Hospital treatment in north Kent is among the best in the country according to the latest star ratings but the same cannot necessarily be said for other health services in the area. Chief reporter LUCY BRINICOMBE investigates ... DARENT Valley Hospital
It was 1993 when former Bexley councillor Jean Antenbring dreamed up the idea of a competition to encourage people to care for their environment. Now LINDA PIPER catches up with the judges of this year's contest ... When the competition was first launched
Our expert, Chris Howes, is an award-winning promoter and pianist who has worked with a number of leading musicians in the jazz world ... J AMES Williams should have been better known. I received the shock news of his death last week from friends on
Shows/Theatre NOW-Aug 1 The Master and the Margarita: Based on the Russian novel by Mikhail Bulgakiv, Greenwich Playhouse, Station Forecourt, 020 8858 9256. NOW-Aug 28 Alan Ayckbourn Season: A series of plays by the popular playwright, Hever Castle
Drink 4/5 Decor 4/5 Food 3/5 Price 1/5 Atmosphere 4/5 Staff 3/5 THE Railway has served thirsty travellers since the age of steam and is still doing so today when I visited, the pub was busy with boisterous after-work drinkers. I get the feeling that
GET ADVICE: People needing help to work out what benefits they are entitled to can get advice from a special Benefits Surgery which meets on the last Friday of every month. This month's surgery is on July 30 at the Community Room, Merston Court, Higham
YOUNGSTERS celebrated the end of term in style with a teddy bears' picnic. Pupils and their teddies at Young Risers pre-school, Downs Road, Istead Rise, enjoyed cakes, face painting and fun and games. The children will be moving up to Istead Rise Primary
THE scheduling for a planning meeting to discuss the road through the park has met with condemnation. Dartford Council will discuss the application for town centre regeneration at a meeting on August 26. But shadow deputy leader Councillor Geoff Prout
TWO workers were rushed to hospital with burns after cutting through a power cable and causing a power cut in the town centre. The men were working on an underground cable fault in New Road, Gravesend, shortly before 9am on Monday when the accident happened
THE future of an annual gala is in doubt as a town council considers stopping sponsorship because of dwindling public interest. Swanley Town Council has voted to review its funding of the Swanley Gala. This year the gala ran for 10 days and events included
A THIRD phone mast at the bottom of the garden is pushing it too far, say disgruntled residents. Donna May, 30, of Cavell Crescent, Dartford, has already petitioned 20 neighbours whose back gardens are currently around 60 metres away from two phone masts
A FOOTBALL club presented a family with £1,000 to help their daughter battle a rare life-threatening condition. Four-year-old Anna Hogben, from Erith, was born with Phace Syndrome which affects only about 100 children in the world. The condition has
A SCHOOL is at last celebrating the replacement of temporary classrooms and outside toilets 40 years after they were put in place. Riverview Junior School, Cimba Wood, Gravesend, now has two classrooms and a design, technology and art room with en-suite
THE show must go on for a youngster despite the venue for his Freddie Mercury tribute concert being pulled in a flash. Musician Zac Vincent, nine, and his family, of Darnley Road, Gravesend, spent months organising his concert where he will rock us,
AS I talk with Flava from hip hop collective Blazin' Squad he is being rushed to a recording studio in east London and in less than five days the group of teenage friends start a whirlwind UK tour taking in the Fairfield Halls in Croydon. These are busy
FIFTY residents turned up to speak directly with their councillors and witness local politics first hand at the borough's first cabinet road show. Gravesham Council's cabinet members held their regular meeting at the Riverside Family and Learning Centre
YOUTH ACTIVITIES: The Youth Zone is providing free activities for children aged eight and above. They are coming to Swanley Recreation Ground on Friday, July 30. Other places include West Kingsdown Gamecock Meadow, Horton Kirby Westminster Field and Crockenhill
SPEEDING drivers will be getting warnings through the post in a new community radar scheme. Swanley Council voted unanimously to adopt the scheme at its meeting on July 21. But the scheme can only work if enough people volunteer to run it. So far there
A RADIO control car enthusiast says thieves who stole his £8,000 equipment should have their hands cut off. Brian Adams, 38, and his son Daniel, 15, have been left devastated by the theft. The duo, who have been enthusiasts for three years, compete
THERE was a buzz of excitement in Sidcup as the whole town centre was transformed into one big carnival. Young and old flocked into the town for the Sidcup Festival to enjoy the sunshine, live music, stalls, competitions and free gifts. The event, organised
A SECOND man is being sought in connection with an 18-year-old's death. Detectives investigating the death of Steven Carrigan-Cole near the Coach and Horses pub on Lewisham High Street on July 17, want to speak with Mark Parker, who is thought to be
GO-KARTS were just one of the many attractions for youngsters at their primary school fete. The Parents' Association at Hillsgrove School, Sidmouth Road, Welling, laid on a craft tent where children could try their hand at all kinds of arts and crafts
PLANS to create a new public green area are one step closer this week thanks to a new project. Volunteers will be creating what they hope will be the first part of the new Brockley Common when they begin a £1,000 flower bed and landscaping project.
THE Met Police is recruiting people with disabilities to act as advisors on community policing. The new Disability Independent Advisory Group's remit will include improving the investigation of disability hate crime and assisting in critical incidents
PRIMARY and secondary schools across Bexley have been working together to make life easier for children transferring to their new secondary schools. Children in Year 6 at 60 primary schools have been involved in science projects in collaboration with
INTERNATIONAL stars are to perform at a world music festival. The Riverside Park Festival of Music and Culture takes place at Riverside Park in Woolwich on Sunday. On the main stage Osibisa will be topping the bill, and will be supported by acts from
A SECOND man is being sought in connection with an 18-year-old's death. Detectives investigating the death of Steven Carrigan-Cole near the Coach and Horses pub on Lewisham High Street on July 17, want to speak with Mark Parker, who is thought to be
A SCRIPTWRITER stabbed himself to death after becoming depressed over his marriage breakdown. Julian Sealey, 39, left a suicide note written in blood before stabbing himself 15 times, heard Southwark Coroner's Court. His wife, Joanna, found the body
ONE NATION: One Magic Nation, organised by the council's education and libraries service, raised awareness about the cultures and traditions of communities in the borough. The two-week project, aimed at teachers, included performances, conferences, displays
A 20-YEAR-OLD has appeared at the Old Bailey to deny stabbing another man to death at his home. Max Barkway, of Magpie Hall Lane, is accused of knifing 46-year-old Steven Scoates, who lived in the same road. Police were called to the address on May
INDIAN MUSIC: Classical Indian music is in Woolwich thanks to a concert featuring renowned singer Sunanda Sharma and international tabla soloist Vishnu Sanju Sahai. The August 7 event is at the Ramagarhia Community Centre, Crescent Road.Call 07752 930277
OFFERS of sponsorship have flooded in for a father-of-three who needs to raise more than £200,000 for a double lung transplant in America. Readers responding to last week's front page story about David Richards, of Farnborough, are organising events
A YOUNG actor is becoming a legend in his own right after his debut role in the blockbuster movie King Arthur. Park Langley School for Boys pupil, Elliot Henderson-Boyle, swapped his uniform for a costume for a week to play the part of the young Lancelot
AN off-road motorcycling and football project for bored youths could end after just two sessions because of a lack of interest. Bromley police started the scheme after complaints from residents and businesses about noise, intimidation and graffiti by
DEVELOPMENT: A health centre, together with shops and a block of flats, will be built on the site of the existing Waldron Health Centre, Stanley Street, Deptford. Lewisham Council's planning committee approved the plans made under the NHS Local Improvement
The Red House, the former Bexleyheath home of artist and socialist William Morris, has just celebrated its first year in the ownership of the National Trust. The magnificent house, in Red House Lane, celebrated its first successful year, with a wine
SAINSBURY'S supermarket is applying to extend one of its stores. The New Cross Road store is applying to Lewisham Council's planning committee to build a single storey extension. The Telegraph Hill Society has said smaller retailers have been forced
A DAMNING report has criticised a council's food safety inspection record. Following a critical inspection in early 2000, the Health and Safety Executive and the Food Standards Agency's (FSA) recommendations were not passed on by a group manager. Three
UP TO 100 children from nine primary schools have been taking part in a memorial football tournament dedicated to a nine-year-old boy. Matthew Clarke was a fanatical footie fan and a regular at Trust Thamesmead's Roving Street Scheme of sporting activities
ROAD WORKS: Disruption is expected as work begins on a stretch of Bexleyheath Broadway next Monday. Work will take place on weekdays from 7.30am until 6pm and on Saturday mornings. Temporary traffic lights will be in operation. Side roads will close periodically
CAMPAIGNERS have lost their fight to save a secondary school after an independent adjudicator approved plans for closure. Greenwich Council wants to close Abbey Wood School, in Eynsham Drive, and St Paul's Catholic School, in Wickham Lane, and replace
BEXLEY councillors have again given their unanimous support to proposed plans for the Thames Gateway Bridge to be built in Thamesmead. Transport for London (TfL) lodged its planning application to build the bridge with both Greenwich and Newham councils
IT IS every teenager's wish come true mixing with the rich and famous. And it came true for Sidcup's Hayley Davenport, thanks to the Prince's Trust. Finding it difficult to get a job, Hayley joined a 12-week development course with the trust, which
THE health of Bexley's only acute hospital has taken a turn for the worse after it dropped a place in this year's star ratings. Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup, missed its targets for cleanliness and financial management according to the latest Healthcare
A TRANSEXUAL brothel madam walked free from court after winning the right to be sentenced as a woman in a landmark case. Vanessa Wadman, aged 34, of Breakspears Road, Brockley, sold £350 bottles of champagne to punters and encouraged sex acts in full
THE long-delayed Crossrail scheme which will link east and west London has been given the go-ahead. Transport Secretary Alistair Darling told the House of Commons a hybrid bill complex legislation which combines both public and private bills would be
THE fate of a disputed area of Erith Marshes hangs in the balance after the threat of a judicial review. The planning permission, granted in November last year by Bexley Council's planning committee to property company Tilfen Land, has not been issued
FURIOUS residents protesting at broken council promises stormed out of a meeting of the full council. The Mercator Community Association (MCA) challenged the council over what it says is a failure to provide security doors for an estate it describes
NEWS Shopper is looking for young people who do good in their communities. As part of our Local Hero campaign, we are keen to recognise youngsters under the age of 18. They could help neighbours with shopping, do charity work or anything else which
IT WILL come as a shock to those who were hoping things were at last looking up for Queen Mary's Hospital, to hear it has slipped back again in the performance rankings (see page 2). And alarm bells will ring because of the reasons why the hospital now
THE real story of what happened between the Owl and the Pussycat when they set off in their pea green boat was told to a highly-entertained audience by the Year 6 pupils at Longlands Primary School, Woodside Road, Sidcup. In their last performance for
WELLING, I NEVER: I recently had cause to drive down Okehampton Crescent and I could not believe my eyes. The road is an assault course of obstructions. Going in and out of cycle lanes is potentially lethal for cyclists. Who would use these dangerous
I have read the letters written about the changes in Okehampton Crescent, all of them written by people who use the road but are non-residents. If this is what the people of the borough feel, how strongly do you think the changes have affected residents
A FUN-FILLED programme of activities for children and young people kicks off this week. Lark in the Park, organised by churches in Sidcup, will be based in Sidcup Place until August 8. Every weekday afternoon from 2pm to 4.30pm, there will be a host
I have seen a type of bird in my garden twice, about three years ago and again this year, each time in April in drizzly weather. The first time I saw them, there were five of them, this year only two. The second time I had a close up view of them. I
I feel I must write to ask for readers' views on the new pension service for OAPs and whether any other readers have had the same problem as me. It all started in January of this year when I had a letter telling me pension books were being phased out
A NEW Treasure Island play area has been opened on a housing estate to provide somewhere safe for young children to play. The play area, on the Larner Road estate in Erith, cost £70,000 and was funded by Orbit Bexley Housing Association, which owns the
AN ERITH man who decided to strike out in business on his own without any resources, has won a top business award. Steven Chamberlain, 37, started his pre-prepared fresh food business four years ago. Now he has just been crowned Ernst and Young's entrepreneur
AT THE ripe old age of 73, veteran runner Dan Coffey has no intention of giving up his hobby. Mr Coffey, who lives in Abbey Wood, has been a dedicated supporter and volunteer at Greenwich and Bexley Cottage Hospice, since before it was built. Now he
I just had to put pen to paper regarding Bexley Council's parking policies or, to put it another way, a cash cow. I am referring to the Danson Park Festival on July 4. The parking situation was appalling with the car park restricted for permit holders
THE plight of greyhounds past their racing days has touched the hearts of staff at a dog stadium. Restaurant waiters and waitresses at Crayford's dog track have posed for a topless calendar to raise money for the Crayford Retired Greyhound Trust. The
Bromley South train station forecourt recently underwent major redevelopment. With the future of the town centre under discussion, chief reporter RICHARD SIMCOX asks whether this could herald a new era for shoppers ... A DOZEN stone balls surround
INVESTIGATIONS into the cause of a massive fire at a paper factory have drawn a blank. Arson was not ruled out as fire fighters battled against the blaze at Kimberly-Clark distribution centre, in Crete Hall Road, Northfleet, on July 10. But a company
CRIME has increased in north Kent by more than 10 per cent but one town is leading the way with a mammoth 20 per cent drop. Last year New Ash Green recorded 479 criminal incidents compared with 377 this year. Crime in north Kent rose 11.7 per cent.
MUSIC fans flocked to hear a galaxy of international stars at a festival of global music and dance. More than 3,000 people visited Riverside on the promenade in Gravesend for the Big Day Out festival on July 24. Visitors enjoyed a range of music from
A GROUP of volunteers dedicated to keeping Bexley's rivers clean, say more needs to be done to protect the network of rivers in the borough. The Thames 21 Cray Anglers' Conservation Group organises regular clean-ups of the rivers, inviting other volunteers
RESIDENTS will be on their best behaviour when a town centre prison reopens for business. But there is no need to worry, the prison is part of Gravesend Museum and the old cells are just an attraction. The grand opening is on Saturday and the museum
A NEWSAGENT held up at gunpoint says she is thinking about leaving the area. Daksha Patel, 56, was working alone in Templeton News, Temple Hill Square, Dartford, when she was confronted by a gunman. She gave him £150 from the till and then watched in
A SCHOOL tag rugby team which has only been playing for four months has already won its first trophy. The youngsters from St Augustine's of Canterbury CofE Primary School, St Augustine's Road, Belvedere, entered a school rugby festival at Erith Rugby
NEWS Shopper is looking for young people who do good for their communities. As part of our Local Hero campaign, we are keen to recognise youngsters under the age of 18. They could help neighbours with shopping, do charity work or anything else which
BEXLEY'S Labour council says it has no plans to demolish Crayford Town Hall. The news came as the council's cabinet discussed marketing the town hall site in Crayford Road. The site is central to the council's plans to revitalise Crayford and contains
THE majority of residents in St Mary Cray do not have a problem with gipsies and travellers. But they do have a problem with anyone who endangers green belt land and for that we should be grateful because something that precious needs people who are
SECURITY staff at Bexley Magistrates' Court were forced to intervene when a barrister was attacked by her disgruntled client. The attack, which left barrister Charlotte Hunt-Jackson with a split lip, landed Mbonso Sibanda in the dock at the Old Bailey
CLAIMS Bexley spends the least among London boroughs on teaching its primary schoolchildren have been scorned as out of date. London's GMB union claimed Bexley spent only £2,443 per primary pupil compared with a top spend by the City of London of £5,349
BIG DAY OUT: Children from Northwood Primary School in Yarnton Way, Thamesmead, used a day at the seaside to create presentations and short animations to present to the rest of the school. They took digital photos and video footage of the trip before
SURVEY packs are being sent to people asking for their experiences of crime and disorder in Bexley. The survey is part of a crime audit being carried out by the Bexley Community Safety Partnership to try and get a true picture of the nature and extent
THE husband of a church rector will be pedalling 1,000 miles to raise money to repair the church roof. When John Barnes' wife Katrina discovered it would cost £65,000 to save St Mary's Church, Main Road, Longfield, he offered to cycle from Lands End
A FORMER Sidcup man who died in a road accident in the USA had jumped a red light. An inquest at Croydon Coroner's Court into the death of Darren Wright, aged 29, heard he had been living in Austin, Texas, at the time of the accident in April 2002.
A FORMER sergeant major's failed appeal against his conviction for assaulting a policeman in a crown court has been branded "a waste of public money". John Nicholson-Taylor, aged 73, of Pinnacle Hill, Bexleyheath, was ordered to pay £250 towards costs
THE musical Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat was the choice of Year 6 pupils at Northumberland Heath Primary School for their farewell production. The starring roles were taken by Daryl Neale, Nick Hutchinson, Ali Osman and Elizabeth Isaacs. The
AN UNEMPLOYED man will appear at the Old Bailey next week, charged with murdering his brother. Police were called to Orchard House, a tower block in Northend Road, Erith, at 1am last Saturday after the body of a man was found in a flat there. He was
RESIDENTS have given a huge thumbs-down to plans to redevelop their neighbourhood school site. At an angry and sometimes confrontational public meeting, residents expressed their hostility to proposals for the future of the North Cray Primary School
CYCLE SAFETY: Police are inviting people to a cycle safety day in Westminster Fields, The Street, Horton Kirby, on Friday from 10am to 3pm. Cyclists can try their skills on a course and police officers will be offering crime prevention advice and giving
WE NEED CCTV: How I agree with Vincent O'Shea (Letters, June 30). The recently completed Shortlands Underpass has already been ruined by graffiti vandals. Why can't CCTV be set up in such vulnerable areas to catch these vandals in the act and make them
AN INVESTIGATION into why ballot papers ran out at last month's elections has found the council is to blame. A report found officers from the Lewisham Council's electoral services department made mistakes when delivering ballot papers to polling stations
The barrage of letters News Shopper has received regarding horses on the road shows it is a subject about which many people have an opinion. According to the British Horse Society, all users of the road have equal rights, so whether you are a horse rider
A HAUL of illegal DVDs, CDs and computer software valued at £50,000 has been seized by trading standards officers. In total 10,000 items, from illegal copies of the latest blockbusters to pirated music albums, were confiscated by Lewisham Council in
DETAILED plans for the construction of a new sports academy have been submitted to council planners. Official permission is being sought for plans to demolish Malory School and build the new 1,350-pupil Knights Academy in Launcelot Road, Grove Park.
A SPACE shuttle was one of the vehicles parked in a school car park for pupils to appreciate the countdown towards commercial space travel. Pupils at Leigh City Technology College, Green Street Green Road, Dartford, had the opportunity to view and explore
OPPONENTS of plans to close a leisure centre in order to build a new school have met for the first time. The July 23 meeting at Ladywell Leisure Centre saw more than 60 people gather to plan their fight against the council's intention to close the pool
CAPTAIN Cook is showing visitors around an exhibition of works by 18th-century landscape painter William Hodges. Actor Steve Sheridan dressed as the explorer, is giving talks at a free display which runs in the Queen's House at the National Maritime
POLICE are closing in on criminals who illegally dump commercial waste on public and private land. Operation Dumpster tackled offenders who had been identified through police intelligence and was a partnership between north Kent police, DVLA, Customs
It was only three weeks ago I was blowing my trumpet and telling some friends about our hail-and-ride service and with some transport maps showed them how it worked. But after reading June 30 edition of News Shopper, I have put my tarnished trumpet away
THE capital will be brought closer to the people of north Kent with confirmation of plans to build the long-awaited Crossrail network. The package involves upgrading Dartford and Ebbsfleet stations, where passengers will be able to use the network to
May I take advantage of your letters page to appeal for something which appeared in your paper of June 16. There was a picture of several very charming looking people who were appealing for more volunteers for Community Links, Bromley, and I have heard
A CORONER is writing to Bethlem Royal Hospital's chief to voice concerns after the death of a patient. Bromley Coroner Dr Roy Palmer said he would write, following the inquest into the death at the hospital of Limerick-born Marion McCarthy, 22, on September
A POLICE driver who left a man seriously injured after a crash has been cleared of dangerous driving. PC Paul Howes, aged 37, was responding to an distress call from a colleague when his patrol car slammed into a Peugeot 406 on Shooters Hill, Charlton
ATHLETES are running "faster than ever" on Crystal Palace's new £1.5 million track but only after a last minute delay. Despite being "opened" last Tuesday, South London Harriers were told they could not use the stadium until two days later. Coach
NEWS Shopper is looking for young people who do good in their communities. As part of our Local Hero campaign, we are keen to recognise youngsters under the age of 18. They could help neighbours with shopping, do charity work or anything else which
A SEX attacker escaped after bus passengers mistakenly thought his pursuer was threatening him. The man, in his early-20s, was seen by a member of the public seriously sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman in Bromley town centre. The good samaritan
FAMILIES made the most of seasonal weather for a change by having fun in the sun. After weeks of freak storms and torrential rain, sunworshippers were delighted with some July sunshine at the weekend. With temperatures reaching 80, parents took a well-earned
A TRAIN station is getting a new lease of life thanks to criminals. Offenders serving community punishment orders blasted graffiti off the walls during a visit to St John's Station, St John's Vale, Lewisham. They also repainted the station and cleared
A DEPARTING headteacher gave a speech at a gathering of fellow heads and council bosses. Headteachers and principles were invited to an end-of-the school-year reception at Old Bishops Palace in the civic centre, Bromley. The bash's host, executive
Yes, crime and disorder are out of control, and why? Because common sense discipline has left this country. We have a stupid ideology of political correctness, where no-one must be spoken to, no-one must be punished, no-one must fail, everyone has rights
AN ARCHIVE photograph appears to show a black police officer served in the Met five decades earlier than previously thought. The snap, of the celebrations at the first appearance of the Chislehurst fire engine, was taken on September 3, 1910. Police
A BOOK has been published which marks the 150th anniversary of Queen Victoria opening the Crystal Palace. Palace of the People celebrates Joseph Paxton's structure, which stood in the park until 1936. Author Graham Reeves said: "The palace still holds
NEW powers are being considered which will allow the council to buy and refurbish empty properties for homeless families. The plans have been presented as part of a report outlining ways to tackle the problem of empty private sector properties in the
A GRIEVING father has paid tribute to his daughter who died in February by raising more than £15,000 for vital research into brain tumours. Former Darrick Wood School pupil Liz Read was just 17 when she died from a brain tumour after fighting cancer
A DANCING brother and sister are champions after topping a nationwide competition. Katherine Giannini, 13, and her 11-year-old brother John, from Ridgeway Crescent, Orpington, were competing at the UK Championships in Bournemouth. Katherine and her
A MAN who stabbed his partner's former husband to death was jailed for life. Alan Thompson, aged 54, of Godfrey Road, Woolwich, plunged a knife being used to cut up cocaine into James Hepburn's heart. Thompson was convicted of murder and jailed at Southwark
RUSH-HOUR traffic was thrown into chaos after arsonists set light to a cricket scorebox with a gas cylinder inside. Police shut off Bromley Common shortly after 4.45pm while firefighters tackled the blaze in the unused building on the Blue Circle site
50 YEARS OF TEACHING: Newstead Wood School for Girls, Avebury Road, Orpington, celebrated 50 years of education with a commemoration service attended by the present headteacher as well as the very first from 1954. While children enjoyed a party in the
COUNCIL chiefs have confirmed changes will take place at a popular day centre for the elderly as a new storm erupts over its future use. Beckenham's Rachel Notley Centre will shut its doors to current users by October, despite protests by staff, users
A COMMUTER caught in a train blaze has called for fire extinguishers to be installed in carriages and on platforms. Carl Burgess, 35, of Derwent Drive, Petts Wood, was travelling home on the 6.16pm train from Cannon Street when a man standing at Chislehurst
A HEADTEACHER of a pre-school group is to enjoy a life of leisure when she retires after 27 years' service. Pat Miller, 61, of Lankton Close, Beckenham, has left St Edmunds pre-school, Village Way, Beckenham. Staff held a farewell party for her and
STAFF at a primary school showed they were super troupers with a rousing rendition of Abba hits to say farewell to a colleague. Mo Riches, 60, is retiring after teaching for 16 years at Crockenhill Primary School, The Green, Crockenhill, Swanley. Pupils
A FREEMASONS' dinner ended in tragedy when a 78-year-old man died after slipping and banging his head. Retired sales manager Sidney Harris died in hospital a day after the social evening at the Bromley-based headquarters of the Masonic Province of West
CAMPAIGNERS are celebrating news the long-awaited East London Line extension will finally go ahead. The announcement by London Mayor Ken Livingstone slipped out almost unnoticed amid the fanfare surrounding Crossrail last week. The Government's Transport
ONE of the borough's swimming pools has been ranked among the best in the country. The facility at the Spa, in Beckenham, came fourth overall in a national newspaper survey and was the highest placed municipal pool. Previously council-run but now under
PUPILS and staff came together to celebrate a pre-school's silver jubilee. Three former staff members and around 30 former pupils joined Crofton Early Learner's Group at Crofton Baptist Church, Crofton Lane, Orpington, for a day of fun activities and
NEWS Shopper is looking for young people who do good in their communities. As part of our Local Hero campaign, we are keen to recognise youngsters under the age of 18. They could help neighbours with shopping, do charity work or anything else which
FAST food is good food cooked to order on the premises for you to eat there and then or take it away and enjoy. Most of it is fun food for all the family. As a nation we are eating out more often then ever before and the proliferation of burger takeaways
SCHOOLS will be encouraged to recycle more waste paper from September. Headteachers will be given lockable paper banks for the start of the new school year in a bid to improve the borough's recycling record. Many schools such as Raglan Primary, in Bromley
AN Arts centre has begun the first stage of an ambitious expansion programme. Work has started to bring a new gallery, better toilets and improved disabled access to Ripley Arts Centre, Sundridge Avenue, Bromley. The £100,000 project the first in a
When Darent Valley Hospital opened four years ago, it was hailed as a model for others to aspire to. It certainly did not happen over night, but it finally earned that status and now celebrates its second year of top marks for its record in facilities
THIS time of year you'll most likely focus your wine aspirations on the lighter whites among New World wines which can be as suitable for quaffing evening time as they are for dining al fresco. I believe some of the best of those come from California
I have to disagree with Toby Nation's comment about the desirability of Olympic clay pigeon shooting coming to Joyce Green marshes (News Shopper, July 14). As I pointed out before, this green belt land is designated as a future nature reserve and its
Is Kent County Council sure? It has sent out a booklet to every home in the county asking us to "Tidy up Kent". It should start with Dartford Council the grass cutting in the district is appalling and the grass verges, playing fields and any spot in
Am I the only person who really believes Dartford Council is completely wasting £2 million of taxpayers' money on a new football stadium in Dartford (Dartford Borough News, July/August 2004)? I would like to know how Dartford Council can truly justify
I have just read the letter from the Bromley man slagging off Gravesend (News Shopper, July 14) and think the man is very wrong but also very right. He's wrong because it's not Gravesend which is the dump, it's Dartford, but he's right to point out some
SO Gravesend people are unfriendly, miserable and negative, according to Mr X of Bromley (Letters, July 14). What a self-important, sad little man! His "several experiences" only amount to a fraction of one per cent of Gravesend's population. He does
UNWANTED ROAD: Labour Council colleagues and I were sad to receive a letter from the regeneration manager at Dartford Council regarding the Dartford Festival in Central Park on the weekend of July 17 and 18. In his closing paragraph he wrote: "We are
It is not always easy to convince kids to eat the things that are good for them, but these recipes might help ... MINI BEEF MEATBALLS Lean minced beef Frozen mixed vegetables Tomato ketchup Cook 75g (3oz) frozen mixed vegetables - peas, sweetcorn
This week online clairvoyant Graham Dare helps out a couple of readers who have been having problems with the spirit world. My four-year-old daughter reports seeing a lady in my bedroom which is frightening her. I cannot see this. Also, she is telling
