News


Jon takes on deputy role


THEDownsMail has a newdeputy editor. Jon Phipps has been appointed


to the role, replacing long-serving DianeNichols,who left in Septem- ber for family reasons. Jon,who grewup in Kent, has, in


his ownwords, lived in “all four cor- ners of England”, having earned a degree in journalism in Preston, Lancashire,worked at the Press As- sociation in Yorkshire for four years and spent time at the Bristol Evening Post. He was with Local World for three years and hismost recent role was at the Police Fed- eration of England &Wales. He lives in Sittingbournewith his


partner Hayley and their cats Ray and Lenny, and is enjoying his new position at the DownsMail. He said: “I have always been a


firm believer in the importance of local newspapers and their role in the community, and there is no finer proof of that than theDowns Mail. “I’m enjoying getting to know


people and I’d love to hear from anyone who has anything they would like us to cover.” Jon can be contacted by calling


01622 734735 or by emailing jon.phipps@downsmail.co.uk.


downsmail.co.uk


Scheme to beat youth drinking wins award


SNODLAND Community Alco- hol Partnership (CAP) has re- ceived a 'highly commended' award for its efforts in tackling underage drinking in the town. Snodland CAP, which was


launched in 2012,won the award in the Most Improved Locality cate- gory, having submitted a detailed evaluation,


including feedback


fromlocal businesses, on howit has worked to expand alcohol educa- tion and awareness beyond the classroom by working with and supporting local retailers, commu- nity groups and businesses. Reports of rowdy or drunken be-


haviour have reduced significantly in the west of Snodland and more than 70 young people have been helped by the Kenward Trust Out- reach Services. The partnership also worked


with the Co-op to run proxy alco- hol purchase campaigns to dis- suade adults from buying alcohol for underage drinkers. Alison Finch, chairman of Snod-


land CAP, was presented with the award in Westminster on October 10.


Alison Finch, chairman of Snodland CAP (left) with CAP board director SusanMor- gan


Alison said: “We are delighted to


receive this award, which recog- nises just how effective a partner- ship approach can be in tackling key health issues. The risks and dangers of underage and irrespon- sible drinking should not be under- estimated.” CAP board director Susan Mor-


gann commented: “Snodland CAP truly demonstrates the effective- ness of proactiveworking. When it began, rates of antisocial behaviour were high for this small area and CAP partners worked hard to re-


duce underage drinking.However, last year saw a sudden increase in reports of young people causing disturbances. TheCAP stepped up its work and began to meet more frequently to come upwith the new actions to stop the problems before they grew." To report alcohol issues or un-


derage alcohol sales or to discuss other related issues, please contact the Tonbridge and Malling Com- munity Safety Partnership at csp@tmbc.gov.uk or by calling 01732 844522.


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downsmail.co.uk


Remembering past, building the future


REMEMBRANCE Sunday is a poignant day formany people, both across the county and nationally.


But for Vinod Buthathoki, it


means evenmore.And it is not just because of his own experience of war, but because of thosewho have been lost in battle. Gurkha soldier Vinod (32) was


seriously injured on patrol in Afghanistan in 2010, but when he has his poppy on inMaidstone this year, his thoughts will be not of himself, but of others. “People sacrificed their lives,” he


says. “They are not getting the chance to explore the world or enjoy their lives. “It’s a huge sacrifice they’ve


made, and their sacrifice is defi- nitely helping people to live freely, makes their regiment proud – and thewhole country proud.” Vinod took part in two tours of


Afghanistan. It was two months into the second of those deploy- ments when he was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED) inHelmand Province.As a result of his injuries, he lost both his legs above the knee and two fingers on his right hand. He remembers the incident, on May 26, 2010, very clearly. He re-


calls: “I was leading my ten man group knee-deep through a canal when I stepped on an IED. There was a massive bang and I was in- stantly in a lot of pain frommy leg area. I knew immediately I had to get help. I called out for assistance. “My friend cleared the area and


took me to the helicopter landing site, and Iwas justwaiting there. “Later on,my sergeant toldme it


took 28 minutes for the helicopter to arrive. Iwas feeling very sleepy, probably due to the dehydration and losing a lot of blood. “We are told we need to be


awake. If I’d been unconscious then they would not have known what was going onwithme. “At the time of the incident, I


knew I was going to lose my leg, but at the time I didn’t realise that I was going to lose both. Luckily, I was wearing glasses which saved my eyes. “The Chinook landed to pickme


up, and I was treated there by a doctor. They took all ofmy gear off to assess the damage and gave me blood, and then the doctor toldme I could sleep.


Gurkha Vinod Buthathoki in training and (below) with his wife Samita and children at their home inMaid- stone


“I knewthen Iwas saved. “I was taken to Camp Bastion.


My company sergeant came to see me and spoke tome, but I can’t re- member any of that because I was on a high dose of morphine by then. I can’t remember anything after falling asleep in the helicopter. Lots of people came to visit me in the hospital too, but I can’t remem- ber that either.” Hewas flown back to theUKtwo


days later,where his then pregnant wifewaswaiting for him. And he admits it was a massive


strain on her – not that


she ever


showed it to him while he was in the early stages of his recovery. “Everybody was


supporting me, but my wife suffered a lot from the begin- ning of my injury. It was a big shock for her,” he adds. “She did every-


‘


ing.His aimis the next Paralympics in Tokyo in 2020. And he admits the Paralympic


sport movement has given him much joy. He said: “Paralympic sport is so inspirational. “I used to love cycling and sitting


They took all of


thing that you can expect from a part- ner. She never showed her pain to me until later on. She was supporting me and I thought everything was OK, but it wasn’t. “Now she’s doing very well.


my gear off to assess the damage and gaveme blood, and then the doctor toldme I could sleep. I knewthen I was saved.


volleyball. Then the games were announced, so I gave more to the sport than I used to. I started cy- cling more and playing more vol- leyball, and in 2014 I took part in InvictusGames. For the last year or so, I’ve been into shooting. I’ve been to Bisley quite a lot and finally I found target shooting with an air rifle in Aylesbury with the GB squad. And nowI’mon the training pro- gramme and I’m nearly in the GB team.” Initially based


in Folkestone, he prefers


the


county town as there is a thriv- ing serving and former Gurkha


presence and its proximity to Lon- don. The former soldier has been in


She’s got some GCSEs and she’s committed to community work. Nowshewants to get a proper bal- ance with looking after the kids andmay go back to education.” Since his injuries, Vinod has


found a love of sport.He competed in the 2014 Invictus Games in Lon- don in both cycling and sitting vol- leyball, and nowhas a newtarget – literally – as he has taken up shoot-


theUK since 2005 andMaidstone – where he has lived sinceNovember 2013 – certainly feels like home to him, his wife Samita and their two daughters,Ashlyn (7) and Charlyn (3). “There are seven injured Gurkha


soldiers who have settled here in Maidstone. Six of us are very close and we do things quite a lot. We support one another.”


Report by Jon Phipps Malling November 2017 23


WeWill Remember Them


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