News


Jobs scheme wins award


MAIDSTONE has been rewarded for its initiatives to get the borough working. The council received the commu-


nity support (large employer) award at the Kent Employer Part- nership Awards, in addition to being highly commended in the skills and training category. Maidstone Council has been


working with Maidstone Jobcentre Plus to help unemployed people in the borough findwork, and to pro- vide support to residents through the recent benefit changes. One of the initiatives has been to provide coffee mornings and work experience for local young people. Here, unemployed young people


can meet senior council managers and discuss possible work place- ments and how to enhance their prospects.As a result, more than 30 young people have been offered work placements with the council, with more than 50% of those going on to secure employment. Young people are also offered on-


going mentoring, with 20 volunteer mentors trained within the council. Maidstone Council’s director of regeneration and communities, Zena Cooke, said: “We’re particu- larly proud of ourwork experience and mentoring record, which has had excellent results getting young people locally into work, and our strong partnershipworking to sup- port our residents.” More than 5,000 jobseekers at- tended “Get Maidstone Working” jobs fairs in partnership with Job- centre Plus and Golding Homes.


Friends offer help to lonely


ANEWbefriending service aims to reduce the loneliness felt by many Maidstone people, both at home and in their communities. Volunteer befrienders are trained


to visit people in their homes regu- larly, offering companionship and support and helping to build confi- dence for people who might other- wise go days without seeing or speaking to anyone. AgeUKbefriending service coor- dinator for Maidstone and Ton- bridge, Wendy Pfeiffer, recently visited one lady who has benefited from the service andwas told: “I re- ally look forward tomyfriend com- ing to see me. She is so cheerful and it breaks the week up for me.” The service is available from Age


UKs inWest Kent and its partners, Centre for Independent Living Kent (CiLK), The Simon Paul Foun- dation and Maidstone Mind. If you know someone who might benefit from this service or if you would like to become a volunteer, call 0800 048 4668 or email be- friending@ageukmaidstone.org.uk.


34 Maidstone Town June 2014 Shakespeare’s birthday bash


STUDENTS in Maidstone celebrated the Bard’s birthday with what could prove to be a record-breaking cake. The celebration – to mark the playwright’s 450th birthday on April 23


– was the idea of Maidstone Grammar School’s English department and was attended by 180 Year 8 boys. As well as singing “Happy Birthday, Will”, staff wore period costumes


and students created an enormous Globe Theatre birthday cake, stand- ing 50cm tall and ametre round. The Guinness Book ofWorld Records has been informed. Therewas also a series of Shakespeareworkshops and a performance of


Romeo and Juliet by the Young Shakespeare Company. Head of English Dr Tony Froud said the school felt it was important to


remember the bard, not only for his literary genius, but because he “lives on in our everyday speech, our culture, and our theatres”.


downsmail.co.uk


Plan to turn bungalow into house is refused


MAIDSTONE Council has acted to retain part of a cul de sac in Penenden Heath as an enclave of bungalows.


Planning officers urged the plan-


ning committee to accept an appli- cation to erect a front and roof extension, which would have raised the ridge height and seen the insertion of dormer windows to create first floor accommoda- tion, at 7 Downs View Road. But members refused the pro-


posal, citing two previous refusals and a planning inspector’s verdict that alterations to the building’s height would be unacceptable. From the previous applications,


the applicant had reduced the scale and changed the location of the dormer windows, but still insisted on the introduction of a new floor for accommodation. Cllr Jenni Paterson, a local ward councillor and planning committee member, said the extension would still “overwhelm and dominate the


The house in Downs View Road


original building and appear out of keeping in the street”. Cllr Ian Chittenden, also a mem-


ber of the committee, said: “Oppo- site this bungalow is a two-storey building, but in that particular side of the road everything is like what we see in this plot. The visual situ- ation has remained. “Every attempt has been made to make it acceptable butmy gut feel-


ing is that it will stand out like a sore thumb.” Committee member Cllr Richard


Ash, a ward member for Bearsted, said: “We have a road in Bearsted called Yeoman Way that used to have two-bedroom bungalows but has become full of four-bedroom homes. I don’t know when the first one toppled, but as new people came into the area they built up. “It is a problem because two- bedroom bungalows like this one are in demand. If we accept this, there will be a domino effect and eventually all of these properties will disappear in a year or two.” Cllr Tony Harwood, a planning committee member, said: “It is unique to have so many bunga- lows still intact in the same area.” The proposal was refused, with eight in favour and five against.


Run and rail


THE fourth Maidstone Riverside Run is on Sunday, June 8. The 8.6k run, organised by Caron


Briffa, from Staplehurst, in memory of her mother Sandra, who lost her battle with cancer in 2010, is in aid of Cancer Research UK. Registration is from 8-9.45am, outside David Lloyd’s Health Club in Lockmeadow. Entrants will then take the 10am train along the Med- way Valley Line from Maidstone West toWateringbury. The run gets underway at 10.20am, from Wateringbury, fol- lowing a riverside trail back to David Lloyds. Entry is £12 in ad- vance or £15 on the day and all money, apart from the rail ticket, goes to Cancer Research UK.


Tree can be felled


MAIDSTONE Council has given conservation area consent for the removal of a sycamore tree in Bol- ingbroke House at 21 London Road, Maidstone. An application form says the


roots of the tree are damaging a boundary wall and lifting paving slabs to the side of the property.


Children make good progress at nursery


CHILDREN at Hemsley House Day Nursery in Tonbridge Road developed good communication skills, thanks to good teaching, an Ofsted team reported. The nursery, which was rated good, also involved parents and


carers in the children’s develop- ment, and the caring staff helped children to settle. Children were able to talk about how they were feeling, and felt emotionally safe and protected. Staff and managers were com-


mitted to improvement, and had a high regard for children’s safety. To improve the rating, staff should encourage children’s inde- pendence at snack time, and en- gage the interest of the younger children during group activities.


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