Visit the Parish website at - www.bandkpc.kentparishes.gov.ukPublished by Broomfield & Kingswood Parish Council

It will soon be Christmas and at the Coffee Shop that means a busy morning for ourDecember opening with marvellous meats, various vegetables, gorgeous jams, creativecrafts, celebratory cards, beautiful bags, super stocking-fillers and perfect plants. Add tothis the Big Breakfasts, sausage sandwiches, bacon baps, toasted teacakes, deliciousdelicacies and copious coffee and tea on tap.

In fact all this happens on the first Saturday of every month from 10am-12 noon at theVillage Hall and all profits go towards Hall funds to improve facilities for everyone in thevillage.

The big Christmas difference is all these festivities take place within the shade of ourbeautiful Christmas tree as we are entertained by our own Village Choir.

The Village Choir(Kingswood Community Singers)

There never seems to be enough time todo everything when the thought ofChristmas is in the air. The time flies onMonday nights when, we, the Choir cometogether to practise. Especially as thisyear we are giving 2 small performancesin the village. On Saturday the 28th.November we will be taking part in theVillage Hall Christmas Tree switch on.This will be a chance for the whole villageto get together and join in a few of ourfavourite carols. All washed down withseasonal refreshments.The following week, Saturday 5th.December, will see us at the Village HallCoffee Morning, singing a few festivesongs, like White Christmas. Anotherchance for audience participation. TheChoir meets at the Kingswood School onevery 1st.3rd. & 4th. Monday in term timeat 7pm. We do not take ourselves tooseriously and welcome anyone whowould like to join us. Why not make ityour New Year’s Resolution?

ALL TOGETHER NOW!

It seems too early to be thinkingabout Christmas as the children haveonly recently returned to school fromtheir Half-Term holidays. The seasonof Autumn, which has been longerthis year with the warmer weather, isa very beautiful one as the leavesturn colour from green to a wonderfulshade of brown and orange. We havealso witnessed the harvest moonshining so brightly that we didn’t evenneed a torch.

During our Harvest service this yearwe received more gifts than ever andthese were donated to MaidstoneChristian Care. Our service wasfollowed by a Harvest lunch whichwas enjoyed by all and many thanksto the ladies for such a wonderfulmeal. We are very blessed in thiscountry to have the seasons while inthe holy land, where Jesus was born,it was pretty much hot all the yearround.

This year has been sadly marked bythe loss of a number of Churchmembers and since the last magazine

we have heard of the passing away ofJim Shaw and Jim Harris. Ourthoughts and prayers are with Marieand Sue and their families at thistime. We have also planted a ‘MarieRose’ in the garden near the entranceto the Village Hall in memory of MaryPoulton. Such passing of loved onesreminds us not to take anything forgranted except for the love of Godwho promises to be with us with us inall circumstances.

In the funeral service we read fromRomans that ‘Neither death nor life,neither angels nor demons, neitherthe present nor the future, nor anypowers, neither height nor depth,neither anything else in all creation,will be able to separate us from thelove of God that is in Christ Jesus ourLord’. Also that ‘The steadfast love ofthe Lord never ceases, his merciesnever come to an end; they are newevery morning; great is hisfaithfulness’. Let us hold on to thesewords of comfort from the Bible as weremember this Christmas,‘Emmanuel’, God with us.

During the season of Advent we lookforward to the coming of Christ., thelight of the world. Please join us in theVillage Hall for our ChristmasServices which this year includeChristngle at 6pm on Sunday 13December, led by ArchdeaconStephen, and the Nativity Service onSunday 20 December at 11am, bothfollowed by festive refreshments. OurChristmas Day Family Service is at10:30am where the children show ustheir presents they have received.

You are also most welcome to join usat any of our services which are heldin the village hall every Sunday at11am except the first Sunday in themonth when we hold our CafeService at 10:45am with refreshmentsbefore at 10:30am.

May I wish you on behalf of theChurch a very Happy Christmas andNew Year.

Peter RobertsKingswood Chuch

KINGSWOOD CHURCH

We meet at the village hall every Tuesday afternoon from 1:45pmto 4pm to play the ancient game of Whist. (Some of the playersare pretty ancient too.....) We regularly attract 16+ players, but weare always keen to meet new players. Experience is notnecessary, so please come along and join in! Tea and cakes areserved halfway through the afternoon, so there is plenty of timefor eating, drinking and chat! Small prizes are given to the highand low scores at the end of the session.

A small charge of £2 is all it takes for you to join, and if you needmore information, then please ring

Thank YouMarie Shaw & family would very much like to express theirgrateful thanks and appreciation to all of those who attendedthe funeral service at St. Margaret's Parish Church, Broomfieldand/or the committal at Charing Crematorium on Monday 24thAugust for her dear husband of 68 years, Jim, who passedaway on 3rd August.Also thanks are due to Beryl for the floral table decorations atthe reception in the Village Hall and to those who have madecharitable donations in lieu of flowers.Especial thanks are also particularly due to Peter & SonyaRoberts for their kindness, assistance and support, not only inthe immediate period leading up to his funeral but in theeighteen months prior to his passing, during which they kindlyand regularly brought the Kingswood Church to him.

Bryan Shaw

SpeedwatchThe Parish Council has joined Ulcombe in bidding for a grant for Speedwatch equipment so that volunteers can betrained to monitor the speed of traffic around our parish in the hope of acting as a deterrent to some drivers whopersist in driving at excessive speeds around our parish. We await the outcome of the application, but in themeanwhile please consider if you would be able to volunteer a couple of hours occasionally to help.

As another initiative towards encouraging drivers to consider the speed limit you will find inside this edition asticker, please place the sticker on a bin or gate post, anywhere visible to road users to encourage them to

consider the speed they are driving at, even in Broomfield Road and Gravelly Bottom Road.Leeds/Langley Relief Road PetitionWith all the development happening around our parish the call for a Leeds/Langley relief road has raised its headagain. The increase of traffic from just the development along the Sutton Road could seriously impact our small ruralroads as there is an expectation of an increase of journey time by 40%, therefore the use of our roads as rat runsbecomes of greater concern.SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAThttps://democracy.kent.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspxPlease consider signing the E-Petition at the above address to campaign for Maidstone Borough Council to considerthe core infrastructure before continuing with their extensive re-building programme.Neighbourhood PlanThe MBC public consultation will conclude in the middle of December the plan will then go before an independentinspector thereafter. It is hoped that the referendum will take place at the beginning of next year.Sports FieldThe additional toddler play equipment has now been installed and the feedback has been very positive, so I am verysad to report that it has already been vandalised. We are still having problems with youths using the field as adrinking and smoking ‘den’ and leaving all their rubbish behind. The police are aware of these problems and arechecking out the sports field regularly. The damage this year alone has cost several hundreds of pounds.As a result of these problems the parish council has had to decide to install CCTV and any evidence that isforthcoming from the use of the cameras will result in prosecution.Permissive Footpath to Sports FieldAs you are reading this article I am anticipating that the agreement with the landowner will have been signed so thatthe work on creating a more readily accessible footpath to the sports field will be about to start.Pre-schoolI am also anticipating that the agreement with the Village Hall will have been formalised with the Pre-school so thatthey can operate 5 mornings a week, in line with government requirements. Please support the pre-school and makeit a first choice when choosing your children’s pre-school needs, it really is a case of ‘use it or lose it’.Drop InCouncillors’ thanks go to the participants of the Drop In for understanding the needs of the pre-school and agreeing tomove to a lunch time club.Pensioners Outing 2016By popular demand our trip next year is returning to the Brick Lane Theatre. The date for your diary is Tuesday 5th

July, 2016. If you would like to reserve a place please email me at the above address, bookings will be confirmed anddeposits taken at a date to be arranged in the New Year. (Watch out for the posters on the notice boards) I have onlybeen able to book 37 seats at this time so it will be on a first come first serve basis.Good Citizens of the YearThere are so many people who give so much to our parish voluntarily; so at the end of 2015 it is time to acknowledgethe difference that they make. Whilst I do not know all the names or all the good deeds I do know of some of theparishioners that are endlessly clearing the sports field of rubbish (worse this year than I have ever known before)including broken glass and dog mess, thank you John and Mike. Also our incredible Val, whose commitment to thevillage hall makes it the best that it can be and to Anne the editor of our Parish News who also spends hours creatingthis valuable resource for our parish, thank you everyone.It is also an opportunity to thank my councillors, who make my job a joy and who work so hard (you will never knowjust how much time they commit for the benefit of the parish) for all of you reading this.

And finally……………..As always please contact anyone from the parish council if you have anything you wish to discuss, and please feel freeto join us at any of the parish council meetings which are always open to the public, agendas are displayed on thenotice boards and on our new improved website.

bandk.pc@btconnect.com 843741

Having joined Kingswood Primary School in September, I have been made to feel very welcome by the pupils, staff andparents. The children are a credit to the community and across the school on a daily basis our key values of honesty, respect,enjoyment, fairness, collaboration and success come shining through.Although I have only been here a couple of months I have observed many positive changes and developments and lookforward to many more in the future.What’s Been Happening at Kingswood Primary School?We welcomed 16 children to Year R in September. The School Council representatives attended a Pupil Conference day atSutton Valence Primary in September.

We raised £76 at our MacMillan Cake sale and £105 for Slideaway (an organisation that helps bereaved youngpeople get back on their feet) when the children came into school wearing their silliest socks!

Birch & Oak class had Basketball coaching and the children continue to learn the Recorder. We entered the cross countryleague for Maidstone Primary Schools. We held our first Open Morning of the year last term – we have two more planned(see further on in the article for more details). The Year 6 children have been trained as playground mediators again this yearand some of our Year 6 children took part in a Maths competition at Oakwood Park Grammar School.We held an Enrichment Day in October to coincide with National Poetry Day and parents were invited into a celebrationassembly at the end of the day to see what the children had achieved during the day.Year 6 visited the Otterden estate, near Faversham where they took part in a woodland session for schools where thechildren learned some important skills as well as how to stay safe in the countryside.Some of our Year 6 children took all the donations received at our Harvest Assembly to the Heart of Kent Hospice inAylesford.Events during Term 2We will be holding a cake sale for Children in Need day. Year 1 children took part in a Multi Skills event at St Augustine’sAcademy.The Friends of Kingswood School (FOKS) are busy organising the Christmas Fair to be held on Friday 27th November from 3.00-5.00pm.We have two more Open Days planned for 17th November (1.15pm) and 6th January (9.30am). Do come along if you can – noneed to make an appointment, just turn up on the day.The children are taking part in an Anti-Bullying Workshop. Later on in the term, our caterers are coming in to present a FoodWorkshop to the children.We continue to offer guitar lessons to the children and other extra-curricular clubs including Magical Maths, Sewing Club,Library Club, Football, Indoor Athletics, ICT, Science, Singing Club and Crusaders.Christmas PerformanceChestnut, Rowan and Maple classes will put on a Christmas production on 15th and 16th December. Birch and Oak classes willhost a ‘Carol Concert’ on the evening of 17th December.

Christmas Fair – Friday 27th NovemberOur Christmas Fair, organised by FOKS, will be held from 3.00-5.00pm. There will be lots of children’s activities and plenty ofstalls including a fantastic hamper raffle, bottle tombola, chocolate & toy tombola, Santa’s Grotto, cake stall, refreshmentsincluding mulled wine and Christmas beer, so please join us for some Festive Fun!

Storytime for Pre-School ChildrenIf you have a child aged between 3 and 5 years, and would like to visit our school for a story with our youngest children, wewould be delighted to see you on a Thursday from 2.45pm-3.05pm. No need to book – just turn up on the day.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!Darren Waters Head of School

KINGSWOOD SCHOOL

LEEDS & KINGSWOOD SCOUT GROUP100 CLUB PLUS - JOIN OUR 100 CLUB

£12 for 12 months4 Prizes per Month

Call 843019 for your Lucky Draw NumberAll Proceeds towards Club Funds

How time flies! When I last wrote Imentioned how we were justpreparing for Halloween and yetthat seems almost a distantmemory, even if it was only a fewweeks ago. Thankfully, the half-term week, coinciding withHalloween, saw many thousandsof visitors to Leeds Castle, themajority of our younger visitorsdressed as witches and wizards, orjust possibly as a princess! They allenjoyed the ‘spooky’ trailsthroughout the estate, and manylearnt to fly on a broomstick, ormake a potion, or learn a fewspells at the Leeds CastleAcademy for Witches andWizards. The whole event was areal success, despite some rain inthe middle of the week and greyskies.The next big event was theFireworks Spectacular, andspectacular it was. Over twonights, 14,000 visitors saw the mostamazing display set to the musicof the big screen, while alsohaving the opportunity to enjoyvarious bands and the funfair onthe upper lawns. The weather wasunkind to us as, while the actualdisplays were never disrupted, therain left our parking areas andfields used as overflow car parks ina very sad state. A number ofcars had to be pushed out of thecar parks at the end of theevening and even a brand newRange Rover was unable tomanage in the very boggyconditions (probably a first for thatmake of car). There were,however, few complaints, most ofour visitors recognising that thishappens in England in winter and,with the proper footwear, eventhe weather could not dampenspirits when privileged to see suchan excellent display. I would,however, like to express my thanksto all the residents of the widerparishes around the Castle foryour understanding andforbearance of the increasedtraffic that week end and for themud that left our fields and founditself on the roads. I hope that

recent rain and wear has nowcleared the streets.Construction work is now wellunderway for the Christmasmarkets, starting on 5th Decemberand for four week ends. Thisshould be a fantastic chance tobuy much needed Christmaspresents and also to soak up theatmosphere of the festive season.Our Christmas trees for the Castleand elsewhere will be with ussoon, and our florists are standingby to decorate each tree. Thetheme for this year is Notes forChristmas and each room in theCastle will feature an illuminatedwhite paper scene, inspired by atraditional Christmas carol andcreated entirely by hand bytalented artist Helen Musselwhite.Father Christmas will also visit usduring the Christmas markets andtwo thousand lucky youngstershave already put their namesdown for a meeting with him.The winter season will allow ussome breathing space to deliversome much needed maintenanceto the castle. Both our majorkitchens will be refurbished andwe hope to be able to refreshsome of our guest rooms. Thegardeners will turn their attentionto restoring the Barbican gardenas well as the gardens on theCastle Island. Work has alreadystarted to create our Wildlife area,a place to learn about the swans,peacocks and ducks that live inthe estate and how we, as their‘hotelier’, also look after them.We have just taken delivery of twonew breeds of swans to the Castleand I am pleased to say that rightat the end of the year, two of ourblack swans now have threeadditions to their family, creatingquite a spectacle on the lowerponds.I am sure that those who visitLeeds Castle very often forget ordo not realise that this is a charitythat relies solely on the incomefrom visitors to survive. What alsoseems to be overlooked is that,each year, the Leeds CastleFoundation brings benefit to awhole range of other charities,

though discounted use of theCastle for fundraising or otherfundraising events. This year theCastle’s principal charities areDemelza House, Breast CancerCare, Guide Dogs for the Blindand Alzheimer’s UK. The PinkRibbon Walk raised £115,000 forbreast cancer, £22,000 was raisedduring The Demelza Fun Run and£100,000 was raised through theAlzheimer’s Memory Walk. All thisand we also donate manyhundreds of tickets to worthycauses, so that they can be givento people who will benefit fromtime in this magical place, orwhich may be raffled off to makemoney for the charity. On adifferent level, in September theCastle assisted in helping four yearold Claudia, who lives with acuteLymphoblastic Leukaemia torealise her wish to be a NinjaPrincess for the day. Claudia andher family had a wonderfulafternoon in the Castle andgrounds with a unicorn, horse andcarriage and afternoon team.Leeds Castle helped make a littlegirl’s wish come true.I do hope that many of you willtake the opportunity to come andvisit the Castle during theChristmas festive season, even ifthe weather remains somewhatbleak. Whatever the weather,there is always something to dowhich will cheer the soul here atLeeds Castle

Sir David Steel

Three European Champions for Kent Karate!!After months of intense training Kimura Shukokai Karate Kent students based in Kingswood returned from theKimura Shukokai International's European Open competition with a haul of medals and three EuropeanChampions. Now that karate has been accepted into the 2020 Olympics there are great opportunities for studentsto start on the long road towards that competition and eight students from the Kent based club have done just that.Katie Simpson, Maria Pereira, Michael Pereira, David Pereira, Finley Lodge, Joseph Scamp, Luke Carpenter andStephen Pereira, travelled as part of the England team to the 2015 KSI European Open Championships in Lucerne,Switzerland from 16-17th October along with Sensei Chris Simpson who was part of the international refereeingteam.Sensei Katie from Kingswood, a former junior World Champion, retained the coveted European Ladies individualkata (forms) title which she won in 2013, topping a group of 29 ladies and she also won silver in both the ladiesteam kata and team kumite (fighting) events alongside teammate Maria Pereira (19) from Sutton Valence.Michael Pereira (15), following on from his great results at the World Championships in South Africa last year,won gold in his individual kumite and silver in the team kata and, not to be outdone his younger brother DavidPereira (12), making a great impression in his first international competition, won Gold in his individual kumiteevent and silver in the team kata.The youngest member of the England team, Finley Lodge (12) from Hollingbourne, near Maidstone also in his firstInternational competition won silver in team kata and bronze in both his individual kumite and kata events and alsohad the privilege to lead out the England team at the start of the competition.Joseph Scamp (13), also from Sutton Valence won silver alongside his teammates David and Finley.There were great performances from both Steve Pereira in the veterans event and Luke Carpenter (17) fromCharing who, although they did not finish in the top three, both showed great strength and determination in eachof their categories. All junior students received support for this competition from the Kent Sports Small GrantsProgramme and Kent County Playing Fields Association.Sensei Chris Simpson said, “This is an amazing set of results for students and is a true reflection of all the hardwork and dedication they have put in over the last months. England squad training takes place in Birmingham andthis means that students have to leave very early in the morning at weekends and return late on a Sunday”. Hefurther indicated that the Kent based club is affiliated to the English Karate Federation which is the onlyorganisation in England that is recognised by the World Karate Federation whohave successfully bid to become part of the Olympics in 2020.Members of the club are already starting to train for the World Championships tobe held in Berlin in July 2016.The club runs classes throughout the week at various venues in and aroundMaidstone including Kingswood Village Hall on Tuesdays and Thursdays and fulldetails can be found at www.kentkarate.co.uk or by contacting Chris on 07801639052; beginners of all ages and abilities are always welcome.Photo: England team members with their trophies.

KINGWOOD BABY & TODDLER GROUP

Please come along and see what we have tooffer…

Every Friday Term Time Only1.15pm-2.45pm

Kingswood Village HallParking and grounds to Play in

A range of toys and activities for the kiddies toplay with whilst the adults have a cuppa and chat.

***FIRST VISIT IS FREE***

Contact Georgie 07709528480for more information.

HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEW CHILDREN’SPLAY AREA AT THE SPORTS FIELD ???

SCOUTSThe group went door to door collecting for the Poppy Appeal in October around Kingswood village. We would like tothank everyone who donated, we collected £415.We all attended Ulcombe church for the Remembrance day, The cubs and scouts presented their colours in thechurch. As part of the service we came out the church and laid a wreath at the War memorial in the church yard.We had our Autumn quiz night in Kingswood village hall in October, and we ran a heads and tails and this wasdonated to the Heart of Kent Hospice.CubsWe have 15 invested cubs. In October we had 8 new children started. This despite not having beavers. Most ofthem are from Hollingbourne. We have 3 waiting to join when they are 8 years old in January.The cubs attended the district Event at Lower Grange Barn (this is owned by the scout Association) and went toTesco Grove Green for a farm to Fork evening. Enjoyed by all.Coming up to Christmas they will be making Christmas crackers and making dough hands.ScoutsThere are 16 scouts (boys and girls). They have been Kayaking at the lake in Moat Park, this goes to one of theirbadges.ExplorersNumbers are rising to the mid 20's. They held a weekend camp on some land at Steed Hill in Harrietsham, withhiking pioneering activities.BeaversWe want to restart the beavers but hoping someone will come foreward to run it. If you know of the ideal person,please let us know.100 ClubThe winners for September. Mr Masters £20, Mr Perry £10, Mrs Davy £10, Mr JuryOctober, Mr Mounser £20, Mrs Tunbridge £10, Mrs Martin £10, Mrs Moore £5.November. Mr Evans £20, Mrs Mitchenson £10, Mrs Murton £10, Mr Jones £5.If you would like to join, we have four prizes a month and is £12 a year. Call Alan 843019

From all the group we would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas & a happy New Year.

We would like to thank the parish council for the Scout sign they have provided at the sportsfield. This will help new parents to find where we are

Alan Poulton Chairman

Twinning group Autumn Walk

The Group held it’s by now annual walk in lateOctober and ten willing people donned boots orstrong shoes to enjoy a very local stroll on thepublic footpaths of Leeds Castle. Among thewalkers were some very young participants whowalked and chatted with the more mature peopletaking part.

The Autumn dress of the trees in the park and thevery green grass contrasting with the ancientstone of this old Castle reflecting in the well filledmoat rewarded those who strolled along. Leavingthe park grounds we found that a lunch in theGeorge in Leeds was not unappreciated after abreath of fresh air obtained during the walk to getthere. The return walk took us on the footpath onthe boarder of castle grounds then proceededthough a small wooded area and eventually arrivedat the footpath though the garden at Pink cottageand on to the Broomfield road quite close to ourstarting place. I believe most enjoyed the strolland felt privileged to live in such a beautiful Parishas Broomfield and Kingswood .

Tony Skinner Twinning coordinator.

KINGSWOOD VILLAGE HALL

WHY NOT BOOK IT FOR YOUR FUNCTIONSPARTIES - EVENTS - MEETINGS

For details please contact the booking officer

Mrs Val Clarke 01622 843110

SUTTON VALENCE GARDENERS ASSOCIATION

We are pleased to report that our membershiphas continued to grow. Our annual subscriptionremains at only £5 and this entitles members to

come along to any of our talks, to enter anyclasses at our shows and it also allows members

to receive discounts on certain items at WarmlakeNursery, Rumwood Nursery , Homeleigh Timber,and Millbrook Garden Centre. Thank you to these

4 establishments for their continued support.We would welcome new members from

KingswoodFor information contact David Gallafant on

01622 842439 or dgallafant@btinternet.com

KINGSWOOD & BROOMFIELD VILLAGE HALLWe are at that time of the year again when the Christmas tree will take over it's corner in the Main Hall.

Thank you to Kingswood Christmas Trees for once again donating the magnificent specimen.

The lights will not only the be switched on in the Main Hall, but the Hall Grounds as well.

This year we are going to do something new.  On Saturday 28th November from 3pm to 5pm we are hosting the 'Big SwitchOn' when a very special guest will switch on the lights.  The Choir will be joining us for Carol singing round the Christmas tree in

the Hall grounds, weather permitting (wear warm clothing).  There will also be Mince Pies and hot drinks to warm us up.

This will be a ticket only event so look out for posters on Village notice boards for details on where  to obtain tickets.

Thank you to everyone who has supported the Hall over the past twelve months, because this enables us to continuallymaintain and refurbish it.

Val Clarke Chairman

After a rather wet summer break during August we returned inSeptember to hear author Ian Porter talk about the 'Suffragette Movement'.   For me I thought I knew quite bitabout the Suffragettes, but I was in for a few surprises,including the original ethos that it was only for the benefit of acertain class of woman, but not all classes.Delia Taylor talked and showed power point/slides aboutVictorian London Street Life' at our October meeting.At our November meeting we climbed Mount Kilimanjaro withHenry Stedman.  Henry showed power point /slides and talkedabout those who trek/climb the magnificent mountain inTanzania East Africa.  There are three volcanic cones 'Kibo','Mawenzi' and 'Shira'.  The elevation of the mountain is5,895m (19,341ft) above sea level.  The first ascent took placein 1889.  First climbers were Ludwig Purtscheller and HansMeyer.  Even today there are still one or two people who dieof altitude sickness.  For those who are interested in the floraand fauna they are in for a treat.    Once at thesummit magnificent views.Len Valley District - Kingswood hosted the District evening inOctober.   Peter Van Dongan amused us with his trek throughthe Borneo jungle. Once again amazing flora and fauna.  Thankyou to members of our WI who  baked delicious cakes for themeeting.   Lots of positive feed back from the other WI's whoreally liked Peter and of course the cakes.West Kent events have included our members attending talksand demonstrations on cookery, Kentish cheeses, SalutationHouse and Gardens at Sandwich.   Diamond and otherprecious  stones mined in Tanzania and other Southern Africancountries.  The Queen's personal jewellery.  Beautiful

textiles designed in Japan, as well as several artists and manymore events.  There was also the annual Whist competition.2015 ends when we enjoy a ' festive hot supper' cooked by ourmembers.2016 will commence when we entertain ourselves for our 62ndBirthday on the 11th January.8th February - Rachel Giles will talk about the 'Charity Unique'14th March - Julie Davies will be 'Cooking for Spring' - Yummy!Looking forward to sampling the goodies.11th April - George Taylor and Peter Clayton will betransporting us back to 'Broadway' (The Special Years from1943 to 1953).9th May -  Our Annual Meeting and 2016National Resolutions.   Dog Trainer Janet Tandy will be  talkingabout  'Cynophobia'. Janet and her team run the 'KentCynophobia Assistant Dog' group.   This will be followed by aCheese and Wine Social.

Our meetings are held on the second Monday of the monthcommencing at 7.30pm.

Why not come  along to one of our meetings for a taster andfind out what we do.  We really are a friendly bunch.If you are a bit nervous about walking into the Village Hall onyour own we can always arrange for one of our members toaccompany you.

For further details contact Pat Lyne 01622 843672 or ValClarke 01622 843110.

We wish everyone a happy Christmas and peaceful 2016This item written by the 'Kingswood WI Mole'

KINGSWOOD PRE-SCHOOLFrom January the pre-school which isheld at the village hall will be openfor 5 mornings a week from 9am.

For further information pleasecontact Emma Austin on

07702 2632302

What I've done in KentSince May, 2,288 of you have contactedme about issues ranging from housingtroubles to healthcare, and I've respondedto all your letters, phone calls and emails.I've also held many surgeries where I'vespent a bit more time listening toindividuals' problems. In addition I've....Campaigned for an alternativefor Operation StackThis summer the M20 through Kent wasclosed for 32 days as a result of OperationStack, leading to chaos and misery forthe people of Kent. I've been campaigningdoggedly for an alternative to parkingthousands of lorries on the motorwaywhen there is disruption at the Channelcrossings. I was pleased when temporaryplanning permission was granted for theuse of ManstonAirfield as an off-roadholding area, but we need a permanentsolution. I've held meetings withMinisters, written letters and askedquestions in Parliament to make sure thisstays at the top of the Government'sagenda. We can't have a repeat of thescenes we saw last summer at the heightof the tourist season.Opposed Waterside Parkdevelopment at Juction 8I wouldn't normally get involved in a

planning decision, but almost everyoneI've spoken to about development atJunction 8 is desperately worried that theWaterside Park development wouldchange the landscape of this beautifulpart of Kent forever. That's why Ispoke out against the developmentat the public inquiry.Petitioned the Government forfair funding for Kent's schoolsI sent a petition calling for a better dealon funding for Kent's schools to everyschool in Faversham and Mid Kent; ifyou're a parent I hope you've signed it. I'vealso written to the Prime Minister, alongwith 100 other MPs, laying out the case.Like many of you, I welcomed news thatthe Weald of Kent grammar school willbe allowed to expand. Grammar schoolsshould be engines for social mobility, so Iasked Nicky Morgan, the educationminister, to join me in supporting KentCounty Council's plan to help childrenfrom low-income families getinto grammar school.Stood up for local farmersAgriculture is essential to the localeconomy but it's a tough business. I'vevisited several farms, including PeterForknall's dairy farm in Chart Sutton, andheard about the pressures on fruit and

arable farmers.Local fruit farmers support thisGovernment's new living wage but it willincrease their costs and make it harder tocompete against international producerswho don't have to pay it. I asked theDepartment for Environment, Food andRural affairs to support farmers in theHouse of Commons and spoke up forKent's fruit farmers in a debate about theliving wage.Demanded superfastbroadband for more homes andbusinesses in KentA fast internet connection is no longer aluxury, it's a necessity. But some parts ofthe constituency are getting left behind.I'm campaigning to get superfastbroadband into every home and businessin Faversham and Mid Kent. I've metMaking Kent Quicker - part of KentCounty Council responsible for bringingbroadband to 95% of the region by 2017- and the CEO of Openreach, thecompany that's building theinfrastructure. I've asked the Chancellorfor the Broadband Connection Voucherscheme to be extended, to enable morelocal businesses to get funding for fasterinternet connections.

Contact me - 020 7219 6472helen.whately.mp@parliament.uk

Helen Whately Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid-Kent

REPORT FROM COUNTY COUNCILLOR JENNY WHITTLECould you support an adult with a physical or learningdisability in your home and make a real difference to theirlives?  This year marks the 25th anniversary of Kent SharedLives service, which celebrates the Shared Lives hosts whoassist people who need support.  196 adults in Kent currentlyrely on this service and more people in Kent are needed toundertake this fulfilling role.  There are currently 138 SharedLives hosts in Kent and we hope to increase this number overthe coming months.  KCC's Shared Lives service provides shortbreaks, day and longer term support for adults across Kentwho may have a physical or learning disability, mental healthneeds, autism, older people and people living with dementia inthe host's own home.  Hosts are paid and trained by theservice.  If you would like to find out more about becoming aShared Lives host, or to find out more about how to use thisservice, visit or call 01233652401.I am chairing a newly established KCC Select Committeeexamining ways to improve social mobility in Kent's grammarschools and increase the number of children on Free SchoolsMeals taking the Kent Test and attending our grammarschools.  I am delighted that Emma Hickling, Executive Headof the Federation of Kingswood, Leeds and Ulcombe PrimarySchools, has kindly agreed to provide the cross-partycommittee with her views, based on her professionalexperience, of working with families and children so that thosechildren from local income families can access the sameopportunities as those from more affluent backgrounds.  If youwould like to share your thoughts with me, please do get intouch.The Maidstone Joint Transportation Board, comprising KentCounty and Maidstone Borough Councillors, has recently meta number of times to discuss the transport infrastructure

needed to support Maidstone's 18,560 housing growth targetover the next two decades.  If no additional transportimprovements are installed to support this enormous level ofhousing, we could see some journeys into Maidstoneincreasing by nearly 50%.  A Leeds Langley relief road would beessential to enable traffic to move in this area of Maidstone,but even with this in place, the level of housing planned is justtoo high to enable traffic to move around as freely as possible.I've seen projections that state traffic growth will increase byaround 7% IF the relief road is built....and there is a substantialincrease in bus services and usage.  Firstly, I don't believe thatmany people of working age will use buses, as many workoutside the Borough and/or are dropping children off toschool/nursery and hurriedly need to get to work.  Secondly, inmy view, the price to pay for buses running every 7/10 minutesacross eastern Maidstone is the urbanisation of this part of theBorough.  I don't think it is a price worth paying, although I amhappy to hear your views!KCC is currently undertaking a consultation on our budgetproposals for 2016/17.  We believe we will have to make £80million of savings, on top of £433m made over the last fiveyears.  This consultation includes a proposal to increaseCouncil Tax by 1.99% which would raise £11m.  The budgetdoes not factor in the additional costs of implementing theLiving Wage and the costs of supporting the four fold increasein unaccompanied minors, as it is assumed these costs will bemet by central government.  There is no doubt that in light ofthese very difficult financial circumstances, we will have tomake some tough decisions on which services will have to bereduced or cut back altogether.

Come and enjoyFrench Advanced level 5/6

Group : 10 adults max Tel: 01622 842 868

When : Every Tuesday at 9:45 am until 10:45 amTutor: Isabelle Marsh, French Native

About the course: it’s designed for French Advanced Learners who understand short texts on a variety oftopics, can describe events in the past and future, express suggestions and regrets etc.

Learners achievements from September 2015 to November 2015All learners have been able to finish reading and studying the French novel Well Digger’s Daughter written

by Marcel Pagnol.We are now reading a famous Play from M.Pagnol called Marius which is part of a trilogy.

They have also enjoyed reading and talking about some articles published in magazines such as:· Text about the castle of Chambord in the Loire valley, Discovering some caves and its prehistorical

painting in Ardeche region, the frigate L’Hermione, the small village of Aubigny sur Nere and ofcourse the Battle of Waterloo

· DVD about the Battle of Waterloo…· And some songs including Charles Trenet· Other activities

New Members welcome in a friendly and relaxed atmosphereFor more information please phone Isabelle on 01622 842 868

BE AWARE - In the last month there havebeen four houses broken into in Kingswood

Check your security and look out for yourNeighbours !!!!!

TELEPHONE 01622 842445

We are a family run business located at Ulcombe and have been established since 2002.

We pride ourselves on a friendly one to one service.

o Wents Service Station can offer the following:-o Service all makes of carso MOT Class 4 5L(Mini Busses) 7 Class 7(Vans up to 3500kg)o MOT most motorhomeso Tyres and exhaustso Wheel balancingo Tracking

Courtesy Cars & Vans Under EEC directive YOU DO NOT need to have a new vehicle maintained at the main dealer.

AT WENTS YOU MAY BE ABLE TO SAVE £’s

ALSO AVAILABLE WENTS MOTORHOME HIREPRICES FROM ONLY £295

We have 3 new arrivals. The new 2012 Cariocas S Line 700 Luxury, 707 Luxury,and the 706 Luxury.

All motorhomes come with:-

Leather - Reverse Cameras - Bike Racks - Radio/CD - 240v Colour TV - DVD playerDucted Blown Air Heating - Motorhome Washroom - Electric Flush Toilet - Separate Shower Area

- Fridge - Oven and Hob 2 GasBottles - Crockery - Cutlery - Pans -Cooking UtensilsSolar panels to keep the leisure battery charged to full capacity.

Another service we have added is insurance to cover your £1,000 excess.This can be as little as £7.14 per day to give you peace of mind.

While you hire our motorhome we can store your car or even provide servicing and MOT facilities while you areon holiday

Please feel free to contact us at info@wents.co.uk if you would like to enquire about hiring any additionalitems for your holiday

www.wentsmotorhomes.co.uk

At Castle View Restaurant, our aim is to cookthe best traditional ingredients as simply aspossible and let the quality of the produceand the magnificent views across theCastle's moat speak for themselves.The oak-beamed 17th Century setting, offersdiners a relaxed atmosphere andspectacular views from the terrace of the900 year old Leeds Castle beautifully lit atnight.

To book a table call 01622 767777or visit leeds-castle.com/restaurant

CAST

LE

VIEW RESTAURANT

AT

LEEDS CA STLE

NEXT ISSUEIf you wish to advertise or have an article included in the next issue.

Please contact the Editor on 01622 844788 and send to bandknews@btinternet.comFinal copy date for the next issue is Wednesday 16th March 2016

PARISH COUNCILLORS

Terry Baker (Chairman) t.baker876@btinternet.com 844788Mike O’Neil (Vice) mikeyopc@outlook.com 843753Christina Clark tina.clark@kent.gov.uk 842980Peter Page peterpagemaid@aol.com 862498Michael Lovell lorraine.lovell123@btinternet.com 843728Janet Tandy janet@goodog.co.uk 842209Annette Friend friend.annette@gmail.com 844358Michael Darling mikedarling53@gmail.com 844514Tom Hoy tom.hoy@btinternet.com 861280Gail Gosden (Clerk) bandk.pc@btconnect.com 843741

USEFUL NUMBERS Kingswood Church Peter Roberts 843625Catholic Priest (Broomfield) Fr Roy Tablizo 752637Catholic Priest (Kingswood) Mgr Timothy Galligan 736100County Councillor Jenny Whittle 734897KM Correspondent Simon Poulton kingswood-km@live.co.ukNeighbourhood Plan Terry Baker 844788Neighbourhood Watch Mike Evans 862316Policing Team Tom Maybank thomas.maybank @kent.pnn.police.ukSchool Darren Waters 842674Twinning Group Tony Skinner 843543Village Hall Val Clarke 843110Village Warden Dawn Riach-Brown 07773397125Local MP Helen Whately 02072196472

VILLAGE CLUBS & ACTIVITIESArt Club Sue Chambers 843622Baby and Toddler Georgie Luck 07709528480Badminton Sue Orchin 843626CANS Sonya Roberts 843625Choir Sue Chambers 843622Coffee Shop Beryl Andrew 843431Dog Training Janet Tandy 842209French Club Isabelle Marsh 842868Karate Chris Simpson 07801639052Pre School Su Marsh 07729499508Reading Group Jean Scott 843610Scouts Alan Poulton 843019Short Mat Bowls Les Browning 843508WI Patricia Lyne 843672Whist Ron Kemp 843536Yoga Alan Spennjak 07985082100

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the opinions of the Editors. Whilst every care is taken to present articles impartially, the Editors takeno responsibility for any effects the articles may cause.

A reminder that you can be updated on any aspects concerning the village such as intended road closures, roguetraders etc by registering your email address with the parish clerk at bandk.pc@btconnect.com

Kingswood Property Services

01622 844409/07966 080319

Decorating

Carpentry

Bathrooms

Kitchens

Flooring

Decking

Fencing

Refurbishments

Renovations

Small Extensions

Garden Buildings

Porches/Porticos

Landscaping

NO JOB TOO LARGE OR TOO SMALL, FRIENDLY ANDPROFESSIONAL SERVICE, REFERENCES AVAILABLE.

ALAN POULTONCarpets & Vinyl's Supplied & FittedChoose in the comfort of your home

Free EstimatesOver 35 Years Experience

Member of the NICF

01622 843019

DOMESTIC & COMMERCIAL

Plastering - including over Existing Artex, Rendering, PatchRepairs,Insurance Work, Lath and Plaster, Lime Plasteringand Rendering, New Stud Work and Ceilings, Painting and

Decorating, Interior and Exterior

For free advice and estimates please call

Andy Rookledge

Tel: 01622 844727 Mob: 07793888980email:andy@ar-plastering.co.uk

www.ar-plastering.co.uk

Sensible Solutions‘Sensible solutions to serious problems’

Repairs, upgrades, malware removalNew system setup and data transfer.Safe hard disk erasure of old systems

Home network setup for WiFi, fileand printer sharing

For friendly help Contact: Mike LettonPhone: 07739 093401 or 01622 843291

Email: sensible.solutions@virgin.net

01622 843095 07762 81448411 Whitehall Drive Kingswood ME17 3PQ

J C PEARSONPROFESSIONAL PAINTING &

DECORATINGINTERIOR & EXTERIOR

OVER 40 YEARS EXPERIENCEFREE ESTIMATES

Come and buy your Christmas Tree directfrom the Grower- many sizes available aswell as different types - and enjoy a very

special offer of

off each tree with

********

K I N G S W O O D

C H R I S T M A S T R E E S

£ 5

Gravelly Bottom Road, Kingswood,Maidstone, Kent, ME17 3NU

T 01622 843780 F 01622 843410M.07802 269019

E letty.miller@btinternet.com

this advert

www.kingswoodchristmastrees.co.ukFOR MAP - SEE WEBSITE

C C A C C E P T E D

Large range of Christmas Decorationslights, candles and cards also on sale

HOLLAND & HOLLAND ROOFING

Flat Roofing Specialists

ContactTom Holland

M: 07939 583 618T: 01622 842 069

E: hollandroofing46@yahoo.com

“Installers of high performance flat roofingsystems”

THE DROP INAt the time of writing 'The Drop In' still runs

at Kingswood Village Hall on Tuesday morningsfrom 10.30am to noon.

As from this summer it has run on a rota systemwith some of those attending taking turns in

hosting the morning.This may all change in January as there are

negotiations ongoing  with several groups that'The Drop In' may change to meeting at lunch time

on a Tuesday.As soon as those involved have come to a decisionone way or the other new posters will be placed on

the Village notice boards.Pat Lyne

Anglican Church Services

Sunday Dec 06 Leeds 3.30 pm Choral EvensongSunday Dec 13 Broomfield 3.30 pm Carol ServiceSunday Dec 20 Leeds 11.00 am Carol ServiceThursday Dec 24 Leeds 3.00 pm ChristingleThursday Dec 24 Leeds 11.00 pm CommunionFriday Dec 25 Broomfield 10.00 am Benefice Carols & Communion

FREIGHTER SERVICE KINGSWOODThe collection of bulky waste will be at the

Village hall car park on20th February 2016 Between 1.40 pm & 2.30 pm

PENSIONERS ANNUAL TRIP

2016 will once again see a return to the verypopular Brick Lane Music Hall on Thursday 5th

July 2016

Tickets are limited to 37 on a first come firstserved basis

To reserve a place please contact Gail Gosdenon 843741 or bandk.pc@btconnect.com