Mural and flower planters brighten up station


PUPILS fromWateringbury Pri- mary School have helped to add a splash of colour to their local railway station. The school produced a series


of paintings which were used by students at theUniversity of the Creative Arts to make a mural celebrating the local rail- way and the delights of the Medway Valley. Despite torrential rain, it did-


n’t dampen the spirits of those who turned out to unveil the mural at the station, alongwith a set of colourful planters, planted by the Wateringbury Station Partnership, a group of residents who have “adopted” the station and are undertaking a programme of environmental improvements. The planters have been funded byWateringbury Parish Council, SouthEastern Rail and AcoRP – the Association of


Summer fete ST MARTINS residential home, part of TheAbbeyfield Kent So- ciety, celebrated the end of summer with a fete for resi- dents and the local community. Special guests includedTracey Crouch, theMPfor Chatham and Aylesford, along with the Deputy Mayor and Mayoress of Tonbridge andMalling, Cllr and Mrs Howard Rogers. Over £1,000was raised, some


of which will fund days out for St Martins residents.


Seat damaged POLICE are investigating a re- port of criminal damage in Ley- bourne. Seats in the “bomb hole” play


area in Oxley Shaw Lane are re- ported to have been damaged at about 2-3am on August 19. Anyone who can help is


asked to contact Kent Police by calling 101, quoting crime ref- erence YY/15295/12, or call Kent Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.


WEST Malling has won the acco- lade as Kent’sRural Community of the Year. The parish council had to submit


reports on aspects of village life in- cluding whatmadeitabetterplace to live andwork,maintaining com- munity contact and a better envi- ronmental future. This was followed up by a visit


from the judges to talk to repre- sentatives and see activities. The competition is run by Action


with Communities in Rural Kent. West Malling won by scoring the overall highest mark for the four sections. The village was highly commended for its sustainability and social and community submis- sions, while its business and com- munications entries won their categories outright


4 Malling The judges said: “It strives to


build up its magnetism and dy- namismfor the whole community.” West Malling’s entry pack was praised as the best the judges had seenin25yearsof thecompetition. The community, which features regularly in the Malling Mail sec- tion of the Downs Mail, was com- plimented on a variety of communication methods, includ-


ing print media, websites and no- ticeboards. It was described as a “bustlinghub of business lifefor its local community”, offering a wide variety of choice for consumers. “There is a strong chamber of commerce who support all busi- nesses. The shops are all easy to access,” said the judges. Acelebrationbarbecuewas held at Macey’s Meadow.


Kent CRP chairman Mike FitzGeraldwith guests at the unveiling of the mural, including Dave Mitchelmore, chairman ofWateringbury Station Partnership and pupils fromWateringbury School


Community Rail Partnerships. The planters and mural were unveiled by Kent Community Rail Partnership chairman, Mike FitzGerald. Speaking before an audience


of representatives from Water- ingbury School, UCA, Kent Community Rail Partnership and funders, Mr FitzGerald


CONCERNS about an apparent lack of neighbourhood policing and officer visibility during the summerwere aired at ameeting of parish, borough and county councillors. Snodland Town Council said


it was not convinced that the new Kent policing model worked in terms of local per- ception. Several parishes com- plained that there had been no local police presence at sum- mer events, road closures or parish council meetings. Con- cern was also expressed at the lack of advertising for police surgeries, other than online, and the speed of response. Tonbridge andMalling police commander, Chief Insp Jon Kirby, told the borough’s Parish Partnership Panel that Kent Po- lice were half way through a four-year savings programme. However, front line policing would be protected and the provision of a first class service


said: “Both of these projects are great examples of the local community getting involved with their local railway to help make it more attractive and pleasant to use. “I congratulate everyone in- volved in the scheme, and look forward tomore improvements here and at other stations on


to communities would con- tinue. Snodland’s chairman Cllr Anne Moloney said: “We were concerned at the lack of police visibility. “The police have undoubt-


edly reduced crime - the figures show they are on top of it. But the local contact seems to have gone.” She said Chief Insp Kirby had explained that local issues in the summer had been caused by problems with man- power during the Olympics. It


Continued from page one enable them to understand the process for increasing primary school provision and to help forecast the need, specific to the development’s demographics.” The developers said as many


as possible of the suggestions would be incorporated into a re- vised master plan before further consultation. Feedback can also


Village judged to be the best Kent community


theMedway Valley Line.” The Kent Community Rail Partnership includes KCC, Tonbridge & Malling Council, Maidstone Borough Council, Swale Borough Council, Med- way Council, Southeastern Railway, Parish & Town Coun- cils along the lines, Nu-Venture Coaches and others


‘Where were police this summer?’


was hoped the appointment of a new inspector to the area would help to resolve prob- lems. A new office providing ac-


cess to police services could be located at the borough council site at Kings Hill, if the pro- posed closure of the police of- fices at East Malling and West Malling goes ahead. Chief Insp Kirby said that dis- cussions on this were taking placewith the borough council.


Kings Hill homes planned


be emailed to futuredevelop- ment@kings-hill.com Kings Hill Parish Council


plans to hold its own consulta- tion on the master plan, includ- ing discussions with residents, the developers, Tonbridge and Malling Council and neighbour- ing parishes.


Robbie set for


sport success Continued from page one But when the NCAA offer


came up, with the prospect of training in a world class envi- ronment, staff at The Malling School pulled outall the stops to ensure Robbie, from Borough Green,was accepted. His mother Eileen wrote to Malling School principal Carl Roberts: “I would especially like to thank you for the massive input you gave in helpingRobbie to achieve his goal. I honestly can’t thank you enough. Every- one at The Malling School was absolutely amazing!” As Robbie flew to Alabama he sent a farewellmessagetotheschool’s PE department: “Thank you for all your support”.


You can e-mail the Downs Mail — info@downsmail.co.uk


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