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Kent head coach Jimmy Adams has backed under-pressure batsman Ben Harmison to come good after experiencing a tough start to his career at St Lawrence.
With a top score of 46 for his new county since signing from Durham during the winter, Harmison, pictured, finds his place under threat with the likes of Sam Billings, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Alex Blake and Adam Ball waiting in the wings.
Predominantly used in the LV= County Championship, Harmison’s record of three scores in the 40s from his 10 innings, at an average of 26, tells its own story, but Adams has voiced his support for the left-hander.
He said: "The main concern is that he needs to convert. He is getting starts pretty regularly, so the challenge for him now is making use of those starts. Hopefully that is something we can improve on as the season continues.
"I don’t get involved in what supporters think or say. At the end of the day, this is down to the interests of the team but, at the same time, players know what is expected of them and we try to give them as much support as we can."
Thursday, June 14 2012
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Source: www.kentonline.co.uk
Tesco buys digital music business for $17 million - Reuters
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Source: www.reuters.com
Grimsby is 'logical place' - Hull Daily Mail
GRIMSBY'S eagerly awaited Morrisons seafood production facility could be just the start of a prosperous relationship between the supermarket giant and the town.
Major training initiatives for retail and factory staff are being explored as work continues at pace on the Europarc site.
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WELCOME: Wynne Griffiths, left, welcomes head of seafood for Morrisons Frank Green, and managing director of seafood manufacturing for Morrisons Howard Sims, right, to the Humber Seafood Institute on the Europarc, Grimsby. Picture: Jon Corken
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FOCUS: Seafood is a big focus of supermarket chain Morrisons.
Frank Green, head of seafood for the Bradford-based retailer, met senior figures from the town's super cluster this week, following up a meeting with Humber Seafood Institute chairman Wynne Griffiths CBE at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels in April.
And the senior executive underlined the importance of fish to Morrisons, while making it clear that Grimsby shouldn't just focus on what it can offer in seafood, as the "Market Street" fresh produce element of nearly 500 stores are further enhanced.
Mr Green, a former Young's account director when Mr Griffiths was at the helm at Ross House, said: "I worked in Grimsby for ten years and had a smashing time, and it is the logical place for a retailer to open a fish business. The whole reason why we are here is the next step in development of a better store.
"My brief is the wider Morrisons brand, and how the factory fits in, how we can source directly and what products go into what type of processing and, most importantly, how we sell products to customers.
"Year on year we want that to improve and that is quite a challenge for us."
Morrisons is the UK's second biggest food manufacturer, having enjoyed success with the ownership model of production, particularly in bakery and butchery lines.
Seafood is the next component of that, with a clear focus.
Talks were held about the potential to train 500 fish counter managers here, in what would be a 26-week course, with scope to bring more than 1,000 fish counter staff together in the town to talk through the new push on fresh fish.
Mr Green said: "We are looking at how we can use the resources in this area.
"This is the seafood cluster for the UK, and part of the visit is how we find ways of improving our capability, and particularly those of our fishmongers, through training.
"We take this really seriously, it is part of our craft position as a retailer. Our point of difference is the in-store craft skills. We have fully trained butchers, bakers, cheesemongers and fishmongers. It is the experience that becomes a function in the store.
Mr Green was told how Young's Seafood got more than 1,600 employees to NVQ standard working with Grimsby Institute.
Tesco also trains fishmongers here, with 600 staff in the process of completing two residential units which involve five days in the town.
While not confirmed, Mr Green and industry officials were positive about the opportunity.
"There is competition, but I know Grimsby well, I worked for a great business here and understand the area," Mr Green said. "We should not see this just as seafood, but a dimension of food manufacturing. This should be a natural hub, providing we can get it done. It has great facilities, great infrastructure. All of these things make the area more amenable."
On schedule to open in early September, the former Kwoks ready meals factory is currently being transformed to include several production lines for white fish, salmon and shellfish.
Mr Green said: "We are on schedule to open on September 3. The next four to six weeks are very important, but work is starting to take shape."
Source: www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk
Kent urges all councils to place looked-after children closer to home - Children & Young People Now
Kent County Council has made a plea to all local authorities to place children in care closer to home, after revealing that 1,267 children are placed in Kent from other parts of the country.
Kent has 1,267 placed in the county from other parts of England. Image Kent County Council
Leader of the council Paul Carter has written to London mayor Boris Johnson calling for a summit of London councils to discuss how they can better work together to find foster carers and residential children’s home placements in the capital.
There are currently 1,267 looked-after children placed with independent fostering agencies and privately registered children's homes in Kent by other local authorities.
Carter has also written to children's commissioner for England Maggie Atkinson to highlight the issue.
“Being taken into care is probably the most traumatic thing that can happen to a child,” Carter said.
“Children in care deserve a better deal and all councils must work much harder to provide placements that enable them to remain in their schools and with their friends, unless there is a threat to their safety.
“This will minimise disruption in their lives and protect the wellbeing of some of our most vulnerable children."
The council has said that supporting its 1,790 looked-after children, including 181 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, as well as the 1,267 looked-after children placed by other local authorities, is placing massive pressures on children's social services, schools, police and health services.
There are 63 privately registered children's homes and 32 independent fostering providers in Kent, catering for 803 children placed by London councils and other authorities including Manchester.
Carter and Jenny Whittle, Kent’s cabinet member for specialist children’s services, met with children's minister Tim Loughton to call for legislation that would place a statutory obligation for local authorities to place children no more than 15 miles away from their home or school, unless in exceptional circumstances.
The legislation proposed by Kent would also require all councils to provide an annual statement to their local safeguarding children board detailing how many children are placed outside their local authority boundary and what safeguards have been put in place to protect these children from harm.
It would also require all 32 London councils to jointly commission fostering placements and residential children home placements in London.
Carter added: "Following the recent conviction of nine members of a sex-grooming network in Rochdale, all councils must make sure they can properly safeguard teenagers placed in residential children’s homes, particularly those placed many miles from home, which increases their sense of vulnerability.”
Source: www.cypnow.co.uk
Margate's £100,000 boost 'not tied' to Mary Portas show - BBC News
A high street rejuvenation project will go ahead in Margate whether or not traders take part in a Mary Portas reality TV show, an MP has promised.
The Kent resort is among 12 towns chosen by Ms Portas to share £1.2m of government cash and her expertise.
However, she told hundreds at a meeting on Tuesday: "You either let the cameras in with me or I go back on the train and some other town gets it."
Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale said there was no question of money being withdrawn.
"It is entirely up to individual companies and tradespeople in the town whether or not they take part in the programme," the Conservative MP said.
"The Margate Town Team Regeneration Project, backed with £100,000 of government money, will go ahead whatever."
'Warts and all'Margate is the first of three towns to be chosen by TV production company Optomen Television to feature in a Channel 4 programme, Mary Queen of the High Street, about the regeneration process.
“Start Quote
End Quote Sir Roger GaleI wouldn't have issued a contract like that”
Ms Portas received applause as she addressed the meeting, but acknowledged some people saw the documentary as a "downside".
"If we put this on prime TV people will come," she said. "That is a decision you have got to make.
"It's going to be warts and all but at the end, from my heart, I want this to be wonderful and I want Margate to be wonderful."
Robin Vaughn-Lyons, leader of the regeneration bid, said he was unaware anything had been done "to offend Mary".
"It wasn't until after the event that someone pointed it out to me what she said," he said.
"It was bit of a shock of course but we have got an awful lot to do and we are just getting on with it."
Contract 'redrawn'Sir Roger, a former TV producer, said contracts local people had been asked to sign with the production company were "restrictive".
"I wouldn't have issued a contract like that and I understand Mary Portas herself has insisted that what she describes as the restrictive parts of the contract will be redrawn.
"I want to see the project succeed and if there is a documentary that shows how and why it has been approached and succeeded that would be very good news for the town."
Ms Portas tweeted that her remarks were "heat of moment stuff with camera stuck in face".
Channel 4 said in a statement: "Optomen is in early talks with a number of local shopkeepers and town representatives.
"Some businesses have been given standard TV agreements. As usual, these agreements will evolve once we have received everyone's initial feedback.
"Mary is passionate about her work to help reinvigorate the high street and the programme will be made in that spirit, so we're keen to work closely with everyone involved."
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
