News Archive - 2009 |
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Welcome to the Leeds Village News Archive 2009 page. Here we've put together a collection of the news items and events that happened in the village throughout the year of 2009. We are only a small village, but as you will see from the items reported on, there is a lot going on here - go on have a read. Click on an item in the Scroller on the right, to jump to that particular news item. View the village 'Diary' to see what's coming up in Leeds and the current 'News' page to find out about current events. Can't see the News Scroller? |
Archive Items | |
Kent Young Chef Awards Finals |
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14/12/2009 |
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A Plea From Leeds Amateur Dramatic Society |
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24/09/2009 |
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Do
you play the piano?
£500 Raised for Breast Cancer Care |
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15/12/2009 |
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Leeds Village Design Statement - Update |
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Village Design Statement Report It's not going to stop new buildings and it's certainly not going to solve traffic problems, but a Village Design Statement (VDS) will give Leeds some influence in future developments. This was the message to the 40 or so people who attended the second workshop on how to prepare this planning document. The session on May 9th was led by Phil Turner, from the charity PlanningAid, which aims to encourage ordinary people to get involved in planning matters. He heard presentations given by residents which set out to describe the characteristics of Leeds in terms of buildings, spaces, landscape and boundaries. Cllr Lesley Finlay, a member of the VDS sub-committee, explained, "We're starting off by describing what we have, so for example, in terms of buildings, the predominant style is Georgian, which was a surprise to most people at the meeting. We then need to decide, with as many people as possible, which of these characteristics we would like to carry through in future developments." Chairman of the VDS committee, Kevin Steele said, "Some interesting things came out of the meeting but it would be good to have the views of more people. We will have a stall at the Summer fair at the school on June 14th so this will give residents a chance to give their views on the village."
If you would like to get involved please telephone Lesley Finlay
on 01622 862467 |
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21/05/2009 |
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Leeds Grinds To A Halt - Again! |
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07/09/2009 |
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Leeds Village Sign Unveiled |
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05/10/2009 |
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FL&BC - 2009 Annual Report & Newsletter |
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14/11/2009 |
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September's Notes From Leeds Parish Council |
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24/09/2009 |
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The Great Leeds Book Sale |
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07/11/2009 |
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Ledian Farm Public Consultation Meeting |
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20/10/2009 |
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Parish Plan Update |
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Have you read the Parish Plan? If you read nothing else, please read the 27 recommendations which are in a table towards the back. These recommendations have now been passed to the Parish Council and have become the Village 'To Do' list. To make 'the 27' more manageable, we have divided the tasks into four main areas:
Having put each recommendation under a heading we have ranked them according to how difficult they will be to resolve. The full details should, by now, be on notice boards, and on the website but here is a flavour: Hard: Well, of course you don't need to ask the audience about some of these: a relief road, the possible de-classification of the B2163, more parking and a look at the possibility of a new village hall. Medium: A lot of these depend on the will of residents. Recommendations include putting in planters and hanging baskets around the village, having a mobile shop or farmers' market and organising village activities. Easy: Work is already starting on the easy ones - these include cross-promotion between the village news and the website, publishing castle events in the village news, and to organise an annual meeting between the Parish Council and the Castle so that we can work better together. So what happens next? We now need to get as many people on board as possible to help us. The Parish Plan Committee and the Parish Council will be meeting to add some detail to the strategy, for example, to find out who will lead which group, who at Maidstone Borough Council and Kent County Council can help, and to identify other village residents who are willing to help. A great deal of work went in to the Parish Plan - not least from all of you who took the trouble to answer the questions! But we now need some help! For example, we can all say we would all like to have a village shop - mobile or whatever - but (1) would we use it (really?) and (2) where would it be (thinking about parking!)? There are two further things happening: there will be a Chips and Chat night to get the young people in the village together and also a Community Meeting (probably in March) to explore the possibility of producing a Village Design Statement that can help Leeds Parish influence planning decisions. So how can help in the meantime? You can:
Thank you for reading. There will be more to report next month. Lesley Finlay, Leeds Parish Council |
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01/03/2009 |
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Leeds Village Sign Update |
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Our new village sign is now underway. Leeds Parish Councillor Antonia Graham has now commissioned on behalf of the Parish Council, the help of mosaic artist Oliver Budd to realise the design by Ellie Garrety-Jones, winner of the village competition to design a village sign. Ellie is a resident of Leeds village and attends the local primary school. Under the supervision of Oliver and with the help of Antonia and a group of her school friends, Ellie has been able to complete one side of a double sided mosaic sign during a long but fun day at the school. Audrey Brown, who was born in the village and attended the school over 60 years ago, was also able to help a hand. A second day is planned to complete the other side and it is hoped that the sign will be installed near the playing fields by the summer. |
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13/05/2009 |
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Leeds Youth Group - Speed Ball at Leeds School Summer Fair |
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On Sunday, June 13th we ran a stall at the Leeds school fair called Speed ball (equipment kindly donated for the day by Aitken Sports). We had good fun recording the speeds of goal kicks and awarded prizes to the fastest in four age groups. Funds raised will be donated to the upkeep of the pavilion on Leeds Playing Fields, where we will be hosting our Sunday Sports event with music and BBQ on July 19th. Hope to see you there!
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20/06/2009 |
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This
is our new Leeds Youth Group logo, designed by Sacha Graham.
Leeds Youth Group - Sports Sunday |
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To be honest, the day started off slowly. Three o'clock kick off, we had told people. But as time slowly went past, more and more people seemed to be showing an interest. The Youth Group were so happy because they didn't want to be the only participants in the events! The point of the event was to bring all the various ages within the community together.
We split ourselves into teams, the blue, yellow, red and green and each team made up their own team name. The Bullets (yellow), We Are Not Three (blue), The Dream Team (Green) and The Colchester Zoo Rebels (Red). All the groups were done evenly with varying age groups. There was an egg ‘n' spoon race, an obstacle course you had to complete with a beanbag on your head (very tricky, I may add), a beanbag throw where getting beanbags into different coloured hoops gave you different amount of points, a three legged race (you had to be very tactical) and a hockey-doge-around-the-posts-then-score-in-the-goal race. All the races took five minutes each.
The BBQ which followed was a huge success and the food: 3 Michelin stars! Tea and scones were also enjoyed. After the BBQ the teams were announced. In fourth place……… We Are Not Three!! In third place……… The Bullets!!! In second place…….. The Colchester Zoo Rebels!!!! So taking first place was The Dream Team, the result obviously living up to the name. So well done to The Dream Team. They all received a medal. Next was a huge rounder's match (just for fun) where many great rounder's were scored. After this some more medals were given out. Then the big tug 'o' war match and, I don't think we did find a clear winner because we were just messing about with it and having fun! So, on behalf of the Youth Group I'd just like to say thank you to Antonia Graham and Lesley Finlay for supporting us. Also to the Scouts for the loan of the BBQ, Jon Graham, Mark Harrison and Simon Finlay for cooking the burgers etc, Jason for the loan of the sound system and to Dan Woolvern for working it and being a great DJ. The days verdict: Success. Toby Graham |
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21/07/2009 |
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Kent International Gateway |
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News from Maidstone council Ref: KJ/090706 New KIG information Kent International Gateway has submitted a Supplementary Environmental Statement and Supplemental Non-technical Summary of the Environmental Information, and a revised Design and Access Statement. The scheme's parameter plans have also changed and the scheme has been amended. The KIG public inquiry will start on October 13, 2009 and is expected to last about eight weeks. The latest changes proposed are:
The appellants have advertised the information and the deadline for any further comments to be received by the Maidstone council is August 7, 2009. Parties wishing to make comments should write to Steve Clarke, Principal Planning Officer, Maidstone Borough Council, Maidstone House, King Street, Maidstone, ME15 6JQ, quoting reference number MA/07/2092, or by email to kigcomments@maidstone.gov.uk All comments will be forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate and the appellants and will be taken into account along with any previous comments that have already been forwarded by the council. The documentation is available to view on digitalmaidstone.co.uk and at The Gateway, King Street Maidstone. |
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20/07/2009 |
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Bearsted Choral Society at St Nicholas Church, Leeds |
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HMS Pinafore sails into Leeds - Alias, Bearsted Choral Society Summer Concert, Conducted by Peter Ashley - HMS Pinafore, the very popular light opera by Gilbert & Sullivan - a concert performance. Saturday, 18th July at 7.30pm in St
Nicholas Church, Leeds |
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01/03/2009 |
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Leeds Castle 6th Annual Raft Race |
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13/05/2009 |
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Leeds WI |
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Guided Tour Of The Churches Of Romney Marsh Thursday, 25th June 2009 This tour organised by Leeds WI is open to anyone and will leave from Leeds Church, visiting 2 churches in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. A guide speaker from The Romney Marsh Historic Churches Trust will join the coach for the tour. The coffee and lunch breaks will take place at the Royal Oak, Brookland, lunch being a self-service buffet-style ploughman's. Tea afterwards will be served by Brenzett WI at 4pm. The total cost which includes all refreshments and the services of the guide, is £35.50. This visit is open to everyone but a reservation and payment must be made at the beginning of May. Please ring Sadie Curtis on 01622 861645 to make a booking. |
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02/05/2009 |
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Mums Get A Pampering |
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Mums got a well-earned pamper at a fund-raising evening for Leeds and Broomfield School. The event was organised by Friends of Leeds School Association (FOLSA) and included a cookery demonstration by luxury kitchenware company The Pampered Chef. Beth Hendy sold Party Lite candles while beauty therapist Jenny Diment gave reflexology tasters and facials. Lisa Gordon and Debbie Hewitt gave a talk about Planet Beach, the new beauty spa in Maidstone and mum Sharon Waller painted nails over a glass of wine and chat. FOLSA chairman Lesley Finlay said: 'It was a lovely evening and a relaxing way to raise funds. We made about £60 in total and were able to give the school about £20 worth of Pampered Chef cookery utensils.' |
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24/05/2009 |
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Notes From Leeds Parish Council Meeting |
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Parish Council Meeting - 12th May 2009 Leeds Playing Field - Sad to say that there has been some bother with the pavilion in that a pane of glass has been removed and people climbing inside. Some of the young people have said they might like to get involved in freshening up the pavilion, which is looking a bit worse for wear. Watch this space. A group of schoolchildren have been working with Cllr Antonia Graham and Oliver Budd on the mosaics for the village sign. It will be placed on the edge of the playing field and councillors thought it would be a good idea to have some sort of ceremony to unveil it. Village Website - Our webmaster reported that the site is still being used really well. He encouraged village organisations to send news via the links so that it can be added to the news/diary and club pages. There is now a page for young people – it just needs some content! Police Report - There was no report from the police at this meeting. KIG - Chairman June Harrison represented the village as part of the Joint Parishes Group to express Leeds' support for the efforts to stop this plan. While Maidstone Borough Council has refused the planning application, the process will continue at a Public Inquiry sometime in the autumn. Parking - The Clerk reported that she and Cllr Harrison were making progress on organising a meeting with interested parties to discuss this issue. Councillors agreed that all residents should park responsibly and consider police guidance in previous editions of this magazine. Village Design Statement - The second workshop was held on May 9th and brought in about fifteen residents who contributed well. The Village Design Statement is a report on the characteristics of the village and a guide on how to keep some of these in future developments. You can still help to get involved by calling Cllr Finlay on 01622 862467.
Highways - Morrison's will be
reinstating the verges on Penfold Hill once all the works are
completed. The clerk will be writing to Kent County
Council to request a safe crossing be installed outside the
school. This process is likely to take a while (as these
things do) so watch this space. Finally, some concrete
blocks have been dumped on Forge Lane. These will be
removed. If you see dumped rubbish, you can report it by
phoning 01622 602162 or report it online through the 'Report fly
tipping' link on the borough council's website.
Next Parish Council Meeting will take place on Tuesday June 9th
at 7.30pm. |
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24/05/2009 |
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Report on the Leeds Parish Council Annual Meeting |
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Parish Council Annual Meeting - 12th May 2009 The annual meeting - This is held as a gathering of village groups and to re-elect the parish council. The meeting was chaired by vice-chairman Gill Fort in the absence of the chairman Cllr June Harrison who sent a written report outlining the council's work over the last year. Highlights included, among others, the publication of the Parish Plan and the new picnic benches on the Playing Field. In her report, Cllr Harrison expressed her thanks to Jenny Griffiths, who resigned from the council this year, and to the Parish Clerk, Sherrie Babington, for all her work on the council. Victoria Wallace gave a report on Leeds Castle, which welcomed around 580,000 visitors last year. This year, there would be no concerts, but a performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream in June/July and two nights of fireworks in November, as well as many other events. Mrs Wallace added that the castle is always delighted to help village groups. Robin Gill, for the church, spoke about his pleasure in seeing village groups making links with each other. He talked of a fun 'away day' at the castle, and how the church existed to serve the community. He talked of Cafe in the Porch, Thursday's popular meeting of mums (and dads) and their children, and Nigel Fry's weekly visits to the school. Robin also expressed his thanks to Norman Dabbs for his hard work and efforts in the parish. Jack White gave a report on behalf of the Royal British Legion. He said last year's Poppy Appeal had raised £16,000 – a mighty sum that they were aiming to beat this year. He appealed for volunteers to help with collections – Mr White's phone number is 01622 861430 if you would like to put your name down. The group organises many fund-raising events and you don't have to be an ex-serviceman or woman to join the group. Alan James, who runs the village website, asked for groups to submit their news so that he can include everyone in this increasingly popular forum. Cllr Peter Parvin, Leeds' borough councillor, reported on a busy year for Maidstone. He said that the finances were sound – 'we hadn't invested in a bank in a cold country' he joked, referring to public authority investments in the Icelandic Bank. Cllr Parvin said that the council was continuing to run the Park and Ride scheme. He offered his continued support to the parish in this, his mayoral year. Steve McGill, from Leeds and Broomfield C of E School, submitted a written report, outlining successes this year. The school had been praised by Ofsted for its approach and improvements in the teaching of numeracy. The five-a-side football team had won the Lenham Tournament – a massive achievement for a small school.
The Friends of Leeds and Broomfield Churches submitted a written
report about the fund-raising events that raise money to
maintain the two churches of St Nicholas and St Margaret's at
Broomfield. Cllr June Harrison and Cllr Gill Fort were re-elected as chairman and vice-chairman respectively. |
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24/05/2009 |
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Chips 'n' Chat - Update |
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We welcome all young people aged 11-18 to join us at our next "Chips 'n' Chat" meeting on the 24th April at 6.30pm in Leeds School Hall. It’s a great way to get your voice heard and the chips aren’t half bad either!
Our thanks to The George pub for supplying us with
delicious chips at our last meeting.
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03/04/2009 |
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Following
the successful Chips 'n' Chat night on the 20th March, held for
young people in the village, a few issues were identified.
We have now set up a new page on this website for the youth of
Leeds and now want your input - 
Books For Schools Tokens - Your Help Wanted |
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Your village school is collecting the
Books For Schools tokens Visit
www.freebooksforschools.co.uk |
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03/01/2009 |
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Calling
Times and
Charity Football Match Raises £1840 for Kent Air Ambulance |
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The annual charity event for 2008 was in aid of the Kent Air Ambulance and raised a staggering £1840! Griffos Wanderers won this time and support came from all quarters. Played on the flatter pitch at Langley, the Allstars from the George Pub Team played a good match and language was extremely tempered too - was that because Maidstone Mayor Denise Joy attended we wonder! Later, back at the pub there was a head shave by one of the players who found it probably wasn't the right season for head exposure - but hey it was for charity.... A small amount of sponsorship money is still due to come in as some players chose to sponsor themselves and they also paid £10 each to play - the rest of the cash came from collections and donations from our generous local community (with one particular cheque for £1000 from a shy resident of Leeds). |
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20/01/2009 |
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Leeds Village Design Statement |
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02/05/2009 |
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Leeds Village Design Statement |
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25/04/2009 |
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Leeds Village Design Statement |
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18/04/2009 |
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Leeds Village Design Statement |
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11/04/2009 |
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Leeds Village Design Statement |
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04/04/2009 |
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Leeds Youth - Chips and Chat Evening |
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03/04/2009 |
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News From Leeds Parish Council |
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Leeds Playing Field - There has been lots going on in the field – and not all of it good, I’m afraid. The football pitches were ground up at the beginning of March by someone driving a car/go-kart around it. They were still playable but it is sad that this happened. The police are investigating. On a more positive note, a barrier is now in place and this should stop such incidents in the future. It has been good to see people enjoying the field now that the weather has turned brighter. We are asking Maidstone Borough Council for two bins - one at each entrance. Please can everyone ensure that they take away their litter and also encourage their children to do so. As part of our ‘to do’ list from the Parish Plan, we are in the process of applying for grants for play equipment – maybe a basketball net and goal post. We will keep you posted on progress. Village Sign - We will be starting work on the new village sign, which will be created by Leeds and Broomfield school children with the help of artist Oliver Budd. The sign is likely to be placed near the playing field. Police Report - Two crimes were reported between Feb 9th and March 10th. They were the theft on Kent peg tiles from a property in Lower Street and the attempted theft from a motor vehicle. Police are also investigating after a car drove into a garden in Lower Street. Lee Tallen will be joining the police team in about nine weeks time. Traffic Calming - The Parish Council is very restricted in what we can do but there are some options – like barriers, Speedwatch and speed bumps. Please let us know your thoughts. The Chairman and Clerk of the Parish council are meeting the Highways Department this month to talk about issues and solutions. KIG - Watch out for details of the Maidstone Borough Council planning meeting which is likely to take place at the end of the month. If you can attend please do so as the more people seen to oppose, the stronger our case. Parking - Police are issuing information leaflets to clarify parking regulations following representations at recent parish council meetings from residents in Forge Lane and Wykeham Grove. Highways - The Clerk is writing to Morrison’s, who laid the gas pipes last year, requesting they repair the grass banks and verges on both sides of the bridge. The next Parish Council Meeting will take place on Tuesday, 14th April at 7.30pm in the Village Hall. |
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28/03/2009 |
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Leeds & Broomfield Amateur Gardeners Society - Update |
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We hope you have survived the snow, rain and freezing weather. It will be interesting to see which of our more fragile plants have managed to survive. A reminder that if you are growing seeds we are hoping to have a Plant and Produce Sale in April and so could you put a few more in please. More about this later. Subscriptions for the year are due. Our Annual Show this year is on Saturday 8 August and as the Show has a lot of overheads it was decided to increase the entry fees to 20p - the first increase since the Garden Society was formed over twenty years ago. Hopefully when you read this the weather will have improved. |
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01/03/2009 |
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Friends of Leeds & Broomfield Churches - Update |
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Welcome to any New Members - The Friends of the Churches raise money by subscriptions and fund raising events to help to keep the fabric of the churches in Leeds & Broomfield in good condition for the future. We desperately need new members. It costs £6.00 per annum per person - though many people give more. If you would like to help us in keeping these ancient buildings in good repair - please contact me, June Harrison, on 01622 861792 and I will send you the relevant form for your membership. Very many thanks. Donations to Broomfield Church - The Friends have recently made donations as follows to Broomfield church: £1415 to cover the cost of repairing several broken windows & £460 to cover the cost of repairs to the guttering. Donations to Leeds Church - Donations have also been pledged to Leeds church towards the cost of fire safety measures which have to be made shortly. More details soon.
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01/03/2009 |
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Reminder
to Members - Subscriptions were due on 1 January 2009. If you do
not pay by Direct Debit please can you send your subscription to June Harrison,
Arnold Yoke, Back Street, Leeds, Maidstone ME17 1TF as soon as possible. 
News From Leeds Parish Council |
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Leeds Playing Field - The Kent Messenger Group is offering to plant a tree in all parishes to celebrate its 150th Anniversary. We will be accepting the offer and suggest that a beech, which could possibly be planted on the playing field. Police Report - Sadly, Dave Reynolds, the new community policeman, has taken another job in the force. Any enquiries for the police should be directed to the Maidstone Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team on 01622 604392. Three crimes were reported in the village in January - a telegraph pole was damaged by fire, a trailer was taken from a site in Burberry Lane and a car was stolen from The George car park. Power Cuts - The Parish Council will be writing to EDF regarding the number of power cuts in the village. One resident reported eight power cuts since December. A spokesman for EDF said it is not the fuse or overhead cables, but the problem may be underground. The Parish council will be expressing its dismay at the lack of an acceptable explanation or action. We will report back next month, hopefully. KIG - The second consultation period ended on February 6th. The next step is a planning meeting - keep an eye out here, and in the local press, for details. Parking - This subject continues to rear its head at meetings and is now under discussion on the website Message Board. We know it is a thorny issue and hope to be able to resolve some of the problems through our work on the Parish Plan recommendations. Notice board - A new notice board has been put up outside the village hall. Other news - It is with great regret that we report the resignation of Cllr Jenny Griffiths from Leeds Parish Council. We would like to put on record our thanks for her help and enthusiasm for village projects. She will be missed. Advertisements for the position will be posted on the parish notice boards. The next Parish Council Meeting will take place on Tuesday, 10th March at 7.30pm. |
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01/03/2009 |
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Kent International Gateway (KIG) Public Consultation |
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The consultation period runs from 9th January 2009 until 6th February 2009. It is vital that people get their objections into the Council within this 21 day time frame. Even if you have made your objections before please confirm them again with Maidstone Council. Click on the links below to find out more information on the proposal.
Maidstone Borough Council's KIG page
Representations should be sent in writing to:
Steve Clarke, Maidstone House, King Street,
Maidstone, Kent, ME15 6JQ |
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DEADLINE TO RESPOND IS 6TH FEBRUARY 2009 |
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09/01/2009 |
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The
planning application for the Kent International Gateway has
entered a further public consultation period following the
submission of additional details to Maidstone Borough Council.
Leeds Community Responders Scheme |
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On the 29th January, Leeds Castle hosted the launch of a new group of Community Responders. This launch was covered by Meridian News and several of the local press. The Leeds scheme covers a radius of a few miles around the village, including other villages such as Broomfleld, Kingswood, Ulcombe, Harrietsham, Hollingbourne, Broad Street, Eyhorne Street, Langley, Warmlake, Sutton Valence, Otham, Downswood and Hucking. Other teams cover neighbouring villages. First Responders are not a substitute for regular ambulance crews. They are simply there to support them by arriving quickly at the scene of an incident and taking whatever immediate action is needed. This is particularly important following cardiac arrest, heart attack and for patients who are unconscious or suffering any other form of life threatening illness or injury. First Responders are all volunteers. They receive no payment for their work or any expenses. All equipment is provided by the teams fund raising efforts or the Ambulance Service. The Leeds scheme urgently needs to raise funds to enhance their level of service and ensure the early treatment of patients. Below is a list of equipment which is needed. As you can see, even a donation of £5 will help the team treat the members of our villages:
To donate or to find out how to join our
team (full training given). |
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01/03/2009 |
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