News


downsmail.co.uk Land boost for Stones’ stadium


THE Stones have secured a strip of land by the borough council that paves theway for a brand newseated stand at theirMaidstone ground.


Following talks, the council re-


leasedthe stripof land–measuring 2.5mwide by 100m– toMaidstone United, to allow fans in future to enter thegroundfromthe riverside. The landtransfermeans the foot-


ball club can develop thewest side of its Gallagher Stadium, with a seated stand for 650. The project, together with the


subsequent south stand redevelop- ment, would represent an invest- ment of £800,000. The Stones, since returning to


Maidstone in 2012, have taken a strongcommunityrole, establishing youth teams, and attracting more than 3,000 fans on high- profilematch days. Oliver Ash, the club’s joint


owner, said: “This is only a small strip of land, but acquiring it is a giant step for the club. Its purchase will enable an exciting stadiumde- velopment programme, based on


Doorstep scam


alert for town RESIDENTS in Maidstone have been urged to be vigilant follow- ing reports of a scam for cash in- volving a woman who claims to be in distress. Detectives are investigating


four separate incidents in Head- corn and Tonbridge where well- meaning members of the public have been approached and duped into handing overmoney. Between June 1 and June 3, a


number of incidents were re- ported inHeadcorn,wheremem- bers of


the public were


approached by awoman claiming she needed to pay for a locksmith, either because she had been locked out of her car or due to her bank cards being stolen. On two of these occasions, pen-


sioners were targeted and per- suaded to partwithmoney. District Commander, Chief In-


spector Mark Hedges said: “The suspect appears to be targeting elderly and vulnerable people and we believe this is the same woman on each occasion. If some- one approaches you in the street or at your door asking formoney, don’t be tricked into partingwith any cash. “Take down their details and a description and call 101.”


26 Maidstone East July 2019 Dancers bring tour to theatre


AN AWARD-winning Irish dancing event is coming to aMaidstone the- atre to celebrate the show’s 20th anniversary. The Rhythm of the Dance show,


which took place at the Hazlitt The- atre on on June 19. The audience enjoyed a two-hour


dance andmusic celebrationfeatur- ing world champion dancers and traditional Irish band and singers. Choreographer Dane McKiernan


said: “I love to watch the audience reaction throughout the show, es- pecially after the opening scene, be- cause for the first time you get to see if they are going to be a vocal or reserved crowd. “Theworldtourwe just completed


had standing ovations after every single show, and that’s just the best feeling after performing for two hours. When the audience are en- joying the show, it definitely lifts the


castonstage toperformat thehigh- est level. It’s all about creating that energy every night.” Producer Kieran Cavanagh said:


“Back in 1998 I got a call from the head ofmusic at Ireland’sNational TV and Radio channels RTE asked me to put a dance troupe together. The tour was such a success and nowherewe are all those years later still touring the world for 40 weeks of the year every year.”


Call forwitnesses tomotorbike accident


POLICE are appealing for wit- nesses after a serious collision. The incident took place on the


M20 at about 2pm on Tuesday, May 21, on the slip road for Aylesford from the Maidstone- bound carriageway. It involved a black Yamahamotorcycle which hit a chalk bank.


The 19-year-old rider, fromthe


Maidstone area,was taken by air ambulance to a London hospital, where he remains in a serious condition. Officers are working to estab-


lish the circumstances of the col- lision and are urging anyone who saw the motorcycle in the


moments leading up to the inci- dent, or who has dash cam footage fromthe area around the time, to contact them. Anyone who can help should


call the appeal line on 01622 798 538 quoting SM/DJ/58/19, or they can email sciu.td@kent.pnn.po- lice.uk.


amaster plan for a stadiumwith a capacity of 6,000, with 2,000 seats.” However,hemade cleardevelop-


ment would only come as finance and league requirements allowed. Aspartof thedeal,whichtookover a year to formalise,Maidstone Bor-


He said: “This is the culmination


The acquisition of a strip of land on the river side of the stadiumwill enable The Stones to develop the west side of the Gallagher stadium


ough Council will back the Stones Community Trust work with the homeless, youngsters and disad- vantaged and disabled children. Matthew Boughton, ward coun-


cillor for the areauntilMay,was in- volvedinassistingthe landtransfer deal.


of a lotofwork, soI’mdelightedwe endeduphere.The relationshipbe- tween the club and the council seems tobe asgoodas ithasbeenin decades. “I see this asmybest achievement


and the one I’mmost pleasedwith duringmy time onMBC.” MrBoughtonrepresentedFant at


the borough council and currently works as a parlaimentary aide to Tonbridge and Malling MP Tom Tugendhat, The Stones suffered the humilia-


tion of relegation fromthe national League - the highest tier of English non-league football - after a season a of poor performances and several mangerial changes. In September last year, the popu-


larmanager Jay Saunderswas fired after an indifferent start to the 2018/19 campaign.


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