Brothers head off to European dance contest


TWO boys from Sandling are seeking support to get their fantastic fancy footwork featured at a higher level. Brothers Jordan and Sasha Shepherd have already accrued a string of accolades for their dance moves, and now face opportuni- ties on the European and worldwide stage. The boys, who are pupils at Sandling Pri-


mary School, started dancing in Maidstone but for the past two years have joined some of the top names in Britain’s street dancing scene.


Both boys were chosen by Unity’s Tashan Muir to join his team ‘Clique’ – the current British champions – and they also travel to London and Essex to get tuition from the dancers in Diversity, Olympic choreographer Nathaniel Jones who is Jordan’s mentor, and Sugar Free.


Later this year, they will be off to


Amsterdam in June to represent Great Britain in the European Championships and the


School priority


plan dropped Continued from page one


any brothers or sisters who qualify. County Cllr Jenny Whittle confirmed that if Thurnham wanted to consider introducing a priority area in the future the school would have to consult muchwider than just parents of existing pupils andwould need to demonstrate that it had had problems with its admissions process for at least two years. She said: “The borough coun-


cil and KCC need to work to- gether to make sure there are places for everyone locally.” Cllr Daniel Skinner asked that


if there was a consultation in the future the parish council be made aware as soon as possible. He said it was nice to feel the parish council had played an active role in alerting residents to the school’s proposal and persuading KCC to rethink the idea. Cllr Ted Denham thanked the chairman for his “outstand- ing” job in delivering flyers to let villagers know about the plans and getting representa- tives from the school to speak with residents and councillors at a parish council meeting.


 Thurnham Parish Council – page 37


Summer ball FLORIST and coffee shop Hun- ker Down Daisy is holding a summer ball at the Tudor Park Hotel, Bearsted, in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust and CLIC Sargent.


The event, from 7.30pm on Saturday, June 15, includes dinner, a raffle, an auction and dancing. Tickets are £45, in- cluding a welcome drink and three course meal with wine, and are available by calling 01622 737069, emailing sales@hunkerdowndaisy.co.uk or from the shop in Yeoman Court, Ashford Road, Bearsted.


6 East


PATIENTS at Len Valley Prac- tice in Lenham learnt about their health and their bodies at an open morning.


Organised by the practice and the patients’ forum, the day fo- cused on chronic disease pre- vention and self-management – but also included talks and an opportunity to chat to doctors. Information stands covered support for carers, alcohol abuse, transport schemes and Nordic walking. Talks covered areas such as cancer awareness, back pain and first aid. Youngsters from primary schools in the area entered a


Jordan and Sasha with Clique dancers


world championships in Copenhagen in Octo- ber.


Jordan (11) has successfully auditioned for


several reality TV programmes, which are cur- rently under wraps. He recently came second in the solo All-England Championship and in the solo British Championship, and repre- sents Great Britain with another dance troupe, Crew Troopers.


Mum Angelika, who runs a business from


Downs View Farm, Boxley, with her husband Richard, has started selling sweetie cones around local pubs to help raise cash for the team’s trip to Amsterdam and Copenhagen and is hoping local businesses will step for- ward with offers of sponsorship. She said: “It costs £1,500 per child to take


part in the competitions in Europe, and most of that goes on transport. These children are the ‘best of British’ and really need our sup- port. They have worked so hard to reach this level in such a short space of time.” Jordan and Sasha, the youngest of Mr and


Mrs Shepherd’s six children, train between four and six times a week. Sandling Primary school head teacher Mrs


Downs and class teachers Mrs Gibbs and Mrs Smith are very supportive of their endeavours. Mrs Shepherd has set up a website to raise funds and a following of supporters for the young dancers. For more information go to www.gofundme.com/2ygakk


Record year for leisure centre


RECORD numbers of residents are flocking to Maidstone Leisure Centre, following last year’s


fascination for the Olympics and all things sports- related.


There were more than 9,000 additional visits in January and February 2013, compared to the same period last year.


The 67,059 visitors in Febru- ary made it the busiest month since records began in 2003 – a


sign that Maidstone folk could be getting more active, accord- ing to John Wilson, the town’s cabinet member for community and leisure services.


Much of the increase is down to a rise in the popularity of swimming lessons, following the appointment of a swimming coordinator to increase aware- ness and availability of swim- ming for all ages and abilities. A total of 8,702 lessons were


delivered in February 2013 – al- most double the number deliv- ered in February 2011. Cllr Wilson said: “The Lon- don 2012 Olympic and Para- lympic Games were a great inspiration to all of us to be more active, and I’m delighted to see that so many more resi- dents are keeping the momen- tum going by taking advantage of the fantastic facilities at Maidstone Leisure Centre.”


Historian is society’s anniversary guest


HISTORIAN David Starkey has helped to mark the 75th anniversary of the Bearsted & District Local History Society. Speaking to an audience of more than 150, Dr Starkey, the soci- ety’s patron, spoke on nationalism and identity. The focus was the forthcoming referendum on Scottish independence and the relation- ship between Scotland and England since the Acts of Union in 1707. It was a memorable occasion for A-level history student Charlotte


Stevens, 16, the society’s youngest member, who is pictured left pre- senting Dr Starkey with an early 19th century cartoon, entitled The School of Reform. The event, at the memorial hall, which was followed by a book-sign- ing, attracted the highest ever number of attendees at the society. Bearsted History Society’s anniversary celebrations have attracted a number of prominent speakers, including art critic Andrew Graham Dixon and author and historian Alison Weir. Roger Vidler, the society’s treasurer and membership secretary, said: “Dr Starkey is witty, informative, learned, challenging and con- troversial and his talks are always stimulating.”


Health centre open day


health-themed art competition. The winner in the younger cat- egory was Samuel Horwood from Platts Heath Primary School while Lenham Primary School pupil Sophie Horlock won in the older age group. Practice manager Diane An- derson said: “All those who re- turned the evaluation form found the morning interesting.” Len Valley Practice and Pa- tients’ Forum are considering hosting another open morning in the future. They wished to thank more than 10 businesses that contributed prizes for the tombola.


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk Pupils dig in


PUPILS at Lenham Primary School have been digging deep to discover what lies beneath their school playing field. Year 6 students got a lesson in archaeology, looking at resist- ance tests.


Lesley Feakes, from Lenham Archaeological Society took some of the Kent society’s spe- cialist equipment into the class- room so pupils could measure the density of the ground. Results showed there was quite possibly a ditch line, marking the boundary between an old field and a bank – which could be a burial mound.


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