News


downsmail.co.uk Recreating life in the trenches


AN HISTORIAN who helped to depict graphic war scenes for Hollywood films is to bring his subject to life in a project being staged at the Kent Event Centre at Detling.


Andy Robertshaw, who has worked with Steven Spielberg and Sam Mendes, is to recreate the WWI trenches at the new Cen- tre for Experimental Military Ar- chaeology (CEMA). Mr Roberstshaw has launched


the new facility offering academic study, educational tours and a working film set. A Kent Event Centre spokesman said: "We are de- lighted to be working with Andy and his team to restore the trench systems found on the show- ground."


When the trenches are finished,


work will start on other periods of history including the English Civil War and WWII.


The 200-acre site has been


found to have trenches from WWI as well as other significant eras. It was bombed by the Luftwaffe during the early weeks of the Bat- tle of Britain when 67 personnel were killed and 94 injured. Mr Robertshaw said: “The area


is so rich in history. For example, people driving along the A249 at Detling are actually driving through the airfield.”


He previously worked as mu-


shut for work MAIDSTONE bus station is now closed for refurbishment works. The bus station under The Mall


Historian Andy Robertshaw is working on trenches found in Detling


seum director for the Ministry of Defence, but now provides con- sultation services for films and TV as part of his company, Battlefield Partnerships Ltd.


He said recently: "We discov- ered ways of day-to-day life of the


average frontline soldier that his- torians have often struggled to convey by traditional means – how they ate, how they moved about in the trenches, how they went to the toilet.


"It has become our aim to Picture: Battlefield Partnerships


broaden this style of research – experimental archaeology – to many other periods of history." Mr Robertshaw has consulted


on a number of major box office smash hits including War Horse, Wonder Woman and 1917.


Bus station is Loss of tree ‘premature’ Talks start on


A RESIDENT claims she is “disap- pointed” with the parish council’s handling


of a cherry tree


is scheduled to reopen on June 14. Bus stops have been relocated to Kings Street and the narrow steps between Sainsbury’s and The Mall have been sealed off. Ac- cess via the escalators remain open. Chair of the Economic, Regen- eration and Leisure Committee Cllr Paul Harper said: “There will be some changes while the works are taking place so please bear with us as all bus services will be relocated on to King Street.”


Appeal refused


AN APPEAL to remove a condi- tion for construction and delivery hours for a residential develop- ment of up to 250 dwellings at Hen and Duckhurst Farm, Mar- den Road, Staplehurst, has been dismissed.


26 in


Bearsted. The tree near the pond on The Green was cut down last month with no “advanced re-planting” in place. Val Springett says there were no attempts to plant a new tree before cutting down the old one. She said: “We definitely have a problem here in Bearsted where too many trees are being cut down. The tree was in declining condi- tion, but I do not think it had to be cut down this soon.”


A Bearsted Parish Council spokesman said: “Nobody wants to see a tree cut down but last sum- mer a branch fell from the cherry tree and we had to cordon off the area for emergency works. “We were advised by a local ar- boriculturist that, because of the closeness of the trees, and the fact they had not been maintained for some years, it would be best to re plant a tree once the ground had healed and the stump had been ground down. “We hope to have another tree planted in its place by the end of the year.”


Walk group rambling again


TONBRIDGE and Malling Ramblers hope to re-start walks later this month, once the lockdown starts to be lifted. The group offer a variety of walks, mostly on Sunday mornings, with additional mid-week rambles each month, all around five or six miles long.


Rambling resumes on April 14. Email info@tonbridgeand- mallingramblers.org.uk log on to www.tonbridgeandmallingram- blers.org.uk.


leisure centre SPORT England is becoming in- volved with Maidstone Borough Council (MBC) to improve the town’s leisure centre in the build- up to the end of the Serco con- tract in 2024.


The council has discussed its “Making Maidstone More Ac- tive” campaign with Sport Eng- land, which funds the development of service provi- sion. Council officers will soon start working with the group’s technical team to consider the fu- ture of the leisure centre building. Members of the council’s eco-


nomic regeneration and leisure committee welcomed the progress and prospects, but defended some of the key features of the centre, including the “excellent” pools area and gym. Cllr Fay Gooch (Ind) asked for close liaison with neighbouring Tunbridge Wells Borough Coun- cil, which is currently considering plans for its own leisure centres.


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