downsmail.co.uk Staggered times safer


Dear Sir – I have been a bus driver for 12 years, also part of a union within the industry. Schools have always finished at different times for the health and safety of the employee and passengers. If all schools finished at the same time, the buses would become overloaded which would mean that passengers would be standing on the platform (front of the bus) which blocks the driver’s vision, making it unsafe to drive. If the schools all finished at the same


time you would find children blocking overcrowded bus stops and standing in the road, which would put them at risk of getting run down. I have written to Arriva, Maidstone Council, Tonbridge and Malling Council and MP Tracey Crouch in the past to ask if more buses could be provided to help children get home instead of them having to hang around the town centre. I live in Snodland and the bus service is


very poor for the number of people who live here. My daughter has only one bus to get her to school on time and if something goes wrong with that she is then late. She has to wait more than half an hour in town to get the bus home, which makes her day longer than most office workers. SimonWickwar, by email


More space such a help


Dear Sir – I have just read the story about MP Helen Grant’s campaign to give pensioners more space to park. What a wonderful idea. I’d like to thank her for taking up the


plight of older folk who have problems with limited car parking spaces. I too need to be able to open the car door


fully to be able to get in and out of our car, and my husband needs to be able to open


Contact our team ...


Stephen Eighteen Editor stephen@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 231


Diane Nicholls


Assistant editor diane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 232


New director at charity


KENT-BASED Christian schools charity The Family Trust has an- nounced Alex Clark as its new ex- ecutive director.


Mr Clark


(left), who previously co- ordinated the secondary school arm of The Family Trust (CAST), will be in charge of op-


erations at the charity, which has an office in Maidstone. Mr Clark, who lives with his


wife Anna in Holborough, Snod- land is looking forward to leading The Family Trust, which has oper-


ated throughout Kent since 1989. He said: “The opportunity to


build on the great reputation The Family Trust has in serving schools and promoting the message that Christianity is relevant to chil- dren’s daily lives is one which ex- citesme and I amconfident thatwe can continue to grow under my leadership.” Mr Clark, who grew up in Bearsted, and attended secondary school in Maidstone before study- ing for a degree in youth work at ChesterUniversity, takes over from his predecessor Steve Knowles who is retiring after seven years of service. The trustees thanked Mr Knowles for his hard work and wished him a happy retirement.


Jane Shotliff Journalist


jane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


Dawn Kingsford


Journalist dawn@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


Village school tops league


PUPILS leaving Offham Primary School in 2014 achieved the best re- sults of any local primary school. Every one of the school’s eligible 10


and 11-year-olds reached level four – the Government’s benchmark for av- erage achievement – at the end ofKey Stage 2. All but two local schools surpassed


the Government’s target minimum of 65% achieving level four. The tests focus on reading, writing


and maths. In Kent, 68% achieved level four, compared to 67% nation- ally.


The numbers of pupils reaching


level four in the Malling area are as follows,with 2013 figures in brackets: Offham – 100% (90%) Mereworth –97%(86%) St Peter and St Paul, Leybourne – 94%


(80%) Kings Hill – 92% (75%) Discovery, Kings Hill – 91% (81%) Ryarsh – 91% (79%) West Malling – 91% (66%) Hadlow – 90% (74%) Lunsford – 90% (97%) More Park,West Malling – 90% (82%) Ditton – 87% (64%) St Peter’s,Aylesford – 86% (69%) Snodland –84%(88%) Wateringbury – 83% (82%) Aylesford – 82% (73%) Brookfield – 80% (73%) East Peckham – 79% (71%) Halling – 78% (71%) St James the Great Academy,East Malling – 77% (79%) St Katherine’s, Snodland – 74% (89%) Trottiscliffe –57%(82%) St Mark’s, Eccles – 55% (67%)


Malling January 2015 27


our car boot to get my walker out without being mown down by other drivers impatient to find a parking space. We are the wrong side of 65 and would


not dream of using a disabled space because we appreciate that those who need to use a wheelchair or who have limited mobility need these alloed spaces, or parent and child spaces for those with children and their buggies. However this now means we are restricted on where we can visit due to our parking problems. The idea of dedicated wide parking


spaces offered by large retailers, supermarkets and local authority car parks would be wonderful and would make life much easier for more mature folk. Trisha Garrard, by email


Age no excuse when parking


Dear Sir – I am heartily fed up with the abuse and withering looks I have suffered from pensioners as a disabled person of under 65 when I make use of my blue badge and park in a space they think is just for them. If they truly have a disability, they can apply for a blue badge. Wherever they live in the country, the


rules are the same and can easily be found on the KCC website for those living in Kent. As pensioners, they also have the luxury


of being able to shop at less busy times, and could park well away from other vehicles, if they need to have help getting in and out of their cars. Although this would mean they would have to walk just a little further, if they do not qualify for a blue badge, it would mean they are physically able to do this. Those who have given me the looks for parking legally and rightfully, have then often tottered off on high heels, jogged into the nearest pub or gone into dance classes at nearby community centres, all of which have never been a possibility for


me and others like me who have been disabled since birth or childhood. Jeanne Gibson, Birling Avenue, Bearsted


More room for frail


Dear Sir – After the recent article in the Downs Mail I would support the need for pensioner parking. My parents, who live in Maidstone and


do not drive, are aged 83 and 86. Both have limited mobility but are not entitled to a blue badge just because they are pensioners. I take them out shopping and to garden centres and I amin support of extra space-allocated parking. I also work for the Alzheimer's Society


and take my clients out in the car for social support, shopping, lunch etc, so the same applies and there is a need for allocated parking.


Alzheimer's is not a reason for a blue


badge, but the need to support sufferers safely in and out of the car would be so much easier with extra space Name and address supplied


Barrier for bays needed


Dear Sir – Regarding wider parking spaces for the elderly, although this is a fantastic idea in theory, the practice may be very different. There are many drivers who have no respect for the needs of others and will simply take advantage of these new larger spaces, in the sameway as they do not baulk at parking in either disabled or parent and toddler bays at present. The simplest (but perhaps not cheapest) solution is to make it impossible for them to use such bays by using some kind of raised bar which can be lowered by a qualifying driver with the aid of some kind of remote control. Such devices could be dispensed by health professionals to those who are eligible. Morag Gaherty, Bearsted


Comment


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