Editor's Blog: Heartening support for Sport Relief
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It was heartening to see such a
good turn-out for the Maidstone Mile in aid of Sport Relief
yesterday, for which the Kent Messenger was media partner.
When we say we are supporting a event we
throw ourselves into it, not just with strong editorial promotion
but usually you will see at least one member of staff actively
involved. In yesterday’s case, we had myself, assistant news editor
Rob Bailey, senior reporter Mary Graham and photographer Matt
Walker slipping on our running shoes and joining the 800 or so
people taking on a fairly challenging course around Mote Park. My
colleagues chose the longer six-mile event while I rather wimpishly
opted for three miles. Rob excelled by coming fourth in his race
and was deservedly triumphant when he hobbled up into the newsroom
this morning – complete with treats for his fellow journalists, as
anyone who has ever worked in a newsroom knows that personal
celebration and achievement usually come at a price.
Yesterday’s event was a
triumph in itself. It wasn’t a serious sporting occasion and the
accent was more on fun with lots of happy faces around – even at
the finish! A special mention should go to the young volunteers,
whose enthusiasm and encouragement was appreciated by everyone who
took part. See Friday’s Kent Messenger where we’ll have five pages
of coverage from this and other Sport Relief efforts.
Monday morning in the KM
offices is about planning the week ahead and our morning conference
held earlier included issues like plans for a new hotel at junction
8 (someone commented with tongue firmly in cheek that it’s probably
for the lorry drivers who’ll be using KIG once it’s been built). On
a similar subject, one of the team has been tasked with finding out
what’s going on at junction 7 next to Notcutts where there appears
to be some clearing of land, usually occupied by tents advertised
by the camping shop there, in preparation for development (if
anyone knows, give us a call).
When you’ve been working
in local newspapers for as long as I have, one of the things that
never fails to amaze you is the capacity for loved-ones to stick by
partners, boyfriends, husbands or father no matter what their
misdemeanour.
Sometimes we’ll get
an irate visit or phone call from a wife or girlfriend defending
their spouse/fiancé/boyfriend after they’ve appeared before a local
judge or magistrate. And it’s happened again following Friday’s
front page story about Robert Greening, of Durham Close, Maidstone.
Just to remind you that this young man is about to miss the birth
of his daughter because he’s at Her Majesty’s pleasure for
drink-driving for a third time. The last time he got done he missed
the birth of his son. When police stopped his car on the last
occasion after he’d mounted a pavement, prompting shoppers to move
smartly out of the way, they found an open brandy bottle. The only
thing Mr Green appears to have going for himself is an extremely
loyal girlfriend. Kelly Trowell has written to us taking us to task
about our coverage of his case ‘Drunken menace is banned and
jailed’. She insists he has turned his life around (we reported his
on Friday) pointing out that our article is ‘outrageous’ and he has
‘been a totally different person since this incident’. Well that is
partly true after all.
Friday, March 12 2010
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