Four editions delivered to over 88,000 homes every month Maidstone South Edition Maidstone South Edition
downsmail.co.uk
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
FREE Maidstone Town | Maidstone East | Maidstone South | Malling Results delight
IT was smiles all round for these GCSE students at Cornwallis
Academy,
where nearly half of entrants earned five A*-C passes, including English and maths.
Their efforts provided an 11% im-
provement on last year’s results – just one of the many positive per- formances put in by teachers and students, who celebrated the rewards of their studies with their GCSE and A-level results at schools across the region.
For all the details and the names of some of the top performers turn to page 25 and 26.
Locals set to turn pub into community hub
VILLAGERS have put their money where their mouth is in Ulcombe and are about to exchange contracts on their local pub.
A team of four from the village
came up with the money for the Grade II Harrow Inn pub – where the last pintwas pulled more than a decade ago – after securing the back- ing of volunteers and pledges of fi- nancial support from the village. Now they hope to be just days
away from exchanging contracts with plans to open the pub by Christmas. The new owners have the supp-
port of localMPHelen Whately (pic- tured), who has promised to visit. It follows a failed attempt by the current owners to sell the former drinking establishment, in the heart of the village, at auction in London. Amongthose behind the fresh bid
is fruit farmer Charles Tassell, who described the chance to buy the pub
as a golden opportunity to provide “a heart” for the close community, which has just 600 houses. He said: “We
have a hall, pri- mary school and a church that have lots going on, but without a pub or a shop it has always been hard work
bringing people together. We used to gather when the rubbish freighter visited the village, but even that has stopped. “We have received huge support
from locals offering to get involved, from gardening, to running the busi- ness for us; it’s really exciting.” Church Farm backs on to the pub
LOCAL NEWS UPDATED DAILY EVENTS - SERVICES & INFORMATION - ITEMS FOR SALE
www.downsmail.co.uk Your community website
and Charles’ sister Rosemary Cass- well lives next door to The Harrow Inn, as does the other share-holder Simon Odan, with villager Richard Sim making up the four. They say the business will be run
by an independent management committee, with a licensee already stepping up. There are ideas of op- erating the business as a micro-pub, with guest ales and cider, and a café and possibly, a post office and creche, too. Charles (55) said: “Had the pub
been two milesdownthe road, none of us would have been interested in buying it, but because it is in the heart of the village and our nearest pub is a mileaway, thiswas a golden opportunity to make it our own.
6 Flood insurance
THE landlady of the Chequers pub in Yalding says businesses hit by floods in 2013 are now facing huge insurance premiums. Julie Chalker, who runs the pub with her son Christopher, warns many traders may have to close.
3
maidstone@martinco.com 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent
New homes delay
START on 800-home Langley development could be at least a year away. 8
Cricket club setback
YALDING Cricket Club is struggling to survive after thieves took their mower.
10 By-election battle
OPENING shots are fired in the battle for a seat on Maidstone Council. 11
Cornfield fire
FIREFIGHTERS at Marden used their new fire engine to tackle a cornfield blaze. 12
Wild birds slaughter
DUCKS were killed in an attack by a gang of men with dogs at a village pond. 12
Birthday girl is 111
A STAPLEHURST woman is heading towards being the oldest in Britain. 16
Dog waste bins to go
BINS for dog waste are being removed in a bid to cut council costs.
Obituaries Comment
20 36
37 Crime Reports 47
Twenty wooden storage bins for apples were burned at a farm in East Farleigh; a climbing frame and slide were stolen from a gar- den in Langley; Thieves took a heavy statue from a garden on Linton Hill; and plants were re- moved in Marden.
September 2016 No. 233 News Olympic gold
A RIO gold medallist will visit pupils to inspire a new generation at her former school in Sutton Valence. 3
YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT 01622 690290
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48