downsmail.co.uk News


a 400mrecord LENHAM School pupil Kristian Samwell-Nash finished his first in- door athletic seasonwith one of the quickest 400m for a 15-year-old in UK history. Kristian, who took up athletics


THEREwere ugly scenes in Leeds when a foreign lorry driver al- legedly clipped a vehicle. Trafficwas held up for about 20


minutes in both directions as tempers flared. The driver of the damaged car


just a year ago, was also crowned double Kent champion at the Kent Indoor Athletic Championships at Lee Valley Arena in north London last month, winning gold at both 200mand 400m. Breaking numerousKent records


in 2017, including a 10-year record by JackGreen,Kristian finished his first track season as theUKnumber two at 300m, 400mand 600m. This year, he has decided to con- centrate only on 200mand 400m.


Club president RETIRED solicitor Malcolm Bas- sett, now into his 31st year as hon- orary secretary of TheMoteCricket Club, has been elected president. He takes over from farmer and


champion cherry grower Brian Piper, described at the annual meeting as “a rock of the club” in his four years and after 40 years a member. PaulHeynes, the honorary treas-


urer in the last two years,was elected Clubman of the Year.


Police chase TWO men from Maidstone were arrested on suspicion of burglary after a police chase that ended in Sittingbourne. Officerswere called to the Co-op


in London Road, Teynham, at 1.55am on Saturday,March 24 fol- lowing report of a burglary. The car left the scene without


headlights and was chased to- wards Sittingbourne. Several items were thrown fromthe car. The vehicle eventually stopped


in Shortlands Road in Sitting- bourne and the suspects were fol- lowed on foot, and then detained. The pair, aged 41 and 22, were


arrested on suspicion of theft and burglary. Officers also seized a crowbar and a screwdriver. They were later released on bail untilApril 18.


Grimcat find A MUTILATED cat was found dead in Sutton Valence. Police were called to the playing


field on March 22 after a dog walkermade the grimdiscovery. The cat’s head and tail appeared


to have been cut off. Janet Burnett, clerk of Sutton Va-


lence Parish Council, said: “This is pretty grim. We’ve just asked everyone in the village to keep an eye on their cats.”


10 Maidstone East April 2018


shouted at the Spanish driver of the truck (pictured), which was


heading towards Langley on March 25. Lorries aremeant to be banned fromthe B2163 through a weight restriction but the rule is no longer enforced. A Colombian-born Spanish


speaker who lives in Leeds inter- vened and was able to help de- fuse the situation.


ButcherNorman, 69, dies after short illness


FORMER Bearsted butcher Nor- man Rickwood has died aged 69 after a short illness. Norman, who ran his business


on TheGreen formore than a quar- ter of a century, passed away in hospital with his family around him. His death was described by son


Simon as peaceful and they had been able to say their goodbyes. Norman stepped aside from the


shop 12 years ago and spent his lat- ter years devoted to his family as well asmaking regular pilgrimages to his local betting shop. And for amanwho loved racing


and racehorses, it was Norman who had the last laugh on the bookies. Not long before he died, he had


walked to Ladbrokes in Tenterden, where he lived, to place three bets, having scoured the newspaper rac- ing pages earlier that day. But after being struck down by


illness, he was unable to pick up the £21.60winnings fromhis slips. Simon (48) said: “He was a big,


Former Bearsted butcher Norman Rickwood was a devoted familyman


proud, generous fella. “He was a family man and he


loved the grandchildren to bits and they looked up to him. “He was a livelyman and full of


life. “He didn’t have a lot of outside


interests but he loved the horses and horseracing andwould put on


small bets – a couple of quid here and there ormaybe just 50p – after reading the racing pages. “He knew all about the horses,


the jockeys, the trainers and who was in good form. We went up to Ladrokes to tell them what had happened to Dad but also to take up three slips to see if they’d come in. He won a grand total of £21.60, whichwas nice.” Norman’s hero was the leg-


endary Lester Piggott, the greatest flat jockey of all timewith 4,500 ca- reer wins including nine Epsom Derby victories. “Dad loved Lester Piggott be-


cause he was successful - a winner and a champion of the old school,” said Simon. Norman,who died onMarch 21,


leaves wife Christine and twins Simon and Elisa as well as four grandchildren. The funeral details have not yet


been finalised. Anyone wishing to attend can contact Simon directly at simonrickwood@yahoo.co.uk for the arrangements.


Penguins pick up £113 on


charity walk CHARITY fundraisers collected do- nations totalling £113 on a walk fromCharing Heath to Leeds. The quartet, all dressed as Pen-


guins,were raisingmoney for Can- cer Research UK. Pictured outside The George


with landlords Jason and Debbie Tharp are Leighann McCague, Sandie Hughes, Nicky Swift and Nadine Lamont-Brown. Leeds parish councillor Lesley


Martin said: “This was a fantastic effort and they should be ap- plauded for what they’ve done.”


downsmail.co.uk Kristian breaks Spanish speaker helps ease lorrywrangle downsmail.co.uk


News Business Focus


Specialist help for dry eyes 


Waitrose pulls out of site plan


Eye 2 Eye Opticians in Allington is now pleased to offer its patients a specialist treatment for dry eyes. E-Eye is the first and only medical device in the world that uses IRPL (Intense Regulated Pulsed Light) that has been specifically designed for the treatment of dry eye due to Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). This is the No.1 dry eye solution to treat MGD.


WAITROSEhas pulled out of plans to build a new store on a commer- cial park at J7 of the M20. The retailer indicated in recent


weeks that, in the current economic climate, it was likely to concentrate on improving its existing stores. That is good news for the popular


and successful Allington branch of Waitrose, which has 20 years left to run on its lease. There had been concerns it would


be shut if the J7 outletwas built. Spokesman for developer Gal- lagher, Nick Yandle, said: "We have had four other retailers contact us whoare keen to progress matters on that site. “Waitrose management has indi-


cated that it is part of a strategy for the changing face of retail.” Ian Chittenden, Liberal Democrat county councillor for Maidstone north east , said: “This is a great pity. The proposal to build aWaitrose on EclipsePark led indirectly to the clo- sure of the Sittingbourne Road Park


In 2015, over 35,000 patients were treated with the E-Eye worldwide. It was found to have 84% efficiency from the first session with an 86% satisfaction rate. It also showed proven efficiency on mild, medium and severe dry eye. Three clinical studies were conducted on over 300 people. In most cases patients can expect up to 18 months relief before a top up treatment may be required with many patients having experienced results lasting as long as 3 years.


Find us at: Unit 8, Mid-Kent Shopping Centre Castle Road, Allington, Maidstone Kent ME16 0PU


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Dry eyes is a deeply concerning condition which can damage the surface of your eyes, there is no cure, however treatment with E-Eye is the very best way of ensuring it doesn’t take over your life. At Eye 2 Eye, your care is our priority and as such we will arrange for regular reviews to ensure your comfort levels are remaining stable and discuss ongoing options with you to ensure you remain comfortable.


and Ride. The majority of larger ap- plications locally usually raisemany objections due to concerns over traf- fic congestion and air pollution. “However, the Waitrose applica-


tion, which would have created 200 jobs locally, was extremely popular and well supported by councillors and especially by local residents, who will be disappointed”. In a recent interview with the


trade magazine, Property Week, Nigel Keen,Waitrose's property di- rector, confirmed company policy was to consolidate existing stores rather than invest in new ones. Hesaid:"We made a very positive decision not to build new stores and invest in our existing estate. “That will start to play at the end


Charity’s call for clothes


SPRING CLEANING DEALS DUVET CLEANING


A CHARITY in Yalding is urging people to use their unwanted clothes to help others battling with alcohol and drug addiction. The Kenward Trust and South- eastern have set up Clothes Drop points at stations in Bearsted, at Maidstone East andWest, Charing, Lenham, Harrietsham, Snodland, Barming andWest Malling through- out September. The Kenward Trust use the items


to raise £500 per tonne for those overcoming addiction. Shane Irons, who works at Maid-


£5 OFF - 2 SYNTHETIC DUVETS (Any size, washed and dried)


IRONING OFFER 20 ITEMS FOR £10


(On mention or production of this advertisement. Until end of April. Excludes bed linen)


• Dry Cleaning available • Family Business • Convenient Location • Fully Refurbished • Service Washes Available


stone East, came up with the idea. He was a friend of John Chadwick, an ex-Kenward resident, who took


A45-YEAR-OLD Maidstoneman has been charged with arson and threats to kill following a car fire. Kent Policewere called at 1.30am


on September 3, to reports of an in- cident in Allen Street. Crews from Kent Fire and Rescue Service had brought the fire under control by 2am. Enquiries led to the arrest of


Are you a local nursery, hairdressers,


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140c Ashford Road, Bearsted, ME14 4NA (Behind Marinos Fish Bar) 01622 296869


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his own life when his local council made him move to accommodation that would not accept his beloved dogs. Shane said: “I hope the project highlights the importance of suit- able housing for vulnerable individ- uals when they re-integrate back into communities.” Lynn Hyder, from the trust, said: “While we receive some statutory funding for our residential recovery projects, this only covers a propor- tion of the cost of the services we provide.We are thrilled that South- eastern is helping us with this activ- ity and we thank them and the public who kindly donate for sup- porting our work.”


Richard Parkin, of Allen Street, who has been charged with arson, making threats to kill and two in- cidents of criminal damage. On September 4, Parkin was brought before Maidstone Magis- trates’ Court, where he was re- manded in custody until his next court appearance.


“We have a passion for creating


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Maidstone East October 2017 Maidstone East April 2018 11 11


If you’d like to discuss this further please get in touch with Chirag or Manish (our IP therapeutic Optometrists who provide medical treatment) to discuss the options available to you.


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In most cases, Dry eye symptoms will significantly improve after 3 sessions carried out over 45 days. For 60% of patients results can last up to 3 years


• Fast results – sessions are completed in a matter of minutes


• Clinical study with 90% satisfaction rate on the first 2 sessions


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www.eye2eyeonline.co.uk 01622 672563


of this year and into next year, when consumers see the investment we made and respond accordingly.” Waitrose, which is part of the John


Lewis partnership, has been ap- proached by Downs Mail for a com- ment.


This treatment is currently only available privately


NHS options for dry eyes are available in practice


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