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 has made 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.
Arrest in Tovil A 34-year-old man has been charged with eight offences after police investigated a number of burglaries and thefts near Maid- stone. George Dunn, of Stilebridge
Lane,was arrested in the Tovil area of Maidstone at 1.10pm on Mon- day February 5. Mr Dunn was charged with two
burglaries in Marden last month, vehicle theft and shopflifting in January. He was remanded in custody to
appear via video link before Med- wayMagistrates at a later date. A17-year-old arrested alongside
Dunn was released under investi- gation.
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),
32 Maidstone March 2018
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
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.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48