News


Woman spared prison sentence


A MAIDSTONE woman who fraudulentlypaidmore than £6,000 of company money into her own account has been given a six- month suspended sentence. Denise Ockwell (58) acted as an


accountant formaternity cover at a respectedwaste collection and recy- cling firmin Chart Sutton. But Ockwell had secretly been


transferring sums of cash from the company accounts of Environment First Ltd, in Plough Wents Road, into her own. She carried on her fraudulent be-


haviour for over a year until her crimewas uncovered. Ockwell was sentenced on De-


cember 8 last year at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court, where she had pleaded guilty to fraud by false rep- resentation, and was convicted of the offence bymagistrates. The court was told that between


March 1, 2015, and May 1, 2016, Ockwell, of Firmin Avenue, Boughton Monchelsea, paid com- pany money totalling £6,271.90


into her own account. Magistrates handed Ockwell a


180-day suspended sentence and ordered her to carry out 150 hours of unpaid work. She must also pay £5,421.00 in compensation and £85 in costs. Environment First, a family-run


business, can be traced back to the 1950s. It is operated nowby a third generation of the Thompson family. According to itswebsite: “In 2001,


an opportunity for recycling waste within the agricultural business sec- tor led to Environment First Ltd being formed. Fromthere, the busi- ness has grown to encompass a wide range of activities and offering a comprehensive recycling service formany businesses.” The company declined to com-


ment toDownsMail. Ockwell has been running amod-


est business venture called Todoco Ltd from her home address since 2007, which, according to Compa- niesHouse, specialises inmail order and internet retail sales.


Tiny tots learn how to be green


CHILDREN at a Maidstone nursery have spent 1,000 hoursmaking the world around thema better place. Three and four-year-olds at Smar-


ties Nursery transformed plastic bottles into plant holders and cre- ated an ‘up-cycled’ home for a toy owl named Tomas part of a county council challenge to make them more aware of their environment and how to protect it. The nursery, in Stagshaw Close,


has now received a certificate for completing the 1,000 Hours Envi- ronmental Activity Challenge,which


was led by early years’ educator TeresaMurray. Lucy Ring, nurserymanager, said:


“The children reused and recycled plastic bottles to make planters for our spider plants and explored how cuttings grow into larger plants. “As part of the project, we


wanted to work towards raising awareness of recycling, upcycling and reusing materials to support sustainability.” The children also learned about


biodiversity by going on a mini beast hunt.


Returning for 2018


downsmail.co.uk


We are proud to announce that Strictly Star


Professionals Anton du Beke & Erin Boag will be returning to the Mercure Maidstone Hotel on


Friday 4th May 2018 We have two exciting packages available;


- A 50 minute dance workshop with Anton & Erin,


a Gala 4 course dinner, a performance from Anton & Erin + Bed & Breakfast for £199 per person


- A Gala 4 Course dinner and performance from Anton & Erin for £119 per person


Book Today! Limited Space Available!


email events@mercuremaidstone.co.uk MERCURE MAIDSTONE


Ashford Road, Hollingbourne, Kent ME17 1RE 10 Maidstone February 2018


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