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Queen’s Duke moves to Kent


AFARMin SuttonValence has ac- quired a new Highland bull named The Duke – and he comes with a royal seal of approval. The new arrival at Roundoak


Farm, in Heniker Lane, was brought down from the Queen’s es- tate at Balmoral in Scotland. He will be introduced to increase


the stock of 120 Highland cows and calves resident at the farm. Roundoak owners, Norman and


Ruth Coles are regular visitors to Braemar where they met Dochy Ormiston, who is in charge of the Her Majesty’s Highland stock at Balmoral. The Coles expressed an interest in acquiring stock for their Kent herd and last month, they drove 600 miles to Scotland with a trailer to fetch The Duke. A farm spokesman said: “The


Duke will be introduced to our Highland stock in the spring as part of our conservation grazing pro- gramme which is run with the Kent Wildlife Trust, Kent County Coun- cil andMedwayValley Countryside Partnership, to name but a few.” Roundoak, on the edge of the


Weald of Kent, began keeping Highland cattle in 2008 with two cows. This stockwas supplemented by another six within two years. The Coles built a permanent


home on the land, which was com- pleted in November 2015. The farm also keeps more than


700 rare breed sheep as well as some more commercial stock in- cluding a herd of Sussex cattle and about 100 Sussex Mule sheep. Roundoak also keeps free-range chickens and guinea fowl which roam the yard.


News Failing fridge gets funeral


A FUNERAL director from Coxheath found himself surrounded by paparazzi after dramatically returning his mother’s “dead” fridge freezer to end a row with the machine’s maker. The Indesit appliancewas boughtby Rafael Learmonth’s 79-year-oldmum


and had been laid out in her front room for four weeks awaiting collection after a string of break- downs dating back to 2015. The ailing model was bought from Argos in Chatham High Street, but they told Mrs Lear- month to speak to Inde- sit.


After three loads of shoppingwere ruined in the faulty freezer, Rafael said he would try to re- solve the situation. He said: “I called Argos only to be told the manufac- turer needed to deal with it. I felt that pass- ing the buck was unac- ceptable.” After four months


being “passed frompillar to post ”, he loaded the freezer into the hearse and delivered it back to Argos, completewith its own velvet pall. He said: “I didn’t want to make a spectacle and took it down a side alley


into the store, but someone posted it on line and itwent viral in two days. “I justwanted to take it back and say it’s now yours to deal with. I hate to


think howmany others, likemymum, are stuck with things that are no good to them but have noway of returning things. Buck-passing is not right.” And his efforts paid off. Argos refunded Mrs Learmonth’s money within


two hours of Rafael leaving the store, with a voucher andflowers arriving the next day.


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