Gymnastics club may go to town


THE Olympic-standard Pegasus Gymnastics Club is planning to move from its Bearsted head- quarters to the Farleigh Hill Trading Estate in Tovil. The club has been based at Crismill Lane, to the west of Junc- tion 8 of the M20, since 1995, but has nowapplied tomove toUnits 2, 3 and 4 in the Farleigh Hill Trading Estate. Jennie Trandaburu, head


coach of the club’s kinder gym, said: “At themomentwe are im- ploding because we have not got enough space. “We have kids on the waiting


list who we can’t put anywhere because we haven’t got the space. The new premises would be four times the size of what we have at the moment.” Founded in 1987, Pegasus


was initially based at Invicta Grammar School, but has grown to employ five full-time and 10 part-time staff, running 23 classes for 500 gymnasts. Its current location is in a


Charity grotto ALENHAM shop is teaming up with Claire Webb, whose daughter Emilia died of a rare heart condition at the age of three, to raise money for young hospital patients. Santa’s grotto will be open at Amanda’s Party Place in The Square every Saturday in De- cember, to raise money for Emilia's Little Heart Foundation. The proceeds will be presented to Claire on December 22. Tickets for the grotto cost £8,


of which £1.50 goes to the char- ity. To book your appointment, call Amanda on 01622 297375. Emilia spent her last three months in Evelina’s Children’s Hospital in London, and her parents Claire and Darren set up the charity in her name to help other young patients cope with a lengthy hospital stay.


Tree-felling plan ELEVEN trees could be felled in Senacre Wood in Church Road, Otham. Applicant Gore Court 2008


has applied for conservation area consent to ground a group of ash, sycamore, oak, cherry, hawthorn and aspen trees. A tree inspector’s report said:


“The majority of the tree popu- lation is of an overmature na- ture and further thought should be given to structured future management of the woodland and roadside trees.” The same applicant has lodged a proposal to fell a goat willow tree and coppice an ash tree at Madam Taylor’s Farm, Otham Street, Otham.


Extension agreed PLANNING consent was grantedfora14sqmrearex- tension at the Shell Service Sta- tion in Detling Hill, Detling.


28 East


rural area away from the town centre. It is also close to where Maidstone Council has ear- marked warehousing in its draft Core Strategy. Jennie said: “There is better accessibility at Tovil, given that there is more public transport and it is closer to the town cen- tre. At the moment people can only reach us by car. Moving to the other side of townmeanswe will be looking at covering a larger area.”


PEGASUS excels at na- tional level and trains this year’s European Youth Olympic Festival all-round trophy winner, Courtney Tulloch(17).He will join Wateringbury resident James Hall (17) in the provisional squad for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. They have also been shortlisted for the Youth Olympics in Australia in January.


Should Maidstone Council


grant planning permission for the new site’s change of use from warehousing, Jennie said the club could be occupying it by early next year. A supporting statement added: “There are no locations that can provide this extent of floorspace in a single place that are closer to the town centre than this site. “The development will facili- tate the continued growth of a


Michael Papa Adam, Mario


Michaelas, Donda


Michaelas, DonnaWells, Claire Funnell, Stuart Bell, Lee Radford and Ryan Croucher


Footballers boost hospice funds SOCCERElite, in partnership with local fish restaurants and venue spon- sors Marino’s (Bearsted), Papa’s (Ditton) and Chequers (Lenham), has raised more than £2,000 for Demelza Hospice in their thirdmajor char- ity event. Soccer Elite coaches pitted their skills against 10 local sides, which


each made a donation to the charity for the privilege of playing against – and trying to beat – the current and ex-professional and semi-profes- sional players from the academy. Donna Wells, corporate fundraising partner from Demelza, said: “It


wasagreatoccasionandthecommitmentofeveryonefrom Soccer Elite FAwas immense. “We thank them for their continued support of Demelza.” In addition to the funds raised on the day, Marino’s, Papa’s and Che-


quers raised£500fromtheir customers along withadonation fromHolt- wood FC, which is keen to support local charities.


A249 car showroom turned down


A SCHEME to sell vehicles at the former Lily Spice restaurant on the A249 in Stockbury Val- ley has been refused. Applicant 4x4 Kent.com wanted to use the building, which was once a Little Chef diner, to sell pre-owned four- wheel-drive vehicles. ButMaidstone Council’s deci-


sion notice said: “The proposed development would represent unjustified developmentwithin this unsustainable rural area, re- sulting in harm to its character and appearance. “The proposed development would lead to an increase in traffic, at the existing substan- dard access, over and above that


generated by the previous use. Intensification of the use with existing exit arrangements by traffic and car transporters would also be contrary to high- way safety.” The applicant’s supporting statement had argued that the proposed use would have had the reverse effect: “The pro- posed use will result in a signif- icant reduction in traffic using the site compared with the po- tential for traffic generated by a roadside services restaurant. “The hours of operation will render it a more appropriate neighbour to nearby residential properties, eliminating all site activity at unsocial hours.”


To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330


highly-successful local sports club, and the creation of a cen- tre of excellence for gymnastics. It will provide a location for competitions at county level, which will enhance the role of Maidstone as county town.” Competitions would be lim-


ited to 12 per year, and would always be held on Saturdays or Sundays. Numbers taking part would increase to about 100, but, according to the statement, “this would be staggered throughout the day, as competi- tions are divided into sections based on age and ability. “Most parents bringing chil-


dren to competitions would re- main on site while their child competes, thus minimising the amount of traffic entering and leaving the site. “All activities at the site will


be undertaken between the hours of 9am and 9pm, ensuring that no vehicle movements or associated activity will take place at unsociable hours.”


Girls’ success THE younger gymnasts of Pega- sus excelled in the Deal Invita- tional competition. Joanne Brooker, the youngest


of the girls competing from Pe- gasus, won ninth place out of a large field of 23 gymnasts. Eight-year olds Amanda Cook


and Millie Rive-Edwards were next, and Millie competed bravely with tonsillitis to finish 10th, and Amanda took the sil- ver medal for second place. Last to compete were Annabel Agba and Emily Pearce, both 10. Annabel took the gold medal


and was crowned champion of the out-of-age gymnasts, with Emily taking 4th place, nar- rowly missing out on the medals.


Trustee night MAIDSTONE Community Sup- port Centre, home to 25 chari- table organisations, is hosting an evening for trustees of vol- untary organisations looking to develop their understanding of good governance. The event on Monday, No- vember 12, is a chance for trustees to discuss shared is- sues and will look at how vol- untary organisations can create induction programmes appro- priate to their needs. For further information call


01622 230711 or see the advert on page two.


Classrooms scheme THE Valley Invicta Trust has been given permission for two new classroom blocks to serve both its schools at Huntsman Lane, Vinters Park. Consent has already been granted for a sports hall and changing rooms on the site.


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