Maidstone East Edition Malling Edition
October 2017 January 2019 Panto ahoy!
Fire service needs help
WHILE the rest of us are unwind- ing after a hard day at work, they are in the thick of fires, car crashes and water rescues. Now Kent Fire and Rescue Serv-
ice is looking to swell the number of on-call firefighters. Have you got what it takes? Meet Larkfield’s finest…
4
THE cast of Cinderella, which is to be staged at the Hazlitt Theatre in Maid- stone, took to the River Medway to launch this year's panto. On board The Kentish Lady were national treasure Rustie Lee (Fairy Godmother), former EastEnder Ste- fan Booth (Prince Charming), Eliza- beth Bright (Cinderella), Craig Anderson (Buttons) and, pictured, Stephen Richards and Adam Bor- zone (Ugly Sisters) . They were greeted by pupils from
Panto closure blamed on ‘people in power’
South Borough Primary School and members of the media. The panto runs from December 1-31. For tick- ets go to
www.hazlitttheatre.co.uk.
IMPRESARIOS behind a panto at Aylesford Priory which suddenly
folded halfway through its run have sought to explain what happened. event spaces already established. “The show was great, and the
were left in the lurch after direc- tors of the Maidstone Panto Ltd decided to pull the plug on Snow White at The Friars, a week before Christmas. In a cryptic statement, they
Daniel Wright (30) and Mark Wright (54) as directors of the Maid- stone Panto Ltd, which was incor- porated in January 2018, but has not yet filed accounts. In the statement, the company
CALLS for the installation of CCTV cameras to prevent fly-tipping on a country road have been made by the local borough councillor.
Hundreds of ticket holders
blamed the collapse on “a select few” and “people in power”. Companies House UK lists
Burberry Lane, near Leeds and Broomfield, has been targeted by waste dumpers for years, but in re- cent months, the problem has be- come more acute. Constructionwaste, rubble, hard
core, windows and household fur- niture is left illegally – often strewn in the middle of the road. Cllr Gill Fort said: “Every month
said: “Although we have had much support from many contractors, lo- cals and The Friars, a select few are not willing to make this work.
we are having toilets, sinks and construction waste dumped in the village, specifically in Burberry Lane, where 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 torched car remains on a footpath
“With the weather of Novem-
ber becoming a huge factor to this result. Long term, we’ve been up against it from the beginning, with local authorities, opposition the- atres and ‘people in power’ really not supporting what we are trying to achieve, and have not made it easy.” The release does not specify
who the managers are referring to. It added: “All we were trying to
do was bring something bigger to Maidstone, but unfortunately many have not seen it that way. “The event itself shows that
nearby, more than a year after it was dumped and set on fire. The church car park has also seen
many instances of illegal dumping. But it is a problem in many rural
there is a strong need for a larger event space / theatre in the area, or access should be made more accessible by local authorities to
areas including Langley, Otham and Kingswood. Water Lane in Bearsted and Pilgrims Way have also been targeted recently. Last year, Maidstone Borough Council cleared 911 cases of fly-tip- ping and this year more than 163 have been recorded since April. The approaching darker evenings will prompt a rise in illegal tipping. Cllr Fort welcomed a joint initia-
tive by the Environment Agency and the Driver and Vehicle Stan- dards Agency to clamp down on
cast, crew, staff and our audiences were all fantastic...” The Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone
stepped in and added an extra, cut- price show to its successful run so that families would not be disap- pointed. Many mums and dads were left
unlicensed waste carriers, but be- lieves the cost to small firms of dis- posing of construction waste at a transfer station is proving a deter- rent that is costing councils more. Cllr Fort made her remarks as
angry by the shock announcement, including parents of the young cast of dancers, who learned the news via social media. Mother of 10-year-old dancer
one of the borough’s closest trans- fer stations at North Farm, Tun- bridge Wells, announced it will be closed for 10weeks. She added: “If you go along the
Scarlett Mae, Maxine Julian, said: “It is very sad and heart-breaking to find out this way. Those little dancers and kids in the cast will be sad to hear through Facebook that their shows are no longer on. “I am sure it’s a tough decision
01622 690290 YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT
maidstone@martinco.com 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent
beautiful window blinds to enhance your home
that had to be made but it is so hard on the kids. The panto has taught my daughter so much in her dancing and competitions. The boost came at a time she re- ally needed it emotionally, as she has had a really tough 18 months.” Additional reporting by Jade
Schopman
Penumbra Blinds and Solar Control Ltd Unit 2 Albans Farm, Romford Road, Pembury, Kent TN2 4BB. Tel : 01892 825522 |
www.penumbrablinds.co.uk
visit
www.amiga.co.uk or call 08000 199622
See our full page advert on page 19…
line of increasing fines, they have to be enforced. A reduction in the charge or offering it free may have the desired similar effect.” Athree-monthly litter pick on the mile-long stretch of road through Leeds village produces an average 32 black sacks of rubbish.
Cllr Fort, who also serves as a
parish councillor, says teaching children about social responsibility and the issue of litter in schools will help take the issue off the streets. She believes with every household receiving a weekly refuse collection service, there is no excuse for litter being thrown from vehicles or dumped in the road.
Home Alarms supplied and fitted
CCTV call in a bid to stop fly-tipping
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper No. 246
downsmail.co.uk FREE
FREE News
No. 261 NewsKate, 107, dies Search charges 3
BOROUGH council land search business charges are the highest in the country, an expert claims.
KATE Hart, a resident at an old people’s home in Bearsted, has died aged 107, her son David has disclosed.
MP’s Local Plan bid Honour for officer4 Plans for Dr Nigel
HELEN Whately asked the government to halt the borough’s housing scheme.
A FORMER Snodland firearms police officer is recognised in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours.
Strange donations Jason Donovan date
A FALSE leg, live hedgehog and voodoo kit – the strange donations uncovered by Kings Hill charity.
THE former Neighbours star brings his show to the Hazlitt Theatre next May.
Obituaries 5
Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper
THE widow of GP Dr Nigel Minnet will walk the Grand Canyon for charity. 12
12
1813 30
Parish Councils32&34
A DRUNK man demanded an ambulance outside the primary school in Mereworth; anger in Kings Hill over travel times to schools; strange growth found on an oak tree at Addington; “missing” war hero to be added to Offhammemorial.
Obituaries
32
Crime Reports 34 Parish Councils 34-35
A SUSPECT tried to snatch scrap from Aylesford vehicle repair yard; tools were taken from a van parked near a pub in Trottiscliffe; security cameras at a stables in Offhamwere damaged; a shop window was broken in Larkfield.
Comment 42-43 Crime Reports 35
ASH dieback has been discovered in Monks Meadow in Detling; Hollingbourne village fete stall- holder co-ordinator Jean Duffy has resigned; yellow lines are needed for Buffkyn Way, Otham, to allow buses through Imperial Park; rub- bish bins in the sports field in Kingswoodare to be moved over to the picnic area and rear exit.
Inside this edition:
A GOVERNMENT inspector has given plans to build 79 apart- ments and cottages on Green Belt land the go ahead in West Malling.
Comment 46-47
VEHICLES have been driven over farmland in Lenham, causing damge to crops; an attempted break-in was reported in Detling; a vehicle was vandalised in Bearsted Rd, Weavering; pumpkins were stolen from an allotment in Lenham.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
