downsmail.co.uk Former MP’s


charity date THE former MP for Maidstone and the Weald Ann Widdecombe is making a return visit to her “patch” to speak at a charity function for Heart of Kent Hospice. The novelist and star of Strictly Come Dancing will be recounting stories and anecdotes and voicing some of her outspoken opinions at the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood on Saturday, June 11.


The former shadow home secre- tary will speak about her childhood in Singapore and reveal what life was like at the centre of British poli- tics – as well as her moment of star- dom on Strictly.


She will take questions from the audience and sign copies of her lat- est book, Strictly Ann.


The Heart of Kent Hospice this


year celebrates 25 years of providing care across Maidstone, Tonbridge, Malling and the surrounding areas. Chief executive Sarah Pugh said:


“We are hugely grateful to Ann for donating her time to support our work and help us to raise the vital funds we need to provide care for our patients and their families.” Tickets, which include a drink, cost £25, with limited front row seats at £30. To book go to www.hokh.org/events or call the fundraising team on 01622 790195.


News


Teenager Ben leading way for young talent


BRITAIN’S next Richard Branson is busy building up his empire from an office at Maidstone’s Busi- ness Terrace. The Virgin mogul has described


BenTowers as “one of the UK’s most exciting young entrepreneurs”. Ben, who is still only 17, set up his


first business at the age of 11, de- signingwebsites from home. He is now an award-winning en- trepreneur, with three companies and a six-figure turnover. As most of Ben’s early work was carried out online, nobody had any idea of his age and he was offered his first public speaking engagement – at ExCel in front of 3,000 people – aged only 15. Today, he is an ambassador for


Young Start-UpTalent (YST)awards and for the National Entrepreneur- ship Challenge, a scheme set up to teach and inspire enterprise in young people in schools. He also works alongside the Fed- eration of Small Businesses to inspire young people. Ben’s digital media and web de-


zine’s Superteen Power List. He has also shot up the Richtopia


British Entrepreneurs Top 100, to be placed at number 34, along with ty- coons Richard Branson and Lord Alan Sugar. Hehas more than 63,000 followers


on Twitter and regularly appears on television. Ben still lives athomewith his par-


Entrepreneur Ben Towers


sign agency, Towers Design, em- ploys 15 people and has more than 700 customers. He is also behind the social media management company Social Mar- ley and he is working on a third company, NGBT, a social media management platform. He was tempted to the county


town by the attractive office rents available at the Business Terrace, which is in the Maidstone Gateway, King Street. In December, Ben was named number one on The Times Maga-


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ents in Gillingham, but is hoping to buy a house in Maidstone. He is busy campaigning for busi-


ness bank accounts to bemadeavail- able for youngsters under the age of 18 and trying to influence the pay- ment gateways and merchant ac- counts, which also restrict the ability of U18s to be in business. He said: “I want to be sure that if


there are budding young entrepre- neurs out there that they aren’t held back by their age. “I hope I can provide valuable support, things which I wished I had known when Iwas starting out.”  For more about Ben read our feaure in Mid Kent Living maga- zine at www.downsmail.co.uk.


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