It's a nightmare!

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Bus boss's damning verdict on £2m High Street works by Angela Cole acole@thekmgroup.co.uk MAIDSTONE'S new High Street layout is not safe and could need ripping up and doing again.

This is the damning view of one of the County Town's bus companies, Nu Venture, just weeks before the £2 million scheme is due to be completed.

Norman Kemp, owner of Nu Venture, said he had major safety co

A collage of all musical tastes

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Chris Hunter chunter@thekmgroup.co.uk APPARENTLY he was raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, inhabits a "beautiful universe of lonely planets" and named his latest album following a meeting with a second-hand tattoo salesman in a moonlit graveyard.
But this wandering mystic seemed reasonably at home in Earls, Maidstone, too.
David Migden and his band The Dirty Words were here for the pub's On

Queues to see the new Aldi store

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

MOVE over Sainsbury's, there's a new store in town.

Excited shoppers queued outside the new Aldi store in Well Road to take advantage of opening offers.

The store welcomed customers with balloons and Golden Tickets for the first 100 to step through the door to win prizes such as a notebook computer and a 26in TV.

The 990sqm store has created 15 jobs so far with more staff needed.

Regio

Scholarship dream for pupil in final

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

ONE A-level student could be the envy of all her fellow students if she wins a competition to have her university fees paid for life.
Nina Di Cara, 18, pictured right, a pupil at Maidstone Girls Grammar School in Buckland Road, has reached the final of Cardiff University's Thrive Challenge.
It sees students complete a series of challenges to give them the chance of a lifetime scholarship.

Calls for tougher exam targets

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

GRAMMARS should be given tougher exam targets to hit, according to a Schools Network report that found wide variations in their performance.

A study says pupils should be measured on how many achieve five or more A to A* passes in their GCSEs, rather than at grades A* to C, which is the benchmark for all schools.

It found wide variations in both the intake of grammar schools in different p

Comic carnage is the talk of the town

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

A COMIC featuring near carnage in the town centre has hit the streets.
Stone - The Maidstone Comic has been produced by the Grinning Demon shop in High Street, with help and sponsorship from dozens of local businesses, including High Street regeneration contractors Eurovia.
The artwork, which features the pen of some 50 artists from school pupils to industry giant Dan Abnett, who lives in Pe

Unsuspecting drivers caught out

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

DRIVERS felt the long arm of the law at a roadside check.
About 120 vehicles were stopped by Kent Police Specials in London Road, Allington.
A total of three penalty notices for driving without insurance were given out; one vehicle was seized, whilst two other motorists had to arrange insurance at the roadside.
Five drivers were punished for having no tax.

MP enjoys `enrichment' at school

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

SHE may be used to life in Parliament but Helen Grant still perched on a tiny chair and joined in with lessons when she went back to school for the day.
The Maidstone and the Weald MP joined pupils at Brunswick House Primary School in Leafy Lane, Maidstone, on Friday, where she was guided round the classes by pupils.
She was able to meet new head teacher Wendy Skinner and take part in "enric

Friends step out to help cardiac unit

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

TWO friends are planning to walk 171 miles to Somerset to raise funds for a local hospital's cardiac unit.

Christopher Roots, 22, wants to raise money for Maidstone Hospital in memory of his father Richard.

He will be joined by friend Daniel Hanning, also 22, also of Stanhope, Ashford, on the mammoth trek from Ashford to Shepton Mallet, where his mother Jacqueline lives.

They plan to leav

Best wishes from sunny Down Under

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

by Nick Lillitos nlillitos@thekmgroup.co.uk IT was wet and cloudy here, but an on-screen greeting from a school's first head teacher now living 11,000 miles away brought a ray of sunshine on its 50th anniversary.

It was lovely weather in Sydney, Australia, as 86-year-old Harry Bragg wished everyone well at Bower Grove in Maidstone.

Looking on were the school's current head Trevor

21 years of passing on life skills

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

AN ORGANISATION which helps young children stay safe has celebrated its 21st birthday.

This month marks the significant anniversary of The Safety in Action Maidstone Task Force.

It is drawn together with representatives from several private and charitable organisations.

Over the 21 years, it has deliv ered life skills to around 21,000 children about to leave primary school, by running a

Successful £4.5m bid hits right note

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

EVERY primary school child in the county will soon have the chance to learn a musical instrument after a partnership led by Kent Music won a £4.5m bid.

The successful programme will also provide opportunities for older students to progress their skills.

The Government's `National Plan for Music Education', unveiled last autumn, introduces a new formula allocating funds per pupil with a top-u

No kidding, goats lead way out of poverty

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

CHILDREN in Kerala are enjoying a regular glass of goat's milk, thanks to a project run by a Maidstone-based charity.
Children of Kerala was established by Elaine Craven, the owner of Earl Street Employment in Maidstone in 2005.
It has raised money for a number of projects in India. The latest involves giving families a goat to start the process of helping themselves.
Not only does it

We're all happy to get the Bug!

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

PRIMARY school pupils will soon be catching the Active Bug.

The charity department at the Kent Messenger Group is launching the new green travel scheme which schools will use to reward pupils walking, cycling or using scooters to travel to school.

Active Bug will encourage more families to switch from the school run to a host of greener travel options as well as rewarding schools and familie

Minister backs A21 widening plan

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

PLANS to widen the A21, one of the county's busiest stretches of road, have received a boost.

The government has agreed with Kent County Council to jointly fund a public inquiry into the scheme but says funding will still not be available until 2015.

However, the news will be welcomed by those campaigning for the scheme between Tonbridge and Pembury to be given the go-ahead.

Transport m

Brewery up for Big Quiz challenge

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

KENT brewery Shepherd Neame will again be stocking the charity bar at the KM Big Quiz in Maidstone.

Britain's oldest brewer is sponsoring the event at Kent Event Centre, Detling on Friday, June 22.

Moray Neame said: "We are delighted to continue our involvement with the KM Big Quiz."

The event will be raising money for our sister paper The Kent Messenger's Charity of the Year, The Heart

Rakish and effective

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The Subaru XV's combination of looks and ability along with the promise of enhanced aftersales support are compelling factors in what is a fiercely competitive soft-roader market.
Iain Dooley reports When you've built your brand on the toughness element of your vehicles, adapting to market trends and offering a soft-roader option is always going to be a challenge. The upside is the chance of

Jack's golden double on Olympic Stadium debut

authour@pressmart.com (authour) — Fri, 18 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By Alex Hoad JACK GREEN has set his sights on double medal glory at the London 2012 Olympics after landing his first two golds at the Olympic Stadium.

Green was in good form in his first competition of the season, the British University and College Sports Championships, which formed the London Prepares Olympic Stadium test event last weekend. Green, from Maidstone, stormed to victory in the g

MaidstoneExtraMA

It's a nightmare!

A collage of all musical tastes

Queues to see the new Aldi store

Scholarship dream for pupil in final

Calls for tougher exam targets

Comic carnage is the talk of the town

Unsuspecting drivers caught out

MP enjoys `enrichment' at school

Friends step out to help cardiac unit

Best wishes from sunny Down Under

21 years of passing on life skills

Successful £4.5m bid hits right note

No kidding, goats lead way out of poverty

We're all happy to get the Bug!

Minister backs A21 widening plan

Brewery up for Big Quiz challenge

Rakish and effective

Jack's golden double on Olympic Stadium debut