News Good rating


for care home ACAREhome for thosewith com- plex nursing needs has been rated good by inspectors. Inspectors fromtheCareQuality


Commission (CQC) called on Sut- ton Valence Care Home in North Street, unannounced. The home was looking after 67 people across three units, led by a registered nursewith care staff and a cleaner. The report noted that while


many living at the home needed help with all aspects of their care, those more able were encouraged to be as independent as possible. “People could choosewhat they


wanted to do each day and there were enough staff to support the activities they chose.” The care homewas rated good at


its last inspection. Relatives said staff had a caring approach and looked after residentswell. The inspector added: “Therewas


Dutch art talk Teenager faces up to Britain First


a calm and relaxed ambience and the staff were friendly and happy to chat.”


DUTCH painting from the 17th Century is the topic of a talk by Douglas Skeggs at Sutton Valence VillageHall onTuesday,March 26. His presentation, called Art in


theGarden ofGod, ispart of an on- going programme of talks organ- ised by TheArts SocietyMidKent. The group, which meets nine


times a year on aTuesdaymorning is always looking for new mem- bers.Those interestedshouldemail membershipsecretarymidkent@the artssociety.org


Transport help


A “GOOD Neighbour” scheme is reminding villagers it is on handto help those with transport difficul- tiesmakemedical appointments. The Three Suttons Helpline –


that covers the villages of Sutton Valence,Chart Sutton, East Sutton, KingswoodandLangley – says the service is available when public transport is not an option. The helpline can be contacted on 01622 844301, 842530 or 842346.


SUTTON Valence Senior School is hosting theAlpineGarden Society Easter ShowonApril 20. Plant nurseries from across the


country alongwithlocal artists and craft stalls will be welcoming visi- tors from 9am, with the flower show running from 11.30am to 3.30pm.


14


THE far-right Britain First groupmet its match when a Muslim teenager faced up tomembers inMaidstone. The BF leader Paul Golding and


seven colleagues were outside the HSBC bank inWeek Street on Febru- ary 23, giving out leaflets protesting about themosque redevelopment. The young woman, aged 17, ac-


cepted one of the tracts and pro- ceeded to tear it up in front of them, saying: “Go **** yourselves!” The sixth-former, who attends a


local schoolbutaskednot tobe iden- tified, told DownsMail: “I saw them handing the leaflets outside so I went up and took one. You should haveseentheir faceswhenI toreitup infrontof them.Somuchofwhat they say is ill-informed and designed to stokeuphatredagainstMuslims.” The group was alsomet bymem-


bersof theMaidstoneAnti-RacistNet- work. Spokesman Steve Cheeseman said: “We will continue to respond to the increasing threats towards Mus- lims inMaidstone.”


Thegroup,whichhaspledgedtodo-


nate£10tothemosquefundforevery Britain First member seen in Maid- stone, says the action by the far-right group on Saturday led to an £80 do- nationtotheproject. Planningpermissionfor themosque


hasalreadybeengrantedbythecoun- cil. It will include lecture rooms for youngsters,alargerareaforworship,a library, flatandthree shops.BF claims thethree-floor replacementbuildingis


Members of Britain First were in Maidstone to hand out leaflets protesting against the construction of amosque


a‘MegaMosque’. Mr Cheeseman added: “The


mosque will be three-storey to fit in with surrounding buildings, but its ca- pacity for worshippers will be less in order tomeetfire regulations.” ImamDrMuhammedUsmanisaid:


“It is their right to express their opin- ions but, of course, I don’t agreewith what the leaflet says. Amosque is as important totheMuslimasachurch is to the Christian.”


Garden show Vineyard picks up tourismgold award


A STAPLEHURST winery has been awarded a gold accolade by Visit England. Hush Heath, a 400-acre estate


with 100 acres of vineyards, was among 16 attractions recognised this year providing an outstanding experience to visitors. The estate’s Richard Balfour-


Maidstone Weald March 2019


Lynn said: “Our doors are open to visitors all year round. We have a world-class attraction that show- cases the charm of the English countryside and respects the wildlife that lives here. “The team in the vineyard and


the winery are all very passionate about everything they do,which is


why we are delighted to collect a gold award this year from Visit England. As the only Englishwin- ery recognised for this award, the accolade puts us on themap.” Over the next five years, Hush


Heath Estate’s tourismcentre, The View, expects to host up to 50,000 visitors each year.


downsmail.co.uk


Speed survey shows ‘frightening’ results


MORE than 133,000 vehicles are exceeding the speed limit through Staplehurst, data commissioned by the parish council has shown.


In just oneweek, almost 284,024


traffic movements were moni- tored within the village and, of these, 162 were travelling over 70mph within either a 30mph or 40mph zone. The survey by Streetwise was


funded jointly by Staplehurst Parish Council and county coun- cillor Eric Hotson following a meeting in September between Kent Highways, the parish and borough councillor Louise Brice. The survey’s findingswere pre-


sented at the council’s February meeting by parish clerk andCom- munity Speedwatch team leader,


Malcom Buller. He revealed that, of the four sites monitored, the High Street site recorded the highest number of speeding driv- ers, with 1,428 vehicles travelling faster than 45mph. “It is frightening to see what


speeds some drivers are actually doing through the village where the speed limit is 30mph,” said parish council chairman Tom Burnham. “We have for some time been


concerned about speeding,which is an issue frequently raised by our residents at the council’s sur- geries.


“We have fully supported the


Community Speedwatch team, which most recently included an investment in new Speedwatch equipment. “As a local council,we have lim-


ited powers to effectively deal with speeding.However,we have and will continue to work with our local borough and county councillors and agencies, such as Kent Highways and Kent Police, to bring about solutions that will have a sustainable improvement in speedingwithin the village and make Staplehurst a safer place to live and visit.”


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