Hard times for Chicago Rock
THE future of a Maidstone town centre night club hangs in the balance, after administrators were called in to rescue its par- ent company. Atmosphere Bars and Clubs, which owns Chicago Rock in Maidstone High Street, along with 23 other licensed bars and clubs across England and Wales, went into administration earlier in May, with Deloitte being appointed to handle its affairs.
Although a spokesman for De-
loitte said it was hoped to keep the venues operational and sold as a going concern, the future of the club remained uncertain. There was no reply from Chicago’s “party hotline” or from the club itself as the Downs Mail went to press. Atmosphere Bars and Clubs,
based in Milton Keynes, fo- cused on providing food, drink, music, parties and entertain- ment via its 19 Chicago bars and
a handful of others. More than 500 jobs could be at risk if a buyer cannot be found. Daniel Butters, joint adminis-
trator and partner at Deloitte, said: “As a consequence of cash flow problems, the decision was taken by the directors of At- mosphere Bars and Clubs to place the company into admin- istration. We are continuing to trade the business and all ven- ues remain open whilst seeking a sale as a going concern.” Atmosphere had struggled in
the economic downturn, re- porting losses as late-night ven- ues went in for heavy discounting to retain their pop- ularity and share of the market. The group posted an annual pre-tax loss of £4.1m for the year to February 2012, with management blaming “unsus- tainable” discounting by rivals for the loss. This came after a pre-tax loss of £5.2m the year before.
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 the newspa- per and said the forum was an appropriate place to discuss Downs Mail, as it was founded 16 years ago by Dennis Fowle, whobegan the publicationon his retirement. Stephen also discussed his
background in journalism, the media in general and invited questions from the 120 atten- dees at the event, at the Hazlitt Theatre inMaidstone. Other speakers included Andy
Birket from Voluntary Action Within Kent (VAWK), and Sue Thistlethwaite, Stella Tester and Sue Jacobs on behalf of Parkin- sons UK.
Join walk to boost charities
THEWeald of Kent Rotary Club is limbering up for its 28th an- nual North DownsWalk. The walk takes place on Sun-
day, June 30, and anyone is wel- come to join in. There is the option to retain half the spon- sorship they raise for a charity – or charities – of their choice. The walk, which offers the choice of a three, six or nine mile walk across the Downs, starts and ends at Harrietsham Village Hall, and supports Can- cer Research UK. On completion, all walkers
are treated to a ploughman’s lunch and strawberries, and en- tertained by a jazz band. The website – www.weald-
ofkentrotary.org.uk – has full details of routes and registration forms, which can be down- loaded, or walkers can register
on the day for a minimum do- nation of £10 per person. To date, the walk has raised
more than £420,000 for local and national charities, with more than £200,000 going to Cancer Research UK. Early risers can get going from 7.30am, with the last registra- tion taking place at 11am. Call 01622 890650 for details.
Trees to be felled TERINA Irvine has been given conservation area consent to fell two trees at Old Loose Court, Old Drive, Loose. She wanted to ground an ash
due to “excessive shading and growing around a telegraph pole” and a sycamore because of “excessive shading”. Maidstone Council granted permission for the plan.
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