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Drivers hit by road closure
WILLINGTONStreet will remain closed to through traffic until August 31. The busy thoroughfare, which
links the A20 Ashford Road with the A274 Sutton Road, is being resurfaced after damage caused by thewet winter. Work on phase one, between Sutton Road and Denton Close, will last for the rest of the summer. The remaining sections ofWilling- ton Street will be repaired in two further phases during the Easter and summer school holidays of 2015. Traffic has been diverted via the
A20 Ashford Road, A249, A229 and A274 Sutton Road. There are 25 fixed and mobile message boards highlighting the works. Crews were said to have been on site seven days a week, working from 7am to 7pm. Other measures have included changes in the town traffic signals and priority given to the A229. The Willington Street park and ride scheme has continued to operate, with access only from the A20. Residents in Shepway have been
able to drive to their homes as nor- mal, but some of those immedi- ately next to the road have not. The council has arranged security pa- trols to reduce concerns about leaving cars parked on the street at night.
Businesses have been using signs
to let customers know they are open as usual. David Brazier, KCC cabinet member for environment and transport, said: “With a project of this magnitude and complexity, disruption is inevitable, but we will be doing our utmost to make sure that this is kept to an absolute minimum. “We apologise in advance for the inconvenience caused. There are significant long-term benefits to theworks aswe have designed the repairs to last many years.” The £1.2m scheme will eventu-
ally see the reconstruction of two kilometres of the road between Sutton Road and Deringwood Drive, to replace the lower layers, in places digging down up to half a metre, nearly five times the depth involved in normal resurfacing.
Summer school fun for girls
SIXTY year 5 students from across Maidstone and the surrounding area raised their hands for extra lessons on Saturday. They sat down for classes
in English, maths and think- ing skills from subject spe- cialists at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls. Teachers were pleased
with the enthusiasm and creativity of the students, from 22 primary and junior schools across the area, in- cluding Ditton, Loose, Headcorn and Snodland. MGGS headteacher Mau-
reenWolloshin said: “This was the first of our many primary school events this year, with more available from September.”
Wilsons to sell rental portfolio
ABOUGHTONMonchelsea couple said to be the biggest buy-to-let landlords in Britain are set to retire and sell up their property portfolio estimated at £100 million. Fergus Wilson (65) and his wife
Judith have over 1,000 properties in Maidstone and Ashford alone. He said he had assured tenants they would be protected and contracts transferred to the buyer. He believes the portfolio could
sell for closer to £200 million. High-speed rail links were en- couraging people to move to Maid- stone, pushing up rents, he said, but
he was against the building of 19,600 homes outlined in Maid- stone Council’s draft local plan. Mr Wilson said he and his wife
would be sad to sell the business they had built up over many years but they had worked hard and a holidaywas long overdue. The pair attracted controversy
after serving eviction notices on 200 tenants on benefits. In AprilMrWil- son was convicted of an assault on an estate agent. However, he has announced he would stand as Kent’s police and crime commis- sioner ifAnnBarnes stepped down.
CARE VISITS AT HOME Good Old Fashioned Service
ASK DEBBIE........ for help, advice and assistance
Dear Debbie,
My family like many others are spread around the world on four continents. We have worked out a means of keeping in touch with my children using Skype which is working really well. This technology seems to be too much of a challenge for my parents though. Is it too much to expect a home care agency to help with putting something into place?
Best regards,mp. Tricia W
Dear Tricia, Technology can be a challenge for older people and in this
context “older” starts at a far younger age than for most other uses of the word!
The answer to your question is definitely “yes” but you may have to look a little harder to find the right agency. This would be not be within the normal definition of “Care”.
Good care agencies will do everything they can to help a customer remain in touch and integrate with the modern world and using technology. Having Skype conversations with children in Australia, Talking Books using an iPod or just getting to grips with the current brands of interactive TV’s are all part of what a good care agency can offer.
My team have helped several customers set up technical processes that have improved their quality of life and kept them in touch with family members that would otherwise be beyond reach. If the first grandchild is born in Sydney, then that’s where Grandma would like to be! But if it’s not possible, then a Skype connection makes a fantastic second best alternative! Best wishes
Debbie
• Help with getting up or going to bed
• Personal Hygiene • Cleaning the home • Preparing Meals • Assist with medication • Overnight Care
• Washing or Ironing • Shopping
• Sightseeing or leisure activities • 24hr Live-in-care
• Trips to see friends or relatives
MAIDSTONE • 01622 809530
maidstone@bluebirdcare.co.uk
www.bluebirdcare.co.uk/maidstone Maidstone South August 2014
19
If you have a question that you would like to ask Debbie then please email her at
debbie@bluebirdcare.co.uk
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