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 Job Cen- tre Plus to help unemployed people in the borough find work, and to provide support to residents dur- ing 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.
32 Malling June 2014
downsmail.co.uk
Webcam pervert is jailed for two years
ALEYBOURNE man who asked a man to abuse a child while hewatched on awebcam has been jailed for two years.
Police visited 46-year-old Mark Russell Fowler at his then home in The Rushes, Leybourne, on June 25 last year. Officers explained that theywere executing a warrant in connection with the possession of indecent im- ages of children. Fowler (pictured right) was ar-
rested and computer equipment seized. Interrogation of the data on the computer showed that he had invented an online profile as a 39- year-oldwoman with a 15-year-old daughter and engaged in sexu- alised conversations with various other computer users on the topic
of child abuse. Fowler said that these people
would send him indecent images but that he wasn’t interested in the pictures. Further investi-
gation found that Fowler, still under the guise of a 39- year-old woman,
chatted on an instant messenger service with a man in America, and asked him to abuse a child while on awebcam. Fowler admitted seven counts of making indecent images of chil-
Poppies markWWI
KINGS Hill residents are being offered free poppy and wildflower seeds by developer Liberty Property Trust UK Ltd to mark the outbreak of World War I. The firm has already
planted more than 2,000sqm of poppies and other wild species throughout the devel- opment and hopes that resi- dents will sow the plants in their gardens too. Susan Davies, Liberty’s resi-
dential co-ordinator, said: “As well as being poignant and colourful, the flowers will at- tract bees, butterflies and other insects. The seeds will cover about a square metre and anyone who would like a packet can collect one from our offices in 11 Tower View.” Last year’s wild flowers at
Kings Hill, which were inspired by planting at the Olympic Park, were widely praised.
Village tea room plan
A PLAN to open a tea room at the Royal British LegionVillage,Ayles- ford, has been submitted to Ton- bridge and Malling Council. The outlet would occupy the ground floor of a property known as The Doctor’s House, in Hall Road, and a small patio would be built so that tables could be placed outside in fineweather. No alterations were planned to
the outside of the two-storey build- ing and the upper floorwould con- tinue to be used as offices. Applicant Royal British Legion Industries says that the RBLvillage has a total of 800 residents and staff and estimates that the tea room
would serve about 40 to 50 people a day.
Suggested opening hours would
be 8am to 5pm on weekdays and 10am to 2pm on Saturdays. Mini- mal hot food would be served and a typical menu would include tea, coffee, hot chocolate, soft drinks, sandwiches, cake, tea cakes, toast and jacket potatoes. Itwas intended that the tea room
would serve the RBL village and Aylesford, so most userswould ar- rive on foot. Disabled parking spaces would
be provided and able-bodied driv- ers could park at the Capel Morris Centre.
dren, one count of inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and one count of distributing an indecent image. He will now be subject to a sexual offences prevention order. Detective Constable Mark Ben-
nett said: “Fowler wasn’t satisfied with just looking at images of chil- dren being abused; he actively en- couraged another to abuse their own child. “I am grateful that the child ex- ploitation investigation team was able to put a stop to this, andwork- ing with colleagues in the USAtake steps to protect another child from further abuse.”
Distress over
loss of trees AYLESFORD Parish Council has expressed concern about the in- creasing number of applications to fell or prune trees which it is being asked to comment on. Planning committee chairman MalcolmWright said in his annual report: “Once again,we are all dis- tressed at the large number of tree- related applications, especially where the natural tree cover is under threat. After all, the trees were mostly there long before the houses were built, perhaps too close to the buildings.” Twenty-four more planning ap- plicationswere submitted this year, amounting to 226, mostly forminor building alterations and treework.
Depot homes APLAN to build 30 homes on land used as a storage depot in Belling- ham Way Larkfield, has been sub- mitted to Tonbridge and Malling Council. The proposal is for 24 two-bed-
room flats, four three-bedroom houses and two one-bedroom flats on the site owned by Ferns Surfac- ing. Half of them would be afford- able homes and there would be 38 parking spaces and a new access road. The existing building would be demolished and a new office for Ferns Surfacing and Ferns Drying (Kent) would be constructed.
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