Vandals wreck pavilion in copper haul
LOCALS have been rallying round to help get a village football club back on its feet after thieves trashed their sports pavilion. Thieves smashed theirway into the pavil-
ion on The Kintons, Yalding, stealing cop- per piping and wrecking the showers and toilets, putting local teams at risk of losing their place in theWest Kent league. But club members and local groups have
been giving their time and money to help get the club back on its feet. Club secretary Steve Faulkner said: “We
are trying to be self-reliant and are only ask- ing for money if we really need to. “However,with the help I amgetting, we
could end up with a better facility than when we started,” he added. Mr Faulkner has approached Yalding Parish Council and also the Kent County Playing Fields Association for assistance and has applied to KCC Members Commu- nity Grant, via Cllr Paulina Stockell, which could yield £1,000 towards the £4,000 re- pair bill. The club is also planning a range of fund- raising opportunities, including a showbiz celebrity football match. Parent Gary Scott, who runs a plumbing business in East Peckham, has supplied new plastic pipe and fittings for the pavil- ion and the club intends to erect signs stat- ing there is no copper worth stealing, and install a movement sensor alarm. With no proper facilities for either the
home team or visiting players following the break-in on January 6, the Yalding club faced being kicked out of its Sunday league. But Steve set to work with his family right
away and bricked up a hole in the wall, making the pavilion secure, before getting
THE SALVATION ARMY
74-80 Union Street, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1ED You are invited to the
LAST NIGHT OF THE PROMS on Saturday 10th March 2012 at 7.30pm
at The Salvation Army, 74-80 Union Street, Maidstone (ME14 1ED). This will be led by Maidstone Salvation Army band,
with special guests. Tickets £5 available from the Community Office.
For further information please contact the Community Office on 01622 681808.
The mess left after the sports pavilion in Yalding was trashed for copper piping
one basin, one toilet and a tap in working order to help the club limp along. “Thankfully, the West Kent Sunday League were aware of our circumstances and gave us permission to carry on until the month-end, but it has been hard work trying to get things cleaned up,” said Steve. The Yalding area has suffered a spate of copper and cable thefts in recent months, with telephone lines twice being out of ac- tion in quick succession. Last September, electrical cabling was
stolen from the pavilion after thieves smashed their way into a 400-volt box with an axe.
Business start-ups aid economy Continued from page one
area who commute to jobs in the City, he said, aswell as by people who take on work which is not necessarily their ideal and at a lower salary than they could nor- mally expect. In the Halifax survey, which tracks where living stan-
dards are highest in the country, Maidstone came out eighth in the UK – and top in Kent.
The Halifax survey also revealed that in 2010-11, Maid- stone was 15th highest in property price rises, with val- ues boosted by 4%, pushing the average property price up from £198,427, to £206,404.
New vicar for Marden THE Rev Alison (Ali) Duguid has been ap- pointed vicar of Marden. Ali, who will be inducted in the spring,
has been a vicar in Ospringe and Davington, near Faversham, for the past five years. She takes over at St Michael and All An-
gels from the Rev James Robertson,who has moved to the St Albans diocese.
Park railings plan to deter litter louts
NEW metal railings along the Heath Road and Linton Road boundaries of Linton Park have been proposed. Gaps in the existing timber paling fencing have led to unauthorised access litter being dumped next to the A229 Lin- ton Hill, where there is a lay-by along the boundary, and the B2163, along the northern edge.
Farmers’ market returns EAST Farleigh Farmers’ Market has returned. Themarket set up stall on Sunday, Febru-
ary 5, in the car park of the Bull Hotel, where it will be held on the first Sunday of every month, from 9am to noon. Local charities benefit from the donations
made from stallholder fees. Almost £900 was raised last year.
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