Local News

Picture Courtesy of Andy Hudson - Sittingbourne.me.

Organisers of Tunstall Primary School's Summer Fete were left shocked and distressed after stock and prizes for their event were stolen in a burglary.

It is thought that thieves broke-in to the school's storeroom on Thursday (2nd July) evening and stole soft drinks, alcohol and many of the raffle prizes, most of which had been donated and gifted by parents over the previous year.

Speaking live on Saturday (4th July) morning to 106.9 SFM's Jason McCrossan, one of the Fete's organiser's Juliet Sensier said that parent's were shocked and saddened to find out that many of their donations had been taken just hours before the fete was due to begin.

Juliet then launched an appeal to SFM's listeners for any help that they could offer in the way of donations and prizes to replace those that were taken.

Shortly after, a number of calls were made to 106.9 SFM from community spirited people including local businessman Kevin Wilson from Beds4uForLess on Sittingbourne High Street who spoke to Pete Flynn on "the Saturday Show" and said that he would pledge a couple of foam pillows, worth about £40 for the school's Raffle and Sally Reeves at Bailey's Coffee Shop who, after hearing Janet's appeal, donated several gift vouchers. A number of other people were inspired by Juliet's story, including a lorry driver who heard the plea on the radio and turned up to off load a number of boxes, including lemonade and other confectionery. Asda Sittingbourne's Community Champion, Claire Fosbeary, also heard the appeal and arranged for the store to donate a trolley full of soft drinks to make the day happen.

Speaking again to 106.9 SFM, just as the school's Fun Day was about to began, Juliet thanked everyone from the local community who had turned up after the "radio appeal" and donated items and said how grateful she was that some good had come from the trauma of the theft and that the event was "full steam ahead".

Kent Fire and Rescue Service tackled a "large fire" at the paper mill in Ridham Avenue, Kemsley earlier this afternoon.

On arrival crews found a large amount of baled paper well alight and used two main jets, two flat fan sprays (ground monitor) and one hose reel jet to tackle the fire.

It's believed that a mechanical digger was also used to break up and move the paper stack.

There was a large amount of smoke in the area and local residents were urged to close their windows and doors as a precaution whilst the fire was being tackled earlier.

Traffic on the Northern Relief Road (Swale Way) was not affected by the fire.

Swale Borough Council is making £162,800 available for local groups to support projects that benefit the community over the next year.

The funding pot was announced at the council's Annual General Meeting on Wednesday 20th May when Cabinet Member for Localism, Cllr Mike Whiting, tabled a letter confirming the grants.

Cllr Whiting told SFM's "In The Bourne" listeners: "We are lucky to have such a wealth of local groups that are doing a tremendous amount to improve lives across the Borough, and these grants are part of our commitment to supporting them in their work. Councillors have more than £110,000 available between them to support schemes in their areas - be it extra bins, supporting events, or helping local good causes. Even small amounts of money really can make a big difference, so I am looking forward to seeing all the applications for support over the next year."

There are currently five grant schemes available to the community to support a range of projects within the Borough and to improve the local cultural and leisure offer.

The grants available are:

• £112,800 Members' Localism Grants - £2,400 per councillor
• £10,000 Heritage Grants - up to £1,000 per project
• £5,000 Culture Grants - up to £1,000 per project
• £20,000 Sport and Physical Activity Grants - between £200 and £1,000
• £15,000 WW1 Centenary Grants - up to £750

To find out more about the grants on offer, and get information on how to apply, visit www.swale.gov.uk/localism-grants.

Gordon Henderson, Member of Parliament for Sittingbourne and Sheppey, has welcomed the news that post office services are finally being restored in Bredgar.

The village Post Office was closed in February following a burglary and had been set to re-open on Saturday (23rd May) but encountered some broadband connection problems. These have now been resolved and the Post Office will be re-opening from 9.15am tomorrow (Wednesday 27th May).

Mr Henderson told SFM News "I am very pleased this much-needed service is re-opening. The damage caused by the raid was extensive and I congratulate everyone involved in getting the work done so quickly. Village Post Offices lie at the heart of their communities and we have seen too many of them close over the years. Having the Post Office open again in Bredgar is great news for the village and I would encourage villagers and visitors to use it. I wish postmaster Teresa Hudson well when she re-opens tomorrow."