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Penelope Keith interviews Mike Fitzgerald at theWorld Custard Pie Championship – she was filming for the C4 series Village of the Year


Queen’s awards for Kent people


FOUR people from the Maidstone and Malling area have been hon- oured by the Queen. They are among 29 individuals from Kent named in the Her Majesty’s Birth- day Honours. Once again, the list recognises contributions for the community by those from all walks of life. This year’s list included an anti-terror worker, a genetic engineer and the organiser of the World Custard Pie Championships. Mike Fitzgerald has beenmadean


MBE. The former mayor of Maid- stone has devoted much of his time to work in the community, particu- larly with the homeless. A one-time chairman of Maid-


stone Homeless Care, he is a mem- ber of organisations such as the Royal British Legion. He has for many years organised


the World Custard Pie Champi- onships at Coxheath, which started out as a fund-raising venture for the village hall.


Mr Fitzgerald said he was stunned to receive a letter telling him about the award, which he re- ceives for services to the homeless and the community in Maidstone. Simon Watkin, from Maidstone,


has earned recognition for his role at the Office for Security and Counter- Terrorism within the Home Office, picking up an MBE for services to- border security. OBEs have gone to two recipients


fromWest Malling. They are Laura Faulkner, director


of live marketing and e-commerce at the Department for International Trade, for her services to UK ex- ports.


ColonelWilliamPembleOwen, of


Wateringbury, has been made a CBE, listed under the military div- sion of the honours list. The family have been farmers at


Manor Farm in the village for many years and he is currently chairman of the Friends of Wateringbury Church.


Stack site delayed


A COURT hearing into plans for a huge lorry park off the M20 to ease chaos created by Operation Stack has been delayed until the autumn. Opponents of the scheme – a


rural, 250-acre site at Stanford, near Folkestone – say a judicial review scheduled for June will now not be heard until October. This rules out any chance that the


site will be in use before the end of the year. The lorry park will eventually


house 3,600 vehicles which, in the case of industrial action at the ports or poor weather, would otherwise be held on the M20 from junction 8 at Leeds Castle all the way to the ChannelTunnel at Cheriton and the Port of Dover. The delaywas caused by the gen-


eral election and because the own- ers of the nearby Westenhanger


Castle are reportedly still seeking a compromise deal. In 2015, Operation Stackwasused


on a record 32 days, putting heavy burdens on roads around Maid- stone and in other parts of Kent. The new park will cost taxpayers £250m. The opposition groups contest the proposal on the grounds of envi- ronmental impact. Highways England reportedly


say there is no requirement for plan- ning permission as it has powers to acquire land for a holding area. Last year, Jim O’Sullivan, High-


ways England chief executive, said: “We will work with residents and local stakeholders to ensure the lorry area minimises its social and environmental impact, while meet- ing the wider need to address this issue for Kent and the UK.”


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