Fiesta time as Louise is crowned rally queen


MAIDSTONE’s Louise Cook has been crowned British Rally Ladies Champion – in her first season of trying! Her triumph followed amaz-


ing twists and turns of for- tune before and during the last round that also saw the 24-year- old claim second place in the Fiesta Sport Trophy Champi- onship. “You could not have predicted


it at all. It was a great end to the season,” enthused Louise, whose boyfriend, Stefan Davis, of Rochester Road, Aylesford, is co-driver. Things began to go Louise’s


last round, this month’s Isle of Man rally, was being axed. That meant Yorkshire was the final round, which worked to Louise’s advantage under end- of-season drop-scores rules. But it also caused a lot of ten-


way the day before what should have been the penultimate rally in York- shire. Itwas announced that the scheduled


Rally champion Louise Cook


sion. “As soon as I got the email I spent an hour with a spread- sheet working out every possi- bility. I realised if Iwon the rally outright I could not finish any higher than fourth in the Fiesta Sport Trophy, the same as if I just got the car to the finish. But I would fall further down with- out the finish.” In the event, the unexpected happened. Her two closest ri-


vals, the 2010 Finnish champion Jussi Kumpumaki and ex-karting championNick


Cristofara failed to make it to the finish. With three stages still to complete Louise


knew she had to get her Fiesta across the line to seal second place. “The pressure was now really on. One of


the stages had a surface like themoon. Iwas cringing at every bump and pothole.” Louisemade it – and being second in the


Fiesta championship actually satisfied her more than being the overall ladies cham- pion. “It’s the most competitive one-make series in the UK. To do that was ‘like wow’. It felt like a big achievement in itself. “But to be a champion in your debut sea-


son is a pretty cool thing too.” Louise’s next ambition is to join


the World Rally Championship Academy for under-25s next year. It will cost £150,000 to take part – but it’s all part of her determined drive to be world champion one day.


Broadband boost not for all


MAIDSTONE is about to get on the super-fast in- ternet highway. But it is unclear exactly which homes and busi-


ness will benefit – and many parts of the borough are likely to miss out. BT is to upgrade 13 Kent exchanges, including Maidstone, Loose and Snodland, with fibre-based infrastructure so that providers can deliver super- fast broadband. But Barming, Bearsted, Headcorn and Staple-


hurst exchanges are not on the new list. The latest work should be completed by au-


tumn next year. BT's local network business, Openreach, uses mainly fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) technology to provide faster speeds. FTTC, delivered to street cabinets, currently offers download speeds of up to 40Mbps, but the upgrades will double that. Internet users with a fibre broadband connec-


tion can do much more online, all at the same time. Theywould potentially be able to download a music track in two seconds, a whole album in 30 seconds and an HD movie in 10 minutes – while watching films, TV and playing games. Cllr Roger Gough, KCC cabinet member for business strategy, said: “The arrival of super-fast is very important and is a significant investment in Kent. “Faster broadband is a real benefit to house- holders and provides businesses with a competi- tive advantage. It will give a long-term boost to our local economy.” But Allington councillor Malcolm Robertson sounded a note of caution. “We don't know that they will necessarily install it in all areas covered by the Maidstone exchange in King Street. They are currently unwilling to confirm what the cov- erage will be.”


He added: “Here in Allington, over two miles


from the exchange, we get pretty poor speeds. I hope Allington will be included in the first tranche of installations.” Plugging the whole of Maidstone borough


into “super-fast” broadband might take a little longer than BT’s publicity suggests. Maidstone, Loose and Snodland are indeed among the latest places to benefit in the company’s £2.5bn roll-out programme. Upgrades to exchanges are to be completed by


this time next year. But it does not necessarily mean everyone served by those exchanges will be moving into the internet fast lane. “Not straight away,” clarified BT regional spokeswoman Emma Littlejohn. Street cabinets, for the electronics and fibres, have to be built. “We can’t guarantee everyone will be connected to those cabinets to start with. We don’t have new cabinets in every area.” She added: “Ultimately our aim is to bring super-


fast broadband to everyone. But this is the start of the journey – it’s part of an ongoing process.” BT is investing £2.5bn to make faster speeds available to two-thirds of the UK by 2015. Ms Littlejohn added: “The final third is chal- lenging and we can’t do it alone.We believe a part- nership approach is the way to do it. It is a Government issue and an industry-wide issue.” She said the current rollout might seem to favour


urban areas but BTwas “absolutely committed” to helping rural areas too. Openreach chief executive Liv Garfield said: “No-one is keener than us to extend these super- fast speeds to rural areas and sowe will be bidding for public funds to help extend these services even further. The challenge is a tough one but by work- ing with the public sector it is within our reach.”


Slow crawl at high-speed depot A RARE fungus-eating yellow slug with lilac tentacles has been discovered on Maidstone Council-owned land in Old Chatham Road, Sandling. The discovery was made


by local wildlife expert Eric Philp, the former curator of natural history at Maidstone Museum, at a former Chan- nel Tunnel Rail Link con- struction depot. The species, Malacolimax tenellus, categorised as a Species of Conservation Concern, has not been recorded at its former haunts in the Home Counties and New Forest since the 1930s. Cllr Tony Harwood said: “This latest discovery, on a site which


has already yielded records for a range of uncommon flora and fauna, adds urgency to ongoingmoves to incorporate at least part of the former CTRL construction depot into the adjacent Boxley Warren Local Nature Reserve.”


Grammar results IN last month’s Downs Mail,we incorrectly stated that 11 stu- dents at Maidstone Grammar School for Boys had gained five or more A* grades in their GCSEs. The figure was, in fact, much higherwith 99 students gaining five or more A*s or As.


Maidstone Mayor Cllr Brian Mortimer talks to exhibitor Diane Sergeant from Maid- stone Visual Arts Network


Art showcased


at Town Hall PHOTOGRAPHERS, painters, musicians and others with a creative flair were at an art exhibition at the Town Hall. The event, which welcomed


art organisations and mem- bers of the business commu- nity to display their creative talents, was organised by Cllr David Pickett. He said: “I wanted to fly the flag for arts and culture in Maidstone. It is the first showcase we have put on, and hopefully we will do it again at a later date in a bigger area. “It is a chance for people to network together.” Twelve organisations at- tended, including Maidstone Youth Music Society, who per- formed songs. Local artist Graham Clarke opened the event with MaidstoneMayor Cllr Brian Mortimer.


Jubilee bungalow THE Jubilee Trust has applied to move into a bungalow next toWillington Court, at 2 Ash- ford Road,Maidstone.


KCC officer denies £2m fraud


A KENT County Council officer responsible for arranging energy contracts has denied fraud charges involving more than £2m. Ross Knowles (42), of Larking Drive, Allington, was head of en-


ergy procurement at KCC when he is alleged to have committed two offences of fraud by abuse of position and one of transferring crim- inal property between August 12, 2008, and January 6 this year. Judge Philip Statman set the trial at Maidstone Crown Court for March 19 next year. Knowles’s unconditional bail was continued.


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