downsmail.co.uk


Student Ma declared dead after Nepal quake


THEfamily of Bearsted student Matt Carapietwhowas killed in theNepal earthquake have launched an appeal fund in memory of their “kind, happy and caring son”. As a “lasting legacy”, they plan to continue his work in Cambodia where he helped to lay the founda- tions of a school which supports disadvantaged children. Matt (23), of Peverel Drive, Bearsted Park, was trekking in the remote Langtang valley when the 7.8 quake struck, triggering a large avalanche. His anxious parents set up a ded-


icated Facebook page, “Bring Matt Carapiet Home”, to help trace him when nothing was heard from him after the area was devastated on April 25. After an agonisingwait for news,


they released a statement through the Foreign Office on May 9 con- firming that he had died. It read: “It is with great sadness


that we can confirm the death of our son Matthew following the earthquake in Nepal.” Matt, a former St Simon Stock


school pupil, was touring Asia in a gap year before planning to con- tinue his architecture studies in the


Barming


PavilionAmember of the public congratulated the parish council on the pavilion refurbishment. Itwas a worthwhile project and the path that had been installed previouslywas very beneficial. Therewas concern regarding the wheelie bins with regards to fire safety and itwas suggested they should be chained up. The member of the public also suggested that the parish council checks that it has adequate insurance to cover the cost of a rebuild. Itwas reported that Mr Goochwas at the pavilion every Tuesday continuing with the internal refurbishment andwas doing a really good job.


Clerk The parish clerk had booked to aend the clerk’s conference in June andwas also keen to aend any relevant training courses thatwere available. Allotments Rents would not increase this year as there had been a substantial rise last year.


Chairman’s report Cllr Fay Gooch reported on complaints from local residents that the grass on the roundabout at the top of Cedar Drive had not been cut for some considerable time. Cllr Gooch had contacted KCC and Maidstone Council on numerous occasions to ascertain responsibility for and legal ownership of this piece of land. She would now contact the Land Registry for assistance and, in the meantime, the clerk would contact the ground maintenance team and request a cut of the roundabout. Volunteers Cllr Manser asked if the team of volunteers who recently helped clear


mandu,was so badly hit that almost every buildingwas destroyed. About 8,000 people are now known to have died in the first earthquake, whichwas followed by a second major tremor on May 11, after which more than 50 deaths were recorded. Matt’s father Greg travelled to


Nepal to bring his son’s body home to the UK. Mattwas on the final stage of his


autumn. The statement said: “He spoke to


us regularly about how much he was enjoying his travels and we know hewas doing something that he loved. He had been trekking in Nepal for two weeks before the earthquake. “Matt is loved by his family and friends who all have countless memories of how kind, happy and caring hewas. He made a huge im- pression on the lives of everyone he met.” A fellow backpacker who saw


him two days before the earthquake contacted the family to tell them that Matt had been heading for Langtang village. The area, which is about 30km from the capital Kath-


Asian tour before returning to start a Masters in architecture. During his travels, he had volunteered with the Self Help Community Centre charity, working on the foundations of the Siem Reap school in Cambo- dia which helps disadvantaged chil- dren. His family have appealed for do- nations in his memory and have set up a Just Giving page. As the Downs Mailwent to press, pledges had topped £6,000. His sister Christina said Mattwas


“an architecture student who dreamed of raising the quality of life in poor countries”. She added: “We will be raising money to finish the job that he started, as a lasting legacy of his journey.”


detritus behind the parish hall could help with strimming the rough piece of ground by the memorial. Cllr Gooch would contact the volunteers. Wild flowers Members agreed to a request from Cllr Manser to plant wild flowers on the small area of grass between the children’s play area and playground at the parish field.


Loose


New PCSO The parish councilwelcomed Dougie Muir, the new PCSO for Loose. He gave an outline of his background and explained that hewas still in training for the role. The crime figureswere unavailable at the time of the meeting but the PCSO confirmed that he would supply a backdated list of these directly to the clerk. Village sign Loose Amenity Association (LAA) had contacted the parish council regarding the erection of a revamped LAA Loose village sign on a piece of grass outside the BT exchange in Loose Road.An email confirming its supportwas requested from the parish council to be forwarded to the landowners, whichwas agreed. Neighbourhood plan The revised quote from Feria had been accepted. There had been delays and as a result it had been necessary to revise the dates. The outline document meeting would now be in September and submied to Maidstone Council, with publication before Christmas. Meanwhile the steering group would complete the background work. Information


News Business hub


plan revealed ANEWconference centre, training and business hub could breathe new life into the Park Wood and Shepway areas. Jubilee Resource Hub has ap-


plied to convert the disused former Whatman building in Bircholt Road, Park Wood into rentable of- fice space, particularly for start-up businesses and charities, and sev- eral meeting and lecture rooms. A supporting statement said: “Charities and business seedbed enterprises will rent office space, receiving the benefits of shared services. For charities, the addi- tional opportunities for the coordi- nation and integration of their outreach services by having their offices in one building will add ef- fectiveness and efficiency. “The rentable space will accom- modate training for those in busi- ness; for example, business planning workshops, leadership training, media workshops, mar- keting workshops and individual business mentoring.” The proposed training would be primarily for life and employment skills leading to vocational qualifi- cations, includingNVQfrom foun- dation to advanced levels. If Maidstone Council planners


give the go-ahead, the site will em- ploy about 20 full-time and 19 part- time staff. Existing land will be used to create 80 parking spaces.


would be presented at the annual parish meeting and at the fete on September 5. Further funding might be available from Locality.org.uk in the new fiscal year.A£750 grant had been received from KCC Cllr Eric Hotson.


Resignation Chris Lack had resigned from Loose Neighbourhood Plan Steering Group and would be very much missed. The parish council thanked him for his help and resilience. Pavilion After a meeting with the architect, itwas agreed the exterior of the new pavilion should be brickwork to the first floor with cladding up to the roof. Revised costs would be needed to ensure that the project would not exceed budget and these would be confirmed in due course. Itwas confirmed to the architect that the hall would be used for all ages with ongoing groups and classes, community hub, meeting rooms, 200-seater auditorium with a bar, parish office, police office, storage area and changing rooms. Itwas agreed that the plan should be finalised and sent to Maidstone Council planning department in due course to obtain planning approval. Human resources Now the number of employees had risen, it would benefit them to have a separate reporting strand.A human resources board would be set up for the purpose of staff appraisals and other issues. The board would meet in October each year and would be initiated as a commiee of the parish council. Extra meetings would be permied provided 14 clear days noticewas given.


Maidstone Town June 2015 47


Parish Councils


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