News Loose appeal


ANappeal has gone out from Loose Parish Council for new members. The parish council is feeling the pressure as resignations – the last in March – have left it five councillors short of its full complement of 13. Clerk Jan Capon said issues were


being dealt with, but morewas hav- ing to be done by back-office staff because of the shortage of council- lors,whowork on a voluntary basis. Anyone wishing to apply is in-


vited to the council’s annual parish meeting in the parish pavilion on the King GeorgeVPlaying Field inWal- nut Tree Lane, at 7pm on April 26, where they will be able to talk to councillors. Alternatively, email of- fice@loose-pc.gov.uk.


Rail support


NETWORK Rail contractors were busy over Easter, paring back the steep embankment behind the girls’ grammar school in Maidstone. The slope, which began to fall


away earlier this year, is being re- profiled to stop slippage, which could put the Buckland Road school’s playground at risk. Network Rail spokesman Chris Denham said: “We used the Easter weekend to further survey the slope, which has already been secured with soil nails running 11metres back into the bank. There is no dan- ger to rail services.”


downsmail.co.uk


Everyonewelcome as pub gets a new vibe


THE new owners of a Maidstone pub are planning a clean-up opera- tion to bring back the good times. Craig and Leon Burnswere regu-


lars at the Queen Anne in Sitting- bourne Road until it changed hands and started to lose direction. Nowthey are in charge, and have promised sweeping changes which started over the Easterweekend. Out goes anyone who is rude to


others in the pub, which has been at the centre of the Maidstone gay scene for years. And in come fami- lies, office workers and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. “Our doors are open to all – whether gay, straight, black or white,” said Craig. “Anyone who is derogatory to anyone else will be instantly out of the door. On Friday and Saturday night, we had people with special needs who came in andwere on the dancefloor. It’s great. One guy has been drinking in the pub for 10 years and his sister told us hewas starting to feel uncomfortable – peoplewere taking the mickey out of him. Our


Landlords Craig and Leon Burns inside the Queen Anne


policy is a no-nonsense policy. We are going to clean the place right up and get the LGBT community right back in.” Craig (36) is married to Leon (28),


and they have run other pubs in Kent, including the LongHopInn at Sittingbourne, the Green Lion in Rainham, and The Court House in Dartford. Craig said:“We used to drink here


five years ago when Ricky and Dar- renwere in charge and the pubwas


thriving. In the last few years, it has changed and the wrong peo- plestarted to get in and it drove a lot of regulars away. “We have been taking a back seat


and just observing since we took over the pub on March 31. “We will need to make sure we


keep them.” The pair will also be targeting families and nearby office workers for daytime meals at two for £10, when the kitchen is ready.


Waxwings ‘flocked to county’


SIGHTINGS of waxwings in the Maidstone area featured in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch re- sults this year. Almost half a million people took


part in the annual wildlife survey and the exotic migrant visitor was among the more interesting results from Kent. The waxwing, pictured, usually


ends up in the south east from Scan- dinavia as a results of berry crop fail- ures.


Therewere 19 sightings of the bird


– which is incredibly high – during the last weekend of January, when the survey takes place across the country. Therewas also a large jump in the


Dodgers’ bill


ROAD tax dodgers have had vehi- cles clamped with a bill of £260 each to release them, following a joint operation by Kent Police and the DVLA. A total of 16 vehicles were clamped in the area onWednesday, March 29, as part of an ongoing monthly initiative run by the two organisations. The action aims to crackdown on motorists leaving vehicles parked on public roads without having valid road tax.


30 Maidstone May 2017


number of visits from other migrant birds, such as redwing and fieldfare, as the sub-zero temperatures on the continent forced them to go in search


COMMUNITIES are being called on to take part in a na- tional Beacons of Light celebra- tion to mark the end of World War I. Parish councils across the re-


gion have been invited to join The Battle’s Over tribute, which will see beacons lit across the country at 7pm on November 11, 2018.


Detailed co-ordination of the


of milder conditions. The south east saw numbers of redwings triple, while our gardens saw a five-fold increase in fieldfares. Dr Daniel Hayhow, RSPB conser-


vation scientist, said: “In the lead up to the Birdwatch, there was some speculation as to whether we could see a ‘waxwing winter’ and the re- sults prove that to be the case. “Flocks of these striking birds ar-


rived in theUKalong the North Sea coast and will have moved across the country in search of food, favouring gardens where they can feast on berries. With it only hap- pening once every 7-8 years, it will have been a treat for thosewhoman- aged to catch a glimpse of one.”


Lights to mark bale end


100th anniversary commemora- tive “light of hope” celebration will begin in April 2017, when a special guide to taking part will be published. Parishes and community groups are being urged to con- firm their involvement as soon as possible. Detling Parish Council is among those to have, so far, con- firmed its interest in taking part.


Kent's most common garden bird


is the house sparrow, with an aver- age of five recorded in about two thirds of all the gardens surveyed in the county. Starlings and blackbirds took the second and third places re- spectively. The county is losing its collared doves though, with their numbers having dropped 30% in 10 years after decades of increases. The goldfinch has seen its num-


bers swell 57% over the decade, while blue tits and great tits saw their numbers drop 19% and 16% compared with last year. RSPBOfficer TimWebb said: “Our


theory is that this behaviour change is because they are finding it easier to find food and shelter in gardens.”


Love fined


A REFORMED heroin addict has been fined for driving offences in Maidstone. Richard Lovett (38) admitted driving a Peugeot 207 in PalaceAv- enue on March 6, despite having no licence or insurance. He was stopped due to a faulty brake light. Lovett, of Duncan Road, Gilling-


ham, was fined £150 and given six penalty points, making his total nine. He is due to take a driving test.


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