In Weeks Before Death the End of This Summer
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Four editions delivered to over 88,000 homes every month downsmail.co.uk MallingMalling EditionEdition Maidstone & Malling’s No. 1 newspaper FREE Maidstone Town | Maidstone East | Maidstone South | Malling March 2016 No. 227 News Cancer victim ‘ignored’ River connection A NEW bridge over the River Medway is due to open at in weeks before death the end of this summer. 4 Young carers praise A WIDOW claims her late husband was misdiagnosed and disrespected TRIBUTES were paid to young by healthcare staff in the weeks before his death. carers to celebrate the annual awareness day. 10 Joan Godding has lodged a formal “We will be forever haunted by to the hospital four days later, only complaint against the hospital trust leaving him ill, in pain, unwell and to be told he had not allowed suffi- after she battled to get her husband alone. However, we knew we had to cient time for it to heal. Homes on print land Brian into Tunbridge Wells Hospital do this; it was the only way.” Ten days later, when Mr God- NEW housing could be built on after Maidstone diagnosed his can- The family wants a written apol- ding’s speech became slurred, his the former Aylesford cer as soft tissue damage and arthri- ogy for the treatment Mr Godding wife feared he had suffered a stroke. Newsprint site. 12 tis. Crippled with pain and too ill to received in Maidstone and Tun- Paramedics said they could not take travel in a car, Mr Godding (77) bridge Wells hospitals and a thor- him to Tunbridge Wells Hospital in spent hours waiting for ambulances ough investigation into the case. Pembury so GP Dr Graham Makey Times are changing and sitting in A&E waiting rooms, The retired father of two, who faxed the hospital, arranging for him MAIDSTONE Museum is to close racked in pain. worked his whole career for Teston- to be taken there by ambulance and on Mondays to save cash In desperation, his family even left based grounds and landscape com- admitted for an MRI scan. and aid maintenance. 17 him on a hospital trolley after staff pany Turfsoil Ltd, had been The ambulance arrived five hours refused to admit him to hospital, de- suffering from shingles for eight later – but the hospital claimed no spite being given specific instruc- weeks when he was suddenly arrangement had been made for him Comment 46-4726 tions to do so from their GP. gripped by a crippling pain in his to be admitted. “This was an absolutely heart- thigh in August last year. It was at this point Mrs Godding Crime Reports 27 breaking thing for us to do,” said Following an X-ray at Maidstone and her two daughters Susan and A MIXER and bags of cement Mrs Godding, of Priory Close, East Hospital, he was told it was soft tis- Debra made the heart- were among items stolen from a Farleigh. sue damage. In agony, he returned wrenching decision to walk 6 farm in West Peckham. Food credit for ‘friendly’ village pub Obituaries 34 Parish Councils 42-43 THE King and Queen at East Malling was Kent’s runner-up Din- A PEDESTRIAN gate to the new ing Pub of the Year in this year’s play area in Addington had van- Taste of Kent Awards. ished; Aylesford members were The New Road pub prides itself keen to buy the Blue Bell Hill pic- on its great atmosphere and fantas- nic site; an EU directive could tic food, which found favour with leave Birling in the dark; ‘stupid’ the judges, who said of the 16th cen- drivers were lamented in Mere- tury pub: “The Romney Marsh worth; a bus shelter request in breast of lamb was succulent and Ryarsh was refused; a war explo- rich and the vegetables included sive was found in Wateringbury. roasted sprouts. We felt well cared for and at home – just the sort of friendly local I would like in my vil- the pub since December 2000. David Drury (second left) from the lage.” The other category finalist was King and Queen at East Malling with The award was received at a black The Kings Head at Wye and the win- his three guests Chris Terry, Steve tie dinner at Detling Showground ning pub was The George Inn at Rutt and Michael Mowbray by owner David Drury, who has had Molash. Inside this edition: AN eyesore wall in East Malling Shiny Mall came tumbling down thanks to a THE Mall shopping centre in strong community effort. For Maidstone town centre has a details, see the four-page supple- shiny new entrance. To see how it ment by Malling Action Partner- YOUR LOCAL PROPERTY EXPERT looks, and for more on the refur- ship, which supports people, 01622 690290 [email protected] bishment scheme, go to page 35. businesses and events in the 11 23 Pudding Lane • Maidstone • Kent parishes in the Malling area. 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In July 2014, PC Fordham approached a RESIDENTS and traders voiced town centre as people search for driver in a car park in London Road, Larkfield and spoke to him through their anger at a public meeting in free parking. the car vehicle West Malling to discuss a plan to Objectors also included the Rev window. The man axe free parking in the town. David Green who was concerned drove off, dragging More than 70 people attended about the effect on church atten- the officer along the the meeting at St Michael’s Pri- dances, particularly weddings, road before leaving mary School in Norman Road to baptisms and funerals as St Mary’s him at a nearby set hear from parish council chairman Church has no on-site parking. of traffic lights. Trudy Dean and Cllr Richard Robert Styles, the council’s di- The officer’s Selkirk on Tonbridge and Malling rector of street scene, leisure and actions meant that Council’s proposals to introduce technical services said that the the offender was hourly charges in the main car original aim of the proposal was to quickly identified and park off the High Street. support trade in the town by al- he was sentenced to Following a massive campaign lowing more flexibility in the man- three years in prison in the town against the new charg- agement of the car park and for dangerous driving ing scheme, a decision by the bor- optimising availability, as well as in September last ough council’s cabinet was to address the significant running year.