Young achievers rewarded


access scheme AN APPLICATION to widen vehicle access at 44 Sitting- bourne Road, Maidstone, through the removal of four protected lime trees has been refused by Maidstone Council. Applicant Robert Hall said


the sightline from the driveway was “non-existent from 2.4m back”. His design statement added: “The users of the drive- way have to take significant risks when pulling out of the driveway, endangering not only themselves, but also all users of Sittingbourne Road.” Despite offering to replace the


trees with four semi-mature lime trees and a new footway, Maidstone Council said the proposed loss of trees would “result in harm to the sylvan character of the site”.


Great Danes


name is back THE Great Danes name will once again hang over the door of a hotel in Hollingbourne, after the manager’s long fight to restore it. General manager Dominic Di


Cara has been fighting for years to give the hotel its original name back, and now, Mercure has agreed that it should be known as the Mercure Maid- stone Great Danes Hotel. The hotel was named the


Great Danes in the 1930s, but when it was taken over in the 1990s it became the Jarvis In- ternational, and more recently the Ramada Hotel and Resort. Locally, the name has never


gone away, and post is often ad- dressed to the Great Danes hotel, so Mr Di Cara is hoping the official name change will clear up any confusion.


breath test A SHEPWAY man who refused to give a breath test when stopped by police has been sen- tenced at Mid KentMagistrates’ Court. Jason Paul Day (45), of Cam- bridge Crescent, admitted driv- ing while disqualified, using a motor vehicle without insur- ance, failing to provide a breath specimen and failing to surren- der to bail. Magistrates sentenced Day to


140 days in prison, suspended for two years. He was banned from driving for three years and ordered to carry out a driver awareness course.He must also carry out 180 hours of unpaid work in the next 12months and pay £50 costs.


46 Town Driver refused


Andre Lawrence receives his award from rapper LeeWillz


VOLUNTARY Action Maid- stone has again received quality accreditation for three years for its Volunteer Centre. This latest award means the


Volunteer Centre has been ac- credited for over 10 years by the national body, Volunteering England. Liz Tredget, volunteer centre manager, said: “An organisation receiving this quality mark has demonstrated its commitment to offering both organisations and volunteers services that are measurable, accountable and of


AN OFSTED team who visited St Paul’s Infant School inHilary Road, Maidstone, said it was a good school, which had main- tained its effectiveness since the last inspection. However, not all teachingwas


the very best, and pupils did not always write creatively. Pupils achieve well before moving on to their next school. The secure start in reception classes helped them develop good social and physical skills. Teaching is good, and teach-


ers relate topical events to de- velop children’s interests. Occasionally opportunities were missed to stretch pupils.


Council blocks


YOUNG people from Maidstone were among this year’s recipi- ents of the Tunbridge Wells, Maidstone and Tonbridge & Malling Try Angle awards. The awards recognise excep-


tional young people across Kent in several qualifying categories. The awards for the three bor-


oughs were presented by para- lympic champion Danny Crates at the Trinity Theatre, Tun- bridgeWells, before a proud au- dience of parents and friends. Brother and sister Rosie (18)


andWilliam (13) Harman, from Hollingbourne, received a good friends and carers award for the care they have given to their parents in times of ill health. Their citation read: “They have shown real courage and strength, and have supported


each other through the difficult times.” Several teenagers whowork at Maidstone’s Info-Zone and Fu- sion café were also rewarded. Shannon Newing (14) helps


out at the Parkwood Fusion café, where she encourages oth- ers to join in through leading by example. She was presented with an arts award, and Andre Lawrence (14) won a music award. Andre has shown real com- mitment in volunteering at Info- Zone. “His technical skills and organisational skills have been invaluable in helping Info-Zone to deliver regular music events showcasing young bands,” said his nomination. Info-Zone young leader Suraj


Kesur (12) has also grown in con- fidence since joining the youth club. He has been honing his skills in food preparation and in- dependent living skills and en- courages his older peers to take part in activities. He won the per- sonal development prize. Jessica Gibb (15) is constantly seeking opportunities to help out at the Info Zone and helps plan the activities, events and pro- grammes. She won a prize for cit- izenship and the environment. Ryan Barker (17), from Burham, won an award for his volunteering and service to the community in Maidstone, where he helps out Maidstone United FC every Saturday. He works with vulnerable


High praise for volunteer centre


the highest quality. We are de- lighted that our work has been recognised.” The assessors noted: “This is


a well put-together portfolio from a well-established volun- teer centre which is clearly serving its community well.” Voluntary Action Maidstone


is a not-for-profit organisation which has been providing vol- unteering services in the Maid- stone area since 1975. It is based in the Maidstone Com- munity Support Centre, Mar- sham Street.


Good school ‘could do better’ Pupils’ behaviour is good,


and they are keen to take part in the range of activities on offer. They feel happy and safe and told inspectors the school was “brilliant and fantastic”. Parents and carers are over- whelmingly supportive of the school’s work. Staff should improve the con- sistency and quality of writing by giving pupilsmore examples of what goodwriting looks like. They should increase the pro- portion of good and outstanding teaching through the school by ensuring that higher achieving pupils have a more challenging starting point.


Shannon Newing with KCC Cllr Alan Chell


adults as well as training the junior sections. Finally, talented gymnast Lau-


ren Lethbridge (15), from Boughton Monchelsea, won a sport award. She has overcome health problems to become the British Grade Champion and has won medals in international compe- titions. Lauren was also se- lected to represent Great Britain at an international training camp to promote gymnastics for people with disabilities in 2011. KCC Cabinet member for Cus-


tomer and Communities Mike Hill said: “This is an opportu- nity to celebrate the achieve- ments made by some truly inspirational young people. “Their triumphs over adver- sity are a cause for celebration.”


Freddie wins


fishing award A MAIDSTONE schoolboy was honoured at Parliament in the first Fishing for Schools Awards, winning a gold medal in the national scheme. Freddie Lee


Turner, of Bower Grove School, was awarded the medal by local MP Helen Grant, having completed a short an- gling course and impressing judges including renowned angler Charles Jardine, who is also from Kent. Fishing for Schools is an educational course organised by The Countryside Alliance Foundation. It provides short angling courses for school- children, aimed at 14-16 year olds who might not respond to traditional classroom- based learning, but flourish on the water. Participating schools were


asked to nominate a cham- pion, who was then invited to London to tell politicians how much fishing meant to them.


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