Times of Tunbridge Wells March 29th 2023

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Family of Crowborough boy gets allergen petition all the way to debate in Parliament

by Victoria Roberts & Sharon Bruce

A PETITION for clearer labelling of allergens on restaurant menus is to be debated in Parliament, thanks to the efforts of the family of Owen Carey, of Crowborough, who died from an allergic reaction.

Owen Carey, 18, experienced anaphylaxis (anaphylactic shock) after eating a grilled chicken breast at Byron Burger at the O2 Arena in London on April 22, 2017. Owen had made staff aware of his allergies but was not told that the chicken had been marinated in buttermilk, an inquest into his death heard.

Owen had been celebrating his 18th birthday at the time of his death.

Now, following a petition by the Carey

family, ‘Owen’s Law’, a campaign to legally require restaurants to include information about the top 14 allergens on the face of their menus, will be debated in Parliament on May 15. Currently, restaurants are permitted to provide this information in any format they choose, including verbally only.

Requirement

Owen’s Law would make the listing of allergens on menus a legal requirement and require serving staff to initiate conversations about allergies with all customers. It would also create a national register of anaphylaxis deaths.

Owen’s father Paul said: “At the moment, restaurant owners are obliged to provide information about allergens,

but the law allows them to do it ‘by any means’.

“We want that to be changed to ‘in writing’.”

Owen’s Law would ‘piggyback’ on to Natasha’s Law, which came into force in 2021, requiring foods prepackaged on site, such as sandwiches, to carry a full list of ingredients.

That law followed the death of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who had not been made aware of sesame seeds baked into the bread of a sandwich she had eaten.

It is policy for only those petitions with 100,000 or more signatures to be ‘considered’ for a Parliamentary debate, whereas the ‘Owen’s Law’ petition had 12,889. However, the parliamentary petition map shows support for the petition across the entire country.

INSIDE: Plans to install a 5G mast in conservation area – Page 3

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Wadhurst named best place to live in the UK

By Sharon Bruce

WADHURST has beaten 71 other locations in the country to top the ‘Sunday Times Best Places to Live’ list for 2023.

The judges praised the small market town for its good schools and ‘stunning scenery’, and said it offered ‘pretty much everything needed for modern life in miniature’.

The town of less than 5,000 people is the smallest winner in the competition’s 11-year history. Judges also praised it for the many activities available for children, the farmers’ market, clubs, classes and the community cinema at the community hall.

Stars

The Wadhurst Warriors, a group of fathers who began fundraising for the town’s primary school in 2004 and now raise money for the whole village, were named as the ‘stars of the show’.

Wadhurst Warriors Chairman Chris Poulton said that the group organises events such as fetes, fireworks night and the town’s Christmas decorations. The money raised is used to help any worthy causes in the village.

“We do believe Wadhurst is the best place to live and that is down to us all working together to make it a place where everyone can be supported,” Mr Poulton said.

“Being recognised is great but the more we can give back to the community the better.”

Natasha Selbie, of Savills Tunbridge Wells, said: “Wadhurst has long been popular with

Wadhurst has long been popular for its range of shops and pubs

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people of all ages, thanks to its picturesque setting, brilliant range of shops, pubs and restaurants, excellent schools and mainline railway station. It particularly appeals to those looking for convenience with glorious countryside on the doorstep, and we’ve certainly seen an increase in those looking to move to the area post-pandemic.”

Anna Robinson, Executive Headteacher of Uplands Academy Secondary School, said: “We are understandably particularly pleased that our

CEO of town’s largest employer steps down

By Victoria Roberts

THE CEO of Tunbridge Wells’ largest employer has stepped down with almost immediate effect, staff learned last week.

Tracy Garrad of AXA Health announced her resignation to staff last week, and will be stepping down at the end of the month.

AXA Health said: “After four successful years as the Chief Executive of AXA Health, Tracy Garrad has decided the time is right for her to step away from this role and will be leaving AXA at the end of March to pursue her career outside the organisation.”

TRACY GARRAD

Chief Financial Officer Matt Vardy is to take over as interim CEO while a new CEO is recruited, said the firm.

Unexpected

According to a local staff member, the move was unexpected.

“She has resigned – quit. It came as a real surprise to all of us. There was no hint, no whispers, she just sent out a staff message last week telling us she felt it was time to move on and she is leaving this [coming] week.

“It has all been very quick. People have mixed feelings,” the employee told the Times.

Rumours had also swirled that all staff would now be moving out of the company’s offices, added the staff member.

However, AXA Health told the Times: “The majority of our people work in a hybrid way and regular attendance in the office not only maintains our culture but also helps to support the local economy.

“This change to our ways of working resulted in the decision to sell some office space and reinvest the capital into refurbishing and

upgrading other properties, specifically a significant investment into International House [in Forest Road, Hawkenbury] which AXA Health colleagues will be returning to soon.

“AXA has had a presence in Tunbridge Wells for over 60 years, which we intend to continue.

“We remain committed to investing in the area and contributing to the success of the town.”

Tracy Garrad’s commitment to hybrid working following the pandemic caused controversy at the time, with concerns being expressed that businesses in town would suffer a loss of custom.

In introducing permanent hybrid working hours, the company closed and sold two offices, Eynsham House and Phillips House on Crescent Road, opposite the Assembly Hall. Around half of AXA’s 2,000-strong workforce at the time was based in one of the two closed offices, the Times reported in 2021.

More recently, however, the company made a financial contribution to the bus operator running the 285, which connects the town centre with Hawkenbury, where International House is located.

Before being appointed head of the Tunbridge Wells-based health insurance provider in January 2019, Ms Garrad had a successful career in banking, becoming the first female CEO of First Direct, and then of HSBC Channel Islands and Isle of Man.

In its statement, AXA Health confirmed: “Tracy is an executive member of the AXA UK Board and a member of the UK&I Management Committee. She is also a member of the AXA PPP Healthcare Ltd Operating Board. Tracy will step down from these roles when she leaves the business at the end of the month.”

village schools were singled out for praise. As a smaller secondary school in a semi-rural location, Uplands Academy prides itself on having close ties with our village community, its local businesses and of course with our local families.

“One of the things that makes this village special is the very real community spirit and the sense that everyone supports one another. Uplands Academy is proud to be an integral part of this community.”

HAVE YOUR SAY:

Each week the Times will run a series of social media polls that ask our readers for their opinions on the Borough’s biggest stories. To participate in the polls, simply follow the Times on Instagram or Twitter using the handle @timeslocalnews

OPPOSITION IS BEING LODGED TO A PROPOSED 5G TOWER IN TOWN... DO YOU BELIEVE THAT 5G TOWERS ARE HAZARDOUS?

YES (24%) I worry about my health

NO (65%) It’s all scaremongering I DON’T CARE (11%) As long as my phone works

AS REPORTED BY THE TIMES, BOTH PROPERTY AND RENTAL PRICES HAVE INCREASED... HOW DO YOU LIVE?

RENT: 12% OWN OWN PROPERTY: 74%

RENT A PROPERTY TO OTHERS: 7% LIVE WITH OTHERS: 7%

Hotel and Bewl Events & Waterpark are owned by the Elite Leisure Collection, which also owns One

, publisher of the Times

Harassment Bill passes next hurdle

Greg Clark’s Private Members’ Bill, intended to criminalise intentional harassment, alarm or distress on account of sex, is currently going through the House of Commons. On Friday March 23, the Bill passed its Third Reading.

“I am delighted that my Bill passed its Third Reading in the House of Commons,” Mr Clark said. “Too many women and girls feel unsafe when alone on our streets, especially at night. “(The Bill) aims to change the culture so that it becomes as obviously unacceptable to abuse, humiliate and intimidate women and girls in public as it is to do so because of a person’s race or sexuality.

“I now look forward to my Bill being debated in the House of Lords, which I hope will take place before the summer.”

Plan lodged to install 5G mast mast in local conservation area

Proposed 15m pole meets resistance from local residents

By Lilly Croucher

CONTROVERSIAL plans for a 15m, 5G mast to be installed in Tunbridge Wells have been submitted for approval amid a flood of resistance from both residents and members of the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TBWC).

The TBWC has received plans for the 15m-high ‘slim line’ pole to be erected on the corner of Cleveland Road and Sandrock Road. The mast would stand on a corner site surrounded by residential homes.

The mast would be installed by telecommunications operator CK Hutchison Group (which operates the UK mobile network Three) as part of the Government’s ‘digital connectivity vision’ to provide full-fibre coverage by 2033.

However, the planning application has been hit by a wall of opposition and complaints, mostly objecting to the tower’s visual impact, proximity to local schools, and the fact that the mast would be located in a Conservation Area.

Option

Plans from the telecom operator said that the proposed location ‘is considered the best available option to extend 5G service across the target ‘coverage hole’, while restricting the equipment to the minimum height.

However, the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Conservation and Urban Design Officer, Debbie Salter, submitted a two-page report explaining that the proposed location lies within the Tunbridge Wells Conservation Area a point that is not mentioned by CK Hutchison Group in their application.

Full line-up announced for Black Deer Festival

The Black Deer Festival has announced the artist day splits for this year’s event, which takes place at Eridge Park on June 16 to 18.

Friday June 16 will see performances from headliners Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats, while Saturday will be headlined by The Pretenders and Bonnie Raitt.

Closing out the festival on Sunday June 18 will be the tender folk-rock duo Bear’s Den and country music icon Steve Earle.

For the full artists’ line-up, visit: blackdeerfestival.com

Police seek man on recall to prison

SUSSEX Police have broadcast an appeal for a man with links to Tunbridge Wells who is wanted on recall to prison.

Curtis Harrison had violated the terms of his release, said police, adding that the 32-year-old had links to Uckfield, Crawley and Tunbridge Wells.

He was previously imprisoned for breaching a restraining order. Mr Harrison is described as 5’10, of medium build, with dark hair and facial hair.

If you have any relevant information, please dial 999 and quote serial number 478 of 09/01, said police.

A reward of £500 is now being offered for information leading to his arrest.

Ms Salter said: “In my view there is insufficient justification to outweigh this harm, given that the notification application does not identify it as a Conservation Area.”

Worried about the pole’s visual impact, Suzan Ekrem, of Cleveland Road, said: “Not only would it be an eyesore, but it is unwanted, therefore unacceptable. The Council has a duty of care to its residents to support them.”

According to the plans, the proposed height of the pole, at 15m, is the “minimum” required to

provide adequate 5G connection, and there is an “acute” need to improve coverage.

The plans claim that the mast will “assimilate” into the area around the proposed site, which lies on a main road, but says that it will “not be detrimental” to its surroundings.

While the plans do accept that there will be a visual impact as a result of the additional equipment, the mast should ‘not overly detract from the character of the existing streetscape.

Proponents of 5G connectivity say that it benefits education, access to business services, working from home, connectivity through social media and gaming and leisure activities.

In January, the Times reported that a similar mast was to be installed along St John’s Road, but that proposal received fierce backlash from residents, resulting in 3a petition including 304 signatures objecting to the height and location of the tower.

On February 17, the TWBC decided to refuse that application by the telecoms operator, saying that the development would “appear unduly prominent” and have an “unacceptable visual impact” on the surrounding area.

In the latest application, the telecoms operator said that the local planning authorities should “not impose a ban” on new communications

installations under Section 116 of The National Planning and Policy Framework (NPPF) and should “support the expansion” of 5G technologies under Section 114.

Many residents are also concerned about the health effects associated with 5G technologies.

Children

Pamela Thompson, whose children attend St James Primary School, said: “It is extremely close to the school which my children attend. In addition, it is right in the middle of a busy area... CK Hutchison Group said the street pole abides by all laws and guidance, including the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) that has found “no convincing evidence of adverse health effects at exposure below the guideline levels”. A spokesperson for the Three mobile network said in January: “5G roll-out is vital for the residents and businesses of Tunbridge Wells. We want to offer the community a reliable network experience,. This site will be critical in making that happen. Masts need to be situated where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage.

Dunorlan parking battle ‘may be lost’

By Sharon Bruce

PLANS for paid car parks appear set to go ahead, says Chairman of the Friends of Dunorlan Park. Although no formal decision has yet been made on whether or not to introduce parking charges at Dunorlan Park, the Chairman of the Friends of Dunorlan Park group fears the ‘battle may already be lost’.

Chairman Peter Russell, who has been at the forefront of raising concerns over Council’s proposal to charge anyone who parks their cars in either of the park’s two car parks, made his comments in the latest Friends of Dunorlan Park newsletter.

Discussions

“It looks as though we will lose the battle against car parking charges being introduced in Dunorlan Park,” he said. “However, I have had detailed discussions with the councillors involved and we hope that any scheme introduced will have taken into consideration the points we have made.”

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC), which owns Dunorlan Park, is considering charging drivers to park in its two car parks. Offering 40 spaces each, one is located at the main entrance

to the park, off Pembury Road, and the other can be accessed off Halls Hole Road.

The proposal from TWBC has received considerable backlash from the wider community, with some people taking to social media to equate the proposed move to ‘theft of community assets’, while others have branded it as ‘greedy’. Still others have expressed fears that the park will no longer be accessible to those who are not mobile enough to travel to the park on foot. A local petition against the move received more than 1,300 signatures.

However, the Council has maintained that the increased revenue stream is necessary to cover the costs of maintaining its parks.

In the Friends of Dunorlan Park winter

newsletter, Peter Russell said: “Certainly, maintenance needs to be improved. The Council contractors, Tivoli, can only do so much with the funding provided by TWBC, and their work is supplemented on a weekly basis by the Friends’ volunteer group.

“Your Committee would be more willing to support the introduction of car parking charges if the revenue was definitely being used directly in the Park and not just to shore up the Council’s finances.”

Although TWBC made it clear on Tuesday March 14 that no decision on the implementation of the proposed parking fee had yet been made, it did indicate that councillors were scrutinising responses to a survey launched on the matter in December 2022.

However, the Council has maintained that the increased revenue stream is necessary to cover the costs of maintaining its parks.

DUNORLAN PARK PROPOSED PARKING CHARGES

Up to 1 hour £1.00

Up to 2 hours £2.00

Up to 3 hours £3.00

All day £5.00

DUNORLAN PARK CAR PARK

SITE PLANS: The proposed site of the new 5G mast

‘Waterlogged’ primary school to get new multi-use sports pitch

By Sharon Bruce

KENT County Council has approved an application to build a new ‘3G’ synthetic turf, multi-use games pitch at Bidborough CofE Primary School, near Tunbridge Wells.

The school, in Spring Lane, has 208 pupils and is built on a hill. The current sloping pitch is located near the bottom of the site and often becomes waterlogged in winter. As a result, the

The

school has been unable to offer a full Physical Education curriculum to its pupils. School Committee Chairman, Cllr Andy Booth (Con), said on the school website last week that the application would amount to a ‘dramatic improvement to the school’.

“The news comes as a welcome boost, particularly given that it has been so wet, and

the field is still very muddy and waterlogged!” Cllr Booth explained.

To create the new pitch, the ground will be levelled out before it is laid with an all-weather, porous surface that will allow the water to seep through it.

Opposition

The application for the pitch had encountered opposition because of its location in an area of outstanding natural beauty, and concerns had been voiced that fencing would be an eyesore. Although the school lies within a greenbelt and close to a conservation area, planning officers said the application was approved because it involved replacing an existing pitch with another. No trees would be disturbed, and no new parking spaces would be created.

The pitch will be surrounded by a new, 3-metre-high metal fence, painted green, and there will be no floodlighting around the pitch. No games will be played after 6pm and only very exceptionally on Sundays.

The pitch will, however, be available for school sports lessons and for after-school clubs.

Council to add at least 15 new social rent homes

by Victoria Roberts

CABINET members at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) have agreed to use a combination of contributions from property developers and government funding for refugees to purchase up to 15 homes for social housing.

The homes will initially be allocated to refugees on the Ukrainian and Afghan resettlement and relocation schemes, and will later become a permanent part of the Council’s social housing stock, available to other households on the register.

Criteria

Forty per cent of the funds are from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUCH) Local Authority Housing Fund (LAHF), which is aimed at providing ‘sustainable housing for those meeting the resettlement criteria’.

The remaining £3.2million will come from Section 106 developer contributions, which Cabinet agreed to release at a meeting on March 14. Hugo Pound, Cabinet member for Housing and

COUNTER VIEW with

Darren

Darren

Planning, said the decision allowed the Council to increase its stock of available housing for rent at social rent levels.

“The Government has recognised the strain on housing in the Borough, and many residents’ great efforts in accommodating displaced families fleeing war and tyranny,” he said.

“Obviously, we hope that many of these displaced families will be able to return home in the future, but it is right that, in the meantime, they are housed in good-quality family homes and not in hotels, hostels or other temporary accommodation.

“In the future, being able to add a further 15 properties to our list of available properties will help to reduce our housing waiting lists still further.”

As of mid-December 2022, TWBC reported that it had accepted a homelessness application from a total of 10 homes for Ukraine households. Of these, five households had been placed into temporary accommodation, with one having moved into private rented accommodation and four remaining in temporary accommodation. The other five were being offered ‘homelessness prevention support’.

AS KIn place of the usual Q&A, the following are some of the support packages that have been made available to help businesses deal with the Coronavirus:

It’s that time of year when we need to consider the ATED reporting requirements. ATED is the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings, which is a charge on UK dwellings held by non-natural persons (e.g., by companies).

Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme: HMRC will reimburse 80% of wages paid to workers who have be laid off due to the coronavirus crisis. This is capped at £2.5k per employee per month.

In essence, if a company owns one or more residential properties, where the value of any of the individual dwellings is more than £500k, a report is required unless the company is exempt (mainly charitable companies). If a report is required, there may not be any tax liability as there are several reliefs available, the mains ones being that the dwellings are:

valuation criteria. This will be based on the property’s valuation at 1/4/22 if you acquired it before this date, or its cost if you acquired it on or after 2/4/22.

Cash Grants: A grant of £10k will automatically be provided to all businesses currently entitled to Small Business Rates Relief. A grant of £25k can be claimed for businesses in the retail, hospitality or leisure industry if their rateable value is between £15k and £51K.

VAT Deferral: The deferral will apply from 20 March to 30 June 2020. There is a lack of clarity on the Gov. uk website and we are interpreting this as payments due by 30 June rather than quarters ended 30 June. This means that May quarter VAT Returns, where payment is due by 7 July, will still be payable as normal. Any payments deferred will become payable by the end of the tax year (31/3/21 Company or 5/4/21 Unincorporated)

• Held by property rental businesses and let out to a third party on a commercial basis.

• Being redeveloped or held as stock for resale by a property developer.

The first consideration is whether you will hold any properties on 1/4/23, that meet the over £500k

Income Tax Deferral: The self-assessment second payment on account, due by 31 July 2020, will be deferred to 31 January 2021. No penalties or interest will be charged.

If you have such a property, the next Return required is for the year to 31/3/24, which must be submitted by 30/4/23. If you meet one of the reliefs, all that is required is a report to state that A) You own such a property or properties and B) It meets the criteria for the relief. The report is submitted online direct to HMRC. It is possible to authorise your accountant to submit this on your behalf.

Business Rates Holiday: There is a 12-month business rates holiday (April 20 to March 21) for all retail, hospitality and leisure businesses in England.

If relief is not available, the annual tax for enveloped dwellings starts at £4,150 for properties between £500k and £1m and climbs rapidly as the value increases.

If you do not have any such properties now, but are planning to acquire one (relievable or not), a Return is required within 30 days of acquiring the property.

Time to Pay Arrangements: In addition to the deferral schemes noted above, if you have outstanding tax liabilities (Corporation Tax, VAT or Income Tax) due to coronavirus, you may be able to agree a time to pay arrangement. Arrangements will be agreed on a case by case basis. To discuss your options, contact HMRC on 0800 0159 559.

Further info and updates can be found here: https:// www.synergee.org.uk/press-releases/coronavirus-update

current sloping pitch is located near the bottom of the site and often becomes waterlogged in winter

Austin at Synergee

Austin is a director of Synergee Limited, a firm of Chartered Accountants & business advisers based in Tunbridge Wells.

PITCH PERFECT: A digital rendering of the site

Plans for three ‘huge’ homes on edge of ancient woodland set for approval

By Sharon Bruce

A BID to replace one bungalow with three ‘huge’ houses on the edge of ancient woodlands in Southborough is set to be approved, despite numerous public objections that the development will wreak havoc with traffic in the already congested area.

The development in contention is on the Ridgewaye, Southborough, on the edge of Brokes Wood, a protected area of ancient woodland. It currently houses one bungalow.

Objections

Although 35 objections have been lodged against the plan, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) has said in a report that the proposal would result in the delivery of ‘sustainable development’. The Council also did not believe that the development would be ‘significantly harmful’ to the neighbouring properties.

A previous application in 2018 to flatten the bungalow and replace it with four new homes was rejected by the Council's planning committee, which said at the time that the site would be ‘cramped and overdeveloped’.

However, the new plans for three, four-storey homes with basement levels built into the slope of a hill, are being treated more favourably this time round.

One local resident wrote to the Council to express his fear of increased hazards on the highway and the danger it posed to current local residents. He had concerns about the viability of

the junction between the Ridgewaye and Hillcrest, saying that the area had already been ‘developed to capacity’.

“The development of the flats overlooking the Ridgeway playing fields had resulted in congestion at the junction of Ridgeway and Yew Tree Road, which was horrific at peak times,” he added.

Several residents wrote in to argue that the submitted plans also ignored a hedge at the entrance that limited the ability of passing drivers to see the driveway to the plot, resulting in ‘zero visibility’.

“At this point, it is too late to see an oncoming vehicle and there would be a collision,” one complainant wrote.

Concern

Another concern expressed was that the three houses were huge, at four storeys high and five bedrooms each.

Beau Architecture, writing on behalf of the applicants for planning permission, said:

“Although overall the proposed dwellings contain four storeys of accommodation, care has been taken in the design of the elevations and roof treatment to ensure that from no vantage point will they appear more than two-and-a-half storeys.”

Beau Architects said: “The scheme will improve the character and quality of the existing site for both people and wildlife by replacing existing areas of hardstanding with additional soft landscaping to encourage biodiversity.”

TRIPLE UP: The new homes, as proposed by the developer

Photo: Beau Architects

Schoolboy racer off to Williams F1 is on to a winning career Formula

by Victoria Roberts

TOBY McAllister-Brown began watching Formula One racing with his parents as a toddler. His love of the sport led him to re-enact races with his toy cars. Now, the teenager competes in three different karting championships, despite not being old enough to drive a car.

Yet racing is about more than just time on the track: Toby has also been learning engineering and crew skills through work experience at Tunbridge Wells-based racing team Jota Sport.

Experience

A work placement at Williams Racing this April will also cover the wide range of skills required in an F1 racing team.

Toby told the Times: “I am going to Williams F1 in Oxfordshire for a week’s work experience. I will attend each day on my own without my parents, although my mum is coming with me to stay for the week, as our accommodation isn’t included.”

He added: “I did get picked out of over 2,000 people, and I am guessing no more than 50 [will be attending.”

Toby’s mother Emily, said that his first time on the track came during a visit to the Buckmore Park track, north of Maidstone, when he was five years old.

“He drove one of the electric cars, but he said: “These are too slow. I want to go in the faster cars.” However because his age, he was unable to do so.

“Buckmore Park is where many current F1 drivers started their journey in karting. Lewis Hamilton recently described Buckmore Park as his favourite track of all time,” Emily added.

“Lando Norris and Jenson Button have also raced there, and it is known as one of the most technical tracks in the country.”

It seems that the camaraderie of racing also drives Toby’s ambition.

“Meeting my peers and the people I look up to in motor racing is where I feel most comfortable,” he said.

“My knowledge of F1 has allowed me to win competitions at Silverstone, and I got to meet my heroes, including Lewis Hamilton, George Russell, Sir Jackie Stewart and Lando Norris.”

After his GCSEs this year, Toby is heading to

Local refugee group wins £7,000 funding

TUNBRIDGE Wells Welcomes Refugees (TWWR) has received a £7,000 grant to provide English lessons and professional training, thanks to a fund established to help Ukrainians fleeing the war in their country.

The Ukrainian Support Fund was launched last year with funding from the Masonic Charitable Foundation, to help local charities and community groups supporting Ukrainian refugees’ social integration into the UK.

Skills

Kent Community Foundation (KCF) was allocated £45,000 to distribute in Kent, out of the total £485,000 fund.

TWWR received its grant in February. It paid for English classes for 50 Ukrainians to improve their English skills to manage daily life in the UK, or to improve their proficiency to enable them to obtain better-paid jobs.

The balance of the grant was used to fund five Ukrainians to take the child-minding and First A id courses needed to become registered child minders, KCF explained.

According to the latest figures from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, 461 Ukrainians have arrived in the area after receiving a visa.

college, either at Brooklands in Surrey, for its Engineering Programme for Motor Sports, or to North Kent College, for the Vehicle Technology Motorsport course – both alongside his continuing work experience at Jota Sport. When asked what he was most looking forward to at college, his answer was definitive: “Meeting other people who are interested in motor sports and learning all the techniques I need to further my career.”

You can follow Toby on Instagram: @tobymcallisterbrownracing

The six other organisations in Kent that received a share of the £45,000 grant were Medway Plus; Canterbury 4 Ukraine; Craftship Enterprise CIC; Medway Help for Ukrainians and Romain Slovak Czech Community CIC, and the Invicta National Academy educational online portal.

ON THE RIGHT TRACK: Toby in action at Buckmore Park

Natalie Smith is Director of Grants and Impact at KCF

HEAD SPACE: The Mental Health Resource allotment in Sandhurst Road

Feeling grounded at allotment hub

TUNBRIDGE Wells-based Mental Health

Resource is to restart its Tuesday allotment groups from April 18.

One of the charity’s core ‘hub’ services, the activity takes place at Mental Health Resource’s

own allotment and offers fresh air, time outdoors and access to nature.

To sign up, email Mental Health Resource at: hub@mentalhealthresource.org.uk or call 01892 539422

Sunflower Project to help people turn toward the light after abuse

by Victoria Roberts

A FORMER victim of domestic abuse is on a mission to create more Safe Spaces around Tunbridge Wells for the use of anyone trying to escape an abuser.

The Sunflower Project blossomed out of the friendship between two women: Sound healing and reiki practitioner Victoria Crowhurst and another survivor who had been abused by the same man.

“My abuser went to prison last year. It was for domestic violence, but not mine. [He had abused] another lady, whom I’m very close to now,” Victoria told the Times

Sunshine

“We send sunflowers to each other.

“Sunflowers turn to face the light and sunshine, and there’s always light at the end of a tunnel when escaping domestic abuse,” she explained. Now Victoria has created ‘sunflower’ cards, a discreet information pack about where and how to get help in cases of domestic abuse. She is calling on local businesses to sign up to provide more Safe Spaces.

“I want to remind people in Tunbridge Wells that it can and does happen here,” she said.

“When it happened to me, I didn’t have anywhere to go, or I wasn’t aware of them. “I’m trying to get businesses to sign up to offer Safe Spaces. All you need is a small space with a telephone out of the public eye.”

The access to a phone is crucial, she stressed.

“Some people aren’t allowed a phone at all, and some partners will check phones daily.”

Victoria is also applying for funding to receive referrals from a local domestic abuse charity so that she can help them through sound healing and reiki.

“Once they have left, the trauma is still stuck. I’m 10 years in from mine, and I’ve still got trauma.”

VICTORIA CROWHURST

Sound healing treatment might comprise a ‘sound bath’, using sound waves from a gong, crystal sounding bowls and tuning forks.

PTSD and leftover trauma can remain physical, added Victoria.

“It can come out in lots of different ailments.”

As part of the funding application, she will offer free treatments for the first 10-20 applicants for referral. Their feedback will be part of the application.

The referral scheme could be up and running within the next month and Victoria is running monthly coffee mornings to help survivors build friendships and find support.

“Post-Covid, there is a backlog of people who who haven’t been able to speak to someone,” she said. Now is the time.”

Visit www.wildmoonuk.com

Maximise your profits before tax year ends

THE CURRENT tax year is due to end on April 5, so now is the time to take full advantage of any reliefs and benefits that may be available to you – before it’s too late.

There are several allowances available that can help your money go further when you employ tax-savvy strategies. This is especially important during times of financial uncertainty.

Value

The new eatery is due to open at the end of next month

New bar to open on The Pantiles

by Lilly Croucher

A CLASSY new venue is to open in late April in the heart of Tunbridge Wells’ most scenic spot. Charlotte’s of The Pantiles will be the town’s newest eatery and bar, with the space having undergone a complete renovation to include a new kitchen and bar, complete with an inside living wall, a cosy fireplace, a stunning wine cellar with backlighting and a sunken ‘banquet’ seating area.

Cocktails

Operations Manager Adam Peters-Ennis told the Times: “Charlotte’s is an eatery with a light food menu, classic cocktails, and hot drinks in the day but transitions into a bar vibe by night.

“The bar will have a complementary menu of small plates and serve a selection of spirits, cocktails and wines that we get from specialist

suppliers that you won’t find in the supermarket.

“After the lockdown, we saw cocktails and spirits become really popular, so we have made sure our shelves have a large range of options, with 170 bottles of spirits and a real focus on classic cocktails.

“We hope that when people come here, they will enjoy trying something different.

“In the future, we hope to run tasting events, and ‘meet the maker’ sessions where we sell bottles of our spirits to share our passion with everyone.

“It’s funny, on social media we keep getting called ‘the piano bar’. We don’t actually have a piano, but we hope our guests enjoy our high-energy evenings with music, even without the piano.”

The Grade II-listed building, at 26-28 The Pantiles, will have 68 external covers in the historic cobbled street.

Charlotte’s of The Pantiles will be open from 10am to midnight, Tuesday to Sunday.

WEDDING OFFER

For personal finances, setting up an ISA can be an effective way to protect your money, as they grow free of income and Capital Gains Tax. High inflation rates can still affect the value of your savings in a Cash ISA – so, if you’re able to invest, a Stocks & Shares ISA can provide better value in the longer term.

While many people may not think about their pension until retirement, investing in it now will have the greatest benefits for the future.

Regular contributions receive Income Tax relief and can grow with time, so it’s always best to start saving early, whatever your age, to

maximise your returns. Planning on sharing money with your family? Making small gifts can be exempt from Inheritance Tax, up to £3,000 per tax year.

Finally, look at Capital Gains Tax.

The annual tax-free exemption reduces from April 6, so if you haven’t yet used your higher exemption for this year, there is little time to do so. A simple option is to transfer your investment into an ISA (if you haven’t already used your ISA allowance) and consider splitting the value with your spouse so you can both make use of your individual allowances.

All advice is offered by Amanda Redman Financial Planning. To receive a complimentary guide covering wealth management, retirement planning or Inheritance Tax planning, email amanda.redman@sjpp.co.uk

Rate of new firms falls in Tunbridge Wells

by Alice Reece

FEWER new companies were formed in Tunbridge Wells last year, and the Borough slipped slightly in the rankings for Kent and Medway, according to new data analysis.

Tunbridge Wells was beaten by Medway, as well as eight Kent local authorities for start-ups last year, according to data from Companies House and the Office for National Statistics.

Tunbridge Wells saw 967 companies formed in 2022, beaten by Medway, Dartford, Maidstone, Gravesham, Canterbury, Sevenoaks, Thanet, Ashford and Tonbridge & Malling.

A total of 876 companies in Tunbridge Wells were dissolved over the 12 months, said Inform Direct, the company formation services and software firm that analysed the data. The West Kent Borough ended the year with 10,108 companies registered.

AMANDA REDMAN

OUT ON THE PANTILES:

Times Business Awards set to be sell-out success

By Sarah Carter

TICKETS for the Times Business Awards gala dinner and awards ceremony were all sold out within three days of the finalists’ shortlist being published.

Demand for tickets reached an all-time high when the finalists in the 10 categories were announced on March 15, and companies began block-booking tables for the big night.

Many firms use the event as an opportunity to reward staff or to treat clients to a special night out, so a large number had already been allocated by the time the shortlist was announced, explained Event Manager Claire Power.

“We understand that people were holding back and waiting to hear whether they were on the shortlist, but unfortunately, owing to massive interest and enthusiasm around the event, we had already sold about half of our allocation before the March 15 issue of the Times went to press.”

Capacity

Claire said that she has been working with a waiting list since the Victorian Science Theatre reached its capacity of 220 dinner guests.

“We hope that we haven’t disappointed anyone,” she added.

The Times’ new editor, Michelle Wood, said: “We have been delighted by the enthusiasm for this year’s Awards

“Last year was a bumper event with 200 attendees, but this year, we are at maximum capacity of 220.

“Despite the challenges organisations are facing this year – and, in fact, face every year – there is still a great appetite for networking.

“I so look forward to meeting many of you for the first time tomorrow night.”

The Times Business Awards is to be held tomorrow, March 30, at Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG. Visit: timesbusinessawards.com

THIS YEAR’S AWARD CATEGORIES

(Crowborough)

The George & Dragon (Speldhurst)

Pig & Porter

TN1 Bar & Kitchen

Charity of the Year 2023

Age UK Tunbridge Wells

Nourish Community Foodbank

Taylor Made Dreams

Green Business of the Year

Denton’s Art of Hair

Emily Brown Photography

Goupie

Creative Business of the Year 2023

Colley Raine & Associates

Sharp Minds Communications Ltd.

The TN card

Start-Up Business of the Year 2023

Claire Douglas Styling Kumquat

TN Lettings

Family Business of the Year 2023

Fashion Carpets

Grovewood Wealth Management

KMJ Property Kumquat

Entrepreneur of the Year 2023

Denise Airey

Gillian Palmer

Maryna Cole

Matt Elesmore

Outstanding Business of the Year 2023

NFU Mutual

Sharp Minds Communications Ltd.

Thomas Mansfield

Welham Jones Funerals & Memorials Drinks

reception sponsored by Brewin Dolphin

Headline sponsor:

EYES ON THE PRIZE: 2022 finalists and winners with celebrity host Eamonn Holmes

MI5 raises Northern Ireland terror threat

MI5 has increased the terror threat level in Northern Ireland from ‘substantial’ to ‘severe’, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Announcing the change yesterday (March 28), Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris cited a ‘small number’ of individuals who remain determined to use ‘politically motivated violence’.

Heaton-Harris urged the public to ‘remain vigilant’ but ‘not be alarmed’.

The threat level for the rest of the UK remains at ‘substantial’, meaning an attack is considered ‘likely’.

Microplastic up by 100 times in 6 years

MICROPLASTICS pollution in the UK coastline waters have been found at 100 times the level that it was six years ago, a new study has revealed.

Samples were gathered by the three rowing teams taking part in the 2,000-mile GB Row Challenge to circumnavigate the country last summer.

Scientists at the University of Portsmouth then studiend these samples and found that levels of microplastics in the water were as much as 100 times the level of data collected by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) in 2017.

The researchers said the increase could mainly be attributed to the fact that smallersized particles had been captured in the new, steel filters that were used for the latest study, which provided a more accurate picture of pollution levels.

French pension protests continue

STRIKING workers waving burning flares blocked train tracks serving one of Paris’s main railway stations on a day of nationwide protests yesterday against the governments unpopular pension plans.

Dozens of railway workers waving flags and holding flares marched along tracks outside Gare de Lyon.

Fears that violence could mar demonstrations planned across the country prompted an ‘unprecedented’ deployment of 13,000 police officers, with nearly half of them concentrated in and around Paris.

The new wave of strikes and protests has been the 10th time since January that unions have called on workers to walk out ,and for demonstrators to flood the streets in protest against Mr Macron’s push to move back France’s legal retirement age from 62 to 64.

Pause welcomed in Israel’s ‘overhaul’

BRITAIN has welcomed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s delay to his judicial overhaul that has sparked mass protests.

Mr Netanyahu announced the delay to the proposals from Israel’s most right-wing government in history, saying he wanted to ‘avoid civil war through dialogue’.

His proposed legislation would have protected him from being deemed unfit to rule, which critics say would shield Mr Netanyahu from his corruption trial.

After a series of scandals involving wealthy associates, Mr Netanyahu faces trial for fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes.

Mr Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing.

Ministers warned of ‘eviction notices’ to Afghan refugees

CAMPAIGNERS say Afghans who helped British troops could be forced into homelessness as ministers confirmed plans to end their stays in taxpayer-funded hotels.

The UK promised a safe haven to thousands of people who fled Afghanistan as the Taliban swept back into power in 2021. Many have lived in hotels since arriving.

Minister Johnny Mercer said the £1million daily cost of housing about 8,000 Afghan refugees, half of them children, in hotels is unsustainable.

Roots

“Long-term residency in hotels has prevented some Afghans from properly putting down roots, committing to employment and integrating into communities and [is] creating uncertainty as they look to rebuild their lives in the United Kingdom long term,” he said.

The Government will begin writing to individuals and families housed in the ‘Afghan bridging hotels’ at the end of April, giving them ‘at least three months’ notice’ before they are forced out.

Some £35million of new funding will help councils provide increased support to help people move from hotels into accommodation across England, while the local authority housing fund will be expanded by £250million,

with most of the cash going to house Afghans, and the rest easing homelessness pressures.

“Where an offer of accommodation can be made and is turned down, another will now not be forthcoming,” Mr Mercer said.

Enver Solomon, CEO of the Refugee Council, said he was ‘deeply concerned’ by details of the plan, with a ‘risk that they could lead to people who fled the Taliban in Afghanistan being left homeless and destitute on the streets of Britain’.

“Hotels are not the right place for refugees to live, but the fact that thousands of Afghans have been left in them for months on end is a consequence of government mismanagement and a failure to work successfully in partnership with local councils and other agencies to find suitable housing.”

Shadow Defence Secretary John Healey said

New Scottish First Minister voted in

Mr Mercer was ‘serving eviction notices on 8,000 Afghans – half of whom are children – with no guarantee they would be offered a suitable, settled place to live’.

See p4 for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s participation in the Local Authority Housing Fund Programme, aimed at providing sustainable housing for the Ukrainian and Afghan resettlement and relocation schemes.

Jeremy Corbyn blocked from running as Labour

SIR Keir Starmer’s move to block Jeremy Corbyn from running to be a Labour MP at the next election has been backed by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC).

A Labour spokesman said the leader’s motion passed by 22 votes to 12 on Tuesday afternoon, meaning it is now down to Mr Corbyn to decide whether to run as an independent candidate.

Undermining

SNP LEADER Humza Yousaf has been voted in by MSPs as Scotland’s youngest First Minister and the first from a minority ethnic background.

Election

The 37-year-old succeeds Nicola Sturgeon, who formally tendered her resignation to the King on Tuesday morning after announcing her intention to stand down last month after more than eight years in the post.

Mr Yousaf’s election at Holyrood comes after he won the SNP leadership contest on Monday,

beating closest rival Kate Forbes by picking up 52 per cent of votes compared to her 48 per cent, when second preferences were included.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton all stood against Mr Yousaf for the position of First Minister in the Holyrood vote but failed to secure enough support.

The Glasgow Pollok MSP will now officially be sworn in as First Minister at the Court of Session in Edinburgh today (March 29).

Mr Corbyn, the veteran left-winger who has represented Islington North since 1983, had criticised the move as ‘undermining the party’s internal democracy’ before its approval.

The motion says he ‘will not be endorsed by the NEC as a candidate on behalf of the Labour Party at the next general election’.

If Mr Corbyn runs as an independent in the north London constituency where he retains significant support, it could cause a distracting challenge for Sir Keir at the next election.

MP

Labour’s chances of winning the next election and securing a majority in the Commons would be ‘significantly diminished’ if Mr Corbyn was endorsed, it argued. The move will not be welcomed in all wings of the parliamentary Labour Party, where Mr Corbyn retains the support of those aligned with the Socialist Campaign Group. MP Nadia Whittome, who has served on Sir Keir’s frontbench, described the motion as ‘divisive, an attack on party democracy and a distraction’.

Activist Jon Lansman, the co-founder of the Corbyn-backing Momentum pressure group, suggested the Labour leader was acting like an ‘authoritarian’.

Mr Corbyn remains a member of the Labour Party but has lost the whip, meaning he is sitting in the Commons as an independent. He was suspended over his response to the Equality and Human Rights Commission finding Labour under his leadership was responsible for unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination as he struggled to tackle antisemitism.

JOHNNY MERCER

Rebecca Leach

Liberal Democrats

I may be new to the ballot, but I shall vote, as I always do

MY NAME is Rebecca, married to Jonathan, with three lovely children, and I’m extremely proud to say that I’m standing as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Langton Green, Speldhurst and Bidborough. To sum me up briefly, I moved to Langton Green seven years ago, after eight years of living abroad in Singapore. Since joining this community, I have run and chaired the PTA for a local primary school, volunteered at Rusthall’s community larder and helped organise neighbourhood projects, including a street party for the late Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.

Democratic

We’ve now entered the time when you might expect to see candidates – long-time councillors and first-timers like me – knocking on your door. As you would imagine, I’ve been out canvassing a lot in recent weeks and a question that keeps popping up is: “Why did you decide to stand as a Borough councillor?” It’s a good question. As a woman who takes her right to vote seriously, I believe in the democratic process and would like to see more women get involved in politics. I remember my father taking me to the polling station when I was 18 and telling me how important it was for me use my vote. “Vote for whoever you like,” he said, “but make sure you

always vote,” and since then, I always have. The truth is that standing as a candidate for the Borough Council has been a daunting process and has certainly taken me out of my comfort zone in ways I never imagined. What’s been lovely is the number of people who have

James Rands Independent

Election time again

I SEE Tunbridge Wells Conservatives have launched their campaign for the Borough Council elections. It consists entirely of attacks on the coalition’s first year in power. Let’s discuss that.

Firstly, I have been in two minds about whether to stand again. As some will know, I separated from the Lib Dem group in 2022. They’ve put up David Osborne in Culverden. He will be a superb councillor. He understands finance in a way very few councillors do and we need that expertise badly. I’m not splitting the vote with him.

Budget

When they were in power, the Tories liked big projects, but didn’t know how to manage them. They wasted £11 million on Calverley Square, the sort of pedestrian (but not really) zone outside the town hall is pointless and probably less safe than before and The Amelia Scott came in massively over budget.

Despite that, I think they might actually do quite well this election. There’s a good number of (mostly older) voters who will only ever vote Tory. And this year you need an ID card to vote.

It’s well understood both that electoral fraud is extremely rare and these laws disproportionally

affect the young and the poor. If there was any doubt about the aim of these measures; you can use an old persons’ bus pass as ID but not a young persons’. It’s blatant voter suppression. If that makes you angry (and it should) vote out their remaining councillors. Let them know you won’t tolerate that. I fear though, that voters are exhausted and apathetic.

I canvassed opinion on the coalition’s first 10 months in power and the feedback wasn’t great. It wasn’t hugely negative, but it also wasn’t positive. The coalition’s first year has been underwhelming, but…

Should we really expect more in the first year?

We have to remember from the Tories they inherited:

● A staffing shortfall over thirty council employees

● Almost a million pounds deficit only predicted to get worse

● The annual costs of running The Amelia Scott (not cheap)

● Contracts for the bin collection and leisure centre management which are sub-optimal and hard to get out of

● Central government funding reduced to nothing (by a Conservative government)

engaged with me about their concerns and thanked me for taking the time to listen. One lady said: “I wasn’t going to vote this time but as you’ve taken the time to chat to me, I will.” Fingers crossed she meant for me. More people, especially women, should be

encouraged to stand in these types of roles, be that at a village society level, Parish Council, Borough Council or even as an MP. Happily for me, I was assigned a wonderful mentor and she and the Tunbridge Wells Lib Dem team have cheered me on from day one.

Issues

There are so many local issues to tackle – bus routes that are under threat, including the buses that our children need to get to school; the closure of community hubs; the state of the roads; engaging with teens in the area – the list is long, but I know the Lib Dems are the right people to fix these issues. Last May, the Lib Dems became the largest party at the Borough Council and, together with other parties, formed the Borough Partnership. This new administration has worked hard to put the council’s finances back on a sustainable footing, revive the farmers’ market in the town centre, develop tourism, secure government funding to improve walking and cycling, create a community support fund to support the Borough’s most vulnerable residents through the cost-of-living crisis and much, much more. So, on May 4, I’ll take my photo ID and go and vote as I always have done, and I really hope that you will too.

James Rands is the independent councillor for Culverden. A former Army officer, he was first elected to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in 2019.

Getting the council back on track was always going to be a marathon not a sprint, but in this case they’re starting the marathon with a backpack full of rocks.

They have had some success. Tackling the deficit is a big (if not especially exciting and at this point far from complete) achievement. However, did you also know Mark Ellis has been pushing through the shared working space at the Town Hall (which will help address the deficit) and he’s pushing through a new market for the centre of town, the tender bids for which are now in? Why is the coalition not making more of the successes they do have? They know the Tories aren’t going to stop running negative campaigns.

TWA, Labour and one independent. This set-up comes from the 2021 election when we ended up with a 50:50 split between Tory councillors and others. Had the parties boxed a little cleverer they’d have had a majority and could have formed the council but would have required all of those parties to do so. That logic no longer held true in 2022. A Lib Dem-led administration didn’t need to include both TWA and Labour.

Spectrum

No coalition is ever going to be easy, but two parties is easier than three. Labour pride themselves on not playing well with others. However the others include members of their own party. TWA represent a broad spectrum, which means they don’t agree on very much except what they’re against. That’s not a basis for developing new policies, tackling problems or moving forward.

The Tory opposition relish disruption, sewing disinformation, creating confusion and chaos. Any truthful comment they produce is purely accidental. It’s absurdly cynical and childish, but it’s been quite successful. The whole episode over introducing fees for the park car parks ought to have been a learning point from which the coalition quickly moved on. The Tories dragged that out for months. The coalition have got to get better at rebutting the Tories.

The coalition setup isn’t helpful. It’s Lib Dems,

So the Lib Dem-led administration isn’t in a great place. They’ve made rods for their own backs and committed unforced errors, but most of the issues are inherited. If the Tories think the current state of the council is unacceptable that’s a good reason not to vote Tory.

I can see TWA and Labour trying to distance themselves from some the less popular and successful elements of the coalition, but I think people see through that. I just hope at some point they remember to tell people about the good things they’ve done.

Rebecca Leach is the Liberal Democrat candidate for Speldhurst & Bidborough ward

‘Getting the council back on track was always going to be a marathon not a sprint’

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

Southborough precept

Drawing information

With regards to Peppy’s cartoon showing the downwards graph, what does she know about life in Tunbridge Wells that we don’t?

Susan Sheldrake

Tunbridge Wells

Reading change

I have been sensing some subtle changes to the newspaper but haven’t been able to put my finger on it. For the last few weeks it has felt infinitely more readable to my 74-year-old eyes. There has been plenty of interest, to read, too.

Then I noticed that you had a new editor. Congratulations, Michelle Wood. I look forward to reading more of the Times with you at the helm.

Pauline Rodney

Tunbridge Wells

Keeping services running

THANK you for the opportunity to respond to former Councillor Simmons’ letter questioning the below-inflation, 7.36% increase in Southborough Town Council’s precept for 2023-24. A full account will, of course, be given at the Annual Town Meeting in April 2023, to which Mr Simmons is cordially invited. As are all residents.

Suffice to say here that, among other increased costs, notably for energy, the Council’s insurance bill has gone up from £24,000 for 2022-23 to £84,000 for 2023-24; unprecedented increases which have meant that, in order to keep the increase as low as it is, it has been necessary to refrain from replacing lost staff, and to reduce other expenditure.

The net receipt from the allotments sale of c. £1m is held in the Council’s reserves. Some £500K is set aside as a sinking fund (a sort of pension fund) for maintenance of the £13m building complex, as our auditors agree is prudent and necessary. It is otherwise earmarked to purchase or improve other public capital assets. The programme for this is set out annually in the report from the Chair of the Finance Committee to the Town Meeting.

Manners take their course

Further to Calverley’s point last week about waiting staff clearing plates as each diner finished: In the 1970s we went with friends to the Old Vine in Cousley Wood. The then-owner’s wife tried to do that to urge us on our way. I sent her on her way.

We hadn’t realised there were two sittings, neither had we been told. We never went back, of course.

Also, the old convention has been forgotten by diners and not taught to waiting staff that if my cutlery is parked at 6.30, I have finished. If it’s at 4.40, I haven’t, but then many diners today think

For example, in 2022-23 we replaced defective playground equipment; installed protective pavilion fencing; commissioned works to the playing field drainage and so on. This programme of public investment will continue in 2023-24, to include resurfacing and works to the tennis courts, works to Holden Pond and other similar items. Southborough and High Brooms holds itself fortunate to be in a position to provide and maintain these amenities, and is always keen to hear from residents about the sort of things they want us to do.

It is unusual for capital sums derived from the sale of capital assets to be used to shore up current account deficits, as Mr Simmons appears to advocate; and it is not a course of action which most company directors, let alone Councillors in their role as trustees of public assets, would regard as desirable or prudent.

I shall be delighted to welcome Mr Simmons to our Annual Town Meeting, where Councillors will, as ever, do their best to answer any questions he, or any other resident, may have.

Cllr Dianne Hill Mayor of Southborough Town Council

their knives are writing instruments.

Ralph Steerpike

Tunbridge Wells

Steer towards realism

In response to Cllr Lidstone’s letter last week, and his solution to everything of cycling everywhere: If you are taking your children or parents in to RTW for a shop, it’s bit hard on a bike. And after shopping, you take it all home on a bike, too? Get a grip. Cars are not going away, electric or otherwise, so accommodate them.

Richard Bell Culverden Park Road

The council produced a surplus of £14.185 million in 2021/22 (the last year of Covid –equivalent to 54% of Council Tax income) and £32.428 million over 10 Years (over 16% of all Council Tax income). In the current year 2022/23 there will be a significant surplus created on the council’s solid spread on revenue earning. Keeping services running ready for the end of Covid was the right thing to do. Slashing services as we approached the end of Covid would have been stupid and damaging to residents and

PEPPY SAYS...

businesses, especially as we had already built up substantial assets in the Council. This is financial competence demonstrated by the Conservatives. Financial incompetence of the current administration is putting up car parking charges just before Christmas at a rate double that of general inflation, damaging local businesses; delays in getting coworking operational –planned for September 2022 – now we will be lucky to see it in 2023. During the current year, no planning or foresight for contingencies and development for the future.

This year 2022/23 has been a financial planning disaster where no new policies or ideas launched or promoted by the Liberal Democrat-led coalition.

It is time that the Liberals learnt what financial competence actually means as they have not demonstrated it in any of their comments, policies or actions previously or in their administration of the Council.

David Scott

Former Deputy Leader (2021/22) Conservatives

Final word

Just wanted to say how much I love Calverley’s column each week, I am highly disappointed when he is not in the paper.

I always leave his column to last. As the saying goes: save the best ‘til last.

Ali Goldsmith Tunbridge Wells

Pupils sow seeds to promote a greener future

Schoolchildren from Tunbridge Wells have taken part in a new wildflower seeding project.

Pupils from four different schools – St Peter’s, St Matthew’s, Oakley and Meadows – participated in a mass planting event last week in Calverley Grounds. As well as flower seeds, the children also planted small plug plants with the aim of promoting biodiversity in the area.

The project was a collaboration between Kent High Weald Project, Tunbridge Wells in Bloom and The Tunbridge Wells Fairtrade Town Group, and is part of a wider programme of events designed to encourage people to get involved in improving the biodiversity.

SEEDING THE FUTURE:

Pupils from St Peter’s CofE Primary School

“Since World War 2, we have lost 97 per cent of our wildflower meadows in the UK, therefore it is vital that we plant wildflower seeds in our green spaces to reverse this decline and improve the habitat for increasingly rare species,” explained Mandy Flashman-Wells, who is one of the o-organisers and an active member of

The Tunbridge Wells Fairtrade Town Group. The organisation is just one of many up and down the country who campaign for a fair income for some of the world’s poorest people who produce and farm some of the staple products found in our cafés and supermarkets, such as coffee, chocolate and fruit.

The Tunbridge Wells Fairtrade Town Group believe that buying Fairtrade products really makes a difference, but they are also passionate about promoting the protection of the natural world.

That is why they have teamed up with The Amelia, Tunbridge Wells’ cultural centre, in order to bring the town’s children a variety of nature-themed activities which will be running over the Easter holidays. (See Page 22.)

“The activities we’ve worked on include making seed bombs and building bee hotels,” explains Mandy, who then reveals that the two groups have also worked on a unique biodiversity project that will be installed in The Amelia Scott in May.

“Working with local artist, Bonnie, from

Botanical Press, our new Biodiversity, Climate Change and Fairtrade project will be installed in the Amelia Scott building in time for the King’s Coronation on May 6.

“Any school, community group or individual who would like to get involved, making fabulous insect artworks for display, please feel free to get in touch.”

To contact the Fairtrade Town Group, contact@twfairtrade.org.uk For more information on The Amelia, visit: theamelia.co.uk

Make your spare room work for you & earn an income from hosting European pupils on their school trips.

HOST FAMILIES REQUIRED

Make your spare room work for you & earn an income from home!

We welcome schools throughout the year including summer stays.The groups arrive on a Monday and stay 3 or 4 nights. Their busy schedules mean they are out all day from 7.30am – 7.00pm.

Hosting suits everyone; single people, couples with or without children & retired people.

Stephanie Heymer

Hosting suits everyone: single people, couples with or without children & retired people. We are seeking friendly and kind people who will provide the students with a warm, clean, safe and welcoming environment.

Groups arrive mid-week & stay 3-4 nights, leaving your weekends free!

Hosting fits around busy lives with early morning drop off & evening pick-up.

Hosting with ISE is a wonderful and enriching way to give young people the opportunity of a lifetime and to create unforgettable memories.

Last week, pupils from four different schools in Tunbridge Wells took part in a wildflower seeding project at Calverley Grounds. Mandy Flashman-Wells, who co-organised the event, tells the Times all about it…

‘Since World War 2, we have lost 97% of our wildflower meadows in the UK, therefore it’s vital we plant wildflower seeds to reverse this decline’

Easter in Tunbridge Wells

1)Easter Lunch

There is literally nothing better than spending time enjoying a meal with loved ones over a long Easter weekend together. Here are just a few suggestions

2) Easter Elevenses

It’s not Easter weekend without Hot Cross Buns! There are a wide range of brilliant creators of home-made buns as well as shop-bought, try:

Gail’s Bakery, 21 High Street

Monday – Sunday 6.30am-6.30pm

Sainsbury’s Local, Mount Pleasant Road

Monday – Saturday 7am – 11pm, Sunday Midday – 6pm

Tesco Express, 29 Grosvenor Road

Larratt & Co’s butchery know-how is the only place to go for your centrepiece. Contact them on 01892 616668 or drop in any weekday and place your order.

Larratt & Co, 15 Chapel Place

Monday – Friday 8am – 5pm

Cook have a wide range of amazing dishes for Easter meals, the cheesecakes and pavlovas look especially delicious!

Cook Tunbridge Wells

Monday – Saturday 7am – 8pm (9pm Thursday & Friday), Sunday 10am – 4pm

The Breadsmith (at The Silver Sheep) 10-12 Chapel Place, Weds, Fri, Sat (advance orders welcome)

Monday – Saturday 10am – 5.30pm, Sunday 11am – 4pm

Covering a wide range of international cuisine, the International Shop stocks groceries, halal meats, fish and fresh fruit and vegetables

International Shop, 135-137 Camden Road Monday – Saturday 11am –7pm, Sunday 11am – 5pm

Socials:

Address: 52 High Street, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1XF

Celebrating Easter with friends, family and loved ones? We have picked out just a small selection of Easter essentials suggested by some of your favourite Tunbridge Wells BID businesses

Larratt & Co

Gail's Bakery

Cook Tunbridge Wells

The International Shop

The Breadsmith @ The Silver Sheep

The Silver Sheep

Local

Support Tunbridge Wells Businesses

Enjoy some time creating your own themed Easter with some great ideas from Lakeland including make your own easter eggs, moulds, crockery, napkins, cookie cutters

Lakeland, 79 Monson Road

Monday – Saturday 9am – 5.30pm, Sunday 10am – 4pm

3)Decorating your home

The White Company have become synonymous with stunning pussy-willow branches and wreaths, perfect for Easter decorations and hanging home-made easter decorations from.

The White Company, 28-30 High Street

Monday – Saturday 9.30am – 5.30pm (6pm on Saturdays), Sunday 10am – 4pm

Hoopers Homewares have something for all tastes, we love the Neom diffusers, and the OKA cereamic eggs shown above.

Hoopers Store, 2-12 Mount Pleasant Road

Monday – Saturday 10am – 5pm

5) Don’t forget the eggs!

The team at M&S has excelled itself this year with a Giant Hot Cross Bun Egg, Colin the Caterpillar, Percy pig chocolate faces, a golden carrot plus an indulgent collection and great dairy free and vegan eggs. Marks & Spencer, 33 Calverley Road

Monday – Saturday 8am – 6pm, Sunday 10.30am – 4.30pm

Good & Green are your go to place for no added sugar, raw, organic and pure chocolate…the Cocoa Loco chocolate spoons look fun.

Good and Green Organic Health Foods, 33 High Street

Monday – Saturday 9am – 5.30pm, Sunday 10am – 4pm

The lovely Arte Bianca have a wide range of stunning milk and dark chocolate eggs with a surprise inside, from 125g to 1Kilo!! They are also home to Flamigni’s Colomba cakes. Arte Bianca, 1 Chapel Place

Monday – Sunday 8am – 5pm

4)Easter Lunch

Treat yourself to an Easter weekend lunch or dinner and support local, here are just a few suggestions:

Mount Edgcumbe, The Common

To book visit www.themountedgcumbe.com or call 01892 618854

The Warren, 5a High Street

To book visit www.thewarren.restaurant or call 01892 328191

The Barn, 1 Lonsdale Gardens

To book visit www.barn-pub-rest.co.uk or call 01892 510424

Giggling Squid, 57 Calverley Road

To book visit www.gigglingsquid.com or call 01892 545499

For everything Vegan, Plant Base are your people. Plant Base, 11 Camden Road

To book visit www.theplantbase.co.uk or call 01892548870

Wednesday – Saturday 12-3pm and 6-10pm

NB. Please check Easter Weekend opening hours as they may vary from the hours above.

Hoopers

Arte Bianca

Good & Green

“It’s beautiful. Little coffee shops, green space and lovely people always welcoming you.”

Davinder, Halifax colleague

It’s a Wadhurst thing.

Life &Times

James Sedge and Julie Parker are the directors of MusicStation in Tonbridge. MusicStation is the biggest contemporary music school in Kent. They both play in bands that have appeared at the Local & Live festival and at the Tunbridge Wells Forum, as well as on tours all over the world.

James Sedge is also the drummer for the actor, writer and musician Matt Berry…

So James what inspired you to start MusicStation?

My co-director, Julie Parker, and myself had written a BMus Hons degree, ‘Popular Music Performance’, for the University of Kent, and we’d been running it very successfully for many years. We felt it was time to move on and use our skills and expertise to create a way to teach rock and pop music that was thorough, r igorous and properly designed, as well as fun, enjoyable and creative.

Why does music motivate you so much?

Julie and I have dedicated our whole lives to improving contemporary music education. We have both worked in schools, colleges and universities for the past 30 years and we’re very familiar with all the music qualifications available, and all the ways music is currently taught. We wanted to bring together the best of everything we’ve experienced and been involved with over the years, so we could design the most successful tuition method for learning rock and pop music.

When and how did you open your first MusicStation site?

We were inspired to start our own music school and to write a new syllabus fit for the 21st century. With help from local businessman Rod Clark, whose son did our BMus Degree, we opened MusicStation in Tonbridge in 2013. We started with just one student and we now have over 500 per week. We have now taught over 150,000 lessons!

Tell us more about the lesson structure and types of tuition available…

Students can learn guitar, ukulele, bass, drums, keyboards/piano, vocals, songwriting, music theory and music technology, both after school and at weekends. We have developed a successful, small-group tuition method over the last 10 years. And with up to four students per group, it brings down the cost of the lessons to

only £14.75 and provides many benefits, such as improved confidence, collaboration, new friends, and a fun atmosphere. Students are carefully streamed by age and ability.

Does the school run alongside the academic year?

Yes, we run weekly lessons aligned to school terms, but we offer extra events during the holidays. We have 17 specialist teachers and two full-time administrators to keep things running smoothly. We also provide online lessons for

‘Students can learn guitar, ukulele, bass, drums, keyboards/piano, vocals, songwriting, music theory and music technology, after school and at weekends’

students who might live too far away to get to our teaching studios. Some of them live in rural areas and we also have students in Cyprus, Africa and Spain. We provide lessons in many local schools across Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells.

What do students learn with you?

If you follow the MusicStation method and the Trinity Rock & Pop syllabus, you could go on to play professionally, or, just as importantly, have a life-long association with music through playing for fun and listening to music on a much deeper level.

Our tuition promotes all-round musicianship, ear-training, improvisation and creativity, as well as knowledge of popular music styles. Lessons are designed to make fast progress in small steps – and our supporting lesson materials include online resources, apps and video play-alongs, to help you progress at home. We like to work closely with parents, and we provide every student with a free practice diary with reward stickers, so

they can track the work set and their progress. We also run a Parents’ Week every half-term, where they can sit in on the lesson and have a chat with the teachers. We can also give expert advice on instruments and equipment, and we can get special deals for our students.

Can your students study for graded exams?

Fairly early on, we developed a relationship with Trinity College London and we became the lead consultants for their newest Rock & Pop graded exam syllabus. This syllabus now provides the foundation for much of our teaching. We’re also a Trinity Exam Centre. We have a 100% success rate for the Trinity Rock & Pop exams with a very high proportion of distinctions.

Can you tell us about your teachers?

We only use highly-trained rock and pop specialist teachers. Their music industry knowledge and experience is an invaluable resource. They are friendly, knowledgeable and committed to the students’ success. Many parents have commented that they are excellent role models for their children.

Are there courses for adults?

Adults are always welcome to have any lessons we offer, and some parents are now having lessons with their children. We also run ‘Play it Again’ evening sessions that are designed especially for adults who have previously played an instrument and want to start again and play in a band.

Congratulations on your 10th anniversary. How does it feel?

We are absolutely delighted to still be teaching and growing as a business after 10 years. We have met so many wonderful students and their parents along the way, and we feel so proud to have helped so many people to learn and enjoy popular music.

MusicStation is at 3 Bank Street, Tonbridge, TN9 1BL. Telephone: 01732 350629 or visit: musicstation.pro

‘We are delighted that we have helped so many young people learn and enjoy popular music…’

IN TUNE: Juile Parker and James Sedge of MusicStation

MusicStation, based in Tonbridge, is the biggest contemporary music school in Kent. Marking its 10th anniversary this year, co-founders James Sedge and Julie Parker tell Paul Dunton about its history and how young musicians can get involved

Curl up with a good read...

Old Babes in The Wood by Margaret Atwood

Published in hardback by Chatto & Windus and as an ebook

Cursed Bread by Sophie Mackintosh

Published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton

The Curator by Owen King

Published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton and in ebook

The latest collection of short fiction by Margaret Atwood is bookended by two stories following married couple Nell and Tig across the decades. The middle consists of unconnected short stories on a range of sometimes peculiar subjects, including a snail soul finding itself in a woman’s body, an interview with the late George Orwell through a medium, and an alien attempting to tell human fairytales. While each is interesting in its own right, and Atwood’s imagination and mastery of storytelling is evident, it feels like a haphazard assortment that does not always meet the standard of her other works. The return to Nell and Tig at the end includes touching depictions of ageing and losing loved ones. More of this storyline would be welcome.

Review by Sophie Wingate

Owen King’s offering promises to be a Dickensian fantasy that will draw the reader into an alternate universe full of thieves and conjurers, but what you actually get is a rambling tale with very little focus. In a similar vein to Mervyn Peake’s Gormenghast, there is a grotesqueness to proceedings. However, rather than leaning into the main characters, new ones are added and then just as quickly dropped. The main character, Dora, is a maid at The National Museum of the Worker, a place filled with wax figures of jobs from the past. She gets little respect from those around her – or the author, as at no point will you feel anything for this character. Dora picks away at the loose threads of society while searching for answers about where her brother went after he died. It’s hard to become fully invested.

Review by Rachel Howdle

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS LITERARY FESTIVAL IS BACK AND THERE’S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE

This brilliant book has been longlisted for the Women’s Prize. A vivid and visceral account of a postwar French village and its sudden descent into the grip of madness, Cursed Bread is a dark and fevered journey through the mind and memories of Elodie, the wife of the village baker who longs for the taste of freedom and desire. The arrival of the ambassador and his wife provokes a stir among the locals –and a stirring of something deeper in Elodie – but the exotic strangers are not as they first appear. Through Elodie’s raw and startling confessions, we empathise with her vulnerabilities, her growing frustrations and her unhealthy obsession with the glamorous Violet and her manipulative and desirable husband, mirroring the rising tension within the community, as it escalates and erupts in a final, brutal climax. This novel is a masterclass in observation, of fracturing personalities but also in its tight and nuanced portrait of the rituals and minutiae of small-town life. Afterwards, you’ll want to devour it all over again.

This year’s Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival is set to run from Thursday May 11 to Sunday May 14. With the backing of Arts Council England, as well as the generous support of Berry & Lamberts Solicitors and RBC Brewin Dolphin, the festival aims to be bigger and better than before.

This year, expect to see the festival headlined by a leading cast of authors and illustrators, ranging from industry veterans such as Sir Michael Parkinson (My Sporting Life), to popular children’s authors like Michael Rosen (We’re Going on A Bear Hunt,

Goldilocks and the Three Crocodiles and Getting Better) and legends of stage and screen, such as Sheila Hancock (Old Rage).

Brand-new events include the first ever TW Comicon, featuring comic books, novels and films, manga, workshops with comic creators and artists, collectables, comics to purchase, and retro-gaming opportunities.

The Local Writers’ Fair, featuring writers from Kent and Sussex, will showcase local talent, too.

To find out more follow the Amelia Scott on social media or visit: theamelia.co.uk

Family holiday fun in Tunbridge Wells

The Times’ guide to keeping everyone entertained over the upcoming holiday break…

Master bushcraft at Penshurst Penshurst Place and Gardens reopens for spring on April 1. Bring the children down to Camp Wilderness Bushcraft Activities on April 7, from 10am to 4.30pm. Spectacular activities on offer include axe-throwing, archery, and bushfire cooking. Recommended for children aged 8 and above, all the activities are included within the admission tickets to Penshurst Place. For information on the activities, visit: penshurstplace.com/whats-on/events-andactivities/2023-04/

Free forest school activities on the Commons

The Friends of Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons are running free forest school play sessions on the Commons. Join in with fun activities, including supervised fire lighting, whittling, bug hunting, mud kitchens, woodland craft and marshmallow toasting over an open fire. Sessions take place on April 4 at Tunbridge Wells Common, just off Castle Road (follow the signs from Fir Tree Car Park) and on April 5 at Rusthall Common, at the Marlpit pond (signposted from Common View). These free drop-in sessions run from 10am to 12 noon, and 1pm to 3pm. Children must be accompanied by adults and wear suitable clothes for woodland play.

For more information about the event, visit: twcommons.org/events

Join the Easter fun at Hever

‘Join in an Easter quest and egg-cellent craft egg decorating workshop at Hever Castle & Gardens this school holiday.

Celebrate spring by helping the Easter Bunny find his sweet treats, and spell a special word as

part of an Easter egg hunt around the grounds. Once you’ve worked out the word, head to the Information Hut to receive a chocolate treat. Spring also offers a great chance to explore the gardens. Enjoy a dazzling display of spring blooms, from late-flowering daffodils to hyacinths, camellias and tulips. With the opening of the Woodland Walk, there are an additional 25 acres of outside space to enjoy. For more information about Hever, visit: hevercastle.co.uk

Bee a nature lover at Hole House ‘Beecome a Conservation Hero’ at Hole Park, with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust on Friday April 7. This special experience is open to

anyone who wants to learn more about the types of bees found in our home county. Learn how to identify the different species of bees already resident in your garden and get tips on which flowers and plants to grow at home to encourage bees. The event includes a tour of the gardens to see the many bee species found at Hole Park and is included in the admission price to the gardens. Two sessions take place: At 11.15am and 1.45pm. Numbers are limited, so book early to avoid disappointment. Admission in advance through the website costs £10 for adults and £2.50 for children (5-17). At the gate: £11 for adults and £2.50 for children.

Visit: holepark.com or phone 01580 241 344

Explore National Trust sites in Kent

Treat your loved ones to a spring adventure at one of the many National Trust properties in Kent: From Sissinghurst Castle Garden, to Knole, Scotney Castle, Chartwell, Emmetts Garden and Ightham Mote, there are plenty of HOLE HOUSE

HEVER CASTLE

PENSHURST PLACE

new experiences to enjoy with the family.

Climb into a giant bird’s nest at the Scotney Castle egg-stravaganza, or follow the ‘Being Winston’ trail to learn about Churchill in the gardens at Chartwell. Each National Trust Easter trail ends with a chocolate egg, or vegan and free-from egg.

National Trust Easter egg trails cost £3 per child, plus regular National Trust admission (free entry for National Trust members).

To discover your nearest National Trust Easter trail, visit: nationaltrust.org.uk/easter

Feed your curiosity on Discovery Days

The Amelia Scott Centre will be holding spring Discovery Days on April 1, 2, 3, 5, 12, 14, 15, 16, from 10am to 4pm.

Explore the beautiful courtyard and play nature-themed bingo. There is also a digital forest for you to explore in the temporary exhibition space next door.

Get creative and plant your own seed bombs on April 1, 2, 3, and 5, or join in and make a

wild bee hotel on April 12, 14, 15, and 16.

For more information, visit: theamelia.co. uk/whats-on/

Playtime with Pinocchio

Showing at the Trinity Theatre on April 1, this delightful show combines puppetry, shadows, illusion, and specially composed music. It is suitable for ages four upwards and is a delight for all ages.

For more information about the show and to book tickets, visit: trinitytheatre.net

Who’s that moth?

Join the free moth identification session at the hub Grosvenor and Hilbert Park on April 1 at 10.30, when Dr Ian Beavis will check the moths have been discovered in a local garden overnight.

Further information at: fogh.org.uk/events

Holiday activity camps

Mega Camps

Ofsted-registered and catering for children aged 4-14, this camp offers a range of sports and activity days out for both boys and girls.

It is held at St Mark’s Primary School on Ramslye Road, and the hours are 9am to 4pm, or extended hours of 8am to 9pm.

Call: 01892 525402

Ultimate Activity Camps

Children can enjoy a range of more than 40 sports, games and craft activities each week, from Monday April 3 to Friday April 14, at Rose Hill School, Coniston Avenue. All staff, safeguarding practices, facilities and activities meet rigorous Ofsted standards.

Drop off from 8.30am to 9.30am and pick up from 4.30pm to 5.15pm. Extended passes are available.

To find out more about Ultimate Activity Camps, including a range of special offers, visit: ultimateactivity.co.uk

Southeast Kids Camps

Taking place at Pembury Primary School, this camp is open to all children in the area, every day during the holidays, from Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, excluding bank holidays.

An Ofsted-registered childcare provider, the camp offers 50 fun gaming and sporting activities. Call Pembury Club Directly: 07534 361181

Camp Beaumont

Held at Kent College Junior School in Pembury, the rural backdrop is complemented by a range of top facilities that facilitate inspiring adventures throughout the school holidays, including sports, arts, crafts, and games. The camp is open to 3 to 14-year-olds.

For more information, visit campbeaumont. co.uk/our-camps/kent-college

Holmewood House

Set in 30 acres of beautiful grounds at Holmewood School in Barrow Lane, Langton Green, the camp offers a wide variety of activities to children aged 5-12.

These include Disney-inspired art, baking, crafts, basketball, cheerleading, cricket, football, handball, hockey, multisports, tennis and bikeability.

For more information, contact Course Director Claire Masterson: cmasterson@ holmewoodhouse.co.uk

Stagecoach

Let your children have fun improving their performing arts skills in front of friends and family. The Stagecoach camp runs from April 3-5 at Southborough Primary, Broomhill Road, and is open to children aged 4-18.

For more information, call 01273 835884.

Craftd

Join the Craftd Bus Sewing Camp from April 3-6, from 10am to 12.30pm or 1.30pm to 4pm at Tonbridge School for some fun, creative sewing sessions.

More details at: recre8courses.co.uk

Tigers Gymnastics Club

Join the Easter holiday club for gymnasts of all abilities for week 1: April 3- April 6, or week 2: April 10 to April 14. Half-day or full-day options are available. All activities take place at Tigers, Unit 5, Chapman Way.

For more information, visit: tigersgymnastics.com/holiday-club

The Weald Gymnastics

Gymnastics holiday club sessions will be held from April 3-6, and April 11-14 at the club at 6a Sovereign Way, Tonbridge.

For more information, email: info@wealdgymnastics.com

Firstclass Football Soccer School & Multisports Camp

The Soccer School & Multi-Sports Camp is open to children of all abilities in years 1-9. Sessions are progressive and content is devised to enable children to develop and advance. Camp takes place from Monday April 3 to Thursday April 6 at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys 3G and Sports Hall, from 9am to 3pm. Early drop off and late collections available.

To book, visit: firstclassfootball.com

HEVER CASTLE

Come and join the Great Bunny Trail of Tunbridge Wells

Get out and about this Easter holidays from 1st - 16th April & spot 20 cute rabbits hiding in the windows of some of our Royal Tunbridge Wells Together BID shops across town!

You can enter a prize draw to win one of 20 prizes including a HUGE Jellycat bunny (from Jeremy's Home Stores), two sets of family theatre tickets to The Smeds & The Smoos (thank you to The Assembly Hall), 12 Easter Eggs with a suprise (from Arte Bianca) and five more small jellycat bunnies (from Jeremy's Home Store)

Simply Either:

Cut out this page

Pick up a trail map from the Customer Service Team at Royal Victoria Place (Lower Mall between Next and M&S)

Download a trail map from www.visittunbridgewells.com/Seasonal/Easter-holidays

Look out in your Parent Mail from school

1. 2. 3. 4.

Treat yourself to dinner for under £30 at The Brasserie

By Molly Miller

TUNBRIDGE Wells-based restaurant The Brasserie has introduced a new set menu for under £30 to help people enjoy a meal out without breaking the bank.

It costs £24.50 for two courses, or £29.50 for three, and features a collection of the Mediterranean restaurant’s best-loved dishes from its newest lunch and dinner menu which launched earlier this month.

Options include classic favourites from the starter, main and dessert menu such as cuttlefish calamari, pan-fried seabass, and a vegetarian tagliatelle.

The Brasserie Burger, garlic and chilli chicken skewers and a choice of four different desserts are also on offer.

Sustainable

The set menu, along with the restaurant’s breakfast, lunch and dinner menus precisely source the best and freshest ingredients from local suppliers, including Southborough Butchers, David Catt & Sons, and Penshurst Fine Foods.

“The new menu promises sustainable, high-quality produce and honest, authentic food,” said Head Chef Ollie

Funnell.

This amazing offer is available Monday to Friday from 12pm to 5pm.

The Brasserie is hoping to attract those out with friends, on a date or for a business lunch and said the new set menu features a perfect combination of dishes for all occasions and preferences.

Bookings can be made online at: brasserieowp.co.uk, where the set menu can also be downloaded.

‘The new menu promises sustainable, high-quality produce and honest, authentic

HEAD CHEF OLLIE FUNNELL

SPICED CHICKEN THIGH ORZO

CUTTLEFISH CALAMARI

BRASSERIE BURGER

VEGETARIAN TAGLIATELLE

You have to hand it to them

By Lilly Croucher

I RECENTLY visited Tunbridge Wells’ newest pub restaurant, The Hand & Sceptre, for a stunning three-course meal with drinks in their beautiful dining room. My expectations were high and I was certainly not disappointed.

We entered the restaurant through a gorgeous outside terrace overlooking Southborough Common, decked with outdoor seating and strung with lights that offered the promise of gatherings with friends for fabulous cocktails in

the warm summer months.

In the bar, we received a warm welcome from the friendly staff, who offered us a drink from a varied selection of beers, wines, cocktails and soft drinks. I was particularly impressed by the number of non-alcoholic options on offer, from 0% gin and tonics to driver-friendly beers.

We were then shown to our table in the stylish, modern dining room. Plush velvet chairs and a contemporary layout elevates the feeling of relaxed luxury.

For starters, my companion chose the

PERFECTION: 30-day-aged rib-eye steak

lightly-battered soft salt and szechuan pepper squid (£8.25). It maintained the perfect balance of crispiness and softness and was most enjoyable with a light lemony sauce. The chipotle sticky chicken (£7.95), was melt-in-themouth soft, and equally sweet and tangy. It’s now a new favourite of mine and I would highly recommend it! There are many other starters on offer, such as baked mushrooms (£7.50), sticky beef dumplings (£7.95), pan-fried wild scallops (£12.50) and chicken liver parfait (£7.75).

The menu has a fantastic choice of main dishes, from sourdough pizzas and gourmet burgers, to fresh seafood and juicy steaks that

A broad menu and exceptional attention to detail to make the Hand & Sceptre pub a firm favourite in the area again…

‘The menu had a fantastic choice of main dishes, from sourdough pizzas and gourmet burgers to fresh seafood and juicy steaks’

we simply could not resist. For £27.50, we went for the 30-day-aged 10oz rib-eye steak. Served medium rare, it was cooked to perfection and served with thick-cut chips, an onion rosti, confit tomatoes and roasted mushroom, which I smothered in rich beef dripping sauce. Heaven. Other fantastic dishes included the dirty burger (£17.95), pan-roasted lamb rump (£22.50), king prawn, crab and chorizo linguini (£16.50) and the hot and spicy diablo pizza (£15.75).

Delicacies

Dessert offered up a range of delicacies, including the home-baked chocolate brownie (£7.75), the lotus biscoff chocolate bomb for caramel fans (£8.95), the classic apple and damson crumble with custard or vanilla ice cream (£7.50) as well as sticky toffee pudding (£7.75). Also on offer was a cheesecake trio (£7.95) and a wide selection of ice cream or sorbets with a home-baked triple chocolate cookie (£6.75)

Spoiled for choice, we eventually settled on mini desserts with a hot drink (£5.95). We enjoyed a slice of the warm and rich home-baked chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream and the brioche bread-and-butter pudding with chocolate and fruit pieces covered in a warm custard.

We also had the opportunity to try the Baileys latte, which was well-balanced against the desserts. Throughout the night, we were served expertly by our brilliant waiter, Will, who was exceptionally attentive throughout the meal.

Overall, we had a fantastic night and would highly recommend the Hand & Sceptre to anyone. Whether you’re a couple on a date night, friends catching up over dinner, or a large group celebrating a special event, this pub’s outstanding service and impeccable food and drink is set to make it a firm favourite in the area.

TEMPTING: Choose from a range of delicious desserts

LUXURY: The dining room at The Hand & Sceptre

B-movie thrills with grade-A style

Matthew Dann reviews the new interplanetary sci-fi thriller, 65

This new Adam Driver film hit cinemas this week. To be honest, I knew little about it, but after seeing the teaser, I was intrigued.

Adam Driver is a fine actor who always puts in nuanced, powerful and emotional performances. The film has a simple plot: an astronaut crash-lands on a mysterious planet far from home, only to find he is not alone.

It has a run time of 1h 33m, which for this film, felt like the perfect length. Considering the theme and limited cast, any longer would have been a stretch. However, this movie is far from boring.

Having crash-landed, our protagonist, Mills, (Adam Driver) finds another survivor. A young girl, called Koa, played by Arianna Greenblatt. Having done so, he sets about finding an escape vessel. This is eventually found far away from where our survivors are located. A long journey awaits.

Simmering underneath this seemingly innocuous storyline is a deeper plot.

Having left behind his wife and daughter, Mills finds himself caring for Koa. Through the film, we are exposed to not only his physical journey, but to his mental and emotional one, too.

Twists

Adam Driver plays his role with exquisite precision: a helpless, dishevelled and emotionally drained, lone survivor who morphs into a man on a very specific mission – to escape the planet with the young girl in his charge.

Along the way, there are numerous twists and turns. There are moments that prompt laughter and others that will make any parent want to hug their child a little tighter.

This is a very well-thought-out film with balanced action and storyline. The bond that forms between the two characters feels both genuine and heartwarming. Throughout the film, one roots for them to find their escape vessel and to succeed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film and highly recommend it. 65 is showing at the Odeon in Tunbridge Wells in various time slots.

Also showing:

The following selection of films is currently showing at the Odeon, Tunbridge Wells.

80 for Brady

Directed by Kyle Martin. Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, Rita Moreno and Tom Brady. Inspired by the true story of four best friends living life to the fullest when they take a wild trip to the 2017 Super Bowl to see their hero, Tom Brady.

Allelujah

Directed by Richard Eyre and starring Lorraine Ashbourne, Jessica Baglow, and David Bagley. This is a warm and deeply moving story about old age. When the geriatric ward in a small Yorkshire hospital is threatened with closure, the hospital fights back.

John Wick Chapter 4

Directed by Chad Stahelski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Lance Reddick, Donnie Yen and Bill Skarsgard. John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. Before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe.

‘Adam Driver plays his role with exquisite precision’

MOVIE MONSTER: Adam Driver in 65

A Wapping beautiful private art collection goes on sale at auction

Nick Hall of Bentley’s tells the Times about special artworks from the Wapping Group of Artists that depict the busy life surrounding London’s Dockland coming under the hammer in Cranbook…

As part of our Antiques, Fine Art & Collector’s auction, which is scheduled for Saturday, April 1 at Bentley’s in Cranbrook, we have been asked to handle some particularly interesting art collections from private estates across Kent, Sussex and Surrey. One of these is a fabulous single-owner private collection of paintings relating to The Wapping Group of Artists – one

man’s dedication and passion over many years, culminating in 30-50 superb, original works of art in oils and watercolours.

The Wapping Group of Artists was founded around 1946, to record the busy life around London’s Dockland, and since then to also include the Thames, the land either side of it and all that goes on in and around the area. The current group of 25 members meet once a week to paint an ongoing record of what they see along venues, from Henley down to the Thames Estuary, between the months of April and

September, and are affectionately known as the ‘Wappers’.

Some of the artists included in this collection are Edward Wesson (1910-1983); Max Hofler (1892-1963); Roger Dellar (b. 1949); Roy Hammond (b. 1934) and Josiah Sturgeon (1919-1999). The collection does also include other artists not strictly ‘Wappers’, but who have

There is no obligation to sell, so call Clive Today to arrange a home visit at no charge and at your convenience. He will advise you personally on your items and absolute discretion is guaranteed.

produced some fabulous works. These include Raoul Dufy (1877-1953), Lord Methuen (18861974), Francis Russell Flint (1915-1977), Georges Hamel (1900-1972), to name a few. It’s quite a collection!

From other private estates, and fresh to market, are some very collectable fine oil paintings of mixed subjects, including an Antoine Bouvard

(1870-1956) 'Venetian backwater canal scene', 60cm x 80cm, estimated at £4000/6000; a superbly detailed Eugenio Zampighi (1859-1944) 'Happy Family', 56cm x 75cm, estimated at £3000/5000, and a very cleverly worked Arthur John Strutt (1819-1888) 'candlelit interior scene', 52cm x 42cm, estimated at £1000/2000; as well as two bloomin’ lovely still life studies of vases of flowers by Harold Clayton (1896-1979), estimated at £1000/2000 each.

Tastes

All in all, there’ll l be about 100 paintings or so in the sale, with something for everyone, to fit all tastes and budgets, and being just one section of this fab and eclectic 1,000-lot sale, which will include a wider range of antiques, collectors’ items, silver, jewellery, furniture, and all manner of wonderous things on offer. Come and have a look at it all set up for viewing in our atmospheric 18th century former granary saleroom on Thursday and Friday March 30-31, from 9.30- 5.30pm. On sale-day, Saturday April 1, doors open at 9am and the sale starts at 10am.

The fully illustrated online catalogue goes live on Friday March 24 via our website: bentleysfineartauctioneers.co.uk

REMEMBER CLIVE IS ALWAYS READY TO MAKE YOU A

(Appointment Only) Call Clive on 07860 942726

‘From other private estates, and fresh to market, are some very collectable fine oil paintings of mixed subjects’

NICK HALL

Motoring News

Ford’s Explorer kicks off next generation of EVs

FORD has unveiled a new electric vehicle, which will act as the ‘first wave’ of new EVs for the American firm.

The new Explorer has been completely engineered and built in Germany but has been designed with ‘striking American style’, according to Ford. It features a square, upright design which is quite a departure from the look of Ford’s current range of vehicles, while the front end has a smoothed-off finish to aid aerodynamics.

Assistance

Inside, there’s a ‘supersized’ movable touchscreen running Ford’s latest SYNC software, while behind it sits a private locker for keeping valuables out of sight. There’s also a 17-ltre console between the driver and front-seat passenger which is spacious enough to take a 15-inch laptop. When it comes to boot space, the Explorer can deliver up to 450 litres of room with

the seats in place.

A series of assistance systems – including Assisted Lane Change which can automatically change lanes when the indicator is activated and Clear Exit Assist which warns of an oncoming cyclist before a door is opened – are also fitted as standard. Underneath, the Explorer shares its MEB platform with many Volkswagen Group vehicles, furthering a partnership between Ford and the German manufacturer. Prices for the Explorer are ‘anticipated from less than €45,000 (circa £39,594).

A full electric range for the Explorer hasn’t yet been stated, though Ford says that it will have the ability to fast charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 25 minutes. Given it shares that MEB platform, it’s expected to deliver over 300 miles of range, which would be in line with Volkswagen Group models using the same underpinnings. Its Blue Oval Charging Network will give owners access to 21,000 charge points in the UK, too.

Kia’s Concept EV5 previews firm’s upcoming electric SUV

KIA has followed on from the release of its recent EV9 electric seven-seater with a new, more compact model.

Called the EV5, it continues on from the EV9 and the smaller EV6, with all three incorporating Kia’s new ‘Opposites United’ design direction which will come to play a part in all of the Korean firm’s new models in the future.

Revealed at Kia Chinese EV Day, the EV5 Concept previews a model that will be launched in China ‘later this year’. Kia has yet to confirm whether it’ll be heading to European markets, too, though it has stated that ‘details regarding any future plans for the other global markets will be made in due course’.

Up front, it’s got a new interpretation of Kia’s ‘Tiger Nose’ grille, while a new ‘Star Map’ lighting design is present too. The whole car is also finished in a new matte green colour, while 21-inch alloy wheels complete the design. A small roof

Goodwood organiser striving to make his motorsport events carbon neutral

THE DUKE of Richmond, organiser of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, says he is focused on making his petrol-powered events more sustainable.

The man behind the popular motorsport events says he wants to promote the ‘joy of second hand’ as he looks to boost his shows’ environmental credentials.

Speaking to the PA news agency, the duke said he believed Goodwood’s motorsport events could ‘definitely become carbon neutral soon’ thanks to efforts made elsewhere across his estate.

Sustainable

He said: “There is a whole thrust at Goodwood around sustainability – it has always been a major thing for us across the estate.

“We’ve got a huge organic farm, we’ve planted 75,000 trees, we run a whacking great biomass generator for all our electricity and we’re running biofuels for our generators at the events.

“So, could Goodwood deliver a carbon neutral event? Absolutely, because we’re doing so much on the other side.”

The duke says his Revival event – which celebrates historic racing and vintage lifestyles – is also the perfect example of Goodwood’s sustainability drive.

“It’s much better to keep an old car going than buy a new one,” he said. “That is far more sustainable – keeping cars on the road,

rather than scrapping them.

“Second hand is cool. It’s now seen as the chic thing to do, from second-hand clothes to second-hand cars, and I think the Revival is the biggest second-hand event in the world. We’re proud of that.”

The duke, whose grandfather opened the Goodwood Motor Circuit in 1948, is celebrating 75 years of motorsport at his events in 2023.

As he looks ahead to the shows that will increasingly feature more electric cars, he says he has mixed feelings about their impact –

despite admitting he has invested in a number of unnamed electric car companies himself.

“The whole EV (electric vehicle) thing is great – it’s super fast, and it’s fun, but electric cars are all the same to me,” he added.

“They are going to move you around from A to B, and they’re fantastically efficient and a lot of it is good fun, but it’s not the same thing.

“With mobility becoming increasingly duller in the future, classic cars and the joy that they bring will be niche, but it will probably get stronger.”

spoiler – fitted to aid aerodynamics – is also included.

Inside, there’s a completely flat floor to help maximise in-car space, while clever swivel seats allow occupants to make the most of their surroundings. To help tie in with the car’s eco focus, the EV5 also incorporates a number of ‘green’ materials such as seaweed extract and recycled PET bottles for the seats, doors, dashboard and headliner.

Wraparound

The concept features a full wraparound infotainment display, too, while the steering wheel is more square in design than ‘conventional’ versions. It’s not clear whether these features will filter through to the production version. The production version of the EV5 Concept will be revealed later this year.

THE DUKE OF RICHMOND