Town Talk


TWO friends put their heads to- gether and have introduced “something a bit different for Snodland” by running a cafe called Morning Rush. Lucy Arnold (left), of Church


Field and Sarah Mockridge (right) of Saltings Road met as their chil- dren are in the same class at St Katherine's Primary School, Snodland. They both went to work at Doorstep, a sandwich bar that opened up in a small unit in Hol- borough Road next to Trios hair studio and the Specialised An- gling Centre. Sarah said: “It didn’t work out


for the previous owner and he asked Lucy if she would like to


THE former NatWest Bank at 21 High Street, Snodland was sold at auction for £360,000 in January but at the time Town Talk went to press it was not known who had bought the building. A spokesperson for the auction-


eers, Lambert Smith Hampton, said: “We don’t disclose who bought a property. We can pass on your details to the buyer if you wish.”


Town Talk asked for the infor- mation from the buyer but did not receive a reply. The property comprises a two-


storey building of brick construc- tion beneath a pitched and flat roof of about 2,639sqft (245sqm). The ATM cash machine produces a rent of £3,000 a year and must remain for five years after comple- tion.


The bank closed in January


Head appointed for St Katherine’s


RUTH Powell (pictured), head teacher of Offham Primary School, takes over as head of St Katherine’s Primary School, Snodland, from next September. Announcing the appointment,


John Edgar, chairman of the school governors, said: “This is great news for the future of St Katherine’s but it is also appropri- ate to reflect on the past few years and recognise the hard work and commitment of the staff. “With this in mind I and all my colleagues on the Governing Body would like to put on record our thanks to them and particu- larly Mr Cadwallader for the won- derful job he has done leading St Katherine’s during the time that the school has been without a substantive head. “We will be working hard be-


tween now and the end of the ac- ademic year to ensure a smooth transition and I am sure there will be opportunities for Mrs Powell to come into the school before her official start date.” Mr Edgar said Mrs Powell was


an experienced head teacher who led her school to be judged out- standing in 2015. The previous head, Sharon


Alexander, was suspended inMay 2013 before leaving “to concen- trate on her family”. She suc- ceeded Allan Adams, head for 25 years until he retired in 2012. Gerald Cadwallader, acting head, and asso- ciate head, Barbara Scott, have been holding the fort since.


Mrs


Powe l l , who lives in Maid- stone, has been head teacher at Offham since September 2011 and had previously worked at Dit- ton Junior School. Her hobbies are gardening and walking and she teaches in every year group and thinks it is im- portant to keep her hand in in teaching. “I am really excited at being ap- pointed and I am really looking forward to working with the staff at St Katherine’s,” she said.


Local news for Snodland and Halling Ready for the morning rush


take it over. We put our heads to- gether and introduced something a bit different for Snodland. “We did a lot of research on


local produce and decided to use Court Farm, Upper Halling and City Bakeries, Rochester.” Lucy, who has been involved in catering for 10 years, said they have bought a fresh coffee bean machine called Bean to Cup. Sarah set up a company with


her mum Sue, called Kent Cake Ladies, seven years ago, so will be providing the cakes for Morn- ing Rush. The cafe is open from Monday


to Saturday and recently invited residents to sample the varied breakfast and lunch menus.


Mystery buyer for former NatWest bank


2015. There was uproar in April 2014 when Royal Bank of Scot- land, NatWest owner, threatened to close the branch on two days a week and the decision was re- versed. When the complete closure was announced Chatham & Aylesford MP, Tracey Crouch, joined bor- ough and town councillors, the chamber of commerce and local businesses in objecting.


Farewell to town’s


oldest lady, Grace GRACE Spencer, Snodland’s old- est lady, died on Christmas Day, aged 102. She lived and worked all round


the country and was married for 20 years to Joseph, who died in 1969. She had lived in Ostlers Court since 1987 and when Town Talk reported her 101st birthday we quoted her saying: “I was only married for 20 years


but had the best man going. I have been from Hull to Torquay and various places in between— different people, different places but it has been a sparkling good life.”


She did not have children and


has been looked after in recent years by her niece, Barbara Spencer, and her husband, Keith, who live in Halling.


MPvisits Paddlesworth church


Tracey Crouch, Chatham and Aylesford MP, has visited St Bene- dict’s Church at Paddlesworth Road, Snodland to support the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) Champing scheme. The church is 900 years old and


was, for centuries, a passing point for pilgrims travelling over the River Medway to Burham. In 1678 it was abandoned for 250 years but came back into use in the early 20th century. St Benedict’s is one of


many churches supported by CCT. Under Champing breaks people can learn about the history of the churches and can stay overnight in the buildings. For more information


about Champing visit www. visitchurches.org.uk/ champing/ or email champing@cct.org.uk. Tracey said: “The CCT


Care home to host an Easter bazaar The bazaar will be held from


The Mortimer Society, a residen- tial care home at Birling House, High Street, Snodland – next to the railway station – is holding an Easter bazaar on Saturday, 26 March. The home is for adults with learning and/or physical disabili- ties and specialises in the care of people with Huntington’s Disease.


11am to 1pm at the Devonshire Rooms, Waghorn Road, Snod- land.


Julie Luker, one of the organis-


ers, said there will be an Easter Bonnet competition, plus stalls, a raffle and refreshments. For more information she can be contacted on 01634 244689.


does fantastic work protecting many of our important historic churches and making them ac- cessible to the public. “The Trust’s Champing scheme


has proved a hugely popular and inventive way to encourage peo- ple to explore church buildings. As Minister for both Heritage and Tourism, this scheme is truly an encouraging way to ensure the rich history in churches are not lost.”


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