News


downsmail.co.uk Newhead for county show


Societywelcomed James Forknall into the position after Kevin Attwood finishes his term. The society electedMr Forknall


Mr Forknall,who comes froma


family of Kent farmers, previ- ously served as vice chairman for the body and worked for the Maidstone NFU branch and the Weald of Kent PloughingMatch. His vice chairmanwill be Julian


Barnes, the managing director of Biddenden Vineyards, who has exhibited at the Kent County Show for 39 years. Mr Forknall said: “I am de-


lighted to have been elected as chairman of the Kent County Agricultural Society. “Kevin has done a tremendous


job over the last six years and I certainly have some very big boots to fill. I look forward to the challenge.” Society president Lord Col-


grain said: “Kevin has given him- self to the position of chairman. His attention to the details of the society, the time he has devoted to it, the interests that he has de-


Tribute band


COLDPLACE, the world’s lead- ing tribute to Coldplay, will re- turn to Maidstone for its second UK tour. The band will be performing at


the Hazlitt Theatre on Thursday, April 25. Tickets start at £20.Con- tact the box office on 01622 758611.


A COMMANDmusical perform- ance will be held at All Saints’ Church inMaidstone onWednes- day,April 24, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets are £5. A wide range of


Musical night Hours cut at libraries


TALKS are being held with unions and library staff over job losses re- sulting fromKCCcost-cuttingplans. All 99 of Kent’s libraries will be


musicwill be played on the night. For more information, call Nancy on 01622 682330.


Supper night


A FISH and chip supper is being held to raise funds for the church at St Philip’s Community Centre, Tovil, onMarch 29 at 7.15pm. Tickets are £6.50. For more de-


tails and to book, call Barbara on 01622 671782.


12 Maidstone April 2019


kept, but the hours of most will be cut to produce a £960,000 saving over the next two years. KCC cabinet member Mike Hill


says the three-year strategy (agreedonMarch7)willprotect the service and allow it to adapt to changing needs. Those responding to the consul-


tation were split, with 44% sup- porting the idea, 37%disagreeing, 15%neither for or against and 4% unsure.


Headcorn and Staplehurst li-


braries are among only 12 tomake a successful case for keeping their doors open longer. They will oper- ate for 28 hours – five hoursmore a week. This concession will cost about£90k,meaning a saving£1m will need to be found elsewhere. The redundancies and opening


hours come into effect in autumn. The county council says by reduc-


ing opening hours, fewer staff will be needed. KCC’s human resources team is


working with unions, and says re- quests for redundancies and early retirementwill be considered.


New chairman James Forknall (left) with Kevin Atwood


veloped on the society’s behalf, and his determination to ensure that the society should prosper on hiswatch are all attributes that we recognise in him, and are tes- tament to a highly successful pe- riod of office, to which the Ssociety and its members are in- debted.” The three-day Kent County


Showshowcases “farming, coun- tryside and rural life and aims to bring together the best food, ani- mals, and excitement that Kent has to offer”. This year, the Kent County


Show will be on July 5, 6 and 7. The society has been support-


ing education and improvement in agriculture, horticulture, forestry and related industries since its foundation in 1923. It provides grants to Kent


Young Farmers Clubs and offers university scholarships to stu- dents wishing to study in related fields. It provides free education on


farming to young children through the “Farming in the Classroom” initiative and the Living Land event.


THE bodywhich puts on the Kent County Showeach year has appointed a newchairman. Crowds enjoy


The Kent County Agricultural


at its AGM and thanked Mr Attwood for his six years of serv- ice.


farming expo AROUND 2,500 people attended Farm Expo, a new event for 2019, organised by the Kent County AgriculturalSocietyat theDetling showgrounds onMarch 6. The event announced develop-


ments in major national and in- ternational farming machinery andagricultural services, andfea- tured trade stands, seminars and networking opportunities for those looking to the post-Brexit future. Among the local firms with displays at Farm Expo, Haynes Agricultural were cele- brating 100 years of supplying sales and service on tractors and farmmachinery to farmers across Kent and Sussex. Aspokesman said “The society


is committedto educationandde- velopment in farming and agri- culture. Farm Expo is an important event in order to best support the farming community and ensure the latest develop- ments in farm machinery and agricultural services are available for our farmers”.


NHS figures


DOZENS of malnutrition cases have been reported in Maidstone, according to new figures. Charities claim some fami-


lies cannot afford healthy meals. Therewere 25 cases of mal-


nutrition between 2017-18 but this was a fall of five from the previous year’s total of 30. The figures came from the local NHS trust.


Choral date


THEMaidstone ChoralUnion is holding an Easter concert at All Saints’Church in the town centre on Sunday,April 13 . The Pergolesi


“Stabat


Mater” andMauriceDurufle’s “Requiem” will be performed at theMill Street church. Tickets are £12, or half price


for children and students. Ticketswill be available on the door.


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