NEWS insideSTORY cont ..
ALESSIA RUSSO RECEIVES HONORARY FREEDOM OF THE BOROUGH OF MAIDSTONE
Maidstone Borough Council ( MBC ) has awarded England footballer Alessia Russo Honorary Freedom of the Borough in recognition of Russo being a person of distinction and acknowledging the contribution she makes as part of the England Lionesses football team .
Alessia Russo grew up and went to school in Maidstone and the council has been working with her family to celebrate her achievements and contribution to ladies football in recent years .
Mayor of Maidstone – Cllr Gordon Newton , says : “ Maidstone Borough Council is delighted to be able to officially recognise Alessia and award her with the Honorary Freedom of the Borough of Maidstone .”
“ It ’ s a huge honour for me to receive this accolade ,” added Russo . “ Maidstone is my home and always will be so I ’ m delighted to have been awarded the Freedom of the Borough . I will continue to promote women ’ s football in the area and hopefully I can help and inspire the next generation of Lionesses .”
Mayor Newton continued : “ We are very proud of Alessia ’ s achievements and continued contribution to the game of football and I sincerely hope that she will encourage more young people , both girls and boys , to follow in her footsteps . Congratulations Alessia , everyone in Maidstone is very proud of you .”
ERITH ’ S OLD LIBRARY NOMINATED FOR RIBA SOUTH EAST AWARDS 2024
© Ståle Erikesen
Erith ’ s historic Old Library , a Grade II listed building , has been nominated for the prestigious RIBA South East Awards 2024 . The restoration project , led by Robin Lee Architects in collaboration with The Exchange , has revitalised the century-old landmark into a vibrant community hub .
“ We knew it would be a place for community , we knew we wanted to repair , protect and enhance heritage features , we knew we wanted a beautiful destination garden and we knew it would be a space that would be inspired by its heritage story of craft and empowerment ,” says Sarah Batten ,
co-founder and co-director of The Exchange . “ Robin Lee Architects were invested in community consultations throughout the process , creating a design that offered enough flexibility for change , but still creating defined and distinctive spaces through sensitive repair and adaptation .”
“ Following completion in 2022 , the building now provides a range of dedicated spaces for makers while providing community-focused education workshops and activities re-establishing Erith ’ s Carnegie Library as a place for education and learning within a communal setting ,” adds Robin Lee , lead architect on the project .
For more information about The Exchange , which now houses workshops and community spaces as part of its award-winning craft , community and heritage project , please visit : www . theexchangeerith . com .
CREATIVE RECOGNITION FOR insideKENT
Sam Ready , insideKENT editor-inchief and MD of iK ’ s parent company , Sideways Media , and Sideways Media ’ s creative director , Kareena Ross , were in esteemed company as they celebrated the achievements of a host of successful women at the annual Kent Women in Business Awards . Kareena was a finalist in the fiercely contested Creative Business and Professional Achievement categories , with Sam , a finalist in the Leadership & Management category , named runner up for the Creative Business Award 2024 .
The award success follows Sam being named Business Woman of the Year ( under five years ) and scooping the Growth Award at the 2023 Kent Women in Business Awards ; insideKENT and Kent Staycation being finalists for Magazine of the Year at the Kent Press and Broadcast Awards 2023 ; and Sideways Media being awarded Family Business of the Year for the second year in a row at the Business Awards Kent 2023 in recognition of continued growth and success for the Ashford-based creative and publishing company behind Kent ’ s largest read , insideKENT .
Commenting on the award , Sam said : “ It is always an honour to be recognised as a finalist at the Kent Women in Business Awards . There truly are some incredible stories of perseverance , passion and success . To be named runner up in such a fiercely contested category is a testament to the creative tenacity and ingenuity of the whole Sideways team ; an incredible and predominantly-female team of creative writers , designers , photographers , copywriters and communication specialists !” www . insidekent . co . uk • 165