Tigers get helping hand from Lions
A Tonbridge gymnastics group has been gifted £500 to help with the expenses of five young rising stars. Liv Hossenbuccus, Amy Rowe, Francesca Arnell, Hector Kinghorn and Bea Henderson, who all train at Tigers Gymnastics Centre, have been selected to represent Great Britain in the European Championships in Israel next month.
The youngsters, who train at the Morley Road club for about 20 hours a week, need help with the cost of their GB Team uniforms and competition leotards, which are highly decorated.
But Tonbridge Lions Club have stepped in to help. The group’s vice president, Richard Hill, presented a cheque to club director Chris Rogers last month.
The acrobatic gymnasts all won medals at the British Championships in Liverpool before being picked for Team GB. from MADM and other charities working tirelessly to support the homeless. Thanks, too, to Maidstone Borough Council which gave £3million for shortterm housing for the homeless and Maidstone Mosque for providing shelter for those in need.
All very commendable but no explanation for the frantic building scheme.
To be fair, the Government dictates that according to objective assessment ‘Maidstone needs to provide 17, 660 dwellings over the plan period 2011 to 2031.’ That’s 883 dwellings a year.
Such decisions would surely be better made by those living in our town.
A rather daunting picture emerges, on the basis of a
“you build em, we’ll fill em” philosophy, homes will continue to be built, people will continue to be attracted to our town. Meanwhile, we will have to contend with overcrowded conditions, loss of green spaces, increased pressure on vital services and, God help us, more cars on the road.
I do hope Maidstone can be a great again, with quality of life, not capacity.
Penny Heath
Tonbridge Road, Maidstone I am horrified to hear 5,000 houses are to be built near A20. This road is already bursting at in 2015, local traffic continues to flow freely and we in Kent can go about our business unimpeded. We must get Brexit done. Further pointless delays will only worsen the current uncertainty and any attempt to block Brexit will do untold damage to trust in our democracy. I am therefore focussed on supporting the PM to get Brexit over the line, so we can return to prioritising the things which matter most to us here in Maidstone and the Weald.