Times of Tunbridge Wells 7th December 2022

MP quizzes Council over its use of government’s levelling-up money

By Richard Williams

GREG Clark has written to the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) over its use of government funding earmarked for ‘levelling-up’ rural areas.

The Council has been allocated £443,604 to be spread over the next two years from the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF).

The fund, which is part of the government’s levelling-up agenda, is meant to be earmarked to provide support for rural businesses.

But it has emerged that a quarter of the fund (£110,901) from the first tranche of payments sent to TWBC is set to be diverted to the Council itself so it can pay

for its own cost overruns at the Weald Sports Centre in Cranbrook.

The leisure centre is undergoing ‘decarbonisation’ to reduce its environmental impact with the installation of solar panels, air source heat pumps, LED lights and an energy management system.

Shortfall

Separate government grant funding of £1.1million has already been allocated to this project, but higher than expected charges from UK Power Networks have led to a cost overrun of more than £330,000.

To help pay for the shortfall, the

Council has committed to taking extra money from its capital budget, as well as an interest-free government loan provided by public sector finance organisation Salix.

But to help bridge the gap, TWBC also committed to investing the first tranche from the Rural England Prosperity Fund into the project.

Greg Clark says the fund was not aimed at bailing out Councils and should not have been used to shore up overspend for the Weald Sports Centre. Mr Clark wrote to the Council to ask why it was spent on an existing project.

The Tunbridge Wells MP, who temporarily

Continued on page 2

Pictures: Pam Laker and Georgina Edwards Photography

GUEST Journalist and radio presenter Nick Ferrari (pictured) is set to host next year’s Times Business Awards. Full story page 7.

Greg Clark questions the Council’s use of funding

continued.

replaced Michael Gove as Secretary of State for Levelling-Up, Housing and Communities earlier this year, told the Times: “The purpose of the Rural England Prosperity Fund is first and foremost to provide support for rural businesses like pubs and small shops.

Efficient

“My concern with the Council’s proposal is that the entirety of the first year’s allocation of funds is being diverted to the Council itself – to make the council-owned Weald Sports Centre more energy efficient.

“As laudable as this project is, I do not think the Council should be diverting money provided by the Government to help small rural businesses to its own projects,” Mr Clark

“Small businesses in the countryside are facing extremely tough trading conditions and, for some of them, this Government provided help could be the difference between survival or going to the wall.”

However, Cabinet member at TWBC, Justine Rutland defended the move.

She told the Times: “The REPF application requires engagement with our local MPs. Therefore, after hearing the concerns raised by Mr Clark, along with those of the Cabinet Advisory Board, Cabinet examined the

proposal again.

“Having done so, Cabinet members believe that this allocation is entirely appropriate and fits the criteria.”

She continued: “The Weald Leisure Centre is a vital community amenity, providing services for local people and businesses. This REPF funding will help safeguard its future in challenging financial times.”

She added: “Councillor Nancy Warne and I, as Cabinet members responsible for the REPF bid, have written to Mr Clark to explain our position.”

Less than half of Tunbridge Wells now Christian according to Census

By Lilly Croucher

THE number of Tunbridge Wells residents who identify as Christian has fallen to less than half the population for the first time, the latest Census data reveals.

According to statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published last week and based on the last Census conducted in March 2021, the Borough of Tunbridge Wells has become more ethnically and religiously diverse over the last decade.

Religion

But the number of Christian residents has decreased by 13.2 per cent over the past ten years, from 62.9 per cent in 2011 to 49.7 per cent in 2021.

The amount of people who say they have no religion has increased by a similar rate to the decrease in Christians, rising 13.7 per cent from 26.6 per cent in 2011 to 40.3 per cent in 2021.

Across England and Wales, the general population has seen a similar decrease in people identifying as Christian, with some 46.2 per cent of the population describing themselves as Christian on the day of the 2021 Census, down from 59.3 per cent in 2011, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The Census also revealed how Tunbridge Wells has become more ethnically diverse, as the ONS figures show that the number of people described as ‘White’ has fallen by 3.5 per cent.

While the Borough remains predominantly ‘White’, with 91.5 per cent identifying as that ethnicity (down from 95 per cent in 2011), 4 per cent are now described as ‘Asian’, 2.5 per cent ‘Mixed’, 1 per cent ‘Black’ and 0.7 per cent as ‘Other Ethnicity’.

In neighbouring boroughs, the percentage of

‘White’ residents was similar to that of Tunbridge Wells, with 96 per cent in Wealden, 93.3 per cent in Tonbridge & Malling, 92.1 per cent in Sevenoaks and 89.8 per cent in Maidstone.

Despite the increased diversity, Tunbridge Wells still has 9.8 per cent higher than the national average of people identifying as ‘White’, as 81.7 per cent of the UK population are described as ‘White’, according to the ONS.

Ethnicity

Of those in Tunbridge Wells within the ‘White’ ethnic group, 84.2 per cent identified as ‘English, Welsh, Scottish, Northern Irish or British’, while ‘Other White’ accounted for 6.2 per cent of the population, consisting mostly of people of Eastern European decent, including ‘European Mixed’ (1.2 per cent), Polish (0.7 per cent), and Romanian (0.4 per cent).

The largest ethnicity increase was in the ‘Asian’ ethnic group, rising by 1.5 per cent in the last 10

ONS ALSO RECORDS BOROUGH AS ONE OF THE UNHAPPIEST IN UK

TUNBRIDGE WELLS is the fourth-least happiest place in the UK, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).

Based on data from its Annual Population Survey (APS), the ONS asked personal wellbeing questions to adults aged 16 years and over in the UK to better understand how they feel about their lives.

Colchester came bottom of the list of happy places in the country, with Redditch in the West Midlands, Norwich, and Tunbridge Wells the next unhappiest.

The ONS figures show that Torridge in Devon is the happiest place to live in the UK.

People were asked to rank 'how happy did you feel yesterday' from 0 to 10.

The data, which the ONS says is just one well-being measure it records alongside overall life satisfaction, worthwhile, and anxiety, was recorded from April last year to March this year.

The responses, which were taken at different points throughout the year, were then pulled together to create an average 'happiness' score for each area.

Colchester scored 6.8 while Tunbridge Wells, Redditch and Norwich all scored 6.9. Torridge in Devon, ranked as the happiest place, scored 8.3.

years, while the ‘Black’ and ‘Other’ ethnic groups increased by 0.6 per cent, with the ‘Mixed’ group increasing by 0.8 per cent.

The Census is taken every 10 years by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to give local authorities, such as Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) and Kent County Council (KCC), along with the Police, NHS and other services to plan services in the area, such as number of houses to be built, school places to be allocated and medical practices to be set up.

MORE PAGANS THAN SIKHS AND THERE ARE TEN SATANISTS

According to the Census data, there was little change in the other main religions in Tunbridge Wells from a decade ago.

While people describing themselves as Hindu and Muslim saw a 0.6 per cent increase over the last ten years, just one per cent of the Borough’s population identify as Hindu, and Muslims account for 1.7 per cent.

Just 0.4 per cent of people in Tunbridge Wells describe themselves as Buddhist, 0.2 per cent as Jewish, and 0.1 per cent Sikh.

The number of ‘Other Religions’ has slightly increased by 0.1 per cent to 0.5 per cent.

These included 142 Pagan residents, accounting for 0.1 of the population – more than the number of Sikhs.

While ‘Jedi’ has officially been removed from the Census as a religion, other groups did make an appearance in Tunbridge Wells, such as Agnostic (66 people), Spiritual (66), Spiritualist (64), Atheist (38), Mixed Religion (28), Humanist (21), Wicca (19), Heathen (16) – and there were ten people claiming to follow ‘Satanism’.

impresario Paul Dunton gives his recommendations for the local music scene in his monthly gig guide P21

FUNNY MAN Ross Noble is the latest big-name comedian to tickle local audiences with his solo show Jabber Jamboree P26

FRESH-AIR FUN Bewl Water lays on the seasonal festivities from hidden elves to a wishing tree P34

GONE GREEN Culverden Bowls Club bows out after a century P10

GREG CLARK

Record number of requests made to town’s Toy Appeal

By Victoria Roberts

THE Mayor’s Toy Appeal in Tunbridge Wells has received requests for gifts for a ‘record’ number of children this year as the number of families unable to afford Christmas has increased.

The seasonal charity drive has been running since 1987 and aims to ensure children in the borough who might go without due to financial hardship in the family receive Christmas presents.

Presents

Gifts come by way of donations, either in cash or as new toys and presents, such as toiletries, bought by generous residents.

Last year, the Toy Appeal gave presents to 560 Tunbridge Wells children aged up to 18.

But this year’s appeal has seen an increase in the number of children to buy presents for increase by more than ten percent, with 653 children at risk of going without this year.

Organiser Karen Collins said there are still ‘gaps’ in the list of presents donated so far.

She told the Times last week: “Last year, we had 560 in total, but now we have 653 so far – a record for the appeal – and we’re only about half-way through. We will probably get some more referrals.”

She added: “People are being very generous, but I reckon we will get up to 670 by the weekend, and this is a considerable number.

“It’s my last year organizing the appeal and I always get a bit nervy when we’ve got so many children.”

Ms Collins was speaking to the Times while out shopping for the ‘gaps’ in their list.

“At the moment, we’ve got nothing for teenage boys and not a lot for teenage girls. That always

happens, and financial donations are great because it means we can go out and fill that gap,” she said.

Money

The deadline for donating new gifts or money is on Saturday (December 10).

“We have had quite a bit dropped off to us in RVP [Royal Victoria Place] and The Amelia, and then we get donations from schools and scout groups – something like that is a huge boon,” she said.

Local shops have been actively promoting the appeal too, boosting the share of physical donations compared to donations through the

appeal’s Amazon Wishlist.

“Generally, I’d say it was 60 per cent Amazon and 40 per cent local shops, but this year it’s the other way round. We have had a lot of support from shops in Tunbridge Wells,” Ms Collins added.

Drop-off points are at: St George's childcare, Royal Victoria Place (Upper Mall, near Taste Wells), Barsleys (Paddock Wood), The Amelia (Tunbridge Wells), Maddisons Residential (The Pantiles) and Big Yellow Self Storage (Longfield Road).

The Toy Appeal’s bank details for financial donations and its Amazon Wishlist for other donations are on Facebook and at: TWMTA. co.uk

Dunorlan plan sparks more car park protests

By Robert Forrester

PROTESTORS opposed to planned parking charges gathered outside Dunorlan Park at the weekend to campaign against the move.

Charges

The move came following last week’s Times’ front page (November 30), where we revealed the resurfacing of the plan to impose parking charges at the popular Tunbridge Wells park.

The protests on Saturday (December 3) were organised by Nasir Jamil, a former Conservative borough councillor, who also led the campaign against parking charges in Southborough.

He told the Times the plan, which is currently undergoing public consultation would discourage people from using the park and was ‘taxing relaxing’.

Mr Jamil added: “If they [Tunbridge Wells Borough Council] do not listen we will organise another protest in the new year. Everyone is determined to keep fighting for our parks.”

IN BRIEF

New Chief Constable takes over at force

KENT Police has confirmed the Police and Crime Commissioner’s (PCC) choice of new Chief Constable, in a meeting this morning.

As reported in the Times last month, PCC Matthew Scott named Temporary Chief Constable Tim Smith his preferred candidate.

Mr Smith stepped up to cover the departure of former Chief Constable Alan Pughsley on October 3 who left to join the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

The new Chief Constable was confirmed yesterday (Tuesday) at the Kent & Medway Police and Crime Panel.

Landmarks to be flats

A PLAN to convert two popular landmarks in Tonbridge to riverfront flats has been approved by planning authorities.

The disused gasholders on the Medway River, which can be seen from the High Street, are to be replaced by two blocks with a total of 144 flats.

Developers Blueberry Developments Estates Limited submitted the application in August last year, and the proposals were approved by the Area Planning Committee on December 1.

Bus services are axed

TWO commercially run school bus routes are to stop running at the end of term after no operators came forward in a tender for the routes.

Kent County Council (KCC) had issued tenders to replace the 235 and 288 services, currently run by Autocar Bus & Coach Services, but no operators came forward.

Route 235 links Bennet Memorial School with Tonbridge, Hildenborough, Leigh, Penshurst and Bidborough.

Route 288 links Weald of Kent School with Tonbridge, Groombridge, Langton Green, Speldhurst and Bidborough.

Previous operator Autocar gave notice on the services due to a lack of drivers.

MAYOR

Cllr Godfrey Bland heping the Toy Appeal prepare for Christmas

TIM SMITH

Passenger numbers are yet to recover from pandemic

Hosepipe ban lifted after heavy November rainfall

Station numbers at only 60 per cent of the levels seen before Covid

RAIL usage at the three main stations serving Tunbridge Wells has still not recovered from the pandemic, with total journeys at just 60 per cent of pre-Covidc levels, analysis by the Times shows.

Tunbridge Wells station saw 2.09 million passenger journeys – entrances and exits at the station – between March 2021 and April 2022, according to the latest figures from the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).

Figures

This is 45 per cent below 2018-19 passenger numbers and represents just 54 per cent of pre-pandemic traffic.

However, this does represent an increase of 735,876 entrances and exits at Tunbridge Wells station on the 2020-21 figures, when passenger numbers plummeted during the pandemic restrictions.

High Brooms, on the same train line, saw passenger numbers down 38 per cent since

2018-19, to 775,584 entrances and exits in 2021-22.

Paddock Wood also fared better than Tunbridge Wells, with 742,026 passenger journeys standing just over 60 per cent of the 2018-19 level of 1.21 million.

Season ticket travellers, which traditionally made up around half of all passengers in Tunbridge Wells before the pandemic, have decreased significantly over the last four years.

ORR figures for 2021-22 show that season ticket journeys now represent no more than 25.5 per cent of journeys at Tunbridge Wells station – or just 536,252 journeys, down from 47 per cent in 2018-19 – or 1.08 million entrances and exits.

Half of passenger journeys at High Brooms and Paddock Wood were by season ticket holders in 2018-19: 633,218 and 625,374 passengers respectively, but in 2021-22, just a third of journeys at the two stations were by season ticket holders.

Robert Mansfield of the Tonbridge Line Commuters group told the Times that the downturn in passenger numbers was not only

caused by changes to working patterns but that rail operators had actually reduced capacity on the railways.

Driving

“The new timetable [from December 11] will reduce it more, and we think that is quite a risk,” he said. “These sorts of changes risk driving people into their cars.”

The figures come while rail workers are preparing to strike next week over conditions and pay.

Members of the RMT union are preparing to walk out on Tuesday 13 and Wednesday 14 December, as well as Friday 16 and Saturday 17, and December 24 to 27.

“It’s very interesting that more strikes are happening on Saturdays,” said Mr Mansfield, adding that traditionally, strike action would target weekday commuters for the most impact, but that is not as effective anymore.

For the latest on the national rail strikes see National News page 15

By Sarah Carter

LOCAL water company South East Water has ended its hosepipe ban for Kent and Sussex after three and a half months, after heavy rainfall last month.

It follows moves by other companies, such as Southern Water and Thames Water, which cancelled their Temporary Use Bans (TUBs) on November 4 and 22 respectively.

It had been feared that the TUB would remain in place in Kent and Sussex into the New Year, following the driest summer on record for more than 40 years.

However, the water companies said that during the first week of November, the area saw 107 per cent of the total long-term average monthly rainfall and by November 20, there had been close to two months of rainfall in just three weeks.

Average

Lee Dance, Head of Water Resources for South East Water said: “In July, the South East received only eight per cent of average rainfall and demand for water from our 1.4 million customers in Kent and Sussex was exceptional.

He continued: “I would like to say thank you to our customers for adhering to the restrictions and finding ways to cut down on their water use at a time that not only were our supplies in reservoirs and in the ground under immense pressure, but so was their local environment too.

“Now, due to the consistent rainfall in the past four weeks we can lift our Temporary Use Ban as we have seen more than 2.5 billion litres of water run into Ardingly Reservoir in West Sussex, resulting in it now being close to 75 per cent full.

“Although there is normally a lag between rainfall and groundwater recovery, with the soils much wetter than they would normally be at this time of year, the rain we have had and are expecting, will more easily seep down and refill the water table, allowing levels to start to rising back towards normal levels.

EXCLUSIVE By Victoria Roberts

ALL OUT Striking union members earlier this year

Families of victims of David Fuller are to receive NHS compensation

By Richard Williams

MORE than 90 family members of the hospital victims of David Fuller will receive financial compensation under a new Government scheme.

Close relatives are eligible to receive up to £25,000 for psychiatric trauma suffered as a result of the former electrician’s crimes, committed at Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury and its forerunner, the Kent and Sussex Hospital, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) announced last week.

The 68-year-old pleaded guilty last year to 44 charges relating to 78 victims in mortuaries at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust between 2008 and November 2020, as well as the murders of two women in 1987.

Claimants

Fuller, who lived in Heathfield, East Sussex at the time of his arrest, was sentenced to a whole life-term last year for beating and strangling Wendy Knell, 25, and Caroline Pierce, 20, to death before sexually assaulting them in two separate attacks in Tunbridge Wells.

The DHSC scheme will be administered by NHS Resolution on behalf of Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and will ensure that money is paid to relatives as soon as is practical.

More than 90 claimants have already come forward, with anyone able to demonstrate a close family relationship with one of Fuller’s victims able to apply.

There are three levels of compensation available, with all successful claimants eligible to receive at least £7,500. They will be able to claim up to £25,000 for

psychiatric trauma. A third tier will compensate specific financial losses.

Minister for Mental Health Maria Caulfield said: “My sincerest sympathies are with the families of all the victims of David Fuller.

“These were horrific events and the independent inquiry we have launched will help ensure this never happens again.

“Families will benefit from what has been announced today.”

The Government is conducting an independent inquiry into how Fuller was able to conduct the abuse undetected for more than a decade.

A report on Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), which ran both hospitals where Fuller committed his crimes, is expected to be published next year.

Fuller pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court in November this year to sexually abusing a further 23 dead women.

Builder guilty of double murder

A BUILDER who murdered a woman from Sissinghurst six months after killing another woman from Hastings, has been found guilty of both their murders.

Mark Brown, 41, murdered Alexandra Morgan, 34, at a remote farm near St Leonards in East Sussex in November last year.

She was last seen filling up her white Mini Cooper at a petrol station in Cranbrook after arranging to meet Brown.

Brown, 41, from Squirrel Close, St Leonards, East Sussex, admitted burning her body, but had claimed Ms Morgan slipped and fell on a piece of mechanical equipment in his workshop before hitting her head.

Charges

Her death came six months after Brown had also killed Leah Ware from Hastings.

Both women were sex workers who Brown had met through a website, a jury at Hove Crown Court was told.

The court also heard how Brown had burnt Ms Morgan’s body in an oil drum at Little Bridge Farm in East Sussex, which he rented, on Remembrance Day last year.

The body of 33-year-old Ms Ware has never been found, but the prosecution believed he used a similar method – as well as killing her pet dog.

The jury of ten men and two women took ten-and-a-half hours to convict Brown of both murder charges last Thursday (December 1).

Judge Justice Nicholas Hilliard adjourned sentencing until January 13, saying the case is of the ‘utmost gravity’ and thanking the jury for committing to the case for so long.

Libby Clark, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “We are pleased the jury saw through his lies and convicted him today, closing this complex and challenging case.”

PREDATOR

David Fuller (inset) committed his crimes at Tunbridge Wells Hospital

Voice of LBC is to be guest host for the Times Business Awards

By Victoria Roberts

A FAMILIAR figure to anybody who listens to LBC radio will be the special guest at next year’s Times Business Awards, which is back for its sixth outing in on March 30, 2023.

After a Champagne reception and three-course dinner, judges, finalists and guests will be welcomed by notable media personality Nick Ferrari on the stage of the Victorian Theatre at Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells.

Mr Ferrari began his career in journalism as a reporter, climbing the editorial ranks and also working in television.

However, he is best known for radio, where he can currently be heard from 7am to 10am on weekdays, anchoring the LBC breakfast show, one of the station’s flagship programmes.

The award-winning presenter will regale guests with his own stories before getting on to the serious business of making ten companies’ night.

The winners of the Times Business Awards will be recognised on stage as the best in what they do, from starting businesses to supporting the community.

Afterwards, all that is left to do is push back the tables and enjoy the ballroom glitz until the Hollywood glamour-themed evening comes to an end.

The last Business Awards, held in March 2022 after a two-year hiatus, attracted more than 200 people, all eager to take advantage of the opportunity to network again, at a moment when pandemic restrictions were ending.

This year, the world is different again, but our Business Awards winners will have made their place in it.

Entries open next week (December 14), with the deadline on February 20.

And as submissions start coming in, the Times will be profiling some of the companies entering the competition…

Entry forms will be available at: TimesBusinessAwards.co.uk from December 14.

Ten categories to find the best in business

Start-Up Business of the Year Award Companies which were founded in the past two years that have really been attracting notice.

Creative Business of the Year This is a strong sector for Tunbridge Wells, covering the creative, design, marketing and PR firms that have made our town their home.

Entrepreneur of the Year An entrepreneur is more than just a businessperson. Entrepreneurs turn their ideas into opportunities and may run more than one company.

Green Business of the Year This new award category will recognise companies for their commitment to the environment, whether through reducing energy usage, ‘localising’ their supply chains or any other green initiatives.

Charity of the Year In this new award category, judges will assess the charities and not-for-profit organisations which play such a positive role in the life of our area, looking for impact, sustainability and imagination.

Best in Food and Drink This award is for the local companies producing or serving truly remarkable food and drink. Aimed at companies that can demonstrate how they put the local area on the map with its gastronomic excellence.

Best Family Business of the Year The judges will be looking for the business that best demonstrates how running a family business has added significantly to its competitive advantage. The winner will need to show how being a family business has had a positive impact on its achievements.

Best Business 1-25 employees This award category is for the companies with a workforce of up to 25 which has maintained consistent growth and strong financial performance, both in meeting its customers’ expectations and supporting its employee’s welfare and growth.

Best Business 26+ employees Consistent growth, financial performance and an engaged, positive workforce are just some of the criteria that set these companies apart from other medium to large businesses in the area.

Outstanding Business of the Year This award will reveal which company demonstrates the best combination of growth, ambition and quality of management in the area.

Visit TimesBusinessAwards.co.uk for more information.

‘The winners of the Times Business Awards will be recognised on stage as the best in what they do, from starting businesses to supporting the community.’

RADIO STAR Nick Ferrari (inset) and last year’s gala event

WITH the start of the predator fishing season, the @BewlWater inbox is bulging with a fine catch of entries for the ‘Best of Bewl’ photography competition.

The annual competition, which opened for entries last month, is aimed at everyone using Bewl Water’s 800-acre site, from woodland to water.

Until December 20, entries may be submitted via social media (@Bewlwater) where the winner will be announced at the end of the season and receive an annual parking pass worth over £300.

which has really been inspiring photographers this week.

The Pantiles reveals its big Christmas display winners

Both experienced anglers and those new to fishing have been taking advantage of the ideal autumn conditions as the weather gets cooler to capture the moment.

As the largest reservoir in the South East, the waters are home to many species including eels, pike, perch, and brown trout which attract over

Law Society award for Loch paralegal

A LOCAL law group’s paralegal has risen from administrative assistant to winning a junior Law Society award.

Inspiring

‘THINGS fall apart; the centre cannot hold’. The great Irish poet, W B Yeats’ premonition of disintegration had grander themes than the puny ‘coalition of chaos’ trying to run Tunbridge Wells’ council, but the words fit.

The competition is part of the reservoir’s commitment to inspiring more people to get out in natural surroundings and enjoy the great outdoors.

Bits started falling off the coalition jalopy when it chugged into its first major policy disaster – the unconsulted plan to raise car park charges by 25-75 per cent. A hasty, retrospective consultation ended on September 5 and is being assessed.

New self-guided walking trails have been introduced, along with 50% off cycle hire. However, it seems to have been the new season of predator fishing, which started on October 30,

But already, the coalition’s centre is not holding as the Liberal Democrat Leader Ben Chapelard grapples with the hotchpotch of his own party, Labour, a smattering of independents and the Tunbridge Wells Alliance (TWA). It took power only in May, though it seems like years ago.

By Robert Forrester

Hotchpotch

THE winners of the Pantiles Big Reveal Christmas Window display have been announced.

Organised by Holly Watson and Charlotte Bowyer of The Zero Waste Company, and sponsored by Maddison’s Residential and RTW Together (BID), the best windows voted for by the public were:

First place – Kumquat

Second place – PoggenPohl

Third place – Catherine Hills Jewellery

The Big Reveal is a free family event held on The

The TWA is a hotchpotch in its own right. Its activists, of various political hues, have the improbable air of doing this council thing for a bet. Its leader David Hayward, a cabinet member, made it clear to Cllr Chapelard, writing in The Times of Tunbridge Wells that he is a ‘titular leader’– a leader in name only, who ‘definitely has no say or control over anything to do with the Alliance’. Nonetheless, Cllr Hayward lined up behind the Lib Dems, voting for parking increases.

Pantiles where participating traders submit their Christmas window displays for a public vote, alongside plenty of festive spirit in the form of local carol singers, seasonal food and drink offerings and even a visit from Father Christmas!

This year’s event attracted more than 1,000 people, double that of last year, with over 3,000 votes cast since the unveiling.

This year’s winners are Kumquat, who opened their fusion style restaurant on the Pantiles this

A predictable u-turn and a belated, cobbled together consultation has followed the huge public outcry from residents, businesses and town councils like Paddock Wood and Southborough about their views being completely ignored. Five petitions emerged with thousands of signatures. Rumblings grew within the coalition. The Alliance suddenly remembered its election promise to keep free

3,500 fishermen each year.

Ellie Searle joined Loch Law, part of Loch Associates Group, in 2017 as an administrative assistant and was later promoted to legal secretary.

ELLIE SEARLE

made themselves from budget documents they probably didn’t well understand. Parking increases which will sting us all in this cost-ofliving crisis, are supposed to help to fill a supposed budget black hole they supposedly inherited from Conservatives.

Ms Searle has taken on responsibilities including managing Loch Law solicitors’ employment tribunal deadlines and also taking on HR Advisor duties within Loch Associates itself, during the pandemic.

Shortfall

More recently she also helped to develop a new debt-collecting service for Loch Associates’ clients, said the firm.

Ms Searle said: “It is such an honour to receive the Paralegal of the Year award from the Law Society’s junior law division.

summer, with their Avengers-themed window display featuring the Incredible Hulk stealing Santa’s sack of presents!

commitment to conservation.

There are 54 boats available to hire on the reservoir, which must be booked in advance.

This includes one accessible boat, to ensure greater participation in sport and access to nature, explained business director Andrew Daniells.

Poggenpohl were runners-up, with their beautiful display of golden angels hanging in the window, with last year’s winner Catherine Hills coming third with her exquisitely hand-painted advent display, depicting the hustle and bustle of the Pantiles Lower Walk at Christmas.

Conservation

parking. The Lib Dems suddenly remembered their PR stunt of staging cabinet meetings across the borough was meant – said Cllr Chapelard – to ‘show our face and that we are listening to all parts of the Borough’. Cabinet Member Justine Rutland admitted to the council’s scrutiny committee that not listening to any residents was a ‘terrible and regrettable oversight’ though apparently not regrettable enough for any formal apology.

Organisers Holly and Charlotte were delighted with the turnout this year. They said: “After what has been a difficult year for some, we wanted this year’s Big Reveal to be as magical and festive as possible.

“We want everyone to be able to enjoy fishing.”

Those looking to fish at the site can enjoy any method when exploring the 770 acres of water. However, from the bank anglers can only fly-fish.

The hastily concocted, biased consultation finished this week, but still there’s no assurance the coalition will listen to the thousands of voices already raised, or even to the (probably far fewer) raised in the consultation should they also reject price rises.

And the management ask that all fish to be returned to the reservoir alive with an exception for rainbow trout, as part of Bewl Water’s

“We feel it is so important in the current climate to offer free events for families to enjoy our beautiful town, and hope this really brought the spirit of Christmas to everyone on the Pantiles.”

In truth, the coalition fears a paper tiger they

“This rule has been put in place to protect the several species that inhabit the reservoir here at Bewl Water,” said Mr Daniells.

It’s fake news. Conservatives presented a budget shortfall in February because income levels were still below normal after the pandemic. But they were clearly recovering so it was necessary to see where they would go before deciding on further action. In Tunbridge Wells, vacant shops were being filled, benefiting from the Amelia Scott’s 100,000 visitors since it opened in April. There is growing income from business rates and the Conservative scheme to rent spare Town Hall space to businesses.

Development

“The team at Loch Law have supported my development from the beginning. My colleagues have been great advisors and role models – many of whom started their careers at Loch Associates much like me.”

Bewl Water has even set aside an area of the reservoir as a nature reserve, which is completely off-limits to fishermen and other water sports users.

Coalition claims that Conservatives reinforced the budget from the council’s healthy £32 million savings during the pandemic are not true. Council borrowing was nil.

The many quiet inlets of the irregularly-shaped nature reserve, on the southern side of the reservoir, offer space for species conservation and the peace for diverse ecosystems to develop in peace.

The award was presented at the Tunbridge Wells Tonbridge and District Law Society annual dinner last month.

The coalition’s planned parking fees rise potentially harms recovery, jobs and businesses who say they’ll lose footfall.

Praising Ms Searle, Pam Loch, managing director at Loch Associates Group, said: “She is an optimistic and diligent member of our team, and her dedication has seen her climb the ranks at Loch Associates.

“Establishing these areas remains one of the most effective efforts for protecting our endangered species and their natural environment,” said Mr Daniells.

Of course, now Putin’s war and the related inflation have upended things. Maybe they’d like to, but the coalition can’t blame Conservatives for that. Go Ukraine!

“She is a true credit to our business and has a bright future in law.”

The coalition’s Cabinet Member for Finance, Andrew Hickey, ducked out early – leaving the Lib Dems and going independent over parking charges. Three elected Lib Dem councillors now sit outside the party. Labour’s rank and file are turning against leadership decisions, especially that to end free parking in Labour-held Southborough.

Cllr

Holden

Benenden

since

and the

Through a fish-eye lens

Winners

SECOND Poggenpohl

THIRD Catherine Hills

WINNER Kumquat

posted weapons handgun attack Vienna Tuesday Some on were bars chief at like-minded those all on in der wreaths.

Sunak admits that UK image has suffered ‘a bit of a knock’

Bowls club finally jacks it in after celebrating a century

Minister

reputation took a bit of a knock as a result of some of the things that happened more recently,” he said.

Indonesia is an enormous amount of goodwill for the UK to be an active and engaged member of the international community.

done in Ukraine, where I think Boris Johnson originally has shown incredible leadership that I plan on continuing, and across the board whether it’s on COP and climate change, or indeed how to fix the global economy.

and people are looking for us to do that.”

Truss’s government that are expected to add billions of pounds of tax hikes and spending cuts to his budget.

By Victoria Roberts

The Prime Minister instead insisted on Tuesday that he will make ‘difficult decisions that are required to fix’ the missteps of his Conservative predecessor in No 10.

A BOWLS club that has just celebrated 100 years in Tunbridge Wells has had to close due to a lack of members.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is looking to find up to £60 billion from a combination of hikes and spending cuts in his autumn statement on Thursday.

As the Times reported in July, Culverden Outdoor Bowls Club held a recruitment drive over the summer, but a lack of interest has forced the club to close.

Economists at the Resolution Foundation have calculated that Ms Truss’s disastrous so-called mini-budget exacerbated the problem to the tune of £30 billion, while causing chaos in the mortgage market.

Founded in September 1922 and originally called the Tunbridge Wells Bowls Club, the club marked its centenary this year with a special day involving two other bowls teams and a display of the club’s history.

However, member Stephen Broome said, the game against The Royals Indoor Bowls Club on

During a round of broadcast interviews in Bali, where Mr Sunak is attending the G20 summit, he repeatedly refused to apologise for the Tories’ handling of the economy.

Instead, when pressed by a journalist, Mr

November 26 had been the Tunbridge Wells players’ final game as a club.

With the Prime Minister having so far kept in place the abolition of the cap on bankers’ bonuses, he urged bosses to keep down their pay in order not to exacerbate inflation.

“Most of the members are around 80, and during the last three years the club has lost members due to different reasons,” he said.

“Of course I would say to all executives to embrace pay restraint at a time like this and make sure they are also looking after all their workers,” he told ITV News.

Skilful

“People have not joined the club and Covid did not help.”

Mr Sunak said the scale of food bank use in the UK is “obviously a tragedy”, amid a worsening cost-of-living crisis.

However, he said: “Outdoor bowls tends to be associated with the retired and elderly, but it is a sport open to all ages and it is a skilful activity that is difficult to master.

“There are often practice sessions, friendly matches, league games and trophies to be won.”

“I’ve got enormous admiration and gratitude for the people who are providing them in my constituency and elsewhere as well. But I do of course want to get to a position where no one needs to use a food bank.” The Resolution Foundation believes that Ms Truss’s remaining unfunded tax cuts, from national insurance and stamp duty cuts, cost nearly £20 billion.

Two-year-old died from mould in housing authority flat despite father’s complaints

Wishing on a tree for charity this Christmas

IT’S only just December, but a charity Christmas tree is already sporting a range of hopes and good wishes for the end of heart disease.

Standing in the Waterfront Café at Bewl Water, near Lamberhurst, a British Heart Foundation (BHF) Christmas tree has a QR code that well-wishers can scan to make a donation if they are able to.

And the branches are also filling up with special messages, written and hung by wellwishers visiting the café.

the UK in 2020, does a two-year-old child die

policy meant any repairs would not be done until an agreement had been reached, the inquest heard.

Kerrie Kent, Tunbridge Wells’ official British Heart Foundation fundraiser, was part of the ‘Wish Tree’ project.

The death of a toddler who suffered prolonged exposure to mould should be a ‘defining moment’ for the housing sector, a coroner has said.

Born with congenital heart disease, Kerrie has had seven open-heart surgeries to date and has played a key role in setting up the local ‘Hearts of Gold’ fundraising group for the charity.

Awaab Ishak, two, died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom housing association flat where he lived with parents Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Aminin in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

A health visitor also contacted RBH to raise the issue in July 2020 and an inspection that month found mould in the kitchen, bathroom and a bedroom cupboard needed treatment.

Awaab was taken to Rochdale Urgent Care Centre on December 19 with shortness of breath and transferred to Royal Oldham Hospital before being discharged, the court heard.

Thrilled

Mr Abdullah had previously complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about the mould, an inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court was told.

“We’re proud to support the British Heart Foundation and want to make it easier than ever for people to donate to such a fantastic cause,” he said.

Giving her findings on Tuesday, senior coroner Joanne Kearsley said: “I’m sure I’m not alone in having thought, ‘How does this happen? How, in

“I am so thrilled to have this opportunity to raise vital funds for the British Heart Foundation. The work they do saves lives,” she said. “The work of the British Heart Foundation means that hopefully in the future a cure will be found.”

Awaab deteriorated the next day and his parents were advised by the Community Children’s Nursing Team to take him back to the Rochdale Urgent Care Centre.

The BHF helps over 7 million people in the UK living with heart and circulatory diseases.

He went into respiratory arrest and then cardiac arrest while being transferred to Oldham, the inquest heard. He died after arriving at Oldham.

Bewl Water is privately-owned and is part of the Elite Leisure Collection group of companies, which also owns OneMedia, publisher of the Times.

Bewl Water’s business director Andrew Daniells said he hoped the Christmas Wish Tree would give visitors the opportunity to honour loved ones while helping others.

RISHI Sunak has said the UK’s international reputation has taken “a bit of a knock” in recent weeks.

insisted there was widespread support for the UK to engage on the world stage, despite concerns about recent events.

BOUGHS OF LOLLY – Kerrie Kent (left), British Heart Foundation ambassador, with Bryony Breese, next to the Christmas wish tree at Bewl Water

FULL COUNT The members of Culverden Outdoor Bowls Club during after their last game

12 Noon - 2.00pm 3 courses, coffee & mince pies £80pp

2.45pm - 5.00pm Welcome drink, 4 courses, coffee & petit fours £95pp

Spend Christmas Day with us and enjoy a seasonal feast at one of our two special sittings taking place at midday and 2:45pm. Let us take care of you (and the washing up) on December 25th

STARTERS

Scallop ceviche with pickled golden beetroot, apple & sorrel gel (GF) (DF)

Terrine of ham hock, celeriac apple slaw, pickled vegetables (GF) (DF)

Lightly spiced parsnip soup, sourdough croutons, parsnip crisps (GF on request)

MAINS

Roasted free range turkey, sage and onion stuffing, smoked bacon wrapped chipolata, seasonal vegetables, roast potatoes, turkey jus (GF)

Sweet potato, chard, goats’ cheese and pine nut loaf, garlic and herb stuffed mushroom, wilted greens with a butternut and caraway purée (V)

DESSERTS

Selection of cheeses with farmhouse chutney, celery, grapes and artisan biscuits (GF on request)

Christmas pudding with brandy butter and vanilla cream sauce

Dark chocolate marquise, orange marscapone, lemon verbena shortbread

Step into Christmas

WITH NORTH KENT COLLEGE AND HADLOW COLLEGE

Start your festive season by visiting Hadlow College for our Christmas Fair on Friday 9th December between 13:00 – 18:00 outside our Christmas filled shop at our Broadview Garden Centre. You will be able to soak up all the festive cheer and get your early Christmas fix by visiting Santa and his elves or taking the first sip of a gingerbread latte at the coffee stall or mooch around the local business stalls to take part in the tombola and raffle or simply find that perfect Christmas gift! Are you looking for the perfect Christmas Tree? Look no further! Our very own Broadview Gardens & Garden Centre will be selling a variety of Christmas trees starting from as little as £30.00! Bring your wellies and take a stroll in the four hectares of beautiful individually designed themed gardens built by Hadlow staff and students.

Five-year-old becomes eighth child to die of Strep A infection

DEATH

A FIVE-YEAR-OLD child at a Belfast primary school, where last week a severe case of Strep A was reported, has died.

The child is believed to be the eighth in the UK to have succumbed to the bacterial infection.

Parents of the youngest pupils at Black Mountain Primary School received a letter from the Public Health Agency on Friday to tell them a pupil had been diagnosed with a severe form of Strep A.

Tragic

On Tuesday morning, Black Mountain Primary School spoke of its ‘tragic loss’ and said its ‘thoughts of the entire school are with the pupil’s family and friends at this difficult time’.

It said in a statement: “To assist in supporting our pupils and staff at this sad time, additional trained staff from the Education Authority Critical Incident Response Team have been engaged and

will be providing support to the school.

“A letter has been sent by the school to parents, informing them of our tragic loss and providing information on the support services available through school for our children during this incredibly sad time.

“We recognise that this news may cause worry amongst our school community and we want to reassure parents that we continue to work closely with the Public Health Agency at this time.”

In Co Down, two children were hospitalised, a primary school principal said.

Health Authorities in Northern Ireland have yet to comment.

Eight children in Great Britain have now died with a form of Strep A.

Strep A infections are usually mild and can be easily treated with antibiotics.

Illnesses caused by the Group A strep bacteria include skin infection impetigo, scarlet fever and strep throat.

ANTIBIOTICS COULD BE GIVEN TO PRIMARY PUPILS

PLEASE NOTE OPENING GARDEN CENTRE OPENING TIMES: Monday to Saturday from 9.30am to 5.00pm and Sundays and Public Holidays from 10.00am to 4.00pm.

If you don’t fancy braving the chilly outdoors, make sure to head over to North Kent College, Tonbridge Campus for a mouth-watering four course Christmas meal at our very own ‘View Restaurant.’

You will be able to book to visit from the 1st of December until 14th of December, which includes four festive evenings 1st, 7th, 8th, and the 14th of December. All our menus are freshly prepared, and we take care to ensure we can offer all allergen information if required.

Join us for lunch from 12pm (last order 1.30pm) or our evening service from 5.30pm (last order 7.30pm). We’re open until 9.30pm. We do ask if you are a booking of 6 or more you pre-book. View all our menus on our website here : www.northkent.ac.uk/open-tothe-public/our-restaurants/the-view

TO BOOK PLEASE CALL 01732 372600 OR USE THE FORM ON OUR WEBSITE OR SIMPLY EMAIL THEVIEW@NORTHKENT.AC.UK

Sending you festive wishes from North Kent College and Hadlow College – hope to see you soon!

Local health protection teams can give antibiotics to groups of children where there has been a Strep A outbreak, the deputy director of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said.

Dr Colin Brown said there is ‘long-standing guidance’ that enables health protection teams to assess the situation in schools and nurseries to consider antibiotic prophylaxis for ‘either a group of children in certain classes or an entire nursery school’.

He reiterated there is no evidence to suggest there has been a change to the circulating strains of Strep A to make them more severe,

following the deaths of at least nine children across the UK.

Dr Brown suggested that a lack of mixing due to the Covid pandemic plus susceptibility in children are probably ‘bringing forward the normal scarlet fever season’ from spring to this side of Christmas.

He said: “There isn’t something that is particularly new or novel about the bacteria that are causing the infections that we’re seeing at the moment.

“We are seeing a larger number of infections, for example, causing scarlet fever, than we would normally see this time of year.”

Vaping helps stub out the UK’s smoking habit

THE proportion of smokers in the UK has fallen to its lowest level on record, with statisticians saying vaping has played a ‘major role’ in this drop.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that 13.3% of people aged 18 and over in the UK smoked cigarettes in 2021, the equivalent of around 6.6 million people.

This is the lowest proportion of current smokers since records started in 2011, when it stood at 20.2%.

Decrease

The ONS said there had been a ‘statistically significant’ drop in the proportion of smokers from 14.0% of the population in 2020.

It added: “In 2021, the proportion of current smokers in the UK was 13.3%, which equates to 6.6 million people.

“There has been a statistically significant decrease in the proportion of smokers from 2020 (14.0% of the population).

“The trend in smoking prevalence continued to decrease, and the latest figure represents a 6.9 percentage point decrease in current smokers compared with 2011 (20.2% of the population).”

Meanwhile, the ONS said that in Great Britain

7.7% of those aged 16 and over surveyed in August and September last year said they currently used an e-cigarette daily or occasionally, equating to around four million adults in the population.

This is an increase from 2020, when 6.4% of people reported daily or occasional e-cigarette use.

The ONS said that vaping devices such as e-cigarettes had played a “major role” in reducing the prevalence of smoking across the UK.

It added that the proportion of vapers was highest among current cigarette smokers (25.3%) and ex-cigarette smokers (15.0%), with only 1.5% of people who have never smoked reporting that they currently vape.

The Black Mountain Primary School

Ministers urge RMT not to hold the ‘country to ransom’ over Christmas

RAIL union chief Mick Lynch has been urged by ministers not to ‘hold the country to ransom’ with strikes ahead of Christmas as he blamed the Government for failing to avert the action.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) general secretary said on Tuesday the unions have a duty to take coordinated action in response to a ‘generalised attack on working people’. He confirmed there will be greater disruption on the rails on Christmas Eve because of a walkout from 6pm until 6am on December 27 following two 48-hour strikes next week.

Militant

Talks with the Rail Delivery Group over the long-running dispute on pay, jobs and conditions will still take place on Tuesday.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner accused the ‘militant’ Government of presiding over a ‘complete shambles’ on the railways as she backed the workers’ right to strike.

But Government minister Nick Gibb argued the RMT’s ‘very disappointing decision’ came after they were offered a ‘very good pay deal’ of 8 per cent over two years.

“So I think the unions really should call off this strike. It’s inconveniencing people up and down the country in the run up to Christmas, I think it’s a very poor way of conducting negotiations,” he told GB News.

“We would urge the unions to talk to employers, to keep negotiating and not to hold the country to ransom, particularly in December as we get nearer to Christmas.”

Mr Lynch insisted he does not want strikes to go ahead before Christmas but argued his members were being forced into action by the Government not

allowing train operators a proper mandate to negotiate on pay and conditions.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “We regret the inconvenience that we are causing but this inconvenience is being caused by the Government who are running the playbook and the strategy for the companies and directing what’s going on.

“They’ve held back even these paltry offers to the last-minute so they know it’s very difficult to deal with these offers.”

He said there is always a wind-down of trains on Christmas eve but, pressed if there will be earlier disruption because of the action, he said “yes there will be”.

“They will run up until the evening time,” he said.

“We don’t want this to happen at Christmas.

“If we don’t respond they will just assume the dispute is over and they’ve got their way so we have to respond to that. I hope the companies change their positions before the action takes place

on December 13 and we can cancel the action – but I’ve been hoping for that all the summer.”

He argued wages are being lowered against soaring inflation, which passed 11 per cent, while conditions are being “ripped up”.

“It would be foolish of unions not to coordinate themselves in response to those attacks,” he told Today.

Strikes are set to hit 14 train companies next week as the RMT has recommended its members should reject the latest offer from Network Rail.

Disappointing

Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said it is ‘incredibly disappointing’ that strikes are going ahead despite a ‘new and improved deal offering job security and a fair pay rise’.

Businesses were also concerned about the disruption during the typically highly profitable period as both customers and staff struggle to make it in for the third year in a row, after the damage of the coronavirus pandemic.

Tributes flood in for Cheers star

Kirstie Alley who dies aged 71

STARS of film and TV have paid tributes to Kirstie Alley who has died aged 71 following a short battle with cancer.

A statement posted on social media through her official accounts said: “We are sad to inform you that our incredible, fierce and loving mother has passed away after a battle with cancer, only recently discovered.”

The actress was best known for her breakout role as Rebecca Howe in the NBC sitcom Cheers from 1987 to 1993, and received both an Emmy Award and a Golden Globe for the role in 1991.

In 2018 she participated in the 22nd series of UK Celebrity Big Brother, in which she finished as runner-up.

Joy

The statement from her family added: “She was surrounded by her closest family and fought with great strength, leaving us with a certainty of her never-ending joy of living and whatever adventures lie ahead.

“As iconic as she was on screen, she was an even more amazing mother and

grandmother.”

The family went on to thank the ‘incredible’ team of doctors and nurses at the Moffitt Cancer Centre in Florida for their care.

They added: “Our mother’s zest and passion for life, her children, grandchildren and her many animals, not to mention her eternal joy of creating, were unparalleled and leave us inspired to live life to the fullest just as she did.

Relationships

“We thank you for your love and prayers and ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time.”

John Travolta, who appeared in the 1989 romantic comedy film Look Who’s Talking, with the actress, shared a picture on Instagram of them together, Travolta wrote: “Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had.

“I love you Kirstie. I know we will see each other again.”

Alley’s Cheers co-star Kelsey Grammer has said he ‘loved’ the late actress.

“I always believed grief for a public figure is a private matter, but I will say I loved her,” the 67-year-old said in a statement.

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

Each month Thomson Snell & Passmore will be answering frequently asked questions from across the practice. If you have a legal question you would like featured in this monthly Q&A please submit it to info@ts-p.co.uk.

With Christmas fast approaching, Amy Lane at Thomson Snell & Passmore answers your questions about the tax implications of giving money or other assets during the festive season (or indeed at any time).

What are the rules on gifting money and assets to friends and family?

Everyone is of course free to gift their assets as they see fit, but it important to keep in mind that Inheritance Tax (IHT) may have to be paid after your death on some gifts. There are some exceptions to this. For example there is no IHT to pay on any gifts between spouses or civil partners, providing the recipient of the gift is domiciled in the UK (with a more limited exemption available where the recipient is domiciled in another country).

In addition, everyone has an annual exemption of £3,000 a year and you can roll forward one year’s allowance if it was not used the previous year. You can also give up to £250 per person to an unlimited number of individuals each tax year, although this allowance cannot be used in conjunction with the £3,000 allowance.

There are also special rules around gifts for weddings and civil partnerships, meaning you can give up to £5,000 to a child or £2,500 to a grandchild who is getting married. These gifts will be exempt from IHT provided they are made before the wedding takes place.

Regular gifts made out of surplus income rather than capital are also exempt from IHT, but it is important to keep accurate records of such gifts to assist your executors. For example, a high level of detail is required to prove that gifts out of income were indeed from surplus income and it is worth looking at HMRC’s form IHT403 to see the type of records that your executors will be expected to provide to claim this.

Any such gifts over those mentioned above are potentially exempt transfers (known as PETs) and so may be chargeable to IHT if you die within seven years of the gift. This is known as the ‘seven year rule’.

What are the tax rules when gifting money to charity?

Any money passing to a registered UK charity, whether through a lifetime gift or as an inheritance, is exempt from IHT. A lower IHT rate of 36% also applies, broadly speaking (although it is slightly more complex than this) so long as 10% of the residuary estate passes to charity.

Charities can also benefit by way of a post death variation. Even if no gift to charity is made under the deceased’s will, the beneficiaries of the estate can posthumously redirect some of their inheritance to charity in this way and have a two year window starting with the date of death in which to carry out a variation.

What else do I need to consider?

Subject to limited exceptions, you should not retain any benefit in any asset that you give away. If any benefit is retained then the asset will still be included in your estate for IHT purposes.

It is important to seek legal advice when making gifts, especially for IHT planning purposes, as it is a complex area and other taxes can also come into play. It is equally important to make sure you retain enough funds to live comfortably. Give early, give often, but don’t give away more than you can afford.

RMT LEADER Mick Lynch

CO-STARS

John Travolta with Kirstie Alley

The Skinners’ Kent Academy (SKA) has been awarded the PTI Subject Leadership Programme Mark for outstanding teaching in Mathematics and Science.

The PTI launched the Subject Leadership Programme in 2007 to recognise and reward school departments that develop inspirational ideas and activities which enhance the teaching of Art, English, Geography, History, Latin, Mathematics, Modern Foreign Languages, Music and Science, regardless of their pupils’ backgrounds or abilities.

The co-educational non-selective school’s Mathematics and Science departments received the Mark in recognition of their work in the following areas: increasing challenge within the curriculum, enthusing pupils with activities beyond the curriculum, developing the staff’s own specialist subject knowledge and developing subject-based links outside school.

Innovative

SKA’s Principal Hannah Knowles, commented: “We are delighted to have been awarded the PTI Mark for our Science and Mathematics departments’ innovative work, and will be proud to carry the Mark on our stationery and website as evidence of our

commitment to inspirational teaching.”

The PTI’s Subject Leadership Programme is open to all state secondary schools in England. To become members, school departments must demonstrate their commitment to increasing teachers’ subject knowledge, and to furthering their students’ understanding of and enthusiasm for the subject, regardless of their background or ability.

To achieve the PTI Mark, departments have to demonstrate that they have increased the challenge within their subject curriculum, developed their staff’s specialist subject knowledge, developed subject-based links outside school and enthused their pupils through subject-based activities beyond the curriculum.

After three years of Subject Leadership Programme membership, departments may choose to join the Research Programme by devising an advanced multi-year programme

in one of these areas.

As Research Programme members they will share their growing expertise with others in the Subject Leadership Programme to the

benefit of all.

To find out more about the Subject Leadership Programme, visit the website: ptieducation.org

Mike Martin

Liberal Democrats

Our political class lacks people who have real world experience

FOR many people, politics is broken. Politicians shout past each other and engage in factional disputes and power struggles. Indeed, by these measures, we haven’t had a functioning government in Britain for some time. But in another sense, politics does work.

I spend a lot of time listening to people across the constituency, from town, to village, to isolated houses surrounded by fields. Almost without fail, people treat me with the utmost courtesy, often inviting me into their homes for a cup of tea, and sharing with me some of their deepest worries: perhaps their own financial situation, or concerns about the climate, or the sort of country that their children and grandchildren will grow up in.

Problems

It is a deep and enduring privilege, and by far the favourite part of my job. And I think that this is the way that politics does work: on a personto-person level. Politics in Britain is a neverending series of conversations as we seek to understand each other and to solve the common problems that we face.

And so it surprises me, as I knock on people’s doors, and partake in their kind hospitality, that they say they have never had a parliamentarian call round. Not in forty years, said a lovely older

woman, as she poured me tea in her front room in Goudhurst.

Maybe this explains the mismatch between local and national. Perhaps if our politicians spent more time listening to people, they might get a sense of the frustration, or even anger, that ordinary people feel towards invisible politicians who sit on the fence, or meekly follow their party’s whip when issues of integrity or about the future of our country

Rodney Atkins Independent Counillor

arise.

I started my career as a British army officer and served in Afghanistan to help them rebuild their country after the horrors of civil war. I spoke the local language — Pushtu — fluently. My job was to talk to all sides, and to bring coalitions together to take meaningful action. What that experience made clear to me was how vital the government and institutions that I grew up with are for society. Without them,

society corrodes.

I left the army and worked in conflict zones around the world, and as a senior leader in an international charity that worked to bring people and communities together. I wrote books about my experiences.

Serve

Among the thousands of people I have met, interviewed or worked with since leaving the army, an idea began to form in my head that many British politicians are no longer capable of solving the problems that we face.

Part of this is the scale of the challenges in 2022.

But a large part of it is that our political class lacks people with real world experience. Many, if not most, have only ever ‘done’ politics. They aren’t selected for talent, rather for loyalty to a party system.

We simply have to get more people with real world experience into politics. And so, I am aiming to serve my constituency and country by running for Parliament.

I look forward to meeting you in the coming weeks and months and listening to your worries, and also your ideas, about our future.

For more information, please go to mikemartin.co.uk

CHRISTMAS is only round the corner and last weekend there was the Lights Up Paddock Wood event.

This event, founded by Nicky Goodman and Claire Holly as a non-profit community event, is now in its seventh year and they and their amazing team, who all volunteer their time, bring the townsfolk of Paddock Wood and surrounding areas together for an afternoon of festive fun.

Historical

The aim being to provide something for the community that everybody could afford. All the proceeds from the Grotto and half from the raffle go towards the chosen charity, which this year was Hospice in the Weald.

There were many independent stalls selling Christmas gifts and stocking fillers and the Heritage Paddock Wood stand, where I helped out, were selling 2023 calendars and historical picture post cards. There were many food stalls with one selling mulled wine where you could warm your hands around the cup and eat a mince pie.

Barsley’s department store and the owner Richard, dressed as Willy Wonka to promote

his Wonka chocolate bars and raise money for Demelza House.

And there was music from Bloco Fogo, 3 local choirs, Kent’s famous four-piece band, The Polygons and a visit from the cast of Jack and the Beanstalk pantomime, now showing at the Assembly Halls in Tunbridge Wells until New Years’ Eve.

not so kind with drizzle turning into rain. Heavy rain is something that many residents in Paddock Wood do not look forward too. It is also an annual event (sometimes biannual).

Unlike Christmas – this is not welcomed and can cause flooding to homes and properties. I can be seen out and about (in my hi-viz jacket) with sandbags and providing assistance where needed.

The recent housing developments have not solved the current flooding issue in Paddock Wood and the threat of 3,500+ more homes coming forward in the borough local plan and little in the way of infrastructure, is one reason, as your independent councillor, I voted against the local plan.

Unlike your other three councillors, who can be bound by party policies, I listen to you, the resident, and vote in your interests.

There was a raffle, silent auction and sponsorship from several Paddock Wood organisations.

I was also proud to be a sponsor of this event. All helping to raise funds for the chosen charity.

The final event was the switching on of the Christmas lights. This year the lights on the Christmas tree and many of the streetlamp decorations were synced by the magic of Christmas and all lit up at the same time.

Many people attended and a great time was enjoyed by all but the weather this year was

I also acted swiftly against the potential loss of the first free hour car parking in Paddock Wood and this has been retained by the Borough Partnership.

Parking is one thing Father Christmas will not be worrying about. His sleigh will be once again appearing around Paddock Wood – thanks to The PW & District Lions Club.

Father Christmas will be appearing on 9/10/11 and 16th Dec on his sleigh bringing joy and happiest to the streets.

I wish you all a happy and peaceful Christmas and Happy New Year.

Mike Martin is the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Tunbridge Wells Constituency. He is former army officer with service in Afghanistan, a former senior leader in a charity, and an author on conflict and defence

Rodney Atkins has been an Independent Councillor for Paddock Wood East since 2019 and a town councillor for Paddock Wood Town Council since 2015. He worked in Financial services for 35 years and has lived local to Paddock Wood for 33 years.

CHRISTMAS The tree in Paddock Wood

As an independent not bound by party policies I listen to residents

‘Recent housing developments have not solved the current flooding issue in Paddock Wood’

And another thing…

ABC Cinema site has a USA twin

When

We could do worse than our MP

I’ve never voted Tory in my life, but I would still feel rather sad if, as Calverley suggests (Times, November 30) Greg Clark were not returned at the next election.

I’ve always thought that if one must be represented by a member of the Conservative party you could do a lot worse - very much worse! - than Mr Clark. He’s done a lot of good work in cabinet and committee, seems to find time for constituency matters and appears an all round reasonable bloke.

Obviously I’m not of his political persuasion, but I do cleave to the belief that another person can hold completely different beliefs to mine and yet still be rational, decent and well informed.

Richard Bicknell Langton Green

Balanced budget is a low bar

I note Tunbridge Wells Conservatives have launched a renewed online campaign to claim there is no budget deficit. (I would note they have previously claimed there was a deficit but purely as the result of Covid – they might want to get their story straight).

One piece of ‘evidence’ they’re fond of using is

the fact that they have ‘balanced the budget’ for many years on the trot. This sounds more impressive than it is.

You might believe that balancing the budget means income matches or outstrips expenditure, but that’s not what it means for councils.

There’s no one definition but I looked it up on the CIPFA (Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountability) website and they say a budget is balanced when a council has a short and medium-term plan and reasonably considers that it can cover its expenditure from income or reasonably cover it from reserves. It’s a pretty-low bar and it’s certainly proof there was no deficit.

But I noted something else when looking this up. CIPFA note financial crises don’t happen overnight and there are several reasons why councils get themselves into trouble. Top of their list is denial.

I have my disagreements with the coalition but they’re not in denial about the state of the problem and perhaps if the Tories had been a bit more responsible and relied a little less on magical thinking, we wouldn’t be in this mess right now.

Cllr James Rands (Independent) Culverden

Coping with grief

We are quickly approaching that time of year when TV adverts portray a sparkling, familyorientated, food-obsessed holiday. For many of those who recognise Christmas or other significant celebrations in December, it can be the ‘most wonderful time of the year’.

For those who have been bereaved, particularly since the previous Christmas, it can be a truly challenging time.

This National Grief Awareness Week (2-8 December), Hospice in the Weald has produced a top tips guide for anyone facing Christmas without their loved one to help provide reassurance and a few ideas to help them navigate their way through the festive season and beyond.

Visit hospiceintheweald.org.uk to read ‘Coping with Grief - the first Christmas and beyond’ and see our other resources designed to support those who have been bereaved, whether recently or some time ago.

With the pandemic having intensified sadness and grief for so many, and the national outpouring of grief following the death of the Queen, never has there been a more important time to open up conversations about death and normalise grief.

Paul Madden Hospice in the Weald

New approach to water needed

Recently across Tunbridge Wells and elsewhere water pressure has been either low or down to a trickle by late evening.

South East keep offering apologies, but they may as well have a trained parrot to say this. Their record at maintaining supplies is now becoming a joke. They boasted for 10 years that they laid 20,000 miles of new pipes a year. By that calculation they would have

circumnavigating the World a few times. Their sticking plaster approach is totally counterproductive. Here is an example; over a 21-month period there were no less than 6 sinkholes in a 200 yard stretch of Pennington Road, Southborough. The time and resources expended would have been better utilised in replacing that entire section.

As each sink hole appeared they would send out a team to repair, the final was the best as a new sinkhole was actually forming next to where they were working.

When asked why they don’t repair that portion as well, the foreman said it was not on their job list. This is one example of thinking, fix the entire section rather than plastering over the cracks.

Then we have the case of hosepipe bans. Rainwater which comes for free somehow cannot be saved, but reservoirs must be replenished from aquifers. Meanwhile vast quantities of water simply flow into the sea. In certain 3rd world nations, they would divert rivers or channels to save the water for a ‘dry’ day.

We are an island surrounded by water yet no thought to building desalination plants. In the 1970s it was considered too expensive, but that argument still holds good.

Rather than excess profits how about making a start? In the 21st century this failure is inexcusable. OFWAT are a toothless organisation, when approached about increasing water bills, their simple response was that water companies are entitled to make profits. How do countries with minimal rainfall manage?

So a new approach to water management is long overdue.

John Pearce Tunbridge Wells

CARTOON BY PEPPY:

( Follow her on Twitter @Peppyscott)

My sister and her husband live in Carmel Indiana USA and read the Times of Tunbridge Wells online.

they saw the proposal for the cinema site in last week’s edition, it immediately reminded them of: 10 W. Carmel Drive,

Carmel, Indiana, USA – The Agora At The Proscenium. They said this sort of corner development was all over urban America.

Edward

Baker Tunbridge Wells

CARMEL, INDIANA

TUNBRIDGE WELLS

guidegig

EVEN FLOW CAFÉ, ST JOHN’S ROAD

Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm

08/12 Kylie & Joe (£5 cover charge)

CASTLEMAS, THE IGLOO THEATRE, TONBRIDGE CASTLE

All event information, tickets and full programme available at www. castlemas.com

08/12 Rock The Tots

08/12 Massaoke Christmas

09/12 Frankie’s Guys

11/12 Master of the Musicals

12/12 Hotsie Totsie Wartime Trio

13/12 Rock The Tots + Rock The Kids

13/12 Fabbagirls

14/12 Glen Miller & Big Band

Spectacular

17/12 Ultimate Bublé at Christmas

18/12 Festive Wishes with Cheryl Baker

20/12 Ultimate Earth, Wind & Fire

THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE, THE PANTILES

All event information and tickets available at www.thegreylady.co.uk

09/12 Christmas Party with The Tar Babies

11/12 The Grey Lady Sessions: David Migden & The Twisted Roots + Essie West

16/12 Christmas Party with Dino

08/12 U18 Open Mic Night (4.30pm start)

08/12 Lady Bird album launch party and film premier (8pm)

10/12 Boston Manor + Heriot + Graphic Nature

14/12 The Wandering Hearts + Laura Housley & The Northern Cowboys

16/12 Back to the 80’s 17/12 Anti-Nowhere League

Baptiste & Harry Whitty

17/12 Christmas Party with Over The Edge

21/12 The Grey Lady Sessions: Isabella Coulstock + The Paul Dunton Orchestra

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

Event information and tickets at www. twforum.co.uk

07/12 Word Up! (spoken word and poetry)

TRINITY THEATRE, CHURCH ROAD

All event information and tickets available from www.trinitytheatre.net

17/12 Christmas Carols at Trinity (2pm)

TN1 BAR & KITCHEN, MONSON ROAD

Open all day, free entry, booking advised www.tn1barkitchen.co.uk

08/12 Guy Watson 11/12 Ash Dodd 15/12 David Mumford 16/12 The Masqueraders Duo

THE FORUM BASEMENT AT THE SUSSEX ARMS

All information and tickets available at www.twforum.co.uk 15/12 Higgs and the Bosons + The Loud Trousers

16/12 High + Tribe of Ghosts 17/12 Code: Marla + Karobela

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST CHURCH, PENSHURST

All event information and tickets available at www. penshurstchoralsociety.co.uk

10/12 Penhurst Choral Society Carol Concert (6.30pm)

ST. ANDREW’S CHURCH, PADDOCK WOOD

All event information and tickets available at www.paddockwood-choral.org.uk 10/12 Paddock Wood Choral Society Christmas Concert (7.30pm)

JUDDIAN’S RUGBY CLUB, THE SLADE, TONBRIDGE

Tickets £25, Students and under-18s £5 available from www.tmc.org.uk

09/12 Tonbridge Music Club - All that Jazz! with the Ben Cox Band.

CALVERLEY GROUNDS ICE RINK, THE FORUM WINTER SESSIONS

Music from 7pm-9pm, free entry all details at www.twforum.co.uk 08/12 Paul Cheese + Pop Vox Choir 15/12 Biddle + TWUNTS

THE GREEN DUCK EMPORIUM, CAMDEN ROAD

All event details and tickets available at www.thegreenduckemporium.com/ events 10/12 Tom Carradine’s Christmas sing-along 16/12 Tom Carradine’s Christmas sing-along

THE BEDFORD PUB, HIGHSTREET

Open all day free entry, music from 8pm 17/12 The New Grove Band

WADHURST CHURCH, WADHURST

7.30pm - Tickets £15 from Carillon Cottage Wadhurst and on the door.

17/12 Follow that Star: A celebration of Christmas Carols

THE ALLOTMENT, ST JAMES ROAD

Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm

12/12 TWUNT Ukulele Jam session

GEOGRAPHY WINEBAR, HIGHSTREET

Open all day, free entry. Music from 3.30pm-6pm

11/12 Barnstorm (unplugged)

SANKEY’S BAR & RESTAURANT MT EPHRAIM

Open all day, free entry, music from 7.30pm

08/12 Live music tba from 7.30pm

22/12 The Masqueraders

ST MARY’S CHURCH, LAMBERHURST

All event information at www. lamberhurstmusic.co.uk

11/12 Cambridge Chorale

THE ROYAL OAK PUB, PROSPECT ROAD

Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm

07/12 The Americana Sessions 17/12 Supajam Xmas fundraiser featuring Silversouls, The River Flows, Charlie Rivers Band, Kharma & The Devil, Ukelear Fallout

THE BLACK HORSE PUB, CAMDEN ROAD

Open all day free entry, music from 8pm

09/12 Christmas Jumper Karaoke party 22/12 Christmas Jam Night

THE GUN & SPITROAST INN, HORSMONDEN

Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm

07/12 Jam Session all welcome 14/12 Jam Session all welcome 21/12 Jam Session all welcome

Times music correspondent Paul Dunton shares his top gig picks for the next fortnight...

DAVID MIDGEN & THE TWISTED ROOTS

KYLIE & JOE

KAROBELLA

ISABELLA COULSTOCK

A PIECE OF HISTORY FROM THE DIAMOND SETTER

THE MEMORY COLLECTION

GIFT A UNIQUE PIECE OF JEWELLERY WITH A SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE MARK.

The platinum jubilee mark for the late Queen Elizabeth the II is only the 7th to be released in history. This mark is so special and one of a kind and sought after amongst jewellery designers and makers.

Shop at our atelier located at Salomons Estate

Panto season at the Assembly Hall Theatre kicks off this Saturday December 10 when the cast of Jack and the Beanstalk take to the stage. Eileen Leahy finds out more…

The Assembly Hall Theatre has a history of putting on some brilliant pantomimes at Christmas and this year is no exception as it stages that festive classic Jack and the Beanstalk.

House sales steady but experts warn of ‘looming storm’ ahead

Cliff Parisi – who formerly played the role of Minty in Eastenders and can currently be seen on our screens in Call The Midwife – is the show’s big star and is cast as evil villain Walter Waltzer. Cliff has also starred in ITV’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here as well as BBC Two’s Celebrity Antiques Road Trip and been a contestant in the 2022 series of Celebrity Masterchef.

HOUSE sales held steady in October, with the volume of transactions increasing by 2% month-on-month, according to HM Revenue and Customs figures.

An estimated 108,480 sales took place, which was also 38% higher than in October 2021 – when a stamp duty holiday in England and Northern Ireland ended.

The 2022 pantomime also stars James Peake as Dame Trott and CBBC’s Stewart McCheyne as Simon Trott, and is being brought to the council-run theatre by the award-winning Little Wolf Entertainment and will be directed by Mikey Powell.

Figures released by Moneyfacts.co.uk on Tuesday showed the average five-year fixed mortgage rate has dropped below 6% for the first time in seven weeks.

He tells the Times that he’s ‘hugely excited’ about staging the show, which runs until December 31 and will include both BSL Signed and relaxed performances as well as matinees. “We are hugely excited to work with Little Wolf

Hillbury

Borrowing

Mortgage lenders are offering 5.95% on average for a five-year fixed-rate deal. Mortgage rates jumped following the minibudget and recent Bank of England base rate hikes are also pushing up borrowing costs.

Entertainment for this year’s panto, the work they do in the theatre world is unparalleled so to have them with us will be so much fun.

“Cliff Parisi will also be a fantastic and hilarious star who, along with a full supporting company, will bring so much energy, laughs and joy to the Assembly Hall’s Christmas offering this year. Tunbridge Wells is in for yet another festive treat!”

Sarah Coles, senior personal finance analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Home completions sailed a steady course through October, but the looming storm is likely to sink sales.

“October saw carnage unleashed in the mortgage market, but buyers, with much lower mortgages already in their back pocket, continued to plough on.

“It means October sales were still slightly above pre-pandemic levels, but this is the relative calm before the storm.

Laughing

Research, said the October 2022 house sales figures point ‘to a market that has remained surprisingly robust given the economic backdrop, and confirms that we haven’t seen the big increase in fall throughs that some have predicted’.

As you’d expect, the classic Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale has been given a good old-fashioned panto makeover with super-sized costumes and giant-sized jokes which will ensure audiences are kept laughing over the Christmas period.

“Sales completing in October were largely agreed around July, when demand had been falling for a couple of months, as mortgage rates started to climb and cooled our passion for property.”

beans… but can Jack get his head out of the clouds for long enough to save the day?

“It’s a show that will be full of marvellous moo-sic, cow-ntless costumes and an udderley ridiculous Dame with giant-sized jokes!” laughs Mikey.

“However, a number of lead indicators – including the increased cost of borrowing and rising cost-of-living – are pointing towards falls in transactions over coming months, as buyers and lenders become more cautious.

We’ll see you down the front for all the fun and frolics – oh yes we will!

Mortgage approvals are set to dip by 13%

FESTIVE FUN AT THE AMELIA

DEMAND for residential properties is expected to dip by 13.4 per cent this year, research has found, further cooling the UK housing market.

Octane Capital has revealed that the level of mortgage approvals seen across the UK property market is expected to dip in 2022

mortgage data estimates where the market will sit come the end of the year, how this compares to market performance seen over the last decade and which sectors are driving current market trends.

It’s the Amelia Scott cultural centre’s first Christmas and as you’d expect they are pulling out all the stops to make it a memorable one.

Activity

Based on this historic market data, Octane Capital expects the total level of mortgage approvals seen across the UK property market to sit at 1.5 million by the end of 2022, averaging 130,764 per month.

Just last weekend, the venue hosted a special Christmas Concert which featured local favourites Rock Choir and Britain’s Got Talent sensations The Frontline Singers. “This sold out event was a great celebration of our community and a successful first year for the venue,” an Amelia spokesperson told the Times

This level of total market activity would mark a -0.2% decline when compared to 2021, however, when dissecting the market by the type of mortgage approval, it’s clear that one sub sector is driving this decline.

The Amelia also put on a Christmas market over the first weekend of December which hosted an array of artisan, handmade and craft focused makers.

Octane Capital estimates that mortgage approvals for residential house purchases specifically are set to fall to a total of 818,641 in 2022 – a drop of -13.4%.

And this coming Saturday December 10 it will open up its Santa’s Grotto so little ones will have the chance to meet Father Christmas.

Supported

Mikey afforded us a sneak peek of how the storyline goes, telling us that Dame Trott and her family – who have been ice cream sellers at the local fair for donkey’s years – get into a pickle when the ginormous giant puts their rent up.

As a result the Trott family are forced to sell their beloved cow Pat for just a handful of

He added: “Sales have also continued to be supported by people looking to lock into existing mortgage deals, that look cheap in the context of current interest rates.

“These numbers also continue to show the distortive impact of last year’s stamp duty holiday,” he continued.

Jack and the Beanstalk tickets start from just £27 for adults and £17 for children and are available at: assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk/ whats-on/jack-and-the-beanstalk Circle Members, groups and schools are all eligible for discounts – all details on the Assembly Hall website.

“We predict transactions volumes will slow to 870,000 in 2023, with equitydriven prime markets holding up stronger than first-time buyers and mortgaged landlords, who rely more heavily on debt.”

In contrast, mortgage approvals for those remortgaging are set to climb by 24% on an annual basis, with those classed as other – existing borrowers increasing the size of their current mortgage with the same lender for example, to fund home improvements – also expected to see a jump of 7.6% when compared to 2021.

Open daily from 11am to 4pm right up until Christmas Eve (10am to 2pm), there’s no need to book in advance – just turn up and Santa will be waiting to greet you! Entrance costs £5 per child and children of Go Card holders go free (you can sign up at: gotunbridgewells. co.uk/about)

Sales office and marketing suite open by appointment only, Thursday to Monday 10am – 4pm.

For more information visit: Hillbury. elds @fernham-homes.co.uk or telephone 01580 230332

Full details of all events and entertainment can be found at theamelia.co.uk/whats-on

However, while topline market performance is expected to stutter in 2022, the total level of mortgage approvals seen across the UK will remain some 2.8% higher than they were five years ago.

‘The classic Jack and the Beanstalk fairy tale has been given a good old-fashioned panto makeover with super-sized costumes and giant-sized jokes’

Lucian Cook, Savills’ Head of Residential

Picture: Shutterstock

COMEDIAN Ross Noble will visit the Assembly Hall next November as part of his 53-date Jibber Jabber Jamboree UK tour, in what marks his 21st solo stand-up tour.

To celebrate this milestone, he has invited the people of Tunbridge Wells you to join him for an evening of the sort of inspired nonsense that has cemented his place as the supreme master of stream of consciousness, freewheeling stand-up.

Nationwide

Tickets went on sale last week for a show that is guaranteed to be a sell-out.

The nationwide tour starts on October 25, 2023 before Ross arrives at the Assembly Hall Theatre on Friday, November 3.

The 46-year-old comedian, who lives in Australia, has been performing stand-up at the age of 15 and made his theatre debut in ‘The Producers’ in 2015.

He has become a familiar face on TV panel shows such as Have I Got News For You –making more appearances than any other guest – and QI.

The comic, who was born in Newcastle, has explained what theatre goers can expect from his upcoming Jabber Jamboree UK tour.

He said: “It will be a playful experience for young and old. Imagine watching someone create a magic carpet on an enchanted loom. Oh, hang on… magic carpets fly, that would smash the loom as it took flight.

“I haven’t thought that through. That’s what people can expect. Razor sharp observations on things I haven’t thought through.”

Noble has previously won the Time Out Award for Best Live Stand-Up, and a Barry Award in Australia.

For tickets, which cost £32.00 for a standard seat, and more information, visit assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk/whats-on/ ross-noble

NOBLE ARTS Award-winning funnyman Ross will be at the Assembly Hall in November next year

Book backed by Southeastern aims to attract more women train drivers

Times Books Editor Victoria Roberts picks three books for the week ahead

On this week’s bookshelf, a new page-turning mystery thriller from the bestselling author of ‘The Dark’, Melvin Burgess’ retelling of Norse mythology and a children’s version of the life story of Nobel laureate and activist Malala Yousafzai…

A NEW children’s book celebrating female train drivers that encourages young girls to consider the traditionally male profession as a career option, has been backed by the rail company that serves Tunbridge Wells.

The Sanctuary by Emma Haughton

Loki by Melvin Burgess

Published in hardback by Coronet, priced £16.99 (ebook £16.99).

My Name Is Malala by Malala Yousafzai

‘My Mummy is a Train Driver’ is the latest in a series of books that challenge gender stereotypes. It aims to inspire young children to consider a future career in rail and to showcase the welcoming and inclusive work environment the rail industry continues to foster.

Sponsored by Southeastern and other train operating companies, the book is a culmination of the personal insights and perspectives of a diverse group of people working in the rail industry.

Experiences

Told through the eyes of a child, the reader learns what it takes to do the job safely, as well as the fun experiences encountered along the way.

Published in hardback by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £16.99 (ebook £6.99). Available November 24 Zoey first enters The Sanctuary against her will. While the initial plot focuses on Zoey and revealing the reasons why she has been brought there, the story develops to reveal a killer is on the loose – increasing the sense of remoteness even further. This descriptive novel will take you through a whirlwind of emotions. Who is telling the truth? What is going on behind closed doors?

Southeastern train driver Jane Fentaman, who lives in Rochester and is based at the Slade Green depot, said: “My children are quite proud of saying that their mother is a train driver. They like watching their friends’ reactions!

Available now

to find the UK’s best workplaces. Southeastern has also won the best place to work at the Women in Rail Awards in 2021 and 2022 and has been included in the Financial Times Diversity Leaders report.

Illustrated by Mariam Quraishi, published as a board book by Puffin, priced £7.99 (ebook £5.99). Available now

Steve Foster added: “We know there is more to do but Southeastern works hard to provide a

“But it does show how naturally surprising it is for children, open-minded as they are, to understand that women can be train drivers too.

“There is a lot that must be done to normalise this as a job that can be done competently, no matter what gender you might be. Children’s books can be a powerful way in which to communicate that.”

An exciting read that’ll keep you guessing, The Sanctuary reels you in with beautiful descriptions of this remote location, where you realise a lot more is going on than meets the eye. With many interesting characters to unpick, it is hard to know who you can trust. Despite this, the novel includes some really heart-warming scenes too, breaking up the mystery and sense of dread. This was a gripping read that was difficult to put down.

Review by Randy Bainbridge

In the last five years, the number of female

train drivers at Southeastern has more than doubled to 10 per cent, with women making up 20 per cent of the company’s 4,600-strong workforce overall.

Steve Foster, Director of People at Southeastern, said: “The rail industry in general is considered to be male dominated so it’s very important that we not only attract women to the company, but also support them to stay and flourish in their roles.

This debut adult novel from children’s fiction author Melvin Burgess is a spirited retelling of Norse mythology through the eyes of the trickster god Loki. Vain, boastful and cunning yet witty and insightful, the decidedly unreliable narrator takes readers on an episodic tour through ancient tales, highlighting the god of mischief-making’s key roles and casting scorn on other deities. We learn of Loki’s birth, his friendship with god-ruler Odin, the arrival of his extraordinary children, a rivalry with god of thunder Thor and his passionate love for Odin’s child Baldr. Bawdy, violent and tragic stories are recounted in a sardonic and playful tone, but not without moments of tenderness. They explore serious themes: from corrupt politics and power to the treatment of gender, sexuality and love. Loki aims to challenge previous perceptions and the authority of the patriarchal gods by exposing their dubious morality, lies and brutality. It’s a rollicking read.

“This allows us to attract and retain the best possible talent. Being involved with ‘My Mummy

Review by Tom Pilgrim

is a Train Driver’ is a fantastic way to reach young children and influence them before gender stereotypes have set in.”

Southeastern is recognised as an Endorsed Employer for Women by WORK180, which approves employers with a genuine commitment to supporting women at work, making it easy for job seekers

Few stories are as inspirational as Malala Yousafzai’s, and this simple but impactful board book will introduce young readers to her life. With colourful, sweet illustrations and easyto-follow sentences, each page outlines an aspect of who Yousafzai is – that she is a friend, a Muslim, a reader, and so on. It ends with a short outline of the 25-year-old activist’s life, and while it doesn’t go into huge amounts of detail – this is a book for young children, after all – there are plenty of important themes, and it will no doubt provide food for thought and topics for future conversations. It’s hopeful and inspiring – just like Yousafzai herself.

Review by Prudence Wade

RAILWAY WOMEN Jane Fentaman (left) and fellow train driver Lauren Stowers

From a great-value Spanish buy to a splash-out Austrian magnum, your industrious, spittoon-serving Times wine correspondent has diligently sifted through a bumper festive crop and hand-picked six stunning white wines to get your festivities flowing. Wines are listed in climbing price per cl. Happy drinking!

1. Must-try, keenly-priced, light-bodied supermarket giveaway party white:

2021 Pagos del Rey, Marqués de los Zancos Rioja Blanco, Spain (£5, Tesco, 12.5%)

Seeking a bargain? Scoop up this ridiculously good value, fruity and lightly vanilla-scented white Rioja from Tesco. It’s immediately friendly, supreme at the price and easy to enjoy as a young wine (which will grow up fast). Just the ticket for festive parties. A gold-plated bargain festive household must-buy and a whizz with poached salmon and light chicken dishes. Try it!

2. Canny Italian DOCG white wine from a late-ripening, ancient Campanian grape variety:

2021 Greco di Tufo, Campania, Italy (£6.99, Lidl, on its Christmas Wine Tour, 13%)

This scrumptious, unoaked Greco di Tufo – a DOCG white wine made in largely volcanic soils from the challenging, late-ripening, heat-tolerant and drought-resistant Campanian grape variety Greco – is my top pick from Lidl’s Christmas wine tour. Underpinned by crisp acidity and bolshy in length, it keeps you coming back for another sip as its captivating, refined flavours evolve. Apricot, spice, orange citrus, aniseed and dried herbs are all on offer. Roast chicken, grilled fish or seafood

risotto anyone? Suave, long, fresh and keenly priced. Yum!

3. Can’t afford Chablis? Try this Portuguese alternative made from 100% Encruzado: 2021 Specially Selected Portuguese Encruzado, Dão Portugal (£7.49, Aldi, 12.5%)

Kudos to Aldi’s wine buyers who sniff out some of Portugal’s hidden gems. Encruzado is one of the country’s finest white grape varieties. It’s principally planted in Dão, which lies on a high granite plateau in north-central Portugal (just to the south of the Douro wine region), where it makes both modest and rich, stylish wines with decent acidity and lots of body. This tiptop, mouthfilling example is characteristically fresh and interesting. Think tangy woody herbs, orchard fruits, orange blossom and a suggestion of smoke and flint. For fans of Chablis who can’t afford the French wine’s high price tag. Finishing lengthily, this is a great demonstration of the sophistication

of modern Portuguese wine. Very fair price despite the recent increase from £6.99. Chill for shellfish and fish/pork stews. Delicious!

4. A marvel from the Veneto on a tasty Christmas offer:

2019 Inama Vigneti di Foscarino Soave Classico, Veneto, Italy (£16.99 offer, down £5 from £21.99 until January 1, Waitrose, 12.5%)

This is a beautifully composed, textural, upmarket, floral, almondy and minerally Soave Classico with flashes of yellow fruits, white pepper and a long, gently saline, pure stony finish. The grape is late-ripening Garganega. Overflowing with moxie and energy. Sensational refreshment from one of Veneto’s best producers that can handle everything from poultry, fish pie, mild spicy dishes, sushi and grilled fish to Osso Bucco. Nab it on the offer (through January 1 ‘23). Cin cin!

5. Refined, vivid Kiwi classic with real complexity and ageing potential:

2022 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough New Zealand (£23-£27.95, Laithwaites, Ocado, Majestic, Sainsbury’s, Jeroboam’s, 13.5%)

A consistent hit, this outstanding, complex, majorly aromatic Sauvignon Blanc (SB) from New Zealand’s most famous winery is a luminous Christmas treat. Punchy fruit – think kaffir lime, lemongrass, passionfruit, green peapod, white

asparagus, wet stone and nectarine – moments dart, in, out and around crunchy, limey acidity.

Five per cent of the multi-vineyard SB blend was fermented in large oak vats. A long thread of enlivening acidity leads to a toothsome, lingering finish, whetting the palate for the next glass. Rapier-like of intensity, very classy and abounding with youthful vigour and zest, this is a textbook, standard-bearing, world-class Marlborough SB that will undoubtedly evolve handsomely –garnering even more complexity – in the bottle over the next several years. Try it with herby roast chicken, seafood, smoked salmon, white fish or even a Thai green curry. Check out the new, eye-catching, embossed, sustainable bottle design!

6. Think big – a magnificent, showstopping magnum for a festive dinner party: 2019 magnum of Weingut Bründlmayer Riesling Ried Heiligenstein Lyra 1ÖTW/Erste Lage, Kamptal, Austria (£79, The Wine Society, 13%)

Only the best will do at Christmas! Bravo Weingut Bründlmayer, squarely stepping up to the mark. Exquisite, ripe, invigorating, ageworthy, palateperking Riesling from an iconic Austrian producer and sandstone-filled, classified Erste Lage (Premier Cru) vineyard, all passionfruit, Mirabelle plum, yuzu and starfruit pizzazz, leaving the mouth as fresh as a spring day. A super choice for Asian cuisine and Christmas duck, fish, goose, pork, poultry and veal. It’s a real treat with exquisite, dry, length. Enjoy now or else cellar and forget. Don’t pour it ice cold.

This magnum is an ideal Christmas gift for a wine connoisseur as it’s built for the long haul – a truly exceptional Christmas present for the wine lover in your life.

Stuck for present ideas? £40 gets a lifetime membership to the award-winning, not-for-profit wine cooperative, The Wine Society – and it’s £20 off the first order.

Follow James on Twitter @QuixoticWine

When you think ukulele, does a black and white image of George Formby strumming away, singing about cleaning windows pop into your head?

Or does your mind slip away to the tropical paradise of Hawaii and Israel Kamakawiwo’ole singing his beautiful version of ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’?

The ukulele, also called the ‘uke’, is an adaptable and fun instrument to play. Its smaller size and cheerful and fun sound make it a popular choice for children and adults looking for an instrument to play.

Tropical

At its heart a ukulele is fun. The sound is ‘tropical’ and uplifting. And it is almost impossible to play a melancholy song on a

these, the soprano is considered the ‘standard’ version that most people play. This version has a bright, soft tone and is the best beginner ukulele.

What’s in a name?

There are many stories about how the ukulele got its name, the most popular one says that when the locals saw the Portuguese workers playing their instrument, they named it with the Hawaiian words ‘uku’ and ‘lele’, which mean ‘jumping flea’ because the players’ fingers moved so quickly.

Ukulele fun facts

1. The smallest playable ukulele is often referred to as the ‘pocket’ uku. The sopranissimo is around 40cms in length.

2. Celebrities that have helped to increase the popularity of the ukulele include James Hill, Elvis Presley, George Harrison, Paul

Walking in a Bewl Water wonderland

Miller of Bewl Water talks about what’s on at the Lamberhurst beauty spot this Christmas

There is no shortage of beautiful places in Kent to enjoy the magic of Christmas, and with the festive season in full swing, it’s plain to see that the whole county is high in spirits. Whether it’s parties, light switch-ons or festive afternoon teas, no tinsel has been left unturned in Tunbridge Wells this year. Joining the festive cheer is Bewl Water, the largest body of water in South East England, which already has much to recommend it. Popular for healthy outdoor activities, the 800-acre site is open year-round, offering long walks around the reservoir’s edge as well as fishing and cycle hire.

But in the build-up to Christmas, there’s so much more to enjoy. From missing elves and Santa meet and greets to festive-themed drinks and a Christmas Wish Tree, there’s no shortage of fun things to do. Children can even enter a colouring competition to help create next year’s head elf.

Kicking off the festivities on November 26, Bewl Water opened its Magical Christmas Elf Trail. Free

throughout December, parents and their children can collect a map from the Waterfront Café before exploring the trail where they will need to search for hidden clues, unscramble the magical code and find the missing head elf before Christmas Day arrives.

For those who succeed, Bewl Water is giving away a seasonal treat back at the café which is also free for each child participating.

No bookings are required and for families looking to capture those priceless moments, festive selfie

frames have been placed around the route.

In addition to the Magical Elf Trail which offers stunning views of the estate, parents and children can also enjoy a stroll through the wildlife-rich woodland by following the new self-guided walking routes.

Whether it’s to breathe in the refreshing winter air or to walk off a Sunday lunch, each trail has been designed to help families navigate their way through the reservoir’s extensive landscape, soaking up the picturesque views at their own pace.

Ranging from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours, each trail has been colour-coded.

Starting from the terrace outside the Waterfront Café, the 30-minute green route suitable for buggies and toddlers follows the path through the ancient woodland.

Keep walking down towards the fishing boat jetty on the water’s edge before turning left (water on your right) and crossing the decking bridge past the wooden gazebo. Here you can head to the

adventure playground for some festive playtime fun before returning with a short walk back up to the Waterfront Café.

The blue route takes one hour to complete and is also suitable for buggies and toddlers.

Start at the Waterfront Café before following the footpath across the top of the reservoir dam and passing the two towers – here, you can tell how deep the reservoir is. If it’s full, you’ll only be able to see the tops of the towers!

Views

Along the route, there will be sheep and rabbits in the meadows behind the dam and often kestrels hovering overhead. When you reach the gate into Chingley Woods, you can either return (1 hour walk) or continue the adventure.

The longest trail (still suitable for buggies), takes 2.5 hours and can be found by sticking to the red route. Start by following the 1-hour walk to the

For those who have worked up quite the appetite after their winter stroll, head back to the Waterfront Café where a selection of winterwarming treats awaits.

New to the menu, visitors can sip on festivethemed hot drinks including gingerbread lattes and hazelnut hot chocolates with alcoholic alternatives available for adults.

“Our winter warming drinks are the perfect treat after a long walk around the reservoir,” said Events Manager Tom Noble.

Open until 4pm on weekends, the Waterfront Café is packed full of Christmas activities this season including a colouring competition. It’s free to enter throughout the month and children will need to show off their best colouring skills in the bid to design next year’s head elf.

The winner will be announced on December 28 via social media (@BewlWater) and all entrants will be displayed on the Café walls.

If you visit on December 17, 18, 23, and 24 Santa himself will also be paying the Café a visit during a special meet and greet.

Breakfast with Santa is a new addition to the reservoir’s festive calendar, where the man in red

chestnut tree-lined Chingley Wood before heading towards where the path opens. Here you’ll be met by a meadow at Hatheralls Bay which makes for a great spot to take a break and enjoy the views across the water.

‘Each trail has been designed to help families navigate their way through the reservoir’s extensive landscape’

Molly

‘From missing elves and Santa meet and greets to festivethemed drinks, there’s no shortage of fun things to do’

Average UK house price fell by 1.4% in November

THE average house price fell by 1.4% month on month in November, marking the biggest drop since June 2020, according to an index.

November’s drop followed a 0.9% month-on-month fall in October.

Across the UK, annual house price growth slowed sharply to 4.4%, from 7.2% annual growth recorded in October.

The average house price in November was £263,788, Nationwide Building Society said.

Mortgage rates jumped following the mini-budget in September, with Bank of England base rate rises also pushing up borrowing costs, against a backdrop of households being squeezed by rising bills generally.

Slowdown

Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said:

“The fallout from the mini-budget continued to impact the market, with November seeing a sharp slowdown in annual house price growth to 4.4%, from 7.2% in October. Prices fell by 1.4% month on month, after taking account of seasonal effects – the largest fall since June 2020.

“While financial market conditions have stabilised, interest rates for new mortgages remain elevated and the market has lost a significant degree of

momentum.

“Housing affordability for potential buyers and home-movers has become much more stretched at a time when household finances are already under pressure from high inflation.

“The market looks set to remain subdued in the coming quarters. Inflation is set to remain high for some time and bank rate is likely to rise further as the Bank of England seeks to ensure demand in the economy slows to relieve domestic price pressures.

“The outlook is uncertain, and much will depend on how the broader economy performs, but a relatively soft landing is still possible.”

Mr Gardner said longer term borrowing costs have fallen back in recent weeks and may moderate further.

“Given the weak growth outlook, labour market conditions are likely to soften, but they are starting from a robust position with unemployment still near 50-year lows,” he said.

“Moreover, household balance sheets remain in good shape, with significant protection from higher borrowing costs, at least for a period, with around 85% of mortgage balances on fixed interest rates.

“Stretched housing affordability is also a reflection of underlying supply constraints, which should provide some support for prices.”

Overdoing those decorations could affect your house sale at Christmas

GOING over the top with Christmas decorations could scupper your property sale this festive season, research has found.

Estate agent comparison site, GetAgent. co.uk, surveyed the nation’s homebuyers to find out how much is too much when it comes to dressing our homes with some festive cheer and just which decorations could deter buyers when it comes to your chances of selling.

The survey found that a quarter of us (24%) would be deterred from viewing a home listed for sale, if it had an over the top level of outdoor Christmas lights and decorations when they arrived to view it.

The research found that 23% would also be put off if this over the top approach to Christmas continued within the home when they entered to view it.

As many as 38% of potential buyers said that if they were deterred from viewing a property during the festive period, they wouldn’t bother returning after the festive period to give it a second chance.

As a result, overdoing it on the decorations during the Christmas period could be disastrous for the nation’s home sellers as it could scupper their sale, with the number of buyers entering a cooling market already falling in recent months. So what decorations are best to avoid?

Well, GetAgent found that the number one deterrent for UK homebuyers were decorations in suggestive positions, followed by those making rude gestures such as hand signals.

Detrimental

A blow-up snowman or Santa can be the next most detrimental decoration to your sale, with big flashing wall-mounted Christmas lights also falling out of fashion, along with life-sized reindeer and a sleigh, fake snow and festive themed front door mats.

Fairy lights, whether they be multicoloured or the more neutral white, were the least biggest turn off to potential buyers.

CEO and co-founder of GetAgent.co.uk, Colby Short, said: “There’s no harm in getting into the Christmas spirit and for some, a drive around the local area to check out the brightest and best Christmas light displays is as big a part of Christmas as the turkey itself.

But if you’re in the process of trying to sell your home, you may want to think twice

before you deck the halls with a rude Santa or a big inflatable snowman. Selling at Christmas is no different to any time of year and you have to remember that not everyone will share your particular tastes, or sense of humour for that matter.

A blank canvas works best when it comes to attracting potential buyers and if your home is covered in Christmas decorations, it can be hard for them to get a true sense of the property.

This will almost always work against you and could see you scupper the sale of your home, particularly in the current

Landlords – both accidental and deliberate – have had quite a lot to digest in the last 12 months: changes in legislation such as the new rulings on carbon monoxide alarms, confirmation of the Renters Reform Bill proceeding, not to mention the rise in interest rates and therefore costs of borrowing. With this backdrop, what could 2023 bring? James Richards, Partner of award-winning Sales and Lettings Agent, Maddisons Residential, lends his insights for the new year.

The recent Autumn Statement has brought greater calm to markets and mortgage rates seem to have stabilised, with many predicting that they may fall in the first quarter of the new year to around 4%. This may, however, be only temporary, with Bank rates likely to see a further increase as the year moves on.

Due to supply and demand, 2022 saw significant rental increases for landlords and over Q3, Rightmove reported that there were 26% fewer rental properties available than in the period before COVID (Q1 2020). We feel that this trend of strong rental demand will continue into 2023 as some potential house buyers are deterred by borrowing costs and others simply not able to find their onward purchase.

The Renters Reform Bill will create greater power for tenants and, following the recent tragedy in Rochdale, changes will no doubt be brought about through the Housing Health and Safety Rating System. Legislation in Wales has already set off down a similar path and it is very possible England shall soon follow.

So, the new year holds opportunity for progress, yet a somewhat chequered outlook for tenants and landlords, with several key issues that won’t resolve quickly.

Meet the expert: James Richards is a Partner at Maddisons Residential, leading independent Sales and Lettings Agent in Tunbridge Wells, offering expert sales and lettings advice with excellent customer service.

In my weekly articles I am fortunate enough to share with you, the reader, many of the exciting finds we discover at Gorringe’s, sometimes revealing rather exciting and surprising values.

Yet what actually makes something valuable? There are perhaps more factors than initially come to mind when pondering on this question – in today’s article, as far as the word count permits me, I will outline the principal areas to consider when establishing the current market value in the art and antique market.

Possibly the most important initial consideration when assessing the value of an item or work of art – is it in vogue?

Now I hesitate to generalise, as there are always exceptions to any rule, but if we take Victorian watercolours for example – often beautifully executed scenes of days gone by – these were at the height of value in the 1990s as the market for such works reached fever pitch.

Now, some 20 years on, they are seen as perhaps too pretty or ‘chocolate box’ for most of us, who seek a lighter, fresher aesthetic in the home – meaning that a wonderful work that might have cost several thousand pounds 30 years ago can be bought now for below £200.

Yet if we consider works by 20th century artists such as Elliot Hodgkin (1905-1987), his simple but beautifully portrayed studies of fruits and flowers are far more in keeping with current tastes, with recent results such as ‘Two Cut Lemons’, in oil on board, reaching £29,000 (plus fees) at Gorringe’s.

Culture

Changing lifestyles and the useability of a piece are also factors. One reason why large, often dark dining furniture may struggle to sell nowadays is because we tend to favour lighter interiors, but it is also due to a change in behaviour and culture – as fewer people seem to sit around a table at mealtimes – and as modern homes are built with smaller rooms, the feasibility of these pieces sadly reduces, so too therefore does their monetary value.

Something vital to the value of really anything is its availability in the market.

Often, this factor is tied in closely with the above – the same Victorian watercolours for example

have entered the market in large numbers in recent years as more people opt for something different, meaning that again, sadly, their ceiling of value is further lowered as their availability broadens.

Pieces which are made in any large number will typically have a limit of value, whereas truly unique, one-off pieces come with the motivating realisation that you will be alone in owning the piece in question – something which always serves to add value.

Often, ‘limited edition’ pieces are marketed as scarce and rare, but in truth the edition is limited to several thousand which means there are many others out there just like it – whereas each Lucie Rie studio ware bowl for example is totally unique, hence the price each piece commands.

The reason the Chinese market for example is so buoyant now is a direct result of the emergence of the middle classes in China, through the country’s economic rise seen over recent years – resulting in a large number of the population having the wealth required in order to compete to own and repatriate works of Chinese art and cultural heritage which were taken to

the west in preceding centuries.

Hence why such works, although always academically appreciated, would likely not have fetched the giddy prices we see today when offered say 20 years ago.

Finally – there are of course certain enduring factors which will always hold value – namely quality and beauty. Broad guidance perhaps, but these factors will never disappoint.

The reason that fine jewellery is always in such demand – something which will transcend the intrinsic value of the diamonds and gold involved – that is the artistry in the hand of a jeweller who has combined them to create something truly beautiful.

TV’s Clive Attrell from ITV and BBC Television

JOSEPH TRINDER