News


downsmail.co.uk More funds for town museum


MAIDSTONE Council is to pump an additional £125,000 into the town’s museum after another funding blow.


Despite an annual budget, ex- cluding staff costs, of £260,000, Maidstone Museum and Bentlif Art Gallery in St Faith’s Street is fore- cast to lose £60,000 in the year be- ginning March 2016. It will have overspent by more


than £9,000 by the end of this March – a figure that would have been much higher but for the suc- cess of the Brick City Lego-building attraction last summer. Nowthe council, which manages


themuseum, is to lose more money when the Arts Council’s four-year education programme finishes in March, ending an annual grant of £108,000 per year.


78% of pupils


hiing targets MORE than three-quarters of pri- mary school pupils in the Maidstone area are meeting government key targets in reading, English and maths. The annual standard assessment


test results (SATs) reveal that 78% of children achieved the targets in all three subjects, up 8% on last year. The Government expects all pri-


mary schools to make sure at least 65% of pupils attain level four. In Maidstone, 87% of children


made the grade in reading and writ- ing. The figurewas 83% for maths. At Mereworth Primary School


100% of pupils attained level four in all three areas, with 73% of them reaching level five in reading. At St John’s School, Grove Green,


97% attained level four across the board and 75% of pupils were at level five in reading. Several schools notched up more than 90% across the three core subjects, including Kingswood Primary School, Oaks Academy in Mangravet, Palace Wood at Allington, Loose and Roseacre, Bearsted. KCC’s cabinet member for educa-


tion, Roger Gough, said: “These are extremely good figures, especially as Key Stage 2 is an area where we have been relativelyweak. There are clear signs thatwe are moving in the right direction, thanks to the hard work of heads, teachers and the chil- dren themselves.”


Road closed


THERE will be no access to Honey Lane, Otham for through traffic be- tween the junctions with Simmonds Lane and Avery Lane for five days from February 29, for kerbing work. The alternative route is via White


Horse Lane, Gore Court Road, A274 Sutton Road and New Road.


18 Maidstone East February 2016 Although the council is aiming to


make savings of £1.63m in 2016/17, the increased budget for the mu- seum, which will be spread over three years, was agreed by the pol- icy and resources committee. It will fund the education pro- gramme and “enable the continued


delivery and growth of a sustain- able museum service”. An additional £353,000 capital


works programme will take place during the next two years, which will include refurbishing an old ed- ucation room to double the capac- ity for children’s parties. Shared museums manager Jo


Wiltcher said: “One of our best in- come generators is children’s par- ties. We are fully booked most weekends and the additional space will double our income.” Other suggested works are to im-


prove the cafe and exterior. Resources have already been identified to fund the new post of a


full-time museums director, who could earn more than £48,000, when the current arrangement of a shared museums manager with TunbridgeWells Council finishes at the end of March. Meanwhile, work is already on-


going to improve the east wing re- ception, which will involvemoving the reception desk. Areport to the council’s heritage, culture and leisure committee said: “The current desk is poorly located, creating a pinch point for visitors entering the building and creating a situation where staff who are serving in the shop have their backs to customers entering the site.”


Festival that put town on map


LAST year’s Ramblin’ Man fair might have roused tempers in the residential roads around Mote Park, but it certainly put Maid- stone on the worldwide map. TheVisit Maidstonewebsite re-


ceived more than 308,000 hits from 150 countries in the past year – many of which were prompted by enquiries about the heavy metal rock ‘n’ roll event. Laura Dickson, from Maid- stone’s tourism, culture and her- itage department, said hits on the website came from the USA, France, Germany and the Nether- lands as well as from little-heard of countries much further afield. Most visitors had accessed the


site via their mobile phones or tablets now that the new website was fully responsive on all de- vices, she told the town centre marketing group meeting. The most visited pageswere the


What’s On listings and from peo- ple seeking accommodation and things to do. An email marketing campaign targeting more than 66,000 recipi- ents had revealed open rates be- tween 12 and 72%.


The council has created a new


parks e-newsletter, in addition to its museum promotions and will soon announce the launch of its historic interpretation panels, which will be situated across the town.


THE Ramblin’ Man Fair returns on July 23-24 to Mote Park in Maidstone with a weekend of rock for music fans. Headline bands include


It’s back with a new line-up Under new management, a


Whitesnake on the Saturday and Black Stone Cherry on Sunday, with a tribute performance from Thin Lizzy, featuring guest drummer Mikkey Dee, from Motorhead. Other offerings include Uriah Heep, Hawkwind, Europe and Procol Harum.


spokesman for event organiser Spirit of Rock said year two of Ramblin’ Man Fair would be bigger and better, with an emphasis on great food and drink and the “colourful world of rock culture”. Other acts include Airbourne,


Ginger Wildheart, The Graveltones, Von Hertzen Brothers, Blurred Vision, The Fierce And The Dead, IO Earth, The White Buffalo, Life Signs, Hayseed Dixie and King King.


Play tackles hard topic and succeeds JOHN


Whose Life is itAnyway?' Willington Players, Hazlitt Theatre THISwas an impressive produc- tion in every way. It was not an easy choice for the group, but Richard Pilborough is a director with a very successful record who gave us another success. The set would have been impres- sive in Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre. Stuart Chapman was Ken Harrison, a paraplegic who wants to die. He spends the whole wonderful performance in bed arguing his case with med-


MUNSON SHOW TIME


ical professionals. Written by Brian Clark and first produced in 1978 in theWest End, it is to say the least, a controversial subject. A superb cast handled the ar- guments with great skill and sensitivity. Debbie Mason ex- celled in portraying a believable matron. Laura Cusack was just


right as Nurse Kay and Michael Kurtay was a cheeky porter. Penny Baines and Tony O'Leary were the two most involved medics. We shared their doubts about how best to deal with the wishes of the disabled patient. The legal decisionwas eventu-


ally made at the bedside by Ed- wina Bicker, with aplomb, as Justice Millhouse. Others on the cast roll of honour must be Tony, Sheila, Janice, Matt, Jeanette, Richard and Catherine. A triumph for The Willing-


tons. For more local news www.downsmail.co.uk


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