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News Water fun at river festival


PARTICIPANTS enjoyed getting wet on the water in Maidstone with the return of the river festival after a three-year break.


Unfortunately, thoseonthe river-


bank got equally wet, falling as it didonthewettestdayof theyear so far.


Organiser David Naghi said: “I


was soakedwithout evengettingon thewater! Inspiteof that,more than 1,500 people turned out to watch the boats, with the biggest crowds for the raft race.” Thewholeof the townlaterheard


the finale of fireworks being set off fromthe top of the town’s Fremlin Walk. In spite of the rain, 60 boats took


part in the event, attended by the Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Marion Ring. Cllr Naghi said: “It’s very com-


plicated to lay on the festival, but I had fantastic help. We certainly wouldn’t be going to all that trou- ble if we didn’t think the vast ma- jority of Maidstone wanted and enjoyed it.” The raft race attracted seven


teams, with the entry fee going to theHeart ofKentHospice atAyles- ford; the team from The Walnut Tree raising several hundred poundsmore for the charity. OtherMaidstone charities toben-


efit from a collection were: The Young Lives Foundation; West Kent


Befriending Service;


Snowflakes, which supports pri- mary school children with mental health problems and The Princess Project for youngmums. Steppinginto fundthe eventwas


WestonHomes – the company be- hind the ‘Springfield tower’ devel- opment,which gave £15,000. Clive


Emson and dozens of other busi- nesses in the town came up with assistance and the rest of the money. David has pledged to organise


the event again next year, on the last Saturday of July, but will be looking for sponsors to help cover the £20,000 cost. He said: “It’s a shameMaidstone Borough Council stopped its sup-


PRIZEWINNERS


Raft prize winners 1st -Maidstone Canoe Club 2nd -West Farleigh Football Club 3rd -One EyedWalnuts (theWal- nut Tree PH) 4th - Arriva 5th - Mario row row row your boat 6th - FC Geestland (The Ger- mans) Joint 7th/8th - The Bacon Butty Brigade (Y and Z teams)


Best dressed raft 1st - Arriva 2nd - One EyedWalnuts


Mostmoney raised for charity The One EyedWalnuts. The total so far raised for Heart of Kent Hospice is £650 and rising.


port of the event threeyears ago, es- peciallywhile the countycouncil, as the majority landowner along the riverside,wasverysupportive. It is, after all, the town’s biggest asset.” SeeMailMarks, page 46


Grass firewarning Gun amnesty success


FIREFIGHTERS arewarning the public to be on their guardas this summer’s blistering tempera- tures leave the county vulnerable to grass and crop fires. Kent Fire and Rescue Service


(KFRS) says rural blazes can quickly escalate into wildfires now that record temperatures have baked the land. In 2018, the county’s fire crews


responded to almost 700 grass- fires.Already this year, they have attendedmore than 400. Leanne McMahon, KFRS’s


group manager for community safety, said the public should think “fire”whether they are out in the countryside or relaxing in their own back gardens. She said: “Wewould like to re-


mind everyone to take extra pre- cautions to keep safe and help us prevent further fires. “Please ensure you always ex-


tinguish smoking materials be- fore disposing of themsafely. “Do not have campfires in the countryside andtake any litter or


32 Maidstone September 2019


rubbish home with you, as re- flective cans and glass can easily start a grass fire in the sun. “Keep barbecues away from


trees, buildings, sheds and shrubs, and always keep a large bucket of water on-hand in case of an emergency. “Use only recognised fire-


lighters or starter fuel for barbe- cues, braziers, fire pits or chimineas, and never leave them unattended. Once you’ve fin- ished with them, ensure they have completely cooled, and neverput the ashes straight into a dustbin orwheelie bin.” Readers who discover a blaze


should move to a safe place and call the fire service on 999 imme- diately,providing asmuchdetail as they can, including the size of fire and the exact location (in- cluding road or property name). Leanne said: “Never attempt to


tackle the fire yourself, as fires can be extremely unpredictable and spread incredibly fast in this heat.”


A TOTAL of 111 weapons were handed in as part of a two-week firearms surrender across Kent. Shotguns, pistols and a deacti-


vated machine gun were among the items submitted, with more than 1,800 rounds of ammunition also given up for destruction. The amnesty ran fromSaturday,


July20 to Sunday,August4.During the surrender period, those handing initemsdidnot faceprosecutionfor illegal possession. A Kent Police spokesman said:


“The firearms handed in included 34 genuine firearms (including one pistol, five revolvers, 26 shotguns and two rifles), 37 air weapons, 13 BB guns, 24 imitation firearms and one deactivated Uzi 9mmsub-ma- chine gun.” Superintendent Mick Gardner of


the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said: “Many of the firearms handed in would have been innocently held without the owner knowing theywere illegal, or long-forgotten family heirlooms such asmilitary antiques. “Criminals are not concerned


with where their weapons come from, as long as they can use them to injure others or cause fear of vio- lence, even if the firearms in ques- tion are replicas or have since been deactivated so they can no longer be fired. “That is why surrenders such as


this are so important, as a firearm in the wrong hands can cause un- told damage. “I would like to thank everyone


who has handed a weapon into us over the past fortnight and helped make our communities even safer than they already are.”


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