Mike Porter

Parish Council Chairman

Sue Kavanagh

Parish Council Clerk

CALLING ALL LOCAL CLUBS AND ORGANISATIONS

The Parish Council would like to feature items of news and reports from local clubs and organisations in future editions of the Gazette so everyone in Ditton knows all about your club/organisation. You can tell us about your successes, events, membership details etc. Why not nominate a representative to liaise with the Editor.
Contact the parish office on 01732 844749 for further details.
  

PCSO Lia Bishop
07772 226 023

Helping to keep Ditton trouble free

I HAVE continued a high visibility foot patrol in the area to tackle anti-social behaviour. The crime in the area is still very low although graffiti seems to have appeared at some locations, which I am tackling at present.
We have had some 'off road' moto's on the Ditton Quarry and along the footpath that leads to Sainsbury, again this is an issue close to my heart and I am looking at getting the police 'off road' bikes from Coldharbour to help me to catch the offenders.
Pc Matt Roddick has been away training with CID at Tonbridge for the last six weeks and has just returned, although the area in which he will cover has been extended to  other nearby villages.  
We can, however,  welcome Pc Andy Dalton who will be sharing responsibility for the areas with Pc Roddick, so this should not affect Ditton as a whole.
The public (PACT) meeting that was held regarding the new public house in New Road was well attended by local residents and some of the issues raised were solved.
Residents requested that the public house should not be permitted to stay open until 1am.
Currently Shepherd Neame only have a premises licence to open till 11pm each evening, but they intend to appeal for the extended opening hours. In view of residents concerns, Shepherd Neame agreed that  they would now only apply for an extension until 11.30pm each evening, a good result for residents.
Karen, the manager from One-Stop requested that 'off' sales from the new establishment be limited to persons over 21.  Shepherd Neame has agreed to this, another good result.
If necessary there is provision for a follow up meeting to be held at the end of July, after the public house has been open for a few months. 
This will give the opportunity to tackle any issues that may arise during that time. 
Shepherd and Neame Ltd hope to open the new premises by the end of April 2008. I would like to thank all those that attended the meeting, without you this would not have highlighted any problems.   
I would also like to thank George Barnes and his college from Shepherd Neame for taking time out of their busy schedules to attend and answer questions raised by the community. I hope that we can continue to work together to make Ditton a safe place to live.

Don’t fall victim to this deadly killer

YOU CAN’T see it, taste it or smell it, but Carbon Monoxide can kill without warning in just a matter of hours.
CO is a colourless, odourless poisonous gas which is produced by incomplete burning of carbon based fuels, including fuel gas. When CO gets into the body, it prevents the blood from bringing oxygen to cells, tissues and organs.
Every year about 30 people die from carbon monoxide poisoning caused by gas appliances and flues which have not been properly installed or maintained. Many others also suffer ill health. When gas does not burn properly, as with other fuels such as coal, wood or oil, excess CO is produced which is poisonous.
RoSPA strongly advises that you ensure your boiler and flue system are safe and your gas appliances and/or flues are serviced regularly for safety by a CORGI-registered installer.
If you live in tenanted accommodation, your landlord has a legal duty to carry out an annual gas safety check and maintain gas appliances. They must provide you with a copy of the completed gas safety check certificate.
You should always make sure there is enough fresh air in the room containing your gas appliance. If you have a chimney or a flue, ensure it is not blocked up and also ensure that vents are not covered.
RoSPA strongly recommends the use of audible carbon monoxide detectors as a useful back-up precaution but they must not be regarded as a substitute for proper installation and maintenance of gas appliances by a CORGI-registered installer.
Before purchasing a CO alarm, always ensure it complies with British Standard EN 50291 and carries a British or European approval mark, such as a kitemark. CO detectors should be installed, checked and serviced in line with the manufacturer’s instructions.
You can be particularly at risk from CO poisoning when you are asleep because you may not be aware of early CO symptoms until it is too late. Having an audible CO detector could wake you and save your life.

For further information contact:
HSE Gas Safety Advice Line 0800 30036 (Freephone service)
Campaign for Bedsit Rights 020 7505 2135
Carbon Monoxide Support Group (South West) 01278 786488
CO Awareness Email: LynnCoawareness@aol.com
CO Gas Safety 01732 466112 Email: office@co-gassafety.co.uk
National Grid Gas Emergency Line (24 hours) 0800 111999 (Freephone service).

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Get a fire alarm now!

I HAVE kindly been given space in the Ditton Gazette to let you know what the firefighters from Larkfield Fire Station have been up to in the last few months and to pass on any fire safety messages that I feel are relevant.
We have had one serious fire to deal with in Linkway. Thankfully there were no casualties, but it did take 15 personnel and three fire appliances to get it under control.
We believe that this fire was entirely accidental and started as an electrical fault.
Please ensure that if you have any concerns about electrical installations and appliances that you have them checked by a certified electrician.
This fire started at half-two in the afternoon, this may have been a different story if it had started at half-two in the morning.
Apart from this fire the only other things we have had to deal with in Ditton have been a couple of false alarms and a car stuck in the ford between Bradbourne Lane and The Stream.
It appears, on talking to the driver, that this was another one who fell victim to ‘Sat Nav Says’.
Unfortunately when we get mobilised to somebody trapped in water our Control Operators have to send the cavalry, which means you get a fire engine, a Land Rover towing a boat and a car! Procedure, I’m afraid.
The only other incident was a joint exercise with the TA on the London Road which simulated an explosion and fire in the main building leaving a few people injured; this exercise tested the procedures of both the fire service and the Army.
From January 15 to March 9 we ran our Smoke Alarm maintenance campaign, entitled Pull Your Finger Out. It aimed to encourage everyone to, firstly ensure they have a smoke alarm and secondly, to ensure they test it.
Smoke alarms are fantastic devices that have saved countless lives, but it has to be fit for purpose to do this. I would ask that you all test your smoke alarm now and then make it part of your weekly routine. You never know when you will need it.

 
If you haven’t got a smoke alarm, please call Kent Fire & Rescue Service on 0800 923 7000 to arrange a Home Fire Safety Check which will allow us to fit alarms free of charge.

Dean Firmin, Station Commander, Larkfield Fire Station

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Ditton Air Cadets get new minibus

THE smiles show it all as cadets of 2374 (Ditton) Squadron hand over the cheque for their new minibus to Michael Wilkinson of Lifestyle Ford at Tunbridge Wells.
This was the culmination of an intensive fund-raising campaign led by the Squadron’s civilian committee to raise the £16,000 needed.
Successive chairmen have built up funds to ensure that the Squadron could replace the current minibus which was rapidly reaching its sell by date.
A reliable minibus is vital to support the activities of the Squadron to enable staff and cadets to travel to adventurous training areas, sporting events, summer camps, glider flying and air experience flying which all involve traveling long distances, particularly for camps and flying as there are now no Air Cadet Gliding Schools or RAF stations in the county.
Most of the money was raised by the cadets themselves through boot fairs, bag packing and taking part in the North Downs sponsored walk.
Grants were provided by J Sainsbury Plc, Royal Bank of Scotland and the Rotary Club of Maidstone. The minibus sign writing was provided without charge and other equipment fitted at reduced cost by Lifestyle Ford.
The chairman of the Squadron Civilian Committee, Siobhan Duffy, said: “I am grateful for the efforts of our predecessors on the committee, Robin and Margaret Burton, Gary Stead and Tony Hagger who placed the Squadron’s finances on a sound footing to enable us to make this final push.
“The support I received from fellow committee members, the Squadron staff, outside agencies and, above all, the cadets, has been invaluable. I am very proud of the enthusiasm they have shown.”
Although the cadets were focused on raising money for a new minibus they still found time to raise £1,200 for the Aylesford and Malling RAFA Wings Appeal last September and £1,600 for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal last November.

For information on the Squadron, contact Gp Capt Patrick Tootal OBE DL RAF (Ret’d), Hon Squadron President
Email: battleofbritain@btinternet.com

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Chairman 'Westy' making his mark

SINCE becoming chairman of Ditton Minors Football Club back in July 2007, Graham West has certainly made his mark on the club, and in the community.
‘Westy' has taken on the training and co-management of the Under 13s, with Ian Dennison and was involved in the setting up of the Under 8s team with manager Richard Best.
He is already planning for next season's Under 8s, by offering free indoor training at the Community Centre for children in Years 1 & 2, (pictured below), which has seen a good attendance by local boys and girls, and as if that wasn't enough he also manages an Under 15s team.
He is also involved in the planning of this year's 3-day five-a-side tournament and Community Sports/Fun Day, helped with presentations at the club's Christmas party and will be heavily involved with the 40th year re-union celebrations.
When he does find time to relax you will either find him on the golf course, or (pictured top) with his wife, Sandra, at Millwall where he recently took the Under 13s to watch them play Oldham Athletic.

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It’s been a wonderful life

HI, MY NAME is Lilian Ann Brown, known to many as Annie. I am a Ditton-ite having been born in the back bedroom of a house in New Road. My formative years were spent in the Maidstone area but in 1970, as a newlywed, I moved back to Priory Grove with my husband, John.
We raised two children, Becky and Stuart, hopefully successfully (well babies don’t come with a manual, do they).
Although motherhood is rewarding in itself, I wanted something more and was lucky enough to be offered a job as a Tufty Lady. Does anyone remember Tufty and Willy Weasel?
Visiting various playgroups through that job I thought ‘I’d like to be part of that’.
I called into the Ditton Community Playgroup that had been established by the late Helen Atkins in the Oaken Hall shortly after it had been built. When the Carman Room was added later we relocated there.
Helen had Playgroup running through her like Brighton Rock and I was thrilled when she asked me to join her team.
After a while she encouraged me to undertake a PPA one year Foundation Course.
Helen also successfully ran a Mother and Toddler Club one afternoon a week.
Sadly, Helen’s health deteriorated and she asked one of her staff, Carol Knight, if she would take over the Playgroup. In turn, Carol asked me (with Helen’s blessing), to run it with her, which we did for a number of years.
For health reasons I took a couple of years off, helping out occasionally, eventually returning as an assistant.
Carol and her family moved out of the area and Jacquie Gouldson took over, retaining me as part of the furniture. I think she wondered what she’d taken on sometimes.
The Playgroup then became known as St Peter’s and St Paul’s Pre-school.
Jacquie moved on to pastures new and the Pre-school passed into the hands of the present owners, Nikki Bailey and Jackie Dearden.
So, after 27 years of being allowed to act out my life as a permanent child I retired at the end of 2007. I would like to thank all work colleagues, children and parents/guardians for all the fun I have had over the years and for putting up with me.
There have been off days, of course, but that goes with the territory,
However, if I have been of help to any child or parent/guardian during that time, then that is all I hope for.

Ditton Heritage Centre

YOU MAY have noticed that the small building next to the junior school in New Road is looking better. The roof and chimneys are watertight and the guttering is intact. There are new windows and a new front door to accommodate those with disabilities. Inside, there is a new pine floor and there is now some lighting.
So far, the small band of villagers who formed the Ditton Heritage Centre charity have raised over £85,000 to get the building into its present condition but there is still a long way to go. There are no toilets so all fund-raising efforts are now focused on getting these built and installed.
We are trying to raise money, bit by bit, for different parts of this final stage. Kent County Council has given us a small grant to tile the proposed cloakroom. This is no ordinary tiling project. The Junior School children will be involved as well as a ceramic painting artist who will work with the school and the children to create a mural on unglazed tiles, which the children will be able to paint.
Their work will then be glazed and the tiles used on the cloakroom walls as a reminder to them and their families of their time at the Junior School.
Did you know that when the internal roof and ceiling were being renovated, some planks of wood were found in the roof with writing on them? The names of the workmen below were on them:
Carpenters – Charles Walker and Edward Pearce
Bricklayers – John Blundell and Thomas Woodger
Labourers – William May, George May, George Wakefield and John Crayford
Plumbers – Alexander Brooker, Harry Broomfield and Arthur Lambert
In the year of our Lord 1893 and Her Majesty Queen Victoria
Do you know any of these names or know of their families, and have you any information that you could provide to the Heritage Centre?
As we raise funds so we also need to look forward as to how the building will be used. Of course, the committee and the Teachers’ Advisory Group (TAG) have their own ideas, but are they yours?
We would like to provide a Victorian classroom setting so that school children can spend a school day being educated the way Victorian children would have been. They can use the same materials, play some of the games and appreciate some of the discipline, even though the cane will not really be used.
We hope that we can continue to gather materials and artifacts that help to provide interest to local people. We are aware that clubs and groups in Ditton have a history that they might like to share with others, and we want to provide a venue for this.
You may think that there should be more for children and young people, in terms of holiday clubs, or some arts and drama projects involving all generations. We have our ideas but please, please tell us what you want. We would love to hear from you, so do get in touch.

Contact Liz Day on 01732 840937 (email day.liz@btinternet.com) or Tony and Maralyn on 01732 844195.

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Don’t be caught cold by doorstep traders

KENT Trading Standards want to remind people about dealing with property maintenance and improvement cold-callers.
We are aware of a group currently working in the Bearsted area, but given that Spring is approaching we want to remind and warn people about dealing with cold-callers across the county.
Whenever consumers agree to deal with cold-callers to carry out work e.g. driveways, roofing, gardening, and worth over £35 they are entitled to seven days cooling off period. The trader must give cancellation details in writing.
However, these rights are hardly ever offered and in some cases consumers are being asked to waive these rights.
Work often commences immediately, which means that although the consumer certainly still has cancellation rights in law it can prove very difficult in practice to enforce this.
Any paperwork that is given will in all likelihood carry either a false address, or at best a temporary accommodation address, and will not state where the trader is actually based, or who actually runs the business.
Freephone and mobile telephone numbers should be treated with equal scepticism. The trading name may seem impressive, but that is all it is, a trading name, which means nothing.
If a consumer wants to contact the trader after the work has been done to report a problem this can be extremely difficult given that you probably won’t know who you’re really dealing with. Don't rely on any guarantees that the trader may offer.
Though the work may appear satisfactory, there are standards and codes of practice that genuine traders will follow. There is no easy way of knowing whether the work has been done properly by a cold-caller and whether it will last.
Trading Standards advice is not to deal with cold callers offering property maintenance work.
If work has commenced, we would advise you to cancel and seek a genuine business to complete the work. You are not liable for the cost of any work if you cancel within seven days.
Trading Standards can recommend reliable local tradesmen to carry out home and garden work.
Go to www.buywithconfidence.info or via Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.

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Love food, hate waste

Supported by The Kent Waste Partnership

A THIRD of the food we buy in the UK ends up being thrown away. Sad, isn’t it? The Love Food Hate Waste campaign is being run nationally by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) and it aims to combat the 6.7 million tonnes of food being thrown away every year.

 
Research by WRAP shows, on average, consumers waste a third of the food they buy, costing each household up to £400 per year. The majority of food waste ends up in landfill sites where it rots and releases methane, a damaging greenhouse gas. It is also a huge waste of the energy, water and packaging used in its production, transportation and storage. Happily, it doesn't’t have to be this way. The good news is that there are a few quick and easy things we can all do to reduce the amount of food we throw away.

Storage heroes, helping us eat our food as its freshest

 
Your freezer

The greatest hero of them all. There’s not much that can’t be frozen until it’s needed. If you have chicken breasts that you're not planning to eat straight away, they can be cut into strips and frozen, to be defrosted quickly and used in a stir-fry later.

 
Your fridge

Did you know that with the help of our fridges we can magically bring tired vegetables back to life? Soft carrots or cucumbers can be put in water and chilled to give them their bite back. And, along with vegetables, most ripe fruit can be kept in the fridge to make it last longer. But a lot of fridges are too warm, so check that yours is between 1°C and 5°C.

 
Handy tools

There’s a whole heap of ways to make our food stay fresher for longer. Airtight containers work wonders and we can use a variety of clips and re-sealable bags to keep food in opened packets fresh for another day.
Visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com for more ideas and recipes or to add some of your own.

‘Use by’ and ‘best before’

A lot of food is wasted because it has been left to go past its ‘use by’ date. Visit the Food Standards Agency website for information about food dates at food.gov.uk/foodlabelling.

 
Use by

Never eat products after this date, and follow the storage instructions. However, check to see if the food can be frozen if you need to eat it at a later date.

 
Best before

These dates refer to quality rather than food safety. Foods with a ‘best before’ date should be safe to eat after the ‘best before’ date, but they may no longer be at their best. One exception is eggs, Never eat eggs after the ‘best before’ date.

 
Save time and money

A great way of saving time and money is to know what’s in our cupboards, fridges and freezers and to decide what meals to cook before we go shopping. It means we don’t have the hassle of thinking about what to cook every day and ensures we eat our food when It’s at its freshest. A menu planner might help. One can be downloaded from the website at lovefoodhatewaste.com.

 
Delicious meals from nowhere

Store cupboard essentials make it easy to use up leftovers or ingredients that are nearing their ‘use by’ date. Jars of pasta sauce, tinned tomatoes, flour, Worcestershire sauce, pastas and rice are really useful to have around to turn any odds and ends into a tasty meal.

We’re all happier when food gets eaten

The best thing that can happen to food is that it makes it to our plates and is enjoyed, but some food waste is inevitable. Egg shells, banana skins and tea bags are never going to be on the menu.
Home composting is a great way to stop this sort of waste ending up in landfill, and our gardens will really thank us for it.
Your local kerbside food collection service will take away anything you can’t eat or home compost, to be recycled into a good quality soil improver or fertiliser.

You can buy a subsidised home compost bin from www.recycle now.com/compost (tel 0845 0770757) if you would like to make your own compost.

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Keeping quarry tidy

I WOULD like to thank Val and John, Dawn, Tony, Kenia and John, Alisoun and family, Darren, The Cadets, Mike, and Ann and Adrian; the dedicated volunteers that help clear Ditton Quarry of litter on a regular basis.
Volunteers removed almost 30 black sacks of rubbish from the site last year and are keeping up the good work this year.
It is hoped that the site will soon be designated a Local Nature Reserve helping to implement a habitat management plan aimed at preserving and protecting this unique habitat and its wildlife.
Please help us to keep the site enjoyable for everyone and protect plants and animals by taking litter home with you.
People interested in helping with the maintenance of the site should contact the Ditton Parish Council.