Local News

Trio Entertainment in association with Swale Community Leisure Trust and Swallows Leisure Centre have stepped in to help disheartened families this Christmas.

Pantomime Producers Kevin Brown and Darren Paine of Trio Entertainment and the staff at The Swallows Centre were saddened to hear of the recent closure of The Maidstone Pantomime, upon hearing the news plans were put in motion that has allowed 100 free tickets to be made accessible for anyone effected by the recent closure of ‘Snow White' in Aylesford.

Anyone wishing to take the opportunity to access these free tickets must bring proof of purchase of the Snow White tickets - the tickets will be then issued on a first come first served basis and will only be available for this Saturday (22nd December) at 7:00pm. These tickets can be reserved by emailing andrea.chase@serco.com with proof of purchase for Snow White. Those that are successful in receiving the free tickets will receive a confirmation email as confirmation - the venue would advise that they bring this with them.

The Producers of ‘Jack and the Beanstalk' are also offering 10% off any performance with proof of purchase - and are looking at adding an extra performance on Christmas Eve. Jack and the Beanstalk stars Steven Arnold, who played Coronation Street favourite Ashley Peacock for 14 years, He will be starring as the giant's evil henchman Fleshcreep in the Sittingbourne panto.

Joining him on stage at The Swallows will be Katie Burke, who is returning after playing Belle in Beauty and the Beast last Christmas. And for the third year in a row, resident dame Tilly Trott will be played by Harry Moore. The role of Jack will be played by Tom Balmont and Olivia McLaughlin is Fairy Beansprout. The cast will also be joined by youngsters from the Kent School of Dance, which have their regular meetings at The Swallows.

Tickets for the eighth annual pantomime are on sale now priced between £8.50 to £12.50.

To book, call the Swallows Leisure Centre reception on 01795 420 420 or visit www.sittingbournepanto.co.uk.

The Spirit of Sittingbourne, the developer behind the town centre regeneration, will be offering free parking at all car parks in Sittingbourne this coming Saturday (8th December).

They have told SFM News that move comes as an expression of gratitude to Sittingbourne residents for their patience during the recent re-generation roadworks. Spirit Of Sittingbourne has covered the cost of parking with Swale Borough Council and the decision to cover the costs followed feedback from local businesses who were concerned after Swale BC announced they will not be providing free car parking this December, as they have done in previous years.

The free parking will apply to all car parks in Sittingbourne, listed below:

Location     Type Spaces Disabled Motorcycle  Bicycle
Albany Road        Pay and Display - short stay 104     5     1     4
Central Avenue      Pay and Display - short stay     60     4     1             4
Cockleshell Walk    Pay and Display - long stay     96     6     0     0
Crown Quay Lane Pay and Display - short stay     42     3     1     0
The Forum     Pay and Display - short stay    162     6     2     4
Swallows     Pay and Display - short stay        86     6     0     20
Swale House*        Pay and Display - short stay        72     0     0     0
Milton High Street  Pay and Display - short stay        10     0     0     2
Spring Street     Pay and Display - long stay     72     0     0     0
Bell Road     Pay and Display - long stay     24     2     0     0

A Spirit of Sittingbourne spokesperson told SFM News: "We are delighted to be offering free car parking in Sittingbourne town centre as local businesses have understandably felt the impact over the disruptive summer of roadworks and we wanted to make sure thar they get some extra help over the crucial festive trading period. We are encouraging shoppers to take advantage of the free parking and support their local businesses by visiting Sittingbourne town centre as part of their Christmas shopping this December."

Two lucky Sittingbourne residents had a "Super Saturday" (24th November) after their postcode "ME10 1BX" won People's Postcode Lottery's Street Prize.

One of the Borden Lane neighbours scooped £30,000, while the second doubled their prize to £60,000 thanks to playing with two tickets. Wayne Mitchell, aged 46 and a self-employed electrician, was with his fiancé Michelle and their three-year-old son Edward when they received the cheque for £30,000. Wayne told SFM News: "I was quite astounded when I saw the amount I had won. We're in the process of renovating our house and this will mean we can get it finished much sooner than expected. I have a feeling Michelle will enjoy spending the win more than me. My daughter is at university so she'll definitely want a chunk of it too! I'm really looking forwarding to just relaxing and enjoying the win."

Martin Kite, aged 64, doubled his prize to a staggering £60,000 thanks to playing with two tickets. Martin and his wife Julie were jetting off to Iceland just after receiving their cheque and told SFM News: "We're going on holiday today so we'll be celebrating there. We'll need to get a decent bottle of champagne, this definitely calls for it! It will be an extra special Christmas too and I'll be able to get some great presents for my kids!"

People's Postcode Lottery ambassador Danyl Johnson presented the winners with their cheques and told us that he was "chuffed for Wayne and Martin! It sounds like they'll both enjoy spending their prize money and treating themselves."

With a minimum of 32% from every ticket going to charity, players of People's Postcode Lottery have now raised £361 million for over 4,000 good causes across Great Britain and internationally.

A number of local Sittingbourne charities have benefitted from the funding raised by players, including Space 2 Be Me, which received £6,400 last year to run employability workshops for young people with special needs.

Pic: L-R Martin Kite, Julie Kite, Danyl Johnson, Michelle (Wayne's fiancé) and Wayne Mitchell.

Pic: Matt Hogben, Gordon Henderson MP, Kirsty McBride, Fiorina Coccia and Paul Knell

Gordon Henderson MP presented local school children with prizes in the Litter Angels 'anti-litte'r poster competition on Thursday (8th November) at Kemsley Community Hall.

Litter Angels is a charity set up in 2008 by Mr Henderson to create, through education, awareness about the anti-social nature of litter and its effect on our local environment.

The theme of this year's competition was how litter harms the seaside and 14 local primary schools took part.

With the help of Paul Knell and Matt Hogben from McDonald's, the charity's main sponsor, all the children who were shortlisted were presented with a certificate and the winner from each school received a goodie bag containing a personalised mug and a copy of the Litter Angels storybook.

The overall winning poster was designed by Fiorina Coccia, who attends Bobbing Village School. Fiorina received a cheque for £50 and her school received a cheque for £100, which was collected by teacher, Kirsty McBride. The winning poster will now be printed on a metal sign that will be displayed in the car parks of the McDonald's restaurants across Sittingbourne and Sheppey.

Mr Henderson told SFM News: "Litter is an important issue locally and this competition has made the children think about how litter can have a negative effect on the seaside. They were all very excited at the presentation and I would like to thank all those involved with the competition, particularly, McDonalds for their continued support."