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Ultimate charity marathon MY SON Fabrice Klein is 32 years old, for- merly from Snodland, where he lived until moving to Bolton to go to university. He at- tended More Park Primary School, West Malling and Simon Stock Secondary School, Maidstone. He has always been a very athletic person,


playing many sports both at school and club levels. He studied sports science at university and also has levels 1 and 2 Premier Training. He took up running following the prema-


ture birth of his first nephew, Joshua and after running a few low-key short distance runs, ran the London Marathon for Bliss (pre- mature & sick babies charity). He is a now a sub-three hour marathon runner, a half and full Ironman, a Cen- turian(100 miles in under 24 hours) and, two years ago, he completed the Marathon des Sables in the Sahara Desert (six marathons in five days). He has raised £3,000 for the British Heart Foundation in memory of my father, who


The basic physics of soundwavesmeans


that lower frequencies are longer and thus can easily pass through barriers which block the higher frequencies. So there is direct intrusion into our homes of this repetitive, monotonous noise. This goes against the Noise Council’s code


of practice. Elected councillors,who take the flack, are being ignored by un-elected officers. Edward Thompson, Bearsted


Young mental health


LAST year, more than 50,000 children and young peoplewere counselled by the NSPCC’s Childline service for serious mental health worries. This is an average of one young person


calling the helpline every 11 minutes. More than a third of the counselling sessions about serious mental health issues were with 12-15-year-olds. The figures highlight how young people


are wrestling with a range of problems that include depressive disorders, self-harm and suicidal feelings. They also raise further concerns about the


level of mental health care available to children and young people desperate for professional support and treatment. To help address this issue, the NSPCC’s “It’s Time” campaign is pushing the


died from a heart attack, and another £3,000 for Mind following the death of my brother. Following the death last year of one ofmy


friends, who had suffered a severe stroke, he has again decided to run for the Stroke As- sociation Charity. As you will see from his just giving web-


page, he intends to run the 100km (63-mile) Canalathon ultramarathon from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester and back again. He will then take a seven day break before


a series of seven marathons in seven days, finishing with the Brighton marathon on Sunday, April 9–atotal of 250 miles over twoweeks. Fabrice has two brothers, Michael and Olivier. He is married to Selina, and has two nephews and three nieces. He is currently employed by Serco, as a


transition and transformation manager, based in Bolton, Lanashire. Anyone who would like to sponsor him can do so online - go to virginmoneygiving.com and search for Fabrice Klein. Kim Klein, via email


government to ensure that young victims of abuse and neglect are given access to the right mental health support. Early signs of a serious mental health problem in young people include becoming withdrawn from friends and family, tearfulness and irritability, sudden outbursts of anger directed at themselves or others and problems eating or sleeping. If your child is struggling with their mental health the first step is to talk to them and listen to how they’re feeling. If they are reluctant to open up to you


then tell them about Childline. They can speak to a trained counsellor 24/7 in confidence by calling 0800 1111 or they can have an online chat with a counsellor via the website www.childline.org.uk Should you feel they require medical support, take your child to your GP who will decide what treatment is required. Colin Peak, NSPCC Regional Head of Service , London&South East


Pollsters can’t be trusted


IWAS interested to read your report on how the four local MPsmight fare in a general election, according to the polling service Electoral Calculus. This predictionwebsite is very useful to


give a broad understanding of how the nationmight vote, but it is by no means


foolproof. In light of Brexit (which the polls got hopelesslywrong), the next general election is going to be quite hard to call.A Tory victory is all but assured, given the current state of affairs. But the real unknown quantity is just how badly Labourwill do andwhether it is the LiberalDemocrats or Ukip whichmight prosper. Perhaps it will be the Greens? Just a thought. One thing is for sure: don’t trust the polls! WPrice, via email


Independence, not merger I READ with interestDennis Fowle’s musings on the prospect of so-called “super district councils”. On paper, Maidstone – given its demographics and relative affluence – should be the perfect fit for the south/west optionwith TunbridgeWells, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge and Malling. However, given the obvious current tensions with Tonbridge and Malling over housing and roads, this might not be a perfect match. There might be conflict from the off. Whilst there might be amerger of councils in the east, does it really mean that Maidstonemust follow this route? Surely, boroughs must try to findways of remaining independent for the sake of the tax-payers. Bill Holmes, via email


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