Town Talk


Sun shines on town carnival


THEweather was kind and helped the Snodland Carnival to be its usual great success. As reported in the last Town Talk


the parade from Holmesdale School to Potyns Sports Ground was going to be cancelled be- cause so few floats and walking groups were taking part but after an appeal on Facebook John Morgan and Annemarie Lea met councillors and encouraged a good number of walkers to take part.


The mayor of Tonbridge & Malling, Roger Dalton and his


School marks


150th birthday SNODLAND Church of England Primary School in Roberts Road has celebrated its 150th birthday. The school originally opened in


Brook Street, near the railway sta- tion, in 1867 and the stone laid to commemorate the opening can still be seen in the school's en- trance hall today. Known as the National Schools,


it consisted of three separate schools for boys, girls and infants. The school flourished, with 420 pupils by 1892, and continued in Brook Street until 1979, when plans for the Snodland bypass were announced and it was de- cided to relocate to Roberts Road. The school began the birthday


week with an exhibition of how life, Snodland and the school have changed over 150 years. They loved looking at old school photo- graphs and role-playing in the World War II school room! The pupils took part in art work-


shops to create a mural for the school grounds, rewrote a song about the last 150 years and cre- ated a video to go with it. Jenny Dance said: "To remind


the children that the school is an important part of the local com- munity, all children took part in lit- ter picking in different areas of Snodland. They also created newspapers of events from the last 150 years and wrote their own adventure stories set in Snodland, which will be published in the school's library for others to read. "The week ended with a street


party and games on the field"  To celebrate 150 years of the school’s relationship with All Saints Church, pupils will produce art work based around the church. Much of the work will be framed and put on display in the school entrance hall. The exhibition will also be dis- played at the church.


wife, Hazel, took part in the pa- rade and £500 was collected in buckets from residents en route towards the new hall at Christ


Local news for Snodland and Halling


A Downs Mail supplement produced in conjunction with the Snodland Chamber of Commerce.


Church, Malling Road. There were many stalls and events at the carnival included music from Rays Relics, Shiro No


Judo, D K Twirlers, Kazen Kai Karate and displays by Silhou- ettes Dance & Theatre School and Eagle Heights.


Couple’s fight to get roads and paths fixed


A COUPLE who have lived in Snodland for almost 50 years have launched a campaign to improve paths, roads and highways in Snodland. Dave and Ruth Chapman moved


into their house in Godden Road in November 1967. They are so con- cerned about crumbling roads, sunken drains, damaged kerbs and weeds that they have com- plained toMPTracey Crouch, KCC councillor Sarah Hohler and Snod- land Town Council. Ruth (pictured) said: “We moved


into our house on the Rookery Farm Estate and were so proud. “The original roads were made


up of concrete sections and after five or six years, KCC put a layer of tarmac over the top of the concrete. Since then the roads have deterio- rated, leaving large gaps that are getting larger. “The paths and kerbs are uneven


structurally sound, as set out in Matthew's letter. I amnot sure what I can do, as other roads do need structural repairs so have greater priority.” A KCC spokesman said Godden


and at the junction in Roberts Road the paths have sloping slabs for wheelchairs to cross and most of the slabs are broken and unsafe.” Ruth has received correspon-


dence from Matthew Balfour, KCC Cabinet Member for Planning, Highways, Transport and Waste, which has not pleased her. Cllr Hohler agreed that the roads


were very unsightly. She said: “I have taken photos


and spoken to engineers who have checked them and say they are


Road and surrounding residential roads all had safety inspections in April and were inspected every six months. KCC was working on pot- holes, with crews finding and fixing any issues they come across. He said: “The test of whether a


defect is dangerous is not simply a question of mechanical measure- ment; but also whether there is a risk to all highway users.” The spokesman said footpaths receive an annual walk in Decem- ber and the inspections did not find any essential works. He added: “Regarding weed treatment, this was carried out in June and any roads unsuccessfully treated will be done again.”


Hurdler Jack misses out on final spot


DOUBLE Olympian Jack Green, whowas born in Snodland, saw his bid for a place in a World Champi- onships final end in disappoint- ment. The 400m hurdles British cham-


Betty Colyer with nephew Jack Green


pion finished fourth in his semi- final at the IAAF event at the London Stadium in Stratford, in a time of 49.93 seconds, more than a second behind his season’s best. Jack (25) took part in the Olympic Games in London in 2012 and at the Rio Olympics last year. His nan, Betty Colyer, from Veles Road, Snodland, was there to cheer him


on. She said afterwards: "I am dis- appointed but so proud of Jack." He moved out of Snodland at the


age of three and lives with mum, Niki, in Cheriton, near Folkestone. Jack was the only British athlete


to qualify for the 400m hurdles. The first four runners in the heats qualified for the semi-finals and Jack got in as one of the fastest los- ers. In the semi-finals the first two runners qualified for the final and Jackwas fourth in his heat. He said he was very disap- pointed as he had believed he had a strong chance of getting to the final.


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