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Benefactor saves golf course from developers
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SOLD Tunbridge Wells Golf Course has been bought by an unidentified resident ending years of speculation about possible site development. Full story page 4.
Rocketing price rises see more areas become £500,000 housing hotspots By Richard Williams MORE areas in and around Tunbridge Wells have seen the average house price now pass the half a million mark as house prices continue to rise, according to one of the area’s leading estate agents. Rocketing property prices across the UK mean 15 per cent of homes sold in the country now fetch more than £500,000 for the first time this year, with Kent a particular hotspot, according to Savills. Analysis by the estate agent has shown that the number of £500,000-plus locations increased by 50 per cent during the pandemic – rising from 874 council wards across the UK in 2019 to 1,312 in 2021. The South East in particular saw a 74 per cent rise in half a million pound
purchases, reflecting a surge in house prices across more rural parts of the country.
‘Too many young people are having to move away from the area because they cannot afford to live here’ The number of wards where the average property now fetches over £500,000 in Kent has increased from 39 to 68, say Savills – and many of these were in Tunbridge Wells. While average house prices in the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells exceeded £500,000 before the pandemic, online estate agent Rightmove, now puts the
average price for a property in the town at around £525,622. Price rises now mean properties in wards outside the town centre are also now fetching more than half a million. According to Savills, Benenden & Cranbrook, Broadwater, Wadhurst, Hawkhurst & Sandhurst as well as Culverden near to the town centre, now all have average house prices exceeding £500,000. Over the East Sussex border, homes in Crowborough West are also on average now fetching more than half a million pounds for the first time. Natasha Selbie, director in the residential sales team at Savills in
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this week… House prices are going through the roof LARDER OF LOVE Local food initiatives are adapting to help their customers cope P6
FAIRYTALE FEVER Myths and magic storm the stage in TWODS’ production of Shrek the Musical P22
RUB-A-DUB DEADLINE ... for the Soapbox Stars Race in Dunorlan Park on June 25 P28
those looking to get on the housing ladder. Cllr Hugo Pound, the Labour group leader at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and the cabinet member for Housing and Planning at the authority, told the Times the rising prices was ‘concerning’. He said: “I think the ever-increasing price of housing in Tunbridge Wells is very concerning. Too many young people are having to move away from the area because they cannot afford to live here.
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Tunbridge Wells, said: “The momentum for moving throughout the pandemic – born from a desire for more space, and spurred on by the government’s stamp duty holiday – resulted in a mini-house price boom across the country. “But with stock in long-favoured hotspots across the county unable to meet increased demand, surrounding wards benefited, too. As a result, we’ve seen a surge in new geographical areas throughout Kent breaking the half a million pound threshold over the past two years.”
Increases Reflecting on the local property market for the first half of the year Ms Selbie added: “While there continues to be a shortage of housing stock across the county, the situation has improved as the year has gone on with noticeable increases in the number of viewings and applicants registering with us. “It’s not entirely surprising to see interest pick up at this time of year as it is well known that between now and September is considered prime selling season, but we are recording a high level of enquiries for available properties and significantly more than the weekly averages
MILLIONAIRE’S ROW Addresses in Culverden Ward are now worth an average £500,000
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we were seeing before the pandemic. “The market isn’t dramatically different to how it has been in the last 12 months insofar as demand is still very much there and the best in class properties – those which are both realistically priced and close to amenities – are selling very quickly. “However we do anticipate that the economic headwinds to slow house price growth in the second half of the year. This could be helped further though if, as has been mooted, there are relaxations of mortgage regulations.” While the news may be welcomed by homeowners who have seen their brick and mortar investments rocket over the last few years, it is bad news for first time buyers and
“The Council needs to work with partners to develop much more genuinely affordable housing throughout the Borough. Otherwise, where are our retail, hospitality, care, education and support workers ever going to be able to live? “Where are young people who grow up here and want to stay in their communities ever going to be able to afford to rent, let alone buy? “The new Borough Partnership intends to address this challenge over the next two years – the last Council only build 36 homes for social rent in the last five years. With a housing waiting list of 946, that is not good enough.” For more on property news see page 35, and don’t miss next week’s 20-page property pullout special, only in the Times.
Grocer raided by shoplifter and vandals slams police decision not to prosecute By Victoria Roberts
TASTE OF AMERICA The Times checks out the menu for this weekend’s Black Deer Festival with an exclusive Times reader discount offer P30
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TARGETED The shop in Grove Hill Road and [inset] the youths outside the store shoplifting you cannot claim on the insurance. “But this decision is ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous,” said Mr Masrani.
Apology Kent Police justified the apology saying it was a ‘proportionate’ response. A spokesman said: “When a crime is reported to Kent Police a thorough and proportionate investigation is launched with all appropriate lines of enquiry followed up. “For the incident reported in Tunbridge Wells, officers were called to a report that a suspected shoplifter had been detained in the store. Officers attended the scene and following an
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ON THE ROADS A21 Northbound & Southbound Kippings Cross to Longfield Road – drainage works June 16-21 A21 Southbound - weekend closure from 8pm June 17-6am June 20 Bayhall road – Traffic control multi way signals June 13-15 Kingswood Road – traffic control multi way signals June 13-15
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Kirkdale Road – road closure for utility asset works June 13-17 Pembury Road – traffic control multi way signals – June 21-22 Sheffield Road – Openreach road closure – June 13-17 Speldhurst road, Langton green - BT diversion route, Openreach works outside paveys June 20-22
investigation a community resolution was decided upon as the most appropriate outcome in relation to the attempted theft. “A community resolution is a proportionate way of dealing with an offender when they admit the offence, fully in line with national guidelines, and in most cases when the victim has agreed that more formal action does not need to be taken.” The spokesman added that the police were still appealing for information about those who committed the criminal damage to the shop. He said: “Officers also conducted a full investigation into this incident and continue to appeal for information from the public to help identify those involved.” SUN 19TH
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A SHOPKEEPER whose business suffered damage in May after his staff detained a would-be shoplifter, has branded the decision by police to get one of the offenders to apologise rather than prosecute him as ‘absolutely ridiculous’. On the evening of May 16, a group of over half a dozen teenagers entered Grove Hill Stores in Tunbridge Wells town centre, when an individual was spotted trying to steal items while the others spread out inside the store to ‘distract’ staff, business owner Sanjay Masrani told the Times. “We had CCTV footage of him stealing. The other guys were trying to distract my staff,” he said. “My staff saw him and detained him and the others ran out. “We locked the door and called the police, but they took 45 minutes to come. In the meantime, they [the youths] tried to break down the door.” Footage taken from across the road showed a group of young people around the front of the store in broad daylight, kicking at the glass door. The door is seen to come off its hinges at one point, followed by someone inside trying to lift the frame back into the doorway as a barrier. After a month-long investigation, Mr Masrani says that rather than prosecute the boys, Kent Police has simply made one of them write an apology – a decision he brands as ‘ridiculous’. “For retailers at the moment, there’s not much help from the Police. With normal shoplifting, you just get a crime number now. But for
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Speed limit petition for A21 trunk road RESIDENTS along parts of the A21 have gathered over 700 signatures on a petition to reduce the speed limit on a stretch of the road to 40 mph. Locals in Kilndown, Flimwell and Stonecrouch say the reduction would help save lives. The community group A21 Road Safety Action Group has recorded 66 collisions, ‘some serious and fatal’ over the past four years on their 2.5 mile stretch of road between the T&J Motel and the turnoff to Bewl Water (Rosemary Lane), where the speed limit is currently 60mph, chairman Ted Bennett said. Search change.org for the petition ‘Reducing the speed limit to 40mph on key section of A21 will make a BIG difference’. See our new weather and travel panel in this week’s Times, page 2.
Council hits the road TUNBRIDGE Wells Borough Council’s new Cabinet is to hold future meetings in different parts of the borough rather than just the Town Hall, making its first stop in Cranbrook’s Vestry Hall on June 23. Cabinet meetings will be held at 6:30pm, followed by an informal question and answer session with residents. Leader Ben Chapelard said: “Our new administration wants to meet and listen to residents. Transparency and local democracy are one of our Focus on Five priorities.”
Wimpy for Tonbridge A BURGER chain that became popular for being the UK’s first burger fast food restaurants back in the 1960s and 70s is to open a new branch in Tonbridge. Wimpy, which used to have around 500 UK branches but now has only around 80, is planning a new restaurant in the former home of Shoe Zone in the High Street, according to a planning application at Tonbridge & Malling District Council.
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Iconic St John’s Road building set to be redeveloped into flats By Richard Williams A BUILDING currently occupied by a freight and logistics organisation in Tunbridge Wells is set to be turned into apartments following a planning application submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Hermes House on St John’s Road is currently the home of Logistics UK – formerly the Freight Transport Association. According to plans submitted to the Council, the site is to be demolished and redeveloped to provide 43 new homes within a four-storey building. It will include a mix of studio flats and also one and two bedroom apartments complete with a private balcony for all the new homes. There will also be 53 on-site car parking spaces, including electric vehicle charging spaces ad 44 cycle parking spaces in secure storage. Logistics UK, which employs around 120 people in the town, moved into the iconic building on the A26 in 1985. Hermes House features a circular art-deco main building and distinctive clock, was originally designed as a church when it was first built in 1931. Logistics UK, which campaigns on behalf of the freight and logistic industry, say the ageing building is no longer suitable for the organisation’s needs. A spokesperson for the company said: “As a result of the poor quality of existing employment accommodation at Hermes House, its location within a residential area and distance from transport hubs, Logistics UK has been planning to vacate Hermes House. “Logistics UK is keen to relocate to a new more appropriate premises within Royal Tunbridge Wells, in a more accessible location closer to the train station. “In response to the pandemic, Logistics UK
MOVING OUT Logistics UK’s current HQ
APARTMENTS How the development will look when finished also requires a much smaller area of employment space as a large proportion of staff are now hybrid working or spending less time in the office.” The spokesperson continued: “The existing buildings have reached the end of their lifecycle, they have a disjointed layout, do not meet modern standards and are no longer fit for purpose. “Redevelopment of the site offers a unique opportunity to provide much-needed new homes close to Royal Tunbridge Wells town centre.
“The scheme is being sensitively designed with the site’s surroundings in mind to provide a scheme that reflects and complements the character of the surrounding area. “The new building will range in height from part three- to part four-storeys, reflecting the prevailing residential heights within the local area.” No details of how much the new apartments are set to cost have been released, but according to the application no affordable housing is included in the plans due to construction costs.
Primary school pupils hope to hit the high notes as singing festival returns By Robert Forrester
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MORE than 500 primary school children from Tunbridge Wells are taking part in the return of a singing festival, now in its 30th year. While the biennial Tunbridge Wells Primary Schools Singing Festival has suffered cancellations like many events in the last two years due to Covid, the festival is to return for the 15th time at the Assembly Hall Theatre next Monday and Tuesday (June 20/21). The event has been organised by Yvonne Smith, who is the Chair of Tunbridge Wells Network of Primary School Music Teachers and has been helped by an enthusiastic team of music co-ordinators/teachers from 17 schools in the Tunbridge Wells area.
Theme This year they are being supported by groups of pupils form Bennett Memorial School and The Skinners’ School. The evening performances, which begin at 7pm, will be conducted by the energetic and inspirational music teacher, Elisa Harrod, Head of Music at Rose Hill Preparatory School. The children's singing will be accompanied on the piano by Graham King whose playing enhances every song the children sing. The songs were chosen by the teachers to inspire and challenge the children and this year’s theme for the festival is ‘Songs through
THE FOLLOWING SCHOOLS WILL BE PARTICIPATING:
the ages’, ranging the old classic hymn ‘Jerusalem’, to an uplifting anthem composed during lockdown, ‘We Won’t Stop Dreaming’, via World War 1 songs and an Abba medley. All the children learn six songs to sing together and then some schools perform their own individual school entry. This singing festival is the only non-sporting event which brings together so many local primary schools. Each evening will see about 250 children on stage and will be watched by over 1,000 parents and friends over the two nights. A Singing Festival Workshop for infant school children will held on the afternoon of the 21st June. In all, it is hoped, that over 1000 children will participate and enjoy singing together. The whole event is supported by Kent Music, the Arts Council England and the Rotary Club of Tunbridge Wells and their Satellite Rotary Club of Southborough and Pembury.
Bidborough CEP School Bishops Down Primary School Broadwater Down Primary School Claremont Primary School Hawkhurst CE Primary School Langton Green Primary School Rose Hill School Skinner’s Kent Primary School Southborough CEP School Speldhurst CEP School St Augustine’s RCP School St. Barnabas’ CEP School St James’ CEP School St. John’s CEP School St. Matthew’s CEP School St. Peter’s CEP School Tickets are available from the Assembly Hall website for £10.00 for adults, £5.00 for children and family tickets (2 Adults and 2 3 Children) for £25.00.
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Golf course is protected from building after sale to mysterious local benefactor of 40 acres close to the centre of Royal Tunbridge Wells would be too tempting for a large developer to resist. “However myself and the Trustees are delighted that a private purchaser came forward with good intentions to protect the swathes of green land that makes up the golf course from an unsuitable development.”
By Robert Forrester A NINE-HOLE golf course has been saved from development thanks a local beneficiary who has bought the 40-acre site. Tunbridge Wells Golf Club, next to the Spa Hotel, has been the subject of much speculation in recent years, after developer Target Follow bought an option to build on the site. The company, which already owns Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons as well as The Pantiles made an offer in 2015 to buy the Langton Road course for a reported £1.75million.
Housing
Members The golf course, which was founded in 1892, was owned by about 100 'shareholder' members. Eventually, Targetfollow struck a £50,000 annual deal with the members for an option to buy the site if they got planning permission for developments on the course approved. Earlier this year, after successive planning applications were turned down by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC), the developer cancelled the option on the golf course, which has latterly become home to the relatively new practice of 'Footgolf', leading to further speculation that another builder would take
SOLD: Do you know the mystery buyer of the golf course? Contact newsdesk@onemediauk.co.uk over the site to create a dense housing complex. TWBC had also previously been rumoured to have been interested in the nine-hole course with the aim of turning it into an educational facility. But the site has now been bought by private local purchaser. A spokesperson for the mysterious buyer, who
doesn’t want to be identified, told the Times that the site has been bought with the purpose of protecting the course from development thus retaining its place on the green belt. Club Chairman Stephen Grogan said: "There has been much concern and expectation from members and locals alike that such a prime site
Local resident, Stef Worsley, who was also a former member of the club, said the people around the Langton Road area had been ‘very concerned’ about the fate of the much-loved green space. “It has been a gold course since 1892 but the fear was that a developer would snap it up and build housing on it and the club would be lost forever.” But he added that it was bad management that saw the golf course become vulnerable for development, adding: “It was poor management over the years that let things slide and it lost too much money and it became too tempting a target for property developers. “It is a relief it is now safe, although who is to say whoever has bought it won’t eventually put it up for sale.”
Fallout continues after developer’s collapse as director accused of trying to hide losses Administrators say the group owed more than 100 unsecured creditors around £5.5million, and many of the investors were pension schemes. Also according to the administrator, the group’s directors and management were looking at options for refinancing from unsecured creditors, crowd-funding sources and an asset management company. “It became clear by the end of January 2022 that the companies had insufficient liquidity to continue to trade, and the directors began to place them into administration to protect the assets and maximise the outcome for creditors,” the administrator said.
By Richard Williams A SOUTHBOROUGH based construction and property firm that collapsed earlier this year, reportedly owing debts of up to £60million, has been accused of using investors’ cash to hide losses at associated companies. Administrators of Joint Venture Investment in Property (JVIP) Group have suggested that money put up by investors to fund specific projects appears to have been used by the group’s directors to balance the books of struggling associated companies. Nearly 20 companies associated with the firm and its director Peter Dabner filed for administration in the months leading up to JVIP’s collapse.
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Redemptions Michael Chamberlain was appointed administrator over JVIP Group and most of the associated companies and has since filed an administrator’s report, which suggests investor money may have been misappropriated. In it, he writes: “Quite often, rather than funding specific projects, it appears that the monies borrowed have been used to fund overheads, interest payments and redemptions across the associated companies.” He went on: “Investor money may have been funding substantial losses over a considerable period of time.” He added that during the pandemic saw the company hit by delays to projects and penalty interest rates, as well as a number of investors asking for their money back. The group had been run Mr Dabner, his father Dick, along with family friend and former TV personality, Paul Bohill, who is an ex-bailiff who starred in Channel 5’s ‘Can’t Pay, We’ll Take it Away.’ Meanwhile, a number of properties in
DEBTS: How the Times reported in March the collapse of JVIP Group run by director Peter Dabner the area that were bought by JVIP Group have now been put up for sale by the administrators who are trying to recoup investors’ losses. It is understood JVIP Group purchased around 17 properties in and around Tunbridge Wells for development, including the former office of the Brick and Tile Works in High Brooms, which had been set to be redeveloped into a new premises for the High Brooms Working Men’s Club. But some money supplied by investors to develop such properties appears to have been spent paying off debts. Following the breaking of the story in March, numerous investors have contacted the Times
‘It became clear by the end of January 2022 that the companies had insufficient liquidity to continue to trade, and the directors began to place them into administration’ saying they lent five and six figure sums to JVIP Group and fear the money is now lost. It finally collapsed with debts of £60million but assets of just £43million.
“The companies lost their accounting function during the pandemic, as well as experiencing significant disruption of banking facilities. This necessitated substantial transfer of funds between companies.” Administrators raised questions about a sum of £513,000 that was transferred from JVIP Group into Peter Dabner’s named account. Mr Dabner claimed his account was used to ‘facilitate’ the transfer of cash between associated companies due to limits on the business account, although the administrators said they have seen no proof of these transactions. The collapse of JVIP has also seen some companies associated with the property group that were not put into administration try to distance themselves, with High Brooms based Hunni Homes releasing a statement claiming to be operating ‘wholly independently’ of JVIP Group. However, two of the business listed as being in control of Hunni Homes are JVIP EA Ltd and JVIP LA Ltd, both of which name Peter Dabner as a joint director and a person of ‘significant control’. The Times has tried to contact Mr Dabner on many occasions but has been unsuccessful.
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How Tunbridge Wells food larders help people to cope with cost of living crisis By Hannah Veness AS MORE and more people struggle with rising prices, a number of community larders in Tunbridge Wells are stepping into the breach to help people cope with the cost of living crisis. Food larders are different to food banks, which are normally registered charities, as anyone can visit without a referral. The larders were first introduced in order to cut down on food waste and help those struggling to buy necessary supplies by offering surplus short-dated food from different supermarkets along with other donations from local people and businesses. There are at least six community food larders that run each week in Tunbridge Wells and surrounding areas.
VOLUNTEERS Mary Nolze, Dale BreretonStiles, Jayne Sharratt and Jenny Blackburn everyone and have to adapt to an ever-changing situation,” Mary said. The community larder at St Matt’s Church, in High Brooms Road, has been running since November 2020. It started as an opportunity to help people struggling through lockdown but over the past two years, they have seen a continued need for the larder and something temporary became permanent with over 90 visitors last week and a general turnout of 75-80 people.
Donations They are open to anyone in the local community and are usually run by churches as they can offer premises. They usually ask for a small donation of £2-3 to fill a whole shopping bag. Volunteers from around Rusthall including the Rusthall URC collect trays from big name supermarkets like Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Marks & Spencer and Lidl at a vastly reduced price. They also have a weekly delivery from charity organisation FareShare every Thursday. The aim is to break even and not make profit, and the cost of the trays are covered by the £2 donation made by customers. Mary Nolze has been volunteering at Rusthall’s larder since it first opened back in January 2021. She believes there are three vital things for a food
larder to run: premises, volunteers and suppliers. She told the Times: “We never know what we will receive each week and how much. “FareShare can be unpredictable and recently there’s been a decrease in how much we’re given. If this carries on we may have to increase our donation price.” Each week there’s a range of visitors, often regular customers as well as some Ukranian newcomers. Mary has seen an increase in people using the services in the past two to three months as the cost of living crisis has continue to hit people. “We don’t ask questions, we are welcoming to
Circumstances The food larder also buys from Fareshare and collects from seven different supermarkets. Jan Anderson who runs the larder said: “Supermarkets have become better with their
stock control so there is less waste from them which is good, but we had to start buying supplementary goods in the last five to six months because £2 doesn’t cover the costs. “We have a range of people that use St Matt’s larder, there’s extra at the end of the month. “You can’t judge people’s circumstances by looking at them, just hear out their story and try to help the best you can.” St Philip’s Church in Birken Road opened their larder in April 2020 and have 15 volunteers and is used by over 70 people each week. Lisa Glasscote, who is in charge of the larder, said: “This time last year we had around 50 or 60 visitors, this seems like a small increase but most people are collecting for families so they could be feeding up to seven people. “We want people to know we’re here to help. We are able to give advice on recipes as they choose what they want so there’s less that goes to waste. “In the last six months we had to increase our donation price to £3 because we are getting less for our money. “I spend about £150 a week to buy stuff in. There’s £40 worth of groceries in a £3 bag. We aim to collect 80 trays a week from FareShare but we only get about half.”
IF YOU NEED HELP OR WISH TO DONATE COMMUNITY LARDERS CAN BE FOUND: The Tunbridge Wells Baptist Church: Tuesdays 1pm-2.30pm. St Philip’s Church, Tuesdays 12-1pm. St Mark’s and King Charles the Martyr : Wednesday afternoons.
Christ Church Southborough, Thursdays 12-1pm. St Matt’s Church in High Brooms: Fridays 9.30-10.45. St Paul’s Church Centre in Rusthall, Fridays 12.30-2.15pm.
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Village plans its own film festival as it looks for the next Steven Spielberg By Victoria Roberts A COMMUNITY cinema in a Tunbridge Wells village is planning a film festival to encourage more young people to enter the world of filmmaking. Rusthall Community Cinema (RCC) into a creative engine has been running filmmaking workshops and is now putting on the film festival this autumn, which locals can enter for a share of a £500 prize pot. The cinema club’s main feature is generally accompanied by a complementary short film, which prompted a group of members to make their own short film, ‘Dementia and Us’, which they premiered in February. It comes following plans for a similar initiative, The Pantiles Cinema Club, was abandoned last year after organisers failed to find a venue in the iconic promenade for the boutique picture house.
Filmmaker In Rusthall, the club has now run two workshops to teach the craft, led by international independent filmmaker, editor and teacher Jeanne Pope, with Karen Gardner, visual arts tutor at The Amelia. And the next free workshop will be held in July, well in time for the August 19 deadline to submit short films for the film festival on October 15-16. “We really are calling out for young people, or even families who want to work together on creating a film,” co-festival director Anne Goldstein told the Times. “There is no pressure on people to submit,” she stressed. “It is free to submit films from the local community.” Shorts are a very special genre, she explained.
“They are usually around 10 minutes long – rarely more than 15 and 20 minutes, but it can be very short indeed. People can even submit their TikToks!” “It is a true craft – so much can be said in just ten minutes. As the volunteer who curates the shorts, my aim is to find films that throw light on the themes of our main feature and celebrate the diversity in the world,” she said. “The film we created, on dementia, was quite an inspiration for us. The project members were so giving of their time. They really wanted to share their experience of their loved ones, and experiences as carers.” The French Canadian-British filmmaker Jeanne Pope became involved in RCC through a chance meeting last year on The Pantiles with Ms Goldstein and her husband. “Jeanne came up to us and said: ‘I have to say, you are a very dapper couple’. Then we realised
how much we had in common and Jeanne came to the Community Cinema and adored it – she thought there was so much potential. “There have been two workshops so far, and we hope to hold more.”
Inspired RCC is sponsoring the workshops and festival prizes – £ 100 for Festival Favourite, £25 for Category winner and £10 for those shorts selected for screening. However, said Anne, ‘Jeanne is giving her time for free and we are really inspired by her generosity of spirit.’ Rusthall Community Cinema Film Festival '22 will be held on October 15-16 at Sunnyside Hall, Rusthall, but could be moved if numbers dictate. The deadline for entering a film is August 19. rusthallcinema.club/filmfest22
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Fundraiser for boy stabbed in a park A TEENAGE boy found with stab wounds in a Tunbridge Wells park has been named. Tristan Azevedo, 18, was found by police in Grosvenor and Hilbert Park in Tunbridge Wells with stab wounds, after it RECOVERING is alleged he was Tristan Azevedo attacked while playing football with friend Slavi Chakarov. Tristan was left critically injured, while a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, has been charged with his attempted murder and is due to appear before Crown Court next month. Tristan is now recovering in hospital.
Imagined Meanwhile, the EMC Academy – the South East football association for whom Tristan and Slavi played, is raising money on a fundraiser webpage to aid the young player’s recovery. In a Go Fund me page set up last Wednesday (June 8), the EMC Academy said: “A week ago today, we received the most shocking and heart-breaking news, something we never imagined we would be faced with as part of our EMC family. “Tristan, one our beloved scholars was stabbed in broad daylight whilst playing football with friends in a Tunbridge Wells park.” The organisation has now started a Go Fund Me page to raise funds for Tristan and his family. The page has generated nearly £3,000 in donations so far. The Go Fund ME page can be found by searching the webpage for ‘Tristan’s Road to Recovery’.
Award winning care homes Our highly trained care home teams are specialists in residential, nursing, dementia and respite care. With some of the highest care ratings in the UK, we’re here to help you and your family at every step of your journey. If you’re considering care, call Amelia on 01732 806886 or email amelia.moore2@careuk.com
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Stroke victim talks about path back into business Award-winning marketing executive Lisa Beaumont talks to Victoria Roberts about getting back to work, several years after having two strokes aged just 44. She also reveals how this encouraged her to set up a peer group to help fellow working age sufferers... HAVING started her career on a publishing graduate trainee scheme, Lisa Beaumont quickly climbed the marketing hierarchy, gaining skills which she never lost, and which have helped her restart her career more than once. In 1996, she came top in the country for her Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma in professional marketing and received an award from the Worshipful Company of Marketors. Lisa’s personal life took her from London to Tunbridge Wells as she married a local, but she carried on working, this time for the even bigger marketing name of Taylor Nelson Sofres – now Kantar TNS – along with a role job at Trinity Theatre helping to promote the charity arts venue. But a brain haemorrhage and subsequent stroke in 2011 seemed set to end her working life for good. “I had the brain haemorrhage in January 2011, and was months in the hospital. I got home at the end of 2011 by the skin of my teeth, on condition that I had full-time care,” she said. Although she is now able to walk with sticks after ‘a lot of hard work’, Lisa still has mobility problems, and impaired ‘executive function’ which makes scheduling difficult.
Mobility “After my stroke, I thought about what I can do, not what I can’t do,” she said. “And my (new role of) ‘social listening’ at PR agency Colley Raine was born out of the fact that with reduced mobility, I have time to read all the
social media posts. “I’ve never been a very ‘tech’ person, but I’m unexpectedly developing a specialisation in health tech,” she added, before saying: “I’m just about to write an article for ‘Health Tech Magazine’ on the power of patients.” As well as her work for Colley LISA BEAUMONT Raine, her networking skills and marketing background seen her running her own marketing agency for small and mediumsized enterprises (SMEs) and sole traders, as well as getting involved in community projects.
DIFFERENT STROKES Lisa with the team at West Kent Different Strokes
Experience She has also help set up West Kent Different Strokes (WKDS), a peer-support group, that grew out of a Facebook group for working-age people in West Kent. “I knew there would be the capability for us to come together and share stories,” she explained. “Quite often, someone else has had the same experience and there is usually a solution which we post to one another.” WKDS recently welcomed Louise Ward, the clinical director for strokes at Kent and Medway NHS Trust, to discuss how WKDS can implement the NHS’s national programme for stroke. Working-aged people wanting help or information about the condition and help available should visit differentstrokes.co.uk
DISABILITY CAMPAIGNER LOBBIES MPS TO IMPROVE EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES LOCAL disability campaigner Chris Jeffery has been invited to a reception at the Palace of Westminster by a group campaigning for more employment opportunities for disabled people. Dr Lisa Cameron MP, the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Disability, will host the event next Monday [June 20]. Mr Jeffery, who previously ran the Shop Mobility disability store in Royal Victoria Place told the Times: “Disability employment is an item that needs addressing, by which I mean for employers to end their preconceptions and
pre-judgment of the capabilities of disabled people like myself – not seeing our disabilities as a barrier.” Chris’ organisation Mending The Gap campaigns for working carers to be allowed five days’ paid leave to help in cases of emergency, so they do not have to take unpaid leave or use up holiday entitlement. He has previously addressed the APPG on Carers, and was recently invited by Dr Cameron to address the APPG on Disability and the APPG on Health
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The human touch
Call for carers to have greater recognition within the community TUNBRIDGE WELLS and Tonbridge home care company, TerraBlu, is calling for better recognition for unpaid carers and those within the care industry as part of Carer’s Week 2022. The annual campaign celebrates and recognises the vital contribution made by the UK’s 6.5 million carers, something Terrablu have
long advocated. It is supported by Age UK, Carers Trust, Carers UK, MNDA, Oxfam, Rethink Mental Illness and The Lewy Body Society. “For many unpaid carers, providing the necessary care and support for a family member who has a disability, illness or mental health condition can be overwhelming. Carers need to
Enjoying a walk and the sunshine with the support of Netta, Deputy Care Manager
be heard and receive access to services that give them ongoing support and respite,” urges TerraBlu Managing Director, Richard Gould. “Many carers, although often willing to step up to the role, find themselves changing their own circumstances, impacting them both financially and mentally. During the Covid-19 pandemic, many were finding themselves pushed to their limits, unpaid and extremely isolated. These caregivers need increased recognition that they are fulfilling an invaluable role within our community,” he adds. Sometimes location can add to difficulties in the consistency of care relatives can provide for an elderly family member, especially if they live some distance away, making it hard to pop in regularly. “Many people manage brilliantly for a time, but it can be very demanding, especially if any health conditions have begun to deteriorate. That’s where domiciliary care can be a great solution for everyone, ensuring loved ones get expert care – particularly for potentially complex health conditions – while providing families with much-needed support and respite,” adds Netta Sceal, Deputy Care Manager. The difference that personalised care from TerraBlu provides is regularly communicated back from families, such as this from Lesley, “Always reliable, friendly and helpful. From the carers to office managers and staff. I am very grateful that they have allowed my dad the ability to be able to stay in his own home. They are all very good at informing me of any problems with my dad’s health, which is so reassuring.”
Managing a better quality of living with osteoporosis WITH one in three women and one in 12 men over the age of 50 years developing osteoporosis, local care home company Terrablu is urging people to be aware of ways to help prevent and control the condition, as well as strategies for enjoying life with a diagnosis, as part of their support for National Osteoporosis Month this June. Those people living with the condition will know it can cause disabling and painful fractures, particularly in the wrist, hip and spine. When bones start to lose strength and fractures or breaks happen more frequently, it could be a sign of osteoporosis; these are often
the common symptoms. Treatment of the condition is with prescribed medication and, perhaps surprisingly, an increase in gentle exercise to promote bone and muscle strength, which can keep you steadier when moving around, helping to prevent the falls that can lead to fractures and breaks. Regularly taking a vitamin D supplement is also advised to help promote bone strength, so it’s good to get outside for short periods when the sun shines. Often elderly people can benefit from having a home carer as their osteoporosis develops, to give them the ability to enjoy a good quality of
independent living in their own home, where otherwise they might face difficulties lifting and undertaking some chores. Joan, a TerraBlu client agrees, “My TerraBlu carers are extremely helpful. My main carer supervises my morning exercises and ensures that I move around safely in the house while checking that there is nothing on the floor that could trip me or nothing that could prove an unfamiliar obstacle to impede me. Following medical advice, we are currently embarking on an outside walking programme where, holding my stick and possibly her arm, we try and walk, a little further every day.”
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A month of caring We’ve been mostly… Enjoying the buzz from the Platinum Jubilee
TERRABLU clients and carers had a wonderful time celebrating Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II’s historic milestone over the recent extended bank holiday weekend. Many clients adorned their living rooms and gardens with flags and held special tea parties with their TerraBlu carers, family or friends. Highlights were watching the televised Trooping of the Colour and the Platinum Pageant, evoking many memories of times gone by, spanning the seven decades of the Queen’s reign.
Janet enjoying the Platinum Jubilee
We’re looking forward to… Father’s Day! FATHER’S Day is Sunday 19 June, and if you are spending the day with family and friends, we hope you have a lovely day. We understand that it can be a day of reflection for some, and so our thoughts are with you. Should you be spending the day with an elderly relative, then do pay attention to their health and wellbeing. If you have any concerns, then please feel welcome to contact us to discuss any matters or view our helpful advice on our website as a starting point.
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Schoolchildren commended for saving father’s life following heart emergency
AWARD: (L-R Stuart Walters, PC Steven Shipley, Jude (7), Sadie (10), Leanne Walters, Sergeant Joe Breen)
By Victoria Roberts TWO Pembury schoolchildren have received a special Police award for helping to save their father’s life by reacting swiftly in a medical emergency while he was driving. When Stuart Walters, 48, suffered a cardiac arrest while driving his children Sadie and Jude last March, the ten-year-old and seven-year-old remained calm under pressure. Having checked their father, the children quickly realised they would need to get help, so they left the car and ran home to alert their mother. With the emergency services on the way, neighbours also assisted by performing CPR on the stricken father until he could be taken to hospital. He eventually made a full recovery. In a ceremony this May, Sergeant Joe Breen of Kent Police’s School’s Team, and PC Steven Shipley, who attended the incident, presented the children with a Schools Team Certificate of Resilience and a gift bag.
Sgt Breen praised Sadie and Jude for their swift actions and bravery, and stressed that they had ‘ultimately saved their dad’s life’. “Medical staff said that without their incredibly swift actions it would likely have been a different outcome,” he said.
Support “They should both be exceptionally proud of themselves, as no doubt their family, friends and neighbours are, too,” he added. Kent Police’s Schools Team was set up in September 2021, to offer pupils additional support on issues including bullying, drugs and online exploitation. The initiative, which is believed to be the largest of its kind in the UK, also seeks to equip students with the skills and confidence to keep themselves and others safe at all times. The team complements the work of PCSO Youth Engagement Officers and Community Safety Teams.
HAIR RAISING: Claire Pring (left) with friend Tracey
Hospice’s Moonlight Walk set to return HOSPICE in the Weald has announced the first Moonlight Walk since 2019 and is calling for walkers to follow the illuminated route to raise funds. The Pembury-based end-of-life charity said the event would take place at 6pm on June 25, meeting at the Vine Gardens, Sevenoaks and following the eight-mile route through Knole Park.
Illness There will be refreshment stops en route – including a free drink for walkers at The Anchor – with food, drink and entertainment, including performance by The Rock Choir. Hospice in the Weald provides free-of-charge care to patients with a terminal illness, and those close to them, across West Kent and northern East Sussex.
Claire Pring, of Tonbridge, has been taking part in the Moonlight Walk for many years, in memory of her mum Maureen Brindley, who was cared for by the Hospice before her death in 2004. She said: “When we heard mum was terminal, we didn’t know what to expect from a hospice but when we walked in there, it was wonderful. Mum said, ‘It’s like a really nice hotel room, they’ve even got a fridge’. We couldn’t have chosen anything better, the staff were all so incredibly kind.” She continued: “Each year I take part in Moonlight Walk in memory of my mum Maureen. It’s nice to be able to do it to give something back for all the care Hospice in the Weald provided for her.” Adults can walk for £25, and under-16 registration is £15. To sign up, visit the Events section of HospiceInTheWeald.org.uk
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Pair to follow 200 miles in fell walker’s footsteps to raise £2,000 for charity
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Breaking the ‘anxiety habit’ HELP AT HAND Dawn Quest
BEST FOOT FORWARD: Nick Bailey [inset] and the Wainwright Walk
By Hannah Veness TWO 22-year-olds are to attempt to walk a coast-to-coast route in about two-thirds of the normal time this summer, in aid of the Children’s Society. Nick Bailey and friend Max Gearing will attempt the coast to coast ‘Wainwright’ walk, mapped out by British fell walker and guidebook author Alfred Wainwright in 1973.
Shoreline The Tunbridge Wells duo will set off on August 7 when the adventurous pair aim to walk the popular route in just nine days as opposed to the usual 14 or 15 it normally takes.
The pair plan to walk from the Irish Sea at Bee’s Head through Northern England, 192 miles to the North Sea shoreline at Robin Hood’s Bay. The walk passes through three different national parks including the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. Alfred Wainwright published a book on his route in 1973, and encouraged others to devise their own long-distance walks. Nick and Max’s GoFundMe for the walk aims to raise £2,000 for The Children’s Society, a UK-based charity which supports young people facing abuse, exploitation and neglect. Those interested in donating should visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/coast-to-coastchildrens-society
A TUNBRIDGE WELLS-based hypnotherapist and Free From Anxiety coach is hosting a free four-day online ‘challenge’ later this month, to help anyone over the age of 18 to ‘break the habit’ of anxiety. Dawn Quest, who struggled with health anxiety for decades before finding techniques that worked for her, will post daily challenges in a supportive private Facebook group, teaching techniques which can be put to work immediately. She explained: “Anxiety can feel like a monster that has you in its grip. But when we boil it down to basics, anxiety is actually a habit. It’s a habit of thought, feeling and action. “Anxiety is our mind’s way of telling us we don’t feel safe, even though that may not be the
case. But just like any habit we no longer want, anxiety is a habit we can break. It’s just about finding the right techniques.”
Particpants The training exercises are designed to help participants understand their anxiety and break the habit. Dawn also does one-to-one coaching with children, teens and adults from her office in Tunbridge Wells. Registration for the course opened last week, and the four-day course takes place online in a private Facebook group, on June 20-23. Registration is at BreakingTheAnxietyHabit. com/TheChallenge
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Fans of charity-run theatre asked to design a flag for 40th birthday
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
Childrensalon raises funds for Ghana girls
By Victoria Roberts TRINITY Theatre has issued a call for its community to design a flag celebrating 40 years since it re-opened as a theatre and arts centre in the summer of 1982. The Gothic Revival building was near-derelict and facing demolition in the 1970s before it was taken on by a dedicated group of local people, who brought it back to life as Trinity Theatre. The management team is now calling for everyone who uses Trinity to contribute a piece of two-dimensional art (no sculpture) showing what the place means to them.
THE Childrensalon Foundation is hosting a Night at the Museum charity event at the Amelia Scott centre in to raise money for African girls. The Tunbridge Wells event on on Friday July 1 from 7-11pm will enable guests to enjoy an evening with food, drink, live music and entertainment including casino tables, a live auction and raffle and also a charity pop-up shop.
Auditorium The brief reads: “Do you attend a group here? Do you have memories of seeing a favourite show? Did you work here? Did you once worship in what’s now the auditorium? Perhaps you enjoy just sitting in our serene churchyard garden? Reading some of our monument tablets or memorial inscriptions? Perhaps you love our carved heads or magnificent stained glass?” Artworks will be combined into a new flag, to be flown permanently from autumn 2022. Trinity is already taking submissions of artwork, and the contest closes at 5pm on Thursday, July 21. Once the entries are in, the creatives at Trinity will sift through them and create the final composite design. “We intend to feature as many submitted designs on the final flag as possible,” a Trinity spokesperson added. Submissions can be made in person, using the ‘40th Flag’ post-box by the Box Office at Trinity,
Future
FLYING THE FLAG Trinity Theatre
or by post to: Flag Competition, Trinity Theatre and Arts Centre, Church Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1JP. If posting your submission, it must be A4 and in ‘landscape’ orientation. Digital submissions must be high-resolution, and can be submitted in JPEG, PNG or PDF formats to heritage@trinitytheatre.net. Entry is free, and artists retain their own copyright, but Trinity Theatre and Arts Centre
will hold the copyright for the new flag, and will be allowed to display submissions with the artist’s name and age. The flag design is due to be revealed at Trinity’s summer fête on Saturday, August 27, and the flag will be raised in autumn 2022. Holy Trinity Church was built in 1829, and was partly funded by its own parishioners, who previously had to walk all the way to Frant or Speldhurst to christen their babies.
Each ticket is £45 (available from Eventbrite) and all profits go to the Porridge and Pens charity, to fund a new Girl Power centre in Accra to promote girls’ education. The Porridge and Pens charity works with 300 disadvantaged children and young adults in Ghana for a brighter future, providing access to free education, safe shelter and school meals. Asher Harriman-Smith, is the Co-CEO at Childrensalon, a Turnbridge Wells based children’s clothing retailer. She is eager to bring awareness to the small but passionate charity, so they can carry on their necessary work. “We have been so impressed by the level of life-changing impact they deliver to the communities they support.” Porridge and Pens’ Girl Power project is a holistic educational and wellbeing program for 60 of the most vulnerable young girls, women and their families, in Kumasi, Ghana.
JOIN OUR WINNING TEAM Based near the historic Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells, Steak restaurant has become a firm favourite with foodies since its opening in August last year. Due to continued popularity we are currently looking to add to our successful kitchen team with Chefs at all levels. We offer highly competitive salary levels, great staff perks, free gym membership, joining bonus and the chance to be part of a highly ambitious, independently run local hospitality group. So if you’re looking to take your chef career to the next level, be well rewarded for hard work and creativity whilst being given the opportunity to progress, please drop us a line. Please contact us at marketing@onewarwickpark.co.uk Rated 4.5/5 on Trip advisor Recent reviews: “Fantastic all round” “Hidden gem, great food” “Amazing experience” “Excellent Tunbridge Wells restaurant”
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PM accuses lawyers of ‘abetting’ criminal gangs as first Rwanda flight set to take off
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BORIS Johnson accused lawyers representing migrants of ‘abetting the work of criminal gangs’ as he defended the plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda ahead of the expected first flight on Tuesday. The plans have been challenged in the courts and condemned by the Church of England’s senior bishops and reportedly by the Prince of Wales, with the Prime Minister acknowledging that there had been criticism from ‘some slightly unexpected quarters’.
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Deliver But he insisted the Government would not be deterred by the attacks ‘not least from lawyers’ and told his Cabinet ministers that ‘we are going to get on and deliver’ the plan. Opening the Cabinet meeting in No 10, Mr Johnson said there was a ‘huge amount of attack’ aimed at the policy. “What is happening with the attempt to undermine the Rwanda policy is that they are, I’m afraid, undermining everything that we’re trying to do to support safe and legal routes for people to come to the UK and to oppose the illegal and dangerous routes. “That is what we are trying to do, that is the essence of our policy. “And I think that what the criminal gangs are doing and what those who effectively are abetting the work of the criminal gangs are doing is undermining people’s confidence in the safe and legal system, undermining people’s general acceptance of immigration.” The Prime Minister added: “We are not going to be in any way deterred or abashed by some of
the criticism that is being directed upon this policy, some of it from slightly unexpected quarters. “We are going to get on and deliver. “The objective is to ensure that we make that clear distinction, that I think everybody can see is fair and reasonable, between legal immigration to this country by safe and legal routes, which we support and uphold and protect because we all understand the benefits that it brings, and distinguishing that from dangerous and illegal cross-Channel migration which we intend to stop.” Mr Johnson said it had been ‘extremely difficult’ to find a way to tackle migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, orchestrated by gangs who are ‘getting away with in some cases, I think manslaughter, if not murder’. “It is not reasonable to try to turn boats around at sea in the English Channel, those waters are very dangerous,” he said. “We have to work within the scope of common humanity and compassion, that’s the right thing to do. “But we have to interrupt the business model of the gangs and what we see now is our policy, the economic and migration partnership with Rwanda that we have engaged upon, under a huge amount of attack, not least from lawyers.” Several legal challenges were heard yesterday by individual lawyers seeking to block deportation of their clients, but they were thrown out by a High Court judge. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the first flight removing asylum seekers to Rwanda would take off no matter how few people were on board.
Grenfell victims remembered five years on from tragedy that shocked the nation THE names of the 72 men, women and children who lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire have been read out at a memorial service to mark five years since the devastating blaze. Multi-faith leaders read out the names of the victims of the tragedy, during a service at Westminster Abbey to remember those who perished in the tower block fire on June 14 2017. After each group of names was read out, the congregation said in unison ‘Forever in our hearts’ – the phrase emblazoned across the top of the covered-up tower in north Kensington. Attendees included former prime minister Theresa May, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, Housing Secretary Michael Gove, building safety and fire minister Stephen Greenhalgh, and shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy. Opening the service, the very Reverend Dr David Hoyle, Dean of Westminster, said the loss and anguish ‘are still vivid and sharp’ as the congregation gathered ‘in sorrow and in pain’.
Securing He said: “Here we renew our commitment to remember those we have lost. “We gather as those who look for justice and a renewed commitment to securing safety in our homes, safety in times of fire.
“Grateful for the support of the communities and individuals that have sustained the bereaved and the survivors over the last five years, we meet in faith and hope looking to a better, safer, surer future.” It comes as politicians paid tribute on social media, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeting: “Today marks five years since the Grenfell Tower fire took the lives of 72 people. “My thoughts are with the survivors, those who lost loved ones and the wider community.” Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer posted: “Five years on from the Grenfell tower fire we remember the 72 people killed. “The Grenfell community are courageous in their pursuit of justice and change. “We stand with them. To honour the memories.”
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
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First Minister fires starting gun for Scotland independence referendum NICOLA Sturgeon has insisted there is a ‘strong and compelling’ case for Scotland to leave the UK – as she claimed there is an ‘indisputable’ mandate for having a second referendum. The Scottish First Minister spoke out as she launched the first in a series of new papers aimed at making a fresh case for independence. And she promised a ‘significant update’ in the near future on how such a vote could be held if the UK Government continues with its opposition to a second referendum. Boris Johnson has repeatedly refused to permit such a ballot – but Ms Sturgeon blasted him, saying the Prime Minister has ‘no democratic authority in Scotland and no moral authority anywhere in the UK’. She recalled that when she was re-elected as First Minister last May it was on a ‘clear commitment to give the people of Scotland the choice of becoming an independent country’.
Refusals Ms Sturgeon also noted Holyrood has a ‘decisive majority’ of MSPs in favour of independence, arguing as a result that ‘the Scottish Parliament therefore has an indisputable democratic mandate’. She claimed if the UK Government ‘had any respect at all for democracy’ it would grant a section 30 order, allowing a legally binding referendum to be held, as happened in 2014. The First Minister said she had made clear to Mr Johnson today that she is ‘ready to discuss the terms of such an order at any time’. But she stated his previous refusals to grant such an order meant she must consider if a referendum could be held by other means. Ms Sturgeon said: “My duty, as the democratically elected First Minister, is to the people of Scotland, it is not to Boris Johnson or to any Tory prime minister. This is a UK
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Portable Government that has no respect for democracy. “That means if we are to uphold democracy here in Scotland we must forge a way forward, if necessary, without a section 30 order.” While she accepted Holyrood’s competence to legislate for a referendum was “contested”, she added that “is the situation we must navigate to give people the choice of independence”. Ms Sturgeon said work on this was “well under way”, pledging to make a “significant update” about this to Holyrood “very soon indeed”. Her comments came as she made clear it was “time now to set out and debate” the case for Scotland to leave the UK. The First Minister stated: “After everything that has happened – Brexit, Covid, Boris Johnson – it is time to set out a different and better vision. “It is time to talk about making Scotland wealthier and fairer. It is time to talk about independence and then make that choice.” And she added: “The case for Scotland charting our own course, a better course, is strong and compelling.”
Buzz Lightyear star surprises hospital patients at screening
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HOLLYWOOD star Chris Evans surprised young hospital patients at a pre-release screening for Disney and Pixar’s upcoming film Lightyear, in which he plays the starring role. Patients and their families at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital were greeted by Evans, who rose to fame playing captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, at the screening in the hospital’s CW+ MediCinema on Monday – one of six in-hospital cinemas the charity runs in the UK. Before attending the London premiere that evening, the actor spent time with young patients, signing posters and chatting to them and their families. The voice of Buzz Lightyear then introduced the screening of the film, which is due for release on June 17 – making the patients among the first in the UK to see it. Milena, the mother of a patient called Michael, said: “To see the surprise and joy on Michael’s
face when Chris walked through the door into the MediCinema screening is something I will never forget – and neither will he.
Helped “Michael is a huge film fan and has been a regular at the MediCinema which has helped him so much when he’s been in hospital. “For him to meet and speak to one of his heroes has been out of this world.” Lightyear will be holding further special preview screenings at MediCinema sites across the country. Colin Lawrence, chief executive of MediCinema, said: “Our young patients have had such a wonderful day – to meet Chris Evans and see this special screening of Lightyear at the CW+ MediCinema light up so many faces.” He added: “I’m sure they will treasure this experience.”
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Talented local dancers get national recognition Last week it was announced that pupils from The Dance Consortium in Tunbridge Wells had reached the national finals of a special dance competition. The Times finds out more about their impressive achievements…. AN INDEPENDENT dance school in Tunbridge Wells has seen record numbers of its pupils qualify for the prestigious All England Dance National Finals which will be held next month. Over the recent May half term, young students from The Dance Consortium competed against the rest of the South East at The All England Dance Regional Finals held at The Hawth theatre in Crawley. Dance Consortium pupils did so as both soloists and as a group, and did so well they managed to gain a top three placing - along with a prestigious honours mark – which has resulted in over 30 of them now gaining a place in the All England Dance national finals in July.
the qualified entries are Ukrainian dances that were performed at the Ukraine Relief Group Fundraiser last month in Tunbridge Wells. The school teaches children a number of international dances including Czech, Mexican, Polish and Portuguese in addition to traditional
‘This year there are 34 local dancers competing against the best of the rest of the country’
Talented A spokesperson commented that the last time Dance Consortium students were in the finals was in 2019, when 18 young dancers made it through to the event. “This year there are 34 competing against the rest of the country’s best dancers,” they continued. The Dance Consortium was established 35 years ago and is based at Temple Grove Academy on Friars Way in Tunbridge Wells. The spokesperson added that the All England Dance National finals will be at the organisation’s HQ in High Wycombe and two of
ballet, tap and musical theatre. The school’s co-principals Elizabeth Witt and Jessica Punch told the Times: “We’re both incredibly proud of the dancers and are very excited to have so many dancers going to the national finals!” Tickets will soon be on sale for The Dance Consortium’s summer show at EM Forster Theatre this July. More info at thedanceconsortium.co.uk
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NEWS
Weekly Comment
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Andrew Hickey Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrats
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
Andrew Hickey is a Liberal Democrat councillor for Pantiles & St Marks at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC). He was first elected to TWBC in May 2019 and now sits on the cabinet as its member for Finance and Performance.
The Borough has too little income to deliver services and projects we seek LESS than a month ago, a Borough Partnership was formed between the Liberal Democrats, the Tunbridge Wells Alliance, the Labour Party and the independent councillor for Paddock Wood East to run Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Upon taking control of the Council, it became clear that its finances were in a shocking state: nearly a million pounds of deficit in this financial year, and over two million pounds of deficit in the next financial year. If we look out to 2028, on current projections the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council will have accumulated a total deficit of over £20m. Left unaddressed, this deficit will leave the council in a marginal or unviable position by the end of that period.
needs to rightsize its operations to deliver these services. The first stage—beginning next week—is a rigorous assessment of the state of the Council finances, and the Borough Partnership’s Councillors will be working with Council officers to understand the exact scale of the Council’s deficit and where savings can be made. We also may need to look at areas where charges may increase. We cannot continue to eat into the Council’s reserves. It is not sustainable for us to continue on the path that we have been set on by the previous Conservative administration.
Trouble
We are in a very difficult situation which calls for transparency, honesty and hard decisions. The Borough Partnership intends to make these hard decisions. But we also promise to be honest with Borough residents as we do so, always listening to, and wherever possible acting upon, residents’ concerns. It is only though doing this that we can work on the other things that are important to residents, and to us: improving our town and village centres, lowering our carbon footprint, building houses that are affordable to buy and rent, and ensuring that the Council is modern and transparent.
We need to have a grown-up conversation about the Council’s finances. There is a simple reality: without significant income growth, cost management, asset divestment, borrowing, or all four, the Borough will be in trouble. The previous Conservative administration claimed that the central government had said not to make any changes during the pandemic and to wait until it's all over and things have returned to normal. They were planning to fund the deficit out of the reserves, even though the Council’s auditors stated in December 2021 that
Promise
this was unacceptable. And now, life is for the most part back to normal, and yet we are still in deficit, and still eating into the reserves. This was management-by-hope rather than proactive planning. It is clear to us in the Borough Partnership that the forecast long run deficit is not a symptom of the pandemic even though the pandemic may have exposed it. The deficit is a longer-term problem that has been building for some time.
Rt Revd Simon Burton-Jones Bishop of Tonbridge
Simply, the Borough has too little income to deliver the services and projects it seeks to undertake. We are suffering from years of underfunding and of overly ambitious spending. It's also clear that this council needs to focus more on the unglamorous but necessary tasks of running the local services well: waste collection & recycling, parks & community facilities, planning services and the ongoing maintenance of neglected council-owned facilities. It also
The Rt Revd Simon Burton-Jones is the seventh Bishop of Tonbridge. He has oversight and leadership of the education, youth and children, and community engagement work of churches across the Diocese of Rochester, which includes Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.
What it means to be British has changed throughout the Queen’s 70-year reign AT THE time of the Queen’s diamond jubilee in 2012, Prospect magazine asked several opinion formers what is characteristic about being British. They decided: we don’t take ourselves too seriously by cherishing comedy; we are rooted in a stout democratic tradition and are tolerant of outside influences; we are proud of the NHS, the BBC and the Beatles and like a nice cup of tea and talking about the weather. Ten years later and it’s possibly only the first and last characteristics that we all agree on: comedy, a cup of tea and chatting about the weather. And the Beatles, of course.
Issues New trends emerge slowly at first and then quickly, and we’ve seen that acceleration in the last decade across a range of issues, lubricated by social media. In a spare moment, you could map out the little things that mark us as British: a love of the underdog and queueing properly, perhaps? Match of the Day and Test Match Special, maybe? But even there we run into difficulty because the latter are very English commodities. Among all the changes that have happened in the seventy years since Elizabeth became Queen,
here are three: Us to me. One of the consequences of the kind of war the nation had recently endured in 1952 is the way it draws people together, forging a social bond that endures. The impact of long periods of peacetime is to loosen not just political centralisation but the social bonds that once glued people together. People volunteer less and do fewer things together now face to face. This is down to several things, including longer working hours and the emergence of compelling privatised forms of entertainment. One of the central dilemmas of public policy is how to manage this transition without losing a sense of common purpose. Producer to consumer. Britain had a strong manufacturing base seventy years ago but the
picture has altered. We are now largely a service economy and we see ourselves primarily as consumers. An Amazon account has become more important than a union membership card, if you like.
Generation And there is a deluge of advertising which encourages even children to privilege ownership over citizenship. This would have been unthinkable a generation ago. This begs the question: what is the mark of a good society? The use of Gross Domestic Product to determine this has led some to say that it is a patriotic duty to go out and shop. Others are less sure and believe more intangible
measurements, like the quality of our relationships, are needed to express the purpose of life. Duties to rights. This is one of the more difficult issues to tackle because it excites such passion. Human rights were established to protect the most vulnerable and their absence in some parts of our world is a grievous stain on humanity. Today the story in a society like ours, which is mercifully free of arbitrary arrest and state torture, is on defining the limits of our personal rights. This is subject to a constant process of judicial review. For every right there has to be a reciprocal duty and so this process is profoundly altering the way we relate one to another. Many people believe true community means the first step we take towards others should be one of obligation, not entitlement. Celebrating Elizabeth’s reign this year is one way to bring some attention to these changes, because she has wished her role to offer a sense of ‘us’ rather than ‘me’ and of ‘duty’ rather than ‘right’. We may differ on what it means to be British, but these qualities should not readily be abandoned.
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
Letters
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NEWS
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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
Badgers are no laughing matter
PM is simply not dogged Boris Johnson himself called the plan to save his neck: ‘Operation Save Big Dog’. But with an animal this badly injured you’d surely put it out of its misery, wouldn’t you? James Sommerville Tunbridge Wells What about the Labour leader? Thank you for your paper’s exclusive piece revealing Greg Clark’s thoughts on Boris Johnson’s leadership. There continues to be deserved media attention on Partygate, and I myself left the Conservative group on TWBC over the issue. But I hope the same level of scrutiny is given to the equally inexcusable behaviour of the Labour Party leadership. Sir Keir Starmer was photographed eating and drinking with colleagues in Durham in April 2021, a time when the country was in lockdown and indoor socialising was banned. This ‘Beergate’ gathering was not a surprise birthday event sprung on him by aides. It was, according to reports, organised in advance and attended by at least 15 people. Labour initially claimed Angela Raynor was not at the event. But they later changed their story when confronted with video evidence by a national newspaper. They also keep claiming it was a work event and exempt from the ban because it was ‘reasonably necessary’. Perhaps I’ve worked in the wrong jobs, but I can’t recall a single occasion in my own 30-year career when it was necessary to have a curry and a few beers in the office. So it sounds like a social event to me. Cllr Matt Bailey Paddock Wood West (Independent) Blair attack was ‘puerile’ Calverley asks if Euan Blair qualifies for an MBE, citing only the fact that the business he founded six years ago has made him a millionaire at 38. Let us be clear, the award was to recognise his achievements in helping young people, who
an area stretching from Cornwall to Cumbria, many by the free shooting method condemned by the British Veterinary Association as inhumane. This cruel and unnecessary policy is set to continue until 2025 and possibly beyond. Many of these innocent victims will be this year’s cubs who will have just left the safety of their setts. Jane Hutchins Crowborough otherwise might not be suitable for university, take up apprenticeships enabling them to fulfil their potential and contribute towards society. The fact that he has made a lot of money would be lauded had he not been Tony Blair’s son, so please let us see what this is – a puerile attack on any member of the Blair family. Jill Hughes Cranbrook
Macknade demise is sad I was likewise sad at the untimely demise of Macknade at Hoopers. Letters June 8. The menu was interesting and attractive, and the staff were always attentive and friendly, and remembered me each time I visited and what I had previously ordered, always making nice new menu suggestions. This is rare in Tunbridge Wells these days alas, despite the amount of competition. I also agree about the barriers outside the store, as the restaurant was difficult to reach easily for a disabled diner like me, even with a lift in service. Perhaps the management should rethink the internal layout and remove all obstacles now – and locate a cafe on the ground floor please. After all, it’s not rocket science really! And you might even entice more customers in future. Dr Alan Bullion Southborough Labour Town Councillor
PEPPY SAYS...
Calverley
Observations on life and more important things
EVERY now and again someone gets what they deserve. And in the case of Polly Taylor (pictured), it has just happened twice. In the nicest possible way. She was named a Platinum Jubilee Champion by the Royal Voluntary Service. Her Majesty is Patron. It was recognition for helping thousands since she co-founded Pickering Cancer Drop-in Centre in Tunbridge Wells 18 years ago. The judging panel, headed by The Duchess of Cornwall, awarded only 490 such titles across the UK. Polly, by accident, was named a Champion twice. Pickering volunteers put ‘Polly Taylor’ forward using the centre’s address. Another person she had helped nominated ‘Pauline Taylor’ (her real name) and used her home address. Both Ms Taylors won awards. And no one in this town is more deserving. At the 2012 Jubilee she received a British Empire Medal. What next? Well, Dame Polly sounds good!
BORIS has done it again: delivered a misleading message. He has said it before and repeated it last week; his Government ‘will build and fund 40 new hospitals’. Reality check. They will build only three entirely new hospitals. The others are 22 rebuilding projects, 12 new hospital wings and three projects rebuilding non-urgent care hospitals. Under Government definitions they all constitute ‘new’ hospitals. Really? Come on Prime Minister. TALKING of Boris, he’s lost the love and support of Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark. He confessed last week he was one of 148 Tory rebels who voted to kick-out their leader over Covid rule breaking. They failed. Mr Clark also no doubt has an eye on the 2025 General Election. The Tory strangle hold on the Town Hall has been broken with the Lib Dems today the biggest party and recent analysis suggests Conservative Blue Wall seats with a majority of 20,000 or less could also fall to the Lib Dems. What’s Mr Clark’s majority? Around 14,000. SILLY old Calverley. He thought Civil Servants
CARTOON BY PEPPY: (Follow her on Twitter @Peppyscott)
Regarding Peppy’s witty cartoon following Johnny Depp’s encounter with a badger cub at Folly Wildlife Rescue, I suggest that the badger’s lawyers would be busier trying to stop them all being killed. Professional Conservation Ecologist Tom Langton is set to challenge the government’s discredited badger cull policy in the Appeal Court. Over 176,000 badgers have been slaughtered since the current badger cull began in 2013 in
New leader wrong on finance In the Times (June 8) and repeated elsewhere, Ben Chapelard’s [Lib Dem new leader of TWBC] statement about last year’s deficit of £940,000 was entirely wrong, as stated by the previous Leader at the Full Council meeting in April and confirmed in this week’s report to the Finance Committee. There was a surplus of £35,000 which was transferred to reserves with no amount ‘plugged’ from reserves. Is this a lapse of his memory, inept understanding of finance, or a statement designed to misguide the public? Is this the level of competence and honesty that we can expect of the new Leader of the Council? David Scott Tunbridge Wells
were paid, and well paid, to implement Government policy. Not the case. If they don’t like an idea they’ll drag their bosses through the courts, via their union, to block the move. As in the deportation of illegal migrants to Rwanda. The rest of the world must be laughing at such a pantomime. Imagine if everyone adopted the same approach in the office?
FINAL THOUGHT. Seems some couples are turning to IVF to have babies because they can’t find the time to create them the natural way. (Think sex.) How on earth then are they going to make the time to bring up a kid? Find a live-in nanny probably. Really is a funny old world. Chin, chin dear reader…
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TWODS on bringing Shrek to the local stage Arts P22
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Arts
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
arts
“This show will be uplifting, funny, a little cheeky but also heart-warming”
Tunbridge Wells Operatic and Dramatic Society (TWODS) started its five-night run of the musical Shrek at the Assembly Hall yesterday. On every day until Saturday June 18, and based on the brilliant 2001 hit movie, it promises to be a fun, feel good experience for all the family. Eileen Leahy discovers more about how it’s all come together from TWODS’s chair June Fuller and the show’s director Lucy Moignard...
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OR THEIR summer production Tunbridge Wells Operatic and Dramatic Society – or TWODS as they’re more commonly known – are bringing the musical version of the 2001 DreamWorks hit movie Shrek to life on the stage of the Assembly Hall here in Tunbridge Wells all this week until Saturday, June 18. Everyone’s favourite green, loveable ogre and unlikely hero Shrek will be joined by his loyal steed Donkey as they set off on a quest to rescue the beautiful Princess Fiona from her tower, which is guarded by the fire breathing, ruby coloured love-sick Dragon.
“We want audiences to come to Shrek knowing they would recognise the loveable main characters” Other classic characters from the film which was made into a musical in 2008 - who’ll be treading the boards at the Assembly Hall include Lord Farquaad – ruler of the Duloc kingdom where Shrek is set – and a gang of fairytale misfits plus the
PHOTOCALL: The TWODS cast
Arts
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
hilarious sounding ‘Biscuit with Attitude’. “All in all you’ve got a Shrek-tacular mix of adventure, laughter and romance, guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages,” laughs TWODS’ chair June Fuller. Here, she and director Lucy Moignard tell us more about the show that’s already wowing audiences…. So how has the last two years been for TWODS because of the pandemic? We usually perform two shows a year but when theatres were closed due to Covid, we - like all other amateur and professional companies - had to put that on hold. Notably the only other occasions when we have been unable to perform were in the two world wars! How did it feel to be back on stage when you finally returned last November? It really was wonderful! We put on our own
show Destination Anywhere: A Musical Journey which won the award of excellence from NODA, the National Operatic and Dramatic Association. The buzz of performing live and entertaining an audience reminded us why we love doing what we do. And recently we’ve been delighted to welcome new members into our society - which shows what an appetite there is for this rewarding and sociable hobby. Do you feel you are properly back up and running now and able to schedule shows? Absolutely. We’ve been entertaining audiences in Tunbridge Wells since 1889 so the process of casting, rehearsing and putting on a show is ingrained in generations of TWODS members. We are a well-oiled machine! During the pandemic we continued planning and looking at options so that once theatres re-opened, we were ready to go! You’re putting on a performance of Shrek, what made you decide upon this particular production? There are lots of factors we have to consider when choosing a show, but mostly we thought Shrek The Musical would be a firm family favourite and a little light entertainment for everyone after the pandemic. For that reason, we have scheduled our performance times a little earlier than usual to make it accessible for our younger audience. Evening performances will start at 7pm and matinees at 2pm. Are you adding anything different to your interpretation of this classic film and stage musical? We want the audience to come to the show knowing they would recognise the loveable main characters, so we have tried to get it as close to the original animated film as possible. However, the dragon song ‘Forever’ is far more exciting, with added dancers appearing as flames and skeletons. How many is in the cast and who are in the lead roles? There are 45 in the cast including six children playing the parts of baby and teenage Shrek and Princess Fiona. On top of that there is the whole
£15
@ BEWL
WATER Visit www.bewlwater.co.uk/activities for more information Info@bewlwater.co.uk @bewlwater
What do you think audiences will enjoy most about seeing your performance? Children will adore the Three Blind Mice, the Gingerbread Man, and the Grammy awardwinning musical score of happy singalong tunes. The adults will love the cheeky, irreverent humour from the original film. The songs are uplifting and will have you tapping your toes along. It will be funny in places, a little cheeky and also heart-warming at the same time.
JUSPPT!
LASER CHALLENGE
@bewlwater
army of TWODS members who make up the production team, the backstage crew, the front of house hosts, and voluntarily take on the many roles that play an equally vital part in putting on a show! What have rehearsals been like for the cast and crew? All TWODS members have been working extremely hard to get the show as amazing as it can be and they’re all having a lot of fun too. Getting everyone together in one room to rehearse has been a challenge at times, but we have succeeded, as you will see on stage.
@bewlwater
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How long have you been in rehearsals? Sixth months! We have been working very hard since January to bring you this show, and we hope that our audiences enjoy watching it as much as we enjoy performing. It may even inspire some audience members to get involved… And on that note are you still looking for more TWODS members? Yes! We’re always looking for new members to join our family - particularly men. But you don’t have to be a performer to make an amazing contribution. Helping front of house selling programmes, working backstage making props or costumes, or learning new skills as a stagehand - there are so many aspects of theatre to get involved in the possibilities are endless! Performances take place at 7pm every evening until Saturday June 18, with additional matinee performances on Wednesday June 15 and Saturday June 18 at 2pm. To book tickets please visit www.twods.org or call 01892 530 613.
Arts
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Wednesday June 15 | 2022
“We love playing traditional songs with a joyous edge” This coming Saturday evening (June 18) at Trinity Theatre music fans have a chance to see the recently reunited Spiers & Boden perform an intimate show. Eileen Leahy finds out why the duo - who also co-founded folk legends Bellowhead - got back together after an eight year break and what they have in store for their audience
A
Ground also boasts the classic Spiers & Boden mixture of Morris tunes and pieces brought back to the 21st century from dusty manuscripts and reworked into what critics also describe as ‘remarkable tunes’.
FTER an eight-year separation, talented musicians Spiers & Boden have dusted off their instruments and once again joined forces to bring fans of their particular brand of folk music another serving of sonic bliss. Appearing this coming Saturday night at Trinity Theatre, John Spiers (who plays melodeon, concertina and bandoneon) and Jon Boden (who plays the fiddle) will deliver what’s being described by The Scotsman as a ‘an impassioned’ set.
“Their songs are described as overwhelmingly traditional – a clever mix of rambunctious melodies and contemplative ballads.” Its critic says: "Boden's impassioned singing brings fresh life to little-heard songs, along with the perfectly balanced pairing of his fiddle with Spiers' melodeon." The two first found fame over 20 years ago as co-founders of folk fusion legends Bellowhead who boasted around 11 musicians at the height of their fame and went on to have a string of hit albums thanks to their unique blend of folk, punk, rock, jazz and classical styles. They included Hedonism, Broadside and Burlesque and saw the band win numerous industry gongs during their time together including a clutch of prestigious BBC Radio 2
“Spiers & Boden first found fame over 20 years ago as cofounders of folk fusion legends Bellowhead”
Folk Awards. In 2016 the band split but Spiers & Boden continued to play as a duo releasing albums including The Works and Vagabond.
Reunited In 2014 however they decided to take time out in order to pursue solo projects but they’ve now reformed, releasing a new 13 track album in September 2021 for their loyal audiences to enjoy. Entitled Fallow Ground, Jon Boden claims it came about after the duo started looking for ‘traditional songs with a joyous edge.’ “The songs and tunes of Fallow Ground are overwhelmingly traditional - the typical mix of boisterous melodies and thought-provoking ballads,” he explains.
The title Fallow Ground is not only a reference to the duo’s choice to put Spiers & Boden to one side for a time, but also, to the huge impact that the pandemic has had on live music. “The decision to return with an album in 2021 was made pre-pandemic and as a result ended up being recorded between lockdowns,” continues John. “The result was an album bursting with ideas as well as a new-found confidence to let the material speak for itself.” On the new Spiers & Boden album you’ll find tracks such as Bailey Hill, Giant's Waltz and The Fog and the songs are described as ‘overwhelmingly traditional – a clever mix of rambunctious melodies and contemplative ballads.’ In addition to some new material Fallow
Described by The Guardian as ‘the finest instrumental duo on the traditional scene’, Spiers & Boden kicked off their new tour at the beginning of June travelling all over the country to venues in Sunderland, London and Leicester. They play Trinity on June 18 ahead of more dates in Tewkesbury, Milton Keynes and Caerleon at the end of the month. Speaking about their show the pair told us that Jon will be offering audience members a free harmony singing workshop beforehnad. “It’s available to anyone coming to see us who has a ticket for the gig and no singing experience is necessary! The workshop is based on ‘colour-chord’, a harmony singing system developed by Jon. The Observer describes the Spiers & Boden sound as ‘exquisitely played’ and deems them ‘the dons’ so why not go along on Saturday night to see for yourself? To book tickets (£22 each) for the concert on Saturday June 18 at 8pm simply call Trinity’s Box Office on 01892 678 678 or visit trinitytheatre.net
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Books
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
Times book reviewer
HANNAH KIRSOP
DREAM TICKET VIA CRICKET
ONE YOU MAY HAVE MISSED
The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie
Published by Allen & Unwin, priced £8.99 Set in modern-day Kabul, Rukhsana lives with her dying mother and Jahan, her younger brother and mahram without whom she cannot leave the house. A journalist whose copy under pseudonym has drawn the attention of the Taliban and forced her to stop writing, Rukhsana fondly recalls university days in Delhi free of the burqa and the constant fear of death. When the Taliban leaders offer up the opportunity for an Afghani cricket team to win some training in Pakistan – along with the chance of freedom from the oppressive regime at home – Rukhsana marshals Jahan and her cousins to form an unlikely team. Set amidst the brutality of the Taliban rule and punctuated with unrestrained descriptions of the heartless – and random – acts of violence inflicted upon the Afghani people, this is nonetheless a light and enjoyable tale of a group of young people, dreaming of a better life and willing to try anything to make it happen.
8/10
Hannah Kirsop grew up in Kent and now lives in Horsmonden with her family. She loves to read and share recommendations and runs Bainden Book Club for a group of local women to discuss interesting fiction and non-fiction in a range of genres. You can find www.baindenbookshelf.com online or on Instagram: @baindenbookshelf
The bookcase…
Here are some more reads to inspire you this week … Your Local Funeral Services Your Local Funeral Services
I hope everyone is enjoying A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe (published by Faber & Faber, priced £14.99). Please don’t forget to send in any
Vladimir is an interesting take on the #MeToo movement – told not from the perspective of the survivor or victim, but from someone else. Our narrator is an English professor at a small college in New England, who – despite having an open relationship and knowing about the affairs – is grappling with her husband coming under investigation for historic relationships with students. Things become even more complicated when a new, young professor joins the
7/10
Black Sheep: A Story Of Rural Racism, Identity And Hope by Sabrina Pace-Humphreys Published in hardback by Quercus, priced £16.99 (ebook £9.99). Available June 9
8/10
From growing up feeling out of place in a small town, to becoming pregnant as a teen, battling bigots and running ultramarathons, Sabrina Pace-Humphreys’s anti-racist manifesto is deeply personal. A blend of storytelling and direction, Pace-Humphreys shares the darkest lows of her life and the incredible ambition she had to push through them, overcoming her circumstances in a world that tried to
31 Mount Ephraim TN4 8AA
Ungrateful tells the story of Cat, a woman who missed out on university as a teenager, and now, in a relationship that is comfortable but unfulfilling, finds herself trying to make up for lost time. This is a book that seems to try to be many things – a tale of second chances, relationships and a social commentary – but it doesn’t really work as well as you would like. At times it feels bogged down in unnecessary detail. Cat is a complicated,
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thoughts or comments on the book to newsdesk@ timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk. A review with everyone’s input to follow next week!
college, and the unnamed narrator becomes increasingly obsessed with him. While the book initially feels edgy and nuanced, by the end, it veers into melodrama – which somewhat takes away from the realism, and it ultimately feels like Jonas hasn’t quite decided what she wants the book’s message to be. While it’s an interesting, readable and prescient take on issues society is still dealing with, it perhaps could’ve done with a lighter touch and a clearer vision. Review by Prudence Wade
Ungrateful by Angela Chadwick
Tunbridge Wells Tunbridge Wells
9/10
Published in hardback by Picador, priced £14.99 (ebook £12.99)
Tunbridge Wells Tunbridge Wells
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At the heart of this novel is a family of three, British siblings of Pakistani descent – two girls and a boy – whose lives have been shaped by the actions of their jihadist father…actions which led to their mother’s early death, elder sister Isma’s adoption – and later sloughing - of the ‘mother’ role and son Parvaiz’ careful grooming by an ISIS recruiter who eventually lures him Syria. When both girls meet the son of a powerful political figure who may have the resources to rescue Parvaiz, their fates dramatically intertwine. Narrated from 5 different viewpoints, this is billed as a modern retelling of Antigone which draws upon that tragedy’s long-standing themes of loyalty and family ties – and particularly the tension between family and state – to deliver an intelligent and provocative novel that considers the human impact of modern-day terrorism. A worthy winner of the 2018 Women’s Prize for Fiction and a brilliant blend of politics, love and radicalism.
Vladimir by Julia May Jonas
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Published Bloomsbury Publishing, priced £8.99
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Published in hardback by Dialogue Books, priced £18.99 (ebook £7.99) flawed and interesting protagonist, but some of the secondary characters could do with further exploration. While the reader feels for the plight of some, such as Cat’s alcoholic mother Bernice and her colleague Laura, there is a sense of wanting to know more about their backstories. The novel is readable, but unlikely to stay in the reader’s mind after it is finished. Review by Alison Kershaw
6/10
marginalise her – while also clearing the way for other black women along the way that come after her. This is a brilliant exploration of what it means to be mixed-race in Britain, and how our trauma shapes us. Although sometimes overcrowded, and often too fast-paced, it is an excellent non-fiction debut. Review by Imy Brighty-Potts
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Going out
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
CRAGGY CREW JJoe Rooney [inset] and the cast of Father Ted
‘Oh, go on’ and treat yourself to comedy this Father’s day Victoria Roberts looks at some of the local events and activities set to entertain you…
W
ITH Father’s Day approaching this weekend, why not celebrate in style with one of TV’s most famous comedic fathers. Welcome back to Craggy Island and the society of Father Ted and his fellow exiled priests in ‘A Celebration of Father Ted’ with Joe Rooney, who was in the original show alongside the late, great Dermot Morgan and who played a cynical, ‘super-cool’ priest. The Hever Festival performance on Sunday starts with a screening of the episode ‘The Old Grey Whistle Theft’, in which Father Damien swaggers in to the society of exiles, calling himself ‘Damo’, smoking cigarettes, sneering at Catholicism, and tempting Father Dougal. Yet by tempting priests who are already venal and selfish, the Father Damo character is far
from just a walk-on part: he is part of their Purgatory and is thus essential to the comedy. But Father Ted is not the only one thwarted and frustrated. Damo has his own ambitions and they are foiled. According to Joe: “Father Damo is always being thwarted. “He wants to live an irresponsible life of playing football and video games, smoking and stealing whistles, but the grown-ups are always spoiling things for him. “He stole a whistle, but so what? It’s only a bleedin’ whistle. Anyway, as Father Dougal said: ‘Father Damo is cool!’” And Joe added: “Damo can’t wait to tempt the good folk of Hever.” A Celebration of Father Ted with Joe Rooney is on at the Hever Festival this Sunday, June 19 at 8pm (Two Sisters’ Theatre).
BAFTA winner, poet, writer, film and television producer Henry Normal graces Trinity Theatre for an evening of stories, jokes and poems this Sunday [June 19] at 7:30pm. Will this be your ‘Escape Place’ before the start of the working week? On Thursday [June 16] Trinity Theatre is putting on a performance of Virginia Woolf’s ‘A Room of One’s Own’ with Rebecca Vaughan. Dyad Productions presents this twenty-first century take on Woolf’s exploration of the impact of poverty and sexual inequality in the twentieth century. The much-loved Crawley family of the hit UK series Downton Abbey are going on a grand journey in ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’. Trinity Theatre are showing the film at 8pm next Tuesday [21 June] with tickets starting at £9. Have a laugh at one of the popular comedy nights hosted at the EM Forster Theatre (Tonbridge) this Friday [June 17] with tickets at £13, ages 16+. Performances from headliner Mark Simmons, support Rich Wilson and compère Russell Hicks. Doors open at 6:45pm.
HENRY NORMAL
MICK Hucknall paints The Hop Farm Simply Red this Friday [17 June]. Formed in 1985 in Manchester, the band has had great success performing live over the years. The show starts at 5pm and will include special guests Lisa Stansfield and Yolanda Brown. Also at the Hop Farm, East Sussex alt rock band Keane make a long-awaited return after a six-year break this Sunday, in concert with their album ‘Cause and Effect’. Doors open at 5.30pm and Keane will be joined KEANE by special guests Flyte and Michael Conryan. This Saturday, Daft Funk, pay tribute to the infamous electronic music duo Daft Punk at The Forum. Daft Funk Live is open to all ages 16+, under 16s must be accompanied by an adult, from 7.30pm-11pm. Tickets start at £17.50. The Forum’s Stable 2022 showcase events continue, on Monday and Tuesday nights at 7.30pm. The showcase aims to help smaller bands and artists build their audience and go on to play regular shows. Monday’s lineup includes Crushed by Pimps from London offering a post-punk, prog rock and electronic music blend, Dead Deer’s Post-Hardcore music, Tunbridge Wells and Brighton-based band Fourth Grade and new band Hot Smoothie. Tuesday’s featured bands included Molly Fletcher Hebden, Martha Lily. These Guilty Men, from Rochester wield their Richmond Fontaine, New Order and Echo and the Bunnymen influences. The Volunteered’s indie sound blends folk, rock, pop and psych. Down for the Count Swing Orchestra brings the big band sound to Trinity Theatre this Friday [June 17], blaring and booming out the likes of Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Count Basie and Glenn Miller, and vocal classics from singers such as Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat ‘King’ Cole. Folk duo Spiers & Boden are back on the circuit, after releasing a new album in October 2021. Catch them at Trinity Theatre on Saturday [June 18] at 8pm.
TUNBRIDGE Wells Operatic and Dramatic Society (TWODS) presents ‘Shrek the Musical’ with performances every day until Saturday [June 18]. Come along to The Assembly Hall and enjoy a family favourite with well-known songs like ‘I’m a Believer’. Based on the DreamWorks film, the evening shows begin at 7pm with matinees on Wednesday and Saturday. The Tunbridge Wells Forum is hosting an Under 18s Open Mic Event this Thursday 16th 5pm-7pm. Everyone’s welcome to bring their own instruments or backing track. Sing your hearts out in a 10-minute time slot. Entry for under 18s is £3 and £5 for adults.
THE AMELIA
Treat your dad to a free beer with a roast dinner this Sunday, Father’s Day [June 19], at One Warwick Park’s Steak restaurant. Book at OneWarwickPark.co.uk or at 01892 520 587. Salomons Estate is also offering a free beer for dads during Sunday lunch this Father’s Day. Book at reception@SalomonsEstate.com. Dog friendly, too, with 36 acres of grounds to explore. Treasure-hunt your way through The Amelia with the Family Trail this weekend, following the Henry Moore ‘thread’ and making your own drawings. There are colouring sheets inspired by local history for younger children. Tag @theamelia_tw on social media, with your drawings or pictures of your visit, for a chance to win a family theatre ticket to The Assembly Hall.
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
gigguide
Gig guide
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June 15 to June 26
Live music is well and truly back in the town By Paul Dunton
W
ith much to look forward to this month with many music events planned to co-incide to the Queen’s Platinum Jubille scheduled for the beginnng of June, here is a round up of the live music events taking place before that... If you are a local to Tunbridge Wells venue that hosts regular live music or even if it’s a one-off event, concert or festival please email me at least six
weeks in advance of your event date with the details. Email to paul@ paulduntonandguests.com • Name and address of Venue • Date and time of event • Name of event and name of act(s) involved • Ticket link and/or website please state if free entry • 1 x high resolution (300 dpi) landscape jpeg (performer only, no posters) • Please state photo credit Roll on the rest of 2022!
DINO BAPTISTE
BLACK DEER FESTIVAL
BLACK DEER MUSIC FESTIVAL Eridge Deer Park June 17th – 19th More than 100 acts across 7 stages Main stage Friday 17/06 JAMES + Imelda May + Foy Vance Saturday 18/06 WILCO + The Waterboys Sunday 19/06 VAN MORRISON All event information and ticket entry available from www.blackdeerfestival.com THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE, THE PANTILES Doors 7.15pm, all event information and ticket entry available from www. thegreylady.co.uk Friday 17/06 Paul Gunn Collective Saturday 18/06 Salsa Camina Party Friday 24/06 The Grey Lady Sessions: Luke Fraser + Elias Kopp THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM Event information and tickets at www.twforum.co.uk Thursday 16/06 U18 Open Mic Saturday 18/06 Daft Funk Live (Daft Punk tribute) Monday 20/06 The Stable: Crushed By Pimps + Dead Deer + Fourth Grade + Hot Smoothie Tuesday 21/06 The Stable: Molly Fletcher Hebden + Martha Lily + These Guilty Men + The Volunteered Thursday 23/06 Sugarhill Gang + Furious Five Friday 24/06 Double Barrel + The Sweeney Saturday 25/06 The Rifles + James Wood Monday 27/06 The Stable: Grace and Danger + Spinner + Splink Tuesday 28/06 The Stable: Gemini Gemini + Ellie Knight + thascrow + YoungY THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE All event information and tickets available from www. assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Monday 20/06 Tunbridge Wells Primary Schools Singing Festival Tuesday 21/06 Tunbridge Wells Primary Schools Singing Festival Saturday 25/06 The Counterfeit Stones
TRINITY THEATRE All event information and tickets available at www.trinitytheatre.net Friday 17/06 Down For The Count Swing Orchestra Saturday 18/06 Spiers & Boden Friday 24/06 Richard Durrant - Music for Midsummer JAZZ ON THE PANTILES The Pantiles Bandstand 7.30pm – 10pm reservation required (entrance £5pp). Participating restaurants : The Tunbridge Wells Hotel, The Kirthon, La Casa Vecchia Thursday 16/06 Lianne Carroll Trio Thursday 23/06 Dino Baptiste & Darby Todd
DARBY TODD
TW JAZZ CLUB Masonic Hall, St John’s Road All event information and tickets available at www.twjazzclub.co.uk Friday 17/06 Bob Dwyer’s Jazz Band THE BLACK HORSE PUB Camden Road Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm Saturday SANKEYS RESTAURANT The Pantiles Open all day, free entry, music from 6.45pm – 9.15pm Thursday 16/06 Paul Malsom Duo GEOGRAPHY WINE BAR Highstreet. Open all day, free entry, music from 3.30pm - 6pm all event information at www.evenflowuk.com Sunday 19/06 James Westerby Sunday 26/06 Paul Crisp EVEN FLOW CAFÉ St John’s Road. Open all day free entry
THE ROYAL OAK PUB Prospect Road Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm Saturday 25/06 Live Music tbc
THE BEER CELLAR Tonbridge. Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm Friday 17/06 Debbie Perrolls Friday 24/06 Lewis Ross
THE HOP FARM FAMILY PARK Paddock Wood All event information and tickets available at www.thehopfarm.co.uk/ events Friday 17/06 Simply Red + Lisa Stansfield Saturday 18/06 Paul Weller Sunday 19/06 Keane
THE GUN & SPITROAST INN Horsmonden. Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm Wednesday 15/06 Jam Session all welcome Wednesday 22/06 Jam Session all welcome
FOLKING IN THE STRAWBERRIES Stonepitts Farm All event information and tickets available at www.stonepitts.com/ events Thursday 23/06 Dan Clews + Mike Wilton + Shakes Luano + David Mumford THE HIVE 19 Stone Street, Cranbrook All event information at www.hivehubs. buzz/events-calendar/list/ Friday 17/06 Sophie Mullan THE BEDFORD PUB 2 Highstreet. Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm Friday 17/06 Word of Mouth Friday 24/06 The Patinas
BLACK DEER FESTIVAL
Sunday 26/06 Small Island Project Live at the Orangery
CHIDDINGSTONE CASTLE Chiddingstone. All event information and tickets available at www. chiddingstonecastle.org.uk/whats-on/
TN1 BAR & RESTAURANT Monson Road. Open all day, free entry, more information and booking at www. tn1barkitchen.co.uk Thursday 16/06 Ben Hills Friday 17/06 The Masqueraders Duo Sat 18/06 David Mumford Duo Sunday 19/06 Act tbc Thursday 23/06 Steffan James Friday 24/06 Charlotte Lubbock Duo Saturday 25/06 Cal White Duo Sunday 26/06 Mike Wilton
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Events
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
Soap box organisers back in pole position after wheels nearly fell off the park event By Richard Williams The Tunbridge Wells Soapbox Kart Race will be roaring into town on June 25 – and organisers are now calling on the public to help it soar. Charity extravaganza Soapbox Stars will be returning to the town’s Dunorlan Park with celebrity racers, school kids racing their own karts for the first time and TV and radio coverage to boot. Over the years, the Kart Race has raised around £50,000 for local charities. Tickets for the wacky fundraiser – hosted again by TV chef and much-loved Tunbridge Wells resident Rosemary Shrager, who has promised to join in the fun by racing down the track herself in a pie-shaped kart – should be snapped up in
‘Organisers say they are ‘excited and overwhelmed’ by the local business community in getting the show off the ground’ advance, as they won’t be available on the day. The famous TV chef will be in one of many ‘pimped up’ karts raced by local businesses and schools down a hair-raising track at the family fun day to raise cash for charity. Alongside the nail-biting track, panto king Tom Swift of Wicked Productions will be providing race day commentary, while awardwinning youth musical theatre company Talentz will be starting the day with a special performance.
RACE FOR LIFE The Soapbox race is a fun fundraiser
Friday 1st July 2022 7pm – 11pm
The Amelia, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1JN
Tickets £45 When the lights go out, let the games begin. It’s time to eat, drink and try your hand at a casino-less-ordinary in the
Night Museum
spectacular surroundings of The Amelia in support of Porridge & Pens Ghana.
at the
DRINKS RECEPTION WITH CANAPÉS LIVE AUCTION AND RAFFLE CHARITY POP UP SHOP CASINO TABLES MUSIC
Ticket sales on:
eventbrite.co.uk/e/night-at-the-museum-tickets-344045147297
SCAN FOR TICKETS
Events
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
Visitors can also expect a variety of top-quality food and drink stalls alongside sideshows and entertainment including community Samba drumming band Bloco Fogo who will also be performing the official race start, a live art show by renowned graffiti artist Humor Street Artist and a mobile climbing wall for children.
Founder of Soapbox Stars, Nicole Piesse Turner, has chosen the Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre as their additional charity along with Nourish Foodbank and is asking others to support them if they don’t have a particular second charity in mind. Nicole said: “We are totally overwhelmed and excited by the incredible support businesses and schools have shown the kart race, how they’ve come together to get this show off the ground after Covid and the enthusiasm and time they’ve put into it has been humbling. “We’d now really love the public to support this special community of ours by buying tickets and coming along to enjoy the madness! The ticket sales pay for the show to happen, so those racers can do this event and raise cash for charity, which is so needed right now.
Cancellation But as previously reported in the Times, the race, which is to be run for the third time this year, nearly had to be cancelled after insurers refused to back the event. It came after Covid caused the cancellation of the Dunorlan Park event in 2020 and 2021. However, in an eleventh-hour rescue bid, local insurers and previous kart racers NFU Mutual, based on the High Street, stepped in to offer the event cover to ensure it could go ahead - and have since raised thousands of pounds already for charity after vowing to take part in this year’s races as well. Organisers say they are ‘excited and overwhelmed’ by the local business community in getting the show off the ground. The fun day will again be raising thousands again for Hospice In The Weald, with each team donating their first £250 to the vital local charity and the option of continuing to donate their remaining sponsorship funds to them or a second charity of their choice.
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Schools
SOAP STARS Nicole with Rosemary Shrager and Tom Swift
“Chatty Hatter is a small boutique agency and we put it on because we absolutely love hosting it. “But it’s really about supporting the charities, who were hit so hard in the pandemic, and the schools and school children who also suffered during that time and have really put their hearts and souls into making their karts and racing them to a crowd. “This year’s event welcomes schools for the first time. They wanted to take part in the races
pre-pandemic and we didn’t want to let them down again. Along with children’s anxiety at the forefront of all of our hearts following recent events, it is one of the most important aspects of this year’s race along with the charities, community and businesses. “It’s going to be the great community celebration we’ve been looking forward to for so long and we’re really going for gold.” Nicole added: “The outpouring of support has been absolutely brilliant and we’re now focusing on the job in hand - getting race day ready by designing our karts and raising as much sponsorship to our chosen charities. “So we’re back and it’s going to be even more brilliant than before, bringing in schools for the first time along with businesses to race their wacky karts through Dunorlan Park. “It’s going to be the great community celebration we’ve been looking forward to for so long – tickets are still available and we’d love to see as many locals show their support for this event – hopefully see you there!” Anyone who would like to get involved including sponsorship opportunities or to snap up one of a handful of karts still available for those brave enough to build in two weeks please contact hello@chattyhatter.com
Soapbox Stars will be a purely ticketed event and are available at twsoapboxrace.com/buytickets
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Food & Drink
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
food & drink
Time to fire up your taste buds… With the much-anticipated Black Deer festival happening this weekend (June 17-19) Eileen Leahy savours a flavour of the kind of food that will be served up to festival goers at this great celebration of all things Americana
A
LTHOUGH the line-up to this year’s Black Deer festival is pretty impressive featuring the likes of Van Morrison, Wilco, Jake Bugg, Imelda May and James all taking to the festival’s seven different stages over this coming weekend, it’s fair to say the food and drink on offer is also worth seeking out and spending some time savouring. Staying true to its Americana vibe, the hospitality area of Black Deer – which takes place in the glorious surroundings of Eridge Park - will once again be taken over by Jon Finch and Ben Merrington, founders of Grillstock – the biggest and most authentic BBQ festival outside of the United States.
Authentic Dubbed ‘Live Fire’ the area will not only host various demos of outdoor cooking, foraging and butchery skills, there will also be plenty of chefs on hand to show festival goers how to cook classic Americana inspired dishes – nice and low and slow… In addition to this there will be plenty of southern-style street food to enjoy from some of the best specialist suppliers and traders – think slow roasted meats, sweet and spicy-hot grilled chicken thighs, and delicious grill-toasted waffles with lashings of sweet maple syrup – all perfect authentic
Father’s Day at Enjoy a delicious three course meal with a free pint of beer for all dads Sunday 19th June £32.50 for three courses to book call: www.steaktunbridgewells.co.uk
01892 552592 17-19 Chapel Place, TN1 1YQ
NOW WE’RE COOKING Jon Finch & Ben Merrington will be running Live Fire
Food & Drink
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
“For years Ben and I travelled the USA enjoying the best BBQs it had to offer but realised this was virtually unheard of back here in the UK,” explains Jon. “In 2010 we launched the very first Grillstock Festival to bring together like-minded folk for a good old fashioned deep south style cookout. “The spark ignited and the festival grew to be the largest of its kind outside the US attracting tens of thousands of people each year. We bring everything we’ve learned over the past decade of embracing the Live Fire to Black Deer.” With music in the air, sun on your face and the good earth under your feet, there truly will be no better place to be this weekend than the Black Deer festival celebrating all things Americana...
“There will be plenty of southern-style street food to enjoy – think slow roasted meats, sweet and spicy-hot grilled chicken thighs, and delicious grill-toasted waffles” southern comfort and nourishing soul food to feast on over the weekend. Sponsored by Weber, the Live Fire stage on Saturday will host Sam and Shauna, the UK’s leading ladies in live fire cooking who uncovered the secrets of Americana cuisine a few years ago whilst touring the Southern States after ditching their London jobs. Hunter Gather Cook’s Nick Weston, will be doing a masterclass on slow cooked venison Birria tacos and demoing dirty cooked venison back haunch cuts on Friday when the festival opens.
Southern comfort The Live Fire stage will also host Matt Williams and T-Bone Chops of Whittle & Flame, Alex Pole of The Forge Kitchen and BBQ expert Giles Foster. Wild Turkey Whiskey’s ambassador Will Dennis will be offering tasting sessions throughout the weekend in the Jacksons Social Members Bar whilst discussing the history of Bourbon – the true nectar of Americana. For the adventurous - and brave - there will be chilli-pepper eating competitions and a hot dog eating contest. Visitors can also feast on tacos, mac & cheese, pulled pork, pizza and paella from the various specialist foodie stalls presesnt. And on the final day of the festival, there will be the popular Gospel Brunch which will be serving up delicious food and great live music. When they last ran Live Fire, pre-pandemic in 2019 ,Jon and Ben told the Times: “Cooking over
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FLAMING TASTY There will be lots of food demos over the weekend
SERVING TIMES OFUP TUNBRIDGE WELLS GASTRO GOODIES READER OFFER
We are offering readers 15% off Black Deer Festival tickets. Use BLACKDEER15 at checkout. For more information and to purchase tickets, before Friday visit www.blackdeerfestival.com
“For the adventurous - and brave - there will be chillipepper eating competitions and a hot dog eating contest”
fire has always been a celebration. For thousands of years it’s been a way to bring communities together. Live Fire at Black Deer continues this tradition bringing friends together to feast and celebrate the age-old art of cooking over the flames.” And now, after three years they are back bringing the very best outdoor cooking and demos all wrapped around great southern style food, drink and hospitality.
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JON & BEN’S TOP TIPS FOR PERFECTING THE BEST CHARGRILLED MEAT… •
Buy good meat: even if it means you buy smaller amounts or buy it less frequently. Great grilled meat starts with great raw meat
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Always have two cooking zones: one super hot for searing and then a cooler zone to allow thicker cuts to cook though, or for moving the meat over if it starts to get out of control
Invest in a really good instant meat thermometer: knowing the exact temperature of the meat can make all the difference Don’t sauce your meat until it’s done cooking: most sauces and many marinades include a very high sugar content that burns and goes bitter when grilled well before your meat will be cooked
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Drink
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
33
Raise a glass to your dad with one of these top tipples This Sunday, June 19, is Father’s Day so if you’re looking to toast him then let our Drinks Editor James Viner suggest a few celebratory refreshments which will be just perfect...
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UT DOWN that pack of gift box socks, this top-notch Father’s Day drinks selection is sure to put a smile on your dad’s face! From a gastronomic cider from Devon to a stellar English sparkling wine from Hampshire, these special celebratory bottles are certain to get dad’s tastebuds tingling this Sunday…. 1) Award-winning, medium-dry, veganfriendly, gluten-free traditional vintage cider from Devon Sandford Orchards, Vintage Reserve 2019 finest cask-aged cider, near Crediton, Devon, also Darts Farm, Topsham (£32 for 12 x 500ml, sandfordorchards.co.uk or £3 each at quickes. co.uk; 7.4%) I don’t often recommend cider but I was knocked out by this award-winning, vintage cask-aged craft Devon example. It’s medium-dry, made from 100% fresh cold-juice ferments from cider-specific apples with largely high levels of tannin and matured in large wine casks rustled out of Priorat in Catalonia, north-eastern Spain, by Land Rover. Peach, honey, yellow plum, butterscotch, apricot, hay/straw, caramel, oaky and dried fruit flavours jostle for position. Gastronomic tannins kick in on the finish. Time for the cheeseboard (hello Quicke’s cheddar) or a picnic with pork pies, sausage rolls and scotch eggs. 2) Must-try new Tesco French rosé for the garden & barbecue Domaine d’Arbousset Tavel Rosé 2021, Rhône, France (£12, Tesco, 13.5%) While others are pouring Provençal pinks this summer, why not dare to be different and drink
this delightful, weightier, deeper coloured, red fruit-scented rosé from a unique specialist rosé-only appellation contrôlée, less than 10 miles (16KM) southwest, on the opposite bank of the Rhône River from Châteauneuf-du-Pape? Made using fairly lengthy maceration, it’s bursting with juicy, easy-glugging, tangy raspberry, pomegranate and strawberry fruit and is enlivened by bright, well-integrated, minerally acidity and a gently spicy, finish. A top-notch summer food-friendly pink that’s sure to be a rip-roaring success at dad’s celebratory garden parties and barbecues. It leaves an impression. Tesco, take a bow. Vive la pink vinous différence! 3) A fine white made in a sustainable, ethical fashion from the cool coastal vineyards of Stellenbosch, South Africa Journey’s End Winemakers’ Selection Chardonnay 2021, Coastal Region WO, South Africa (£12.99, mix 12, Laithwaites, 12.5%) Relatively early-ripening chameleon chardonnay is massively multipurpose, adapts well to being aged and fermented in oak and can make potentially outstanding wines, both sparkling and still. Here’s a
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Café Society Presents: Music Live on The Terrace 23rd July 2022 Swing into summer with an evening of alfresco dining and soulful live jazz Pimms on arrival followed by a 2-course BBQ £39.50pp Book now 01892 51 51 52 reception@salomons-estate.com www.salomons-estate.com
ESTABLISHED
@salomons_venue @salomons.venue @salomons_estate
racy alternative to white burgundy from South Africa, made at a sustainability-minded estate owned by the British émigré Gabb family (it was named Ethical Company of the Year in The Drinks Business Green Awards in 2020). This fine-boned, vegan-approved Laithwaites exclusive has vibrant, juicy peach, pineapple, melon and citrus fruit caressed by light creamy/ almondy oak and some mandarin tang. A subtle mineral feel on the fresh, long finish, invites the second glass. Pour with roast chicken, creamy fish pies, trout, or smoked salmon.
my thumbs up. The palate is on another level with a fireworks spectacle of flavours but it is the astonishing length, fine filigree of ripe tannins and integrated alcohol that sets it apart. A garlic-and-rosemary-crusted leg of lamb, beef wellington or duck is the way to go. Serve very lightly chilled in the balmy summer – after all, this is made from a majority grenache noir, a late-ripening, thin-skinned variety with soft tannins and lowish acidity. Perhaps decant too. Dad will be smiling from ear to ear when he opens it. A real treat if you feel like splashing out.
4) Must-try classic splash-out treat: Aldi’s new Châteauneuf-du-Pape (imported by Liberty Wines) Vielle Étoile Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2017, Rhône, France (£19.99, Aldi, 15%) For all of those full-bodied-loving red wine imbibers, this one has the old man’s name on it. Created in 1936, Châteauneuf-duPape (CDP) was the very first French wine appellation. This dashing, potent, velvety, violet and bramblescented, herby, raspberry-andsweet-spicestashed, veganapproved example gets
5) Pick of the pops for poppa to toast English Wine Week – a scrumptious chic bubbly from the chalk slopes of the N. Hampshire Downs Coates & Seely, Brut Reserve NV, Hampshire (£32.95-£34.95, Lea & Sandeman, coatesandseely.com, 12%) It’s the start of English Wine Week this Saturday so why not pop open a bottle of fabulous homegrown fizz? Miss this delicious, award-winning (it just got ‘Best in Show’ at Decanter World Wine Awards 2022) Hants bubbly and dad will miss out. Made from the classic Champagne grape mix of pinot noir (50%), topped up with chardonnay (40%) and pinot meunier (10%), you get a stylish, toasty, nutty sparkler with a creamy texture, fine mousse, plenty of lively orchard fruit character and a lingering finish. This comes from the team headed by the genius of self-taught, terroir focused, celebrated consultant winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt. Refreshing and compelling, it’s a masterful, benchmark, personality-laden release that sings from start to finish. Dad can enjoy it as a sparky aperitif or with smoked salmon, eggs Benedict/Florentine or posh fish and chips.
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Property
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
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property news
House prices hit record high in May but market shows signs of cooling ACCIDENTAL LANDLORDS COULD BE GIVEN MUCH NEEDED TAX RELIEF
By Robert Forrester THE average house price hit a record high of £289,099 in May, but the market is showing signs of cooling, according to an index. Across the UK, the typical property value increased by £2,857 month on month in May, Halifax said. An imbalance between supply and demand for properties remains the primary reason behind the climb, the report added. Russell Galley, Halifax managing director, said: “The average cost of buying a home in the UK is up 1%, or £2,857, on last month, and has now risen for 11 consecutive months. “Annual growth also remains in double digits, at 10.5%, although this is the slowest rate of growth seen since the start of the year.”
Peak He continued: “For house hunters, the extent of the impact of property price inflation continues to be linked to the type of home they are looking to buy. “Compared to May last year, you’d need around £10,000 more to buy a flat, but an additional £50,000 for a detached home. “This clearly creates a knock-on effect for those looking to make their first home move, as the rungs on the housing ladder have become increasingly wider. “However, the housing market has begun to show signs of cooling. “Mortgage activity has started to come down and, coupled with the inflationary pressures currently exerted on household budgets, it’s likely activity will start to slow. “So, there is perhaps one green shoot for prospective purchasers – with overall buying demand down compared to last year, we may be past the peak sellers’ market.” Northern Ireland had the strongest annual house price inflation in May, seeing prices rise by 15.2%. The south west of England also recorded a strong rate of annual growth at 14.5%. In Wales, house prices jumped by 13.7% annually, pushing the average house price there to a record £216,120. Only Yorkshire and the Humber, Scotland and London recorded annual house price inflation below 10% in May. In Scotland, house price growth continues to “underperform” relative to the UK average, according to Halifax, with annual inflation at 8.3%. A decade ago, annual house price growth in London was the strongest in the UK, with annual house price inflation of 4%. Southern England was at that time leading a recovery in property prices following the tough economy of 2008 and 2009. Over the past decade, the cost of a home generally has risen by 74%, or £123,016, Halifax said. The strongest inflation over that period has been in London (84.2%), followed by the east of England (84.0%) and the East Midlands (82.1%). In cash terms, London house hunters need
£247,638 more than those looking 10 years ago, whereas those in the east of England need £153,930 and those in the East Midlands would typically need an extra £108,116. Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at investment platform Bestinvest, said: “The latest data from the Halifax House Price Index adds to the mounting evidence that house price growth is being impacted by the uncertainty facing the wider economy… “With rising house prices, lower disposable incomes and fewer people with the right debt-toincome ratio to qualify for a mortgage, some firsttime buyers may delay their entry into the housing market, while existing homeowners may stick with their current home, focusing on a remodel or extension instead.” Tomer Aboody, director of property lender MT Finance, said: “With prices rising by 74% in the past decade, it shows just how much the market is running away from first-time buyers.” Nicky Stevenson, managing director at estate agent group Fine & Country said: “In this uncertain economic climate, there is a sense that the housing market is at a crossroads, with future gains unlikely to match the huge spikes recorded over the last 12 months.
Remarkable “While there remains a strong appetite among existing homeowners to trade up, the supply crunch which has driven record growth in the recent past is slowly starting to ease. “As the imbalance between supply and demand continues to narrow, annual gains are expected to soften further in the months ahead.” Martin Beck, chief economic adviser to the EY ITEM Club said: “The prospect of households seeing a fall in real incomes this year, as high inflation bites, means fewer people will be able to afford to borrow the necessary amount they need to buy at higher mortgage rates.” Jason Tebb, chief executive officer of property search website OnTheMarket.com said: “Despite considerable headwinds, a remarkable level of buyer and seller confidence remains in the market.”
Accidental landlords who, through a change of personal circumstances, have found themselves with a rental property could soon benefit from not having to pay capital gains tax when they sell their property. James Richards, Director of top performing estate agent, Maddisons Residential, explores. Finding yourself as an accidental landlord can be daunting for many. Inheriting a property, or not being able to sell due to price or timing, can mean you are renting to either cover mortgage repayments or to generate an income. The additional responsibilities of securing the correct mortgage, insurance, licenses, and carrying out safety checks and repairs, amongst other things, all need to be put in place. Nowadays you must pay tax on the entire rental income received, not just the profit. Tax relief may only be claimed on mortgage payments at a rate of 20%, regardless of the tax band you are in. However, many landlords could benefit hugely when selling their property due to a proposed capital gains exemption. Last month, the Prime Minister suggested cutting or eliminating capital gains tax for existing landlords to encourage those with one property, such as accidental landlords, to sell up. As it stands, 45% of landlords fall into this category, making up 21% of the private rental sector, according to The English Housing Survey. Although still in preliminary discussions, this could give a helping hand to accidental landlords wanting to sell; basic rate taxpayers pay capital gains of 18%, rising to 28% for higher rate taxpayers. The hope is to help free up much needed housing stock for first-time buyers and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES IN MAY AND ANNUAL INCREASE BY REGION • East Midlands • Eastern England • London • North East • North West • Northern Ireland • Scotland • South East • South West • Wales • West Midlands • Yorkshire and Humber
£239,859 £337,216 £541,942 £166,449 £219,849 £185,386 £198,288 £391,845 £305,173 £216,120 £244,071 £200,469
12.3% 11.6% 6.3% 10.6% 10.6% 15.2% 8.3% 11.4% 14.5% 13.7% 10.6% 9.5%
Meet the expert: James Richards is Director of Maddisons Residential, a leading, award-winning independent estate agent based in Tunbridge Wells, offering expert advice on all aspects of sales and lettings, combined with excellent customer service.
www.maddisonsresidential.co.uk 18 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5TN Telephone: 01892 514100 Email: info@maddisonsresidential.co.uk
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Antiques
Wednesday June 8 | 2022
Mapping the value of John Speed's work...
antiques
This week, Alexander Pushkin talks about cartography and the real value of maps Great Britain (1612), and the Prospect of the Most Famous Parts of the World (1627).
Materials The maps created by the talented artist have always been regarded as true masterpieces: not only did Speed do a great job collecting the materials, but he also managed to depict the visual facades of each location in his very own distinct manner. When creating maps, he paid attention to the slightest detail and nuances and scrupulously tracked the process of the making. A special technology of printing was used: copper details were engraved on copper plates in reverse, so that writing would be put on the map in the right direction. To view stunning examples of Speed's work, please visit our website www. pushkinantiques.com or simply pop in to High street gallery for a closer look.
D
EAR avid antique collectors and enthusiasts, you might have noticed I took a small writer's break, but undeterred I have found my way back to you and the familiar sound of a clanking keyboard. While on the subject of finding my way back, this week I would like to write about John Speed (1550s – 1629), considered by many as the most renowned English cartographer and a key name in the history of English map making of the early modern period.
Labour It was the art of cartography that became John Speed’s craft and calling, although he started off as a hereditary tailor, following in his father’s footsteps. In addition to tailoring, he was a member of a corresponding guild in London.
Speed had always been passionate about research and studies, and after having received an allowance from noble scholars, he was able to leave his manual labour and dedicate all his attention to cartography. Thanks to his outstanding pictorial sense, John Speed was soon recognised as a highly talented scholar. Though he was both a historian and a cartographer, and conducted many theoretical studies, he is mainly
renowned as Britain’s most important and prolific map maker. Speed’s earlier achievements and success in the tailoring business were noticed and encouraged by Queen Elizabeth, Her Majesty rewarded the studious craftsman by allowing him to use a room in the Custom House. Along with independent county maps, Speed published several major works, mainly atlases, The Theatre of the Empire of
HOUSE CALLS Alexander Pushkin
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38
Motoring
Wednesday June 15 | 2022
Motoring News
This week… Bentley introduce the ‘S’
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Polestar unveils 3 electric SUV
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Updates for Qashqai
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Bentley introduces new ‘S’ Continental models BENTLEY has given its Continental GT and GTC models a sharp new offering with new S versions. Both GT and convertible GTC S variants retain the same 4.0-litre V8 engine as you’ll find in standard Continental models, where it develops 542bhp and 770Nm of torque, equating to a 0-60mph time of under four seconds. However, its sound has been enhanced in S-badged cars with the fitment of a sports exhaust as standard.
The headlamps and rear lights are also tinted black to go along with the stealthy look, while all exterior trim is also finished in black, with only the Bentley badge and lettering given a chrome finish.
Bolsters A new 22-inch wheel accompanies the S, featuring five Y-shaped spokes finished in gloss black. These are then contrasted by red painted brake calipers. Inside, suede-like material Dinamica is applied to the steering wheel, gear lever and seat cushion, while high-quality leather is used for the seat bolsters, door pads and along the instrument panel. The ‘S’ emblem is also embossed onto the headrests of each seat. The introduction of these new S models broadens the range even further, with a new comfort-focused Azure specification also added into the Continental GT and GTC line-up recently.
Roll system Bentley’s Dynamic Ride, which includes a 48-volt electric active roll system, is also included. It features motors within the anti-roll bars which can compensate for cornering forces, ensuring that the Continental remains flat through the bends. Exterior-wise, S models are distinguished from the rest of the range through a black gloss radiator grille and S badges on the front wings.
Polestar to release a new 3 electric SUV
POLESTAR has given a new look at its upcoming 3 SUV in an image released ahead of the car’s world premiere in October. It arrives as the firm’s first SUV and will go alongside existing 1 and 2 electric vehicles. Billed as an ‘electric performance SUV’, the 3 uses a dual-motor powertrain and will be capable of travelling just over 372 miles on a single charge. Polestar has yet to release the size of the battery that the 3 will use, nor the rate of charge that it will be able to accept.
Design Thomas Ingenlath, Polestar CEO, said: “Polestar 3 is the SUV for the electric age. Our design identity evolves with this high-end large luxury EV, with a strong, individual brand character. With this car, we bring the ‘sport’ back to the SUV,
staying true to our performance roots. “This is a major milestone for our company, one that boosts our growth trajectory and takes us into our next phase.” The new image showcases the car’s upright stance, sporty yellow brake calipers and LED headlights and tail-lights. A full-length panoramic sunroof can also be seen, which leads into a small rear spoiler. Inside, there are yellow seatbelts – a styling trait we’ve seen on other Polestar vehicles. The Polestar 3 marks a new period of growth for the firm which will see it launch a new car every year for the next three years. It plans to increase its presence ‘to at least 30 global markets’ by the end of 2023 and aims to see a ten-fold growth in sales from approximately 29,00 in 2021 to around 290,000 by the end of 2025.
Nissan’s Qashqai gains updated exterior and more equipment NISSAN has upgraded its Qashqai, bringing more standard equipment than before as well as updated badging that reflects the firm’s recently updated logo. All new Qashqai models will now feature Nissan’s new logo at the front and rear of the car, as well as on the wheel caps and steering wheel boss. The rear bumper has also been finished in a darker shade of grey than before, while LED front fog lights will now become standard on top-specification Tekna+ models, having previously been an optional extra. Additionally, a 12.3-inch screen will now come as standard to cars from N-Connecta trim and above, bringing a 3.3-inch increase in size over the one currently fitted. The upgraded Qashqai also benefits from improvements to Nissan’s Connect Services, adding a digital owner’s manual, voice in-car control and Amazon’s Alexa voice personal assistant as standard, among other features.
Nic Thomas, Nissan Motor GB marketing director, said: ‘‘We’re delighted to reveal the enhancements and improvements we’re making to what is truly an iconic British car. New Qashqai, although only recently launched, has already won multiple awards and is proving incredibly popular with the buying public.
Crossover “These enhancements, plus the arrival of Nissan’s unique e-Power technology to the range in the coming months, will ensure the Qashqai continues to captivate customers and retain its crown as the UK’s best-selling crossover.” Prices for the Qashqai start from £25,505 for cars in Visia specification, rising to £36,325 for the top-grade Tekna+. Currently, the Qashqai is only available with a 1.3-litre mild-hybrid engine, though is set to be joined shortly by a new 1.5-litre engine coupled to a large battery and electric motor.
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