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Bowls club’swar history


THE verdant lawns of George Marsham’s country pile were alien to the troops after years of carnage in the rotting, cratered, barbed-wire landscape of theWestern Front.


The servicemenwhowandered


through his peaceful gardens at Hayle Place in the summer of 1919 had survived a conflict that ultimately butchered 40 million, and left 80,000 British survivors with horrors so unimaginable, they were consigned to a lifetime ofmental anguish. Marsham, a Maidstone squire,


had thrown open his doors to the returning heroes by hosting a gar- den party in their honour. But,whilemany of themgaped


in awe at shrubberies that ex- ploded with colour in the June


House break


OFFICERS are investigating a re- port of an attempted burglary at a house in Loose Road,Maidstone. Kent Police received a call re-


garding damage caused to a win- dow at the rear of the premises at around 12.20pm on Wednesday, May 1.Anyonewho sawanybody acting suspiciously in the area or who has information that may as- sist the investigation is askedto call Kent Police on 01622 604100 quot- ing crime reference 46/81975/19.


£250 donation


PEOPLE suffering from mental health issues, who are being sup- portedbyMaidstone andMid-Kent Mind charity, will benefit from a £250 donationmade by a building company. MMKMind's chief executive Julie


Blackmore said: "We work in the communitytopromote social inclu- sion for people who experience mental health problems.We strive to tackle stigma and discrimination through a number of projects to promote better understanding.”


32 Maidstone June 2019


sunshine, oneman,Henry Libby, was busy inspecting the grass. “He suggested some ‘woods’ be


obtained for a game of bowls on the lawn that afternoon,” said Cindy Jones, from Loose Bowls Club. “The game was so successful, a


group of those present decided there and then to form our club. And George Marsham became our first president.” Libby and his chums struck a


deal with Maidstone Church In- stitute to play on a spare tennis court next to the Swan Inn tea


gardens. Sixteen of the original members played there until 1921, when theymoved to The Paddock on Loose Road. “In 1928, the tea gardens oppo-


site the Swan Inn became avail- able and the club was able to convert the land to five bowls rinks,with a sixth added in 1931,” said Cindy. “It has been the club’s home


ever since, with the membership increasing from 60 in 1928 to about 100 today.” The club’smilitary founders are part of its DNA, and last month,


as the 2019 bowls season began, Loose marked the opening of its centenary year by bringing the Army back. Gurkhas and the Royal British


Legion joinedmembers for an Ex- hortation ceremony which in- cluded the Last Post, a two-minute silence, Reveille and the raising of the club flag. Club chairman Fred Livermore


said: “Itwas a total success.What we need now is for more people, young and old, to join us and see this club serve our community for another 100 years.”


Maidstone lab’s unwrapped


THE teamfromTV series Food Un- wrapped have turned to the scien- tific skills of a laboratory near Maidstone to gather data for its latest investigation. Presenter Jimmy Doherty visited


Kent Scientific Services at Kings Hill - one of 18 public analyst lab- oratories in England - for its pro- gramme on the nutritional benefits of raw fish. The Channel 4 crew called in


after two weeks in Japan, where sushi features heavily on the menu. The site’s analystswere asked to


investigate Omega 3 fatty acid in raw, cooked and tinned fish, to compare their nutritional benefits. Analytical services manager Jon


Griffin, and his colleague Samantha Keller, were filmed carrying out the tests. He said: “The results were inter-


esting, but are now the property of the programme. The public will have towait until FoodUnwrapped


is broadcast later in the year to find out what was discovered.” The laboratory - part of Kent


County Council’s Public Protection operation - carries out analysis on food, consumer products, such as cleaning materials and cosmetics, and agriculture samples, to ensure theymeet EUandUK standards for safetyandfair tradingpractices.The


toxicology teamtests products such as dust and paint formetal contam- ination and carries out forensic tests for the coroner inthe eventofanun- explained death linked to toxic sub- stances, includingalcoholanddrugs. As an accredited laboratory, the


team also offers analytical services to health and safety officers and oc- cupational health professionals.


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