News Commander


appointed ASTAPLEHURSTpolicewoman has been appointed to the role of Com- mander forWest Division. Chief Superintendent Julia Chap-


man has served in the police for 23 years, primarily in the Maidstone and Medway areas.


From 2010 –


2011, shewasDe- tective Chief In- spector


for


tactical and seri- ous crime, based at Medway, then she spent a year as DCI for West Division.


From September 2012 to Septem-


ber 2014, she served as Superinten- dent for Medway and North Division and then spent a year as Su- perintendent in charge of strategic planning and tactical operations, in- cluding acting as Gold Commander for Operation Stack. Chief Superintendent Chapman


said: “I have thoroughly enjoyed the first few weeks in my new role and amvery pleased to have returned to West Division where I previously worked as a Detective Chief Inspec- tor. “I look forward to continuing the


work of my predecessor Chief Su- perintendent Steve Corbishley in striving to keep the people of Maid- stone and the rest ofwest Kent safe.” Chief Superintendent Corbishley


has been selected for the Police Na- tional Assessment Centre, which chooses future chief officers for the police service. The district commander for Maid-


stone remains Chief Inspector Mick Gardner.


Diary to avoid event clashes


THE council is hoping to organise a “no clash” diary for event organ- isers in 2016 and beyond. Recent clashes between big


events have left visitors to the town unable to get accommodation, the Town Team’s marketing group meeting heard. The online diary, which will be


put to the test over the next few weeks and launched fully in the New Year, is intended to give or- ganisers of all events – however large or small – advancewarning of other events in the area which could coincide. “Some clashes are inevitable, but


this way, people can see what is coming up at any given time and plan their own events accordingly,” said the council’s Laura Dickson. The town’s new culture, heritage


and tourism department is also hoping to compile a library of high- resolution copyright-free images which anyone can access and use as part of their promotional literature.


10 Maidstone East December 2015


downsmail.co.uk


Lights just the start of sparkling festive season


The lights are sparkling all over Maidstone in the run-up to the festive season.


With late-night shopping on Thursdays and a dazzling array of weekend entertainment, the county town is hoping its Christ- mas “presence” will rival that of all its regional competitors. Following the excitement of the Christmas lights switch-on by Maidstone’s panto stars and a per- formance by X Factor finalists Alien Uncovered,most of the town centre shops are now open late each Thursday, giving workers the chance to get their gifts whilst still avoiding busy weekends. Late-night entertainment on


those evenings will include stilt walkers, jugglers, choirs and bands. On Saturdays December 5, 12


and 19, the Town Centre Manage- ment has organised a varied pro- gramme of music and dance in Jubilee Square, including perform- ances from the Maidstone-based


Mandy Ellen Dance Studios and Vocademy. DickWickenden, who plays sax- ophone under the name Kentish- sax, will perform on December 12, when there will be a surprise flash- mob element to the afternoon’s proceedings, and again on Decem- ber 19. There will also be walkabout en- tertainment for children in Fremlin Walk and traditional festive music on the Sundays leading up to Christmas. The popular Christmas market returns too, with gourmet delights such as bratwurst, churros and crepes. As well as the traditional twin


trees in Lower and Upper High Street, there will be some addi- tional colour being organised by Zoe Sparkle and her team of yarn bomber – look out for some festive knitting appearing on buildings and benches near you.


Spring fete aims to raise awareness of syndrome


A BEARSTEDmumis hoping to raise the awareness of a rare kidney disease by hosting a spring fete at Madginford Hall. Ellen Ridley’s three year old son


Alfie suffers fromnephrotic syndrome, which means his body cannot process proteins. He takes daily steroids, which have numerous side effects, must eat no processed foods and very little salt, and have his urine tested twice a day. Miss Ridley noticed something


waswrong when Alfiewas 17 months old and beganwaking up with puffy eyes. She said: “I thought itwas conjunctivitis, or an allergy.” However, fivemonths later, when


his whole body swelled up and his bodyweight tripled overnight, she rushed him to A&E where a urine test detected the problem. Miss Ridley is now setting up the


Alfie Rose Foundation to support parents of other children with similar problems. Her Facebook page has more than 600 followers and she said: “These people have beenmy greatest solace. There are different symptoms, different medications, different treatments and different outcomes – butwe are all supporting each other.” Nephrotic syndrome causes large


Last year’s Christmas tree in Jubilee Square, Maidstone


Purse chains


SHOPPERS in Maidstone can avail themselves of a free purse chain as the Christmas shopping season gets underway. Ever anxious to keep purse- snatching and pick-pocketing to a minimum, MaidSafe, the town’s crime reduction partnership, is handing out the purse chains each Wednesday in The Mall. The purse chains, designed to at-


tach purses to handbags, shopping bags or their owner will be avail- able from 10am to noon on the first floor of the centre, near BHS and Boots.


Empty shops


amounts of protein to leak into the body via holes in the kidneys. Steroids seal the holes, but can cause issues such as ADHD and anxiety, both of which affect Alfie. He is also more at risk of catching colds and infections. Miss Ridleywould like to see more


information available in doctors’ surgeries and renal units and ready access to urine testing strips. In the meantime, she is looking


for donations of raffle and auction prizes for the fete, to be held from 1.30-5pm on April 2 atMadginford Hall.


She can be contacted on 07519 569133.


MAIDSTONE has slightly fewer empty shop units than it had six months ago. There are 646 ground floor units


in the town centre, of which 18 are new businesses.However, 66 of the units are empty – making 10.2% of the total. In May, the figure was 10.7%. TCM’s LarryWilliamson said then that 49 of the units were virtually unlettable.


Charity recital THE Heart of Kent Hospice will benefit by about £11,000 from a charity performance by Maidstone Choral Union at Mote Hall of Gilbert and Sullivan's HMS Pinafore. It attracted an audience of more than 500.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48