£150,000 for museum
THE struggle to raise money to pay for Maidstone Museum's East Wing extension has been eased by two major donations. The Garfield Weston Founda-
tion recently pledged £75,000, but on condition that itwas matched. Now, theMonumentTrust - one of the Sainsbury family trusts - has done just that. More funds are still needed,
though, and the public is being urged to donate either by texting MUSE14 followed by
£2, £5 or £10 to 70070, or online
viauk.virginmoneygiv-
ing.com/charities/museum-3 Maidstone Museums’ Founda-
tion chairman Mark Baker said: "This will enable us to fit out gal- leries in the extension before the grand opening in March."
HEADWAY, the brain-injury charity, has launched a “Maidstone & Me” project to help members to revive memories of their links with places in the town. Di Drummond, service manager at Headway, explained that people with brain injuries or strokes may have diffi- culties in “laying down new memories” but are able to remember events and places important to them prior to their condition. She added: “At our Thursday drop-in service at the Switch Cafe in the High Street, we have found that most of our visitors have strong links with the town and its facilities. “We are inviting individuals and their families to tell their personal stories about Maid- stone. They may have met their partners at dis- cos, married in the churches or worked in local buildings.” As part of the project, the group are writing up
their memories and finding or taking photos of the places. Pictured in All Saints Church, where he was
Fremlin full for Christmas moved to No 8, next to Goldsmiths, enabling fashion retailerWest One to open a shop atMenkind’s former home at No 23, next to La Senza. TheFragranceShop,next toWaterstone’s,was alsodue to open, meaning the complex will have a 0%vacancy rate. The rate elsewhere in the town centre is 10%, below the national av-
Continued from page one
erage of 14%. LloydWright, centre manager at FremlinWalk, said: “Given the re-
tailer interest, our0%vacancy rate and the investment inthe town cen- tre regeneration, it is clear that Maidstone has a bright future.We have a stylish offer that is reflective of what our catchment area demands. “Despite reports in trade press which list towns likeMaidstone as
being hard hit by recession, our retailers tradewell andwe have ex- cellent relationships with them.”
Building a bank of treasured memories
Voluntary ActionAGM VOLUNTARY Action Maidstone is holding itsAGMon December 8 at the community centre in Marsham Street. Celebrating a successful year,
VAMstaff and volunteers will be speaking about achievements in 2010/11 and plans for the future. VAM includes Brighter Fu-
christened, is Rob Franks (left) with Janet Brum- mell, tour guide Brian Cannell, Peter Hodgekin- son and Sam James. Di added: “We currently have an experienced volunteerwho can offer information and support for anyone with housing issues or needing help to cope with a head injury.” For more details contact 01892 619001 or email
info@headwaywkent.org
tures, which supports around 700 elderly people in the bor- ough, the volunteer centre, vol- unteer transport, theVTeam, the Carers Project, Platform, theKent EventTeam, GatewayVolunteers and the Council for Voluntary Service, which supports local community groups and other charities. TheAGMstarts at 2pm.
Charity parking MAIDSTONE Lions Club hopes to raise £500 for local charities each Saturday before Christmas by collecting donations frommo- torists using the car park at the County Gate offices opposite the White Rabbit pub.
6 Town
Visit Downs Mail’s website —
downsmail.co.uk
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