NEWS
© Manuel Harlan
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KENT BUSINESSES BACK LIVING LAND
Countrystyle Recycling played its part in celebrating 20 years of fun and interactive learning opportunities centred around food , farming and the countryside when it took part in Living Land .
The event , which is run and managed by Kent County Agricultural Society , welcomed more than 2,000 school pupils in years 3 and 4 from across the county .
THE MARLOWE ’ S ALADDIN PICKS UP RECORD-BREAKING NOMINATIONS AT THE UK PANTOMIME AWARDS 2024
The Marlowe ’ s 2023 / 24 pantomime , Aladdin , has been nominated for a record-breaking eight awards by the UK Pantomime Association in their annual Pantomime Awards , including Best Pantomime . Aladdin ’ s unprecedented haul of nominations is a record for the Pantomime Awards , and is a testament to The Marlowe ’ s producing partnership with Evolution Productions .
The list of nominations includes : Best Pantomime ( Over 900 Seats ), Best Dame – Ben Roddy as Dame Dolly , Best Script – Paul Hendy , Barbara Windsor Award for Best Principal Lead – Alistair So as Aladdin , Carmen Silvera Award for Best Magical Being – Courtney Bowman as The Spirit of the Ring , Best Newcomer to Pantomime – Kevin Clifton as Ivan Tochachacha , Best Supporting Artist – Zain Abrahams as PC World and Best Contribution to Music – Chris Wong , music director for Aladdin .
The nomination news comes just two years after The Marlowe and Evolution Productions won the UK Pantomime Award for Best Pantomime , triumphing with its 2021 / 22 production of Jack and the Beanstalk , and is a great achievement for the cast with many making their pantomime debuts in the show which also saw a 1,000th panto dame performance for Ben Roddy .
Countrystyle Recycling , a commercial waste management and recycling services company , was joined by colleagues from FGS Agri , FGS Organics , enVar and Verigreen ; all companies that are part of Kent-based Heathcote Holdings .
Visiting local pupils had the opportunity to start growing their own sunflowers by filling seed pots with compost created by enVar , as well as trying their hand at litter picking , while an art competition on the stand also saw pupils create recycling themed pictures , with 10 to be selected and displayed on the sides of Countrystyle Recycling waste collection lorries later this year .
Martin Heathcote , CEO of Heathcote Holdings , said : “ As a family-owned landbased business we put environmental sustainability at the heart of everything we do . Living Land is important because it helps children make the connection between how we use the land to generate food alongside the need to ensure that we do everything we can to protect it .
“ As a company we spend a lot of our time supporting children and youth initiatives . At Living Land it was great to show what we do – whether it was the organic fertilisers and compost we produce , our recycling and waste management , or developing innovative new approaches to agriculture and land management .”
Pupils practise litter picking at the Heathcote Holdings stand at Living Land
MAIDSTONE LITFEST LAUNCHES LOCAL SCHOOL COMPETITION
Maidstone LitFest is calling for local schools to enter their annual competition to win a free author visit and is also holding a new writing competition for children .
A Maidstone Borough Council ( MBC ) initiative , the first Maidstone LitFest was held in 2023 with the inaugural event providing author visits by Tolá Okogwu , Adam Baron and Jack Meggitt-Phillips to some 17 Maidstone schools . The 2024 schools ’ programme will run once again this year between 30 September - 4 October and entries for the draw are now being invited .
This year ’ s LitFest also sees the launch of a new writing competition for Maidstone children aged five - 13 . Divided into three age categories , children are invited to submit a short story or poem to be in with a chance to win prizes , including a £ 25 Waterstones voucher , and have their story read aloud at the festival by a children ’ s author .
Maidstone LitFest co-director Becky Grace , said : “ This competition is a wonderful opportunity for children to unleash their imaginations and have fun writing a story . Our festival aim is to make reading and storytelling enjoyable and engaging for all ages . We are encouraging children of Maidstone to let their creativity soar and weave magic with words . Their story could be read aloud by a children ’ s author at this year ’ s festival and we wish them all the very best of luck .”
For full details on both competitions , please visit : www . maidstonelitfest . org .
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