Local News

The selection of the Sittingbourne Carnival Court 2014 was held on Saturday (22nd March) at the Woodcombe Sports and Social Club, Church Road, Murston.

This year there were 12 entries for the honour to become Miss Sittingbourne 2014, with four changing their minds for various reasons meaning that there were eight entering on the actual day. The judges found their task quite difficult this year with so many to choose from, and the marks were quite close. All the entrants were interviewed privately by the judges at the beginning of the evening and just after 8pm they took it in turns to speak on stage and to the audience and also to answer some questions put to them by the compare for the evening.

The three lucky entrants chosen for the Sittingbourne Carnival Court of 2014 were:-
Miss Sittingbourne 2014 - Georgia Lane, aged 16.
Joint Sittingbourne Princesses 2014 - Ashleigh Taylor and Kendle Hunter, both 16.

The three judges at the selection were: The Mayor of Swale, Cllr Sue Gent; former Mayor and Cllr Ben Stokes and Claire Fosbeary (Former Miss Sittingbourne 1990 and Community Life Champion at Asda, Sittingbourne). The adjudicator was Cllr Sylvia Bennett. The compare for the evening was Maria Lawrence (Miss Sittingbourne 2010) and there were 2 other former Miss Sittingbourne's helping with the contestants, these were Laura Petch (2012) and Leanne Martin (2008). 14 other carnival courts attended along with the friends and families of the 8 contestants, with around 180 people attending in total.

The 106.9 SFM Roadshow will be appearing at this year's Sittingbourne Carnival on Saturday 21st June.

Kent Police have launched an investigation after two elderly people living in the same road were burgled.

At around 6.40pm on Tuesday (18th March) evening medals were stolen from the home of a 100-year-old war hero. The victim left his address in Cherry Close, Sittingbourne, to attend a British Legion function. When he returned, he found the house had been ransacked and a number of his war medals - belonging to both him for his time in the service and his father, including one from HMS Swift - and a quantity of cash, believed to be around £300 and £400, taken.

The following day, it was reported another property on the same street was burgled between 7.25pm and 11.25pm. When the 75-year-old victim returned to the property, she found her belongings strewn everywhere. A diamond ring worth £400, a camera, a Nintendo Wii and a clock were among items stolen.

DCI Ann Lisseman, commander of the North Divisional Burglary Teams, told SFM News "The people who committed these despicable crime are cowardly and clearly lack any respect for their community. At present, we are linking these incidents. In particular, stealing medals from a war hero is disgraceful. My officers are doing all they can and using all the tools at their disposal to track down the offenders and bring them to justice. We have already executed a number of warrants and intend to continue to do so, as well as pursuing other lines of enquiry. I know the community will feel as strongly as we do that the person or people who committed these offences need to be caught and brought to justice. We ask that members of the public come forward with any information."

Anybody with any information is asked to contact burglary detectives directly on 01474 366666 or alternatively they can remain anonymous by calling Kent Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 (free from any landline).

The Production Team staff at Milton Pipes Ltd, on Cooks Lane in Milton Regis, have been told at a meeting that their jobs are to go in the summer.

The previously family-owned company became part of the CPM Group in 2010. It is believed that production will be absorbed by CPM's other sites in Yorkshire and Somerset. 

In a statement the company confirmed "a consultation will be entered of 30 days, in line with current regulation regarding less than 100 redundancies. The closure will be conducted over an extended period with production finishing by the end of June 2014 and site clearance completed by the end of this year. A Sales Office and Distribution Depot will be retained".

Local MP for Sittingbourne & Sheppey, Gordon Henderson, told SFM News "I am disappointed to hear of the loss of these jobs in our area and it makes it more important for us to find new investment for jobs locally".

Swale Borough Council has joined hundreds of local authorities up and down the country by raising the Commonwealth flag on Commonwealth Day (Monday 10th March).

At 10.00am five hundred flags were raised in unison across the British Isles to allow communities to express their commitment to the Commonwealth, to show their appreciation of the values it stands for, and the opportunities that are available.

Leader of the Council, Andrew Bowles, read out the Commonwealth Affirmation and Queen's Message at the front of Swale House, whilst the Duty House Superintendent raised the flag from the roof. After the prestigious flag was raised, Council Leader Andrew Bowles told SFM News: "It was a real pleasure to be part of the Commonwealth flag ceremony, with fellow members of the Cabinet and others outside of Swale House. This event took place up and down the country and reaffirms Swale's commitment to the Commonwealth."

Mayor of Swale Cllr Sue Gent was over at the Sheppey Gateway in Sheerness High Street with her Mayoral Cadet, Cadet Sergeant Jake Hanley of Kent Army Cadet Force in Sittingbourne, and both shared the responsibility of reading the Commonwealth Affirmation and Queen's Message.

Upon seeing the flag raised Mayor of Swale, Sue Gent told SFM News: "This is the first time that a ceremony of this scale has taken place for Commonwealth Day and I felt very honoured to be part of it and pledge our continued support to the Commonwealth."

The Commonwealth flag was also raised at The Alexander Centre in Preston Road, Faversham, at 10.00am to show it's support for Commonwealth Day aswell.

Kamalesh Sharma, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth told SFM News: "Flying a Flag for the Commonwealth is a most imaginative way for people in local communities - wherever they live, learn or work - to join together with others throughout the Commonwealth in a spirit of respect and understanding to celebrate the variety and unmatched diversity of our global family. I welcome and commend it."