Traders’ deaf
facilities tested A MAIDSTONE woman’s cam- paign to assess the facilities available to people with a hear- ing loss inMaidstone town cen- tre businesses has produced disappointing results. Working with volunteers
from local deaf charity, HI KENT, Deborah Kapaj visited businesses in the town during Deaf AwarenessWeek. A total of 67% of the 97 busi- nesses surveyed were given a ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’ rating, with only 40% having a hearing loop system and then only 25% of those having loops in working order or staff trained to use them.
Signs indicating that a hear-
ing loop was available were generally poor. However, staff were on the whole helpful and keen to see an improvement in what they offered customers with a hearing loss. HI KENT will be runningDeaf
Awareness sessions for only £20 per person on June 11 and 17, and also offering a British Sign Language basics course, all in central Maidstone. The charity will give advice and practical solutions to businesses to sup- ply and install the equipment necessary to improve communi- cation with their hearing-im- paired customers. John Clayton, HI KENT’S
Chief Executive said “HI KENT will continue to campaign to raise awareness of the needs of deaf and hard of hearing peo- ple. We are hoping that all Maidstone’s businesses will enrol at least one staff member on a Deaf Awareness or basic sign language course.”
Charity fun run MAIDSTONE’S 5km Big Fun Run takes place at Mote Park on Sunday, September 15. Participants will receive a charity running vest or T-shirt, and an information pack. There is also a two for one offer to en- courage participation. Everyone who runs on behalf
of Meningitis UK will be part of the Meningitis Musketeers team with the motto – All 4 One and One 4 All. To sign up and receive a sponsorship pack, or for more information, please call Emma King on 0117 303 3345 or email
emmaking@meningitisUk.org.
Duo in concert ANDREA and Friends, from Maidstone Operatic, will per- form at St Mary’s Church, Lenham, on Saturday, June 8. The popular classical music singers, who took part in the 2012 Lenham Family Festival, sing songs from the musicals from 7pm. Visitors are asked to make a donation and proceeds will be shared between Cancer Research UK, Demelza House and the Alzheimers Society.
26 East
Victory in battle for play area
CHILDREN in Sutton Woods, Maidstone are finally to get a new play area – after a year-long fight by their ward councillor. Developers who built on the
site of the old Senacre School in Sutton Road, were supposed to provide a “village green”, with a play area, as part of an agree- ment made five years ago. Asum of £300,000 was agreed, which would be split between ParkWood, Shepway North and Shepway South – where the children had beenmost affected by the school closure. However, when Cllr Daniel Moriarty was canvassing prior to the borough elections a year ago, he realised what should have been a pretty place to play wasnomorethanadumping ground for building waste. He said: “The open space with
play equipment should have been laid after 50% of the new homes had been occupied.” After being elected, the coun-
cillor made it his business to find out why the open space and play area on the original outline planning application had seemingly disappeared. He found that the developers
were in default of a binding legal agreement. Cllr Moriarty said: “Upper-
most in my mind was the sim- ple fact that a housing
The site of the new play area in SuttonWoods
development which consisted of 360 new homes did not have a play area where children could play and parents have an area in which to relax and watch their children at play.” He said: “For 10 months I ar-
gued that the developer was in default of the legal agreement.” Cllr Moriarty challenged the council’s officers over reports that the open space element had been achieved He said several comments in officers’ reports were based on presumption rather than fact. “The oversight was that no one bothered to go and have a look.” Cllr Moriarty was also con- cerned that the wording had been “twisted” to say the sports contribution of £300,000 was to be used initially to provide a multi-use games area in Park Wood, then for sports facilities in Shepway North and Shep- way South.
Editor gives Downs Mail talk
DOWNS Mail editor Stephen Eighteen was one of the guest speak- ers at the latest Maidstone Older Person’s Forum. Stephen (pictured) spoke
about the history of thenews- paperand said the forumwas an appropriate place to dis- cuss Downs Mail, as it was founded16years agobyDen- nis Fowle, who began the publicationonhis retirement. Stephen also discussed his
background in journalism, the media in general and in- vited questions from the 120 attendeesat the event, at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone. Other speakers included
Andy Birket from Voluntary Action Within Kent (VAWK), andSueThistlethwaite,Stella Tester and Sue Jacobs on be- half of Parkinsons UK.
Girl Guides dress to impress
MORE than 60 Rainbows, Brownies and Guides enjoyed a pam- pering and healthy living afternoon, competing for the Swaffield Challenge Trophy. The girls in the Len Valley District –which encompassesHolling- bourne, Harrietsham and Lenham – enjoyed hair styling, foot care, nails and quizzes based on the themes of sport and fitness. The competitive element of the day was to dress the best man- nequin, paying attention to hair, accessories, make-up, shoes and party dresses. The event is held each year in memory of Sheila Swaffield, a for-
mer guider and commissioner in the Lenham area, and her hus- band Cliff attended to present the winners – 1st Lenham Guides – with the trophy, which was accepted by guides Freya Simkins and Zoe Hogg. Anyone interested in joining the Len Valley district groups should contact Julia Thomsett on 01622 859009.
He said: “I didn’t mention anything about a MUGA, be- cause Park Wood already had one! My contribution was to go towards a skatepark.”(now going through the consultation process) The developer has now agreed a location for the open space and play area, to contain the latest play equipment. Cllr Moriarty said: “This will
be the idyllic place to have an area of play for children.” He continued: “I would have expected my comments to form part of the legal agreement. In- stead, it is written in such a way that it gives officers of the coun- cil carte blanche to determine where the money is spent, and what is to be provided. “The money could have been creamed off to Mote Park and not used in the wards mentioned. “My diligence in fighting for
the residents of Sutton Woods has proved to be very fruitful. I never gave up on what I be- lieved to be an injustice. “Legal agreements should be a statement of fact, words spoken within the pre-application dis- cussions, and agreed upon by all parties, not written in a way that allows the slightest room for presumption or favours offi- cers of this council to deem oth- erwise.”
New building proposed for
hospital A NEW building has been proposed to house a dis- charge unit at the front of Maidstone Hospital, in Her- mitage Lane. A planning application re- quests a modular building to ease transport flow and speed up the process of patient dis- charge. A supporting statement
said: “The proposed site is lo- cated at the front of the hos- pital and will be placed adjacent to the now redun- dant helicopter pad and the Accident and Emergency de- partment. “The unit will be connected
to the hospital via existing double doors in themain cor- ridor running north/south on the ground floor, and is within easy reach of themain wards, stairs and lifts giving access to the first floor. “The external appearance
of the unit will be similar to those buildings adjacent – white profiled metal sheeting with a contrasting band, com- pletewith flashings and trims all fixed directly to the mod- ular constructed building.” Maidstone Council will de- termine the planning applica- tion.
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