Mayor’s busy diary speaks volumes
THREE events in one afternoon is nothing exceptional for the bor- ough’s No 1 citizen – and Cllr Brian Mortimer kindly invited the Downs Mail to join him in the mayor’s car to see what the job is all about. Christina Carapiet reports.
IT sounds a bit like the plot of an Oscar-winning film – the newmayor of Maidstone admits he is not a big fan of speaking in public. But, as in The King’s Speech, he is not going to let it stop him ful-
filling up to 600 engagements this year. Cllr Brian Mortimer, who lives in Coxheath, is only a few weeks into
his role. He enthused: “It’s lovely getting out and experiencing differ- ent events.” However, as we drove through Maidstone he toldme how he worries about giving speeches in public, as it doesn’t come naturally to him. He said: “ I didn’t have the best education.
I was moved through 11 schools from ages five to 11 and I didn’t go to university.” His hectic afternoon started at noonwhen
he visited Harbledown House, a refurbished sheltered housing scheme in Fant Lane. The mayor joined pensioners on the patio
for afternoon tea before planting a cherry tree in the garden. Cllr Mortimer was given a tour of the premises, owned by Golding Homes, which now have a hairdresser’s, a chiropody room, a scooter room and a large lounge. The original flats, built in the 60s, were comparable to bed-sits, with small rooms and communal bathrooms. But now, each flat has doubled in space, with a fully fitted kitchen, sound- proofing and an alarm fitted in the bath- room and bedroom. Cllr Mortimer then spoke to some of the residents, including 83-year-old Ron Ad- kins, who was very enthusiastic about showing off his new room. Ron, who chatted to the mayor, said: “ I
like it much more now and I have plenty of space.” Cllr Mortimer added: “It is amazing here.
The money that has gone into this is well worth it.”
Harbledown House resi- dent Ron Adkins shows the mayor his new room.
Samantha Hook (10), Cllr Mortimer and sis- ter Georgie (9) swing into action with the mayor at Mote Park.
Lisa Wood, support co-ordinator, said:
“The quality has increased so much now. We just want residents to be comfortable and happy, and I am here to ensure that.” After a quick cup of tea and a scone, it
was off to the next engagement – this time at the opposite end of the age spectrum. The mayor had been invited to open
a children’s play area, all part of a £2.5m re- vamp of historic Mote Park. Jason Taylor, the council’s parks
and leisure manager, greeted Cllr Mortimer who then thanked all those involved for their hardwork. That included 100 hours of help by the gardening and maintenance team at nearby Audley Mote House as part of its community programme. CllrMortimer cut the ribbon to officially open the play- ground. Astampede of children ran in to enjoy the equipment, which included two climbing frames, a slide, swing and a roundabout. The mayor’s inner child shone through as
he sat on a swinging tyre with sisters Samantha and Georgie Hook. Project manager Amanda Scott said: “We
have had it made exactly how the kids wanted. We had 400 children filling out a questionnaire about what they would like to see in a playground.” Before leaving, Cllr Mortimer requested
the DJ to play a song by his favourite band, the Rolling Stones. In the evening, Cllr Mortimer attended an
art show at the Trinity Foyer in the town centre. The exhibition, put on by a group of Uni- versity of CreativeArts (UCA) students, dis- played a mixture of media, including photography, sketches and video art. Second year students, Chris Rendell, 21,
Jade Johannson, 21 and Diane Quinn, 20, or- ganised the event. The mayor admired artwork before stu-
dent Chris Bayly drew a quirky portrait of him as a memento of his day
UCA students who organised the Trinity Foyer exhibition.
Castle talks POETRY author and radio presenter Fiona Castle, widow of TV presenter Roy, will be giving two free talks at the United Re- formed Church, Staple- hust, on June 23. The first talk entitled
‘My Journey Thus Far’ is between 10am and noon, followed by ‘Living Sim- ply By Your Heart and Home’ at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome
and light refreshments will be provided after the talks.
Passengers’ plight after bus services axed
VILLAGERS who say they have been left stranded by bus service cutbacks have pleaded with transport chiefs to think again. Lynn Ashford, of Hunton
Road, Chainhurst, said: “Our bus service now is zilch, nothing.We didn’t have a great service any- way but we had enough to keep the community going.” Regular passengers said the
first they knew of the changes on the 89A route to Maidstone was when their bus failed to turn up. The 9.30am and 1.30pm serv-
ices from the village were axed when Arriva introduced new
timetables in theMaidstone area in April, following cuts in Kent County Council subsidies for free journeys made by conces- sionary pass holders. Residents have been left with
one bus – the 7.15am – but com- plain that parents travelling then would have to leave their chil- dren for a considerable time be- fore school. Mrs Ashford said that an Arriva staff member suggested she could walk three miles to Marden or Coxheath to catch a bus.
She said; “For the bus service
to be restored would be marvel- lous but we understand that there are economic reasons. “A service on two days aweek, perhaps Tuesdays and Thurs- days, would be ideal so that we can pay our bills, keep medical appointments and go to the mar- ket.
“We are not asking for the earth,” she added. Arriva said it was forced to im- plement changes to most serv- ices in the Maidstone area to offset high fuel prices and loss of reimbursement from local au- thorities for free travel.
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