downsmail.co.uk
Crowds turn out for 50th county show
CROWDSflocked to theKent Showground for a three-day celebration of all things Kentish.
This year’s Kent County Show at- tracted more visitors than the 2013 event when just under 75,000 peo- ple turned out. A spokesman for the Kent Agri- cultural Society said: “We are de- lighted that we had such a great turnout when the weather forecast had been so unpredictable.” The show got off to a soggy start
Christine Goodey, show secretary of Maidstone Horticultural Society, with a group entry
on Friday with drizzle falling most of the day, but bright sunshine drew the crowds during the rest of theweekend for the show’s 50th an- niversary at the site in Detling. Visitors enjoyed the animal shows, admired floral and fruit dis- plays, tasted Kentish produce, browsed craft and trade stalls and were entertained by morris dancers, a 25m pole-climbing con-
LucyWard-Bates (six) grooms Jude the sheep fromher family’s farm in Lenham
test and Titan the Robot. There was plenty to see, with
nine themed areas, a main ring, tra- ditional funfair and six food courts. Arena displays included the
band of the Corps of the Royal En- gineers, the Imps Motor Cycle Dis- play Team and James Dylan Stuntworld, as well as livestock,
hounds and heavy horses parades. Among the visitors on the first
day was the Duke of Kent, who is patron of the Kent County Agricul- tural Society. He officially opened the new Maidstone Exhibition Hall, a purpose-built exhibition and con- ference place, before taking a tour of the show.
Young chefs impress judges
SENACREWood School in Maidstonewas named the winner of the Kent is Delicious cookery competition in the Why Farming Matters stand at the Kent County Show. The aim of the competi-
Vast exhibition hall opens
THE new Maidstone Exhibition Hall, with a capacity for about 5,000 people, was officially opened at the Kent Showground, Detling, by the Duke of Kent. The 3024sqm building is 72m long and 42m wide and adds to other buildings in the complex that can hold 3,000 and 2,000 people. Part of the new building was used for the Kent Show and provided
a large area for various traders. It also hosted the president’s lunch and a dining area for Kent County Agricultural Society members. It is ex- pected to attract large conferences and trade gatherings to the show- ground.
will aend training (recommended by the standards commiee in 2012) so that they can understand how the council should function. Geoff Licence, by email.
Geoff, our article was based on information supplied by members of the parish council. The Downs Mail was not privy to the original letters of complaint and, after receiving yourletter above, we asked you to supply these letters six days before our deadline, but we
tion, run by the Diocese of Canterbury’s Communi- ties and Partnerships Framework in partnership with the Kent Agricultural Society (KCAS), Produced in Kent, and NFU Swale, was to raise children’s awareness of the quality and importance of local, seasonal produce. This year’s theme was breakfast and Senacre Wood School impressed
the judges with their Kentish breakfast frittata, packed full of home-grown potatoes and red onions, local bacon and eggs from a friend’s chicken. The judges particularly liked how the children understood that the in-
gredients could be changed depending on the season. Pupil Jake said: “I thought the fact there wasn't much frittata left after
the first tasting was a good sign.” The three other finalists were: Sandgate Primary School in Folkestone,
John Wallis Academy in Ashford and St Peter’s Methodist School in Can- terbury.
received no response. We also attempted to speak to both yourself
and parish council chairman Cllr Richard Ash prior to the publication of last month’s story, but both of you were, we believe, away on holiday. At the last meeting of the parish council,
Cllr Ash said: “The four code of conduct complaints are not proceeding, other than with a suggestion of mediation. They have been dismissed.” Maidstone Council’s monitoring officer
Paul Fisher had to decide whether to investigate, to take no action or to resolve by other action. He told us: “With these complaints I decided that they would best be dealt with by other action,” in this case mediation.
Maidstone's decision reflects the fact that
the monitoring officer and an independent person did not feel any of the four complaints sufficiently significant to investigate at a higher level. Response by Jane
Maidstone East August 2014 31
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