Parish council gives up on centre ambition
TOVIL Parish Council reluctantly decided not to bid for the parish centre when it went up for auction on March 18. The decision was made in private at the end of March’s meeting and came after years of battling to try to buy the former Archbishop Courtenay Primary School building. Parish council chairman, Cllr Rev Christo-
pher Morgan-Jones, said: “The original pur- chase offer of £150,000 was an opportunity not to bemissed, but as the cost of purchase increased the prospect was not so good. “A unanimous decision was taken not to purchase the old school building and to sign a lease with the working men’s club.” Amember of the public offered the parish council a grant of £50,000, which could have been added to the £150,000 already budgeted for if the Diocesan Board of Edu-
cation had agreed to withdraw the building from auction and sell it for £200,000. However, the council felt this was too risky,
as they would have been liable to pay the full amount, within a month, if anything had gone wrongwith the grant or a promised loan from the PublicWorks Loan Board. The council also acknowledged the parish
centre needed expensive repairs. Several community groups rented rooms in
the building, including pre-school-style group Monster Play ‘n’ Learn. The company has temporarily moved to the old Children’s Hut in Courtenay Road, but it can’t accom- modate as many children and it is unable to store all its toys and equipment on site. Owner Trudy Glenister said: “The whole community is upset about the parish centre closing.”
Tovil Parish Council has been trying to
buy a community centre since its formation in 1987 and has been working with the Coombe Farm and Tovil Development Group to buy the parish centre for about four years. The Diocesan Board of Educa- tion told the parish council in January 2012 it would be prepared to sell the building for £150,000, but almost exactly a year later so- licitors acting for the same board issued the council with notice to leave the building as it was being put up for auction. Speaking at the parish council meeting before the decision, chairman of the Coombe Farm and Tovil Development Group, Mike FitzGerald, said it would be a “disappointment for everyone involved” if the old school building was not kept as a community centre for the parish.
Danny hoping to make his dreams a TV reality
ABARMING man is on a mission to appear in as many reality TV shows as he can. Danny Hulse (31) is starring in the sec-
ond series of Sky Living’s dating show Love Machine, presented by former Radio One DJ Chris Moyles and X-Factor runner up Stacey Solomon. He is also in BBC3’s The Year of Making Love, billed as Britain’s biggest ever blind date. Danny said: “I had a great experience filming and made some great friends.” Danny failed the audition for the first se-
ries of Love Machine and several other shows so joined an online talent agency called Star Now that claims to help wannabe celebrities succeed at auditions.
He has since ap- peared in Girl- fri3nds, another dating show screened on ITV2, and been an extra in BAFTA award- winning reality television show The Only Way Is Essex.
Danny, who
works as an administrator, told the Downs Mail: “The experience I got from Girlfri3nds was awesome. I got to the private auditions for Big Brother where I got a phone call
inviting me to a secret location to meet the producers. I didn’t expect anything from it as thousands apply, I was just happy I got to the private audition.” Danny has just finished filming for C4 dating show, Brendan’s Love Boat. Hosted by Brendan Sheerin from Coach Trip, the programme aims to help holidaymakers find love on a luxury cruise ship. It is ex- pected to air in the spring. Danny, who says his dream date is
Megan Fox, concluded: “Iwant to look into acting lessons and hopefully audition for parts or extras in movies. I always say live each day like it’s your last and always live the dream.”
Liberal Democrats Speaking up for Maidstone
1 Chance to re-elect a winning team 2 Votes to keep the team together
Rob Bird X
3 Good reasons to vote Liberal Democrat with Dan and Rob:
1 Defending our communities from unsustainable development
2 Demanding safer roads, better road maintenance and improved infrastructure
3 Insisting on more good primary schools for our children
Dan Daley X County Council Elections: 2 May Use BOTH Your Votes To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330
Published on behalf of Maidstone & The Weald Liberal Democrats by Jasper Gerard, Keeper's Cottage, Somerden Green, Chiddingstone,TN8 7AL Town 3
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48