Depressed man Sharon’s village award a first
hanged himself A 48-YEAR-OLD man lost his job a few weeks before he was found dead at his Tovil home, a Maidstone inquest heard. Mark Parkin, a database ad- ministrator, who lived alone at The Boatyard, left a note before hanging himself in a bedroom. His body was found on June 26 after his stepmother raised the alarm. Mid Kent and Medway assis-
tant deputy coroner Gail Elli- man said that he suffered from depression inMay andwas pre- scribed medication. “I am entirely convinced
from the circumstances and the note that he left, that he took his own life,” she said. His stepmother Ruth Parkin
had become concerned about his health and had gone with him to the doctor. She said he had become very low but had said he would not harm himself “as he hadn’t the guts to do it”.
AN ENVIRONMENTAL officer from Loose is the first woman from outside the village to be awarded one of Bearsted’s cov- eted Mynn Awards. The awards, given annually as
a mark of gratitude by the parish council to those who work tirelessly on behalf of the community, have historically been given to people living within the village, but judges decided that such was Sharon Bayne’s dedication to the Bearsted Woodland Trust, that an exception should be made. Sharon, who lives in Loose
with her husband Richard and daughter Rebecca, became in- volved with the Trust when she was working with the Medway Valley Conservation Project but has since continued to offer the trust her expertise. Now working for KCC and studying for a degree in Euro- pean Law, Sharon stepped
Sharon Bayne with parish council chairman Richard Ash (left) and Peter Willson, of Bearsted Woodland Trust
down from the management team of the trust in 2011 but had been the driving force be- hind many funding projects which reaped some £176,000 towards the development of the woodland and its amenities. The trustees have now com- missioned her as a consultant. Sharon was nominated for the
award by BWT president Peter Willson, who said: “She was so inspired by our project, she re- turned as a volunteer and has
given up so much of her time and professional expertise.” The Mynn awards were estab-
lished in 2004 and bear the name of one of Bearsted’s best-known residents, cricketer Alfred Mynn. Mrs Bayne, who was pre- sented with her award by parish council chairman Richard Ash, said: “I am very proud to have been involved, especially seeing howmuch the land is loved, en- joyed and cherished by local people, who hold it very dear.”
More knitters needed Decision overturned
AN APPEAL by the Harriet- sham community warden in the Downs Mail for knitters to help make blankets for the eld- erly has brought help flooding in from across the area. In our October 2012 edition, Martin Sherwood asked read- ers to knit squares, donate wool, or suggest where the blankets could be put to good use.
Since then, he has received
many offers of help and dona- tions of wool. However, the campaign is on-
going, and help is still needed. Anyone who has double knit wool they don’t need, or who would like to knit it into squares, can contact Martin on 07977 981993.
If you would like to get knit-
ting, the pattern is as follows: Using double knit yarn and
No 8 (4mm) needles and garter stitch throughout, cast on three stitches.Work one row. Increase one stitch (knit into
the front and back of stitch) at the beginning of every row until the side measures six inches. Then decrease one stitch (knit one, slip one, pass the knit stitch over) at the be- ginning of each row until three stitches remain. Cast off, and please sew in
the ends. It would also be helpful if knitters could sew their squares together - the optimum size for blankets is six squares by six squares.
MAIDSTONE Council’s deci- sion to refuse a development of 11 new houses in Shepway has been overturned on appeal. In March last year, the bor-
ough’s planning department turned down Chailey Homes’ outline application for land at Brockenhurst Avenue, which would see the demolition of 25 and 27Marion Crescent. It was the third refusal after similar schemes requesting the development of up to 14 new properties were also blocked. But appeal inspector Joanna
Reid granted planning permis- sion, claiming the development would not harm the character and appearance of the sur- rounding area. She reported: “The buildings would be two-
storeys tall, and some would have rooms in their pitched roofs. They would be a little taller than the nearby dwellings, but some of the ex- isting dwellings have converted lofts, and the terraced dwellings in Cranborne Avenue have rooms in their roof spaces, so they would not be out of char- acter.
“The fact that the appeal site
is in a backland location would not be out of keeping with the character and appearance of the area.”
Basement consent CHRISTAKIS Georgiou was given permission to convert a basement into a one-bedroom flat in 66 Melville Road,Maidstone.
Chinwaggers craft group seeks new home
KNITTERS and stitchers have been combining their talents for charity while catching up on all the latest news and gossip. Such is the interest in the aptly-named Crafty Chinwag- gers that organisers are seeking a second venue in Maidstone. The Crafty Chinwaggers was
born from a partnership be- tween old school friends Pamela Lippett, from Vinters Park, and Tina Reynolds, from Mereworth, who wanted an ex- cuse to get together for a catch up, while exercising their nim- ble fingers. Now, up to 80 members meet monthly at Mereworth Village Hall, where they get together to share their collective crafty skills and teach each other new tricks. If they could find a cheap meeting room in Maidstone, Pamela thinks there would eas-
The Crafty Chinwaggers are expanding and looking for somewhere to meet
ily be sufficient interest to form a second group. Pamela and Tina have been joined by crochet enthusiasts, tapestry makers, cross stitchers, quilters and card makers. They rapidly outgrew their free meeting rooms at a local pub but found a nominal administrative charge of £1 would cover the cost of hiring the village hall.
Thanks to a £500 grant from
Tonbridge and Malling Council, the group was able to invest in new materials and equipment then, with the support of the charity Grass Roots, buy addi- tional sewing machines for members’ use. They started to raise money
for charity soon after their for- mation and have produced knit- ted baby clothes for the Tunbridge Wells Hospital baby unit, hats for fishermen and for the troops in Afghanistan. Funds have been raised for
the Peggy Wood charity, the Heart of Kent Hospice, and charities supporting Parkinson’s Disease and dementia care. One of their most rewarding projects has been making heart cushions for the breast cancer care team at Maidstone Hospital. The hearts are given to those who have undergone breast sur-
gery and are placed under the arm on the operation side to ease pressure on the wound. Fiona Anderson, breast care
nurse specialist, said: “Patients are very touched by the thoughtfulness of such a ges-
ture.Manyhavesaidthatre- ceiving the cushion made them feel cared for at time when they were feeling particularly vul- nerable.” The group meets on the third
Tuesday of the month at Mere- worth Village Hall at 7.30pm. If anyone can offer a suitable
venue in Maidstone, please con- tact Pamela on Maidstone 754428. The group also has a lively website –
www.craftychinwag-
gers.com – so that members who are housebound are able to stay in touch with other mem- bers via the website and regular newsletters.
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