COUNTRYSIDE Maritime has established a training centre on St Mary’s Island in Chatham. CML, the joint venture partnership between Countryside Properties and the South East England Development Agency, is sponsoring the programme to train the next generation of Kent bricklayers and other key building trades.

Situated near the school roundabout on the Island, the training centre has already opened for business.

The first eight of this year’s intake of 20 students have already completed the first stage of the Chatham Maritime Construction Skills Programme, which offers an ideal apprenticeship.

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RPC Land & New Homes is well on its way to meeting its £10,000 target for the children’s hospice, Demelza House.

A recent parachute jump by employees Tina Thatcher and Dawn Taylor raised about £5,000 and an Easter fair held in the RPC Tonbridge office brought the total to £8,758.

The final fund-raising event of this year will be a sponsored walk between RPC offices in Maidstone and Tonbridge, which is to be held on May 11.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the walkers can contact Marie Haselden on 01732 363633.

Demelza House hold various open days throughout the year.

Anyone who would like to take a tour of the hospice to meet and talk with staff and volunteers can contact the fund-raising team on 01795 845288. Open days are being held on July 4 and October 10.

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TONBRIDGE & Malling Housing Association recently had a closing ceremony for a successful programme of window replacements.

The programme to replace the windows to more than 5,000 properties took five years at a cost of more than £10m.

The association is now embarking on a phase two replacement programme for PVCu composite doors, fascias and soffitts.

The contractors, Anglian Building Products and Kent Contract Window Installers, held a buffet at the Larkfield Priory for members and officers of the association.