Stone the crows - our work has been wrecked
WEIRD and wonderful creations ranging from a giant crow to a robotmade frommilk bottles went on show when allotment holders at Ryarsh Lane,West Malling, held a scare- crow competition. But three days later the fun event, judged by BBC presenter Andy Garland, had an unhappy sequel when families discovered their handiwork had been ru- ined by vandals. Around half of the 23 scarecrows had
been wrecked and theirparts strewn over neighbouring fields. Linda Byron, who tends one of the
plots, said: “Everyone was upset because so much work had gone into some of them. Someone took their grandchildren along to see them and they had gone. It was very disappointing.
ANepileptic fit caused aman to lose control of his car after visiting his mum inMaidstone Hospital. Wayne's Buss's BMW hit the kerb
near theWateringbury hotel in Ton- bridge Road, smashed through a boundary wall, overturned and came to rest on a petrol station fore- court. An inquest heard that Mr Buss
(43), a car breaker, had been hit on the forehead by a crane several years earlier and had receivedmedication for seizures. Mr Buss was travelling home to Hadlow with his stepfather, Edward Clark, of East Peckham, after the
Not a drop left at
sell-out festival CLOSING time meant exactly that for drinkers at the East Malling Beer and Cider Festival. The final pint from a selection of
85 real ales and ciders was poured shortly before organisers called ‘time’. In all, more than 5,500 pints were
sold during the day at East Malling Research. Visitor numbers to the horticultural research venue ex- ceeded the 1,300 that attended last year’s inaugural event. Organiser Ian Clennett said: “Once again, we were blessed with great weather. After last year’s suc- cess we invested in extra facilities to make the day more comfortable and enjoyable for all the family. Scores of people leaving the site told us what a great day they’d had and how much they looked for- ward to coming back next year.” Jeff Tucker, chairman of Maid-
stone and Mid-Kent branch of CAMRA real ale campaign, said: “It was great to see that our planning paid off with such a fantastic turn- out.
“It’s a sign of how popular our festival is becoming that an entire wedding party came along after their ceremony to enjoy the beers and ciders on offer, as well as the live music.” Judges named Hop Twister, from
the Salopian Brewery in Shrews- bury, as beer of the festival while Dudda’s Tun Medium Cider from Doddington was best cider.
8 Malling “The policewere informed but we don’t think
there’s much that can be done.We have heard it was a group of
youths.At least theywere quite careful where they ran between the rows of plants so nobody lost any pro- duce.” Afewdays earlier, the competitionwas
well attended and visitors enjoyed re- freshments which included cakes made from courgettes and carrots. Radio Kent gardening presenter Andy Garland had a tough time judging the winner and was rewarded with a box of freshly harvested fruit and veg. The win- ning scarecrow was a robot made of plas- tic milk bottles by Michelle Fountain (pictured, left) and Steve Perry, and run-
ner-upwas a crow constructed from black bin lin- ers by TammyWickens and her family (right).
Fatal smash after epileptic fit
hospital visit on July 19 last year. Mr Buss was slowing down as they approached the traffic lights, said Mr Clark. Next, he recalled Mr Buss being unconscious as the ve- hicle hit the kerb and ended on its roof. Maidstone man Martin Bridger was in the garage shop when he heard a loud bang as the BMW smashed through the wall and stopped after glancing his parked car. He ran out and saw Mr Buss up- side down in the driver's seat, his body shaking - “fitting”. He was later declared dead at
the scene. Pathologist Dr David Rouse
said the evidence suggested the cause of Mr Buss's death was post-traumatic epilepsy with subsequent positional as- phyxia. He was a large, mus- cular man and, suspended upside down, his weight pushing down on his di- aphragm would have stopped him breathing. Coroner Patricia Harding
gave a narrative verdict that the incidentwas caused by Mr Buss having an epileptic fit brought on by his earlier in- dustrial accident.
beat wanted in Kings Hill AGREATER number of officers visible on the streets was the top choice in a poll of residents outside the Asda store at Kings Hill. It was carried out by the Kent Police research unit, to find out
More bobbies on the
what issues best represent public needs. The police had identified the following six categories as areas
where the public have expressed concern. At Kings Hill, they voted in the following way: Having more officers visible in the community - 46% Dealing with more crime and anti-social behaviour - 32% Speeding, cars parked on kerbs, people drivingwhile on mo-
bile phones, obstructing driveways - 10% Keeping promises (returning calls/carrying out police activ-
ity) - 4% Faster response times - 4% Officers available via telephone - 4% Ann Barnes, chairman of Kent Police Authority, said: ‘We were
able to speak to 101 people during the day. It’s important we are out and about canvassing views. "Increasing the number of dedicated neighbourhood officers
will give a further 50% boost to the frontline when the force launches its new way of policing inNovember." Inspector Adrian Allen and PCSO Anne Roots were joined by PCSOsWendy Allen and Julie Stoner to answer any questions.
Andy Garland congratulates run- ners-up TammyWickens, her daughter Sophie and nephews Shane, Sonny and StanWebb
Lottery joy Continued from page one
was shocked at winning the top prize. She signed up to the life-sav-
ing charity’s lottery two years ago and saw her £8-a-month subscription as a donation to a good cause. Diana said: “I was absolutely staggered because I’d forgotten all about it. It’s a really big sur- prise. I’ve never won anything in my life. “When I was told I’d won I thought it would be about £50. “Kent Air Ambulance does a brilliant job and we really need it. Never mind winning the money, it’s really great to have the service.” Diana visited the helicopter
base at Marden to collect her cheque with her five-year-old greyhoundWills. The pet has recently under-
gone operations to his feet and some of the money will go to- wards veterinary bills and buy- ing another rescue dog. Diana also plans to buy a present for her niece to cele- brate passing her GCSEs. It costs £1.7m-a-year to keep
the helicopter flying. It relies almost entirely on public dona- tions with no National Lottery funding. Profits from the air ambu-
lance’s own lottery help enable it to operate its vital service 365 days a year. It costs just £1 a week with a weekly prize of £1,000. For an extra £1 a week, members can join the superdraw, with a top prize of £25,000. Call 01622 833808 for details.
AHOMECOMING parade through Maidstonewas a heart-warming occasion for the soldiers of the 2nd Royal Tank Regiment - and for the onlookers who lined the High Street. The 'Tankies' had just returned from a six-month
Welcome to Tankies - but farewell to 12 Gurkhas tour in Afghanistan's Helmand Province, led by commanding officer Lt Col Marcus Evans, from Broomfield, nearMaidstone. The regiment recruits about one-fifth of its personnel from Kent. Sadly, on the same day as the march through the County Town it was announced that 12 local Gurkhas, based at Invicta Park barracks, are to lose their jobs in the latest round of defence cuts. They are among a total of 140 Gurkhas
being made redundant, including many at their Folkestone base.
To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330
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