Town Talk


THE Snodland Partnership has given £8,300 to good causes. The body,made up of local au-


thorities and businesses, aims to improve the quality of life for those living and working in the town. They award substantial sums of


money to organisations which contribute to this goal. The first of the latest beneficiar-


ies was the Citizens Advice Bu- reau, which received £5,000. CABmeets in Snodland Library every Tuesday from 9.30am to


12.30, has a telephone advice service and provides face-to-face meetings at its Tonbridge office. In 2018, it supported 120 Snod-


land people. More than 40% of clientswere disabled or had long- term health conditions, and 21% were 60 years old or over. They advised on 548 issues,


with common problems being benefits and tax credits (35%), debt (25%), relationships and family (14%) and housing (8%). The second beneficiarywas the


Local news for Snodland and Halling Partnership’s £8k gifts to help community


Snodland Community Develop- ment Partnership,which received £3,000 to help residents with mental health issues. Tonbridge andMallingBorough


Council's chief corporate policy officer, Mark Raymond, said: "There is strong anecdotal evi- dence from the Snodland GP practice that mental health prob- lems in the town are widespread and are on the increase. "Whilst the medical practice strives to address these needs, it


is acknowledged that the high de- mand for such support is creating problems for the GP service. “Other forms of community sup- port are needed to supplement the work of the local GP.” The final beneficiary was the


KentCommunityRail Partnership, which was given £300 towards its support of railway stations. It is workingwith pupils fromFiveAcre Wood, based at The Holmesdale School, to improve the area in front of Snodland Station.


Writer Faye Francis discussed her work with pupils from Holmesdale School


Book day lasts a week Katie cooks up


A WEEK of celebrations to mark World BookDay got off to a flying start when The Holmesdale School played host to an author and neighbouring pupils. Local writer Faye Francis


treated classes from St Kather- ine’s and Snodland Church of England primary schools to a reading fromher book, “TheWise OldWizard: Space Adventures”. The story tells the tale of a wiz-


ard's kite that visits planets in the solar system. And, after dis- cussing where their kites would journey to, youngsterswere given


the chance to try their hand at their own creative writing. Emma Foreman, Holmesdale’s


learning resource centre man- ager, was very pleased with the success of the morning, which was part of a suite of celebrations at the school to promoteworld lit- eracy and reading. She said: “We also had a Big


Book Swap, when students and staff bring along their unwanted books, as well as a sponsored read. “We had a fund-raising tombola, classes from Five Acre


Wood joined us for a literacy quiz, year 7 classes at the library for book reviews, and children from Little Sprouts pre-school visited for story time. “The library also promoted the


use of our new EBook platform, to encourage our students to read more, not just for World Book Dayweek, but everyweek." World Book Day aims to get


more books directly into the hands of children and young peo- ple, especially those who would not otherwise have access to them.


Children dress up for literary fun


PUPILS at Snodland Church of England Primary School inRobertsRoadcelebratedWorldBookDaybyimmersing themselves foraweek intheworldofmythsandlegends. As well as writing, illustrating and creating their own


book, the children made masks of their own mythical characters and builtmonstermodels. Jenny Dance, from the school, said: "They retold the


storyofTheseusandtheMinotaur throughdancework- shops, and enjoyed stories around the campfire. "OnWorldBookDay, thechildrencamedressedas their


favouritebook characterandamazedusallwiththeeffort thatwent into their outfits. “We also had our first Book Swap, which was so suc-


cessful,we have nowset up a Book Swap bookcase." Manypupils returnedtoschool inthe eveningforapy-


jama party, where they shared books, milkshakes and cookies.


skydive funds HIGH-FLYING Katie Sutton has sold cake to pay for a parachute jump. The Holmesdale pupil, of Bus-


bridge Road, Snodland, teamed upwith brotherOliver and friends, Rhys Downs and Ruby Stickells, to run a cake stall at the school and raise funds for the skydive. Katie, who was diagnosed with


type 1 diabeteswhen shewas 10, and hypothyroidismand polycys- tic ovary syndrome in 2017, is hoping to take off on April 17. In February’s Town Talk, we re-


vealed she could not do a skydive until her 16th birthday, which was on April 2. Her cake stall raised £200


which, added to a £400 charity donation,means shewill not have to pay for her jump.


100th birthday


PEGGY Moon, who may be Snodland's oldest resident, cele- brated her 100th birthday on March 23. She has lived in Pilgrims View


Avante care and support home, Roberts Road, since 2013. She married Jack in 1941 and


they lived in Chalk, near Gravesend. Jack died in 1992. Pilgrims View held a birthday party for her.


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