News


Croquet crew enjoy Corfu


downsmail.co.uk


‘New blood’ needed to preserve heritage centre


A PLEA has been made for younger volunteers to come for- ward and help a village heritage centre survive. Maralyn and TonyMulcuckwere


A TEAM of croquet players have just come back from a successful trip to Corfu. Roger Gentry, David Rimmer


and RozCheesman, allmembers of the Medway Croquet Club, which is based at K Sports in Cobdown, visited theGreek island lastmonth for the popular Greek Open Golf Croquet Tournament. Mrs Cheesman said: “Although


there was a full schedule of matches, the emphasiswas on hav- ing fun, and it was lovely to meet old friends andmake newones.” The club was founded in 1991


andmoved to Cobdown in 1993. They are always on the lookout


for new members, and is hosting an open day on June 24. For more


details


http://www.medwaycroquet- club.org.uk.


visit


among the founders of the Ditton Heritage Centre in 1996 and, 22 years on they still hold the posts of secretary and chairman. In fact, since the centre started,


only four new members have been added to the committee, and Mrs Mulcuck fears that the centre’s fu- ture could be bleak. “We’re not getting any younger,”


the 72-year-old said. “Andweworry that if somethingwere to happen to us, theremay not be anyone to run the centre. “As a committee,we feel that un-


less we have younger, enthusiastic people join us very soon, this very worthwhile project will die. It is a place in the community that resi- dents can be proud of.” Mr Mulcuck, who is 84, was one


of the driving forces behind the cre- ation of the centre, alongside the late John Day. As well as his com-


Tony andMaralynMulcuck


mitments there, he has also set up the village bowls club andservedon the parish council for almost 50 years. “We were in America and saw a


similar project,” he explained. “And when we got home, we were chat- ting to John and hiswife and they’d had a similar idea. “We’ve raisedmore than £150,000


over the years, we’ve had a lot of grants come in, but we do need younger people to help take it on.” Aswell as an extensive archive of


Ditton history, part of the centre has been turned into a Victorian class- room, which plays host to local schools for learning experiences. TheMulcucks,who have lived in


Ditton for 51 years and have two children, nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, are proud of the facility, and hope it can re- main for years to come. “There is lots of interest in the


place when we hold open days,” MrsMulcuck added. “People have always been gener-


ous with money and grants, but now we need people to give up their time to help the centre.” The centre, which is in the


grounds of Ditton Junior School in New Road, has open days on June 16 and July 14, between 10am and 1pm, and anyonewhowould like to get involved is asked to come along then, or call Tony or Maralyn on 01732 844195.


downsmail.co.uk


News


Anger at plan for greenbelt homes


A PLAN to build 120 houses on grazing land east of KingHillwill destroy the last piece of greenbelt separating West Malling from KingsHill, say protestors. In more than a dozen letters to


Tonbridge and Malling Council (TMBC),WestMalling residents de- scribe the application by Gladman Developments as: “ill thought-out, and lacking knowledge of the area”. Many take exception to the


Cheshire-based developer’s sugges- tionthat theproposedgreenfieldsite – used for years to graze ponies – is part of the KingsHill development. The tenant who keeps his horses


on the land, known locally as Sportsman’s Fields, maintains the site is inWestMalling, adding: “We do notwant to becomepart ofKings Hill. Historic West Malling is al- ready at bursting point from traffic and parking and local schools and services are full.” He joins others in saying the use


of the narrow King Hill road to ac- cess theproposedsite is “anaccident


waiting to happen”. “It is already a lottery to pull out


of our drive as we can’t see around the bend, even with amirror oppo- site our drive facing down the hill.” The outline application before


TMBCseeks to knock down Sports- man’s Bungalow and its outbuild- ings to build the homes – 40% of which would be affordable – and create a public open space and com- munity orchard. As well as putting extra pressure


on the roads in the area and those servingWest Malling and Offham, locals say they are concerned that West Malling’s infrastructure in- cluding its schools andsurgeries are unable to take such a huge influx of people. Others have complained that the proposed soakaways on the ragstone land could cause their homes to become unstable. The application was due to be


considered by Kings Hill parish council on June 13, but will ulti- mately be decided by Tonbridge andMalling Borough Council.


downsmail.co.uk CCTV call to sto


CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tip- ping on a country road have been made by the local borough coun- cillor.


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Burberry Lane, near Kingswood,


has been targeted by waste dumpers for years, but in recent months, the problem has become more acute withwaste often strewn across the middle of the road. Cllr Gill Fort, pictured right, said:


“Every month we are having toi- lets, sinks and construction waste dumped in the village, specifically in Burberry Lane. We are now thinking of installing cameras on private land to oversee the problem area.” A recent event in Burberry Lane


saw a caravan burned out while a car remains on a footpath nearby,


STAPLEHURST vineyard Hush Heath will send its sparkling wine to Canada after landing a deal with one of the world’s largest alcohol buyers. Hush Heath’s Balfour 1503 Clas-


Illegal fly-tipping is costing local authorities hun- dreds of thou- sands of pounds, says Cllr Gill Fort


more than a year after itwas


dumped and torched. The church car park has also seen illegal dump- ing.


But it is also a problem in many rural areas, including Langley,


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Just like playing snooker on grass!


CROQUET? l fun for all ages l


friendly and/or competitive!


Why not come along to the Medway Croquet Club and have a go?


HOW TO START? Come for a taster session at our Open Day on Sunday 24th June from 10am to 4pm and/or introductory training every Wednesday from 6pm


Please contact: David: 01732 842232 davidparkins@live.co.uk


Medway Croquet Club, K Sports, Cobdown, Station Road, Aylesford, Maidstone, Kent ME20 6AU 10 Malling June 2018 Andrea, Ben and David Hood hard at work at the Kings Hill clean-up Residents clear up area


FIFTY-four residents fromKings Hill demonstrated howmuch they Love Where They Live by giving up their Sunday to tidy the area onMay 13. Several hourswere spent sprucing


up landscaped areas in and around Lords Walk, clearing weeds from footpaths andmowing grass verges. An incredible 60 bags of mainly


green waste for composing and some litter were collected. Tonbridge and Malling Borough


Council provided the waste bags and disposed of the rubbish. CllrDavid Lettington, the borough


council’s cabinetmember for street scene and environment services, said: “Many thanks to the Kings Hill volunteers for giving up their Sun- day morning to help keep the area


looking clean and tidy. It’s great to see so many people taking such pride in their local community.” LordsWalk Residents Association


members,Margaret Knock, JimHay- man and Andrea Hood organised the tidy-up. Andrea says: “It feels great to do


our bit to keep Kings Hill looking as beautiful as the day we moved in. We particularly wanted to clear the weeds fromthe landscaped areas in Lords Walk and Anson Avenue and we are very pleasedwith the results. Thank you to everyone who came along on the day to help.” Anyone wishing to carry out a lit-


ter pick or find out about volunteer- ing should email waste.services@ tmbc.gov.uk or call 01732 876147.


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