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Wartime heroine linked to town
A CENTENARY celebration will mark nurse Edith Cavell’s connections with Maidstone. The daughter of a vicar, the Nor- folk-born nurse is famous for sav- ing the lives of soldiers from both sides during World War I and help- ing about 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium. But less well known is the fact that she also helped save the lives of hundreds of people in Maidstone. Nurse Edith spent the summer of 1897 in Maidstone,
Edith Cavell
following an outbreak of typhoid. During her training at the Royal London Hospital, she was among six nurses sent to the town to help care for the victims and went on to receive the Maidstone Medal for her sterling work.
In the end, only 132 people died out of the 1,700 who contracted the disease. Two lectures will take place at the
United Reformed Church in Week Street, at 3pm and 7pm on Thurs- day, October 15, when local people will have chance to learn more about this pioneering lady and her connections with Kent.
Tony Miles, from Curzon Road, Maidstone and Rob Davies, from Boxley Road, are both members of the Kent Branch of the Orders, Medals and Research Society, Rob being knowledgeable about the Maidstone Medal.
The pair will speak about Edith
Cavell’s time in the town and her return, in January 1898, to receive her medal.
Admission is £3 and refresh- ments will be available.
During October, Maidstone Mu- seum will also have a display of artefacts connected with Edith Cavell, including a Maidstone Medal, and a plaque will be un- veiled by Maidstone Council in recognition of her work. Edith Cavell was arrested and court-martialled for helping the Allied soldiers escape. She was sentenced to death and, despite in- ternational protestations, shot by a German firing squad in Belgium on October 12, 1915.
Concert to help hospices
A FESTIVAL choir of more than 150 local singers, led by Maidstone Choral Union, will perform at the end of October in the annual Voices for Hospices Concert. The principal aim of the concert
is to raise funds for hospices, with emphasis on the Heart of Kent Hospice in Aylesford. A semi-staged performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s delightfully silly HMS Pinafore will be presented at Mote Hall, Maidstone Leisure Centre in Mote Park on Saturday, October 31, starting at 7.30pm.
Visiting professional soloists –
wearing their colourful HMS Pinafore costumes – will sing the major roles in this entertaining work.
This is an opportunity for the audience to support the work of an important organisation and to enjoy an evening of well-known music that appeals to all ages. Tickets are available from MCU
ticket secretary – 01622 726193 or
freda@me169lb.fsnet.co.uk or from the hospice fundraising office on 01622 790195. Stalls £12.50, tiered stalls £16, gallery £10.
Nursery records web dramas
A MAIDSTONE-based childcare company has a new venture, pro- viding downloadable dramas for children. Pennies Day Nurseries, which care for children aged from three months to 11 years old, have pro- duced a series of 13 podcast-style stories with actors, music and sound effects which have been placed on the Bandcamp website. Pennies’ media officer Neil Nixon
wrote most of the scripts and man- aged the production, which in- volved hiring actors and musicians. The tracks are available for 50p each. Neil said: “This is really exciting – it takes us from Maidstone to a global audience. The stories are aimed at early-years children and those in their first years of school. The stories are classic kids’ adventures about days out, fun and finding things out.”
For more local news
www.downsmail.co.uk Maidstone East October 2015 5
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