New children’s hub in Coxheath
Continued from page one
said: “If we can access compre- hensive services in one place with co-ordinated appointments, this can be helpful so they may benefit from the move. “However, the Coxheath loca-
tionmay be difficult for families who do not have a car. It would have been useful if families had been consulted about the move in advance.” The independent chairman of
Maidstone Children's Board, Alex Turner, said: “The local children's board has not yet been engaged in talks and was not aware of any changes at its last meeting in November. Indeed, most other services in the town have been surprised that these important moves are going to be in place around Easter.” He welcomed the bringing to-
gether of services under one roof, adding: “I’m sure that we will work well with them all once they settle in.” A spokeswoman for the trust
said patients from as far afield as the Weald use the services, so Coxheath was ideally located and added that refurbishing the centre would create a cus- tomised, modern facility to meet children’s needs. “We expect themove to happen during April.We are speaking to families about the changes and we will be making sure that they are fully informed,” she said.
Passport petition for Maija, age nine Continued from page one
British but beingmade to feel that she isn’t. She is at school with children whose parents come from all over the world and are classed as English, yet she isn’t.” Letters to MPs and meetings with local coun- cillors, as well as an active Facebook page, have attracted widespread support – but still failed to get the desired result. Mr Clark added: “I have been wading on relent-
lessly over the last few years, still trying to get some sense over the refusal to recognise my daughter as British. Everyone says: ‘I know she should definitely have her UK passport’ – even the authorities – but it just never happens.” Mr Clark’s first attempt at starting a government
petition was rejected because “it was too per- sonal”. He has now succeeded in getting the Gov- ernment’s petition department to accept one – although it says nothing about Maija or his per- sonal struggle with the authorities. The petition seeks that children born in the UK before 2006 to unmarried parents, when one of them is not a UK national, should not be dis- criminated against. It went online last month and has already drawn more than 200 signatures – but it needs 10,000 to be debated in Parliament. Mr Clark argued: “Not only does the current leg- islation discriminate against men, by giving the child the nationality of the mother, but it dis- criminates against unmarried couples, as this would not have been the case had we been mar- ried, and against the child, as she had no say in the circumstances into which she was born.” “Both Maija’s mother and I agree that the situa-
tion is ludicrous. We believe a child born in the UK with a parent from the UK who is living in the UK, as is the child, and has subsequently spent their life in theUK should be eligible to automatic UK citizenship, as are other UK born citizens.” The Maija’s Passport Facebook page has now
been archived but when it was active drew more than 2,000 fans, including an 18-year-old man with a French mother who had been unable to ob- tain a passport from either country – and had con- sequently never left the UK. Mr Clark said: “This really is one situation
where ‘the law is an ass’ and completely out of touch with life in the 21st century. “Even a judge in the Medway Family Court or-
dered that she should be given a UK passport – but that was over-ruled by the UK immigration authorities.”
Maija Clark (with Cloud), whose father Mick feels thwarted in his attempts to obtain a British passport for his UK-born daughter
Gym
The link to the government petition can be found at:
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/peti- tions/28158
Membership
£14.99 a month
> Free parking for 3 hours > No contract option from £17.99 a month > Free Circuit Classes > Ladies only area > Student Deals > Join online now
4 East You can e-mail the Downs Mail —
info@downsmail.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56