Concert marks 40 years of choir SINGERS celebrated 40 years of their choir with a lively con- cert in All Saints Church,Maidstone. Bearsted Choral Society joined French singers, Chorale des


Deux Caps, to put on an evening of classical and traditional tunes. Songs including Amazing Grace and Psalm 23 – used as the


theme tune to The Vicar of Dibley –were sung, aswell as a ver- sion of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. The local choir was opening the Upchurch Festival of Music and performing in the Maidstone Choirs Festival.


Warm and snug, just like a ‘roo’


ANNIE Lefebve is confident her new babywill be a really happy little chap, just like his big brother. The reason? They both started life as kangaroos! When Matthew was born two


years ago he went straight into a pouch-like wrap – for what is called “kangaroo care” – and Christopher, pictured at home with mum, has followed suit. Both were Caesarian deliveries. The cotton wrap goes around


the body and is then tied. It al- lows a baby to have that all-im- portant skin-to-skin contact with mum – or dad – who can then have their hands free to get on with other jobs. The system was trialled suc- cessfully at Pembury Hospital and has just been rolled out at Maidstone Hospital. Christopher arrived – weigh-


ing 6lb 11oz – in the week the scheme was launched. It got the thumbs-up from Annie and husband Steve, both police offi- cers, who live in Leamington Drive, near the hospital. “It is such a positive thing,”


said Annie, 33. “When Iwas re- covering from the Caesarians it meant I could carry Matthew, and now Christopher, and keep my hands free to do things around the house. ” Annie has also found it helped with Christopher’s


Happy


days: Baby Christopher is content in the KangaWrap close to mum.


weight. “He only lost 11 /2 oz in


the first week, which is good, and I put that down to the ‘Kan- gaWrap’.” She added: “It’s a very natural


thing to do. In other countries, you don’t go off to work in the field and leave the baby – you take the baby wbth you.” And it’s not just for mums. First-born Matthew spent a lot of time in the wrap with dad. Annie said: “The two of them have a fabulous bond and I firmly believe it was down to the wrap.” Consultant midwife Sarah Gregson paid tribute to col- leagues Jean Meadows, Marion Adams, Jane Jeal and Karen Leeson who introduced the sys- tem, adding: “Kangaroo care has really changed howwe care for small and preterm babies.”


All join the jam for free music event!


MAIDSTONE’S biggest free youth music festival - Jam in the Park 2011 - is set to return to Brenchley Gardens on Saturday, August 6. The event will see a host of Kent youth bands and solo artists per- forming live that afternoon. Event organiser Moira Mitchell said: “Each year the festival just gets bigger and better.We’re now on the hunt for youth bands and solo artists to audition.” Email jaminthepark@hotmail.co.uk with an example of your music. Alternatively, call 0796 1051654 for more details.


Summer fun on offer for youngsters PAINTBALLING, ice-skating and cave exploring are some of the ac- tivities youngsters can enjoy this summer in Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council’s Crew Y2 Summer Scheme. Young people aged between 11 and 18 can take part in activity


Commercial storage


TRAVIS Perkins has ap- plied for a temporary two- year change of use to allow the overnight storage of commercial vehicles at Cob- tree House, Forstal Road, Aylesford. The proposal, which will


be decided by Maidstone Council, also seeks the sta- tioning of two portable cab- ins for offices and restrooms.


22 Malling


days, courses and day trips, all organised by the multi agency scheme. This year’s scheme runs from


July 25 to August 19, and in- cludes activities such as skiing, a West End theatre trip to see Legally Blonde and a day at Hastings beach. For a booking form, go to the borough council’s main office in Kings Hill, contact 01732 876166 or log on to www. leisure.services@tmbc.gov.uk.


September target for new birthing centre


TEN lorries were used to carry the modules to create Maidstone Hospital’s new birthing centre. The pre-fabricated com- ponents were then assem- bled at the start of a programme to add brick cladding and a pitched roof before fully equipping it. The centre is being lo-


cated on land at the back of Priority House after being transported from Driffield, North Humberside. When ready for use in September, it will contain two birthing rooms, two consulting rooms, four bed- rooms, a kitchen diner and lounge. It will also be a base for community midwives. Thecentrewillbeusedby pregnant women expected to have a straightforward birth and who prefer to be in a non-medical setting. Its opening will coincide


with the transfer of other maternity services from Maidstone Hospital to the new Tunbridge Wells Hos- pital at Pembury 14 miles away.


Consultantmidwife Sarah Gregson said: “We hope to


Consultant midwife Sarah Greg- son with matron for antenatal and community services, Alison Mendes, and research midwife and chair of the local branch of the Royal College of Midwives, Joy Kemp.


take ownership of the new centre in late August and open the doors for mothers from Thursday, September 22 at 8am.”


Search goes on for missing Messerschmitt A NEW search is taking place to discover the remains of a German WWII fighter plane suspected to have crash-landed in Leybourne more than 70 years ago. Investigations in the past three years have failed to provide con- clusive answers about exactly where the Messerschmitt 109 fin- ished up, with three different locations of the crash earmarked by seven witnesses. The new search will explore a patch of land on London Road that


was formerly a disused service station. It is now owned by Per- simmon Homes, who agreed for a layer of topsoil to be dug in the search.


Leading the quest is Geoff Nutkins of Shoreham Aircraft Mu-


seum, near Sevenoaks, which is where any found artefacts will be displayed.


Charity given green light for expansion plan PLANNERS have given the go-ahead for a disability charity to ex- pand its base in Hermitage Lane, Aylesford. mcch Society Ltd, which pro-


Thanks for help MAIDSTONE Mencap has expressed thanks to everyone who supported its annual plant and book sale, which raised a record £1,400. Special thanks went to East Malling Research and to everyone who grew plants for the sale this year.


New Fremlin shop CLOTHES chain Superdry plans to move into vacant premises at 27 FremlinWalk, Maidstone.


vides work and training for dis- abled people, has been operating from Britannia Busi- ness Park at nearby Quarry Wood, but now needs bigger premises. Borough councillors approved proposals, jointly submitted by Gallagher Properties and mcch, for a two-storey unit at Her- mitage Court, including a cafe, offices and car parking. The charity currently runs a mobile catering service called tuckbytruck, selling snacks to local businesses.


Villagers stumped in church cricket match WATERINGBURY were beaten byWest Farleigh in the annual village cricket match, which raised about £200 for church funds. Of the 11 wickets that fell, four were stumpings - two by guest player Archdeacon Clive Mansell.


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