Paulina takes KCC chair


THE new chairman of Kent County Council is for- mer Maidstone mayor Paulina Stockell. She is only the third woman in KCC’s history to hold the post. Cllr Stockell is the county member


for Maidstone Rural West divison and has served as the chairman of its strate- gic planning and regeneration commit- tee. She has also been a borough councillor for 21 years, representing Sutton Valence and Langley. She has chosen Macmillan Cancer Support and The Children’s Society as her charities during her year of office. She said: “I will promote and uphold thevaluesofmyhomecountyand bang the drum for Kent wherever I can.


Team’s hat-trick


MAIDSTONE Ladies hockey team celebrated winning the Kent Cup for the third year in a row.


The final, held at Polo Farm, Canterbury, ended with a 7-3 win against the home side. A hat-trick was scored by Maidstone’s Jess Cremin. The three consecutive wins were all played on the opponents’ home turf. The team also won the East round qualifier for the Na- tional indoor competition. The team are looking for re- cruits. For details contact Chris Daniels on 01622 743171. Male players should call Matt Evans on 07825659344 and juniors, Mick Emery on 07779341912.


“As a mother and a school teacher, children and


young people have been an important part of my life. During my chairmanship I want to celebrate the contribution that children and young people make to the county.” Cllr Stockell has been a school gover-


nor for more than 20 years. She was ap- pointed to the Kent Police Authority in 2009. She was borough mayor 10 years ago.


Her vice chairman will be Cllr Richard King (Ashford Rural West), a retired broadcasting executive, who has been a director of both the Kent and Maidstone Chambers of Commerce and chairman of Maidstone Enterprise Agency andMaidstone Business Point.


Museum goes green with heating system LARGE holes are being dug under Maidstone Museum as a way of heating the building. The museum, situated on Faith Street, is having 15 boreholes


dug under the East Wing extension, each 120 metres deep. Sev- eral ground heat pumps are to be installed, which will allow the museum to create its own low carbon energy source, resulting in reduced heating costs. The work was partly funded by the EDF Energy Green Fund, which contributed £30,000 to the eco-friendly project.


Temporary move for information centre MAIDSTONE’s Visitor Information Centre has temporarily moved to Maidstone Museum. The information centre will be at the Brenchley Gallery, near the museum’s cafe, until it moves permanently to the new East Wing extension. Former cabinet member Cllr Richard Ash said: “The purpose of


themove is to offer a full leisure and tourism service in one place.” The centre is open between 10am and 5pm, Monday to Saturday and from noon to 4pm on Sundays.


Voters say ‘no’ to AV ALMOST three-quarters of the borough came out against the proposed Alternative Voting system. Only 26% voted in favour,


with 74% opposed to AV – 4% higher than the national aver- age. The turnout was 42%, the same as the rest of the country. Of the Maidstone electorate


of 111,990, 47,327 people voted – 35,113 ‘yes’ and 12,214 ‘no’.


Hotfoot is good THE council-run Hotfoot Easter playscheme has received a ‘good’ rating from Ofsted. Inspectors gave Hotfoot a


good report regarding children’s behaviour, healthy eating habits, safety and wellbeing, as well as the strong relationship between the children and staff. To apply for the scheme, visit


www.maidstone.gov.uk/sports or call 01622 602222.


Rotary charity walk THE Rotary Club of the Weald of Kent is sponsoring this year’s North DownsWalk. The event on Sunday, July 3


offers a free ploughman’s sand- wich, strawberries and a jazz band at the finish at Harriet- sham VillageHall. Starting from the hall there will be options to walk five or 10-mile routes. A minimum donation is £10.


For further details contact 01622 890650 / www.weald- ofkentrotary.org.uk.


Indian Sandstone From Only £14.50m2+ VAT


With low prices, there has never been a better time to create a patio or pave your drive. We have a massive selection of stone, concrete and brick paving. Call with your ideas and we will find you the perfect solution.


Maidstone Depot Tel: 01622 791111 To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


Staplehurst Depot Tel: 01580 892037 Staplehurst Landscape Centre Tel: 01580 892733 www.homeleighgroup.co.uk


Town 27


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