Hotel
manager Dominic Di Cara with
trumpeter Kenny Ball
Tribute to jazz legend
JAZZ trumpeter Kenny Ball passed away just four days after he was due to perform at theMercure Maidstone Great Danes Hotel. The legendary musician, aged 82, had been suffering from pneu-
monia. He and his band had been booked to entertain guests over Sun-
day lunch on March 3, but he was not well enough to play. It would have been the third year that Kenny had performed at the hotel.
General manager of the hotel, Dominic Di Cara, said: “His son
Keith stepped in to replace Kenny, supported by a trumpeter from the Chris Barber Band. Kenny was a true professional, and a gen- tleman.” Kenny Ball was best known as the lead trumpet player in the band Kenny Ball and his Jazzmen in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Office scheme MRAmpofo has applied to con- vert offices into a dwelling at 18 Buckland Road,Maidstone. His supporting statement
said: “The semi-detached prop- erty was built as a dwelling but its use changed to offices and storage in the 1980s. “The applicant is now retir-
ing, has no use for the office ac- commodation for his business and has been unable to let the premises. He wishes to change the use back to a dwelling. The adjoining semi-detached build- ing is a dwelling.” Maidstone Council will de- termine the planning applica- tion.
Plan blocked A PROPOSED two-storey side extension in Ringlestone was blocked by Maidstone Council. Mr Barnden’s application for
99 Calder Road was to add an additional reception room to the side to gain an extra bed- room. But Maidstone Council re-
fused to grant planning permis- sion, stating in the decision notice that the scale, location and design of the proposal “would erode a visually impor- tant space between 99 and 101 Calder Road, significantly harming the character and ap- pearance of the surrounding area”.
Bluebell Walk to help hospice THE Heart of Kent Hospice will be holding its annual Bluebell Walk on Sunday, May 5. The 8.5-mile walk starts from Harrietsham village hall, where
there is plenty of free parking, and registration opens at 9am. At the end of the walk, therewill be a well-earned ploughman’s
lunch as well as cake, craft and fruit stalls. The entrance fee is £10 for adults, £3 for children, and £25 for
a family of five. Dogs are also welcome. For more information call 01622 790195, email
fundraising@hokh.co.uk or go to
www.hokh.org.
Pre-school care OFSTED inspectors who went to St Martin’s Pre-school in Shepway found that the chil- dren felt safe and secure. Relations between staff and children were strong, and the pre-school was said to offer a satisfactory standard of care, with many good resources and activities. To improve its rating, obser- vation and assessment should be improved, and planning should reflect children’s indi- vidual interests. Self evaluation did not iden- tify all areas for improvement.
Charity open A MAIDSTONE charity is opening its doors to the public. The Blackthorn Trust, which
offers people with mental or physical health difficulties medical care, specialist thera- pies and rehabilitation through work placements in its Black- thorn Garden, is holding a spring fair and open day at the garden in St Andrew’s Road on Saturday, April 27. The plant nursery and cabin
will be open from 10.30am to 3.30pm. For details call Emma on 01622 747112 or email
emma@blackthorn.org.uk
Have you got news for us? Phone our News Desk on 01622 734735 Town 7
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