News


downsmail.co.uk £90k race to help Nellie-Rose


LITTLE Nellie-Rose Culleton is in a race against time to raise more than £90,000 to pay for potentially life-saving cancer treatment.


Nellie-Rose (4), of Vinters Park, Maidstone, is being treated for stage four neuroblastoma, a rare disease affecting a handful of British children each year. Her family need to take her to New York for a vaccine, which they hope will prevent the cancer returning, when her current chemotherapy treatment ends in May. Should the illness recur, there is a 90% chance she will succumb. Nellie’s family are hoping an ex- perimental vaccine at the Memo- rial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, in


Manhattan, will boost her


chances of survival, but it comes at a price of £230,000.


Mum Leighann Lynes (28) told the BBC last November: “We have been really lucky with the support,


but lockdown is killing any hope of us being able to reach this money because we can’t fundraise, we can’t do bake sales. “People like to invest in children, they come to meet them and we can’t do that, and a lot of people have lost their jobs.” Leighann received her daugh-


ter’s diagnosis just two days before the nation was plunged into lock- down in March last year. Nellie-Rose had struggled to


walk and doctors believed it was a hip condition, but the cancer diag- nosis was “one of the lowest mo- ments of my whole life”, said Leighann.


She added: “I couldn't believe what was happening to me, it was absolutely devastating.”


Mum and daughter were ini-


tially unable to leave their hospital room but were eventually allowed to go home. Around £90,000 of £182,000 tar- get has been raised so far. The appeal notes state: “Nellie-


Rose is smart, funny and full of life. Her infectious personality brings joy and happiness to everyone around her, and despite all she is going through, she continues to al- ways have a smile on her face. “Nellie-Rose is battling a disease no child should have to. She has high-risk neuroblastoma, an ag- gressive childhood cancer that has a 40-50% chance of long-term sur- vival at diagnosis.”


For details, go to www.solv- ingkidscancer.org.uk/appeal.


Work starting £7k gift to hospital Drug charges


on Lidl store WORK has started to build a new Lidl supermarket in Ditton. The store, based in London Road, is expected to take 10 months to complete and will open in autumn this year. It will in- clude a bakery, toilets and two electric vehicle charging spaces. Lidl’s regional head of prop-


erty, Adam Forsdick, said: “There has been much anticipation for this new Lidl store and it’s great that we are now in a position to start construction. “We would like to thank every-


one for their patience and under- standing while we enter this next phase of the development.”


Cabs for jabs MAIDSTONE taxi firm Express


Cabs is offering free rides to vac- cination centres for teachers and classroom teaching assistants. The offer ends on March 7. To


book a place, email Internal@ex- presscabs.co.uk or call 01622 222222 to find out more.


Speed limit


A TEMPORARY speed limit is in place until August 7 in Marden. A limit of 30mph will remain in Marden Road to enable David Wilson Homes to carry out car- riageway works.


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A FORMER cancer patient has donated new medical equipment to the Kent Oncology Centre at Maidstone Hospital. Stephen Stamp, who was diag- nosed with prostate cancer in early 2020, donated nearly £7,000 to the Cancer Services Fund to purchase a new bladder scanner for the radiology department. The bladder scanner will be used by the team to provide safe and reliable scans for patients undergoing treatment at the trust. The scanner is a key diagnos-


tic device that enables staff to de- termine if a patient is able to pass urine.


Mr Stamp said: “I wanted to


give something back to the trust to thank the staff for my care. I also wanted to provide a dona- tion in memory of my late father, John Stamp, who sadly passed away in 1997 after suffering with prostate cancer.


“My father encouraged me to undergo prostate cancer screen- ing, which meant that my cancer was thankfully detected early.” Katie Goodwin, divisional di- rector of operations for cancer services at Maidstone and Tun- bridge Wells NHS Trust, said: “We are extremely grateful for this donation from Mr Stamp. “The new scanner will make a huge difference to our patients and our staff here at the trust.”


Fay to be next mayor


INDEPENDENT councillor and deputy leader of Maidstone Bor- ough Council Cllr Fay Gooch is to be the next mayor. She will replace Conservative Marion Ring. Cllr Gooch, who became the


“mayor select”, is number two to the Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Martin Cox. Respected Heath ward councillor


Bryan Vizzard will be her deputy and, in line with tradition, will suc- ceed as mayor in 2022/23.


after arrest A SUSPECTED Maidstone drug dealer appeared in court follow- ing his arrest in London. Heroin, electronic scales and two mobile phones were seized after a search at an address in Southwark.


They also recovered a watch and some jewellery, and a man was arrested.


Kai Lewin Cuffy (20) was charged with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, being concerned in the supply of heroin and possession of heroin with in- tent to supply. He was remanded in custody to appear before Medway Magis- trates’ Court on Wednesday, February 24.


Store to open A NEW Sainsbury’s supermarket


is finally set to open on March 24 in Staplehurst after a 10 year wait. The store, in Station Approach, will open its doors to shoppers at 9am. Planning permission was first submitted in 2011, but the com- pany faced long delays due to the recession and COVID-19. Store manager Kwadwo Osei


said: “The whole team looks for- ward to welcoming customers into their fantastic new store. We’re sure customers will love it.”


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