News
Win a Mini SHOPPERS in Maidstone raised al- most £2,500 for the air ambulance in a raffle to win a Mini Cooper. Volunteers for the Marden-based charity sold tickets for the prize draw and collected donations at Fremlin Walk Shopping Centre over three days in the first promo- tion for theWin a Mini raffle. Tickets cost £5 each and can be bought at
www.raffle.me.uk. The draw will take place on March 31, 2017.
Charity quiz
HI KENT, the charity that helps deaf and hard of hearing people in Kent, is holding a Big Quiz Night. The event is at the United Re- formed Church, Week Street and doors open at 7pm for a 7.30pm start. The cost of £8 per person, for teams of six, includes a plough- man’s supper. To book, call Liz Clayton on
01622 691151 or email
l.clayton@
hikent.org.uk
Arson arrest
A MAIDSTONE man has been ar- rested in connection with an arson attack at the town’s crown court on April Fools’ Day. The 54-year-old, who was arrested on April 11, has been bailed until June 9, pending further inquiries.
downsmail.co.uk Building leads to jams
DRIVERS face weeks of traffic jams and disruption in Allington as work on a housing development continues. Motorists have reported prob-
lems with roadworks at the junction of London Road and Beaver Road. There have also been issues on
other roads in and out of town in- cluding Tonbridge Road and Royal EngineersWay. Some drivers have experienced
delays of up to an hour. The work is likely to carry on through May. Now MaidstoneMPHelen Grant has promised an intervention with
the relevant authorities to see how disruption can be minimised. Barratt Homes is putting up 140 properties at a site to be called The Orchards. Officers from Kent County Coun-
cil visited the site after Kent Police asked workers to change the phas- ing of the temporary traffic lights. During busy periods, Aylesford-
bound traffic has backed up to Poplar Grove and town-bound ve- hicles queued to the M20 junction. Residents have reported near
misses where drivers have been skipping red lights.
As a measure to alleviate the grid-
lock in that part of Maidstone, the temporary lights have gone to man- ual control. Staff have been asked to keep an
eye open for vehicles bunching up. Maidstone MP Helen Grant said:
“I have received reports of serious delays, disruption and safety con- cerns relating to these works and I amtaking up the issue with the con- tractors, Maidstone Council and Kent County Council with urgency. “I hope we can get the situation rectified as soon as possible before we suffer an accident.”
Community centrewelcomes families
THERE was fun for all the family when the doors were thrown open at Tovil’s new community centre in Barfreston Close. Families enjoyed arts and crafts and face painting as well as
watching karate and Pilates demonstrations. Kent Fire and Res- cue broughtafire engine and the HealthMOTBus also attended. The centre, which replaces the children’s hutwas builtby Gold-
ing Homes and is managed by Maidstone YMCA. It provides a meeting place for training, social groups, sports and a pre-school. Lynda Dale, chief executive officer at Maidstone YMCA said:
“The new centre has been an ambition of the YMCA Maidstone for many years and the community finally has a community asset that will provide excellent services for children, youth and family engagement.”
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Maidstone Town May 2016
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