downsmail.co.uk
New schools are approved
TWO new primary schools will be built at Kings Hill and Ley- bourne Chase within 14 months after councillors approved the plans. The one form entry school at
Kings Hill will be sited at Gibson Drive, replacing a Kent County Council building which is being demolished. A new road from Tower View will provide access to the school which is due towelcome its first pupils in September 2015. The school will admit 30 recep-
tion pupils annually over seven years with a potential second phase of development to cater for more children if proposals for 635 more homes at Kings Hill are ac- cepted. Thiswould expand the roll
to 630 pupils. The second scheme proposed by
Kent County Council and ap- proved by Tonbridge and Malling councillors is for a one form entry school near Hawley Drive in Ley- bourne Chase. It will also admit 30 reception
pupils over a period of seven years, eventually catering for 210 pupils. Borough Cllr Brian Luker raised
several concerns about the loca- tion, including problems for resi- dents caused by the volume of cars using the proposed access road. He conceded, however, that it was “the best of a bad job”. KCC said the site was the only
one available that could meet the short timescale
Hadlow College takes over at failing sites
HADLOW College has officially taken over the running of three major col- lege campus sites. The college, one of Ofsted’s outstanding higher and further education colleges – was chosen from30 applicants to take over part of KCollege at its sites in Tonbridge, Tun- bridgeWells and Ashford. K College was formed in
2010 whenWest Kent Col- lege and South Kent Col- lege merged, and caters for more than 25,000 stu- dents. However, both col- leges were seen to be in a fairly weak position and the merger exacerbated problems. K College fell into financial difficulties, resulting in debts of some £16m, failing confidence and the loss of 180 jobs. HadlowCollege has taken on the college’s remaining 600 staff and most
Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, Paul Hannan and Lynda Brown
of its debts, and all three sites are now part of the Hadlow College Group. Group director of finance and resources, Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, said:“We
have spent the last four months re-negotiating the substantial debt in part- nership with the Skills Funding Agency and the bank.Working with them, we have repositioned the debts and arrived at an affordable solution.” The campuses at Tonbridge and TunbridgeWells will now revert to being
known as West Kent College, while the Ashford campus will be known as Ashford College. The restructure has been overseen by the Hadlow College executive management team, consisting of principal Paul Hannan, vice principal Lynda Brown and the director of finance and resources.
Wrestling stars come to town
INTERNATIONAL Pro-Wrestling UK held its second event at Snodland Community Centre, a week after a display at Snodland Carnival. The packed centre saw 18 wrestlers compete in six bouts. Top of
the bill was ex-Gladiator and TNA star Magnus, who beat Paul Robinson and posed for photographs and signed autographs. 'The German Psycho' Bad Bones, will defend his world title in a
show called Snodmania on August 30 when 'Danny Boy'Williams, who made his name in the days of wrestling on World of Sport, will also make an appearance.
News
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 Malling August 2014
13
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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