News


Tasty awards A NUMBER of Maidstone and Weald companies have made the shortlist for the Taste of Kent Awards. The annual prizeswill be handed


out at a black-tie event at the Kent Events Centre, Detling, on Thurs- day,March 8. The shortlists for nine awards


voted by the public have been an- nounced, and there is a nod to our area. Rockin’ Robin Brewery, based in


Boughton Monchelsea, is one of the nominees for Kent Beer of the Year with its Reliant Robin, while TurnersCider inMarden hasmade the list for Kent Cider or Perry of the Year for its Elderflower Cider. Chegworth Valley’s Apple &


Cherry Juice is in the running for Tastiest Juice, and The Mulberry Tree at Boughton Monchelsea is one of four nominees for the Restaurant of the Year,with a tie in the public votemeaning there is an extra option for the judges in that category.


Yalding dance THE Friends of Yalding Youth and Community Centre are holding a barn dance on Saturday, February 24, from6pm. Tickets – £8 adults and £6 child,


or a family ticket £22 for two adults and two children – are on sale fromYalding Post Office.


Half-marathon THEHeadcorn half-marathonwill take place on Sunday, February 25. Race headquarters is at the pri-


mary school in Kings Road. Tickets – in advance – cost £22 or


£25 in cash on the day, subject to availability. Visit www.runnimngandriding. co.uk or call 07980 705961.


downsmail.co.uk


Jo’s career path takes a change of direction


HALF a lifetime ago, Jo Loveridgewas a bi-lingual secretaryworking for the United Nations in Rome.


During her four years at the UN,


Jo helped to organise aWorld Food Summit at which the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro attended, whose personal charisma she ad- mitswas breath-taking. “I gaspedwhen hewalked in the


room,” she recalls, “We all did. He just had something about him.” Back then, in the mid 1990s, she


had little idea where life would lead her – certainly not to her pres- ent job running a funeral directors in Loose. A marriage break-up nearly five


years ago saw her buy out her ex’s share in Albany Funerals – where she had worked since 2009 – and with it, the kind of confidence own- ing and running a successful busi- ness can bring. In fact, Jo (49) is one of a handful


of women in such a position in a male-dominated industry – and one of a very, very few where the majority of staff are female. “I never thought, in a million


years, I’d end up running a funeral directors, but I absolutely love it,” admits the mother of


two


teenagers. “I suppose itwas just a set of cir-


cumstances thatmade it happen. “Of course, it ismassively differ-


ent to working for the UN, but it’s also very similar – it all comes down to organisation.” Assisting people, often in their darkest hour, is clearly something


Jo Loveridge offers tea and sympathy


that gives her considerable satis- faction. She said: “It’s so easy to help


people and it makes such a differ- ence.” Jo says Albany has established


something of reputation for mod- ern funerals, at often a fraction of


The Albany team: l-r, Peter Sedgwick, Jo Loveridge, SamPaterson, Aine Rawlinson, Donna Hayes and TimHolloway


the cost of a traditional one. Now Jo – who is engaged to po-


lice driving instructor Tim Williamson (48) – is opening a new branch at Great Chart, near Ash- ford. A previous attempt to get a


foothold in the town failed, partly because of parking and traffic con- gestion. She adds: “I think it put people


off.Now,withmore of a village lo- cation and parking outside, people will feelmore comfortable. “In our area of Maidstone, four


newfuneral directors have opened up recently, so we looked at Ash- ford, which is growing fast. The one independent in the area was bought out by a bigger group, so we thought nowwas the time.”


Investigation call after accident hot spot deaths


A CALL has been made for a full investigation into a notorious stretch of road after three more deaths in December – including two on NewYear’s Eve. The A229 through Linton is a


common spot for accidents, and the fatalities in December have added weight to concerns about safety on the road. The first incident happened on


December 4 when a 22-year-old man died following a head-on col- lision, while late on New Year’s Eve two men in their 30s died when their Mercedes crashed into a tree. Both incidents took place near to


the Stilebridge Lane junction. Cllr David Burton (pictured),


4


who represents Marden and Yald- ing onMaidstone BoroughCouncil (MBC), says now is the time for a proper look at the issues on the stretch


of


road. “The whole


stretch, from the bottom of Linton Hill up past


Stile-


bridge Lane, is a concern,” he said. “There have been so many


acci-


dents there over the years. “I drive down that stretch of road


twicemost days and I see cars driv- ing quickly down there – although


Maidstone Weald February 2018


it’s more a case of 50mph rather than 70mph. “I think it’s down to more than


just speed, though, and that’s why we need a full investigation. It could be down to the road surface, because in a number of the acci- dents cars seemto have slid off the road into the hedges or trees.” The 22-year-old who died on


Monday, December 4, was driving a Ford Fiestawhen it collidedwith a redCitroenC4 at around 9.15pm. The two carswere travelling in op- posite directions at the time of the incident; the Citroen driver was taken to hospital with minor in- juries. The second tragedy occurred at 10.40pmon New Year’s Eve, when


a blue Mercedes left the road and hit a tree. The driver, who was 36, and his 37-year-old passenger – who were both from East Sussex – died at the scene. Cllr Burton added: “It is so diffi-


cult to hear about these sort of ac- cidents. Many people who I work with have been directly or indi- rectly affected by crashes on that road. Kent Highways always look at the number of incidents – so surely now there have been enough incidents along the A229 for that to be a priority – and Iwill be asking themto look at the road.” Kent Police are appealing forwit-


nesses to both incidents.Call 01622 798538 or alternatively email sciu.td@kent.pnn.police.uk.


downsmail.co.uk


News


MissingGloria: searches halted


SEARCHES for missing Gloria Stringer have been halted after it was conceded that useful leads to find the 81-year-old have run out. Mrs Stringer, right, vanished on


NewYear’sDay at around 11.30pm and was believed to have been sighted the following day. Hundreds of residents helped


police and Kent Search and Rescue teams in the hunt for the pensioner from Hollingbourne by searching sheds, outhouses and gardens. Officers went door to door in a


desperate attempt to locate her. Initial searches concentrated


around Leeds, particularly near the River Len atOldMill Road –where she once lived – and over farmland in Back Street and Forge Lane. The hunt widened as time


passed with police officers and KSAR searchers combing a vast area around south Maidstone in- cluding, Broomfield, Langley. Leeds and Chart Sutton. A search helicopter was de-


ployed in the early days of the hunt. The last big push was in and around LeedsCastle, using the golf course car park as a base for the op- eration. Walkers, dog-owners and horse-


riders have been keeping an eye out for any sign ofMrs Stringer, es- pecially in the large tracts of dense, uncoppiced woodland of


the


King’sWood. One searcher said: “At first, we


were hopeful she would have sur- vived the January 2 storms and that we’d find her but we’ve run out of fresh information.” Gloria’s family posted on Face-


book on January 18 that “we re- main positive and will never give up looking”. A villager in Leeds is thought to


havemetMrs Stringer –who is be- lieved to have bouts of confusion – five weeks before she disappeared and said she was walking to the house of a family member nearby. Mrs Stringer is healthy, physically fit and is known to enjoywalking.


If you have information call101 or dial 999 quoting 02-0342.


Tiny pay-back for fraud pair


TWO women who were in- volved in a horse fraud have been ordered to pay back a tiny fraction of the money they gained fromthe offence. Aniela Juercka, of Collier


Street, and Char- lotte Johnson, of Sandling, pictured here, were both jailed in July 2016 for their part in a scheme where they colludedwith aDeal-based vet to sell 17 ill and dangerous horses to unsuspecting buyers. All three appeared at a confis-


cation hearing at Maidstone CrownCourt on Thursday Janu- ary 18. The vet, David Smith, of The


Street, Finglesham,was found to have benefited from his crimi- nal conduct by £59,050 and was ordered to pay a confiscation order for the same amount


within three months. The court found that Jurecka, of Prospect Place, Collier Street, had bene- fited by £105,553 and Johnson, of Tollgate Way, Sandling, had benefited by £85,795. They also received confisca- tion orders, but only for £104.96 and £1 respec- tively. Detective


In-


spector Annie Clayton of the Kent and Essex


Serious Crime Directorate said: “The total amount confiscated will allow the victims of these frauds to be compensated. This should send a message to of- fenders that once they have been sentenced, we will continue to investigate any financial gain they havemade andwill use the available legislation to seize any cash or property obtained through criminal behaviour.”


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