News
downsmail.co.uk Join Birdwatch to helpwildlife
THE annual Big Garden Birdwatch bywildlife conservation charity RSPBwill be taking place at the end of January. The survey carried out bymem-
bers of the public acrossKent and theUKhelps the charity establish which species are thriving and which are barely surviving. In 2019, the birdwatch takes
place fromJanuary 26-28. All participants have to do is
spend an hour or two in total not- ing down the number of birds they see in their garden or in the local park. The RSPB is also looking to
compile data on common and not so common wildlife we some- times come into contact with, such as badgers, squirrels and snakes. A spokesman said: “We’re
going to continue including this part of the survey each year now, to help us see the trends in our other wildlife in the same way thatwe’ve been able towith birds.
This beautiful jay is one of the garden visitors you could spot “Themore people involved, the
more we can learn, so please en- courage your family, friends and neighbours to take part. “It’s not just birds facing tough
times... it's our badgers, snakes and other animals too. So to help us get amore complete picture of
the state of our wildlife, in 2014 we started to ask you to tell us about some of the other animals in your gardens, such hedge- hogs.” The Big Garden Birdwatch has
been running for more than 40 years and regularly gets half a
million participants. It helps to spot population
trends and to identify remedies. The RSPB added: “While some
changes in bird numbers can seemscary –we’ve lostmore than half our house sparrows and some three-quarters of our star- lings – it isn’t all doom and gloom. “Since Birdwatch began, blue tit
numbers have risen by 20 per cent and the wood pigeon population has increased by a whopping 800 per cent. Your results help us spot problems, but more importantly, they are also the first step in put- ting things right. This is why it’s so important that we count gar- den birds.” Read more or register at
www.rspb.org.uk and follow the links to the Big Garden Bird- watch.
CHILSTON Park porter Tad Janeczek has been named Room Attendant of the Year 2018 in a na- tional competition. Tad has worked at the hotel in
Lenhamformore than 14 years as a roomattendant and doubles as a porter and assists in guest liaison. Hewas chosenfroma shortlist of
six finalists by the CEOof support charity Hospitality Action and won a trophy and £1,000. Tad told Downs Mail: “I love
working atChilston Park, the team are fantastic. I really enjoymaking our guests feel welcome and en- suring that they have the best ex- perience when they stay with us. I’mthrilled to havewon.”
Hotel award Call for flood force volunteers
THE British Red Cross has joined forces with the Environment Agency to enlist Maidstone bor- ough’s young people into a net- work of community reserve volunteers. The recruits would be tasked
with preparing safety kit and equipment, filling sandbags, sort- ing supplies and making refresh- ments at reception centres if swathes of the regionwere threat- ened by flooding. The volunteers would also
learn how to protect themselves and their possessions if a deluge hits. This, says the Environment
Agency, is crucial because its own research shows 18- to 34-year- olds are least likely to know if their homes are at risk of flooding andwhat actions they should take to stay safe. Less than half of under 35s
(48%) would know what to do if a flood warning was issued, the agency claims. Simon Lewis, head of emer-
gency response at the British Red Cross, said: “Flooding can have a catastrophic impact on homes and communities, causing untold damage to the things and the peo- plewe treasuremost.
“That's why it’s vital we all
know what to do, and how to help, to lessen the impact and help communities rebuild and re- cover faster. “Sadly we cannot always stop
things like this from happening, but by becoming a community re- serve volunteer, young people could help make a difference should theworst happen." Maidstone recruits would ulti-
mately join a national network of 10,000 people, the British Red Cross says. For details, visit:
www.red-
cross.org.uk/get-involved.
Think before you call 999, saymedics
MAIDSTONE’S paramedics are urging people to think twice be- fore calling 999 this winter. South East Coast Ambulance
Service (SECAmb) says its emer- gency hotline should only be used if a casualty’s condition is life-threatening or serious. Other options are available for patients suffering from non-emergency ailments, it says. SECAmb’s call has been
prompted by the onset ofwinter. The number of calls to the ser- vice’s emergency operations
8 Maidstone East January 2019
centres is already taking off, it says,with 36,000 registered over a two-week period inNovember. Regional operations manager
Andy Cashman said: “When someone is facing a serious or life-threatening emergency, they shouldn’t hesitate to call 999 for help. “But we’re asking that, when
it’s not an emergency, people consider all other services avail- able to them. These might be callingNHS 111 -which can offer health advice and direct callers
to the appropriate service, or speaking to a GP or pharmacist. “Staff in our emergency opera-
tions centres and out on the road work extremely hard to get peo- ple the care they need as quickly as possible.Wewill always priori- tise life-threatening and serious calls but we don’t respond im- mediately to lower priority calls. “People can help us manage
our demand by remembering that calling 999 should be re- served for the most serious inci- dents.”
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