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Street cleaner Clive saves the Christmas switch-on
STREET cleaner Clive Mitson stole the show when Strictly Come dancing star Ola Jordanwas unable to appear atWest Malling Christmas Festival. Ola was booked to take part in
the festivities for the town’s Christ- mas lights, but the Chamber of Commerce wanted a local hero to perform the big switch-on. They decided to give the honour
to Clive, who has been keeping the roads and pavements spick and span for the last three years. And when Ola had to cancel after agree- ing to take part in ITV’s I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here!, he became the star of the show. Julia Smith, secretary of the chamber of commerce, explained that Ola, who lives inWest Malling, was already coming to do a book signing, but organisers wanted to thank someone who receives little or no recognition for doing a great job for the community. She said: “Clive clears away the
weekend rubbish, sweeps the au- tumn leaves and is often found dig- ging out the moss in the pavement cracks. The daywas not dampened
day afternoon ceremony. His celebrity status continued
when he was invited onto Chris Evans’s BBC Radio 2 breakfast show to talk about the honour. He told the host, who used to live
in nearby Nettlestead: “I don’t take the job as just a job, it’s for the com- munity. I go out there rain or shine and I do try hard to keep the town looking nice and clean for them. “If I see a bit of rubbish or dog
mess I just have to clean it up.” Asked why he thought hewas so
loved by people in the town, he said: “I smile a lot.” The Veolia employee, who has
CliveMitson turns on the lights
by Ola Jordan disappointing the visitors. She was scheduled to at- tend the Christmas festival to pro- mote her book and do a book signing on the day. Instead, Clive stole the show.” Clive (62) said he was “over- whelmed” by the gesture and thor- oughly enjoyed his big moment when he flicked the switch in front of the cheering crowd at the Sun-
three daughters and seven grand- children, said: “To be tapped on the shoulder and asked to switch on the lights was really powerful. It was overwhelming being there with about 1,000 people in front of me. They gave me a countdown from 10. Itwas brilliant. Iwas gob- smacked, itwas unbelievable.” Clivemay be a hard act to follow,
but next year the Chamber of Com- merce plans to ask the public to nominate their own “unsung hero” to switch on the lights.
News Hit-and-run
driver fined A HIT-and-run driver has been banned from the road and fined more than £1,000 after leaving his injured victim in Snodland. The 23-year-old motorist, from
Hoo, admitted driving his Suzuki Swift on the Pilgrims’Way on Feb- ruary 22 without insurance, failing to stop after the accident and driv- ing otherwise than in accordance with his licence. Magistrates in Folkestone or-
dered Kieran Daniel Hedges, of Wylie Road, to pay a fine of £1,302, a £66 victim surcharge and £85 costs, before banning him from the road for 18 months.
Hospice carols WEST Malling Community Choir will join the Choir of Canterbury Cathedral at this year’s Demelza Carol Concert. Demelza families, staff, support-
ers and volunteers will be joining VIPs at this year’s celebration of Christmas, which takes place in the cathedral on Monday, December 19, from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £12 for adults and £6
for children. To book, visit
www.demelza.org.uk,
email
lianne.lloyd@demelza.org.uk or ring 01795 845191.
How to stay safe on the roads this winter
Driving at night can be a hazardous experience for us all. Being dazzled by oncoming headlights and having to guess where the side of the road is can be very dangerous. During the day the low sun causes over 3000 accidents a year. Award winning Optometrist Alisdair Buchanan offers his advice for safer winter driving.
5 Simple steps to improve your vision when driving this winter
1. If you wear glasses, invest in Thankfully new advanced lens coatings can help. They don’t just reduce coating is available on all lenses and can be worn day or night.
2. Keep your glasses and windscreen windscreens and lenses can greatly
reduce the contrast of what you see. Using a specialist spectacle lens cleaner like Solution 30 makes a tremendous difference to the clarity of your spectacle lenses.
3. Get your prescription up to date - Having the clearest vision possible will enable you to pick out the edge of the road and other hazards much more often a sign that your prescription could be improved.
4. new varifocal lenses, designed with driving in mind. New patented lens technology from Hoya increases clarity, enables better depth perception making driving safer and less straining. These advanced varifocals help to reduce symptoms such as tired, burning eyes
and headaches which can occur after driving at night.
5. In the event of sun or snow protect yourself from glare - Low sun and glare from wet roads causes thousands of accidents every year. Wearing contrast enhancing, polarized sunglasses can eliminate this risk completely. Available in varifocals, single vision prescriptions or non-prescription lenses these can be worn all year round to make you safer on the road.
Stay safe this winter and keep your vision at its best Book your appointment today Call Now - 01634 757227 56 Malling Road, Snodland, Kent ME6 5NB
Malling December 2016 3
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