News


Author takes a newdirection


CHILDREN’S writer Philippa W Joyner haswritten her second book this year – for grown-ups. After the successful Anouka


Chronicles series for children, the author, from Hollingbourne, has published “Don’t forget to pack the Humour,Honey” and nowthe fol- low-up “AWalk on theWild Side”, featuring the further adventures of Honey Hollings. The mum-of-two embarked on


her writing career as a distraction during her daily commute towork fromBearsted station.


Pit your wits


A QUIZ night has been organised by Hollingbourne Panto Group in Hollingbourne village hall. The fun event is on Saturday,


December 1 at 7.30pm, and indi- viduals or teams of eight are in- vited to take part – and those who come in fancy dress could win a prize. To book a table or an individual


ticket (£10 each) contact Natasha on 07802 408549. The next panto production, Ra-


punzel,will run fromFebruary 13- 19. Auditions will be held on October 24 (8pm), October 28 (7.30pm), and at 6.30pm for chil- dren on November 11.


Kenward cars


THE Kenward Trust celebrated its 50th anniversary with a classic car rally. The trust, the leadingdrug andal-


cohol rehabilitation centre based in Yalding,welcomed70 cars including a Ferguson Ted 20 and a Rover P6.; Therewere also two FordMustangs. The oldest car in attendance was a 1930sAustin 7,with the rarest being an immaculate Skoda Rapid. As well as the cars on the lawns


lawns, the event featured products made by Kenward residents.


Vote for parks


VOTERS can select local parks in Maidstone in a bid to win the Peo- ple’s Choice Award as the UK’s favourite. Four of Maidstone’s parks were


previously given the prestigious Green FlagAward, including:Mote Park, Cobtree Manor Park, What- man Park and Clare Park. The awards scheme has asked the public to have their say and decide which parks should receive the award for beingtheUK’s favourite open space to visit. The top 10 sites are to be an-


nounced on October 16. Go to www.greenflagaward.org to find your local park.


4 Maidstone East October 2018


downsmail.co.uk


Pharmacy needs to do beer, say customers


PATIENTS have criticised a pharmacy in Maidstone for delays in dis- pensing and poor customer service. A simple post on Downs Mail’s


Facebook page complaining about slow service at LloydsPharmacy, GroveGreen, triggered the surprise response from more than 100 frus- trated users across south Maid- stone and beyond. They cited stressed staff, poor


management, excessive queues, prescription delays and poor col- laborationwith GPs – even though the Grove Green pharmacy is just one door away fromthe surgery. Emily Fisher said prescriptions


were not ready days, or evenweeks after they should be, posting: “I try calling the pharmacy beforehand to check – no answer. “Queues towards the door every


time I visit ...”, while Carole Browning added: “I gave up using Grove Green last year. Appalling service, long waits and then you find your script hasn’t been done.” In Allington, Kirsty Hancock


posted: “My repeat prescription is never ready, even if it is several weeks after its due date. “I’m told it’s staff shortages but


this has been going on formonths.” Charlotte Johnson, who worked


at the pharmacy in Grove Green, blamed poor pay and too fewstaff. She said: “When Iworked as a dis- penser I was paid less than a Mc- Donald’sworker. “Budget cutsmeant the storewas always under-staffed. The staff


Borough CllrMalcolmMcKay no longer uses LloydsPharmacy at Grove Green


work extremely hard and often miss lunch. “It is head office who need to


wake up and implement better working conditions to ensure a bet- ter experience for customers.” Borough Cllr Malcolm McKay


has stopped using theGroveGreen pharmacy. He said: “Themanagement need


to diagnose the cause of the prob- lems and find a long-termcure.” LloydsPharmacy apologised,


adding that the manager at Grove Greenwas on holiday. However,when told the problem


was not limited to Grove Green, and therewas concern about the fu- ture of the area’s pharmacies, the spokesman said: “A number of LloydsPharmacy stores were iden- tified for sale or closure last year, but that programme has now been completed.” Call the customer service number on 0345 600 3565 - option 2.


Library location just right for a good read


RESIDENTS celebrated the official opening of Bearsted library in its temporary premises at a coffee morning with cakes and drinks. The old Bearsted library building,


located on the Green, closed last year pending potential refurbish- ment, and the library is now housed next to the rail station, which it is hopedwill help boost the number of readers coming in. Mike Hill,member of Kent County


Council for community and regula- tory services said: “We are very proud of Kent libraries. It’s been a hard battle over the last few years to keep up the investment in them to make sure they stay open, are properly staffed and properly equipped. “But we managed to do that and


KCC CllrMike Hill (right) at the official opening


I’m very proud of what we have achieved whenmany counties have had difficulties keeping their li- braries open. “It has taken a bit of time to find


a new location for the library. But I’mvery happy for us to find this ex-


cellent and very attractive building to it library in. “It’s going to be a very good op-


portunity for the library to find some new interest and I hope the people of Bearsted will enjoy it for many years to come.”


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