2 Maidstone Borough Council
New Cobtree Visitor Centre and Café
The new Cobtree Visitor Centre and Café at Cobtree Manor Park in Forstal Road, Aylesford has opened its doors to the public. The Centre is officially named the ‘Sir Garrard Tyrwhitt-Drake Visitor Centre’ in honour of the founder of Cobtree Zoo, which was based at the park until 1959. The Centre is open from 8.30am to 4pm seven days a week, offering guests a full hot and cold menu featuring locally-sourced produce (including breakfast served from 8.30am — 11am daily). The park itself continues to be open from 7am to dusk every day.
The Centre was funded by
a £300,000 grant from the Cobtree Charity Trust Limited, and follows a raft of recent improvements, including new play equipment, a running route and sculpture trail. Those improvements saw the park receive the coveted national Green Flag Award for the first time in 2014, recognising its high standards and excellent facilities.
Cobtree Manor Park is run by the Cobtree Manor Estate Trust charity, and is managed by Maidstone Borough Council on the Trust’s behalf. The Trust is financially independent from Maidstone Borough Council, with all money raised through the café and parking charges being reinvested in the park to maintain its current high standards.
Applications now open for the £25,000 Cobtree Charitable Prize
Registered charities and community organisations in the borough of Maidstone are invited to apply for the Cobtree Charitable Prize of £25,000, generously donated by the Cobtree Charity Trust.
The prize of £25,000 will be awarded to a new, major, stand-alone project which benefits the local community such as the construction of a new hut for a community group or the restoration of a local landmark. The project must be scheduled to start in 2016. Please note that the Trust is unable to consider applications for funds to top up an existing project.
How to apply: Please send an outline of your project, including a detailed description of the aims and objectives, how you intend to spend the money and an estimated timeline by post to: The Cobtree Charity Trust, Registered Office, MHA MacIntyre Hudson, Cornwallis House, Pudding Lane, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1NH
When to apply: Closing date for applications: Sunday 31 January 2016 (Funds issued Friday 1 April 2016)
The decision of the Cobtree Charity Trust is final and projects which do not fit the criteria outlined above will not be eligible for consideration.
book online or by calling 01622 602600. Warm homes grants
no matter what you earn! As the weather gets colder, you may be interested in heavily subsidised loft and/or cavity wall insulation to help reduce your heating bills by up to £320 a year! The funding is based on the type of house you live in — not on household income — and is open to anyone who owns or privately rents their home.
The first stage is to book a free assessment with Aran Services, which will see what improvements could be made to your home to save you money and make your home more comfortable. You'll then be advised how much you'd need to pay and, if you would like to go ahead, how you can do so. Book your assessment by calling 0800 1701174 or filling in the enquiry form at
www.kent.gov.uk/warmhomes
Bulky refuse Our paid for bulky collection service includes Saturday collections -
But if your items are still usable you could help one of the many local charities which collect for free or a small donation. Many residents are finding this a better solution to get rid of items they no longer need.
Alternatively the local household waste recycling centre at Burial Ground Lane, Tovil accepts many materials from cooking oil to white goods and recycles more than 65% of the rubbish taken there. It is open Monday to Saturday, 8am to 4.30pm, and Sunday and Bank Holidays, 9am to 4pm.
The council also operates a Saturday freighter service but all the rubbish goes to landfill so please only use it for items that cannot be re-used or recycled. The freighter cannot accept cardboard, small electrical items, textiles or garden waste which can be recycled with the household waste collection service. And it doesn’t accept large bulky items, building rubble, commercial waste, electrical items or hazardous material.
For more information about bulky rubbish services, including paid for doorstep collections and the freighter, visit
maidstone.gov.uk or call the cleansing hotline on 01622 602162.
Chef Neil Smith welcomes the first customers, Dee Laird and grandson Sonny
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