A sweet treat THE Maidstone branch of the British Sugarcraft Guild has been awarded a gold for its dis- play at the international exhibi- tion at Telford. Thirty-five members of the Maidstone group contributed to the display table, entitled “Ju- bilee Garden Party at the Vic- arage”. The table exhibits were entirely made of sugar – even the jug, cake stand, tea pot, cups and saucers.
Fuel theft charge A 45-YEAR-OLD Maidstone man is due to appear in court after fuel was stolen from a ve- hicle by drilling a hole into the tank. He was chargedwith theft of fuel in Paynes Lane, Maid- stone, between May 17 and 19 andwas bailed to appear before MaidstoneMagistrates Court on June 18.
Summer fayre THE Salvation Army is holding a summer fayre from 10am to 2pm on Saturday, June 30. Home-made crafts, and bric-
a-brac will be on offer at the event at 74-80 Union Street. To hire a stall, at a cost of £10, call the community office on 01622 681808.
Garage to home STEVEN Cooper has applied to replaceagaragewithade- tached four-bed home at 152 Upper Fant Road, Fant.
Kelly knows sign of good driving
A MAIDSTONE-based instruc- tor has set up a driving school that gives lessons in sign lan- guage.
Shelley Saunders (41), from Bearsted, believes she is the only Approved Driving Instruc- tor in Kent who is a competent signer. She said: “It is always easier to teach someone in their own language and when that language is sign language, it makes two-way communication so much better. “The drivers feelmore relaxed
and more at ease, knowing they can get their point across.” Shelley learned to sign many
A£1.3MILLION vocational centre in Maidstone has been officially opened by Kent County Council leader Paul Carter. The Maidstone Skills and Com-
idea to combine her two skills. She said: “I worked for a time
in the deaf unit of a school in Sittingbourne and it made me realise how young people could benefit from learning to drive with an instructor who could sign.
years ago as a Guide. Having a deaf mute great aunt and uncle, she found it a decided advantage in communicating with her eld- erly relatives. She is a Level 2 BSL signer aswell as an ADI and, having been made redundant from a national driving school, she thought it would be a good
KCC chief opens training centre
munity Centre,onTitchfieldRoadin Senacre, is helping young people aged between 14 and 19 to pre- pare for a career in motor vehicle repair, ICT, maintenance or con- struction. Formerly Senacre Community Centre, the building’s original pur- pose has not been forgotten. It has a multi-use hall that hosts a variety of activities and events throughout theweek. There is also a café, kitchen, outdoor sports pitch and parking. Paul Carter is pictured with centremanagerPaulineBlayneyandGary Cooke, deputy cabinet member for education.
“Hearing impaired people should not be disadvantaged in any walk of life and learning to drive is no exception. “There are different sets of
skills needed to teach learner drivers who are hearing im- paired, but being able to com- municate at their level, I am able to give them confidence.”
Play cricket
with the stars LASHINGS World XI is invit- ing supporters to bid for the chance to play in a cricket match at The Mote Cricket Club in Maidstone on August 23, against world famous play- ers including Phil Defreitas and Devon Malcolm. The event will raise money
for chYps Children’s Hospices. The auction ends at 5pm on
July 31, and bids can be sent to
Isobel.kerry@
chYps.org . ChYps provides hospice care
to more than 120 children in their homes across West Kent, including Maidstone, and the London Borough of Bexley.
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