downsmail.co.uk Cautiously towards the light


THE Prime Minister's announcement about the lifting of restrictions caused by Coronavirus is to be welcomed – but he is right to be cautious.


The return to schools will be a boon for parents wearied by childcare and home- schooling; it is a shot in the arm for businesses big and small, which can now see light at the end of a very long tunnel and, for most, there is a sense of normality returning to a country unnaturally besieged.


Of course, ministers will be mindful of the four tests which must be met before allowing the restrictions to be lifted. There will be consideration to the success of the vaccine roll-out, vaccine effectiveness, hospital pressures and the unpalatable but real prospect of the “known unknown” of new variants emerging.


This has been a tough lockdown. The November shut-down was barely


over when Christmas was suddenly cancelled as infection rates and deaths soared. We suffered the seasonal long nights and short days, many of which were wet, windy and cold. We endured a week of snow, which was pretty for a few days, but the novelty soon wore off. There has been uncertainty over jobs, money worries and pressures on relationships. In short, people are really rather fed up with it all. But it is a testament to the common sense of our residents that things did not spiral into an unimaginable abyss. The vast majority took the precautions asked of them without question or complaint, helped friends and neighbours as best they could and acted legally for the most part. Now, one hopes, there is much to look


forward to. Holidays are being planned with ngers crossed, pub pints planned and gatherings pencilled in – while all


Food hall a risky solution


MAIDSTONE Borough Council’s decision to establish a large food hall restaurant area at the Lockmeadow complex is a tantalising prospect, but it must be planned, presented, publicised and managed very professionally. Normally these halls are set in very high footfall areas – and currently this does not apply to Lockmeadow. So this must be an eating experience that attracts all ages of visitors time and again.


The council is wise to plan other


attractions such as an outside terrace and children’s area and it has its eyes set on the value of the nearby river. This could really open up our river for public enjoyment. It could make Lockmeadow a signicant centre for entertainment and eating out. Failure, however, would be very expensive for the council and the businesses. Joanne Dee, Maidstone


SimonSays SIMON FINLAY Editor simon.nlay@downsmail.co.uk Twitter @Simonnlay6500


praying June 21 really is the end. But should we let the good times roll? No, not really. To get there, we must all play our part.


We must ensure that we take the opportunity to have the vaccine as soon as it is offered. We should ensure that we assist those who cannot get to a vaccination centre. Nor can we drop our guard. Social distancing, hand-sanitising and wearing masks must remain part of our daily routine until the experts tell us otherwise. Paula Wilkins, chief nurse at Kent and


Medway Clinical Commissioning Group, said recently: “It is vitally important to get the vaccine, as we know it prevents serious disease, reduces deaths and will relieve the pressure on the NHS, but unfortunately we don’t yet know if it prevents transmission of the virus. That means people who have been vaccinated could be carrying the virus without having any symptoms and they could pass it on to others.” There you have it. If we don’t continue to observe restrictions, we risk a surge in infections which could delay our release from COVID-19’s grip. Most of all, we cannot put any more precious lives at risk.


A new era for hospice THIS newspaper has had a long,


productive and friendly relationship with Heart of Kent Hospice in Aylesford and it


Focus on getting big names


I READ with dismay about Maidstone Borough Council’s 2019 decision to spend £19m of our money on the Lockmeadow complex. This was done in a secretive way and with little or no consultation with the public or indeed many of the elected members until the deal was largely done. But it is now a council property to be managed in a commercial way, although through nobody’s fault it has been shut for most of that time because of the pandemic. Along with other property acquisitions, MBC perhaps sees itself as being able to partially self-fund in time under a wider vision that is not immediately obvious to those who actually work in the private sector and have to abide by the business law of the jungle.


Businesses do not have an instant on/off tap of public money and cheap borrowing to fall back on. If only.


has been our pleasure and privilege to highlight the wonderful work done there. Its care is wide-ranging and effective and, like all other charities in recent years, it has seen its funding from Government cut quite drastically. These past 12 months have been particularly difficult, having seen its ability to raise funds diminished because of COVID-19. According to the Charity Commission, the hospice needs an income of around £5.4m each year to perform its primary functions, of which it spends almost £5m. One can only assume that gure will have shrunk in its accounting year for April to April 2020- 21.


A couple of weeks ago, its chief executive Sarah Pugh announced she is leaving the hospice to take over the same position at the Whizz-Kidz charity, formerly known as the Movement for Non-Mobile Children, which highlights the needs of wheelchair-bound youngsters. It is a charity of not dissimilar size, but obviously with a different approach and ultimate goal. Having said that, could there be a


better, more suited candidate than Mrs Pugh? Probably not.


Doubtless the same pressures exist on Whizz-Kidz as Heart of Kent Hospice. Mrs Pugh has steered the hospice through some choppy waters with quiet determination, grit and intelligence. She will bring these and all the rest to her new job. We wish her all the very best in what will be a testing, but rewarding chapter in her career. And we will be here to welcome the new chief executive into what has become a much-loved and cherished institution, which allows people to leave this world with dignity and supports those left behind in their darkest hours.


The council has lavished some much- needed TLC on the Lockmeadow building and has done much to keep its anchor tenant, the Odeon chain, in place. But its commercial handling of its “food hall” concept could be pivotal.


It is hoped there will be a queue of local businesses willing to rent kitchen and restaurant space to get punters ocking across the bridge. That’s rather unlikely. Unless they are offered rock-bottom rents and incentives, it is hard to see how or where the businesses or indeed the customers will come from. Some very big names in food have come and gone from Lockmeadow, even prior to the lockdown. Now that nigh on another million pounds of public money is to be lavished on the food hall, perhaps it is time to get some established names into the building, rather than taking on a challenge it may not be able to pull off. P Mason, via email


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