News


downsmail.co.uk MP‘livid’ over crossing delay


LONG delays atAylesford railway crossing, which have been causing chaos on roads in the area, are likely to continue until the new year.


And the reason for the prolonged misery is Christmas shopping in London. The news has infuriated Ayles-


ford MP Tracey Crouch (pictured), who fired a Facebook broadside at rail bosses, say- ing: “I am ab- solutely livid.” She said: “Net-


work Rail have updated me on the issue with the crossing and I am afraid that the


broken


bridge in Lewisham, which is caus- ing a diversion of freight onto our Medway Valley line, is now not going to be fixed until after Christ- mas.” Long queues at the level crossing


have been causing misery for driv- ers, especially at peak times, for sev- eralweeks, since freight trainswere diverted on to the Medway valley line because of a problem with a


WI party date KINGS Hill WI members will be holding a Christmas party at their December meeting. The group meets on the fourth


Wednesday of the month in Kings Hill Community Centre at 7.30pm, but in December, they will meet for the party on December 7, with en- tertainment from Adam Hoffman. For more details, contact Tina Patterson on 01732 844721.


Charity concert MAIDSTONE Mencap members invite you to their Christmas con- cert with the Detling Singers at Cobtree Hall, Willington Street on Saturday, December 10. Refreshments will be available


from 6pm and the concert starts at 6pm. Tickets are £6 each. Contact Ann on 07548 152201.


Queues of cars have been building at the crossing in Aylesford


bridge at Lewisham. Because there are more trains


which travel at a slower speed than passenger ones, the barrier goes down more often and the closures are longer. Network Rail said it originally es- timated that the work at Lewisham would require track closures during threeweekends. The company told Miss Crouch:


“Howeverwe are finding it difficult to find enough time over theweek-


end during this busy period leading up to Christmas because this re- quires a full closure of the line and would prevent the increased num- ber of passengers using weekend services for shopping and visiting central London. “It is now estimated that in order


to take advantage of the planned closure of parts of the route over the Christmas period, work will not be completed until the end of the year. Unfortunately, this means that


freight services will still need to make use of the Medway Valley line.” Miss Crouch said: “So, basically,


Aylesford comes to a standstill every morning because people like to go shopping in London at the weekend. “As angry as I amat Network Rail


for their total inconsideration of the impact in Aylesford, the truth is I really don’t know what I can do. “Iamsending this information on


to our three emergency services be- cause I worry that the barriers being down for so long and the traffic chaos is a threat to life and prop- erty. This is simply unacceptable from Network Rail.” She said she would also be writ-


ing to the transport secretary, Chris Grayling MP. The news of the disruption led to


a stream of comments on social media from parents concerned that children are late for class because school buses are delayed.


999 crews go online with iPads


AMBULANCE crews through- out Kent are being given iPads so that they can complete patients’ records and contact hospitals. The project is being rolled out to


other regions in the country after a successful trial in Thanet. South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust, says the ePCR (electronic Patient Clinical Record) system will streamline communication with hospitals, saving paper and time and improve information security, while creating more legible records. The rollout will see groups of clinicians receive the devices and be familiarised in their use by trained colleagues. The iPads will be distributed throughout the re-


involves ambulance crews email- ing patients’ records to receiving hospitals which are then able to either append the record electron- ically into their ownA&E systems or print a paper copy. Paramedic Mike Earlwas one of


the first to use the iPad and ePCR application. He said: “The electronic system


gion in stages, with the majority expected to have been delivered by spring 2017. The new system has been con- tinually assessed and improved since its launch in October 2015. It


has a number of benefits and is a really worthwhile innovation. The quality of the documentation is better and more legible and there are no constraints to a text box like there is with a paper form. Also the data we log can be captured and audited instantly.” SECamb is currently the only ambulance trust in the country using iPads for its clinical records.


Ray’s £10,000 gift in memory of his wife


A CHRISTMAS present to remem- ber is how Ray Taylor describes the gift of more than £10,000 he is set to hand over in memory of his wife Mary to the hospice that cared for her in Aylesford. Back from a cross-border bungee


jump atVictoria Falls, that saw him bounce 120 metres from the bridge between Zambia and Zimbabwe, Ray (pictured right) spoke of his year-long fund-raising adventure from his home in Shepway, where his feet are firmly back on the ground…at least for now.


10 Malling December 2016 He said: “I’d probably do the


jump again, but a year of fund-rais- ing, though worthwhile, has been really hard work. I now appreciate all the effort that individuals put in when they set about raising money for charity. “Even so, without idiots like me prepared to jump off a bridge, these good causes would struggle.” One of his many challenges over


the last 12 monthswas raising £200 with a sponsored silence at his local pub, The Wheatsheaf on the Loose Road. And, anyone who knows the


outgoing, chatty man, will under- stand why. Ray’s fund-raising website at www.virginmoneygiving/raytay- lor closed on November 30 and he plans to present the Heart of Kent Hospice, at Aylesford, with a Christmas gift topping £10,000 at the Wheatsheaf in the new year. Ray, who is pictured right with


the bridge he jumped from, said: “I’m a bit of a softy at heart and I know that when I hand over the cheque for Mary I’ll cry my eyes out, but it will have been worth it.”


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