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Hospital campaign still on


THE campaign to restore core services to Maidstone Hospi- tal will be considered when the annual meeting of MASH is held at Maidstone Commu- nity Support Centre, 39-48 Marsham Street, Maidstone on Friday May 20 (7pm). By September, Maidstone


will have lost these services to the new Pembury Hospital: emergency and orthopaedic surgery, consultant-led mater- nities, children's ward, gynae- cology, chronic pain unit. Chairman Dennis Fowle


said: "MASH hopes to build up the strength of our cam- paign team and welcomes sup- port at the annual meeting."


A MAIDSTONE private hospital has honoured 54 staff for providing 561 years of combined service. Staff at BMI The Somer-


field Hospital were pre- sented with long service pins for their hard work and dedication to patients. Ex- ecutive director Connie Stocker presented them with their pins over two special evenings at the hospital in London Road. She said: “It’s fantastic we can boast that we


have such dedicated people working here, it says a lot about the hospital as a workplace. I’m very


Birthing unit work WORK has now started on building the new stand-alone birthing unit at Maidstone Hos- pital and is scheduled to be com- pleted by September when consultant-led births will be transferred to Pembury Hospital. It is expected to take 200-250


births a year – a choice made by womenwho are expecting births with no complications.


A planning application has


been submitted for between 140 and 300 extra parking spaces for Maidstone Hospital – to be sited in front of the hospital be- tween the child nursery and Hermitage Lane.


Pembury parking AN additional 100 parking spaces for visitors have been added to the new hospital in Pembury. Tunbridge Wells Borough


Council’s planning committee approved the plans after con- cerns were raised by patient groups and local residents that there were not enough spaces at the 512-bed hospital. Now, there will be a total of


1,300 spaces – 950 for staff and 350 for visitors – when the re- development is completed in early 2012, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said.


Hospital staff loyalty rewarded with 25-year pins


proud of the team and de- lighted that so many of our departments were repre- sented at the awards.” Two women received 25-


Somerfield Hospital staff members.


year pins – staff nurse Gly- nis Davies and imaging manager Cheryl Beames, who said: “I really enjoy working at the Somerfield. I’ve had the opportunity for promotion and develop-


ment. It’s a very happy environment to work. It's great to be awarded something to recognise our hard work, but also to be able to celebrate with colleagues.”


W.J. CROUCHBUTCHERS incorporatingRickwoods of Bearsted Est. 1977


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Concert is high note


of society’s year A CONCERT is being organised by Bearsted Choral Society to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Light summer music, sung in


English and French, will be per- formed jointly by the Bearsted group and Chorale des 2 Caps, from Wissant, Nord-Pas de Calais, with conductors Peter Ashley and Jean-Marie Fondeur and organist Martin Hogben. The event, on Saturday, June


4, at All Saints Church in Mill Street, Maidstone, will be at- tended by Maidstone Mayor and Mayoress, Cllr Brian Mor- timer and Diane, together with the society’s three founder mu- sicians – conductor, organist and head teacher of Bearsted School. Tickets, price £8 and £4 (stu- dents) on 01634 666730, from Sharon Music, 65 High Street, Maidstone, on the door or at www.bearstedchoral.org.uk.


New homes plan MONRO Homes has applied to build four homes at Two Trees, The Landway, Bearsted. The applicant wrote in a planning document: “A rede- velopment on the site with four houses – in a manner largely the same as now proposed – al- ready benefits from an extant planning permission.” Maidstone Council will de- cide on the application.


East 23


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