search.noResults

search.searching

dataCollection.invalidEmail
note.createNoteMessage

search.noResults

search.searching

orderForm.title

orderForm.productCode
orderForm.description
orderForm.quantity
orderForm.itemPrice
orderForm.price
orderForm.totalPrice
orderForm.deliveryDetails.billingAddress
orderForm.deliveryDetails.deliveryAddress
orderForm.noItems
News


Brenchley for free concerts


THERE is an afternoon of free con- certs in Brenchley Gardens this summer. The concerts will begin at 3pm


and finish at about 4.30pmon June 23, June 30, July 7 and July 14. Guests are invitedto bring apicnic. The first showon June 23will be


performed by Maidstone Youth Music Society (MYMS), a group of young string, woodwind, brass and percussion players aged from 10 to 18. On June 30, the JonHamiltonBig


Bandwill performa range of tunes from the classics to relative un- knowns.Theywill be joinedby vo- calist, Ruth Fahie. OnJuly 7, theBAESystemsBrass


Bandwill play an extensive reper- toire in a wide range of musical styles. On July 14, the Invicta Jazz Or-


chestra, an ensemble of approxi- mately 40 amateurmusicians,will performa variety of styles, ranging from jazz standards and the big band era of the 20s to modern arrangements, such as Michael Jackson’s Thriller.


Support cafe


MENTAL health charity Maid- stone and Mid-Kent Mind is launching a new support service for young people. The Youth Wellbeing Cafe will


provide young peoplewith a safe and welcoming drop-in service from5-7pmonWednesdays. The cafe, at 23 College Road,


Maidstone, is suitable for young people aged between 12 and 17.


Memorial day


LOCAL members of the Royal British Legionwill attend the 79th Battle of Britain memorial day at Capel-le-Ferne, near Folkestone, on Sunday, July 7. The date is the official “start” of


the battle, which raged in the skies over Kent for several months, and remembers the brave pilotswho gave their lives.


Health funds


SERVICES supporting mental health needs have received a fur- ther £136,000 from Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, MatthewScott. Mr Scott announced that a


number of projects which have demonstrated their benefits in previous years are again receiving funding in 2019/20 fromhisMen- tal Health and Policing Fund.


18 Maidstone July 2019


downsmail.co.uk


Astrid aiming to help slum‘untouchables’


AN INVICTA Grammar School pupil plans to raise much- needed cash for slumchildren in India. Astrid Finlay (17), of Leeds,


met staff and pupils of Ashray School whose 120 plus primary school age children live in some of the worst poverty in the Uttar Pradesh state. Ashray aims to give the pupils


the education they need to get them into better-paid jobs and help pull their families out of poverty. Rakesh Saraogi, spokesman


for the Ashray Charitable Trust (ACT), which helps to fund the school, said pupils come from the 3,000 slum-dwellers (the so- called Dalit ‘untouchables’) in Varanasi. He added that most are from


“less than under-privileged” homes, which are mostly shanty shacks and where the principal breadwinner may make £1 or so per day fixing rickshaws or sell- ing fruit. Astrid arranged the school


visit to coincide with a family holiday to Delhi, Agra and Moradabad. She said: “The work Ashray is


doing is truly inspirational, but what shows it is now working is that three of the teachers are for- mer pupils of the school. The dif- ference an education has made to their lives has been truly in- spirational. The school has


Astrid Finlay with pupils of the Ashray School in India’s Uttar Pradesh state and, inset, Rakesh Saraogi


begun to give basic evening classes to the


parents, who are so poorly edu- cated that they can’t read price labels or fill out basic forms.” Astrid hopes to raise funds via


the Invicta’s charitable giving scheme –which can raise £50,000 in a year for multiple charities – or by her own endeavours. Mr Saraogi said: “Donations


are always welcome and we re- ceive no government assistance. If people want to help I’d rather receive 1,000 rupees (approxi-


mately £9) a month than 12,000 rupees in one go.” The school provides uniforms


for the children, but does not feed them. It does, however, pro- vide some basic medical help. School management found


that teaching children the proper use of soap can slash the rate of illness, such as tuberculosis, and infection in slums. Although the concept of an


“untouchable” class in India has been outlawed for decades, the stigma attached to the caste sys- tem remains.


Tears at Invicta year’s early ending


YEAR 13 pupils at Invicta Grammar School were left sobbing in the play- ground after staff brought their Leavers’ Day forward by 24 hours. The students were told at an assembly


on May 15 it would be their last day to- gether before sitting exams. Pupils suspected itwas shifted to head-


off possible pranks after concerns about dangerous stunts a few days previously at Maid- stone Grammar School for Girls. One Invicta pupil said: “Girls have been crying


in the playground. They feel as though they have been denied what is an important day in any pupil's school life. They were scared that some of the girlswere up to something and pulled it." But head teacher Julie Derrick, pictured, said:


“The only tears we saw were ones of happiness and emotion at coming to the end of their school journey.”


One parent declared he would report


the matter to the exam authorities amid claims art and photography A-level stu- dentswere “pulled out” of their exams to attend the assembly. A school spokesman said: “Photogra-


phy and art students attended our cele- bratory assembly in a standard break during their examination. All students


going back into examinations following the as- sembly were checked by staff, and were calmand well. “At Invicta Grammar School, it is our priority to


ensure our students are happy, supported and well-looked after, at all times." Earlier in May, Maidstone Grammar’s head,


Deborah Stanley, pulled the plug on Year 11 proms because she considered a series of last day pranks, notconsidered to be unusual in schools, went too far.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40