News


Time takes its toll on famedMorris troupe


FOR35years,Morrisdancers from Maidstone have been performing to delighted audiences in the bor- ough and abroad. The Kettle Bridge Clogs whose


namederives fromabridgeover the River Medway in Barming, have beena familiar sight atmany aMay time. Rightlyfamedinthe countytown,


theyhave takentheir brandofMor- ris tradition as far afield asCanada, France, Hong Kong, the Nether- lands, Scotland, Turkey and the USA. But sliding numbers have now


caused the Kettle Bridge Clogs to disband. Sadly, it is not the lack of enthusi-


asm for the bells and sticks in the NorthWest style – which involves thewearingofheavywoodenshoes – that has prompted the decision to stop, but a combination if iffy knees and bad backs. Musician Ian Sharp (69), a retired


The Kettle Bridge Clogs group in action


Picture: Ket- tle Bridge Clogs


chartered surveyor, said: “We've all begettingoldtogetherandwe’veall got bad backs and cracking knees. “Wherever we play, people say


how wonderful we are. Unfortu- nately, we can’t get anymore peo- ple. Most of us who are still involved are retired or thereabouts and this isn’t somethingwe can do forever. “Weneedlotsofyoungdancers to join us – that’s the only way we’ll


keep going.” The image of theMorris tradition


was not helped by the “mickey tak- ing” of themedia. Normally, a clog dance requires


eight participants but the group nowhave just sevenmembers. They were due to perform their


final dance inCanterbury on Satur- day September 14, as DownsMail went to press. Visitwww.kettlebridgeclogs.org.


downsmail.co.uk Three arrests


in single day THREE town centre arrests were made onAugust 28 for shoplifting and knife offences. A 43-year-old woman was ar-


rested on suspicion of shoplifting and a 44-year-old man was ar- restedfor handling stolenproperty on Lower Stone Street. Just 15minutes later, officers at-


tended Gabriel’s Hill, where they arrested 19-year-old Jamie Burr on suspicion of a public order offence and possession of a bladed article. All threewere bailedto appear at


a later date. Inn is back to


pulling pints THE Ringlestone Inn is pulling pints and punters once again after fears that the rural pub might never reopen. The famous pub, near Harriet-


sham,was shut last year but is now back in private hands. Behind the bar will be Dalton


Hopper (27) while Paolo Rigolli (28) is head chef. The pair met at catering college.


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