on control with two teams of officers and sets of problems to oversee. I understand how some


council services can be com- bined if savings are big enough – but not the top job, surely?


Postal problems IT’S BEEN a depressing


New Year for post. Soon after decorations came





down for Twelfth Night a whole batch of Christmas cards arrived. All were posted


at least 14 days before. Then I had to collect an en-


velope from Maidstone Royal Mail offices and pay £1.53 (in- cluding £1 handling fee). The sender put two second-class stamps (total 64p) on the enve- lope which turned out to be marginally bigger than “large” envelope size. Royal Mail classed it a “packet” and said it was un- derstamped by 53p. The box of cards in the office


showed me how many in Maidstone were suffering gross inconvenience and un- fair charges imposed by this appalling and confusing Royal Mail system.


Paternity dilemma I THINK it should be com-


pulsory for any new Member of Parliament to spend at least six months in a small business. Then such crazy legislation,





such as fathers having months away on maternity leave, would never have a chance.


You can write to us at: Downs Mail, 2 Forge House, BearstedGreen Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail: info@downsmail.co.uk


people visit. We all know that Bluewater


has been a threat, but we could fight back and encourage shop- pers to try Maidstone first. Ann Jackson (Mrs) (via email)


Hotel backing Dear Sir – In response to Kathryn Litton’s letter (Downs Mail, January), I applaud Maid- stone Council for giving plan- ning approval for the Travel- odge Hotel building. It is bright and different.


Would Kathryn Litton have pre- ferred something like the build- ing occupied by a supermarket in King Street? Maybe she does not like change. I note John McEnroe made his "You cannot be seri- ous" statement – which she has quoted, in 1981!


Mike Ball


St Andrews Park Maidstone


Patient research Dear Sir – MASH plans to pro- duce a survey of researched journey times from the centre of Maidstone to the three main hospitals Maidstone area women in labour will have to reach later this year for a con- sultant-led child birth. We will record journey times


over the fastest available route from one spot in the centre of Maidstone – outside All Saints Church – to the entrances of Medway, Ashford and Pembury hospitals at different times of the day. The preferred depar- ture times are 8am, noon, 5pm and 9pm. I would be pleased to hear


from car drivers who can help supply us with some of this in- formation. We will just need to know the route taken, time of departure and actual journey time and mileage. Information can be emailed to


me: dfowle2011@aol.com MASH will analyse all infor-


mation and publish the results as we continue our fight to keep these services in Maidstone Hospital.


Dennis Fowle, chairman, Maidstone Action for Services in Hospital


Popular pub Dear Sir – I have fond mer- mories of many visits to the- White Horse pub in Otham and feel sorry that local residents were unsuccessful in their at- tempts to buy it at auction (Downs Mail, January). Let’s hope the new owner


sticks to his word and retains it as a pub and that it doesn’t go the way of so many well-known hostelries. Dave Atcomb (via email)


Housing objections Dear Sir - I have read with in- terest your article on the SHLAA (Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment). It identifies the land at the junc- tion of Gatland Lane/Farleigh Lane as a potential site for 300 new homes. I would like to know if the


planning consultantswere from the Maidstone area and, more importantly, did they actually visit the site? Anyone in the general area 7am-9am, noon-2.00pm or 4pm-7pm will know how traffic


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


builds up, because of: single-file hold-ups at Far- leigh Bridge, plus regular wait- ing times for trains; Maidstone Hospital emer- gency traffic and Hermitage Lane local traffic; Traffic lights at the junction of Tonbridge Road/Farleigh Lane; The junction of Glebe Lane/Tonbridge Road; Road calming in Gatland Lane/Fant Lane, so dangerous it defies belief; and The bottleneck at the junction of Gatland Lane/Farleigh Lane. Who’s going to pay for the schools, doctors, dentists, roads and upgrades at Maidstone Hospital? These are just some of the ob-


vious objections to this devel- opment. So bring round the petition again, perhaps you will double the signatures and Maidstone Council will stop and listen to its voters. Barbara Skinner (via email)


Charity appeal Dear Sir – I am writing on be- half of the NSPCC in Kent to thank your readers for their support over the last 12 months. This year we are making a special appeal to anyone in Kent who has secured a place in the 2011 London Marathon, to consider running it in aid of the NSPCC – we can supply running vests, sponsor forms and training hints and tips to anyone who is able to help us. Rupa-Dey Amin


Head of local fundraising NSPCC


East 31


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