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downsmail.co.uk Meet town’s secret celebrities


THEY’RE perhaps not household names but they are, in their ownway, historically remarkable and noteworthy.


A slave-trading horticulturalist,


a rebellious alchemist, the inventor of cricket’s over-arm bowling and the firstwoman to fly an aircraft in Irelandall hail fromtheseparishes. One might be forgiven for not


having heard of John Braddick, Robert Fludd, JohnWilles orLilian Bland. But their marks, among many others, on history have been recorded in a newbook. In Secret Maidstone, author


Dean Hollands attempts to un- earth the hidden, or unappreci- ated, nuggets of the county town’s past. He said: “The book has been


written for the residents of Maid- stone and for those intending to visit this most curious and inter- esting of places.” Braddick’s less than illustrious


claim to fame, according to the book,


is that the Boughton


Monchelseamanmade his fortune in the slave trade before becoming a fruit farmer in 1824. In Kent, he carried on his involvement by fat- tening up his captives in the cellar of hismansion before selling them on in London. Fludd (1574-1637) attended


Maidstone Grammar School and thenOxfordUniversity.


But he drewattention to himself


as adoctor ofmedicine by express- ing contempt for the contemporary practice of the four humours – black bile, yellow bile, blood and phlegm – upon which all diag- nosesweremade. He is buried in the graveyard of


Holy Cross church in Bearsted. Willes was born in Headcorn in


1777, and is regarded as one of cricket’s great innovators, switch- ing the bowling action from un- derarm to over. He had noticed


that when his wife played the game, herwide hoopedskirt got in theway. The book recalls howWilles’ at-


tempt to introduce the new form during a match between Men of Kent andMen of England, proved unpopular with some of the play- ers and the supporters, with re- ports of a pitch invasion. When, in 1822, Willes tried to


bowl overarm at Lord’s he was twice called for a “no ball” – a de- cisionwhich sawhimstormoff on


Left, Lilian Bland in her plane and above, Dean Hollands and dog Raff


his horse in disgust. He died in 1852 and is buried in


Sutton Valence. Willington Street resident Bland


(1878-1971) chose an unconven- tional lifestyle for her time. She smoked,wore trousers, sold


cars, practised martial arts, built planes and flewthem. In 1910, she became the first


woman in Ireland to fly an aircraft – a powered bi-plane called The Mayfly – at Randalstown, County Antrim. Horrified, her father bought her a car which prompted her to open one of the first motor dealerships in Belfast. She moved back to Kent in the 1950s.  SecretMaidstone is published byAmberley, priced £14.99.


Mental health changes Staff crisis


Club stalwart steps down


SOLICITOR Malcolm Bassett’s service as honorary secretary of TheMote Cricket Club came to an end after 31 years,when he retired for health problems to rich praise at the annual generalmeeting. Malcolm, who worked withAr-


gles & Court, Maidstone, from 1981 and 1992, was persuaded by club chairmanMike Cutler, also a partner in the firm of solicitors, to take on the cricket role. About 10 years ago he also became one of TheMote ground trustees. Malcolm, an activeRotarian and


former member of the Malling club, played for TheMote until the late 90s.


30 Maidstone East April 2019


MENTAL health has long been considered the underfunded Cinderella of NHS care, but this is all about to change in Maid- stone andWest Kent. The budget-holding NHS


WestKentClinicalCommission- ingGroup (CCG) says therewill be “enhanced access to specialist advice in local care, which will reduce the need for people to ac- cess hospital services”. This will bring specialist ad-


vice and care to people in their own homes. The advice will also be avail-


able toGPs, nurses and local care teams to enable earlier interven- tions in the community.GPs cur- rently have difficulties finding care and advice for patients. The CCG sees improved and


new partnerships with local communities and local authori- ties. The national aim is that sup-


port could also include physical health, employment, housing


and social care, with a greater emphasis on prevention, self management, choice and peer support. Self harm and suicide prevention interventions are planned too. This “high-level” vision has


been developed by the CCG to- gether with Kent and Medway Partnership Trust.


THE NHS across Kent is try- ing to solve the county’s seri- ous staff shortage problems with a “workforce transforma- tion plan”. Kent and Medway have


fallen well below national av- erages, particularly in mental health,with a 47%decrease in staff. GP numbers continue to fall, and are 11% down com- pared with one per cent na- tionally. The targeted plan aims to


include promoting Kent as a place to work, especially for lifelong careers.


Safety role


A HEAD of patient safety has been appointed by the four NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups acrossWest Kent. Investigations will include:


safety incidents, complaints, maternity concerns, and mor- tality reviews.


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