downsmail.co.uk Parking at park a done deal


Dear Sir –A documentwas placed in my mailbox thisweek entitled "Consultation on a proposal to introduce car park charges in Mote Park". After reading, it was clear that this is not a consultation document or a proposal. The document is a missive stating what Maidstone Council has already decided will happen regarding parking in Mote Park, what the parking fees will be, the times they will apply and when they will come into operation, without council tax payer consultation in any form whatsoever. I believe Maidstone Council is again looking to use the motorist as a cash cow, using every excuse in the book to try to justify the charge. Needless to say, I amagainst parking


fees of any kind in Mote Park. The park is there for the enjoyment of all townspeople, paid for in their council tax. Regarding town centre parking and the


park and ride, Maidstone town centre shops and restaurants are always complaining about loss of business to out- of-town malls. May I suggest that Maidstone Council seriously investigates scrapping parking fees in the town and park and ride fees? This will then offer shoppers what the out-of-town malls offer their customers. It could be tried for a period of say, one


year, and if successful, extended. I amof the belief that the additional shoppers it would aract would more than compensate for the loss of fees. Maidstone Council would aract more business rates and the empty shops in the town centre would disappear – a win-win situation. Michael Lilewood, by email


Contact our team ...


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


GARDENING equipmentwas stolen from a car in Bull Lane, Eccles. Acarwas damaged in a car park in Mills


Road, Aylesford. The glass of a wing mirrorwas stolen


from a Renault parked in Bull Lane, Eccles. Hydraulic plant equipmentwas taken


from a car in a car park in Mills Road, Aylesford. Therewas an aempt to break in to a


garage in Brampton Field, Dion. Nothing was taken but the doorwas damaged. Awallet containing cash and cardswas


taken from a VWvan parked in Hall Road, Aylesford. Electrical equipment, jewellery and china


was taken from a home in Nursery Road, Dion. Jewellerywas taken from a property in


CastleWay, Leybourne. The number plateswere taken from a Nissan car on a driveway in Priory Grove, Dion. Avehiclewas scratched in Town Hill,


West Malling. Acarwas damaged in Cherry Orchard,


Dion when eggswere thrown at it. The rear window of a Vauxhall Vectra parked in Hollow Lane, Snodland was smashed.


30 Malling December 2015 Diane Nicholls


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


Jane Shotliff Journalist


jane@downsmail.co.uk 01622 734735 ext 233


Dawn Kingsford


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


NeighbourhoodWatch Working to reduce crime. Call Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 or local police


Awindowwas smashed at a home in The Stream, Dion. Afireworkwas put through the leer box


of a home in Lister Close, East Malling. Therewas an aempted break-in at a


home in Ragstone Court, Dion, damaging a window. A13-registration whiteBMW118D coupe


was stolen from a car park in London Road, Addington. The wing mirror of a parked carwas damaged in The Street, Mereworth. Avehiclewas damaged in London Road,


Ryarsh. Avehiclewas scratched in Larkspur


Road, East Malling. Aproperty in London Road, Ryarsh was broken into and aBMWcarwas stolen. Avehicle parked on a driveway in Blacklands, East Malling had a window smashed. Itemswere taken from a vehicle in Branbridges Road, East Peckham. Ashedwas broken into at a home in


Chapel Street, East Mallingwas broken into. Gardening tools including two hedge trimmers and a Tohatsu outboard motor were stolen. Jewellerywas among items taken from a


home in Henham Gardens, East Peckham. Adrill kitwas among items stolen from a


garage in LancasterWay, Kings Hill. Ahome inWillowmead, Leybourne was broken into but nothing appeared to be missing. Itwas believed the offender fled when the resident returned. AFord S-Max had a tyre slashed on a driveway in Anisa Close, Kings Hill.


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We will ensure your views are taken into account in our consideration of the introduction of parking charges for Mote Park – both in your view of the process that we are undertaking and the principle of charging. Response from Alison Broom, chief executive of Maidstone Council


Parachute jump thanks


Dear Sir – Iwant to say how grateful I am to all the lovely people who sponsored me for my parachute jump. Itwas a lovely day with white clouds scudding over a reasonably blue sky. I went through all the procedures, gear, talk about flight, how to hold myself and where to place my feet. Our trip out to the planewas in sequence, with Gary my instructor and I being last to board. Four young men jumped out first as they


were doing a sequence jump. Then it was my turn. Gary shuffled to the edge aswe looked into 12,000ft of nothing – scary! Out wewent, with me praying like mad, and as I realised that Iwasn’t going to die, I began to enjoy the freefall, posing for the camera, as one does. Then Gary tapped me on the shoulder to


let me know hewas going to open the shute. The ideawas that we would enjoy coming down but I suddenly felt sea sick aswe twisted and turned and the horizon went up and down. Ugh, itwas horrible. Iwas white as a sheet when I landed, through the grace of God who kept me safe. All the money raised (£3,750)was a gift


of love from everyone. I could have done nothing without their support and I thank


them all from the boom of my heart. June Wright (magnificent aviator of the 21st century), Brook Lane, Snodland


Sacrifice remembered


Dear Sir – In a world which once again is in turmoil and unrestwe should, at the 100th anniversary of her death, pause and reflect on the life and work of nurse Edith Cavell. We should remember her heroic sacrifice, her heroism, her fortitude and her humanity in her work and life. She, with many others, fought the typhoid epidemic that came to Maidstone in the summer of 1897. In 1915 she again rose to the challenge


and worked tirelessly for the wounded from all sides, during what is now known as the GreatWar (WorldWar I) and paid for her duty with her life. At a memorial service in London itwas


said: ”The crowning horror of the treatment of womanhood is the atrocious murder of this woman, who lived to alleviate suffering and who only did what any one of us would have done in saving the lives of refugees who sought shelter of a home.” Aswe commemorate the anniversary of


her deathwe should remember her supreme sacrifice and how she has set the world an example of howwe should bear ourselves in a crisis. We should remember and reflect on her


words given in the few hours before her execution. “Patriotism is not enough – I must have


no hatred or bierness towards anyone.“ Cllr David Picke, Bower Street, Maidstone


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