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of having a town crier certainly enhances village life and his love for Lenham is clear. Thank you Gez. Jackie Blake, Lenham


Leer had hidden agenda


Dear Sir – Thank you for your reply to the leer about the Co-op proposal in last month’s Downs Mail. It seems this person has an agenda against Gez, which is a shame as Gez does a brilliant job for the village and I bet that personwouldn’t be able to even half-fill Gez's shoes. Mahew Cockell, director, Lenham Village Store.


Competition is healthy


Dear Sir – Not all of us are on awage. Most retired people are on a limited pension and are held to ransom by the “closed shop” system favoured by the comfortably off. It is especially limiting to those with mobility problems, who simply have no choice available to them. “Lark Rise to Candleford”, with its nostalgia of yesteryear, ended some time ago. How much main shopping do you do in the village to draw your experience from? Get real. Bienvenue to the Co-op. Wewere once called a “nation of shop-keepers”. Competition is a healthy word. How many who protest so vehemently to the above will, in the course of time, slowly – probably incognito and ideally at dusk – gravitate towards the above out of so- called “curiosity”? If you touch a man's pocket, you touch his soul.Will you be among them? Sylvia Miles, by email.


Sylvia, your closing lines reach the very heart of the debate in relation to market forces. Co-op is no different to other supermarket chains that have pushed through a new store in the face of local protest, in being confident that even the loudest dissenters will give in and shop there once it has opened. I am not alone in feeling guilty when I buy in bulk from a large supermarket, despite my local village grocer containing many of the items in my shopping trolley. However, many small grocers have been able to withstand competition from a big retail giant several miles away. They are more likely to struggle when a large chain opens a convenience store nearby. Many supermarket chains satisfy a great need when they reach out to rural communities. Indeed, there are a number of villages in the borough that would welcome with open arms a convenience store similar to the one proposed in Lenham. The likes of Detling and Leeds are crying out for small-scale retail investment. But Lenham is a totally different maer. I have no reason to dispute the findings of the November 2012 survey, cited above by Gez Clark, stating that 20 random items in the Lenham Village Store were cheaper than their equivalents in the Madginford Co-op. Co-op may be convinced there is a market for a


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Maidstone East February 2014 31


new shop in Lenham and believe that if it is built, they will come. Local people may well do so, but what they may gain marginally in convenience could well be at the expense of heritage, diversity, quality and value. Yes, value. Smaller versions of supermarkets get by on the reputations of their big brothers when, really, they aren’t that cheap. Response by Stephen


Store not yet a done deal


Dear Sir – I read your article in Downs Mail comments. Your reply starts ‘It's a shame’; my comment starts ‘It’s a shame’. It’s a shame your reply finished with your feeling that Co-op opening in Lenham is an “inevitability”. Thisword should be changed to “would be a misuse of authority”.We, the residents of Lenham, should hold the casting vote on a decision that will change the centre of our village. I hope a reporter will be interviewing all the representatives objecting to the plan. Terry Brown, by email


I agree with you, Terry. Maidstone Council will make an important decision on the future of the village and I have already nailed my colours to your mast. But this will be decided by planning policy, in which it is the replacement of one shop – the closed Lenham Ironmongers – for another. I can't envisage the planning commiee refusing on principle. There might be some issues over parking that could provoke an objection by Kent Highway Services, but I fear this is doubtful. Of course, I would love to be wrong. Suffice to say, we will cover the decision with the thoroughness you would expect from Downs Mail. Response by Stephen


Test kit is a lifesaver


Dear Sir – It seems that every day the media comes up with a “bad news” story about the failings of the NHS. There is no doubt that around the country many people have been badly let down by their local healthcare services, but Iwould like to tell a different and very personal “good news” story about Maidstone and TunbridgeWells NHS Trust. In September 2013 I showed a positive result for the NHS bowel cancer screening test.Asubsequent camera examination and CT scan showed I had a large cancerous tumour in the upper section of my colon. Thiswas successfully removed in early November by keyhole surgery, followed by a five-day stay in Maidstone Hospital. Iwant to shout loud and clear about the superb treatment I received throughout the whole diagnosis and treatment process at Maidstone Hospital. The rapid response from the screening test, the professional skill and treatment from the colorectal surgery team, the care and commitment of the nursing staff in Pye OliverWard, and


even the hospital food, all deserve high praise. I anticipate that I will make a full and lasting recovery from bowel cancer, which, in addition to my outstanding treatment, is also due to an early detection by the screening test. Sadly, Iwas informed by one of the specialist nurses that only 50% of these test kits are returned. Iwould like to advise anyone who receives a screening test kit in the post to complete the test and return it as instructed. Believe me, it is a potential lifesaver. What have you got to lose? If your test is negative, you have peace of mind; if positive, you can be certain of receiving some of the best treatment available from a dedicated team of caring people. Richard Baker, Grove Green


Balance to be applauded


Dear Sir – The Downs Mail’s drive for editorial political balance at election times (Mail Marks) is to be applauded. If only all local newspaperswere so balanced – I have now given up on local newspapers, who are suckers for blatant and unending political propaganda. Martin James, Maidstone (by email)


Thanks Martin. Unlike most of the national newspapers, we don’t ‘back’ any political party but simply lay out the positions of political parties and allow voters to decide. Response by Stephen


Is cricket festival lost?


Dear Sir –Will Maidstone Rugby Club’s decision not to relinquish its lease before expiry in 2016 now mean the much-loved annual Kent cricket festival will not return to The Mote? What a huge gap this leaves in Maidstone’s social life. Roger Love, Loose.


Kent Cricket Club still says its wish is to return to The Mote if ground facilities are modernised. The Mote CC says the rugby decision will cause a delay – but the club hopes to modernise facilities by 2017. Response by Dennis Fowle


So grateful for my carer


Dear Sir – Carers have had a bad press lately, but the oneswe have in this area are the best. I aman amputee and wheelchair dependant, so they help me to do things I am otherwise unable to do. Whenwe had the very badweather andwe were told to expect power cuts, my morning carer came with a flask of hot boiledwater for me to make a drink if the powerwent off. She also did the same for other people. What a lovely caring carer. I feel so lucky to have someone like her to help me. Why dowe only hear about bad carers? Bertha Rose, Glebe Gardens, Lenham


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