News Invicta girlsup


for challenges TWO students from Headcorn are planning to raise funds for their travelswith a couple of garden par- ties in the village nextmonth. Keira Nash and Darcy Arm-


strong, who attend Invicta Gram- mar School inMaidstone, hope the fund-raising events in their village will help raise the necessary cash for their educational World Chal- lenge trips next year. The family garden parties on Fri-


day,August 10 andAugust 24 will include refreshments, fun and games and arts and crafts at Long- meadow Hall. Downswood teenager and fellow Invicta pupil Lauren Eady (15) is also unertaking theWorldChallenge toCosta Rica. She needs to raise £2,700 for her


trip abroad where she hopes to photograph the rainforests. Lauren has been pleasantly sur-


prised how local businesses have been receptive to her offer of vol- untarywork for donations.


Organ recitals THE second summer Saturday organ recital in Sutton Valence is being held on July 21. Lionel Marchant, the organist at


All Saints Church, will lead the recital from12.30pm,whichwill be followed by a ploughman’s lunch and a “glass or two” ofwine. Financial donations towards the


lunch will be gratefully received, and therewill also be a retiring col- lection for church funds. Further events areAugust 18 and September 29.


Cafe and info ACTION with Communities in Rural Kent'smobile cafe and infor- mation centre is coming to the area. It will be in Sutton Valence on July 12, 10.30am-


Thursday,


12.30pm, and on Tuesday, July 17, it will be in Laddingford, 10am- noon and Collier Street, 2-4pm. The bus was launched in April


2007 to bring a “library of infor- mation and a mobile cafe to rural communities in Kent". More details


at www. ruralkent.org.uk/coffeeproject.


Open church EAST SuttonChurch has twomore open days over the summer. The next is on Saturday, August


4,while the final one is on Septem- ber 8, which co-incides with Ride and Stride’s annual event. Coffee and cakewill be served.


4 Maidstone Weald July 2018 Sculptor Charlie Samuell with his works of art


downsmail.co.uk


Bid to crack county’s fly-tipping headache


PUBLIC groups and law enforce- ment agencies have joined forces in a bid to stamp out fly-tipping. Officers fromKent Policeworked


with theKent Resource Partnership (KRP),


local authorities, Kent


County Council and the National Farmers’Union to launch themove against illegal dumping. KRP chairman Cllr Rory Love


said: “Unscrupulous criminals are out there takingmoney fromhouse- holders and businesses to dispose of their waste. Then they pocket the cash and dump the waste in our countryside. “And it’s the council taxpayer


who picks up the bill – of over £1m – as our local authorities are forced to clear up themess.” On June 20, four warrants – in


Canterbury, Ramsgate, Ash and Maidstone –were executed by local officers and the Rural Task Force. Six arrestsweremade, five in con-


nection with fly-tipping activities, six vehicleswere seized and 19 peo- ple were reported to court for vari- ous offences. There are fly-tipping blackspots


all over theMaidstone borough, in- cluding Burberry Lane, which straddles Langley, Leeds, Broom- field and Kingswood. No prosecu- tions have ever been enforced by Maidstone BoroughCouncil despite almostweekly dumping incidents. One burned-out car lay on a pub-


lic path for nearly two years, while another was not removed for months. Caravans have been burned out


and plant waste, tyres, builders’ rubble and house clearances are regularly left scattered across the single track lane near Leeds Castle. Local borough councillor and


Illegal dumping, such as here in Burberry Lane near Langley, is a common but unwelcome sight across the county


anti-dumping campaigner Gill Fort has leda call to haveCCTVinstalled to prevent the problem. Country Land and Business As-


sociation (CLA) South East, which represents landowners and farmers across the county, has welcomed Kent Police’s “day of action” on fly- tipping and rural crime. Regional director Robin Edwards


said: “Fly-tipping is a menace and in many parts of Kent, such as Maidstone,Ashford and Swale, the number of incidents is increasing year-on-year. “It is not a victimless crime. It’s a


vicious cycle of costly clean-ups by the victimswho bear the burden of waste crime and the threat of pros- ecution. “It is vital thatmore prosecutions


are brought forward successfully to encourage people to do the right


thing and dispose of their rubbish through proper legal channels. “But to really combat this anti


social behaviour we need to see tougher penalties which act as a true deterrent. Imposing and en- forcing penalties which better re- flect the seriousness of the crime, such as seizing vehicles used to fly- tip, is crucial.” Chief inspectorMarkWeller said:


“We would ask anyone having work done at their home to make sure that they check the person tak- ing away their waste is licensed to do so.” Kent Police and crime commis-


sioner Matthew Scott said: “Resi- dents can do their bit by reporting any suspicious behaviour to Kent Police, and by downloading the Countryeye app to report incidents of fly-tipping in their communities."


Unique lump chalk artworks go on show


THEworld’s only lump chalk sculptorwill be exhibiting his work in Yalding in July. Charlie Samuell (80), from Coxheath, will be among


those exhibiting their work at the Riverside Pop Up Gallery, next door to the post office, at Yalding Bridge fromJuly 1 to the end of themonth. The pensioner, from Murdoch Chase, who is hoping


his talent will be spotted, will be offering his illumi- nated abstract sculptures for sale. He will also give ex- hibits to the auction of art held in October in aid of Yalding Church Preservation Society. Mr Samuell lived in Staplehurst for 28 years before


moving to Coxheath, and started carving chalk as a boy when he lived at Box Hill. He studied atMorley College in London during the 1970s, butwas forced to abandon his hope of turning professional after starting a family. He has taken his childhood hobby up in retirement.


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