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X FACTOR star Louisa Johnson has been lined-up to headline the Big Day Out to be held in Maid- stone in July. The singer, best known for the hit


Best Behaviour, will take the stage at Mote Park on July 1. She announced the gig on Twit-


ter, saying: “Big news! I’ll be head- lining the @BigDayOutUK Festival in Maidstone this July! Can’t wait to see you all there.” Also on the bill are Diversity,


who won Britain’s Got Talent, and girl band Atomic Kitten, who have Kerry Katona in their line-up. Louisa (19) won the X Factor in


2015, after singing with mentor Rita Ora in the final.


Assault case A MAIDSTONE woman has been charged with wounding after an al- leged stabbing in Shepway. Nicola Goslitski (40), of Sutton


to share stage TWO 1980s groups will share the stage for the first time since Live Aid this year – andMaidstone is on their blockbuster tour. Simple Minds and The Pre-


tenderswill play at the Kent Event Centre on Saturday,August 4. When the two last performed to-


gether, their singerswere amarried couple, though Simple Minds’ Jim Kerr and the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde divorced in 1990. Simple Minds’ playlist will in-


clude hits such as Don’t You (For- get About Me) and Alive and Kicking. The Pretenders are best known for their epic I’ll Stand By You and early hit, Brass In Pocket.


Road,was arrested after policewere called to a report of an assault in Westmorland Road on Sunday, April 30. Officerswere told that two women had made theirway to hos- pital with arm injuries. They are be- lieved to have known the suspect. Goslitski has been charged with


Driver banned A MAIDSTONE woman has been banned fromdriving for 18months after admitting drink-driving. Fern Toni Richardson, (28), of


Elmstone Lane, was also fined £450. She was stopped in Bedford


two counts of wounding with in- tent and one of possessing a knife in a public place.


Place on November 11 and gave a breath test of 77 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35.


Princess Royal meets charity shop workers


THE PRINCESS Royal received a warm welcome from charity vol- unteers when she visited the Save The Children shop in Maidstone. Acrowd of onlookerswaited out-


side the store in Union Street to see Princess Anne. She was greeted by dignitaries including the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Derek Butler, the charity’s retail manager Cheryl Adams and voluntary shop leader, Karen Elphick, before going inside to meet shop workers. The Princess, who has been presi-


dent of the charity since the 1970s, spoke of her appreciation of the con- tribution the shop makes to the work of the charity at home and abroad. She also presented certificates to Dennis Foad, Brenda Harris and Sylvia Thomas in honour of their long service to the charity. Seven-year-old Daisy, the daugh-


APEACE summit to resolve a long- running squabble between Kent CountyCouncilandMaidstoneBor- ough Council over a relief road for the town has been postponed. Leaders of the two authorities


vowed tomeet at the recent rally in support of a Leeds-Langley by-pass onNovember 2. The leaders and chief executives


of the authorities agreed to come to- gether under the auspices of MPs HelenWhately andHelenGrant. Acancelledmeeting inNovember


was followed by a rescheduled date in December, but this was also put back until the newyear. In themeantime, there has been a


testy exchange of letters between KCCandMBCover their respective positions, both past and future. MBC Liberal Democrat leader


ter of shop volunteer LoraMaxwell, presented the Princess Anne with a posy and a card she had made. The card had a picture of a horse be- cause Daisy had researched on the internet and found that the Princess


FranWilsonwrote toherKCCcoun- terpart,PaulCarter, “concernedthis (the meeting) will prove to be a fu- tile exercise going over old grounds for disagreement yet again”. Relief roadcampaigner Jenny Sut-


loved animals. Among the dozens of onlookers


who watched the Princess depart was 88-year-old BettyWarren who hadwaited for nearly an hour to see her andwas given a chair and a cup of tea outside the shop. The charity shop opened in Union


Street in 1980 when the building was bought for £12,000. Thirty- seven years later, its success contin- ues, with the volunteers having


ton express her “great disappoint- ment” at the authorities’ decision to postpone themeeting until 2018. She said: “We were all hoping


they’d give us a present for Christ- mas. It’s a great disappointment.” MrsGrant had told 400 local peo-


ple at the relief road rally that she waspreparedto lock the squabbling sides in a roomuntil theywere able to thrash out some sort of a compro-


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mise plan for a link between the A274 and theA20. A spokesman for Mrs Whately


said: “Unfortunately, it just wasn’t possible to get a date in December that fitted into everyone’s diary.” No date has been set in 2018 but a


council insider said: “I don’t think this meeting will happen while the government’s priority is housing, housing andmore housingwhether the infrastructure is there or not.” County councillor Gary Cooke


The Princess Royal is greeted by Cheryl Adams, the mayor and Karen Elphick


raised £40,000 for the charity last year.


(pictured), who organised Novem- ber’s publicmeeting at theMercure Hotel, saidKCC– saidthe highways building authority –was committed to taking the process forward. He added that around £200,000


are alwayswelcome at the tiny shop which is packed with goods ranging from clothing, children’s items, kitchen ware and a collector’s cor- ner. There is also a “wanted board” for people who are looking for something in particular and the vol- unteers will keep an eye out for them.


had been earmarked in the coming budget to carry out surveys so that a business case for a relief road can bemade. KCC had been hoping that MBC


More donations and customers


could have insisted on developer contributions towards the relief road project but members of the ruling LibDems decided against this.


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