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downsmail.co.uk
River festival sinks but carnival set to return
Hostel plan for
former hotel MAIDSTONE Council has bought a hotel for £600,000 to use for emer- gency accommodation. The authority has submitted a planning application to convert Aylesbury House, at 56 London Road, into a 12-bedroom hostel for people it has a duty to accommo- date when they become homeless, such as families. A spokesman said it would save
the council money. “Often place- ments are made outside the bor- ough, which impacts negatively on the health and well-being of those households,” said a supporting statement, which added that the hotelwas no longer viable. The council was unable to reveal
how much the buildingwould cost to convert or maintain as the devel- opment was going out to tender. The council’s planning committee will determine the application.
Food on menu
at WI meeting AYLESFORD and Eccles WI will meet on Wednesday, April 23 at 7.30pm in the Brassey Rooms, Sta- tion Road,Aylesford. There will be a talk and practical demonstration entitled Kent Fine Food and anyone who has visited Aylesford farmers’ market will have seen this demonstrator in ac- tion. He will also be giving some background information as to how his business started. The competition will be for an
item beginning with the letter C and the recycling stall will be for books. Newmemberswelcome. Contact Eileen on 01622 715205.
Hospice’s story
THE story behind the creation of the Heart of Kent Hospice in the 1980s is told in a re-printed book by the appeal organiser, Ul- combe’s Molly Poulter. “Building the Heart of Kent Hos-
pice,” illustrated with photo- graphs, costs £7.99 and is available from the hospice’s 13 shops or from Mrs Poulter (01622 842988). The aim is to raise £5,000.
16 Malling March 2014
THE plug has been pulled on the long-standing Maidstone River Festival – but that could mean the revival of an even older town-wide celebration. Maidstone Carnival, which in-
volved a parade with floats from community groups and businesses, was founded almost 100 years ago, but fizzled out after its heyday in the 1970s. Now, organisers behind the River
Festival say they hope it can be re- vived on a bigger and better scale, starting and ending at the town’s Mote Park, with a funfair and Mardi Gras. The River Festival peaked in
2009, when it celebrated its 30th an- niversary by expanding from a day to a full weekend festival with a firework finale. However, being entirely depen-
dant on the goodwill and support of volunteers and local sponsors, the festival has struggled during the recession. It was shelved for the Olympics
and Royal Jubilee in 2012, but re- vived on a smaller scale in 2013. Martin Cox, who chaired the
group of volunteers behind the River Festival,warned then that its future was uncertain without sup- port from business sponsors. The economic climate, together
with health and safety issues asso- ciated with the river, means costs have been rising and administra- tion has become more complex. Last year’s festival was close to
Get your wheels towork!
A MOPED loan scheme has been launched to help Kent residents get to work. The scheme, run by East Surrey Rural Transport Partnership
(ESRTP) and backed by a grant from KCC, is open to anyone over 16 who has full time work, training or education that is difficult to get to by public transport
Applicants must have a pro- visional or full licence and rid- ers under 18 will need a parent or guardian to act as a guaran- tor.
The weekly loan charge is
£28 plus VAT, which includes use of a taxed and insured moped, safety helmet, padded reflective jacket and gloves. It also includes servicing and a one-day training course. Moped loan is usually for up
to a year, but can be extended in exceptional circumstances. To apply, go to
www.eastsurreyrtp.org.uk/wkw2w.htm or call
01883 732791. For more details, call scheme coordinator Andrea Moore on 07827 663272.
Come for tea
AYLESARA will hold its monthly meeting in the Community Centre, Aylesford, at 2pm on Thursday, April 24. The talk will be “The Missing Nurse”. As always there will be time for a
chat over a cup of tea, when details of various interest groups and trips planned for the future will be dis- cussed. Anyone who is over 55 and re-
tired, semi-retired or just at a loose end is welcome to join in. Call Wayne on 01622 710734 or visit the website.
Blaze at flat FIREFIGHTERS were called to a property inAvery Drive, Larkfield after a dishwasher caught fire. The basement studio flat was smoke-damaged and the kitchen and worktops were damaged by
fire.Two crews dealt with the blaze at about 9pm on Tuesday, March 4.
New terrace
CLAIRE Stone has applied to Ton- bridge and Malling Council for permission to demolish a single- storey side extension at 47 Far- therwell Avenue, West Malling, and build a three-bedroom house.
sinking, but Mr Cox managed to salvage it at the 11th hour. The River Festival was tradition-
ally held on the last Saturday in July, during the school holidays, and is thought to have pulled up to 10,000 visitors into the county town each year. The council is actively looking at
ways of promoting events in the town centre – and making greater use of the river as an amenity and attraction. Cllr JohnWilson, cabinet member for community and leisure services, said: “We want to see many events in Maidstone and are looking at opportunities to bring them together in a festival.”
Music boss
stands down KENT Music’s county groups man- ager Geoff Dixon has organised his final concert after 22 years with the education charity. In that time he has worked with
more than 1,500 young musicians, many of whom have gone on to forge professional careers. Geoff joined Kent Music in April
1992 as a supervisor on county group courses and took up the role of music librarian in 1994. In 2000 he became manager ofKent
County Youth Orchestra and in 2009 general manager for the county groups. He has toured with KCYO to South America and given the orches- tra opportunities to play in venues such as the Royal Albert Hall.
New events hall
A NEW £1.5 million conference and events facility is due to open at the Kent County Showground in Detling this spring. The facility will seat up to 4,000
people in theatre style, and should be ready to start hosting events from the end of April. It will be of- ficially opened by the Kent County Agricultural Society at the Kent County Show in July.
Lighting allowed
PLANNING permission was granted for external lighting on Maidstone Town Hall. The Town Team project, funded
by Maidstone Council, will light up the central bays to the Jubilee Square and High Street facades.
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