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Muddy Stilettos has now announced all of the winners for its yearly regional awards
highlighting some of the best businesses from around Kent
the publication seeks out those independents that are truly excelling within their field and deserve to have their hard work recognised
Awards are given out across a wide range of categories
with firms from 35 counties going head to head in a public vote to determine the crème de la crème
This year, a whopping 105 Kent businesses were vying to be crowned the county’s best for their respective field
and now the full list of winners has been announced
Half-a-million people nationwide took part in the vote over eight weeks to pick their favourites
Announcing this year’s batch of winners, Muddy Stilettos said: “Now in their 12th year
we've always proudly run the Muddy Awards free for all businesses to take part and it's still as thrilling as ever to shine a light on brilliant lifestyle indies that make our lives so much more fun and vibrant
A whopping great thank you to all our Muddy readers who took part or voted - the Muddy Awards are nothing without you!”
All of the regional winners will automatically go through to the hotly contested National Finals of the Muddy Stilettos Awards
Editors will judge who is the ‘best of the best’ in each category
before announcing the national winners on Wednesday
Winner: The Festival Theatre at Hever Castle (Edenbridge)
Winner: The Clockwork Cocktail Company (Margate)
Winner: Elmley Nature Reserve (Isle of Sheppey)
Cellar Door Dining at Balfour Winery (Staplehurst)
Rascal's Events & Catering (Tunbridge Wells)
Kent Academy of Musical Theatre (Maidstone)
Kent School of Performing Arts (Whitstable)
Winner: Kent & East Sussex Railway (Tenterden)
Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest (Goudhurst)
Winner: Gingerly Green Flower Farm (Folkestone)
Winner: The PIG - at Bridge Place (Canterbury)
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Breaking crime updates and news from the courts
A CCTV image has been released after a delivery van in Staplehurst was robbed
Three people have been arrested by detectives investigating the incident
Kent Police was called just after 3pm on Friday
2024 to a report of a robbery in Pinnick Lane
It is alleged a man wearing a balaclava approached a delivery driver as he returned to his van and asked for the keys to his vehicle before assaulting him
a second man then threatened the victim before both suspects left the scene with a white Vauxhall van containing a number of parcels
Detectives have since arrested two men from Cambridge and a teenager from London in connection to the incident
Investigating officers are now seeking witnesses to the robbery and have also released a CCTV image of a white Ford Ecosport believed to be linked to the incident. Anyone with information is urged to call 999
and drivers with dashcam who may have been in the area at the time of the incident
are also asked to check for relevant footage
The items stolen include high value pieces of jewellery and watches
CCTV images show a potential suspect travelling by train between Staplehurst and Sevenoaks on the morning of the attack
After the burglary he was seen on trains between Hildenborough
finally cycling in Staplehurst shortly after 6.00 pm
said the man in the image should not be approached
Read more:Kent paedophile jailed after police found him on dating apps
Read more: Kent roadworks drama continues as Government asks county council to explain disruption
While he could have connections with the Staplehurst area
The crime will be featured on the BBC’s Crimewatch Live programme on 18 March 2025
Crimestoppers Regional Manager for Kent Phil Breckon said: “This was a shocking and violent burglary and those involved could strike again
There will be people who know what happened and who did it but they might be unwilling to tell the police
“We are an independent charity separate to the police and we guarantee you will stay 100% anonymous
you can help prevent whoever did this from attacking again and can help keep the community safe.”
Only information passed to Crimestoppers will qualify for a reward
The reward will be available from March 18 2025 until June 18
The reward will only be payable for information passed directly to Crimestoppers and not to the police
A reward code must be asked for when calling the charity on 0800 555 111
Those contacting Crimestoppers via the online form anonymously
the 'keeping in contact’ facility must be used and a reward code must be requested on your initial contact with the charity
You can see the latest crime and court news from Kent in our free newsletter here
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It said sheep could continue to be grazed on the land if the plant was built
the company wants to build the necessary infrastructure
the plant would be called Mathurst Solar Farm
Read more: Inside the charming forest near Kent that inspired Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre Wood
Read more: Kent's magical private lake in the shadow of a stately home where you can now wild swim
The Tunbridge Wells planners at the Town Hall have been sent the application, which is to Maidstone Borough Council
as it is an "adjoining authority"
There is already a website page for the scheme
where it says "once operational" it would supply enough power for up to 6,040 homes
It said: "Mathurst Solar Farm will help to support the delivery of urgent national and local climate objectives to generate more renewable energy to support the move away from fossil fuels."
The developers held two consultation events in Staplehurst in 2022
Companies House shows Renewable Connections Developments Ltd is registered in Noble Street in London and it has three directors
Staplehurst lies on the route of a Roman road
The 12th Century village is home to around 6,000 residents
Great English Churches describes Staplehurst as: "one of those contented little Kentish villages where time has not stood still
but where there is still a feeling of quintessential English-ness and “middle class values”
The planning application reference is 24/01859/ADJ
Get more news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE. For the latest planning notices near you visit publicnoticeportal.uk
The new Sainsbury’s Staplehurst team of around 120 colleagues today welcomed customers through the doors to their new state-of-the-art 18,000 sq
Over 100 of the colleagues working in one of the retailer’s most sustainable stores are new to the business
with over 75 per cent of the colleague team calling the village home
The new supermarket has also supported hundreds of jobs during construction
including engaging around 500 tradespeople on site during the ten-month long development
Sainsbury’s Staplehurst is the first supermarket the retailer has opened in 2021 and gives customers the choice of around 20,000 products from the aisles
customers are also greeted with the retailer’s new look fresh produce format and design Fresh Food Market
The market style shopping experience celebrates seasonality and British heritage
There is a fresh bakery instore that is expected to prepare over 180 loaves of fresh bread on site every day
alongside a self-serve patisserie that features speciality cakes
As part of Sainsbury’s ambition to be Net Zero across its own operations by 2040
the new store will adopt a range of sustainable initiatives
reduced flush toilets and waterless urinals
The store is also fitted with a natural refrigeration solution which significantly reduces greenhouse gas emissions from refrigerants plus the heat from the fridges is recycled to help warm the store
Two Bee Hotels have also been set up on site to help protect the local bee population
The landscaping in the carpark and around the store is also bee-attracting to encourage pollination
The store has been designed to bring convenience and the very best in product choice to the local community
There’s a large selection of food in line with the retailer’s strategy to put Food First
savoury and sweet snacks and chilled to confectionary
There are also many ready-made meals and food-to-go choices to give customers delicious and good value options for breakfast
The store also stocks general merchandise products including a selection from Sainsbury’s main home brand Habitat
The store also features SmartShop technology
giving customers the option to skip the checkout queues and complete their shop even quicker
They’ll be able to scan and pack products as they shop by downloading the app to their phone
Customers can also shop from a further 20,000 products through the Argos store inside the supermarket
By bringing together the much-loved brands of Sainsbury’s and Argos under the one roof
Staplehurst customers will be able to enjoy greater convenience and have the opportunity to purchase thousands of technology
home and toy products whilst picking up their groceries
The Argos store will feature an Argos Pay@Browse area and when permitted
customers will be able to use the tablets to purchase what they want quickly and conveniently
as well as browse for products with Argos colleagues on hand to help
alongside motorbike parking and bicycle hoops for customers riding to the store
The store is open 8am – 10pm Monday through to Saturday and 10am – 4pm on Sundays
The first 500 customers in store were also gifted a special edition bag
The bag has been designed by six-year-old Staplehurst resident Eden
Eden also received a certificate and her own framed bag to keep as a souvenir of the opening day.
The Sainsbury’s team in Staplehurst will play an active role in the local community and support Sainsbury’s nationwide community programmes and charity partners
In January Sainsbury’s also announced an additional £1 million community fund for stores to donate to charities and other good causes in their local areas
This follows Sainsbury’s ‘Help Brighten a Million Christmases’ campaign that raised £6 million in December for over 800 local charity partners
including local charities Maidstone Food Bank
Maidstone Salvation Army and Homeless Care Maidstone Day Centre.
Patrick Dunne said: “We’re very pleased to open the doors and share this much-anticipated store with the local community
We have created over 120 jobs and I’m especially proud that we’re welcoming a number of local young people entering the workforce for the first time
This is a state-of-the-art store that we know will serve the village for generations to come
Thank you Staplehurst for your support and patience as we delivered this store safely and efficiently.”
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Teams at garden centres across the Garden Centre Association’s (GCA) South East area are celebrating after scooping awards during a presentation evening yesterday at Haskins Garden Centre Snowhill (Thursday
Garden Centre of the Year in the Destination Garden Centre (DGC) category was Ruxley Manor
the Garden Centre (GC) category award went to Ransoms Garden Centre and Local Garden Centre (LGC) to Millbrook Garden Company
Peter Burks said: “Our South East area awards meeting was a great success and I’d like to thank everyone who came out for the evening
It was fantastic to see 118 attendees all actively engaged in the presentations and taking down lots of notes to share with the rest of their teams afterwards
“I’d like to congratulate all our very worthy winners and say a big ‘thank you’ to everyone at Haskins Snowhill for being such wonderful hosts and to our Inspector Alyson Haywood for visiting the centres and presenting her inspection findings in such an engaging way.”
Alyson made unannounced visits to 59 member garden centres in the South East area across a 12-week period
She said: “It was a pleasure to judge the South East region for the GCA inspections
After the great turnout at our pre-inspection meeting
I was excited to visit all the member centres
“Although the ‘normal’ weather for the season did not make much of an appearance whilst I was on my travels in the South East
or indeed anywhere else in the country at the time
I’m pleased to say the staff at each garden centre were all very upbeat
“The centres were looking good with some great examples of creativity and innovation and some super plant ranges too
I thoroughly enjoyed all my visits this year.”
for the South East region GCA area awards are as follows for the DGC
For further information, please visit www.gca.org.uk
GCA’s 2024 South East region award winners revealed
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The expanding village of Staplehurst has caught the eye of many eager homebuyers
the village is nestled in an ideal location
offering quick links to London and crisp Kentish air
as we continue coming to grips with COVID-19
Staplehurst saw a 179 per cent increase in buyer searches between March 2020 and March 2021
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This makes Staplehurst one of the most sought-after places to move to in Kent during the pandemic
and Kemsing have all also seen a surge in popularity
The 12th Century village is home to 6,000 residents
with many famous faces passing through over the years
the village felt the tyranny of the infamous Queen Mary I of England
Her reign saw three local women burnt at the stake for being Protestants and now a granite memorial lays on Cuckolds Corner in honour of these Marian Martyrs
Further along in the village's history
Charles Dickens nearly lost his life in Staplehurst in a horrific train crash
the timbers on the rails of the bridge crossing the River Beult had been removed to be replaced
expecting the Folkestone Boat Express train carrying Dickens and a number of other passengers to arrive two hours later than it did
The rails across the bridge were up when the train arrived causing it to derail and crash into the river
Dickens’ carriage was the only one that wasn’t crushed
Staplehust was named Kent Village of the Year and can also lay claim to TV presenter Harry Hill
You've Been Framed as well and Harry Hill's TV Burp
the presenter grew up in the village and attended several local schools
you will find an array of eateries and independent shops
From a butcher's to an award-winning winery
and an 18th Century Shepard Neame pub called the Kings Head
And while there is only one school in the village - Staplehurst Primary School - there are several more in the surrounding area
such as High Weald Academy and Cranbrook School
Situated on the main line from Ashford International
Staplehurst is also just 62 minutes from London Charing Cross
had only moved to the village in December 2020 from Lordswood in Medway
Explained why she wanted to make the move to Staplehurst
I wanted somewhere with a decent mainline train station to work
and the other thing is that it's exactly halfway between my kids
"It's better now there's a Sainsbury's
it gives you more choice." Vanessa continued
it's close enough to Maidstone if you want to shop there
"It's got a decent rail and bus network."
"It still feels a bit more countryfied than where we were before
has lived in the area since 1976 and doesn't ever plan on moving out of Staplehurst
Tony used to have his own business maintaining equipment for the environment agency
whilst his partner works as a volunteer for the local Hospice charity shop
The dad of four said: "It's got easy access to the coast
it's got easy access to its railway station to London
then we've got Maidstone that way and Tunbridge Wells that way
"It's all within reasonable reach
we can go to Cranbrook school and we've got Angley Road school (The High Weald Academy)
"We've got two or three different churches
"And now we've even got a Sainsbury's
"We've always been happy here."
has been selling houses in the area for the past 40 years
He said: "We're within the Cranbrook school catchment area
we've got a good railway station with fast and frequent trains to London
we've got a new Sainsbury's supermarket
"The village is very old in the central part of it
the church dates back to about the 13th Century
I think it's got the oldest church door in England
"There's a good primary school here
"I'd say lots of people move from within the village
a lot of people have moved out of London and are moving into the country
"It's a village that's expanded over a period of time
there's a lot of new houses here."
Staplehurst station gets Southeastern investment to expand and upgrade its car park
including the creation of over 250 additional car park spaces and improvements to CCTV and lighting
has officially unveiled a major £1.1 million expansion and upgrade of the car park at Staplehurst station
in response to the growing demand from regular commuters and higher numbers of passengers at the station
part of Southeastern’s Partnership Plan for Britain’s Prosperity in South East London and Kent
The work has included the creation of 224 additional car park spaces
as well as improvements to CCTV and lighting
which will improve security and transform a previously neglected piece of land
Southeastern has carefully adapted the design of the existing car park to ensure that more parking spaces are available
improving access for both pedestrians and traffic in the surrounding area
Construction of the expanded car park has been completed on time and on budget
and Southeastern has liaised with local residents to keep them informed and updated during the work
Passenger Services Director at Southeastern said:
“We’re pleased to have been able to make this investment in expanding the car park at Staplehurst station
as we know that this is what our regular customers have been asking for
Regular commuters and leisure travellers alike should see a big difference”
Member of Parliament for Maidstone and The Weald said:
“I am pleased that this much needed upgrade to the car park at Staplehurst Station has now been completed
shared with Southeastern a range of my constituents’ concerns about the Staplehurst station car park and I also hope that this will be part of a wider drive to boost capacity and facilities at our rural stations across Maidstone and the Weald.”
press.office@southeasternrailway.co.uk
(L-R): Kevin Nason, Department for Transport; Lee Malcolm
Head of Facilities for Southeastern; Helen Grant
Member of Parliament for Maidstone and the Weald; David Wornham
Southeastern is the trading name of SE Trains Limited
Registered in England under company number 03266762
Staplehurst Monarchs have begun the reveal of their 2021/22 Squad
a few days out from their debut game in the SCEFL First Division
First up for the Monarchs is a trip to Croydon and these are some of the players that will be wearing the Staplehurst shirts;
An experienced player in the SCEFL league having previously captained Crowborough and Rusthall
A pacey winger who will cause defenders lots of problems
A young centre-back with loads of potential
Sam joins us from Holland’s and Blair where he captained the u18’s
At only 16 years of age a technically gifted midfielder joins the Monarchs
Staying with us from last season is Harvey Monk
An energetic midfielder at only 18 with lots of potential to climb the football leagues
Staying with us from last season is striker Pete West
This is Pete’s 32nd season at Staplehurst Football Club from juniors to men’s
His experience and goals will be valuable to the squad this season
Staying with us from last season is midfielder Tom Goodayle
Full of running Tom will play a huge part in our midfield this season
Staying with us from last season is Alex Bishop
Defenders will find it very hard to stop him
Staying with us from last season is experienced centre-back Karl West
Karlos’ experience will be vital for us this season to help the younger players progress on the pitch
Keep an eye out for more reveals from Staplehurst Monarchs before the Season gets underway on Saturday
Work will include the creation of around 300 extra car parking spaces
£1.1 million expansion and upgrade of the car park at Staplehurst station
in response to growing demand from regular commuters
Work began on the scheme in April 2018 - part of a £78 million programme of investment to improve passengers' experience while travelling
It will include the creation of around 300 extra car parking spaces at Staplehurst
as well as improvements to CCTV and lighting in the new car park which will improve security and transform a previously neglected piece of land
Southeastern will carefully adapt the design of the existing car park to ensure that more parking spaces are available
improving access for both pedestrians and traffic
Construction of the expanded car park is set to be finished in the Autumn
and Southeastern is liaising with local residents to keep them informed and updated regarding the work
Facilities Project Manager at Southeastern said:
“We’re pleased to be able to make this investment in expanding the car park at Staplehurst station as we know it's what a lot of our regular customers have been asking for
Over the next few months people should begin to see a big difference”
“I am pleased that this much needed upgrade to the car park at Staplehurst Station is now underway