Wednesday June 6 | 2018
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Foodbank seeks support to feed children during school holidays
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Seven year old’s story chosen for BBC Radio 2 final Page 2
By William Mata NOURISH Community Foodbank is appealing for support to help feed hundreds of children in Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells who may go hungry this summer. The bank has launched its Pennies to Plates campaign, which urges residents to collect small change in a special paper money box that can be downloaded. It is the second year the scheme has been run to help families provide a meal for children over the school holidays. They would usually receive breakfast or lunch at school.
Last year Nourish worked with family liaison officers in local schools to identify children who were at risk of undernourishment. In total it provided 234 three-day emergency supplies to families over the holiday period, providing enough food for 2,106 meals. This year the charity is hoping to raise more than £6,000. Dawn Stanford, Nourish Operations Manager, said: “Almost half of people Nourish helps are children under 18 years of age. “But we were surprised at how many families needed our help over the summer because they struggle with the increased cost of feeding children who are no longer benefiting from free school meals or breakfast clubs.” Nourish is asking businesses, schools and organisations such as
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PHOTO: Sarah Abercrombie Jones
Struggle
NOT CONSTRUCTIVE More development – but no affordable housing Page 24
FRAME FAME: Local photographer Emma Stokes displays her work at the inaugural Tonbridge Art Fair on River Walk. See page 2
MP calls on Health Secretary to keep West Malling surgery open By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk THE MP for Tonbridge & Malling, Tom Tugendhat, has questioned the Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt in Parliament about the future of GP surgeries in small communities like West Malling. The practice, which has 20,300 people on its books, will move the majority of its operation to Kings Hill next year. There has been a surgery on the High Street for 70 years, but the current building was put up for sale by the partners at the West Malling Group Practice. Since then the group has only offered a
commitment to ‘retain a presence’ in the town. The move follows the closure of the GP surgery at East Peckham, which shut its doors at the end of March.
‘The need to invest in premises is deterring younger GPs from becoming partners’ Mr Tugendhat asked Mr Hunt in the Commons: “Does he agree that, in local areas, some of the GP provision could do with a little more work? “I am particularly thinking of West
Malling in my own constituency, where a large element of the community is finding it harder to get access, and there is a danger that the GP surgery may leave the high street.” Mr Hunt replied: “My honourable friend is right to draw attention to that issue. He does have, I think, 28 more GPs in the West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group area than in 2010, but there is a particular issue over premises. “The need to invest in premises is deterring younger GPs from becoming partners, and sometimes making GP
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THE SECRET GARDEN Find Mary Mary Creates’ oasis and help the Hospice Page 15
LEADING THE FIELD
Hillview sports teacher Tayla wins county award Page 70