News
Acting groups in Harmony
THREE local drama companies are coming together to put on a One- Act Play Festival in Maidstone. The event, on Saturday, July 23,
will take place at the Harmony Community Arts Centre in Man- gravet Avenue, Shepway, and fea- ture Floaters, performed by Alternate Shadows, Crossing Bor- ders by the Absolute Theatre Com- pany and Blind Date Inc., by the Willington Players. Started 17 years ago by Maid-
stone resident John Kingdon, the Harmony Variety Club actively promotes a community-based proj- ect to which all are welcome re- gardless of class, age, sex, race, creed, ability and lifestyle. The work of Harmony first came to the attention of the local amateur dra- matics community when Theatre 2000 hired the hall for a perform- ance. The director, Joe Bailey, co- founder of the on-line play pub- lishing company, Playwrights and Players, saw the potential of the venue and the first moves towards promoting a play festival were formed. Tickets for the evening are priced
at £6 and the curtain goes up at 7pm. All proceeds from the inau- gural festival will be donated to Harmony to support its work in the community. For further details call 01622 678683.
Top tunes at Proms night
THE deputy Mayor of Maidstone, Cllr Malcolm Greer, was among guests who enjoyed a rousing night of traditional proms performed by Maidstone Choral Union. Rule Britannia, Jerusalem and
Land of Hope and Glory were the highlights of the Summer Prom Concert at All Saints Church. The Kent Festival Brass per- formed with gusto in the Trumpet Voluntary by Jeremiah Clarke and in the Coronation Te Deum by Parry and Zadok the Priest by Han- del whilse supporting the choir. They also played other selections including the Suite from Handel’s Water Music. Jennifer Westwood made a wel-
come return singing a selection of Songs by Purcell, Handel and Elgar, accompanied by Carl Jack- son. Carl is also an acclaimed or- ganist, currently director of music at The Chapel Royal, Hampton Court Palace, and gave a rousing rendition of Crown Imperial by WilliamWalton. The choir also performed The
King Shall Rejoice by Handel and Four Songs from the British Isles arranged especially by music direc- tor Martin Hindmarsh.
4 Maidstone South July 2016
downsmail.co.uk-
Mike given top award for Scouting services
HEADCORN Scout leader Mike Brook-Foster has been awarded move- ment’s highest accolade – The Silver Wolf.
The award, instigated by Scouts founder Lord Robert Baden-Pow- ell, is given for services of an ex- ceptional nature and is generally the ‘unrestricted gift of the Chief Scout’ – presently Bear Grylls. However, county commissioners
can submit recommendations to Scout headquarters and it was the two district commissioners, Cathy Mummery and Jan Ashley, who put Mr Brook-Foster’s name for- ward for the honour. Mr Foster (71) has been a Scout
leader with the 1st Headcorn Scouts for 54 years, having joined up when the group was short of a leader and facing closure. He has already received the MBE for his services to Scouting. In his younger days, Mr Brook-
Foster managed to juggle his Scout- ing duties with his work as an accountant in Folkestone. Since his retirement, he spends around half
his spare time working on one proj- ect or another for the group, which is now happily thriving, with around 80 boys and girls involved in Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and Ex- plorers. At one point, his wife Phyll be-
came an assistant Scout leader too, but she stepped down from the job some years ago. Mr Foster continues to lead both
the Scouts and the Explorers, but is hoping to take a back seat before too long so he can spend more time at his home in Benenden. He said: “One thing just sort of
led to another – and I’m still here!” The replica silver wolf on a rib-
bon was presented to Mr Brook- Foster as part of the St George’s Day parade in the village by the as- sistant county commissioner, Lee Hardy. Mr Brook-Foster said: “It’s a bit like the honours process and I did-
“It’sabit likethe honoursprocessandI didn’tknow
anythingaboutit.” Scouts and Explorers leader Mike Brook-Foster
n’t know anything about it. Obvi- ously, I am very pleased to have been considered worthy!” During the early years of the
Scout movement, it was the prac- tice of Lord Baden-Powell, to give the Silver Wolf to Scouters who had done outstandingly valuable work, such as saving a life or for acts of bravery, endurance or self- sacrifice. It remained a youth award until
1922 when it became an award for adult volunteers for services to Scouting.
Council stalwart hangs up hat after 36 years
THE chairman of Marden Parish Council has stepped down after 18 years in the role. Dorothy Reed (left) has been a member of the parish council for a staggering 36 years and has seen the village through many ups and downs. She has seen the village grow
with new housing developments springing up on once greenfield sites and witnessed the expansion of industry on Pattenden Lane, as hop fields gradually gave way to commerce. Now, after 18 years as chairman
–50 per cent of her time on the council – she has decided to hang up her hat to spend more time
with her husband John and family. She said: “I will certainly miss
being involved, but am also look- ing forward to taking things a eas- ier.”
Her place in the chair has been
taken by Kate Tippen, who said: “The village is undergoing more change now than it has done for many years – some might argue since the railway arrived in 1842. “Following in Dorothy’s foot-
steps will be a hard act to follow. “She has to be one of the few
people in Marden who has served the village so consistently for so long and both the parish council and the village will miss her active involvements in parish matters.”
Lucky escape for car smash couple
A RETIRED couple were taken to hospital after a car crashed into the living room of their Staple- hurst home. Alan Kemp (64),was relaxing at
home when a silverVauxhallwent out of control and ploughed through the frontwall of his house in Corner Farm Road. The former engineer escaped
with minor scratches and was taken to TunbridgeWells Hospital at Pembury, with his wife Eve, as
a precaution. He said he was sit- ting in an armchair next to the wall when he heard a loud bang andwas thrown across the room. Mrs Kemp also had a lucky es-
cape as she was in the kitchen at the back of the house at the time of the crash on Friday, June 24. Emergency services, including
two fire engineswere called to the scene at 5.30pm and freed the trapped driver, understood to be a neighbour. Shewas also taken to
hospital with minor injuries. But while the Kemps survived
relatively unscathed, their house suffered serious damage, making it impossible for them to stay in their front bedroom. Mrs Kemp went to stay with friends while her husband remained at the house to ensure security. Mr Kemp said the damage was limited by a large plastic bin out- side the living room which acted as a safety barrier.
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