Rotary awards


for town trio THERotaryClub ofMaidstonehas awarded its top honour – the Paul Harris Fellowships – to three members for services to Rotary and the local community. They are (from left) incoming


club president and retired lawyer Colin Trelfer, of Boughton Monchelsea; past president and chairman of Age UK Maidstone Pat Thomas, of Barming;and past president and former Maidstone police area commander Roger Hext, of Bearsted.


for farm shop THE licence holder of Bearsted Farmers’ Market has applied to remove planning restrictions on his farm shop in Sutton Va- lence.


Planning consent dating back


to 2006 restricts Haven Farm Shop in North Street to opening between 8.30am and 5pm and demands that 67% of its turnover should consist of fresh produce grown at the farm, while also banning the sale of imported goods. Derek Eagle wants the open-


ing hours of the shop to be 8am to 6pm Mondays to Saturdays, and to have no restrictions on where his produce is sourced. His supporting statement


said: “I want to run a local and organic farm shop. I pride my- self on championing local pro- duce wherever I can. “I have been involved with Bearsted Parish Council as the licence holder/market manager for the farmers’ market for the last four years and work closely with the Kent Farmers’ Market Association. “I am sourcing from a range


of organic farms across the country as well as from con- ventional local farms. “Haven Farm has changed


and needs to stock produce grown elsewhere. The local community benefits from being able to buy locally grown pro- duce (outside of Haven Farm) and I feel thiswill help support the local economy too.” Maidstone Council will de- termine the application.


MISS SAIGON by Valley Park School at The Hazlitt Theatre


Inner Wheel’s


new president THE new president of the Inner Wheel Club of Maidstone is Elizabeth Hext (pictured right), of Bearsted. Elizabeth,


who was vice presi- dent last year, is the wife of for- merMaidstone police area commander Roger Hext.


Bid to lift rules Gypsies win their fight to stay


GYPSIES were given planning permission to remain in Harri- etsham permanently to provide stability to a disabled youngster in the occupying family. In 2009, two years after she


was first given consent by a gov- ernment planning inspector, Maidstone Council granted a three-year temporary stay for Bridget Cash to station one mo- bile and one touring caravan at TheMellows inMarley Road. Maidstone Council’s planning committee has now made that agreement permanent on a per- sonal basis, to ensure the youngest of her three children, Patrick (12), can remain at Five AcreWood School in Boughton Lane, Maidstone, where he has a 94% attendance record.


A RETIRED telecom engineer from Bearsted who died from lung disease had been in con- tact with asbestos during his ca- reer, a Maidstone inquest heard. However, the coroner ruled


that 60-year-old Stephen Tomp- son’s death was due to natural causes and not asbestosis. Mr Tompson, of The Land-


way, died in Maidstone Hospi- tal on January 7 after being admitted a few days earlierwith breathing problems. Pathologist Dr David Rouse


said a post mortem examination showed Mr Tompson died from respiratory failure due to pul- monary fibrosis, but he found no asbestos bodies. The inquest heard that Mr


Patrick is registered disabled, epileptic, partially-sighted, has very limited mobility and speech problems. Cllr Ian Chit- tenden, a member of the com- mittee, said: “Places at special schools like Five Acre are get- ting scarcer, so it is clear that it is a very genuine case.” Harrietsham Parish Council objected, citing the inspector’s assertion in 2007 that the site caused “considerable harm” to the Kent Downs Area of Out- standing Natural Beauty as still relevant today. Council chairman Stephen Morris said: “No attempt has been made to implement any of the recommendations made by the inspector to the entrance.” Due to the site’s location in an


Death ‘due to natural causes’


Tompson, who left BT in 1998, had been fit and active, but had become breathless over the last five years. ACTscanin2010 had shown tiny pleural plaques. Given those factors, and Mr Tompson’s work his- tory, it was suspected he had contracted asbestosis. Mid Kent Coroner Patricia Harding read out a statement made in November 2011, by Mr Tompson, whose job brought him into contact with asbestos between 1970-80. Mrs Harding said there was a history of working with as- bestos, but on the balance of probabilities death was as a re- sult of a naturally occurring dis- ease process.”


IF YOU missed this show, you missed one of the very best shows I have seen at The Ha- zlitt in the past years. The chorus was disciplined


yet creative. The students in this huge group did not put a step wrong. Whether theywere desperately trying to get on the last helicopter to leave Saigon or tramping on to the stage as Ho Chi Minh’s troops, they were a veritable masterclass in


20 East


School’s musical a great success JOHN


MUNSON SHOW TIME


how a chorus should be. The principals were equally amazing. Samantha Sharpe, as Kim, had the voice of an angel and a powerfully convincing acting ability. Cree Rose Young was the ultimate immoral scal- lywag, whose energy and voice


created The Engineer. Aaron Frith, as Chris, was utterly be- lievable as the boy next door, a victim of war. Chomba Taulo as John; Nicol Kakel as Ellen; BenAnderton as Thuy,were all fine contributors to this per- formance. All 49 members of the cast


listed in the programme con- tributed to this musical's suc- cess. Giles Gleadall was the brilliant director. Great sets and costumes, greatmusicians, and a great show.


AONB, he called for a five-year temporary permission. However Cllr Tony Harwood,


a committee member, said: “This is a well-appointed site that you can’t see from any van- tage points. The best thing for the residents of the site is to grant permanent permission with conditions that undo the vestiges of harm caused.” Councillors unanimously agreed to grant planning per- mission, but on condition that within two months a scheme has been submitted to the coun- cil illustrating a reduced gate height, loss of iron railings and brick walls/piers from the ac- cess together with alternative access treatment to include landscaping.


Samaritans in appeal for


volunteers MORE good Samaritans are being sought to help Maid- stone’s biggest listening service. The Samaritans, founded in London in 1953 by Chad Varah, help someone in the UK every six seconds. But, as pressures on daily life increase, the number of calls the service receives is rising, and more volunteers are needed. Maidstone andWeald Samar-


itans has 80 volunteers, provid- ing a listening service to people in distress around the clock. Will Merrifield, director of Maidstone and Weald Samari- tans, in Grecian Street, said: “We need more volunteers to train as listeners or to support us in what we do. Our team are local people who have a shared vision about helping others.” Volunteers receive training


and are asked to give four hours a week, including a night shift once a month. Anyone interested should


email recruitment@maidstone- samaritans.org or write to Will Merrifield at 48 Grecian Street, Maidstone ME14 2TS giving some basic information. Alternatively, telephone


01622674444orjustcallinto the office.


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