A schoolboy inspired by Hong Kong’s metro map has created his own for Ashford.
Chester Chan says he hopes it will help people “understand the geography” of the ever-expanding town.
His love of cartography began when he was just seven years old while living at his former home in Tuen Mun, Hong Kong.
Now aged 12, he has created a guide for Ashford, similar to Transport for London’s tube map.
It showcases the town’s attractions such as the Designer Outlet and Victoria Park, as well as Chilmington Green – one of several new housing estates built in recent years.
There are a total of 39 stops, which go as far out as Pluckley.
It features five service lines and the positions of the real-life Ashford International and Wye railway stations.
The Wye School pupil, whose family moved to the UK two years ago, says he designed it for several reasons, not least his love of the borough.
“I love creating railway and metro maps,” Chester said.
“Back in Hong Kong, I loved how the MTR map made travelling simple and fun.
“When I moved to Ashford, I wanted to help people here get around by train just as easily.
“I believe it can help foreigners to understand more about the geography of Ashford.”
The youngster moved to Ashford with his parents John and Elaine, as well as younger brother Jasper.
His dad says the family came to Kent so Chester and his brother can have a better education.
And since starting his journey at Wye, it is not surprising the pupil – who will begin Year 8 in September – already says one of his favourite subjects is design and technology.
The Repton Park youngster’s art was created using website Inkscape. Using vector graphics, the software is popular with artists creating technical illustrations such as cartoons and logos.
When asked how long it took him to make the subway map, Chester replied: “It took me about a week, including the drafts and improvements of the map.”
He continued: “I would like to create more maps of other towns in Kent like Canterbury and Folkestone [and] I would like to be a graphic designer or cartographer in the future.”
