High-speed fun for pupils on party bus!
SIXTY children at Palace Wood Primary School, Allington, celebrated the end of term with a new party theme set up by Maidstone entrepreneur Philip Powell. Philip (28), from Vinters Park, has spent
12 months getting a bus equipped with rumble seats and computer consoles, after being inspired to find away to get children playing competitive computer games to- gether. “One of the biggest complaints parents
have about their children playing com- puter games is that they’re on their own in front of a screen,” said Philip. “The Racing Partybus brings people together to compete against and alongside each other.” Philip believes the bus is unique in that children – and adults – can choose what-
Have your say
on policing SHOPPERS are being asked how they think their policing service could be improved. A rolling roadshow will visit Sainsbury’s, Maidstone, at the end of a two-month tout of the county seeking residents’ views.
Shoppers will be asked to
name their biggest policing pri- ority for crime, anti-social be- haviour, and visibility. A spokesman said: “One of
the roles of the police watchdog is to find out what people want from their policing and where they would like to see their money being invested.” Theroadshowwillbeat Sainsbury’s, The Mall, Maid- stone, from 10am to 4pm on Friday, August 31. Members of the public can
also meet Kent Police Author- ity members and local police officers. All the results will be published and fed into next year’s Police and Crime plan, which will set out the priorities for policing in the coming year. The public will also have a chance to find out more about Police and Crime Commission- ers (PCC) and what this means for Kent. The public will elect a PCC
on November 15 who will re- place Kent Police Authority on November 22.
Theft charges A HOMELESS man admitted two counts of shoplifting when he appeared before Mid Kent Magistrates Court. The court heart that on March
26, 2012, Reece Vincent Day (33), of no fixed abode, stole al- cohol worth £17.44 from a su- permarket at The Broadway, Maidstone. On May 19, he stole toiletries worth £70 from a shop at theMall, Maidstone. Magistrates sentenced Day to
a total of 60 days in prison, sus- pended for 12 months and or- dered him to have six months treatment for alcohol depend- ency.
ever level of motorsport and whatever track they would like to race and the bus brings it straight to their front door. “It offers all the thrills of the racetrack, with no risk of the spills. You don’t even
need a seat belt, but in every other way, it is exactly like being in a racing car on a real track,” said Philip. Philip took the bus to Palace Wood to
offer all year six leavers the chance to play as an end-of-year treat. Philip also presented the school with a cheque for £120, raised when the youngsters tried out the equipment at the school fete. It hascostPhiliptensofthousandsof pounds to refurbish the bus and fit it out with the games, consoles and seating. He said: “I didn’t want it to be like the typical variety of handheld video games and equipment offered up on a ‘play as you like’ basis. I have an 11-year old son my- self and I wanted this to be a whole racing realism experience.”
Legal highs shop ‘immoral’
THE OPENING of a shop selling “legal high” drugs in Mill Street, Maidstone, has been attacked as “morally wrong” by TownCentre Management chairman Paul Al- cock. Mr Alcock, who is also in- volved with the Urban Blue bus, which operates in the town cen- tre on Friday nights, has seen at first hand the effects of drugs on intoxicated clubbers. But he said the town centre management was powerless to stop the shop, Skunkworks, from opening in Mill Street. It will be trading in the same building as anti-drugs charity Crime Reduc- tion Initiatives, which has offices two floors above in Mill House. It is the second such shop caus-
ing concern in Maidstone town centre; there is already one such shop, Streetwise, in Union Street (pictured). PC Neil Barnes said: “Both are operating perfectly legally. They are at liberty to sell these prod- ucts, as long as they are labelled ‘not for human use.’ ” PC Barnes said the police were keeping a close eye on all such premises but, so far, they had not
been found to be in breach of the law. Skunkworks, which will be run as a franchise, is a legal oper- ation sellingdrug-smoking equip- ment, scales, legal and herbal highs, party pills, rolling ma- chines and accessories. The company, which already
has a shop in Canterbury, says all of its products are completely legal in theUKas they do not fall under the misuse of drugs act. Mr Alcock said: “I think open-
ing anything like this store is wrong. Although it is a legal retail offer, I think morally it is wrong. “Having seen people experi- menting with light-touch drugs on the Urban Blue bus I know what happens when they then start to add alcohol. ”You are not going to stop peo-
ple experimenting with legal highs, but unfortunately they often then go on to experiment with illegal drugs.” Maidstone Borough Council is
also dealing with applications for two sex entertainment venues in the town centre. Residents have objected to plans for a lap-danc- ing club in Bank Street and a li- cence has also been applied for to
convert the former Ethos Bar in Gabriels Hill into another lap- dancing venue. Mr Alcock said the applica-
tions, coupled with the drugs shop, were giving out the wrong message about the town. “Unfortunatelywe just can’t do anything about it in planning terms. But we should not be en- couraging something like this on to the high street,” he said. He thought it was possible sim-
ilar shops may be encouraged into the town. “Unfortunately you get one and
it does well and it attracts another one. Our town is always going to be strong on retail, butwe have to keep a grip on it, being strong on retail and morals.”
Chris Trickey, chiefexecof SAPCA (left) presenting the silver salver and champagne to Paul Peacock, secretary of the KCPFA
Award for playing fields group MAIDSTONE-basedKent CountyPlaying Fields Associationhas received national recognition for its outstanding achievement in 2012. The association, based in Terrace Road, helps preserve playing fields
in perpetuity andwas presented with the award at the National Playing Fields Conference, held at Kenilworth, near Leamington Spa. The awardwas one of only three presented and is the first ever award
made to the charity at the National Conference. It was sponsored by SAPCA (The Sports and Play Construction Association) in association with the National Playing Fields Association.
Travellers move on TRAVELLERS have moved on from the park and ride site at Allington,Maidstone. Caravans appeared on the London Road car park at the end of July with up to 27 pres- ent at one point. The travellers were given no-
tice to leave and all moved off the site before the deadline ex- pired. The council cleared the site after the caravans left.
999 call warning KENT Police is advising people not to dial 999 except in the case of an emergency. A Maidstone woman dialled
999 to report that she had en- tered the incorrect password into her mobile telephone, which had locked her phone. The woman was advised of the appropriate use of the 999 number – when life is in danger or a crime is in progress.
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