Cash for community schemes Fringe festival
FIVE community projects which aim to benefit residents in Maidstone’s High Street ward have been awarded a total of £9,508. The successful schemes include a plan to re-
paint the Gala bingo hall and help for the elderly Nepalese community living in the town. Projects were shortlisted by the Community
FirstHighStreetPanel,which wasmadeupof representatives of Maidstone Council and High Street Ward residents and businesses, before being displayed in Maidstone Gateway so that residents could vote for the projects they thought the most deserving. The successful applicants were presented with
their cheques by Mayor Cllr Rodd Nelson-Gracie. The funding came from the £80 million govern- ment-funded initiative “Community First”, which aims to help communities come together to plan for their future and become more resilient. Penny Reed, ward resident and panel member,
said: “We’re so pleased to see somany people tak- ing part and deciding how the money is spent in their community. Itwas a pleasure to meet every- one and celebrate their success.” Groups receiving awards were: Maidstone Baptist Church, Youth Ministry: £2,500 The church will provide a Christian summer holiday activity programme for young people in years 6 to 11 who live or come into the ward. The programme will run on a Tuesday and Thursday for three weeks. Each day will have a different theme, with various activities that will enable young people to get involved. Maidstone YMCA, Family First Fitness: £2,500 To increase community participation in wellbe-
ing activities and promote social inclusion using funmini “flash” style wellbeing workshops in the open spaces, parks and play areas of the ward.
Mayor ofMaidstone Rodd Nelson-Gracie and Cllr Denise Joy with the cheque recipients
Maidstone Sea Cadets: £2,000 They will buy more equipment so they can
carry out further training, education and aware- ness of first aid, piping skills, chart and naviga- tional skills, cook steward and boating skills. This will prepare members for their future and make them aware of life skills. Stepping Stones, Gala Bingo mural: £1,508 Stepping Stones will repaint the wall of the
Gala bingo hall, which is a prominent feature of the one-way system in the town. The project will bring together young people to help cut out sten- cils in a series of workshops over six weeks. The painting will take place on a particular day get- ting young people involved. Maidstone Nepalese Community: £1,000 Maidstone Nepalese Community applied for funding to support the group that meets every Sunday at Midhurst Court, Mote Road. It is pri- marily aimed at the elderly Nepalese community to educate and help people learn about living in the UK and Maidstone in particular.
venues agreed PLANS have been unveiled for the third Maidstone Fringe Festival–amulti- venue music festival cele- brating the diversity ofmusic in the county town. More than a dozen venues
have already agreed to partic- ipate in the festival over the MayBankHoliday–from Thursday,May 2, to Monday, May 6. These include The Ex- change Theatre, The Source Bar, Pizza Express, The Style and Winch, Earls and The Royal Albion. The event is being organised
by Clive Austen, from Make Some Noise, and Zoe Sparkle, who said: “The last two festi- vals have been very successful in terms of bringing people into the town and for many local businesses it has proved to be one of the busiest week- ends of the year.” More than 100 live bands
and artists from Maidstone, Kent and further afield are booked to appear over the five days and there will also be street entertainers and stand-up comedy at venues around town. Full details are available at
www.maidstonefringefesti-
val.co.uk.
To contact Downs Mail just phone 01622 630330
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