Cost of dying to rise in Maidstone


THE cost of dying will go up in Maidstone – for the second year in succession. But the county town still claims to offer


good value as a place to be cremated or buried. The cost of a burial plot in the Sutton Road cemetery is set to rise from £625 to £700 – an


increase of 12% – while the price of a burial plot for ashes is to go up by 23%, from £325 to £400.


However, the town has been applauded for


recent environmentally friendly initiatives, such as replacing three small incineratorswith


News update from the hospitals


Energy savings win top award GREEN energy-saving measures have won Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust a prestigious award. The Sustainable Hospital Award, which recognises


the hospital hasmade smart use of energy, transport or waste management, is part of the Health Business Awards 2011 andwas presented to the trust at the Emi- rates Stadium. It closely follows a similar Green Apple Environment Award. The trust reduced its gas and electricity bills by £139,000 during the financial year and used 20% less water across its sites. Energy saving initiatives have included installing


more effective steam control equipment and a heat re- covery system at the trust’s laundry in Parkwood, Maidstone, while optimising existing systems and act- ing on frequent energy usage surveys have saved money and energy at Maidstone Hospital.


Care commission’s surprise visit THE Care Quality Commission made an unexpected day visit to Pembury A&E early in the New Year. The representative spoke to patients and members of staff. A spokesperson for the commission confirmed the


visit to the Downs Mail and said: “CQC inspectors vis- ited the TunbridgeWells hospital at Pembury. Thiswas an unannounced inspection of the A&E department. “CQC are unable to comment any further on this in- spection at present but a report showing the findings of this review of compliance will be published in due course.”


Wind turbine is


given go-ahead A WIND turbine is to be in- stalled in Coldharbour Farm, Coldharbour Lane, Hucking. Drakes Renewableswas given permission to erect a 12m-high, 10kW Evoco turbine that could generate 28,300kWh of electric- ity per year. The farm’s needs are assessed at 25,900kWh. Maidstone Council granted planning permission on condi- tion that the turbine is removed by January 31, 2037, or if it ceases to operate for a continu- ous period of 12 months. The planning department


also ordered the applicant to stay in close touch with the Civil Aviation Authority about the progress and precise details of constructionwork because it would be plotted on flying charts.


Tube still attached TRUDY Gower (91), of Rusthall, near TunbridgeWells, was sent home from the Pem- bury hospital with a medical tube still attached to her arm and her legs covered in faeces after she was admitted with se- vere abdominal pains. The trust has apologised to


her family and said an investi- gation would be carried out.


Hospital ‘very cold’ THE Downs Mail receives fre- quent complaints that Pembury Hospital is very cold with pa- tients wearing coats, hats and scarves in individual wards.


The nappy smells PEMBURY Hospital visitors have complained of strong smells in the main reception from the nappy-changing area.


Hospital on You Tube STAFF parking problems at Pembury Hospital have led to a three-minute ‘Hitler rant’ on YouTube.


New proposal for open space APROPOSAL has been submitted to build seven homes on open space in Grove Green. Last summer,Ward Homes’ proposal for 14 dwellings


in Penhurst Close was refused on appeal. But the word- ing used by the planning inspector, which appeared not to object to the principle of new housing, raised fears among members and officers from Maidstone Council that a fresh scheme might be treated more favourably. Ward Homes’ latest proposal has halved the number


of dwellings – three three-bed homes and four two-bed houses, with 11 parking spaces. According to the supporting statement: “The reduced


form of the building and the reduced number of dwellings within the present proposals allows a much more generous space in front of the dwellings and around the parking area, to enable a more substantial landscaping scheme to be implemented. “Each unit will have a private garden to the rear, so


space to the frontage is communal. This space creates a transition from the new and existing development in Penhurst Close to that of the existing open space and allows an area to be plantedwith trees or possibly a crab apple orchard.” Maidstone Council will decide on the proposal.


Helping young to find work TWO specialised JobShops have been launched byMid- Kent College in a bid to tackle youth unemployment. The JobShops – one at theMaidstone campus and one


in Medway – will advertise vacancies and match up local employers with suitable candidates. They will also help students with application forms, interview tech- niques and writing their CVs. Launching JobShops, Henry Nydam, chairman of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, said: “With youth unem- ployment at record levels it has become incumbent on all educational and business organisations to do all we can to address the situation. “It’s a one-stop shop for information, advice and guid-


ance, and I urge all local employers looking for skilled staff to make full use of it.”


Marcus Gayle, Dave Beasant and Ian Cox played in the charity match fundraiser


Soccer night kicks off charity association


AN all-star soccer night at Maidstone’s Maplesden Noakes School kicked off a 2012 charity link with Demelza Hospice Care for Children. Soccer Elite FA organised the star-stud-


ded event, which saw ex-professional foot- ballers play a charity match against Soccer Elite FA coaches. A crowd of more than 450 helped raise


more than £3,000 for Demelza. The ex-in- ternational and professionals side included Dave Beasant (England),Marcus Gayle and Jamie Lawrence (Jamaica), Steve Lovell (Wales) and Ian Cox (Trinidad and Tobago), who eventually ran out 3–2 winners against a Soccer Elite FA side that also included several ex-pro footballers. The event, put together by Soccer Elite


Henry Nydam with MidKent College’s head of business de- velopment Jacqui Brown


FA’s operations director Stuart Bell in just four weeks, was supported by former Arse- nal, QPR and Republic of Ireland player Terry Mancini, now of Mancini Events, and Simon Durrant of DurrantWapshott. Some of the players have already offered


to play a future re-match in support of Demelza to raise more funds for the charity.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk East 29


two larger ones and reducing mercury emis- sions. Proposals included inMaidstoneCoun- cil’s budget for 2012 mean that from April it will cost residents almost54%more to bury a loved one’s ashes in the town – rising from £130 at present to £200, while it will cost £500


for the burial of an adult (an increase of 7.53%) and £250 to bury a child aged five – 15 (an increase of 21.95%). There is no charge for burying a child up to the age of five. The cost of a cremation is to rise by £20 - just


over4%-with the £270 Saturday supplement rising by 3.7% to £280. The cost of cremating a child under 16 rises by just under 4% to £106. The council’s head of finance, Paul Riley,


said that the fees and charges were still on a par with other areas in the South East. Ascale of charges, which covers everything


from maintaining the cemetery and graveyard, to use of the chapel organ and the provision of plaques, is designed to raise an extra £50,000 during the year. The proposed increases will go before the council for approval at the end of February. In the meantime,KCChas made it easier for


local people to register a birth or death, offer- ing the service at 24 local libraries and five Gateways in Kent. In Maidstone, the service has transferred


from the Archbishop’s Palace to the Maid- stoneGateway,KingStreet, andMaidstone Li- brary, St Faith’s Street. Appointments can be booked online at www.kent.gov.uk/registra- tion or on 08458 247 400. The main register offices will still be avail-


able for registering marriages, civil partner- ships, legal preliminaries (notice), providing a nationality checking service, settlement checking service, and ceremonies.


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