Town Talk


Left: the air raid shelter in its derelict state.


Right:


STUDENTS from Holmesdale Technology College starred in a television appeal for £50,000 to convert a derelict air raid shelter into a bike and go kart workshop. The youngsters, along with executive


principal Ian Hobson, were filmed by Meridian Tonight as they made their plea for viewers’ votes for the People’s Millions grant for the school’s Bunker Project. The scheme is run by the Big Lottery


Fund in partnership with ITV. Two clubs faced each other on four con- secutive nights during the week to win the prize – up to £50,000 each for the four win- ners and the loser with the highest number of votes.


Unfortunately, Holmesdale lost out to the


Isle of Sheppey Sailing Club which wanted to refurbish and extend its internal facili- ties. Mr Hobson said Holmesdale had wanted


executive principal Ian Hobson with pupils James Powell, Ryan Collins and Sharna Kemp with officers from the police and KentFire and Rescue, who supported the appeal.


to convert the Second World War air raid shelter into workshops where dads and sons, particularly, could mend and main- tain bikes and karts in a safe environment on the school site. Project analyst Sue Ricketts, who put the


bid together, said the project could not go ahead without the lottery cash. “The school just does not have the funds,”


she said, “but we will certainly be explor- ing other opportunities.” When the Downs Mail went to press, the destination of the “best runners-up” cash had not been announced. The school had planned to carry out the


Young pupils dig up some help


MALLING Lions Club has donated children’s gardening tools to pupils at the Church of England Primary School, Snodland. Andrew Cornish, the club’s past president, is pictured with headteacher Pauline Hobson and Libby Holt. Thanking the Lions for the tools Jacqueline Hunt, head of administration, said: “We have a retired gardener helping in the foundation stage garden and he found the children were having difficulty with adult size tools. “The Lions volunteered to buy the school some child-sized ones.”


Andrew said the club was very pleased to be able to help. “Malling Lions have also recently been involved with sev-


eral other local primary schools in the area,” he went on. “We have presented book vouchers for achievement, donated small amounts of money for after-school projects and skills games and DVDs promoting young people’s health and well- being.” Schools can contact Andrew on 01732 840067 for details about possible donations.


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Town Talk 1


conversion but funding dried up. Construction on the bunker began in Jan-


uary 1940 for the 350 children and staff dur- ing air raids. Pupils had lessons and sometimes ate their school dinners in the bunker.


According to the school log, evacuation of


the school took only two minutes once the siren sounded. Students James Powell and Ryan Collins,


both 15, and 16-year-old Sharna Kemp were filmed for the two-minute slot. Snodland Scouts also pitched in, deliver-


ing flyers to every home in the town to ask viewers to vote for the Bunker Project


Roman gift for museum


SOME of the rare Roman coins found in the sports ground of Smurfit Kappa Townsend Hook will be donated to Snod- land Museum. Town Talk revealed the site of the find


in December 2006. The company decided to have a dig to


find the soil types on the site for the ben- efit of prospective developers and on its first sweep the digger uncovered an urn with 3,600 bronze Roman coins. Other coins were found elsewhere. The Downs Mail reported last month


that it was one of the largest hoards found in Kent. Andrew Ashbee, curator of Snodland Museum, approached Giles Guthrie, keeper of human history at MaidstoneMu- seum, who assured himthere would be no problem in donating some of the coins.


A Downs Mail supplement produced specially for the residents of Snodland and Halling. Produced in conjunction with the Snodland Chamber of Commerce


Students’ TV appeal for bunker cash


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