Town Talk Newvicar takes up position


A FORMER hairstylist, adminis- trator and mum-of-two has stepped into Snodland’s pulpit following years of hard graft in the spiritual and secular worlds. The Rev Danielle Pearson-


Smith fulfilled her ambition when she was installed at All Saints’ Church on Saturday, June 1. Her elevation as Snodland’s


spiritual keeper follows eight years of intense study and a cu- racy in Welling. Describing her life so far as


“an exciting journey”, she said: “Before ordination, I was a hair- dresser and then an administra- tor at Aylesford Priory, and,most importantly, a mum. “Skills I have learned both in the workplace and in the home


Get rid of your


bulky waste THOSE in Snodland with bulky household items to dispose of can make use of the weekend refuse service. The lorry will call at St Bene-


dict Road, at its junction with Paddlesworth Road, from 8am to 9am, on Saturday, June 15. It will be in Saltings Road, out-


side Neville Park, during the same times, on Saturday, June 22. Those with items to dispose of


are asked to wait with their rub- bish to be collected, otherwise, it will be considered fly-tipping.


are incredibly transferable and essential for parish ministry. “I love to study and, prior to or-


dained ministry training, I stud- ied theology for six years at St Augustine's College of Theology and, after a period of discern- ment continued, did a full time mixedmode course to complete my training. “Thismeant that for two years,


alongside study, I served within a variety of churches for 16 hours a week. “This gave me a broad under-


standing and appreciation for a variety of worship styles and ministries. “I served my curacy at St


John's Church inWelling, where I learned a great deal about what


it means to be part of a church family andminister to and along- side the local community.” Rev Pearson-Smith is married


to Steve, has two daughters, Harriet (18) and Isobel (13), and a dog called Coco. She said: “In my spare time I


enjoy all things creative and look forward to creating lots of mem- ories in the coming years here in Snodland.” She added: “As a family, we


are looking forward to our new life in Snodland as we serve the parish of All Saints’ with Christ Church." Rev Pearson-Smith succeeds


the Rev Hugh Broadbent, who retired in September and now lives in Trottiscliffe.


Litter pickers clean up lake area


THEREwas a good turnout, despite wet and blustery weather, when members of Snodland Town Coun- cil teamed up with the Co-op for a litter pick. The majority of the rubbish col-


lected came fromthe area around the fishing lake, even though there was a rubbish bin very close by. Organiser Debbie King said:


“Fishermenwhowere there helped the litter pickers collect rubbish and make the area more pleasant for everyone. “However, the onus must fall to


all users of the fishing lake to use the bins provided.”


Twin council roles forPaul


PAUL Hickmott has a busy political termahead of himas he takes up his post as the town council chairman, and returns to the borough as a councillor. He was first elected to the


town council in 1980 and, with the exception of a gap be- tween 2007 and 2011, has been a member ever since. He was elected to Ton- bridge and Malling Borough


Council in 1983 until 2007 and re-elected on May 2 this year. On the borough council, his


service included time as chair of the scrutiny committee, member of the personnel sub-committee, vice-chair of area park 3 planning commit- tee and the first cabinetmem- ber for planning. He was also the Labour


group leader and part of the Labour/Liberal Democrat ad-


ministration that ran the bor- ough for eight years. He said: “The highlights for


me were gaining the Investors in People award for the bor- ough, and chairing the area park 3 planning committee when the planning application was passed for Leybourne Lakes Country Park. “The country park had to


wait from the 1970s to be fi- nally agreed."


Local news for Snodland and Halling


A Downs Mail supplement produced in conjunction with the Snodland Chamber of Commerce.


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