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Cleaner Marge celebrates 90th birthday at work


KEEPING 90th birthday celebrations a secret from cleaner Marge Rose turned into a military operation at The Mall shopping centre, Maid- stone. However, OperationMangoprovedahugesuc-


cess, with Marge treated to an early morning partywith her colleagues, family and friends. Paul Alcock, general manager of the centre,


said: “Marge has been a cleaner here for 28 years and knows everything that’s going on, everything about her jobandeveryonewhouses the centre; she’s a real character. So, trying to keep her party a surprisewas nomean achieve- ment, especially when she came on the radio asking what Operation Mangowas all about.” Margehas been cleaning at The Mall fivedays


a week since she was 62. The spritely 90-year- old – thought to be the oldest cleaner in Britain – is proud that she has only taken one day off sick in that time. In fact, Margewasn’t going to lether birthday stand intheway ofherwork and insisted the management hold any get together outside ofwork hours, before she got started! Paul said: “Somany goodworkers likeMarge


areallowedto slip through thenet. Sheis fit and active and very capable. As long as she is able and still enjoying her work she will have a job here.” Marge worked as a land girl during the war and spent 21 years picking fruit at Firmins in Linton, as well as bringing up a large family, before startingwork at The Mall.


The Mall’s regional operations manager Sara Jones, Marge Rose and general manager Paul Alcock


Concern at loss of green spaces


FEARS that Ditton and Larkfield could soon be linked to Maidstone with creeping urban sprawl were voiced at a public meeting to save the borough’s open spaces. Residents of Barming and Aylesford were


told the town was facing a quality of life cri- sis, as the council ignored pleas to protect an- cientwoodland and public open space, while pressing ahead with planning consent for an increasing number of homes. A packed public meeting at St Nicholas’ Church Hall, Allington, pledged support for policies to protect the Kentish landscape. Lib Dem parliamentary campaigner Jasper Gerard called the meeting after Maidstone Council ignored a 2,000-name petition against the development of Bluebell Wood and Gal- lagher Aggregateswas permitted to expand its Hermitage Lane quarry into OakenWood.De- spite an appeal, communities secretary Eric Pickles signed off this latter consent.


Now, locals fear permission will be granted


to Croudace,which wants to build 415 homes on a former reservoir east of Hermitage Lane. About 1,000 homes were proposed in Maid- stone Council’s draft core strategy for the Allington/Barming area. Those who attended the meeting agreed


that tough local policies were needed to pri- oritise urban regeneration over greenfield de- velopment, that open space, transport, education and other infrastructure provision should be better planned; and that the rate of new housing and economic development in Maidstone borough should be directed where was ismost needed – without damaging land- scape and quality of life. Cllr BryanVizzard said a group of mentally


and physically handicapped walkers would have to abandon their regular forays through Bluebell Wood if it was built on, while Lib- Demplanning spokesman CllrTony Harwood


explained the cultural, historic and ecologi- cal significance of the KentishWildwood. Gallagher says the expansion of its quarry,


which will impact on 14% of Oaken Wood, will protect 130 jobs and occur over a 23-year period, with progressive restoration and tree planting. Whencompleted, itwill double the affected woodland footprint. Nick Yandle, chief executive of Gallagher Group, said: “As well as protecting local em- ployment it also means we can ensure a steady supply of this important buildingma- terial for the county, and at the same time cre- ate a truly native woodland. “The ecological outcome of the develop-


ment will be limited in the short term. In the longer term, the currently low ecological value will be improved by the planting of double the area of native species trees in place of dense non-native sweet chestnut coppice.”


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