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Dancer Tilly’s date with Billy


A TALENTED teenager has been wowingaudiences during a tour of the hit musical Billy Elliot. Tilly Cook (13) played to audi-


ences throughout the UK and Ire- land after being chosen to dance in the show, which also visited Ger- many. The youngster, who came home


in July after touring since last Sep- tember, played the part of Tracey Atkinson, one of the pupils in the ballet class which the lead character joins.


Tilly, a pupil at Sutton Valence School,was previously on theWest End stage for a year when she played Hortensia in the musical Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre. Her mum Mandy, who runs Mandy Ellen Performing Arts Stu- dio in Earl Street, Maidstone, said: “She has had a fantastic time. The day she finished in Matilda, the Billy Elliot company flew her to Scotland and she then went on tour with them. They are the two best shows that a youngster can be in. “I took her to see Matilda when


shewas nine. She sat there and said: ‘I want to be in that show’. She au- ditioned for it three times before she got the part. Itwas her dream show and she was determined to be in it. It shows that dreams can come true – you can achieve them.” Tilly, who has been attending her mum’s stage school since she was five, has been continuing her stud- ies while away. Mandy said: “It has


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Tilly Cook at Matilda


been a wonderful experience for her. She is very level-headed and has really worked hard with her school work. They are verywell-tu- tored while on tour and her school has been very supportive. “She is a very clever girl and has managed to get allA and B grades. She has been working non-stop for two years and now she is going to have awell-earned rest.”


Roots ‘ruining path’


A MAIDSTONE resident fears that tree roots have continued to damage his garden wall and path, even though the sycamorewas cut down a year ago by the borough council. Keith Madlin noticed cracks in a section of the brick wall after mov- ing into his house in Woolley Road three years ago. The wall is leaning and the cracks have spread to his concrete garden path, which he dug up to prove that roots from the tree on the other side of the wall were causing the problem. Pensioner Mr Madlin asked the council for cash two years ago to re- place the 12ft section of brickwork and path and has refused to accept a lower figure suggested by the coun- cil’s insurance loss adjustors. He said: “When I moved in, the


tree was touching the building and the crackswere there.” The tree was trimmed over a number of years andwas cut down about a year ago, but Mr Madlin is concerned that new growth has


sprouted from the stump. “Iamnot happy with the council. I want the stump removed,” he said. “While that root is still there, I cannot even build a new wall. I dug down 2ft undermypath and the loss adjustor saw there were three different roots.”


Borough ward Cllr John Barned


has taken up the matter to press for a speedy settlement for Mr Madlin. He said: “There are many problems with large trees in this area.” A spokesman for Maidstone Council said: “The tree was re- moved at the occupier’s request and a stump left. Itwas explained to Mr Madlin that a small amount of re- growth from the stump was to be expected; however, this would eventually stop with continued mowing and the roots would not continue to grow. “When large trees are removed


the ground also needs time to settle. We understand that an insurance claim is being pursued.”


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