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News £100k fine for stuntman death
THEstunt firm behind ahumancannonball act thatwent tragically wrong at Detling showground has been fined £100,000.
The ruling brings to a close the
tragic events surrounding the death of Matthew Cranch (24) five years ago in front of a crowd of on- lookers at the Easter Bank Holiday event. The “flyer” for Stunts UK suf-
fered extensive injuries after the quick release mechanism on the safety net in which he should have landed inadvertently activated, re- leasing the tension. Air ambulance paramedics assisted land crews, but Mr Cranch suffered a fatal heart attack on theway to hospital. Scott May (40), who runs the Cornwall-based stunt company, admitted health and safety breaches following the accident, in a case brought by Maidstone Bor- ough Council. His firm now faces court costs of £80,000. He must also
LenValley GP
practice ‘good’ WHILE patients complained about difficulties getting through to a Lenham surgery on the telephone at peak times, the healthwatchdog has rated it “good” overall. The comments from the Care Quality Commission follow an an- nounced visit to the LenValley Prac- tice in GroomWay. While recognising the difficulties experienced by some in getting through on the phone and that sometimes therewas await for aGP appointment, theCQCfound urgent appointmentswere available on the same day. It noted that staffwere trained and assessed patients’ needs and deliv- ered care in line with guidance. However, the practice, managed
by Dr Graham Hagan,was unable to demonstrate that its volunteer driv- ers who delivered medicines to pa- tients had been through the necessary security checks, although the practice was now making these investigations. Patients told the inspector they
were treated with compassion, dig- nity and respect, andwere involved in their care and decisions about their treatment. The inspector also praised the practice on its leadership structure and commitment to pro- moting healthy living.
Watch leader
A NEIGHBOURHOOD Watch co- ordinator is needed for Grafty Green to join the already-active network which includes Liverton Hill and Platts Heath. For details, email Annie Allum at
paallum@googlemail.com
Stuntman Matthew Cranch
spend 150 hours carrying out un- paid work in the community. Passing sentence, Judge Jeremy
Carey acknowledged May had worked hard and had learned a hard lesson. The company had also pledged not to perform the human cannonball stunt again.
Speaking after the case, Tracey Beattie, Maidstone Borough Coun- cil’s environmental health man- ager, said, unfortunately, the sentence would not bring back Matthew Cranch (from Newquay). She added: “I’m sure that we all recognise that stunts for the enter- tainment of others are not in them- selves a bad thing. What is unacceptable is the failure to assess risk properly and put health and safety measures in place.” She added: “Matthew’s family
has experienced immense tragedy in full view of the public and re- peated through the media. In the most difficult of circumstances, they have demonstrated dignity throughout the legal proceedings.” In the statement, Mr Cranch’s family—his mother Pauline, father
Michael and sister Elena — said while they would never recover from the loss, the case was about getting justice for Matthew. They said: “We would like to say
thank you to everyone who has supported us over the past five years, in particular our family and Matthew’s friends, without whom we could not have got to wherewe are today. Matthew was a free spirit, who truly was a genuine guy. He brought to the world a kindness, gentleness, sensitivity, fairness and incredible sense of hu- mour, an unforgettable smile and the very best of big hugs. “We will always be grateful and thankful for his love and the time we were able to spend together. The loss of our son is a matter we can never accept or recover from.”
Fun runners brave ‘snow’ to help hospice
FANCY dress fun-runners faced a snow storm when they turned up for the 5k Let it Snow event at Mote Park. In the first run of its kind to be
arranged by the Heart of Kent Hos- pice, 150 Christmas characters from Frozen, a scattering of wise men and others “riding” reindeer turned out at the park in Maidstone. Starting the race was Father
Christmas, who got runners towarm up with some festive songs, karaoke- style. A spokesman for the Heart of Kent Hospice at Aylesford, which has an- nounced it needs to save another £575,000 in costs, described its Let it Snow run as a “good first event”, which the charity will be looking to grow next year. He said: “There were lots of smil-
ing faces on the day, lots of inventive costumes, two snow storms to nego- tiate and prizes to be won, and we will be looking at how we can make it even better next year.” Runners this time look set to have
raised about £5,000. The hospice has received significantly less fund- ing from central government in re- cent years and legacies havewaned. Picture by Tom Philips
Ofsted praise
HOLLINGBOURNE Pre-school had plenty to celebrate before the end of term, having been rated out- standing’ by an Ofsted inspector. The group for 20 two- to four-
year-olds, which meets at the Card- well Pavillion, has been running for 10 years, much of it under man- ager Christine Judges. She said: “We know how diffi-
cult it is to be rated outstanding in every category and having achieved it in 2012, we didn’t dare hope. It was wonderful to see our work, which allows children to progress in a happy environment, get such recognition.”
Maidstone Weald January 2017 19
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