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Project supports new mothers


A MAIDSTONE organisation that supports new mums hopes to help more young parents after a successful launch event. Princess Project volunteers


met 20 new mums at the event in Park Wood’s Fusion Healthy Living Centre when they gave away gifts and talked about the services they offer. Project leader Emma Tanner


said: “We met lots of new mums and gave out lots of informa- tion. We also took contact de- tails so we can let them know about the schemes they were in- terested in.” The project gives new mums Princess boxes, containing gifts such as nappies and toiletries,


Food for homeless THE snow brought some sea- sonal cheer for the homeless on Maidstone’s streets. When the Lord Lieutenant’s annual Civic Service in All Saints Church was cancelled due to snow, 750 lunches pre- pared by Morrisons in Park Wood could have gone to waste. However, KCC secretary


Lizzy Adam remembered a rea- cent Food for Thought event at Maidstone Day Centre, and within minutes of the cancella- tion, the meals were on their way to the Community Food Share Project for the town’s homeless people.


Volunteers HeatherMay, Hannah Sampson, Emma Tan-


ner and Josie Fletcher Picture: Schumann Photography


collected via donations, knitted items and a personalised card. At the launch event, cupcakes


and flowers were handed out to mums, and toddlers coloured in Mother’s Day cards. The project’s newest venture, Totcycle, allows parents to ex-


COMMUTER culture in Kent is catching up with the Capital. A bevy of foldable bikes, which are proving popular for getting around London, are to be introduced to Maidstone East railway station, allowing commuters to get to and from the trains without using cars. They will also be able to take


them on the train to complete their journey at the other end. Ruth Hardy, from Brompton


Bikes, said: “We are installing a 20-bay Brompton dock at Maid- stone East in partnership with Southeastern and KCC.”


change toys and equipment they no longer need. It will run every four weeks from Tuesday, March 26, between 11.30am and 1.30pm, at Christchurch, Park Wood, and is part-funded by a grant from Golding Vision’s Community Chest Fund. Princess Project also runs a befriending scheme, a drop-in coffee morning at Switch Youth Café and parenting courses, which offer advice on raising confident, well-rounded chil- dren. If youwould like further details


see www.princessproject.co.uk, alternatively send an email to prayer@princessproject.co.uk, or call 07851 196770.


Station to get bike hire dock London’s “Boris Bikes” en-


able commuters to register on- line for a code which allows them to unlock a bike from the docking station and use it for as long as they wish. Membership costs £45 for the year with a daily hire charge of £2.50. The Maidstone system will operate on similar lines and allow people to leave their cars at home and let the train – and the bike – take the strain. There are plans to put cycle


docks in other parts of Kent, in- cluding Tonbridge, Ashford and Canterbury.


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Stage gamble


is a success By Dennis Fowle


THE very traditional Maid- stone Amateur Operatic Soci- ety took a Hazlitt gamblewith “The Producers”, described by chairman Mike Sutton as the most non-PC mainstream pro- duction ever. So how did they do with


Mel Brooks’ outrageous farce lampooning Hitler, camp men, and over-sexed elderly ladies? Once audiences had got


over early shocks this presen- tation seemed to grow on them and by the end few had not been won over. I enjoyed a fascinating show. Director Tony Cassidy and


key character Chris Chedzey (asMax Bialystock) faced im- mense challenges and pulled them off brilliantly. They had wonderful sup-


port from somany, especially David Amos, Ben Smyth, David Rowe, Ricky Hearn- den-Webb and Rachel Martin as the Swedish blonde bomb- shell.


Choreographer Heather


Worrall ensured the dancing routines were great, espe- cially the ladies with their Zimmer frames. The show certainly had glamour and sex appeal.


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