Stones look to brighter future after relegation disappointment
MAIDSTONE United FC have announced that Jay Saunders will take permanent charge of the first team. He took over from Andy Ford and Steve
Butler as caretaker manager in mid-March and made an immediate impact with five wins in the final seven games of the season. However, despite being one of the in-form
sides in the closingweeks, The Stones were relegated from the Ryman League Premier
Division. Jay said: “The club’s relegation was a massive disappointment. When I took over in March many said survival was vir- tually impossible. To have come so close made it all the more harder to accept. “However,we are determined to build for
the future, especially with the return to Maidstone so close. I have already started making plans for next season so we’re in the best position to challenge for promotion.”
David Priestley holds the bot- tles that could help save lives.
Message in a
bottle
The club has announced that Europa Sports will be the official kit and leisurewear supplier, after signing a two- year deal. Europa Sports, which is in the process of relocating to Aylesford, will be supplying Macron kit throughout the club from the first team through to the youngest play- ers within the youth and community sec- tion.
Council power bill is shrinking
THE consortium used by Maid- stone Borough Council to pur- chase electricity and gas has created bigger savings than ex- pected. A senior officer’s report said:
“The council’s current energy purchasing arrangements via a contract with Laser terminate at the end of September 2012. “These arrangements have been
A MESSAGE in a bottle could save your life. That is themessage from Maidstone Lions Club who, with the
NHSWest Kent, is promoting the scheme to people with health problems. The idea is to complete a form with details of medical condi-
tions and medicines being taken, put it in the bottle and keep it in the fridge. Two stickers are included, one for the property’s front door and the other for the fridge door, so emergency serv- ices will instantly have medical details available if they are called.
Maidstone Lionswill be delivering the bottles to participating
local GP surgeries where they will be available free to thosewho have a need. Contact the Lions on 01795841439 or
m.w.lux-
ton@btinternet.com for more details.
New play area for
Mote Park opens ANEWplay area for eight to 15 year-olds has opened at Mote Park, next to the park and ride entrance inWillington Street. It includes two climbing frames with ropes, a slide, a basket swing and a large round- about. The play area, which cost £50,000, has received Play- builder funding – a national play facilities scheme to help build new play spaces for local communities. Last year, young people in Maidstone were asked what they wanted the play area to in- clude and the result is the de- sign of this new space.
very successful for the council, achieving savings of approxi- mately £54,000 over the last two years.” In 2009, Maidstone’s property and procurement man- ager, David Tibbit, said the coun- cil’s energy spend had risen to
MAIDSTONE’S biggest free youthmusic festival - Jam in the Park 2011 - is set to return to Brenchley Gardens on the after- noon of Saturday, August 6. The event will see a host of
Kent youth bands and solo artists performing. Event organiser Moira
The spirit of C&H Fabrics to live on STAFF who were made redundant from C&H Fabrics are planning to set up a new curtain and fabric store of their own. Maidstone trio Elizabeth Sawyers, Linda Gander and Frances Bakerwere among the 47 people who lost their jobs following the closure in March of C&H, which had been trading inWeek Street for more than 40 years. They expect to open new shop Sew a Good Yarn in
June, on the site of a former sports shop near the Gabriels Hill entrance of The Mall shopping centre. Two other former C&H staff have been recruited as sales assistants.
Planning for no paper MEMBERS of the public can no longer view paper copies of planning documents atMaidstone Gateway. Instead, Maidstone Council will expect interested parties to view the documents on the internet. The decision was made as a cost-cutting measure as
an average of only 10 people per week were requesting paper copies.
Boiler work closes Hazlitt for a month
MAIDSTONE'S Hazlitt Arts Centre will be shut for amonth in summer for essentialwork on the heating and electrical systems. The borough council owners fear the heat-
ing may break down this winter. One of the four boilers has already failed and the pipework and radiators are more than 30 years old. A report to cabinet said when the system was flushed out last summerit exposed weak- nesses in the pipework, causing leaks in some areas."It is therefore considered expedient to replace the elderly pipework and radiators at the same time as the boiler plant to ensure
6 East
maximum efficiency of the new system," the report added. The plan is to close the Hazlitt Theatre and Exchange Studio,which contribute over £2m a year to the local economy, from mid-August to mid-September. The project will be funded from balances as the work was unbudgeted.
Stroke of improvement MAIDSTONE and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has shown a marked improvement in treatment of stroke patients in the past two years, according to a survey.
£500,000. He had previously ex- pressed some reservations about Laser’s performance. But the consortium, which, at
the time, represented 70 councils, nowtenders andnegotiates prices on behalf of about 120 local au- thorities in London and the South East. Price advantage is sought through the aggregation of de- mand of all the participants’ re- quirements. Maidstone currently spends
about £430,000-a-year on energy. It was decided to continue with Laser based on its “recent suc- cessful performance and prospects for continued success”.
Youth music festival returns
Mitchell said: “Each year the fes- tival just gets bigger and better. We’re now on the hunt for youth bands and solo artists to audi- tion.”
Email jaminthepark@hot-
mail.co.uk with an example of your music, or call 07961 051 654 for more details.
New bridge for Bearsted BEARSTED rail station is being given a makeover to provide a new footbridge for passengers, possibly with lifts either side of the lines. A mobile phone aerial is also being
built, to provide an improved signal. A Network Rail spokesperson said:
“Work has already started on site and will include the demolition of the exist- ing structure and the installation of a new bridge. “The new bridge is scheduled to be completed in the autumn. “Every effort will be made to keep dis- ruption to aminimum for passengers and our neighbours during the construction and we thank them in advance for their patience while we carry out this impor- tant upgrade.”
Stopping services criticised MP HELEN Grant has voiced her opposi- tion to additional train stops for the Lon- don Victoria service, travelling from Maidstone East. She felt the idea of creating new stops at Denmark Hill and Peckham Rye would inconvenience commuters from Maid- stone and Bearsted.
Going digital by June 2012 TV transmission in Maidstone will be digi- tal only from June 27 2012, when the Blue- bell Hill transmitter switches off its analogue signals.
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