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Wednesday August 10 | 2022
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Hosepipe ban begins as water levels drop
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@roddyburger 12-14 Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells
RESIDENTS in Tunbridge Wells, as well as most of Kent and East Sussex face £1,000 fines for using hosepipes from Friday, as South East Water brings into force its first ban for a decade. The water company is the second in the UK to bring in a temporary use ban (TUB), after Southern Water introduced a similar ban across parts of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight that came into force last week.
2021
Enforcement Rule-breakers face fines of up to £1,000 if taken to court, although water companies say they prefer ‘education over enforcement’. South East Water said it had been ‘left with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers’ from midnight on August 12 ‘until further notice’. The firm added that it was taking the step ‘to ensure we have enough water for both essential use and to protect the environment’ as well as help ‘already stressed local water sources’. It comes after water levels in reservoirs in the South East have fallen by more than 50 per cent of usual levels. Full story page 4
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DROUGHT Bewl Water reservoir near Lamberhurst pictured in May 2021 (above) and last week (below)
Lib Dem finance chief quits after parking row Council’s ‘Borough Partnership’ branded a ‘coalition of chaos’ after sudden resignation
By Richard Williams THE Lib Dem head of finance for the new Tunbridge Wells ‘Borough Partnership’ has stood down following a row over the introduction of parking fees at two Council-run car parks. Cllr Andrew Hickey, who represents Pantiles & St Marks, has also quit the local Lib Dems but is to remain at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) as an independent councillor. The now former head of finance at TWBC stepped down after plans to introduce parking fees in Councilrun car parks in Paddock Wood and Southborough were met with a backlash. Cllr Hickey, who served under new Council leader
Ben Chapelard as Cabinet member for Finance and Performance, is due for re-election next year and quit his Cabinet role as well as resigning from the local Lib Dems last week.
Deficits Following his resignation, Council Leader Ben Chapelard, said: “I would like to thank Andy Hickey for his service as Cabinet member for Finance and Performance. “Andy worked hard with council staff to urgently tackle the multi-million pound deficits the Borough Partnership inherited from the previous administration.
“The number one priority of the Borough Partnership is safeguarding the council’s finances and we will continue to do this to try and protect council services.” Cllr Hickey declined to comment on his decision to resign, but it followed heavy criticism of a plan put forward by the Lib Dem-led coalition to scrap free parking in Paddock Wood and Southborough. Meetings were held by both Town Councils over the last week following growing resentment to cancel the first two hours of free parking in Yew Tree car park in Southborough and the first free hour of parking in the
Continued on page 2
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this week… SILVER ANNIVERSARY The Spa Valley Railway celebrates 25 years on the rails P6
GEM OF AN IDEA Roger Kavan spotted a gap in the market for a crystal shop in town P8
FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Lib Dem’s head of finance quits party and cabinet Continued from front page town centre car park in Paddock Wood. Both meetings attracted hundreds of residents and local business owners opposed to the plans. It followed petitions in the two towns that have now been signed by more than 3,000 people, with businesses, town councillors and residents angry that the Borough Partnership conducted no public consultation before announcing the plans. The move has also been blasted by Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark who said it would be ‘damaging’ to local businesses and was a ‘mistake financially’ as it could lead to empty shops and a fall in business rates for the Council. At a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee last month, Lib Dem Cllr Justine Rutland (Culverden) who is the cabinet member
for Towns and Local Areas admitted the decision not to consult residents over the planned scrapping of free parking had been ‘a terrible and regrettable oversight’.
Consultation The Cabinet has now agreed to hold a consultation on the plans. The Borough Partnership – a coalition made up of Lib Dems, Labour and the Alliance – took over running the Council from the Conservatives in May following the local elections. The ballot saw the Lib Dems overtake the Conservatives as the largest party in the 48-seat Town Hall. The Lib Dems ended the election with 16 councillors and joined forces with the Alliance, who have nine councillors, and Labour who have seven, to form the ‘Borough Partnership’ coalition.
The Lib Dems now have just 15 councillors following Cllr Hickey’s resignation, but are still larger than the Conservative Party which has 13 members at TWBC. The Conservatives took to social media to brand the Borough Partnership a ‘coalition of chaos’ Cllr Andrew Hickey following the resignation of Cllr Hickey, which is not the first to hit the Lib Dems in recent times. Former chairman Cllr James Rands (Culverden) quit the party to become an independent before the local elections this year, following a spat with leader Ben Chapelard. And following his party’s victory in May, Cllr Mark Ellis (St John’s) challenged Cllr Chapelard for the leader’s role but was defeated by an internal Lib Dem vote.
Council boundaries set to be reshaped and reduced By Richard Williams
THE CAMPAIGN KID Local schoolboy George Tappenden stars in inclusive backto-school adverts P12
FORWARD THINKING Poet Louisa Campbell explains how ‘abandoning herself to silliness’ could earn her a prize P22
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Merged Cranbrook, Sissinghurst & Frittenden will merge into one ward, as will Hawkhurst, Benenden & South Goudhurst. Perhaps the most controversial move, however, will see some of the satellite towns and villages also merged. The village of Rusthall will now be in a ward with Speldhurst. Southborough, which previously shared a ward with High Brooms will now be within the same ward as Bidborough. The village of Pembury will share borough councillors with Capel – the ward where the council plans to build a garden village consisting of more than 2,500 homes. Meanwhile Paddock Wood East and West will be abolished in favour of just one ward. The changes have not been welcomed by some parish and town councils. Dianne Hill, the Labour Mayor of Southborough Town Council, claims the plans
WEATHER & TRAVEL
Wood as their town, and it will further complicate things for them when it comes to elections. “People will be able to vote for Paddock Wood Town councillors, but their borough councillors will be in Pembury and Capel, so will the borough councillors that serve Pembury and Capel be able to identify the services the people here need?” The move to reduce and reshape the boundaries comes after the LGBC announced
last year they were ‘minded’ to slash the number of councillors at TWBC from 48 down to 39. If the boundary changes and councillor reductions go ahead, each of the new 13 wards will have three representatives at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. The proposal to reduce the wards is currently undergoing consultation, with residents able to comment on the planned changes until October 10. The changes are the first alterations to the boundaries in Tunbridge Wells since 2001, and if approved, will take effect following the 2024 local elections. ‘All out’ elections will take place in May that year when all 39 council seats will be balloted, rather than just a third of the Town Hall chamber. Election by thirds will then continue from 2025. Those wising to comment on the ward changes can visit: lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/southeast/kent/tunbridge-wells
WARD CHANGES The new boundaries
WED 10TH
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FRI 12TH
SAT 13TH
SUN 14TH
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TUE 16TH
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ON THE ROADS A21 (Northbound and Southbound between Vauxhall Lane and Longfield Junction) Overnight road closures (8pm-6am) for fencing and road repair works. Weeknights until August 18. Diversion through local road network. A26 London Road (near Hangman’s Hill) Temporary signals for broadband works. August 10-12 A267 (Mayfield Road and Tunbridge Wells Road, Frant) Road closure to repair highway. Closed between B2100 (Wadhurst Road/ Catt’s Hill) and B2099
(Wadhurst Road). August 16 at 8pm until August 22 B2099 Wadhurst Road/ Station Road (Frant) Road closure for carriageway repairs. Until August 11 at 6am Eridge Road, Eridge Green (Sham Farm Rd to Bunny Lane) Road closure for carriageway repairs. Only one set of works at any one time. Diversion via Bunny Lane, Frant Road/ A267, Uckfield Bypass/ A26 and Eridge Road/ A26. Until August 11 at 6am Frant Road (north of Forest Road) Temporary signals for broadband works until 18 Aug. Junction of Grove Hill Road, Prospect Road and
Camden Hill Temporary signals for broadband works. August 15-17 Halls Hole Road (between Cornford Lane and Dunorlan Farm Cottages) Road closure for BT/ Openreach works on August 12 at 9:30am-3:30pm Major Yorks Road Temporary signals to find a blockage, then repair pipe. August 15-17
ON THE RAILS No Southeastern train services running on Saturday [August 13] due to strike action by the ASLEF union.
Courtesy of the Met Office
DESIGN/PRODUCTION JASON STUBBS jason.stubbs@onemediauk.co.uk
THE boundaries within the borough of Tunbridge Wells are to be reshaped with the number of electoral wards cut by a third. The Local Government Boundary Commission (LGBC) plans to slash the existing wards in the Borough Council area from 20 to 13. The move will see a number of parishes merged, with many of the town centre wards in Tunbridge Wells reshaped and renamed. If the plans are approved, town centre wards such as St John’s, St James’, Culverden and Park will be replaced with six Royal Tunbridge Wells wards, including North, North Woods, South, West, Central and Grosvenor & Hilbert. There will also be a Rural Tunbridge Wells ward, that will cover places such as Brenchley, Horsmonden and Lamberhurst.
will ‘split the community’. She said: “High Brooms is and has always been part of Southborough and High Brooms Town Council; they pay the precept and have no affiliation really to Tunbridge Wells.” She added that St Matthew’s School in High Brooms will be in the Southborough and Bidborough ward, but the majority of children who attend it will live in the Tunbridge Wells North ward. Steering group chair for Paddock Wood Town Council, Meryl Flashman, told the Times the issue for that town was the reshaping of the boundary. She said: “The Foal Hurst Green estate being built by Berkeley Homes is going to be placed in Pembury and Capel. The people there look to Paddock
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
NEWS IN BRIEF
Bus drivers balloted for industrial action BUS drivers in the county could be set to walk out over pay and conditions, after being offered a 7.8 per cent pay rise. Around 800 Unite members based at Arriva depots in both Kent and Essex, including Tunbridge Wells, are being balloted for industrial action after the union said the pay rise was not enough to cope with the real inflation rate (RPI) at 11.8 per cent. The ballot closes on Friday (August 12) and if the workers vote to strike then walkouts could begin next month – just as pupils return to school. The news comes as members of the ASLEF rail union are to walk out on Saturday, which will see no train services in Tunbridge Wells.
Construction firm fined A FATHER and son who run a construction firm have to pay nearly £20,000 after a subcontractor fell through faulty scaffolding and broke his leg. Paul Mackmin required extensive surgery after the incident in St James’ Road in Tunbridge Wells in December 2018. While a judge at Maidstone Crown Court last week conceded Orchard Construction, based in Cranbrook, was not responsible for erecting the scaffold, he insisted the firm had a duty to ensure it was safe. Operations manager Martin Hayes was fined £2,066 and contracts manager Tim Hayes was fined £2,800 after both admitted breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The pair are also expected to pay court costs of £15,000.
Tools hidden in bin POLICE have arrested a man at the scene of a suspected burglary in Tunbridge Wells after he allegedly hid stolen power tools in a wheelie bin. At around 7.30am on Wednesday, August 3, officers from Kent Police were called to a report that damage was being caused at a property in Summervale Road. Outside the premises a man was seen standing near to a wheelie bin and, when the officers looked inside the bin, they saw a quantity of power tools. Kalvin Tiernan, of Rowan Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells, was later charged with burglary and possession of a class A drug. The 26-year-old was remanded in custody to appear before Medway Magistrates’ Court.
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MP grounds Gatwick night flights over ‘intolerable’ noise concerns By Jonathan Banks PLANS by the Department of Transport (DfT) to relax the rules around night flights at Gatwick Airport have been rowed back after intervention by Greg Clark. The government had been planning to allow airports such as Gatwick to run more night flights during the summer to allow the industry to recover from the pandemic.
Levelling Up But Mr Clark, who now sits on the Government as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Communities and Housing, wrote to Robert Courts, Minister for Aviation at the DfT to voice his concerns over the plans. The Tunbridge Wells MP highlighted to the minister the already ‘intolerable’ impact aircraft noise has on many of his constituents.
scrapped any plans to increase night He said it was wrong for the flights over the summer holidays. Government to allow airports and “Many of my constituents find the operators off the hook for their own current level of aircraft noise oversights, adding: “I do not believe intolerable, which is why I will also that this is the right solution to the continue to object to Gatwick’s problems being faced by airports or proposal to bring its emergency operators, with much of the problem runway into regular use and push for being due to inadequate planning by better utilisation of airspace to reduce operators for the inevitable rebound noise.” in travel once all remaining Covid Greg Clark The intervention comes after Mr Clark, restrictions are lifted.” along with seven other local MPs, formed a Writing back to Mr Clark, Robert Courts co-ordination group last year to highlight their acknowledged ‘the strength of feeling’ expressed constituents’ concerns over Gatwick’s planned in the MP’s letter and ruled out any relaxation of quotas as a method of easing capacity at Gatwick. airport expansion. The airport wants to bring its emergency He added that it was Government policy to ‘limit and, where possible, reduce the number of runway into use, which the airport says will create more than 18,000 jobs and generate people in the UK significantly affected by £1.5billion of economic benefits to the local aircraft noise’. area. However, opponents fear the plans will Mr Clark said: “I am very pleased that the generate more than 35 per cent extra flights. Government has listened to my concerns and
Sunak defends telling Tunbridge Wells Tories he’s diverted funds from the poor By Richard Williams RISHI Sunak has defended telling local Conservative members he had been working to divert funding from ‘deprived urban areas’ towards prosperous towns such as Royal Tunbridge Wells. The PM candidate was criticised by opposition MPs after a video emerged following his visit to Tunbridge Wells at the end of last month. As the Times reported last week, Mr Sunak visited the town on Friday, July 29 to address party members in the area.
formulas, to make sure areas like this are getting the funding they deserve because we inherited a bunch of formulas from Labour that shoved all the funding into deprived urban areas and that needed to be undone. I started the work of undoing that.”
LEAKED Mr Sunak was recorded speaking in Tunbridge Wells
Investment
Opportunities This newspaper spoke to the MP for Richmond before he addressed party members in the town, and we asked if the government was at risk of losing support from traditional Tory supporting towns due to the emphasis in levelling up the so-called northern ‘red wall’. Mr Sunak denied that was the case, telling the Times: “Levelling up for me means that wherever you live in the United Kingdom, north or south or urban or rural, that there are fantastic opportunities for you, and you have phenomenal pride in the place that you call home.” However, in the video footage that was leaked to
left-wing political magazine, The New Statesman, the former chancellor went one step further, telling Tunbridge Wells party members that he had started changing public funding formulas to ensure more prosperous towns, such as Tunbridge Wells, received ‘the funding they deserve’. In the video, Mr Sunak told the audience: “I managed to start changing the funding
The remarks came as Mr Sunak tried to make up ground against Foreign Secretary Liz Truss to win the backing of party members, who will choose the next prime minister. Labour described Mr Sunak’s remarks as ‘scandalous’ and that the former Chancellor was ‘openly boasting that he fixed the rules to funnel taxpayers’ money to rich Tory shires’. Mr Sunak defended the remarks, arguing he changed the Treasury’s green book setting the rules for government spending to help towns and rural areas also in need of investment. He told reporters at the weekend: “I was making the point that deprivation exists right across our country and needs to be addressed. “That’s why we need to make sure our funding formulas recognise that. And people who need help and extra investment aren’t just limited to big urban areas. You find them in towns across the United Kingdom and in rural areas, too.”
10 ways to keep cool in the office With temperatures in the UK set to be higher than Bermuda, what can you do to keep cool in the office?
even better. The pricing is fairly competitive nowadays but watch the energy bill!
1. Ask the boss if you can dress down. Speaking of Bermuda, did you know in Bermuda, the men wear smart shorts and a shirt, often with a tie?
6. Keep the blinds closed to avoid direct sunlight beating into the office.
2. Open the windows first thing but close them as temperatures soar. 3. Keep hydrated, water is best. Just like cars need fuel, humans need water to function. As an added bonus, by drinking water regularly, you will hydrate your skin which in turn makes you feel younger- honest! 4. Cut out the coffee, or at least cut down. Coffee does not kick start the metabolism as some may believe, it actually makes you dehydrated. Pure water is best for hydration. 5. Portable fans are great, portable air conditioning units are
7. Avoid a big lunch. Your body temperature naturally increases along with your metabolic rate in order to allow the digestion of food. A salad with be a much healthier option and better for keeping cool. 8. Avoid your lunchtime walk for obvious reasons. 9. Depending on the industry sector, and if the boss allows, change your hours of work to cooler times of the day. 10. A firm favourite in these warmer days at TN Recruits is to take it in turns doing an ice lolly run. For all your recruitment needs visit call us now on 01892 571105 or email neil@tnrecruits.com
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South East Water to turn off the taps to garden hosepipes
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Reservoirs are running low THE Southeast’s biggest reservoir, Bewl Water at Lamberhurst, which normally holds over 31 billion litres of water and supplies both Southern Water and South East Water customers, is at just 64 per cent capacity. Kent and Sussex water provider South East Water (SEW) stores about 70 per cent of its water as groundwater but is still reliant on reservoirs such as Bewl.
Average As demonstrated by the startling front page image in this week’s Times, Bewl Water is currently at levels far lower than the average of about 80 per cent full for this time of year. Andrew Daniells, Bewl Water Director, told the Times that while water levels are lower than normal, it hasn’t affected the visitor attractions at the beauty spot.
He said: “Although the water level at Bewl Water reservoir is currently 60 per cent, this hasn’t affected the water-based activities enjoyed by our many visitors. “Once the water level reaches around 45 per cent we will need to extend the slipways so our sailors can continue launching their dinghies, but I don’t envisage having to do this until late September at the earliest. “There is however the real hazard of deep mud along the water’s edge, exposed as the reservoir water levels drop, so I would ask all visitors to keep to the paths and don’t attempt to shortcut across any of the dried-out creeks and inlets.” Other reservoirs such as Arlington near Eastbourne, and Ardingly, east of Crowborough, store up to 8.3 billion litres of water and provide 8 per cent of SEW’s water. As of August 1, Ardingly was at 46.3 per cent and Arlington at 60.6 per cent of capacity.
DRY SPELL The banks of Bewl Water this week
By Victoria Roberts USING a hosepipe from Friday could land residents with a £1,000 fine when the first ban to impact the region for 10 years comes into force. Following Southern Water’s decision to implement a hosepipe ban from August 5, South East Water’s (SEW) hosepipe ban for customers in Kent and Sussex comes into force from just after midnight on Friday morning [August 12). The Temporary Use Ban (TUB) centres on the use of mains-piped water by private individuals rather than businesses, although there are numerous exemptions.
Temporary This is a very unusual measure, SEW claim, saying that the last TUB was 10 years ago, in 2012. A spokesman said: “Under normal circumstances we won’t need this temporary use ban, but we are putting it in place to ensure that there is drinking water available for all, including for our vulnerable customers and for
MET OFFICE ISSUES AMBER ALERT HEAT WARNING THE UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)’s amber alert covers southern and central England from midday on Tuesday until 6pm on Saturday. It comes after a hot weather warning was announced by Kent County Council (KCC). It is expected that daytime temperatures could reach low-to-mid 30 degrees Celsius over these days. KCC announced a similar warning last month when temperatures hit 39 degrees in Tunbridge Wells during the UK’s hottest day in history on July 19. KCC Assistant Director of Public Health, Jess Mookherjee, said: “We have already experienced some very hot weather this summer. “We are encouraging Kent’s residents to enjoy the heat safely and to remember that high temperatures can also pose serious health risks, especially for young children, older people or those with certain health conditions. “If you know someone who may be at additional risk or need some extra help in the heat, check in on them if you can. Remember to take the usual precautions yourself too – drink plenty of water, wear sunscreen, UV glasses and loose, comfortable clothing. Try not to travel in the heat of the day if possible and plan travel in advance, with plenty of time for comfort breaks.”
essential uses. This will be only the third time this action has been taken in the last 16 years.” Provisional figures from the Met Office showed that parts of England had their driest July since records began, with an average of only 5.0 mm of rain last month in southeast and central southern England, the lowest of rainfall for July since Met Office records began in 1836. “The demand for water this summer has broken all previous records, including the Covid lockdown heatwave,” said SEW. “We have been producing an additional 120 million litres of water a day to supply our customers – the equivalent of supplying a further four towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne, daily.” Although the hosepipe ban is backed by a threat of fines up to £1,000, the water companies say prosecution is ‘a last resort’, but the utilities company is encouraging people to inform on their neighbours. “We will to a large degree be relying on people’s goodwill in observing the restrictions. However, our customers need to be aware of the seriousness of the situation,” said SEW’s spokesman.
Warning of fire risk as the Commons are ‘tinder dry’
No fears for In Bloom
ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS In Bloom chairman David Eliott played down fears the hosepipe ban will affect the borough’s blooms. Mr Elliott and his fellow judges finished judging the RTW In Bloom awards last month, and the 2022 prizegiving ceremony will be held on September 27. “We’ve all just got to be careful,” he told the Times. “Obviously, hosepipe use should be discouraged, but I personally have a water collection system. I harvest rain from my roof so don’t need to use a hose, and I know that other people have water butts, too.
Irrigation
PARCHED The Commons and [inset] a used barbecue found last week THE CONSERVATORS of Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons say the beauty spots in the town are ‘tinder dry’ and are warning people not to light fires or use barbecues. Due to lack of rainwater, many areas of the Common are so dry, there are fears a fire could easily spread and even impact buildings in the town centre. Despite this, Commons Ranger Daniel Colborne says they are finding used barbecues, scorched grass, and even unattended fires on a ‘daily basis’.
He added: “It is a really worrying time on the Commons, given recent devastating wildfire events in other parts of the country.
Wildlife “Thoughtless behaviour puts us at significant risk of fire spreading across the Commons and into the Town, destroying wildlife, habitat and property. It is a huge concern and we ask for the support of the Community to keep everyone safe.”
“I would imagine most of our gardeners do not use hosepipes,” he added. South East Water (SEW) has advised that drip or trickle irrigation watering systems are allowed and newly-laid turf in gardens may be watered for the first 28 days, to allow lawns to be established. Organisations and businesses benefit from certain exemptions, particularly those that use water as a core part of commercial operations, such as car washes and window cleaners. Non-domestic swimming pools, even at private schools, are not covered by the restrictions, and if used for school swimming lessons or open to the public they can be topped up with a hose even during a drought order. Private car owners are only permitted to wash their cars using water from a bucket. For more advice on keeping gardens healthy during the hosepipe ban see page 36.
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Booking now open! Secure your spot now to get creative for our week of FREE arts and crafts activities, talks and workshops for all ages in Royal Tunbridge Wells town centre!
ALL ACT IVITI ARE ES
FREE
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From Monday 22 to Monday 29 August, enjoy a packed programme of fun sessions for beginners and professionals alike, including photography, glassmaking, embroidery, ceramics, floristry, still life even making your own toy!
Try something new, discover and support a new town centre business or local artist, and help us paint the town red (and all the other colours)! Book now! View the timetable of FREE activities and book at
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Wednesday August 10 | 2022
All aboard the Spa Valley Railway
Darryl Curcher Photography
ONE of Tunbridge Wells’ most popular heritage attractions is about to celebrate a quarter of a century of operations in the town. The Spa Valley Railway, based at the old Tunbridge Wells East station in Linden Park is planning a 25th anniversary four-day gala at the end of this month. Over four days from Friday, August 26, heritage trains, pulled by some of the railway’s classic engines – and some visiting from fellow heritage railways – will be plying the five-mile line, along with other festivities.
Classic At Tunbridge Wells West station, the engine shed will be open, for engineering enthusiasts to watch the overhauls of three engines which are currently underway.
Evening dining and tasting services will run on two days (August 26-27), with the Real Ale Train featuring a special 25th Anniversary beer collaboration with Flimwell-based Cellar Head Brewery. On the Saturday night (August 27), the dining service includes large helpings of drama from the cast of ‘A Taste of: Faulty Towers The Dining Experience’. In a coincidence worthy of the classic BBC farce, the production is also 25 years old in 2022. Further down the line, Groombridge Station will be abuzz all weekend, with a jazz band booked for the four-day gala, along with a BBQ and the Station Kiosk. Brake-van rides may run from this station if enough volunteers are available. There is also expected to be a classic car gathering outside the station building, and the miniature cinema van is booked for showing of short local-interest films on August 26 and 27.
all welcome Jonnie Pay and his dog Emma
The volunteers that keep the railway on track Darryl Curcher Photography
By Victoria Roberts
DESPITE charging for train tickets, the Spa Valley Railway remains 100 per cent volunteer-run and led, from station staff to conductors and engineers. The driving force of the railway is 30-year-old Jonnie Pay, who has been involved with the railway since he was a child, covering all volunteer roles, from front-of-house ticket-selling to driving and technical work. Now working for Network Rail in signalling and training, Jonnie said, “I learned a lot here that helped me get into my profession. We have about
250 volunteers in total here, from age 16 to – well, there is no upper limit,” he told the Times. “You can pick up a lot of life skills here.” Another volunteer who has worked his way up is stationmaster Rev. Richard Arding, who joined the Spa Valley Railway after retiring from the Church in 2018. He moved to Tunbridge Wells that year and came to the railway for the annual diesel gala in August when he signed up to volunteer. “By Christmas, I was fully involved, and have been ever since,” he said.
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
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for its 25th birthday celebrations He worked in the ticket office, as well as other roles, but had to earn the rank of station master by passing a competency test. Although the anniversary gala is the railway’s next big calendar event, things happen throughout the year.
GREEN SIGNAL Groombridge has working controls including semaphores
Experience “Autumn and winter – when you can’t go to the coast – are traditionally the time for model railways,” added Rev. Arding. “I am the exhibition manager for the Model Railway Weekend [on September 24-25].” Meanwhile, Chris Smith brought his skills to the railway, as a mainline engine driver for GB Railfreight. The Times met him just as he came into Tunbridge Wells West on a ‘Thumper’ dieselelectric multiple unit after accompanying some tourists who had booked a ‘driving experience’ from Groombridge. He has been volunteering with the Spa Valley Railway for 20 years. “This all started as a hobby for me in the early 90s. I joined the preservation group South East Locomotive Group which is celebrating 30 years this year,” he said. “It’s a volunteer thing for us – 100 per cent.”
VOLUNTEER Train driver Chris Smith
VINTAGE Tunbridge Wells West, c. 1950 (Credit R.C. Riley)
HISTORIC TIMETABLE OF THE HERITAGE RAILWAY TWO train stations were built in Tunbridge Wells by rival train lines, but eventually the London Brighton & South Coast Railway ceased services to Tunbridge Wells West, in the south of the city off the Eridge Road, in 1985. This is now the home of the Spa Valley Railway. The railway has been a voluntary initiative from the very start, as the Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society (TWERPS) first battled to acquire the land and later merged with the North Downs Steam Railway, becoming the Spa Valley Railway – a name chosen by public competition. December 1996 Shuttle train operates over the three quarters of a mile of track from Tunbridge Wells West to Cold Bath Bridge. Services resume in spring 1997. August 23, 1997 Spa Valley Railway opens the 3.5-mile line to Groombridge Station. 2005 Line extended to Birchden Junction. March 2011 Line extended to Eridge. April 2014 Spa Valley shared the original station building with Withyham Parish Council. With Heritage Lottery Funding, the railway recreated the ticket office and reinstated the original entrance onto the platform. August 2014 Groombridge signal box and old-fashioned semaphore signals (to control the passing loop) become operational. Now signals control movements through the station when two or more trains are running or when services terminate at Groombridge.
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Crystal store aims to add a little sparkle to High Street By Lottie Bulmer A NEW shop has opened in Tunbridge Wells, just off the High Street, after the owner switched from selling TVs to crystals and gemstones. Omkara, on Castle Street, was started by Roger Kavan after he spotted a gap in the market. He told the Times: "I’ve been a wholesaler in electronics for 45 years, but my business has been decimated since they started selling TVs in supermarkets.
Interest “My sister is a jewellery designer and she asked me to join her in the business. It was there that I realised that I liked seeing rocks in their raw form and that’s where I found my interest.” The shop has an assortment of stones from all over the world, Roger explained. “We import shungite from Russia, stones from around the world and singing bowls from Nepal,” he said, adding: “Shungite is the oldest rock we have, and it is three billion years old – which is more than half the age of the earth. “The singing bowls are used for meditation and focus and the quartz ones for sound therapy.” He added that he already has plans for expansion: “We have two rooms out the back. One will be for reading birth charts and one will be for therapy. "We’ve got a couple of really good Tarot readers but we’re looking for a palmist (palm reader) from the college of psychic studies in Kensington which is the premier destination for training.”
Wealth manager’s award recognition A WEALTH manager from Speldhurst has been selected as a finalist in this year’s Financial Reporter Women’s Recognition Awards #WRA. Lynne Gadsden, Director of Grovewood Lynne Gadsden Wealth Management, is one of only five finalists from the whole of the UK after being shortlisted in the ‘Financial Adviser of the Year’ category. The Women’s Recognition Awards was started in 2018 with the aim to support the drive for a more diverse and equal financial services community.
Finalists Lynne’s experience spans 30 years and one of her many strengths is supporting and advising women with their financial planning whatever stage of their life. In particular she has enormous experience and compassion at vulnerable times in people’s lives, such as divorce or in later life. The panel of 11 expert judges, many of them directors of leading UK financial institutions, will closely scrutinize the finalists and the winners will be announced at a Gala Evening on 21st September at Alexandra Palace, London. The team at Grovewood Wealth send their best wishes to Lynne and hopes that she wins the category. Louisa Price, Practice Manager at Grovewood, said: “She’s a true inspiration to many and especially those that she works alongside.”
hidden gem Roger Kavan outside Omkara
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No long faces for pub chain as it welcomes horse-drawn drinkers
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Town and country growth areas for property law firms BOTH rural and urban areas offer room for growth for Tunbridge Wells-based law firms, according to recent announcements. Thomson Snell & Passmore has named Penelope Edgar as its new head of agriculture and rural property. Ms Edgar joined the firm’s commercial property team in 2015, and became a fellow of the Agricultural Law Association in 2018. Drawing on her background of advising rural landowners, she said: “The agricultural community has been at the heart of the firm since our inception in 1570. It is a vibrant and ever evolving sector and I am looking forward to continuing to support and advise clients in my new role.”
Developer
horse friendly The Leicester Arms
By Victoria Roberts PUB operator Brakspear is going back to its roots by highlighting its horse-friendly establishments on its website, so drinkers can arrive on four legs without worrying that their mounts will have nothing to drink themselves. Explaining the new initiative, Emma Sweet, Marketing Manager for Brakspear, which runs pubs in Kent, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, said: “A lot of our pubs were originally built as coach and horse inns, so it’s a great way to incorporate a pub’s history with its
modern offering. In these eco-conscious times, we wanted to remind people that some of our pubs can cater for those arriving on horseback,” she added.
Friendly Publican Lawrence Bowes who runs the Leicester Arms, in Penshurst – which is currently in the running for the Best DogFriendly category of the Great British Pub Awards, says he has been welcoming horses since he and his family took over the pub three
years ago. “I’m sure the Leicester Arms was welcoming them long before that,” he added. “Living in the countryside, lots of people ride horses, and we’re lucky to have several great routes in the local area, so stopping for a pint and a bite to eat on your horse is easy. “We make sure that both rider and horse are well looked after.” The company’s website, brakspear.co.uk, and its app allow customers to search all Brakspear pubs using filters such as horse-, dog- and family-friendly.
Meanwhile, local firm Cripps has been appointed to the legal roster of commercial property developer Land Securities Group (Landsec), as the latter changes its strategy to focus on mixed-use urban neighbourhoods. Cripps is among nine firms advising the developer for a period of five years on a property legal panel. The Tunbridge Wells company was one of only two new firms on the panel. Cripps’ client relationship partner Anna Favre said: “Our unique offering as specialists in contentious and non-contentious residential real estate means we are ideally placed to provide targeted legal support in this area. “As a new strategic supplier to Landsec, we are also pleased to have the opportunity to act in partnership to improve how we operate as a business, such as reducing our carbon emissions and improving diversity and inclusion.”
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Disabled schoolboy becomes new star of Asda uniform ads
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County Hall seeks sites to plant 1.5million new trees KENT County Council (KCC) is on the search for new sites as part of a three-year programme to plant 1.5 million additional trees in the county. The additional tree cover will help the county deal with extremes of weather as well as helping nature and improving the environment for people. Thirty thousand trees would be planted on land owned by KCC, but many other sites would be needed, said Susan Carey, KCC cabinet member for environment. Thousands of native trees were made available without charge – in bundles of 10, 20 or 30 – with schools, community groups, landowners, businesses and residents all invited to apply. While applications technically closed this week (August 8) KCC has said the hunt for sites will remain open until all the trees allocated to the scheme had been claimed.
Boost
By Victoria Roberts A LOCAL schoolboy has become one of the faces of an inclusive school uniform marketing campaign by a leading supermarket chain. George Tappenden from Tunbridge Wells, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2, adds a twist to ‘back to school’ in Asda’s ‘Uniform for the People’ adverts, spinning joyfully in his powerchair along with his ‘schoolmates’.
Celebrate The campaign can be seen in stores and television ads across the country, as the
‘All children going back to school should be represented by marketing campaigns’ 11-year-old Bishops Down schoolboy and other children celebrate the return to school while wearing school uniform from the supermarket’s ‘George’ brand. This is not the schoolboy’s first time in the public eye, having previously campaigned for the drug Risdiplam to be available on the NHS to treat Spinal Muscular Atrophy. George said: “All children going back to school
TV STAR: George at Asda and [left] in one of the adverts should be represented in marketing campaigns. It is so important that children can relate and see themselves in books, on TV and in stores. “Positive body image and media representation for disabled communities is not just important for those with disabilities but also for those without. “Making it the norm for those children without disabilities will create a fair and inclusive society as adults in the future. It starts with the children.”
In September, applications will be reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis, until stocks run out. Plastic-free biodegradable guards and stakes will also be provided with the trees, to help them grow and thrive. Cllr Carey said: “Our Plan Tree strategy seeks to boost the number of trees in Kent by 1.5 million. KCC is committed to planting 30,000 trees on its own land but we need many more sites to reach this ambitious target. “We’re asking Kent’s residents to help find sites that are right for trees. It can be a rural or urban location, public or private land and I’d encourage everyone to consider if they can help us reach this goal.” You can still apply for trees through the KCC website, at Kent.gov.uk/freetrees, or by contacting the council’s dedicated Trees Outside Woodlands project officer at PlanTree@kent. gov.uk
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Martial arts club punches its way to World Championships in Slovenia
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By Victoria Roberts CLUB members from a Tunbridge Wells Taekwon-Do club are taking to the international stage this year after seven competitors qualified for a competition that allows junior and lower-grade competitors to gain international experience. The martial arts club, which is based at St Gregory’s Catholic School, is preparing a squad of four adults and three juniors for the 8th International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) World Cup in Koper, Slovenia, starting on October 1. As a club-based tournament, participants face competitors of their own age, weight, sex and Taekwon-Do grade. “Anyone can go,” said squad member Michael Westlake. “That’s why we were so keen to attend this. It is not elitist at all.” Club coach Luke Thompson is a former
England coach and the current Scottish Open Male Champion. He said: “With over 2,000 competitors from 60 countries, we will compete with the best of the best at the largest World Cup the International Taekwon-Do Federation (ITF) has ever seen. It will be the club's biggest challenge so far.”
Fundraising As a sport with no official funding, the club is fundraising for its seven competitors, and adult chaperones for the three junior members. “Our athletes are a mix of pre-junior, junior, advanced senior and veterans who have won national and international medals,” Luke said. All funds go towards costs of flights, accommodation, safety equipment, t-shirts, tracksuits and registration fees. The club’s fundraiser is at GoFundMe.com/f/ tunbridge-wells-taekwondo-to-the-world-cup
Lions bring back the classics for summer
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IT’S been a vintage summer for the Tonbridge Lions, with a concert of beloved musical standards as part of a memory project, and a classic car tour. The Musical Memories choir, a Tonbridge Lions project for those with or without memory issues, performed golden oldies such as ‘Bangers and Mash’, ‘Moon River’ and ‘Bring Me Sunshine’ for an audience at Tonbridge Methodist Church on July 30. Musical Memories is organised by the Tonbridge Lions Club, as a joint project between the Tonbridge Dementia Friendly Community (TDFC) with Kent County Council.
Charity TDFC is the chosen charity of the Mayor of Tonbridge & Malling, Cllr Sue Bell. She said: “Without community organisations like the Tonbridge Lions, we would not have the benefit of important events like this.” Explaining the importance of music for memory issues, Christine Parker of the Tonbridge Dementia Friendly Community, explained that the
amygdala – the part of the brain which is generally affected in the later spread of dementia – is associated with emotion, which, triggered by music, can unlock long-forgotten memories. This has made music a powerful way of helping and caring for those with dementia. There were more memories in the social calendar on July 24, with the 8th Classic Car Tour, which raised money for local charities, including £1,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of Malcolm Sanger. Malcolm, who was a great supporter of the local Lions Car Tours, passed away earlier this year. A lifetime’s worth of cars took part in this year’s tour, with the oldest two cars dating from before World War II – a 1934 MG PA Midget and a 1936 Riley 12/4 Adelphi. Mayor Cllr Bell started the tour, waving off 51 vehicles from Tonbridge School. They travelled through the lanes of Kent and Sussex before lunch at Powdermills Hotel in Battle, East Sussex. After lunch they returned by a different route back to Tonbridge School, where they were welcomed by Tonbridge Lions President Richard Hill, and finished the day with a cream tea.
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Ready, Teddy, Go as reward card offers free summer trail IF YOU go down to the shops this month, you’re sure of a big surprise, for every bear that ever there was… will be in the TN Card summer treasure trail. Independent shops that have signed up to local reward initiative, the TN Card, have laid on a summer activity trail that offer sweets and a prize draw to children combing Tonbridge High Street for answers. Running until Friday, August 26, children can pick up a free Teddy Bear Trail sheet from any of the 20 independent businesses with a teddy in their window, and visit another nine shops, asking questions and picking up little treats.
Factory Questions include: ‘How many flavours of Gelato does Creams Factory offer?’ and ‘What is Jo’s favourite board game at Planet JJ’s?’ With only ten questions required per trail sheet, but 20 shops participating, the trail could potentially even cover two days out. Children can drop completed trail sheets at ABMV Chartered Accountants (175 High Street) between Monday and Friday, to receive a special certificate and sticker for supporting local stores. The event prize draw will see three lucky children win a teddy bear of their own – on display in the window of Gorgeous George – as well as prizes sponsored by the E.M. Forster Theatre, Mr Mulligan’s Dino Golf, Truly Beauty and COOK. There is even a bonus competition for children
TRAILBLAZER: Eight-year-old Theo is taking part in the trail who colour in the cover of their trail sheet. Artists at the Artspring Gallery will choose their favourite to be exhibited at the gallery, and the winner will also receive a teddy bear and a trip to Clip n Climb donated by Clip n Climb. Andy Myers, managing director of the trail sponsor ABMV, said: “As the owner of a local family business that has been on Tonbridge High Street for almost twenty years, I have watched my own family grow up as ABMV have developed.
Community We are very pleased to support the TN Card with this fantastic family initiative, as Jess has done so much to encourage and support our local independent business community.” Jess Gibson, founder of the TN Card retail scheme, said: “With four young children of my own, I know just how long – and expensive – the summer holidays can be. “The TN Teddy Trail was inspired by my sons and their love of treasure hunts; I wanted to give families a fun and free activity right on our High Street, that entertains little ones whilst also showing our independent businesses some love. The boys have enjoyed doing the Teddy Trail and I hope everyone else does too. “Thank you to ABMV for getting behind the idea and helping to make it a reality.” Prize winners will be announced in the week of August 29. More trail information can be found at TheTNcard.com/TN-teddy-trail
Do you love where you live? THE annual Love Where We Live community awards are to include good neighbours and green households for the first time, as the local Council recognises the factors making the borough special. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, which runs the awards, has now opened nominations for outstanding individuals, groups, businesses and organisations.
Kindness There are nine categories this year, including awards for charity, community group, sportsperson or team, young sports achiever, volunteer and young volunteer. There was already a green business category, but this year’s awards will also honour a ‘green household’ – a home in which residents are taking steps to make things greener than they used to be, even small steps that can make a big difference. Meanwhile, the new ‘good neighbour’ category will acknowledge an individual for helpfulness and small acts of kindness. Nominations are open until September 25 at
TWBC.online/LWWL, and finalists will be invited to an awards ceremony in November. Award sponsors are the Kent and Sussex Courier, Trinity Theatre, Fusion Lifestyle, Town & Country Foundation and the King Charles’ Old Boys’ Association.
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Giggs had affairs with eight women at time he ‘headbutted’ ex-girlfriend FOOTBALL ace Ryan Giggs had ‘full-on relationships’ with eight women during his time with ex-girlfriend Kate Greville, a court has heard. PR executive Kate Greville, 36, alleges the former Manchester United winger headbutted her in November 2020 following a ‘litany of abuse’. She told detectives it was ‘almost like was he was two people’ during their relationship. Both were married when their affair started, she told Manchester Crown Court, and she was unhappy in a controlling relationship with her husband.
Red flags She told the court she thought of Giggs, 48, as her ‘soul mate’ but saw early ‘red flags’. “He would tell me about his marriage and he was not happy, I would talk about mine,” she said. “Things developed from there and we started to have an affair. I left my husband two months later. “He was like a best friend, a soul mate, he was the one to save me from that marriage. It was more than a sexual thing. “It was like he was my best friend but there were definite red flags.” She said Giggs told her he needed more time to end his marriage with wife Stacey. Eventually she gave him an ultimatum but nothing changed and she decided to move to Abu Dhabi to “get away from him”. The prosecution say Giggs was idolised for his skills on the pitch but behind his public persona had an ‘uglier and more sinister side’. Jurors were told the 48-year-old’s private life
involved both physical and psychological abuse. Giggs denies using controlling and coercive behaviour against Ms Greville between August 2017 and November 2020.
Cheating He has also pleaded not guilty to assaulting the 36-year-old, causing her actual bodily harm, and to the common assault of her younger sister, Emma Greville, at his home in Worsley, Greater Manchester, on November 1 2020. He is alleged to have ‘lost control’ and headbutted Ms Greville after she decided to leave him. Ms Greville told jurors Giggs had ‘full-on relationships’ with eight women during his time
together with her. Ms Greville said she made the discovery on his iPad shortly before she decided to leave him. Giggs constantly denied he was cheating on her, she said, but she ‘needed to know the truth’, as she checked on his device. She said: “The reality of what I had found on that iPad was way worse than I could imagine. “Eight women he was having affairs with while he was with me. Full-on relationships.” The ex-Manchester United forward Giggs is on trial at Manchester Crown Court accused of assaulting Ms Greville and subjecting her to controlling and coercive behaviour from August 2017 to November 2020. Ryan Giggs denies all the charges. The trial continues.
Millions more to be hit with hosepipe Tributes to man ban as Met Office issues amber alert killed at Camber
THE family of a man who died at a holiday park in East Sussex have paid tribute to him. Michael McDonagh, 53, was on holiday with his family at the Parkdean resort in Camber Sands on Saturday morning when he was involved in an altercation with a group of people. Paramedics attended the scene but he was pronounced dead shortly after midnight, Sussex Police said. The victim is said to have got into a row following the end of the opening match of the Premier League season which was being shown in The Showbar at the site, according to The Sun. Mr McDonagh’s family has now paid tribute to him in a statement released through Sussex Police.
Questions THAMES Water has said it is planning to announce a hosepipe ban in the coming weeks – the third utilities company to announce such a measure. A spokesperson for the water company said: “Given the long-term forecast of dry weather and another forecast of very hot temperatures coming this week, we are planning to announce a temporary use ban in the coming weeks. “We have written to the Environment Agency to update them on our approach and informed Ofwat. “The timing is not confirmed due to a number of operational and legal procedural requirements but we will be updating our customers, partners, regulators and stakeholders at the earliest time to ensure a co-ordinated approach. “In the meantime, we continue to urge our customers to only use what they need for their essential use.”
It follows Southern Water and South East Water who have both announced hosepipe bans. It also comes after the Met Office issued a four-day amber warning on Tuesday for extreme temperatures in parts of England and Wales as a new heatwave looms.
Accidents The warning, for Thursday to Sunday, comes as the forecaster predicted 35C in places or even an ‘isolated’ 36C – below the record temperatures of last month, which peaked above 40C. The vulnerable are likely to experience adverse health effects, while the wider population could also be affected, the alert said. Delays to travel are possible and there is an increased risk of water accidents and fires as more people visit coasts and beauty spots, the Met Office also warned.
It said: “On Saturday morning we found out we lost our father Michael McDonagh. “Michael was a loving and supportive husband of 32 years and a father of six, taken from us whilst on a family holiday. “His family meant everything to him. He came away to make memories with his wife and children, but we walk away with broken hearts and unanswered questions. “It’s impossible to put into words. Our dad was the centre of our world and the life and soul of every party. “Not only did my dad make such a huge impact on our family but also to countless people who knew him throughout his life. He will be greatly missed. “Michael was a kind-hearted man who died too young, leaving behind all those that loved him.” Six people previously arrested on suspicion of murder have been released on conditional bail. On Monday, police said a seventh person had been arrested on suspicion of murder.
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Energy bills set to rise to over £4,200 by next year ENERGY bills could hit £4,200 in January – a rise of £650 for households in England and Wales – experts have warned, blaming energy regulator Ofgem for the massive increase in costs. In a new dire outlook for households, consultancy Cornwall Insight said bills are set to soar to around £3,582 in October, from £1,971 today, before rising even further in the new year. Ofgem is set to put the price cap at £4,266 for the average household in the three months from the beginning of January. The energy consultancy said this is around £650 more than its previous forecast.
Forecasts It comes after Ofgem last week announced changes to the way in which it calculates the price cap on energy bills. Craig Lowrey, principal consultant at Cornwall Insight, said: “While our price cap forecasts have been steadily rising since the summer 2022 cap was set in April, an increase of over £650 in the January predictions comes as a fresh shock. “The cost-of-living crisis was already top of the news agenda as more and more people face fuel poverty – this will only compound the concerns. “Many may consider the changes made by Ofgem to the hedging formula, which have contributed to the predicted increase in bills, to be unwise at a time when so many people are already struggling.” However, he also defended Ofgem’s decision, which will hopefully lead to lower bills in the second half of next year because the energy watchdog is making it easier for energy suppliers to recover their costs, which will lead to fewer suppliers failing. “With many energy suppliers under financial
pressure, and some currently making a loss, maintaining the current timeframe for suppliers to recover their hedging costs could risk a repeat of the sizeable exodus seen in 2021,” Dr Lowrey said.
Timing “Given that the costs of supplier failure are ultimately met by consumers through their energy bills, a change which means that this is less likely is welcome, even if the timing of it may well not be.” Ofgem said: “The wholesale market continues to move extremely quickly so no forecast for next year is at all robust at this stage and will therefore have very limited value, especially for consumers who must always be the main priority.
“We cannot stop others from making predictions but we would ask that extreme caution is applied to any predictions for the price cap in January or beyond.” Morgan Wild, head of policy for Citizens Advice, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is already having a devastating impact on people’s lives. “Every day we hear from people who can’t afford to turn the lights on or cook their kids a hot meal. “The Government did the right thing by bringing in targeted support, but it won’t be enough for people to manage these previously unthinkable price hikes. “The obvious place to start is to increase benefits to keep pace with the cost of living. There’s no time to waste.”
NHS almost eliminates two-year waiting list following backlog blitz FEWER than 200 people in England and Wales have waited more than two years for a routine operation after the 24-month waiting list has shrunk from 22,500 at the start of the year. NHS England figures show the number of patients waiting that length of time has shrunk to just 168, excluding more complex cases. Health staff have been praised for carrying out the NHS elective recovery plan, published earlier this year, which was aimed at tackling backlogs built up during the coronavirus pandemic. At the start of the year, more than 22,500 people had been waiting two years or longer for scans, checks and surgery. A further 51,000 who would have passed the two-year mark by the end of July have also been treated, figures show.
Treatment At the end of July, three NHS regions had no patients waiting two years or longer for routine care, with three other regions reducing the numbers to single figures. This excludes more than 2,500 who are complex cases or chose to defer treatment. Since the plan was published in February, more than 220,000 patients with Covid have been treated. A record 6.6 million people are still waiting for hospital treatment, according to the BBC. NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “It has only been possible because the NHS has continued to reform the way we deliver care, using innovative techniques and adopting
pioneering technology like robot surgery, and through building new relationships and mutual aid arrangements across systems to offer patients the opportunity to be transferred elsewhere and get the care they need as quickly as possible. “The next phase will focus on patients waiting longer than 18 months, building on the fantastic work already done, and, while it is a significant challenge, our remarkable staff have shown that, when we are given the tools and resources we need, the NHS delivers for our patients.” NHS England national director Sir James Mackey said: “Reaching this milestone is testament to the hard work of NHS staff across
the country, who have treated tens of thousands of the longest waits in the six months since we launched our ambitious recovery plan. “From dedicated surgery hubs to increase the number of procedures carried out each day, to day case surgeries allowing people to recover in the comfort of their homes, and ensuring treatment transfers can happen for those patients prepared to travel, NHS staff are doing everything possible to bring down long waits for patients even further.” Health Secretary Steve Barclay said: “This is testament to NHS staff who have worked incredibly hard to get us here – despite the significant challenges.”
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EDUCATION Times
The training academy that’s a cut above the rest North Kent College has just announced that the prestigious Lee Stafford hairdressing Academy is coming to North Kent College’s Tonbridge campus from September 2022. The Times finds out more...
NORTH KENT College are expanding their Lee Stafford Academy which brings world class hair education to North Kent College’s Tonbridge campus from September. Currently running at their Dartford and Gravesend campuses, the further educational establishment has decided to deliver the same world class training to its Tonbridge site due to the success and student achievements so far. “The offer is commercial, inspiring, and transformational,” a spokesperson for North Kent College told the Times.
‘I am delighted that our North Kent College, Tonbridge Campus, Hairdressing department is becoming part of the Lee Stafford Academy Foundation’
“The Lee Stafford Academy provides 24, Level 2 and 3 Lee Stafford specific recipes, and the package of support which sits alongside these qualifications, which allows partner colleges to develop region-wide reputations as the ‘go to’ place for hairdressing training.” North Kent College’s Lee Stafford Education salons are the only affiliated salons in Kent and Southeast London and there are only nine across the UK that are open to the public. Lee Stafford opened his first salon in 1996 and won Men’s British Hairdresser of the Year just two years later. The celebrity snipper regularly appears on This Morning and Britain’s Next Top Model.
Nicola Snell, Head of Curriculum for Hairdressing at North Kent College said: “I am delighted to announce that our Tonbridge Campus Hairdressing Department is becoming part of the Lee Stafford Academy Foundation from September 2022.” She continued, “To say I am excited, is an understatement! Having worked with Lee across our other two campuses in Dartford and Gravesend, the quality of education and the skills being delivered by our master trainers
on those sites is amazing. To be able to deliver the same outstanding standard to our Tonbridge learners is fantastic news for all!
Progression “Being trained to Lee Stafford standards makes our learners more employable than others and ensures excellent progression opportunities into the industry.” She concluded: “Our learners not only follow
Lee’s guidance, but they also attend workshops with Lee and his team and compete in competitions with other Lee Stafford Academies.” Speaking about his academy, Lee added: “Hairdressing is not a job, it is an art! My passion has always been education and my purpose now is to send the elevator back down for the next generations of talent so you too can live a life of passion.” For information visit: northkent.ac.uk
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Matthew Scott Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Matthew Scott was first elected the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent in 2016 and re-elected in 2021. He sets policing priorities, commissions services to support victims, sets the council tax precept, manages the force’s budget, and holds the Chief Constable to account. He serves as the national PCC lead for Mental Health, and is chair of the board for the BlueLight Commercial organisation.
Four times as many offences are committed against women at home than on the streets I HAVE talked before about my Inquiry into Violence Against Women and Girls in Kent. It’s been an on-going piece of work with partners like the police and local authorities, as well as charities and victims’ groups. The final report has now been published and contains interesting reading. As part of the process I commissioned analysis of six years of Kent Police data, specifically relating to violence against women and girls.
VAWG Matthew Scott introducing his report into violence against women and girls
Higher It focused on male offenders and crime types like domestic abuse, stalking, sexual offences and drink spiking. Between April 2017 and March 2022 there have been more than 49 000 male offenders over the age of 18 and more than 56 300 different victims in Kent. And these are women who have reported the offences to the police, the real figure will be significantly higher. It’s because of this that tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG) is one of my priorities. Domestic abuse is the predominant
VAWG crime. The data shows that there are four times as many offences committed at home as out on the streets or in other public spaces. This happens across Kent, although there are indicators which suggest its worst in town centres with higher deprivation and more pubs. There are links to temperature too, there tends to be a spike in violent attacks when its warmer or hot.
David Mooney
Tunbridge Wells Green Party
This sort of data helps us target policing better and its already prompted some changes by Kent Police. A new Domestic Abuse Hub has been launched, where victims can seek specialist support seven days a week. The new Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy also includes more officer training, to help staff deal with complex situations. I promise to scrutinize this work rigorously and regularly. I have been encouraged to hear about the excellent work already going on to make women and girls feel safer across the county. My office has secured Safer Streets funding from the Government to provide several local safety partnerships with improved lighting, active by-stander training, safe space havens in local businesses and personal security devices. I have heard how one Community Safety Partnership is working with a local transport company to provide safe travel for women on nights out. Others have been promoting the use of the Hollie Guard app (designed to monitor a woman’s journey and alert friends or family should they not arrive).
But we need to do more. I would like a twice-yearly audit of the progress made by all criminal justice agencies and I am hoping to embed an independent victims’ satisfaction survey into my new victim support provision to monitor how victims feel their cases are being handled.
Rehabilitation Many of you filled in my survey late last year and you told me you felt there needed to be more early intervention work undertaken in schools, to educate young people about appropriate behaviour. Working with the education sector, I intend to commission a new prevention programme to do just that. We must continue to work together to achieve success across four key pillars: Prevention, Engagement, the Victim’s Journey and Rehabilitation. Only then can we say we have done all we can to make women and girls feel safer in Kent. Read the full report on our website: pcc-kent. gov.uk
David Mooney is The Tunbridge Wells Green Party Membership Secretary and works as a Dyslexia Specialist Tutor in Higher Education.
The UK is certainly ‘world beating’ when it comes to damaging the local environment WITH all the excitement generated by the Conservative Party leadership contest, it’s understandable if some July events escaped people’s notice. On the July 28 we had the earliest ever ‘Earth Overshoot Day’, which is when the world is judged to have used all the resources it should have reserved for the whole year. In the UK we reached it on May 19, making us ‘world beating’, as Boris Johnson might claim. The High Court found that the Government acted illegally by adopting a 2050 Net Zero policy without having realistic plans to achieve it. 2050 is two decades too late to avoid runaway climate change and is therefore a flawed target; the fact that Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss appear unenthusiastic about working towards even this deadline is of huge concern.
Assembly Locally, the third anniversary of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Climate Emergency declaration passed with little from the new administration on its plans to achieve the 2030 net zero target for operations. The wait goes on for a Citizen’s Assembly, as does that for electric
FOSSIL FUEL A new coal mine is being proposed for Cumbria
cuts, started around the time our MP Greg Clark was a Minister in the Conservative/LibDem Coalition Government, and the resulting pain is now being felt across the country.
Brutal
vehicle rapid charging points; with only 7.5 years remaining till 2030, more movement is required. By contrast, the Green Party’s representatives at national level and across Kent took positive action. In the House of Lords, Green Baroness Jennie Jones’s Clean Air Bill - known as ‘Ella’s Law’ after the 9-year-old who was the first person to have poor air quality recorded as cause of death - and which will make breathing clean air a human right, had its Second Reading. Our four Green Councillors on Kent County
Council sent the unpopular decision to cancel many bus routes to the Scrutiny Committee. The Greens believe the cancellation decision, which will increase the number of car journeys, is in conflict with KCC’s own policies, and cannot therefore just be allowed to pass. It’s extraordinary that in the country with the world’s 6th highest GDP, Kent can’t afford £2.2million a year to keep buses for all. The ramp-down of the grants from central government, an underlying driver for the bus
Central Government does however have £8.4billion to throw away in Kent on the Lower Thames Crossing, an environmentally destructive motorway scheme mostly benefitting the trucking lobby. It’s not too late to stop, and it is easy to see the benefits a reallocation of those funds would have for our air quality, our children and our carbon footprint! Greg Clark has made a surprise return as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and one of the decisions on his new desk is the proposed coalmine in Cumbria – yes, a new coalmine in the UK – just after the country has experienced a brutal heatwave, the like of which will become more frequent in the near future. Tunbridge Wells Green Party calls on Greg Clark to reject the planning application and show the squabbling Prime Ministerial candidates how to act for the good of our planet and its climate.
Letters
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Wednesday August 10 | 2022
And another thing… This is the page where you, the reader, have your chance to express your views or comments on what’s going on in our part of the world. We like to hear from you. You can email us at newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or you can write to the Editor, Times of Tunbridge Wells, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG
When it comes to car parking charges the inability or unwillingness to engage has been disastrous. Having largely failed to explain the financial predicament, the Council finds itself in after twenty plus years of Tory governance, they proceeded to try and start increasing revenue and botched telling the public what they were doing. This ought not to have been all that controversial. No one wants to pay more for anything, but in the circumstances any reasonable person would most likely accept it with a shrug so long as the reasons were clearly explained. To lose the debate and public support to Nasir Jamil (Southborough, Conservative member) is disastrous and would, only a few months ago, been unthinkable. It's not just communications though. When TWA, Labour and Independent councillors are
Confused by new Leader Can Cllr Ben Chapelard explain how his promise of close consultation squares with the proposed changes to car parking changes in the Borough as this seems to be a rather arbitrary decision? At the same time, perhaps he could itemise the multi-million-pound deficit which appears to be at odds with the article by Cllr Tom Dawlings on June 29. Confused of Tunbridge Wells. Mrs Thelma Huggett Liptraps Lane We don’t need retirement flats I have only just heard that the old cinema site is about to be rubber stamped by the Council to build 160 upmarket flats for the sole use of elderly people. Probably will be sold around £900K, marketed to Londoners. Is this really what the previous or the present Tunbridge Wells Council want in their drive to rejuvenate the town centre? Instead we are being surrounded by fast food places. It seems it is done and dusted and no one can stop it. Whose pockets have been lined in order to slip that one through, probably no social housing either, must be a legal loophole. What a mess, they overspend on the latest attraction (Amelia Scott) to get people in and then have a luxury retirement complex in a prime spot, any more doctors turning up? Mr Richard Bell Culverden
turning out to protest the measures the coalition they are part of opted for there is a bigger problem. Holding a coalition together was never going to be easy, but it's not an impossible task. It happens all over the place. Yet here the ‘partnership’ seems to mean the junior parties get an equal share of the power but none of the accountability. And to cap things off the Liberal Democrats lose yet another councillor. I shall not put words in Andy Hickey's mouth, but I know the utterly shambolic handling of this issue is at least part of why he resigned. At some point the Lib Dems have to acknowledge they've lost three borough councillors and every one of them has pointed the finger in the same direction. The question is how many more councillors does the party need to lose before it deals with the problem? Clr James Rands (Ind) Culverden
Cinema site is US inspired My sister and her husband live in Carmel Indiana USA and read the Times online. When they saw the proposal for the cinema site in last week’s edition it immediately reminded them of: 10 W Carmel Drive Carmel IN - The Agora At The Proscenium [pictured]. They said this sort of corner development was all over urban America.
Edward Baker Tunbridge Wells Hospital service is poorly My mother was recently admitted to the Tunbridge Wells Hospital with a bleeding leg due to a skin condition. To my utter amazement, there is not a dermatologist based at the hospital. A microbiologist took photos of her leg and sent them to a dermatologist which took several days
Rail strikes are necessary As a life-long active trade unionist, local Labour councillor, and regular user of High Brooms station, I am happy to answer the letter from Michael Alloway (27 July). The train strikes may be inconvenient for commuters like me but are regrettably necessary as the Tory government is threatening to shut down ticket offices at this station, and many others across the Southeastern rail network. Outgoing Prime Minister Boris Johnson has wrongly justified these closures on the basis that some only sell a handful of tickets a day, but clearly, he has never visited High Brooms, Tonbridge or Tunbridge Wells stations, which are busy with commuters of all ages from early morning onwards. Until we get the long-promised bridge and lifts at High Brooms and other stations, disabled people such as myself have to battle with steep stairs, so we are very grateful for the kind assistance of station and train staff getting on and off trains safely. Fortunately, we now have a photo display in the ticket office area at High Brooms, showing its heritage since it was opened as Southborough railway station to serve local industry and passengers in 1893. This has already attracted a lot of interest from commuters. We also have permission for a herb garden to
be planted on platform 1. Local resident Chris Jeffery of Minding the Gap charity will be supervising that project. So even though we still don’t have loos located at the station and might also lose the waiting area in winter if the ticket office is unfortunately forced to close, we can still have civic pride for the thousands of daily users of the station in the meantime. Dr Alan Bullion Southborough Labour Town Councillor Water watchdog is not working Since privatisation in 1989 the UK’s water companies have paid dividends of over £50 billion. In the last two years water companies’ executives have been awarded over £27 million in performance bonuses. These have been paid, not for customer satisfaction, but for the rate dividend returns, but really all they had to do was count the money as it rolled in. Following privatisation, investment started at something like £9billion, a paltry amount given the task at hand; and this has tailed off as the years passed. There is no cap on dividends or bonuses, nor a mandatory investment requirement: it really is a golden egg laying goose. Water companies plan to a 50 per cent reduction of leaks by 2050. That’s not a lack of ambition, that’s a total indifference. Ofwat is a supine and slow to act, it’s senior staff are government appointed so it’s not unreasonable to imagine cronyism: thanks for past support and the like, and payment is upward of £125,000 excluding expenses; the number of days worked per month is not stated, but do not imagine a solid 37.5 hour week. The system has little redundancy built in; there is no national grid; each time we have a little hot spell or dry period they impose bans. Ofwat or turn off, it is well named. Ben Hardy Tunbridge Wells
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The ‘Borough Partnership’ is losing communication battle
of her being kept in to await a result of diagnosis and treatment. I visited on the Sunday and asked to speak to a doctor, to which I was told there was no doctor until Monday. She was left feeling down due to the inability and communication of what was the cause of medical action. I tried calling for several days, in which her doctor tried too, acting in the interest of the patient, not once was it answered. A poor system all round. S. Cooper Tunbridge Wells
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Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Life&Times
ARTS • BOOKS • GOING OUT • FOOD • EVENTS • ANTIQUES • PROPERTY • LIVE MUSIC and MORE...
Arts - P22
Going Out - P26
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The best places to go for an afternoon treat P28
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Arts
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
arts
‘Poetry evokes experiences that would otherwise be difficult to put into words…’ Local poet Louisa Campbell has just been shortlisted for the prestigious Forward Prizes which are announced later this year. Here the former mental health nurse tells Eileen Leahy how she was inspired to pen poems and how it feels to have her work both published and publicly recognised.
T
unbridge Wells poet, Louisa Campbell, has been shortlisted for the prestigious Forward Prizes for Best Single Poem 2022, for what she describes as a ‘humorous-yet-meaningful poem’, entitled Dog on a British Airways Airbus 319 – 100. “If you haven’t heard of the Forward Prizes, it’s like Crufts, but for poems,” explains Louisa with a wry smile. “It feels surreal to have my poem shortlisted as one of the most exciting five poems published in the British Isles this year,” she adds. Louisa says that she came to poetry late in life so the accolade of being shortlisted for her work is all the sweeter. “At 53, having lived through several traumas, and been both mental health
nurse and patient, I had so much I wanted to tell the world. I discovered poetry can evoke experiences that would otherwise be difficult to put into words, and I had a lot of complicated experiences I wanted to explain.” Six years ago, bedridden with the
‘Having a poem like ‘Dog on a British Airways Airbus 319 – 100’ shortlisted for the Forwards is a validation of a poet’s desire to fling off inhibitions and abandon themselves to silliness!’
TV STAR Noah Marullo of Tracey Beaker fame Louisa Campbell
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Arts
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
autoimmune disorder, Lupus, Louisa found herself really enjoying writing in bed ‘with a Bic biro and hardback notebook’. “With nothing to lose, I tried the Open University creative writing course, and found that not only did I love every second of it, I was getting good marks!
Excited “Over the course we had to learn about different forms in poetry, but for me that was pointless. Why on earth would anyone want to restrict themselves to writing something like a sestina? Then I discovered ‘found rhythm’ and I was hooked! One of my first poems began, ‘I know it’s ridiculous | to think my dead husband is living inside my dog | but he is’ and I instantly knew it was the start of a poem because of its repeating rhythm – its music – in my head, it had an enjoyable swing to it. Louisa had her first poetry collection, The Happy Bus, published in 2017 and then The Ward was released in 2018. Last year her most recent work, entitled Beautiful Nowhere, was published and this work is the one that features the poem Dog on a British Airways Airbus 319 – 100 that’s been shortlisted for the prestigious Forward Prizes. “Poetry can create fantastical worlds. In my new poetry collection, Beautiful Nowhere, love runs away, pulling the sky down behind it as it leaves; patients become their paperwork and fly away. Poetry can evoke experiences such as depression and psychosis, as well as friendship, love and recovery. In this way poetry explains in a multi-layered way that a medical textbook could never compete with.” Louisa goes on to say that her job as a mental health nurse-therapist saw her work with the dynamic subconscious – something which she believes poetry does also. “My poems tend to fall out of my subconscious mind straight onto the page, and I don’t know what I’m writing about until the poem is written. There’s a poem in Beautiful
to me. I pictured us from the outside the bus, Nowhere about living with bipolar that I wrote with a row of human heads interrupted by a before I knew I had it!” dog’s. Looking out of the bus window, I saw Although, as Louise explains, there is plenty people were pointing and smiling. of joy and light in Beautiful Nowhere, it “Many years later, I was mucking about in the predominantly covers serious issues of trauma ‘April Poem a Day’ Facebook group (facilitated and mental illness. by the Devon poet, Simon Williams), and I’d “Having it published somehow meant I could recently been raising money to bring Romanian give myself permission to mess about and play. street dogs over to the UK for rehoming. I think as adults we badly need to play more; to “I remembered Biggles on the bus, and laugh and be silly. Having a poem like ‘Dog on thought how fab it would be if the dogs could a British Airways Airbus 319 – 100’, with its simply hop on a plane ludicrously-long title, with the humans, and and use of only the words ‘My poems tend to fall out of the poem was born.” ‘human’ and ‘dog’, It was the poet, shortlisted for the my subconscious mind Bethan Rees, who told Forwards is a validation straight onto the page, and I Louisa how much she of a poet’s desire to fling don’t know what I’m writing loved it, but it was only off inhibitions and when Louisa came across abandon themselves to about until the poem is Perverse - which she silliness! Sometimes I written’ believes is ‘one of the find the term ‘word art’ most liberating poetry more useful than the publications in the word ‘poetry’, and I’m world’ – that she thought seriously about truly excited that this year’s Forward Prize submitting it for publication. judges clearly get that concept and embrace it. “I was incredibly excited when the poem “Of course, the other thing about ‘Dog on a was accepted, never mind published, and British Airways Airbus 319 – 100’ is that – as with everything I write – the poem is steeped in then really happy that it had lots of likes and retweets on Twitter, so other people must meaning if the reader wants it to be. It can be have enjoyed it, too!” about isolation, about difference, or about We now have to wait until November 28 to inclusivity and acceptance. It can be about find out whether Louisa’s poem ‘Dog on a other ways of seeing – in this case, a dog’s British Airways Airbus 319 – 100’ is the perspective. winner of this year’s prize, which will be “The title can be a dig at the rule to employ announced at the Forward Prizes ceremony specificity in our writing, or a validation of that in Manchester. In Louisa’s category other rule – it’s up to the reader. But what I’d like poets include Nick Laird, Clare Pollard, above all is for its readers to have that most Cecilia Knapp and Carl Phillips. The delicious experience of connectedness – a overall winner will receive a prize of good giggle.” £1,000. Beautiful Nowhere published by Liberating Boatwhistle Books and priced £9.50 is available from all good bookshops. Louisa explains how the inspiration for the poem came to her: “Years ago, I took my More information on Louisa’s work can Staffordshire bull terrier, Biggles, to the vet on be found at louisacampbell.net the bus, and he sat on my coat on the seat next
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BOOKS Two of Louisa’s collections of poetry
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Books
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Times book editor Victoria Roberts picks out three books to read this week This week’s books come from across time and space, from a history of the battle of Stalingrad to the United States, where characters in two separate novels – one long-listed for the Booker Prize – try to make sense of the past – theirs and others. The Lighthouse Of Stalingrad by Iain MacGregor
This Bitter Earth by Bernice McFadden
Trust by Hernan Diaz (longlisted for this year’s Booker Prize)
Published in hardback by Constable priced £25
Published in paperback by Vintage Classics, priced £9.99
Published in hardback by Picador, priced £16.99
This Bitter Earth begins in a southern AfricanAmerican town where Sugar Lacey is found on the brink of death. As she recovers in her childhood home, she unravels the secrets of her past. Originally published in 2002, it has been re-released by Penguin’s Vintage Classics. McFadden introduces each unique character with empathy and, while at times it is dark, it is also hopeful. This Bitter Earth is a moving story on loss and learning to heal, which will leave you rooting for Sugar, as she uncovers each hardship the townsfolk around her are secretly battling. Review by Rikki Loftus
Hernan Diaz’s second novel isn’t one book, or two, but four in one, and is an intricate investigation on the meaning of truth. The idea of alternative facts may be relatively new, but alternative narratives, opinions and perspectives are as old as time. Who do we trust to tell us the truth? Diaz investigates this question with an engrossing tale, told multiple times through multiple voices. First we read Harold Vanner’s novel Bonds, published in 1938 as a thinly veiled novelisation of a man at the centre of the Wall Street Crash. But how far from the truth was this fiction? Taking up other versions of the tale, Diaz perfects different voices with remarkable agility. The echoes between the tales are deliberate, alerting us to the twisting of truths and the distortions of what was fact and fiction. What you deem to be the truth depends on who you trust. Review by Ian Parker
The battle for Stalingrad is famed as being one of the toughest ever fought. The Lighthouse Of Stalingrad tells the story of the battle – and more specifically, the fight for Pavlov’s House, named after the man at its very centre, and stark in its reality of the sheer cost of war to human beings. Historian Iain MacGregor brings the graphic horror of the Second World War to life through his own storytelling and the eyewitness accounts of soldiers on both sides of a conflict, where the dead were left frozen where they had fallen. It’s almost as if you are there with the men in the trenches, fighting hand-to-hand from ruined building to bomb crater. The author makes more than passing reference to the current invasion of Ukraine and rightly praises the part played by all peoples of the old Soviet Union, including Ukrainians, as the tide of Adolf Hitler’s ambition finally turned.
8/10
Review by Roddy Brooks
9/10
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Going Out
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Stemming holiday boredom with a summer packed full of science IT’S a summer of science and technology across the borough, with the tech-themed Summer Reading Challenge in the libraries, and a goldmine of free public events about science, gimmicks and gadgets. Appearing last Wednesday in the Upper Atrium of the Amelia Scott building, next to the teen and adult library section, award-winning children’s author Vashti Hardy explained the importance of science and engineering to her work. The world-building in her children’s fantasy novels depends heavily on science and technology, while science and engineering also drive her create logical, scientifically minded characters.
Families Meanwhile, at the Assembly Hall, an afternoon session the same day introduced primary school children and their families to the ways in which STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic) elements are used to create theatrical special effects. Meanwhile, a combination of circuits and chemistry can be combined to create stage pyrotechnics.
The Council-sponsored events supplement the free Cabaret Mechanical Marvels exhibition, also at the Amelia Scott building in the exhibition space. The exhibition, produced by Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, features contemporary mechanical automata, part of a modern revival of the 17th century golden age of mechanical gadgets.
Challenge The theme of the Summer Reading Challenge this year is science and technology, with characters created specially for the holiday library programme by children’s author and illustrator Julian Beresford, in association with the Science Museums Group. ‘Gadgeteers’ Aisha, Eddie, Leo, Maggie, James and Ajay all use technology to experience the world around them – even tackling problems like waste, for example through Maggie’s sustainability-minded approach to food and nutrition. The Reading Agency’s Summer Reading Challenge is on in local libraries. The Cabaret Mechanical Marvels exhibition is on at the Amelia Scott Exhibition Space until October 2.
Michael Hackett and Mat Wills take Pembury Village Hall by storm tomorrow night (August 11) in this one-off special bringing side-splittingly funny stand-up comedy. Joined by two mystery guests, the pair promise a knee-slapper of a show with a selection of craft beers, ciders, top wines, and more on offer throughout the night. Tickets start at £18.90, from Eventbrite. Laugh out loud as Changeling Theatre bluff and bluster their way through Oscar Wilde’s satirical masterpiece, The Importance of Being Earnest at Penshurst Place on August 12. Robert Forknall directs a tale of deception, disguise, and hysterical misadventure. Bring a blanket to take your place in the outdoor theatre. CHANGELING THEATRE
In the name of comedy, drama, and a whole lot of theft, Rusthall Community Cinema takes you back to the 1960s in ‘The Duke’, in which Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington is stolen from the National Gallery by an unlikely thief. Described as a ‘simple but charming cup of Northern goodness’, this infamously true story is a must-see this weekend. (August 13)
SPECIAL EFFECTS The Assembly Hall’s own special effects and technical team explained the physics of gears, pulleys and levers that make actors appear to ‘fly’ across the stage in the STEM performance
Jazz on The Pantiles takes place on the bandstand in the centre of The Pantiles every Thursday night throughout summer and tomorrow night (August 11) is no exception. So far this year, performers have included The Skatonics, Spice Fusion, and Derek Nash, so don’t miss out – make an BOTH SIDES NOW evening of it by booking a table at one of the participating restaurants including La Casa Vecchia and The Kirthon. Both Sides Now, a band dedicated to the iconic songs of Joni Mitchell, comes to Hever Castle this Friday. (August 12) Not so much a tribute band as an evening exploring Joni's amazing songwriting legacy, the five-piece group of musicians journey through three decades of Joni’s song writing career including ‘Blue’, ‘Woodstock’, ‘A Case of You’ and ‘Big Yellow Taxi’. For something a little more classical, visit Hever Castle on August 13 for an extravagant medley of operatic greats, including the Habañera and The Toreador’s Song from Carmen, by Opera Brava. After a night of disco, house, and dance classics? Join the legendary Tunbridge Wells Forum on August 13 for a night of old school bangers. Best known for his work with Fatboy Slim as well as his own massive 2000 UK No.1 chart hit ‘Because Of You’, DJ Richard Scanty joins international DJ Markus Holler for a fantastic night fit for enthusiastic clubbers of all ages. (18+ only)
Let your inner artist flourish as you create beautiful works of art using natural materials at Ightham Mote this Thursday (August 11). This family-friendly event gives adults and children of all ages the opportunity to explore their creativity with like-minded people this summer. Activities run from 11.00am until 3.00pm and whilst bookings are not needed, admission still applies. Mineral enthusiasts are set to be wowed by the amazing array of crystals and precious stones on sale at the Rock, Gem ‘n’ Bead Show on August 13 and 14 at The Hop Farm. Exhibitors from across Europe will show off and sell precious ornaments including fossils and beads ranging from pocket money prices to thousands of pounds, meaning there’s a gift to suit all budgets. From a fruity red to a dry white, you might think you've got the world of wine down, but The Green Duck Coffee House and Bar is here to prove you wrong. With a selection of new vintage wines soon to be hitting their shelves, a visit on August 17 is an absolute must. Get ready to indulge in the good stuff at this Southern Hemisphere wine tasting evening where you’ll enjoy New Zealand Pinot Gris and Argentinian Bonarda, amongst other familiar favourites.
Music Matters
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
music matters
You are never too young to begin learning about the joys of playing music
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Andrew Collins, owner of Brittens Music in Grove Hill Road, talks about the importance of nurturing a child’s musicality and the need for it to be an integral part of a child’s education... CHILDREN first experience rhythm and music in the womb through the mother’s heart and many studies have shown that exposing infants and babies to music (both in the womb and after birth) can help to build the neural bridges used to process thought and information. The years from birth to 5 years are a key time for this musical development. Which is why we adopted the ‘Colourstrings’ system for our baby group sessions for pre-school children.
Skills It is a music teaching method where musical concepts are explored in a stimulating but structured way by our expert teacher, Ali Rycroft In a similar way to sport in education, learning to play an instrument, such as the keyboard, from an early age, allows a child to develop a vast range of transferable skills. These include language and literacy development; spacial reasoning (a key contributor to mathematical ability); fine motor skills; improved memorisation and concentration; hand to eye coordination; teamwork; imagination; and creative thinking. Given the pressure on mental health over the last two years during the Covid-19 crisis, participation in music helps in bringing back a degree of mental stability through both creative participation and a sense of fun. Music plays a key part in children’s
education helping in all areas of learning and is as a fundamental building block in creating a rich cultural society. Schools recognise the importance of music but are often limited in what they can offer because of funding issues. In my experience, music suffers when educational authorities are looking to save money. So, music schools, like mine at Brittens Music School, help fill the gap between what is available in a school setting and what is needed. I have always been passionate about doing what I can to ensure To find out more about Colourstrings classes and the range of lessons available at Brittens Music School drop into the shop on Grove Hill, Tunbridge Wells or visit brittensmusic.co.uk Andrew Britten’s career in music spans over 26 years and includes working as Vice Chairman of Kent Music School and Chairman of various county groups. He plays the violin, viola and piano.
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Food & Drink
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
food & drink
Join the tea party all this week It’s currently Afternoon Tea Week, an annual event which celebrates the great British teatime tradition. On until August 14, Eileen Leahy reveals the history of this centuries’ old tradition and where to enjoy a smorgasbord of sweet and savoury treats locally… LUXURY Indulge yourself
F
rom quaint country tea rooms to rustic farm shops and luxury hotels, you’re never too far from a silver tiered stand of finger sandwiches, gooey cakes and freshly baked scones in and around Tunbridge Wells. And this week there are plenty of places offering an array of indulgent afternoon delights courtesy of it being National Afternoon Tea Week. On until August 14, lots of local venues are offering delicious teatime treats – and special offers – in order to mark this event which celebrates this centuries’ old tradition.
Delicious But how did serving up sandwiches, scones and sweet cakes all begin? Well with the rise in popularity of tea drinking in the 19th century, it is said that Anna, the 7th Duchess of Bedford, and other ladies of the upper social classes would get a little peckish ahead of dinner. The solution? To have a nice cup of tea and a light snack mid-afternoon to keep the hunger pangs at bay. This soon became part of the Duchess’s daily routine, and so she began to invite friends to the house to join her for refreshment. However, it was thanks to Queen Victoria that
afternoon tea came to be the more formal affair we enjoy today. During her reign, tea service became increasingly grand – and enjoying the ritual in the country’s celebrated dining rooms reflected one’s social status.
‘There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.’ Etiquette played a big part too, from the dress code to the way that tea was poured and stirred. Today of course there are no strict rules when it comes to serving an afternoon tea, but traditionally it will consist of an ornate three-tiered cake stand displaying a selection of dainty finger sandwiches and other small savouries, warm scones with accompanying pots of clotted cream and preserves, and a variety of visually appealing bite-size cakes and pastries. This enticing spread will usually be accompanied by your choice of a pot of freshly brewed loose-leaf tea, usually Earl Grey, Darjeeling and Assam are offered. But increasingly glasses of fizz – Champagne or
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Food & Drink
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Prosecco – are becoming the tipple of choice for many to enjoy with their savoury and sweet treats. Henry James (1843-1916), the great American author who spent most of his writing life in England, said: “There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.” So, with that in mind, we cherry pick our favourite local venues where you can indulge in an afternoon tea…
THE IVY: The luxury treat – the quintessentially British restaurant located on the High Street has partnered with Laurent Perrier to offer a glass of Rosé Champagne with its afternoon tea experience. This includes a delicious array of sandwiches, including Ivy Cure smoked salmon and cream cheese fingers, grilled chicken and truffle mayonnaise brioche and pickled cucumber, courgette and basil double decker rolls. Freshly baked fruit scones are served with clotted cream, fresh strawberries and strawberry preserve, while the sweets include a chocolate plant pot, madeleine cake with lemon curd, red velvet raspberry cake and a strawberry milkshake, all accompanied by a choice of teas, infusions or coffees. The Summer Afternoon Tea starts from £28.95 per person, or £37.95 per person with a glass of Laurent Perrier Rosé Champagne, and is available to enjoy seven days a week and served between 3:00 - 4:45pm.
THE IVY High-end tea
SALOMONS ESTATE: Great for a stunning view or being outdoors – if you want to head out of the urban sprawl and feel at one with nature, then pay a visit to the elegant Salomons Estate on the Tunbridge Wells/Southborough borders. Here, they are offering a delicious Prosecco afternoon tea, complete with a selection of fresh sandwiches, scones and traditional sweet treats which can be enjoyed while you dine in the stunning conservatory and admire the impressive – and very grand – grounds and lake. Prices are £22.50 per person and if you book during Afternoon Tea Week (until August 14) you can enjoy a free glass of prosecco too.
‘It was thanks to Queen Victoria that afternoon tea came to be the more formal affair we enjoy today’
SALOMONS Drink in the views
JULIET’S: Vintage chic – this cool little café in Tunbridge Wells High Street focuses on providing its customers with fantastic homemade cakes and specialist teas, and is a hot-spot for afternoon tea. But they also offer take-away afternoon tea hampers which you can pre-order (with 72 hours’ notice) for £45 for two and enjoy in the location of your choice. The hamper includes a selection of coronation chicken, cucumber with minted crème fraîche and smoked salmon with cream cheese and dill as well as vegan options like avocado, tomato and rocket. Then of course there’s oodles of Victorian sponge and fruit and plain scones to feast on too!
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THE SPA HOTEL: Classic – served from Wednesdays to Sundays in the hotel’s stunning orangery from 1.30pm to 4pm, this is the place to go for something just that little bit extra special. Tables are laid out with a luxury assortment of homemade scones, indulgent cakes and delicate finger sandwiches are offered up with a selection of aromatic teas – or, if you prefer, a glass of Nyetimber. Prices start from £27 per person or £40 if having the Nyetimber option. ONE WARWICK PARK: Contemporary – located in Chapel Place, this chic hotel is specially opening its doors for two dates to celebrate National Afternoon Tea Week. On Thursday August 11 and Sunday August 14 guests can indulge in a delicious afternoon tea selection of either traditional tea (£25), a Prosecco (£28.50) offering or a Champagne (£33.50) choice. Boasting mouth-watering savoury bites and sweet treats created by the hotel’s talented pastry chefs this promises to be an event not to be missed!
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Local& News NEWS 3117 Food Drink
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Take your tastebuds on a fruity beer adventure for this summer
In his monthly column for the Times, Fuggles founder Alex Greig waxes lyrical about the ever-growing trend for fruity beers – which he says are just perfect to sip on in the sunshine…
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he last few years have seen a few trends emerge in the world of craft beer here in the UK. Alongside heavily hopped, hazy pales and a rekindled love affair with lagers and traditional bitters, fruit and beer have become a big thing and in particular, fruited ‘sour’ beer. You can see why as who doesn’t enjoy a fresh fruit juice or a smoothie? With additions such as mango, watermelon, cherry and orange, inspiration for the beers comes from all over, be it from classic cocktails through to your favourite dessert.
‘Fruity beers have become a big thing and opened up the market to new drinkers’ These beers are intentionally tart – thanks to yeast strains such as brettanomyces and bacteria like lactobacillus. Of course, the Belgians have been producing their famous ‘Lambic’ styles for over 100 years and the Germans too with the Berliner Weisse and Gose variations. And now, alongside those pioneers of the sour styles, we have some great UK producers too. Over the past few years we’ve seen several breweries focus a large part of their production on these kinds of beers. It’s led to some exciting and fun experimentation and definitely opened
up beer to a new market – be that cider drinkers looking for something different, or those who just love anything a bit tart whilst also helping convert people who don’t like ‘beer’. Here’s a few from our fridges that we just love here at Fuggles right now: Kriek Boon: An all-time classic from the Boon Brewery, located in Lembeek on the River Senne to the South-West of Brussels. Boon have produced Lambic since 1978, a style of beer fermented with wild, naturally occurring yeasts, native to this region of Belgium (the only region you can legally brew and call a beer a ‘Lambic’). A blend
of different ages of Lambic beer, it is then aged on whole cherries. This gives it a tart, yet sweet fruitiness with a delicious cherry flavour to it. Gipsy Hill Tafa Tafa: Gipsy Hill have always produced a great range of fruited sour beers and this is one of our ultimate favourites. Inspired by the classic Mai Tai, this is super juicy, sweet and sour thanks to fresh whole oranges and pineapple. Seriously tasty and the perfect summer refresher. Yonder Watermelon Gose: Based in Somerset, Yonder focus on producing a great range of beers using various mixed fermentation and barrel-aging techniques, fruit,
Kriek Boon, 4% – £4.40 Unbarred & Mash Gang – Mango Berliner, 2.8% – £4.20 Yonder – Watermelon Gose, 4% – £5.80 Gipsy Hill – Tafa Tafa, 5.5% – £5 Tilquin – Mure, 6% – £10
and foraged ingredients. Their range of Gose-style beers are a firm favourite with us. Essentially this is a tart wheat beer and the lactobacillus helps to add acidity. Interestingly, the beer is also traditionally brewed with the subtle addition of salt as well. Yonder have found a wonderful balance with their base beer and regularly dose it with silly amounts of fruit, such as raspberry or watermelon. Super refreshing and light, with a touch of tangy natural yoghurt in the background too. Tilquin Mure: Tilquin have only recently started to brew their own. The bulk of their beer comes from other legendary producers of Lambic beer such as Lindemans. Brewer Pierre then blends these after years of aging in his own barrels to produce his own styles of ‘Gueuze’. This is a blend of aged Lambic with at least three different years in its makeup, producing a tart, but balanced beer somewhat akin to ‘proper’ farmhouse cider. Their range of fruited beers is second to none, my favourite being the stunning ‘Mure’. Blackberries provide a lovely fruity sweetness and depth to the beer, helping to really balance out the natural acidity. Unbarred & Mash Gang – Mango Berliner: Brighton’s Unbarred brewery have teamed up with the No/Low Alcohol folks at Mash Gang to bring us a lower ABV option that really delivers on the flavour thanks to a lot of Alphonso mangoes. Think breakfast smoothie with a bit of fizz and a lovely, fruity tartness to the finish.
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Property
property news
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
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Pandemic property boom has added £1,000 to selling a South East home THE nation’s home sellers are now paying up to £1,000 more in estate agent commission when selling their home, thanks to the pandemic house price boom, research has found. House Buyer Bureau, a property purchasing company, has analysed the average fee paid by home sellers across each region of England and how much this cost to sell has increased when compared to the pre-pandemic market. It found those in the South East have been hit with the highest fee rises brought about by the boom in sales during the pandemic. The research shows that at the end of December and prior to the outbreak of Covid-19, the average estate agent bagged £3,771 in commission.
Boom Fast forward to today and a pandemic property market boom has seen the average house price in England climb by 22 per cent. As a result, the average home seller is now paying £4,564 in estate agent fees, an increase of £793, despite a marginally lower fee of 1.51 per cent versus 1.52 per cent in December 2019. Even with the London market struggling when compared to the rest of the UK, the capital still ranks top where the highest cost of selling a home is concerned. The average fee of 1.74 per cent equates to £9,130 based on current market values, having increased by £835 when compared to the pre-pandemic market.
However, London home sellers have only seen the fourth largest increase in the cost to sell a home. In the South East, this cost has increased by almost a thousand pounds since the start of the pandemic (+£996), with the South West of England (+£960) and East of England (+£906) also seeing some of the largest increases. Home sellers in the North East have seen the smallest increase, with the average cost of selling up by £440. Managing Director of House Buyer Bureau, Chris Hodgkinson, said: “There are a whole host of costs involved
in selling a home, above and beyond the fee paid to your selling agent. “However, these tend to be fixed and remain largely unchanged regardless of wider market performance. “The fee charged by a selling agent, on the other hand, changes depending on the value of the home being sold. So while homeowners have enjoyed some pretty high and sustained rates of house price growth during the pandemic, the same increase in the value of their home will cost them a fair bit more if they do decide to sell up.”
Zoopla predicts house price growth Building on just one per cent of UK’s will slow to 5 per cent by end of year green belt could deliver 600k homes
HOUSE price growth will cool to become more in line with the longer-term average by the end of this year, as mortgage rates rise and home buyers become more cautious, a property website predicts. The average UK house price has increased by 8.3 per cent annually, pushing the typical property value to £256,000, according to Zoopla’s index for June. This growth was well above the five-year average of 4.3 per cent. Many recent housing market reports have shown house prices continuing to hit record highs, despite the tough economy. As the cost-of-living crisis tightens its grip, Zoopla said it expects the impacts will ripple through to the property market towards the end of 2022 and into 2023.
Demand Rising mortgage rates are also expected to dent housing market demand. But Zoopla said that, while demand for homes has slowed this year, it remains above the five-year average. Zoopla’s recent research indicated that changing working habits could help to fuel some demand in the market, with people working from home being particularly likely to have expectations about moving house. It also suggested that the departure of some older people from the labour market
during the coronavirus pandemic may trigger some house moves, with retirement often being a major reason to downsize. In some instances, the cost-of-living pressures may be boosting the desire to move, to save on running costs and find better value for money, in turn supporting levels of demand and market activity, the website said. By the end of the year, house prices are expected to be rising by 5 per cent annually, according to Zoopla. It added it expects to see 1.3 million sales completions in 2022 – 100,000 higher than it had forecast. Richard Donnell, executive director of research at Zoopla said: “This is a big reason why the market is not slowing as fast as some might expect and demand remains for sensibly-priced homes, especially in more affordable areas. “The housing market is not immune from higher mortgage rates which we are starting to see increase quickly. “Buyer interest is expected to slow over the coming months as people tighten their belts and spend with more caution which will see price growth weaken further. “While we don’t expect current trends to lead to a marked drop in house prices next year, buyers will become more wary and it is important sellers are realistic when pricing their homes to sell.”
RESEARCH has found that building on just 1 per cent of the nation’s green belt could help ease the housing crisis to the tune of almost 600,000 new homes, with an estimated market value of £255billion. Utilising green belt land has long been an unpopular opinion, largely down to the misconception that it involves concreting over the countryside. In fact, green belt is largely poor quality scrubland used to control the growth of major urban settlements and many cities, like London, have already expanded beyond their green belt to create commuter belts. New-build specialists, Unlatch found that the nation’s green belt accounts for just 12.4 per cent of England’s total land area. With the average home requiring 275 sq m’s of space, that’s enough space to facilitate 58.7m new homes. Utilising just 1 per cent of this green belt land could deliver 586,814 new homes, homes that could help address the current housing crisis. Especially when you consider the Government has consistently missed their annual target of just 300,000 new homes. With the average new-build home worth
£434,515 in the current market, building on 1 per cent of the green belt could add £255billion to the current value of the property market.
Green belt The South East is home to the largest level of green belt land, accounting for 19 per cent of the national total. Utilising just 1 per cent of the 305,600 hectares of green belt in the region could deliver over 111,000 new homes with a market value of £59.1billion. Building on just 1 per cent of the green belt in the West Midlands (96,341), Yorkshire and the Humber (95,439) and the North West (93,039) could boost new home stock levels by over 90,000 homes. In the East of England it would create 84,819 new homes and at £43.4billion, the region would see the second largest boost to total property market value as a result. Even in London, building on 1 per cent of the green belt could deliver 12,649 new homes, despite the capital accounting for just 2.2 per cent of the nation’s total green belt land.
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Antiques
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Spotting treasures from the garden
antiques
Auctioneer Joseph Trinder talks about the finds he has located in people's gardens Joseph Trinder
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n today's market which is online and global, gone are the days (which I can just about recall from personal experience) where the auction world slowed down in the summer months, as it was accepted that buyers and sellers alike would be off for summer holidays with buyers wishing to ‘hold off’ until the resumed buoyancy found in the autumn months brought potential for better results once again. In today’s online, global world – this is not the case – dare I say good news for the vendor and buyer as well as us the agent, giving us all greater flexibility in a market which is no longer at all seasonal – a buyer can still take advantage of our sales from anywhere in the world. One area however which can buck this trend is the fascinating and often surprising world of garden statutory, furniture and outdoor effects. This is a market area where we really need to see the sun on the backs of bidders as they ponder their outside spaces leading into summer before offering certain goods
for sale. Just as you would likely not see a flurry of sales in fireside effects in July, selling garden benches and statues in January may well not generate the same interest as the same material would command in the warmer months. Yet, once the warmer weather reaches us each year (something we’ve all seen plenty , if not too much of already in 2022) then the garden boom is well and truly on – with pieces fetching prices which are often a real surprise to our delighted vendors.
Destined Recent examples at Gorringe’s include the teak sets of garden/patio tables and chairs which often feature in our hugely popular weekly sales. Clients are sometimes surprised when we include these sets in the list of contents destined for sale – as to some, their weathered look may deem them to be undesirable – yet in fact this fatigue and weathering is exactly what the current market longs for. This coupled with the fact that the brand-new versions of such sets are becoming harder to source means that demand is at an all-time high – resulting in large tables and sets of chairs often selling for in excess of £1,000, sometimes making more than their brand-new retail equivalent even. Stone ornaments are also hugely desirable in today’s market, with premiums again paid for naturally weathered and fatigued examples which gently betray their age – even in reconstituted rather than natural stone. A recent example can be seen in the pictured bench. Discovered
in the grounds of a local property, sadly in pieces as it had been historically damaged – it was not much to behold initially as I spotted it through a tangle of grass and nettles. Yet our expert carriers took care to gently remove and then reconstruct the piece into what was always a formidable piece of furniture which went on to achieve £5,000.
Statues Other examples which always perform remarkably well are lead statues – of course, the really serious prices being achieved for earlier, monumental
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examples, but even smaller and more modern pieces perform remarkably well today. From the same property as the above bench, we also removed several small 20th century lead figures. Despite being significantly damaged, they went on to achieve in instances over £1,000 each. So if you are considering a change-up in your garden or perhaps are downsizing and will not have room for your currently owned statues, garden furnishings, planters, fountains or other outside effects then please do get in touch for free, no-obligation advice today, I may just pleasantly surprise you! josepht@gorringes.co.uk
FOR AUGUST IN YOUR AREA There is no obligation to sell, so call Clive Today to arrange a home visit at no charge and at your convenience. He will advise you personally on your items and absolute discretion is guaranteed.
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Sandwiches, scones & sweet treats… the perfect way to spend an afternoon! Book now to indulge in this quintessentially British tradition on Thursday 11th or Sunday 14th August Classic Afternoon Tea £25pp Prosecco Afternoon Tea £28.50pp Champagne Afternoon Tea £33.50pp
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36
Travel
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
How to prepare your garden for the forthcoming hosepipe ban
Worried there might be a hosepipe ban on the horizon? There are some things you can do to protect your garden now, as Prudence Wade finds out...
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FTER the blistering heatwave and more warm weather coming our way, we could be set for a drought. Most of England (except for the North West) has moved into a state of ‘prolonged dry weather’ – the step before drought is declared. South East Water has followed Southern Water by implementing a hosepipe ban throughout most of Kent and Sussex, and water companies are urging people to save water in the face of the hot, dry weather. The last time a drought was declared was 2018, and many of us have forgotten the havoc it can wreak on our outdoor spaces. If you want to protect your garden from the potential upcoming drought, there are some things you can do now… 1. Improve soil structure “Do this by cultivating the soil deeply and digging in large quantities of organic matter, compost, manure, garden waste and organic fertiliser,” advises Martine Le Gassick, creative director at garden design company Stark & Greensmith (starkandgreensmith.com). “This helps to improve soil structure and water retention, in preparation for a drought.” 2. Put compost on your lawn “This will help keep your soil porous and
better suited to retaining moisture – overall improving its drought tolerance,” she explains. Elsewhere, Le Gassick recommends adding gravel, as “this helps to retain moisture. Also, when dug through the soil, it helps to avoid drainage issues.”
‘South East Water has followed Southern Water by implementing a hosepipe ban throughout most of Kent and Sussex, and water companies are urging people to save water’ 3. Invest in a water butt “With the looming threat of a potential hosepipe ban, now is the time to invest in alternative ways to collect and store water,” says Matt Jordan, gardening expert for The Greenhouse People (greenhousepeople.co.uk). “Water butts [which catch rainwater from your drains] are great for saving water for when your garden needs hydrating later. And with this month set for some rainy storms, it’s the perfect time to get some water stored in preparation for drier months.” He says water butts can range in cost – from
Travel
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Jordan’s top tip? “Be sure to give your soil a good soaking before you lay your mulch, and take care to avoid your mulch touching any woody-stemmed plants or risk rotting.” 6. Do your weeding now “Weeds in your garden soak up the water in your soil, leaving less moisture for your plants to keep them hydrated. Before a drought, make sure to weed your garden to avoid this,” advises Le Gassick. Jordan agrees, adding: “It’s best to avoid applying herbicides to kill off weeds, since the
‘Be sure to give your soil a good soaking before you lay your mulch, and take care to avoid your mulch touching any woody-stemmed plants or risk rotting.’ £30 to a few thousand pounds. But if you really want to save some cash, Jordan notes: “Any plastic bin can be transformed into a DIY water butt with a little creative ingenuity.” 4. Avoid over-fertilising
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hot weather will likely evaporate the product and can even scorch your lawn due to the chemicals they contain. “Instead, try regularly hand weeding, pulling them out as soon as you see any begin to crop up.” 7. Steer clear of your grass Le Gassick says: “For lawn care, try to not to cut your grass too short before a drought. Leaving the grass taller also helps to retain more moisture in the soil.” The optimal length for your lawn? Six inches, according to Le Gassick.
It might be tempting to give your garden all the love you can before the drought hits, but Le Gassick warns against over-fertilising. “Doing so encourages your garden to grow before a drought, which will result in your garden requiring water, which will be difficult during a drought,” she says. 5. Get mulching “Protect your soil and your plant’s health by laying your mulch now,” says Jordan. “Mulching can help trap moisture in the soil, keeping it hydrated during dry weather, as well as supplying more nutrients where needed. “It’s a particularly useful trick to use for keeping bedded and potted plants healthy during harsh weather, and can even be used on lawns.”
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Motoring
Wednesday August 10 | 2022
Motoring News
This week… The solar powered Sono Sion
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VW’s ID. Buzz Cargo
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A new Defender unveiled
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Sono Sion revealed as ‘world’s first affordable solar car’ HAVING an electric car powered by the sun is now a reality, with the unveiling of the Sono Sion. Called the ‘world’s first affordable solar electric vehicle’ by German brand Sono Motors, the Sion has been seen before in prototype form, but this is the first time it’s been revealed in production guise. The road-ready model gets a number of changes, including a cleaner exterior design incorporating new headlights, a streamlined rear and newly designed seats.
Journeys The exterior of the Sion consists of 456 solar half-cells, which are said to allow ‘selfsufficiency’ on shorter journeys. Sono says the model’s 54kWh battery will allow for a range of up to 190 miles, and that the solar cells can extend the range by an average of 70 miles per week, although this could be as much as 152 miles in perfect conditions. Sono claims that commuters in metropolitan areas will be able to charge their Sion up to four times less often than conventional electric cars of a similar size. As well as using solar energy, it can also be charged up externally like any regular electric car at
speeds of up to 75kW. The firm is continuing to test the Sion across Europe and the US, with production planned to start in the second half of 2023. It will be manufactured at third-party Finland-based company Valmet Automotive’s plant. In addition, Sono has presented its vision of making existing vehicles on the road cleaner. Developed for buses initially, the kit is a retrofit solution for existing petrol and diesel vehicles that allows elements of the electrical systems such as the air conditioning to be powered by solar energy. Around eight square metres of solar panels are applied to the vehicle, with the firm saying that people will get their money back from investing in the product after three to four years. Jona Christians, co-founder and CEO of Sono Motors, said: “We’re proud to celebrate the unveiling of our novel solar product, the ‘Solar Bus Kit’, which will truly push our mission of making every vehicle a solar vehicle to the next level. “This kit allows us to strengthen our solar business by maximising the scalability of our technology to a huge market: the public and private bus fleet sector. It also represents a milestone on our path towards a world without fossil fuels.”
Volkswagen Commercial makes a Buzz with its new van arrive with a heated driver’s seat, front and rear parking sensors and a 10-inch infotainment system which incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Commerce’s £38,125 starting price also includes three services and one MOT. Move up to Commerce Plus – which starts from £43,275 – and adaptive cruise control is added alongside keyless entry, a rear-view camera and a multifunction steering wheel. A wide number of assistance systems, such as travel assist, lane keep assist and emergency assist are included. For now, these prices exclude VAT and on-theroad pricing, with the ID. Buzz Cargo available to order from August. Volkswagen has also stated that the ID. Buzz Cargo’s eligibility for the plug-in grant could save up to £2,500 off smaller electric commercial vehicles – is currently ‘pending’.
VOLKSWAGEN Commercial’s latest vehicle – the ID. Buzz Cargo – has arrived on the market, priced from £38,125. Utilising a 77kWh battery, the ID. Buzz Cargo can travel for up to 256 miles on a single charge, but has enough space for two Euro pallets to be loaded sideways. It can also tow up to 1,000kg with an optional trailer hitch.
Fitted Buyers are able to choose from a two or three-seat configuration, while the fixed partition between the cab and load area can be fitted with a window to provide extra space for loading longer items. Entry-level Commerce-specification vehicles
Land Rover unveils limited-edition and adventure-inspired Defender LAND ROVER Classic has released a limited run of Defender models that pay tribute to its off-roading and adventure heritage. Called the Classic Defender Works V8 Trophy II, the limited-edition vehicle – of which just 25 examples will be created – will be built using Defender models from 2012 to 2016. These are then stripped and rebuilt by hand, bringing in improved specifications and upgraded parts. Each car uses a 5.0-litre V8 engine with 399bhp and 515Nm of torque, as well as an eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox. It’ll be available in both 90 and 110 layouts as well as a 110 Double Cab pick-up. It’s expected that just five pick-ups will be created, following 10 of the 90 short-wheelbase models and 10 long-wheelbase 110s.
for the best possible visibility in all conditions. All cars feature a 500m wading depth, while rock sliders and an external roll bar bring added protection. Inside, there are Recaro sport seats finished in black and white Windsor leather, while Land Rover Classic’s infotainment system brings satellite navigation and mobile device connectivity functions. All versions are available to order now, with prices starting from £225,000 for the 90.
LED The exterior wears a bespoke camouflage which has been designed by Land Rover Special Vehicles. As well as the main white exterior colour, there is also a black contrast roof and a variety of gloss black elements such as the rivets, screws and vents. All cars wear gloss black 18-inch alloy wheels, too. A number of expedition-focused touches are included too, such as a winch at the front and a 1.27m-wide LED light bar
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