Fun produce show raises money for school funds


VILLAGERS turned out in their droves to support the annual Fun Veg and Flower Showat theChequers Inn, Laddingford. All classeswerewell supported, withavariety of veg-


etables, cakes and pies, aswell as a newclass for the Yalding beekeepers who meet monthly at The Che- quers – a honey class and a class for anything craft or product to do with bees. Theafternoon raisedmorethan£320forLaddingford


Primary School, which now has its own flower beds in which pupils are growing flowers, fruit and vegetables and itwas able to submit several successful entries. The Tiger class came second in the Young Percy


class while the Leopards and Parrots were awarded Very Highly Commended for their displays. The Owls (the reception class) enteredtwohugesun-


flowers, whichwere very highly commended. The Manklow Cup (a judges’ special cup) was


awarded to the school for the quality of their entries and for their participation in the show.


Barn conversion AN application has been sub- mitted to convert a barn into a one-bedroom home in Hunton. The barn, which was built in Detling before being disman- tled and rebuilt in the 1970s, is to the south of Wheelwrights, a small cluster of homes near the foot of Hunton Hill. A similar scheme was with- drawn in 2005 after Maidstone Council recommended its re- fusal due to the absence of evi- dence of efforts to secure a business re-use, lack of historic interest, unsuitability of the de- sign proposed and lack of eco- logical report.


Left, Graham Best won several


prizes, and right, Les Leonard presented


the prizes for men’s baking to Geoff


Hosmer and Kevin Mardell


TheHomeDesign class this yearwas todesignabird


scarer,which proved to be great fun to judge. Two prizeswere awarded: the most entertaining, as


judged by the crowd ‘clapometer’went to Colin Miller and familywhile the best designwasawarded toPeter Barnes.


Fears for futures of PCSOs


CONCERN has been growing among parish councils over who will foot the bill for village PCSOs, after funding changes next year. Current finance arrangements


are due to end in March 2013 when Home Office ring fencing for the role will finish. After that, the Government


will continue to provide PCSO funding, but it will be included in the main grant to each force, leaving police chiefs to decide how it should be spent. Broomfield and Kingswood


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parish clerk, Gail Gosden, said: “The big question is are we goingtobeaskedtosupport them financially?” Councillors are expected to


seek reassurances at a meeting of Maidstone Rural Neighbour- hood Police and Parish Council Forum at Headcorn later this month. A Kent Police spokesman


said: “The funding is not end- ing. It is included in the main grant provided to police forces. The responsibility on how this overall funding will be allo-


cated will be for the chief con- stable and the forthcoming po- lice and crime commissioner to decide.” The spokesman added: “There are no current plans for any changes to the PCSO role and there are no plans for whole scale changes to PCSO align- ment across the county, al- though one or two changes may be required as part of normal business. We always seek to keep such changes to a mini- mum and to maintain continu- ity where appropriate.”


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