Swarming heck – look at those bees!


THOUSANDS of bees decided to have a “breather” in Rocks Close, East Malling. Ruth Dickens was astonished when her


son Sam (16) called her atwork to warn her that a swarm had chosen to set up camp on her back garden wall. She said: “On my return home, two-and-


a-half hours later, the swarmwas still on the back wall. It certainly caused some excite- ment in the road!” She contacted bee expert Simon Reed, of Petham Vale Honey, near Canterbury, who said the swarm was probably the result of a new queen leaving an existing colony and taking the other half with her on the search for a suitable location. The queen tires quickly andwherever she


stops for a breather,which could last from a few hours to a few days, the colony will set- tle around to protect her. This is what hap- pened in East Malling, though some of the queen’s ‘scouts’ would have still been on the lookout for more suitable, permanent accommodation in the area. Neighbour Clare Judd managed to locate


a beekeeper, who turned up to take them away at 4pm, five hours after the swarm had arrived. She said: “By this time the children were home from school andwere fascinated – and a bit nervous.


Loans for empty homes OWNERS of properties in Tonbridge and Malling empty for more than six months can now apply for loans of up to £25,000 to renovate them and bring them back into use. The borough council already par- ticipates in the No Use Empty scheme, launched by KCC in 2005 in a bid to tackle the escalating housing shortage in the county. Under the project, councils pro-


vide owners of run-down unused properties with information and ad- vice to transform them into homes. Now the borough is going a step further by joining the part of the scheme which offers owners inter- est-free loans to cover repair costs.


“The lady at Tonbridge and Malling Coun-


cil’s environmental department called to re- assure us that the bees wouldn’t stay around for long – although, to me, they didn’t look like they were going to move! “She said it has probably happened be-


cause more people are keeping bees now as they are becoming rarer and are a protected species. The beekeeper who came to take the bees away said that people aren’t treat- ing bees properly and they get confused and look for somewhere else to live.”


MP’s schools’


strike day offer CHATHAM and Ayles- ford MP Tracey Crouch offered to take the day off from Parliament to help keep children in classes affected by teachers’ strike action. But she said that her services were not re- quired as head teachers in her constituency told her that either their schools were closing or they had already found alternatives to keep them open.


The swarm of bees lands on the garden wall in Rocks Close, East Malling, and (above) what the swarm looked like close up.


The


bees are taken away by a


keeper.


Centre is key link in food chain


EAST Malling Research will play a vital role in protecting Kent’s £2.6bn food industry. Agriculture and horticulture have all risen up the political agenda due to growing concerns over global food security. The centre was highlighted in a report about a food sector action


plan for the county. Kent is one of the UK’s major food producing regions. Almost two-thirds of apples and pears and a third of all strawberries are grown here. East Malling, which specialises in innovative horticulture re- search, has helped to establish Kent as a leading centre for R&D. For example, its researchers have shown it is possible to produce one tonne of Grade 1 potatoes using just 23 tonnes of water, signif- icantly less than the industry average of 42-60 tonnes. “Similarly,” added the report, “biological control research being undertaken at East Malling has a significant role to play in current and future pest and disease risks.” One worry highlighted in the report is that over a third of Kent’s


rural businesses do not have access to a basic broadband service of two megabytes while virtually none has access to next-generation superfast broadband. This, said the report, is a “key constraint”. Other issues are planning for water needs, accommodation for workers and workforce development.National estimates suggest the industry will need about 60,000 new entrants over the next 10 years, all requiring a higher level of skills than the workers they replace. This summer, the Kent Rural Board will finalise the action plan, including timescales and responsibilities.


Ofsted accolade for Teston nursery


TESTON and Wateringbury Nursery Group has received a “good” rating from Ofsted, which praised its highly organ- ised systems and skilful staff. The nursery, based at Teston


Bags of fun for all at family day HEALTH and financial advice was on offer as part of a family fun day at The Malling School in Beech Road. More than 500 people visited the event, organised by Russet Homes and supported by almost 40 organisations and charities. Marilyn Smith, community development officer at Russet, said


it was excellent to see three generations of families enjoying the day together and she hoped it had encouraged people to build bridges with others in their neighbourhood. She said: “Bringing people together for events like this gives


them the chance to speak for the first time to people who may have lived in the same neighbourhood – even the same street – for many years.” Claudette Howard, a Russet resident from West Malling, said: “It was a brilliant day which was fun for the children.”


6 Malling


Village Hall in Church Street, was described in its latest re- port as “a well organised child- care provision, with well trained staff who show a clear and consistent awareness of the developing needs of individual children.” Inspector Christopher MacK- innon, who visited in June, said there was a highly stimulating and thoughtfully prepared play environment that included op- portunities for play and learn- ing outdoors. The quality of planning for learning and teaching skills was


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


exemplary and children made excellent progress. The nursery’s highly organ-


ised linkswith parents was also considered outstanding. The in- spector observed an innovative ‘news tree’ where parents could place family news and informa- tion from home, which staff and children use and read during the play session. There is also a ‘Stay and Play’ system where parents can engage with the ac- tivities. The report said the nursery


has excellent planning systems. The staff team was praised for its consistently skilful teaching. The extent to which children achieve and enjoy their learning and the way they develop skills for the future was rated out- standing.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40