Under curfew A TOVIL man who failed to comply with a community re- quirement of a suspended sen- tence order has been put under curfew for six months and elec- tronically tagged. The 8pm to 6am curfew was


given to Barry Robert Maidwell of Hayle Road, after he twice failed to attend a supervision session. He was fined £50.


Nursery changes BETSY Clara Nursing Home in Courtenay Road, Tovil, has been given planning permis- sion to demolish an existing conservatory at the north-west wing to form a larger lounge area. Maidstone Council allowed


the application on condition that materials used in the con- struction should match those used in the existing building. The applicant claimed: “It


has become necessary to pro- vide an additional lounge/din- ing area to enable the client group’s needs to be met adja- cent to their rooms.”


Tanning studio plan A TANNING studio may be es- tablished at 19 Union Street, Maidstone, following applica- tion for a change of use.


Pupils’ writing honours


FOUR pupils from Molehill Copse Primary School, Shepway, have been awarded prizes in the south east region’s Royal Mail Young Letter Writers competition, including Jake Talbot, who won a top prize. The theme for this year’s competition, which


aims to recognise the nation’s best young letter writers, was children’s favourite books. Jake (11) was the winner in the special achieve-


ment category. He has impaired hearing and was born with cerebral palsy. He wrote a descriptive account of a firework display and received a £50 book token, certificate and set of personalised stamps featuring his own favourite photograph. He also received a pack of letter-writing goodies to share with his classmates. Jake Horton (10), who has learning difficulties


and Avalon Monk (11), who has emotional and behavioural difficulties, were runners-up in the special achievement category. They also wrote ac- counts of a firework display. They each received a £20 book token, a framed


Man on the run MAIDSTONE runner Ian Hardie (44) will put himself to the test in this year’s Virgin London Marathon on Sunday, April 17. Ian, from Highland Road,


hopes to raise at least £200 for The Migraine Trust and Guys Hospital. Contact Ian at ikadans@blueyonder.co.uk


Jake Talbot (middle), who won a top prize, and fellow pupils Leah King and Jake Horton show off their awards.


certificate and a set of stamps. Leah King was runner-up in the age 10 to 11 cat-


egory for her letter inspired by Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. She received a £20 book token, certificate and stamps.


Bluebell walk returns for hospice


THE annual BluebellWalk will be held on Sunday, May 1, be- ginning and ending at Harrietsham Community Centre. The event, in its 24th year, raises money for Heart of Kent Hospice, with last year yielding more than £36,000. The eight-and-a-half mile route includes paths not normally


open to the public. Registration fees are £8 for an adult, £3 for a child, and £20 for


a family of two adults and two children. Register at www.hokh.org or call 01622 790195.


DownsMail In touch with your parish


Barming Council Community hall


IT was agreed that Prime Build- ing Consultants was the pre- ferred bid for the community hall scheme. KCC Cllr Paulina Stockell was thanked for providing funds for the works to the entrance of Barming School. Chairman Cllr Fay Gooch re- ported on a constructive meet- ing with Barming Youth Football Club. The production of a booklet


for the annual parish meeting was agreed. Cllr Gooch reported that the parish council had been ap- proached to take part in the Queen Elizabeth Field Chal- lenge. Cllr Ken Hesse would contact the organisers to clarify whether the playing field would need to be used for the event. Aletter of thanks had been re- ceived from Medway Valley Rail Partnership for the dona- tion of £100. MVRP’s Ian Paterson had in-


formed Cllr Gooch that he was in discussions with Network Rail for the bath tub dumped at Barming Bridge to be removed. Cllr Martin Greenwood re- ported on a MVRP meeting where there had been discus- sion about the new timetables and the number of people not buying tickets because of no ticket inspectors. Cllr Sandra Manser reported that Playdale was working on


the play equipment. She also said that fly tippers had left a pile of soil and rubble in the parish field car park. Following damage to the rail-


ings in an accident at the junc- tion of South Street, Cllr Manser reported that there were better sight lines. Cllr Gooch asked the clerk to advise Kent Highway Services. Cllr Gooch reported that Vol- untary Action Maidstone was holding free funding sessions. It was agreed to attend to investi- gate funding opportunities for the proposed community centre.


Risk assessment Loose Council


THE parish council’s liability to members and other volunteers regarding path gritting was dis- cussed, and it was agreed that a risk assessment be carried out before any further path clearing took place. PCSO Richard Chainey re- ported that a main offender had been arrested in connection with nuisance youths at the field and that some home visits had been carried out. It was also revealed that he would be required to look after more areas and parishes fol- lowing police cutbacks. Community warden Liz Lo-


vatt mentioned nuisance park- ing in Lancet Lane, and chairman Vianne Gibbons read out the response from Loose School in connection to the parish council’s letter about in-


considerate parking. It was reported that there had


been 26,220 hits on the parish website – around 300 per week. There were reports of dog


fouling in the cemetery. It was stressed that the civic dog war- den could prosecute. The chairman read out an


email about anti-social behav- iour on the playing field. She agreed that there had been re- cent trouble but claimed this had been dealt with. Compared to a few years ago, she felt things had been trouble-free for a long while. She told the meeting that the setting up the youth club had been unavoidably delayed, but hoped this would soon be moved forward, with the assis- tance of the YMCA. Ms Lovattt stated that some matters connected with anti-so- cial behaviour did not relate to Loose youths. She suggested residents keep a diary of any such future incidents. Cllr Roy Hood reported on damage to items in the playing field. The CCTV was men- tioned, and the cost to upgrade it. As Albany Funerals had a CCTV camera, assistant clerk Anne Rigby agreed to find out if they could offer support. The clerk confirmed that Brownies‘ meetings were to re- turn on Tuesday evenings only. The chairman read out a letter


from Mrs Proctor regarding a re- quest to have greyhound dogs on Brooks Field during the an-


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


nual duck race. Members agreed to allow this, as in previous years. It was agreed that the half


page spread in Downs Mail be continued on a quarterly basis, and to continue with the In and Around Loose publication. The date of the annual parish meeting was agreed for April 4, which would take a different format, starting with a formal session, followed by an open forum. There would be informa- tion stations and exhibitions. The licence agreement with


KCC for the Sure Start Children’s Centre at Loose was signed. The leasing of the shed on Brooks Field by the Loose Amenities Association was dis- cussed and it was agreed that three months’ notice would be given for the LAAto cease using the shed and a new agreement drawn up for its use. The Big Lottery application


for Brooks Field was discussed and it was agreed to seek addi- tional support for the project. It was reported that a lime


tree opposite The Chequers Inn, planted by Jacobs Babtie to re- place the felled lime tree, would be discussed by the environ- ment committee. The chairman said that any-


one interested in the Poppy Party weekend on June 10-12 should contact the clerk. Simi- larly, if anyone was interested in a tour to mark the opening of the YMCA Centre they should contact the clerk.


Town 39


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