Education gives borough £88m boost
MID Kent College is planning a £23m refur- bishment of its Maidstone campus at Oak- wood Park. And a £1m vocational skills studio at Senacre will be opening soon to offer training for 14 to 19-year-olds as well as adult learning opportunities. These "good news" stories are part of an
£88m spend on education and training which proves it is not all doom and gloom in the current economic climate. That's the view of John Foster, Maidstone Council's re- generation and economic development manager.
Packed village hall enjoys gang show
AMIXTURE of song, dance and comedy was enjoyed by a full house at both the matinee and evening performances in the Boughton Monchelsea Scout Group gang show at the village hall.
The performance brought to- gether a cast of 60 Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and Leaders. The Kentish hop garden
scene included some tradi- tional children’s play songs and finished with a Cockney knees up. Dayglo sock puppets per- formed “Bohemian Rhapsody” in ultra violet light and the Scout Leaders expended a lot of energy dancing to “Greased Lightning”. The show was
Thisphoto (by Lynda Fuller) showsthe crew of a slave galley. left to right: JamesWorth, Sophie Taylor, Charlotte Thatcher, Tony Boden and Martin Harriswatching “mermaid” Jordan Friend.
rounded off by traditional gang showsongs by Ralph Reader in- cluding “Riding Along on the Crest of aWave”. Musical accompaniment was
Holden + Co Legal Aid Solicitors
Do you have a Legal Problem? Do you feel Lost or Helpless?
Do you feel that you are being treated unfairly?
Let us try to Help you We are Legal Aid Solicitors
You have legal rights – we can explain them to you
Buying or selling a property? For a FREE quotation visit our website
www.holdenandco.co.uk
Contact us or call in today at your nearest office Holden & Co Solicitors
Hastings Office Ashford Office Maidstone Office Liberty Buildings
The America Ground Ashford 32-33 Robertson St Kent Hastings
East Sussex TN34 1HT T: (01424) 722422 F: (01424) 720108
3 Bank Street 4 Clarendon Place King Street Maidstone
TN23 1BX Kent ME14 1BQ
T: (01233) 663000 T: (01622) 757665 T: (01233) 663009 F: (01622) 757891
www.holdenandco.co.uk Visit Downs Mail’s website —
downsmail.co.uk South 21 SE02
provided by Nicki Knight on vi- olin and Gabriella Kury on piano and clarinet. Show pro- ducer Robin Fuller also played guitar.
He said the Mid Kent College revamp would coincide with a curriculum designed to support local business needs within a new, high quality student environment. Meanwhile, a £64m investment by the town's two-site New Line Learning Acad- emy represents a big boost for secondary schooling. A major redevelopment costing £26m opened at NLL Academy in Boughton Lane, Loose, in September, and next June, Cornwallis Academy moves into £38m state-of-the-art facilities in Hubbards Lane. Mr Foster said: "A skilled and educated
workforce is a critical driver in creating a prosperous local economy. "Higher education provision has never
been better, with the University for the Cre- ative Arts staying at Oakwood and also de- livering courses at Maidstone Studios. Together with other universities in neigh- bouring areas, Maidstone can offer a high- quality education provision for all ages." In a recent BBC report, Maidstone was ranked in the top 40% of English local au- thorities for its anticipated overall resilience to forthcoming public spending cuts.
Bollard plan after
shop ram raids MARTINMcColl newsagent in The Parade, Staplehurst, has applied to install security bol- lards after it experienced its second ram raid in a year. The most recent incident completely demolished the shopfront and required internal works to repair a damaged false ceiling and counter. The design statement said: “The resulting cost including stolen stock and cigarettes amounted to £7,500 plus one day’s lost trading. This cannot be allowed to continue as it will make trading unvi- able.
“The small supermarket next
door has also suffered a ram- raid, which involved consider- able expense. It is now necessary to install anti ram- raid metal bollards set into the footpath across the shopfront.”
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48