Noel retires – on Christmas Day


IT will be an extra special Christmas Day for the man everyone knows as Father Noel. Not only is it Rev Noel McConachie’s birthday,


it’s also the day he retires after nearly 18 years as rector of Mereworth and vicar ofWest Peckham. Prior to that he was pastor at Leybourne for


more than four years. He will take his last services on December 25 –


and he is already looking forward to his retire- ment with wife Evelyn and their family of three children and five grand-daughters, who all live locally. Fr Noel reflected on the highlights of his job –


his year as chaplain to the High Sheriff of Kent, Andrew Wells, and the £1m restoration of Mere- worth’s magnificent Palladian church, St Lawrence’s, which was completed in April last year. His departure will herald a team ministry reor- ganisation in the area, with stipendiary ministers in Mereworth andWest Peckham as well asWest Malling and Otham, plus a non-stipendiary ap- pointment in Kings Hill. In the meantime, until someone takes over in


the new year, Fr Noel can still be invited to offi- ciate at baptisms, weddings and funerals.


Stop and search drop


OFFICERS inWest Kent last year un- dertook the lowest number of stop and search exercises in the county. In 2009/10, there were 985 stop


and searches performed, less than half the 2,333 that took place during 2008/09. There was, however, an in- crease in racially/religiously aggra- vated offences from 81 to 103. But across the whole county, there


was a reduction of 24 such reports between 2008/09 and 2009/10.


Noel McConachie and wife Evelyn outside their home in The Street, Mereworth


Battle to fund school drop-off


scheme WEST Malling Primary School wants to widen its access road – but finance is likely to be the stumbling block. Head Darren Webb believes


there is sufficient space to cre- ate a dropping-off system on the KCC-owned access between Norman Road and the school gates. Local councillor Trudy Dean


is trying to secure funding for a feasibility study by KCC con- sultants Mouchel. But MrWebb is not confident


Apart from that, he plans to spend more time


on carpentry and joinery. That was the trade he originally did when he moved from his native Northern Ireland to England in 1960. A farewell “do” is planned for Fr Noel at Mere- worth church on February 4.


Bullying course for bus-push boy


ATEENAGER whose actions led to a boy falling from a school bus window has been ordered to attend a course to address his bullying tendencies. The 14-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, pushed the boy, also 14, against the window, which fell out. The victim then followed, landing in Marden High Street. His attacker, who admitted common assault, was not charged with causing injuries to the boy as magistrates de- cided he could not have foreseen that the window would pop out. He was given a four-month referral order and told to pay £85


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about being able to get funding for the widening work itself, es- pecially as KCC has to make major cuts to its highways spending. "That's a shame because we


are growing as a school, but we are going to have a bigger and bigger issue with congestion," said MrWebb. He added: "Part of our overall


strategy is to ease congestion outside the school gates. We have the walking bus operating successfully. Now, what we re- ally need is an opportunity to get the access widened to have a dropping-off system. "But when you have just a one-way access road it is not possible.We will keep pushing for it because it's right for the school and for the children."


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