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Get your free shingles jab


MAIDSTONE and Malling resi- dents in their 70s are being urged to take up the offer of free vacci- nations against the “painful and debilitating” condition shingles. By the end of July, just over half


of all eligible older patients in Kent and Medway had been vaccinated. But theNHSis now encouraging


What next, afterM20 lorry park plan axed?


THE Government has dropped plans for a massive lorry park on theM20 – fuelling worries where officialsmight seek to site it next. Whitehall officials decided not to


everyonewhois offered the vaccine to take it up. Local GP practices are offering patients the vaccination as part of the NHS shingles immunisation campaign for 2017/18, which began on September 1 2017. Dr John Rodriguez, Public Health Screening and Immunisa- tion lead for Kent and Medway, urged local people to take up the offer. He added: “As people get older


their immune system naturally weakens which is why those aged 70 and over are more likely to get shingles.


and debilitating and lead to health problems long after the initial rash has disappeared. It can also be fatal for around one in 1,000 over-70s who develop it. “I would encourage all patients


inplace, itwas hopedin some circles that the proposed 3,600 space lorry park at Stanford West, near Folke- stone, could have been adapted. NowHighways England (HE) has


“Shingles can be very painful


whoare eligible to takeupthe offer from their GP surgery and get vac- cinated against the virus.”


been tasked to find an interim mo- torway solution to Operation Stack and delivery of a lorry park. There is


defend a judicial review and to re- examine all options. Sources say that land near the for-


mer Folkestone racecourse atWest- enhanger, could become a favoured area for development. ElevenKentMPs recentlywrote to


transport secretary Chris Grayling asking for progress on the now re- jected £250mproject. They are fearful, as are the Port of


Dover andhaulage industry experts, that the M20 will grind to a virtual standstill after Brexit inMarch 2019 with Operation Stack a permanent reality. With no border clearance facility


THE widow of a popular Maid- stone GP is in training for a self- funded trek through the Grand Canyon, in aid of the charity which is battling the cancer that claimed him. Kate Minett, a staff nurse, will be


travelling to America for the Trek Together Grand Canyon Challenge in October. Kate who lives in Staplehurst,


will hike through areas of the canyon not accessible to many tourists to raise money for Pancre- atic Cancer UK. The Benenden Hospital nurse has chosen to support the charity be- cause her husband, Dr Nigel Minett (54), a GP for more than 20 years at the Marden Medical Centre, then The Orchard Surgery in Langley, succumbed to it in January 2012, just over 10 weeks after he was di- agnosed. Dr Minett (pictured) was well-known for his church work in Maidstone. She said: “This cancer is known


as a silent killer as it usually pres- ents too late for any form of treat- ment. On October 31, 2011, my


virtually no chance of delivering the latter before Brexit as plans are un- likely to be submitted before then. HE project director John Kerner


said: “The disruption that people in Kent suffered in summer 2015 un- derlines the need for long-term im- provements to how traffic is managed when cross-channel serv- ices are interrupted. “ All options will be considered by


HE but StanfordWest still remains a possibility as does another site on the London-bound side motorway as most freight clearance work will be for food imports. Applications will be made under


the Planning Act which would re- quire a time-consuming environ- mental impact assessment, which the failed scheme failed to carry out


and ultimately cost it any chance of success. Roads Minister Jesse Norman


said: “…we need to go through the proper procedures to ensure our plans, which include a lorry park, best fit the needs of Kent and the freight industry.” The lorry park, announced two


husband was admitted to hospital after developing jaundice. Until that point, his only symptoms had been a few weeks of mild gastric discomfort. He was diagnosed the same day with stage four metasta- tic pancreatic cancer, which had spread to his liver. “We knew the score - survival


years ago by former Chancellor GeorgeOsborne in the 2015 autumn statement,metwithlocal opposition. The new plans for a permanent


solution to Operation Stack will be drawn up by HE before a public consultation next year. HE says that Operation Stack can


be avoided on theM20 usingmove- able or steel barriers to safely stack lorries in the centre of themotorway whilst keeping the road open.


Kate’s canyon trek in memory of husband


MPs call for end to traffic burden


downsmail.co.uk


rates from pancreatic cancer have not improved much in the last 30 years. Nigel died on January 19, 2012. I had been thinking about what I could do to celebrate Nigel’s life and decided to join the Pancre- atic Cancer UK Grand Canyon Challenge Trek in October. I am self-funding the trip to ensure that all donations go directly to the charity.” This is the third big fundraiser


MAIDSONE & the Weald MP Helen Grant said: “I am very dis- appointed...at this further delay. The people and businesses of Kent will have to continue shouldering the burden of Britain's lorry trans- port woes whilst Highways Eng- land slowly unzips its pencil case. “I will be writing to them to ask


the family has taken part in. Kate’s daughter, Laura, took part in a su- perhero fun run dressed as Super- man in 2012, raising over £2,000, and her sister Rebecca organised a dinner dance in Tenterden which raised £10,300 in 2015. In the UK, pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rate of the 21 most com- mon cancers. Pancreatic CancerUK supports those affected, investing in research and lobbying for recog- nition of the disease. For details visit www.justgiv- ing.com/fundraising/Kate-Minett. For more information on Pancre- atic Cancer UK, visit www.pan- creaticcancer.org.uk/fundraise.


why this new process is going to take until 2019 before a planning application can be submitted. Most of the options have surely al- ready been investigated, following the appalling 'Summer of Stack' in 2015, which cost the UK economy £250m.” Mid Kent MP Helen Whately


said: “I have found Highways Eng- land reluctant to consider innova- tive solutions. The newproposal to hold lorries in the middle of the motorway using mobile barriers, while allowing traffic to continue to travel in both directions, sug- gests to me they are being much more ambitious in their thinking. This will be a temporary solution, and we still need a proper alterna- tive to Operation Stack. “TheGovernment is nowgetting


straight on with trying to get a lorry park approved through the normal planning process.”


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