The Times of Tunbridge Wells 9th March 2022

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Theatre comes out in support of Ukraine

Rachel Chiles, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

SKIN IS OUR

SOLIDARITY: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has illuminated the Assembly Hall in blue and yellow and raised the Ukrainian flag outside the Town Hall. For more on the community’s response to the crisis in Ukraine see page 10.

Cost of getting to work reaches record levels following rail hike

By Richard Williams RAIL fare hikes now mean that some commuters travelling from Tunbridge Wells to London will have to earn more than £10,000 a year just to cover the cost of getting to work, analysis by the Times reveals.

The cost of a season ticket from the town’s main rail station increased by more than £200 last week, as the government’s annual rail fare rise was introduced – the largest yearly hike in the cost of commuting for nearly a decade.

While fares are set by train companies, rises are capped using the government’s Retail Price Index (RPI) from last July, which saw fares increase by 3.8 per cent this month – the biggest increase since 2013.

The record hike means a standard annual season ticket into London from

Tunbridge Wells will increase by £202, from £5,046 to £5,248.

Those commuters that also use the Tube to commute within London can now expect to pay £6,145 up from £6,032.

However, the actual cost of getting into London is more than just the price on the

‘This alarming rise comes at the worst possible time for passengers’ front of a ticket.

Analysis by the Times shows that when tax and National Insurance (NI) – which is set to rise on April 1 – are taken into account, some commuters will need to earn £10,000 a year just to get to work.

For basic rate taxpayers, the increased cost means they will have to earn £7,891 just to cover the cost of a season ticket,

rising to £9,048 for higher rate taxpayers.

For travellers needing to use the Tube, a season ticket from Tunbridge Wells to London stations including Travelcard Zones 1-6 now sets you back £6,145, meaning the gross cost when tax and NI is taken into account is £9,070. Higher rate payers now have to fork out £10,400.

To put the figures in perspective, the annual median income in the UK is £30,800, which means somebody on an average salary commuting from Tunbridge Wells to London will need to work for 15 weeks just to pay for their season ticket.

The fare increase comes as the rail network is recovering from an 80 per cent fall in commuter numbers caused by the pandemic.

As revealed in the Times last year, the Covid crisis saw 2.8 million fewer

Continued on page 2

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

this week… Wealden and County Hall look to SOAP AND GLORY: The Soap Box Race is set to return to Dunorlan Park this June. P8

turn off the taps to Russian gas

By Richard Williams

TOP GIRLS: Groombridge Amateur Dramatic Society stages the 1980s feminist classic. P20

LITTLE BOOKWORMS: Local schoolchildren dress up for World Book Day. P24

WEALDEN District Council (WDC) has said it is ‘seeking advice’ over its gas supply following the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces.

The local authority, which looks after towns such as Crowborough, Lewes and Uckfield in East Sussex, uses Russian gas supplier Gazprom for some if its social housing stock.

According to data seen by the Times, WDC currently has three contracts with the Russian gas giant, totalling £432,000 that it uses to supply energy to 12 retirement complexes.

Wealden District Council chief executive Trevor Scott said: “Our legal and procurement teams are currently looking into the issue and we are seeking advice and support from the Local Government Association.

“The council is one of a number of local authorities which receives services through contracts with Gazprom. It is public record that WDC has three contracts with Gazprom running until 2024 relating to retirement living complexes across the Wealden district.

“At the time of procurement, Gazprom put forward the best case to supply services in accordance with the legal obligation on local authorities to obtain best value.”

Council leader Bob Standley added: “The council utterly condemns the Russian invasion of the independent sovereign country of Ukraine and gives our support to Ukrainian citizens.

Contract UP TO DATE: The Times’ spotlight on Paddock Wood shows why it is an evolving town. P30

“We are seeking advice from the Local Government Association and government on how we can cancel the contract with Gazprom and seek alternative gas supplies to our sheltered homes.

“We are also examining whether there are any other contracts with Russian controlled companies and will take similar action to terminate those arrangements. “ While no other borough or district authority in the South East has connections to Russian

BOB STANDLEY

ROGER GOUGH

energy companies, Kent County Council (KCC) does.

KCC leader, Roger Gough, said he has now ordered County Hall to cut ties with Gazprom and is freezing any new transactions linked to Russia.

He also admitted that the authority also has around £20million of its pension fund invested in Russian assets.

Reviewing Cllr Gough said: “We have also taken a range of pragmatic and practical steps including urgently reviewing the County Council’s commissioning activity, and our own supply chain and that of our companies’, to ensure that there is no exposure to Russian interests that could in any way help finance President Putin’s regime and to

its aggressive policies.

“In the very few cases where activity involving Russian interest, for example in the energy market, has been identified, all new transactions have been stopped.”

He said while the Council’s pension fund did have links to Russian assets it represented less than 0.3 per cent.

The fund is believed to be worth around £6.6billion so KCC’s exposure to Russian assets is currently around £19.8million.

Cllr Gough said: “I have been liaising closely with the Kent Pension Fund Committee Chairman who has advised that the Fund’s exposure to Russian assets is very limited at 0.3 per cent of the total fund.

“KCC via its treasury management investments also has a very small Russian exposure of 0.03 per cent of total investments. Officers are in active dialogue with fund managers regarding decreasing our Russian exposures wherever possible.”

It is not the first time County Hall has found its investments at risk.

In 2008, the authority lost £50million when the Icelandic banks it invested in collapsed – it later clawed some of the money back through the courts.

And in 2019, KCC lost around £60million after it had invested more than £260million of its pension into the now defunct Woodford Equity Income Fund.

OPERA COMPANY PULLS PLUG ON THEATRE SHOW AFTER POLITICAL ROW A PERFORMANCE of Madama Butterfly at the Assembly Hall has been cancelled despite the show’s producers having changed its name.

As reported last week, Amande Concerts, a Kent based theatre company with no links to the Russian State, had rebranded to the name of ‘The Russian State Opera’ for its planned show next week following the invasion of Ukraine. But the opera company, whose dancers come from all over Europe, still faced calls to scrap the performance.

Cllr Sean Holden who represents Cranbrook, had used an ‘all-councillor email’ to demand the performance be cancelled last week, saying: “The Russian people need to understand, in every way, the consequences of the murderous action of their government.”

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, which runs the Assembly Hall Theatre, has said the scheduled March 17 has now been cancelled, as has the company’s performance of Sleeping Beauty scheduled for November.

Record rail fare hike sees season ticket prices rocket Continued from front page CONTACTS EDITOR RICHARD WILLIAMS richard.williams@onemediauk.co.uk | 01892 240626 DEPUTY EDITOR EILEEN LEAHY eileen.leahy@onemediauk.co.uk | 01892 576037 NEWSDESK VICTORIA ROBERTS newsdesk@onemediauk.co.uk | 01892 779615 DESIGN/PRODUCTION JASON STUBBS jason.stubbs@onemediauk.co.uk ADVERTISING 0775 7847841 robin.singer@onemediauk.co.uk FIND US ONLINE facebook.com/timeslocalnews www.timeslocalnews.co.uk twitter.com/timeslocalnews

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journeys taken at the town’s main station in 2020/2021 alone, with the number of exits and entrances at the station falling from 3.2million a year to less than 800,000 – around 80 per cent of usual levels.

And across the borough, more than 3,740 season ticket holders shied away from the rail network completely.

John Morton, Chairman of the Tonbridge Line Commuters, who campaign for better rail service on the Hastings to London line that runs through Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells said the increase will do little to encourage people back to the rail network.

Alarming He told the Times: “This alarming rise of 3.8 per cent to most fares comes at the worst TICKET TO RIDE Commuter numbers at Tunbridge Wells Station have fallen to 80 per cent of pre-pandemic levels

possible time for passengers, squeezed as they are by the cost of living crisis.

“The worst affected will be those key workers who are obliged to travel every day and who can least afford the rise.

“Others will vote with their feet and choose to continue working at home rather than return to the office.

“This will only serve to starve the railway of the revenue it so badly needs, and stifle the economy of London and other large cities.

Failure “Coupled with continued failure to provide a good value fares option for people commuting part-time, this extortionate rise is a counterproductive and short-sighted move.”

A Department for Transport (DfT) spokesman said it has ‘protected passengers’ by delaying the fares rise until two months later than normal, and setting a cap which is ‘well below current inflation rates’.

Latest figures show RPI in January was 7.8 per cent.

A DfT spokesman added: “We must now look to recoup some of the £14billion which was spent to keep vital services running throughout the pandemic in a way that is fair for all taxpayers.

“By striking this balance, we will be able to encourage people back on to trains whilst funding the necessary improvements and unprecedented investment that will benefit all those who use our railways.”

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

NEWS IN BRIEF

MP addresses Ukraine meeting of support AROUND 100 people attended a meeting in Tunbridge Wells at the weekend to hear local speakers and Ukrainians speaking via video link from Kyiv and Lviv.

The Tunbridge Wells Stands with Ukraine meeting on Saturday night (March 5) at Sankey’s Seafood Kitchen and Bar was attended by MP Greg Clark, who gave an update on the Government response.

Local experts Professor Michael Holman, Aliide Naylor and Professor Alan Mayhew provided historical background about the area and the conflict.

Attendees highlighted four charities that are helping with the appeal: the Disasters Emergency Committee, the Kyiv Independent’s fundraiser, Fight for Right’s fundraiser Help Ukrainians with Disabilities, and Ukrainian children’s cancer charity fundraisers Tabletochki.

Government funding TUNBRIDGE WELLS and Wealden District Councils are among authorities to receive a pay-out from £125million of government funding to help Councils support victims of domestic abuse in England.

Tunbridge Wells will receive £33,389 in funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, as part of more than £3million given out to Kent councils, MP Greg Clark’s office confirmed.

The funding will help local authorities provide safe accommodation, such as refuges and shelters, as well as vital support services for victims including healthcare, social workers.

East Sussex County Council has been granted £1,072,232 and Wealden District Council will receive £32,381.

Pensioners defrauded PENSIONERS in Tunbridge Wells have been told to be on their guard after fraudsters posing as police officers stole almost £10,000 from elderly people during two recent incidents.

On Friday, February 28, a man in his late 60s handed over £5,000 to a woman after being called by someone claiming to be an officer from the Metropolitan Police.

A similar phone call was made to a woman aged in her 70s, on February 21.

The victim and her husband were tricked into withdrawing £4,250 which was later collected by a woman who visited their home.

Cllr David Scott

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Five Guys is set to open a fast food restaurant on Mount Pleasant Road

By Robert Forrester A POPULAR American fast-food chain is to open its first store in Tunbridge Wells later this year.

Five Guys, an American burger chain, will open its doors on Mount Pleasant Road at the former site of haberdasher Closs & Hamblin, according to an approved planning application at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

The restaurant will serve customers eat-in diners and takeaways.

Application The planning application for a new sign installation comes after the fast food chain obtained a change of use from retail to restaurant for the former haberdasher last year.

The burger chain has around 100 stores in the UK since it opened its first in Convent Garden in 2013 but has more than 1,500 worldwide.

COMING SOON Five Guys [inset] is to take over the former Closs & Hamblin unit

…But Sainsbury’s is to close its supermarket café SAINSBURY’S has said the Tunbridge Wells café in its supermarket is one of 200 that is set to close.

The supermarket chain confirmed last week the Linden Park Road branch was among the UK closures that will affect more than 2,000 workers.

Carluccio’s But Sainsbury’s say it will be opening new in-store food and drink offerings in around 60 of the café’s that are to shut, in a deal with Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) and Starbucks.

BRG is the group that bought Carluccio’s after the brand fell into administration at the

beginning of the first lockdown in March 2020.

At the time it managed to save 30 of the Italian-themed stores but the Mount Pleasant Road branch in Tunbridge Wells was not among them.

It now plans to open in 30 ‘Restaurant Hubs’ in Sainsbury’s cafes in the next year, and more are

planned if the format continues to be popular with customers.

At the same time, Starbucks will open in another 30 stores, although it has not been revealed which of the closed cafes are to get either type of new outlet.

Simon Roberts, Sainsbury’s Chief Executive Officer said: “As we go through this period of transition, we have taken the difficult decision to close 200 of our cafes next month.”

He added: “Through our trials with Boparan Restaurant Group and Starbucks we have learnt that we can offer customers a much better eat-in and takeaway experience working with partners.

“We are really excited about this new customer offer we will be rolling out over the next two to three years across many of our stores.”

Paddock Wood car auction house is fined record £1.1million after man was crushed

By Jonathan Banks A CAR auction company based in Paddock Wood has been hit with a fine of more than £1million after a customer was hit by a car and crushed.

The case, which was brought by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC), is believed to be the largest fine from a prosecution by the authority.

Maidstone Crown Court heard last week that Mr Geoffrey Husher was at British Car Auctions Ltd (BCA) in October 2018 when he was hit by a car being brought into the auction hall, leaving him with ‘life-changing injuries’.

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The vehicle was being driven down a ramp to the auction hall where buyers were set to bid on the vehicle when it collided with two customers.

One of the men managed to roll over the bonnet of the oncoming car but Mr Husher was crushed between the car and an Armco barrier where he sustained life-changing injuries.

Mr Husher, a buyer from Swanley, was pinned by his legs against a barrier by the vehicle. He has since died for reasons unconnected with the incident.

The investigation, led by Justene Lawal, Senior Environmental Health Officer at TWBC, identified that BCA had recognised potential hazards associated with pedestrians and vehicles and identified some controls but had failed to adequately implement those controls.

Prosecutor David Travers QC told Maidstone Crown Court that Mr Husher, who loved dog

ACCIDENT BCA in Paddock Wood where Mr Husher was injured

walking, needed a wheelchair to get around after the incident.

He said the accident happened on a ramp when the driver, Roderick Duncan, stood on the brake and throttle at the same time and the vehicle lurched forward.

The 54-year-old driver was never charged as the incident happened on private land.

After pleading guilty to a single count of breaching Section 3 of the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, BCA was fined £1.1million and ordered to pay over £97,000 in costs.

Council Cabinet member Councillor Jane

March said: “This was a very sad incident, and my thoughts are with Mr Husher’s family as I am sure that knowing this court case was taking place will have been difficult for them.

Enforce “The Council has a responsibility to enforce health and safety in certain types of premises which it has done on this occasion.

“It does not do so lightly but with the protection of employees and members of the public in mind.”

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

The Council’s Garden Village plans come under government scrutiny

By Victoria Roberts THE Council’s plan to build 2,000 homes in the village of Tudeley and more than 4,000 in the town of Paddock Wood, came under scrutiny by the government’s Planning Inspector last week.

The Tunbridge Wells Local Plan, covering development in the borough until 2038, outlines where houses and other infrastructure are to go.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s (TWBC) Plan has been delayed by six months due to the number of comments received, both for and against.

Controversial One of the most controversial proposals was development at Tudeley Garden Village and the expansion of Paddock Wood.

Campaign group Save Capel, which has more than 1,000 members was formed to block the proposals, which were introduced to meet government housing targets of building 13,560 new homes to be built by 2036.

In its opening statement for Stage 1 hearings last week, TWBC told Planning Inspector Matthew Birkinshaw that the decision to promote some major development within the AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) had been ‘of obvious controversy’.

However, the Council stressed the need for housing and employment, and the fact that all the neighbouring authorities with similar AONB constraints have had their plans rejected.

“The fact that the decision of the Tunbridge Wells Full Council to submit the Plan received such strong cross-party political support is – I believe – testament to its preparation and the

PROTEST Save Capel group campaigning over garden village plans in Tunbridge Wells in 2019 urgency of needing an up-to-date Local Plan in place,” the authority said in its opening statement.

The review of the Tunbridge Wells plan comes as Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council (TMBC), Sevenoaks District Council (SDC) and Wealden District Council (WDC) all had their plans rejected over unmet housing need and failing to communicate with other authorities.

The Planning Inspector also received statements from those who oppose the Council’s plan, including Save Capel.

Lawyers for the pressure group told the Planning Inspector that there had been a

‘failure’ by TWBC to speak to other authorities on whether they could take some of Tunbridge Wells’ housing, which it said had now resulted in ‘unnecessary release of greenbelt and AONB’.

Friends of Tudeley have also complained about the plan to the Planning Inspector, raising the issue of transport pressures on Tonbridge and demanded the authority ‘go back to the drawing board’.

In a statement the campaign group said: “TWBC can’t fix this now. We believe that the only option is to go back to the drawing board (as Tonbridge and Sevenoaks have done) and start again.

“This time, we hope that all of the local authorities involved will work effectively together to deliver achievable, sustainable Local Plans.”

The hearings on the Council’s local plan, are being held throughout March, April and May, and it is understood the Planning Inspector will make his decision on the soundness of the plan in the summer, for adoption in January 2023.

Residents can access the Local Plan Hearing Sessions through Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s (TWBC) channel TunbridgeWells.

Public-I.tv. Later sessions will be put on TWBC’s YouTube channel.

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

After the storm comes the clean up Just two weeks following the worst storm to hit Tunbridge Wells in a generation, Victoria Roberts speaks to the Kent Resilience Forum, the group tasked with co-ordinating the response to Eunice, on how they planned and reacted to the crisis...

STORM Eunice lashed Kent on February 18, felling trees, downing power lines and blocking roads.

Kent Resilience Forum (KRF) is the group tasked with co-ordinating responses to events like Eunice.

Toby Howe Chair of the KRF Tactical Co-ordinating Group, says the response collective had a ‘headstart’ with Eunice thanks to the Met Office predicting the storm before it even formed in the North Atlantic.

“Initially, Eunice was an amber warning, which does trigger [KRF involvement], but on the Thursday afternoon [February 17], they upped it to red, which was the first red warning for wind we had ever had,” he told the Times.

Severe A Severe Weather Advisory Group (SWAG) had already convened which included local councils and the Met Office, but at that point it was upgraded more agencies came onboard.

“When we realised it (the storm) was going to be more serious, we changed that to a tactical co-ordinating group, because a tactical co-ordinating group can instruct and make decisions,” he explained.

“The police and all the emergency services were involved in those tactical meetings. We got UKPN (UK Power Networks) on there, too, because they were majorly impacted.”

REPAIRS Lampposts and signs were blown down

UPROOTED Pathways and roads were blocked by felled trees following Eunice beginning of the (following) week.”

Finally, given that the KRF is always either responding to an incident or preparing for one, the last stage of the process becomes part of the planning.

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As the Times reported, hundreds were left without power by the storm on February 18, which prompted Kent’s first-ever ‘red warning’ for winds.

The gale-force winds uprooted trees, blocking a number of roads in Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge, Southborough and Crowborough.

Kent Fire and Rescue Service responded to around 190 largely weather-related incidents during the course of the day, while Kent Police received five times the number of 999 calls usually received in a single day.

Yet although the storm had passed on by Friday afternoon, the clea nup lasted much longer.

Clear “Clean up is really important,” said Mr Howe.

“We must always allow for that recovery period, when there are still people out there clearing up, and people may have been relocated, vulnerable people, for example.

“Afterwards, from a highways point of view, we were still out clearing up on some of the minor roads. There might have been country lanes with no houses that we still had to clear.

There was a lot of work still going on at the

“KRF sent out a questionnaire to all the partners, asking what went well, what could have been done better, lessons learned, and what recommendations they have for various aspects. We then have a debrief session [this week] to go through all of that.”

Although the KRF is purely institutional, the public and civic sector have a role to play, he said.

“There are charitable organisations that can be called on, and they are always incredible, said Mr Howe.

He singled out the SE 4x4 group for praise for their action during Eunice and enthused: “They all love to get out there in their souped-up Land Rovers with their chainsaws.

“The public can help, too, generally in the incident phase, by reporting any issues.

However, they then need to follow the advice that comes out. We were fortunate that no-one

was killed or seriously injured in the county, so we like to think that people did follow the advice.

“Thinking back to when we had the Great Storm in 1987, everyone just got out there with chainsaws. They were out in the middle of the storm. Health and safety were not even considered back then.

“We’re always grateful for the public helping, but we’ve got to make sure things are done safely. Get proper training, get proper equipment, and then you’d be within the insurance and health and safety of that organisation,” he advised.

This also helped the KRF to make sure resources went to the right place, he added. “In Eunice, West Kent was harder hit, but from a roads point of view, we were able to send more resources into Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells, where there were more trees down.”

WHAT IS A RESILIENCE FORUM? THE KENT Resilience Forum (KRF) is one of the country’s 42 local resilience forums, set up under the 2004 Civil Contingencies Act, to allow all the organisations with a role to play in emergency planning, or response to an emergency, to work together.

There is a shifting cast of agencies involved, depending on the nature of the emergency being planned for, or the incident underway, but ‘Category 1’ responders – which include emergency services and local councils – are always in the front line.

Category 1 responders also have a major role to play in preparation for an incident, and include councils, emergency services, utilities

such as South East Water, NHS trusts, government departments such as the Environment Agency and Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

Category 2 responders may have a response role and are therefore involved in the planning process.

These include freight and transport organisations, the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel for Brexit gridlock planning in Kent.

KRF can also draw on volunteers’ skills and expertise through the Kent Voluntary Sector Emergency Committee.

More information about the KRF can be found at KentPrepared.org.uk

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Raising the roof in Crowborough THE Crowborough Community Fridge (CCF) had to perform a pre-launch –a month before they were ready – to deal with the after-effects of roof damage at the Tesco superstore in the town.

CCF project organiser Hilary McIntosh and others had started collecting out-of-date food from Tesco for the Olio community sharing app about a year ago, so had already formed a relationship with the store.

They had planned to launch a community larder arrangement on March 26, using Crowborough Community Centre, but Storm Eunice

FULL LARDER The Community fridge following the storm 2,504 veg and the rest was bread. On a normal collection day [for Olio], it would have been 40 to 100 items.

Distribute

of going out of date.

The collection on February 23 was the largest amount of food they had ever dealt with, said Ms McIntosh.

“We were not ready for this at all,” she stressed.

“There were about 3,000 items –

“It was a Jenga game, getting it into the cars.”

The volunteers hosted successful ‘pop ups’ to distribute the salvaged food at St Richard’s Church, in the south of the village, and even car parks.

Ms McIntosh praised Tesco, singling out the ‘reducing’ staff, for working inside the dark store to remove food items from the store inventory in order to be able to donate them.

“The reducing girls were in there with their phones, and with torches, ‘writing down’ the bread,” she said.

“They did it in the dark, reducing 3,000 items.

“They were really good before, but this has increased our relationship with them.”

Firms offer restaurant shelter after storm THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS town centre community rallied around vegan restaurant The Plant Base (TPB), whose chimneystack collapsed onto the kitchen roof during Storm Eunice.

With the business still closed following the storm, TPB launched a crowdfunder to help it get back on its feet, but its neighbours stepped in too.

RVP The Guinea on Calverley Road is to offer TBP’s vegan menu alongside its own menu on Friday March 11.

“All proceeds from our menu and an exclusive cocktail menu on the night will come to us. This night will also include a raffle, prizes for which have been very generously donated by local businesses,” owner Geff Stone told the Times.

Next up, Camden Road’s Vittle & Swig

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EVERY LITTLE HELPS Volunteers from the Crowborough Community fridge and a member from Tesco’s [right]

hit on February 18, over a month earlier.

With Tesco having lost power and experiencing roof damage, there was a glut of food which might have gone to waste, so the ‘fridge’ volunteers swung into action, kick-starting a manic week of distributing food that was in danger

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has invited TPB for an entire night’s ‘takeover’ of its kitchen, restaurant and bar on March 22, with more prizes being auctioned.

TPB is also planning a temporary food service pop-up at Royal Victoria Place (RVP), opening on Thursday [March 3], just inside the entrance from Central Market, formerly Claybrooks Jewellers, said Geff.

“We’ll be there in the daytimes, selling smoothies, wraps, buddha bowls, etc., until we’re back on our feet,” he told the Times.

Publicising TPB’s appeal, Sarah-Jane Adams, director of the Business Improvement District group RTW Together said: “Our hearts go out to the team for this to have happened just as the hospitality economy is turning the corner, but we know loyal customers and neighbours can really make a difference.”

Natalie Butler, a lawyer at Thomson Snell & Passmore, answers your questions about the Court of Protection and the role of deputies in supporting vulnerable people.

What is the Court of Protection?

The Court of Protection is a Court based in London, which was created under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. The Court has the authority to make decisions about property and financial affairs, and the personal welfare of people who do not have the capacity to make those decisions for themselves. The Court can exercise its authority by making an order about a specific issue, or by delegating authority to make decisions to another person known as a “deputy”.

What is a deputy?

A deputy is a person or (for property and affairs cases) a trust corporation appointed by the Court of Protection to make decisions on behalf of someone who lacks the capacity to make the decision in question themselves.

The deputy can be a relative of the person concerned, or a professional such as a lawyer. In matters relating to a person’s finances, a deputy is usually given wide powers to manage the person’s property and day to day financial affairs, and act as his or her agent. Any decisions made, or action taken, by the deputy must be made in the person’s best interests.

Who can be a deputy?

Anyone over the age of 18 can be a deputy, provided the Court of Protection considers them an appropriate person to be appointed. Where appropriate, two or more deputies can be appointed to act together or individually.

A trust corporation can also act as a professional deputy to manage property and financial affairs.

When is a deputy usually appointed?

A deputy is appointed if a person doesn’t have capacity to make a decision for themselves. This could be if the person has lost their mental capacity or if they never had mental capacity in the first place. A deputy can be appointed to act on behalf of an adult or a child if it is likely that the child will continue to lack capacity when he or she reaches 18 years of age.

What is the difference between a deputy and Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA)?

It is possible for anyone over the age of 18 with mental capacity to put in place a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA).

The person making the LPA can set out who they would like make decisions on their behalf should they lack capacity to do so themselves. A deputy is appointed if an individual lacks mental capacity to manage their own affairs and, broadly speaking, there is no LPA in place.

In some cases even if there is a LPA in place, it may be appropriate, and in a person’s best interests for a deputy to be appointed instead, such as where there is a large damages award.

DAMAGED The Plantbase in Camden Road

GUTTED Storm damage inside and [above] a collapsed chimney

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BUSINESS

Local News

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Firms on the starting grid for park’s soapbox race

By Robert Forrester A HOST of businesses have signed up to support the return of the Tunbridge Wells soapbox kart race.

Tunbridge Wells Soapbox Stars Race will see over 45 karts go head-to-head in Dunorlan Park on June 25 and now a range of firms have backed the event.

Tonbridge Accident Repair Centre, computer experts Dagan Services, The Right Tuition Company and Relec Electronics are all lending their support by sponsoring the one-day extravaganza, hosted by TV chef Rosemary Shrager and panto king Tom Swift of Wicked Productions.

New to this year’s line-up is Tunbridge Wells firm Forbes, who are based in Frog Lane and provide expert financial advice to individuals, families and businesses.

FORMULA FUN A previous competitor at Dunorlan Park

‘We can’t wait to bring the kart race back to Tunbridge Wells in all its glory but to make it happen we rely on a great deal of support from our community’ The Right Tuition Company who is sponsoring the schools’ race, which will see nine secondary schools - all part of the West Kent Independent State Schools Partnership (ISSP), who have added a kart build to their Year 9 curriculum before racing their creations on the day.

Arthur Ponsonby of the company said: “We wanted to support this fantastic, communitybased initiative for two main reasons.

“Firstly, after a torrid couple of years, it’s vital that people seize the opportunity to come together and enjoy an event which fosters

Sorry, NO Dogs Allowed.

NICOLE PIESSE-TURNER creative genius; lots of fun and entertainment; as well as a hefty dosage of courage from those brave personnel taking part in the races themselves.

“Secondly, the creation of the inaugural schools’ race is something that we felt

compelled to be a part of. This event is a wonderful means for fuelling children’s burgeoning interest in engineering, Maths, Science and design. Moreover, it offers children a very practical example of how applicable their day-to-day school learning can be and how those skills can pave the way towards a particular career path.”

Event organiser Nicole Piesse-Turner, of PR firm Chatty Hatter said: “We can’t wait to bring the kart race back to Tunbridge Wells in all its

glory but to make it happen we rely on a great deal of support from our community. We are extremely lucky to have some amazing sponsors who have turned out in force yet again, along with some new ones, without whom it would be impossible to put this event on.

“If anyone would like to join in the fun and help stage an hilarious event to raise serious cash for charity, please get in touch!”

Tickets and details for the event at twsoapboxrace.com

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LAMBING WEEKEND at Hadlow College Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th March 2022

FOOD & DRINK VENDORS, ARTS & CRAFT STALLS, FUN FAIR RIDES & MUCH MORE! Pre-registration now live. Please visit hadlow.ac.uk/events for more information.

Wednesday March Wednesday April97||2022 2021

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It is all going Great Gatsby at the Times Business Awards...

CHEERS Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby in the 2013 version of The Great Gatsby

Local News Local NewsBUSINESS NEWS

novel that presents a portrait of the American dream through its portrayal of the 1920s New York elite, which was also a 2013 Leonardo DiCaprio film of the same name.

Sunisa Avery, Times Business Awards organiser said: “We chose the theme of the Great Gatsby because after two years of such turbulent austerity, we felt everybody in the business community deserved to celebrate in some good old fashioned opulent style.

“We hope everybody has a fantastic evening and gets to celebrate all their successes.”

Following the awards ceremony, more than 100 guests will dance the night away to a set performed by Mint DJs. Tickets for the gala even on Thursday March 24 are still available, and you do not have to be a shortlisted business to attend.

For tickets or further information contact: Sunisa.avery@onemediauk.co.uk

Times Business Awards in collaboration with:

By Richard Williams THE finalists have been notified and the Champagne is on ice as there are just two weeks to go for the 2022 Times Business Awards.

On March 24 at the Salomons Estate in Tunbridge Wells, around 30 businesses will find out if they are the lucky winners of one of ten categories being celebrated this year.

The lucky winners all receive their awards from none other than daytime TV legend

Eamonn Holmes.

The Belfast-born journalist and broadcaster has been on our small screens for more than 40 years and is currently enjoying the role of breakfast presenter on GB News.

Backdrop And this year, businesses at the gala event at the Salomons Science Theatre will get to celebrate in style amid the backdrop of the

9 17

opulence of 1920s New York.

‘We chose the Great Gatsby because after two years of such austerity, we felt everybody deserved to celebrate’ The theme for the Business Awards 2022 is The Great Gatsby – from the F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Community for Ukraine

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Russian businessman is left ‘helpless and devastated’ for Ukrainian families HELP Alexander Pushkin has launched an appeal website

By Richard Williams A LOCAL businessman with family in the Ukraine has launched a website so that people can send help to those stricken by the ‘horrific conflict’ affecting the region.

Alexander Pushkin, owner of Pushkin Antiques in the High Street, says he came to the UK at the age of eight from St-Petersburg, Russia, and has been left feeling ‘helpless and devastated’ for friends and family caught up in the war caused by Putin’s invasion.

Immigrants He told the Times: “I always felt free in the UK and in my younger years I was always opposed to wars and openly protested them in my college years marching against the war in Iraq and in later years opposing the war in Libya.

“Now, married and with two children of my own, I am so grateful that they do not have to endure the sorrows and hardships as some of my friends in Ukraine and my family are undoubtedly soon to be enduring in St. Petersburg.

“Like many other Russian immigrants living in the United Kingdom, we have friends and family in Ukraine.

“I feel helpless and devastated at the thought that we cannot do enough to help them.

“I would have never thought in my life I would see a civilised world stand on the brink of war and see the iron curtain once again come down.

“With friends in Ukraine and family in Russia the current situation has had disastrous effects and I feel it’s my duty as a British Citizen to do

what is possible on my part.”

Alexander says he is speaking to people in Ukraine who are lacking basic medical supplies and food, and he has helped create a website to raise much needed funds for people in Ukraine.

He said: “We are constantly in contact with affected families in Ukraine, through social media and by phone, doing what we can to help.

New flightpath for fundraiser who is to take to the skies in a light aircraft

By Sarah Carter A TUNBRIDGE Wells microlight flyer has had to divert his fundraising flight which was due to cross Ukrainian airspace following the Russian invasion.

Graham Naismith and his pilot, Luke Christophides from Lewes, were due to set off from the UK on April 20, in their Ukraineproduced Skyranger Nynja.

The pair, who met at flying school in the summer of 2020, were fundraising for YoungMinds, a suicide prevention charity supporting young people in the UK. But they are now also raising money for The Ukraine Crisis Appeal, run by The British Red Cross Society, which has been helping Ukraine during almost eight years of conflict.

The duo’s first flight was from Deanland in East Sussex down to the Scilly Isles, up to North Wales and back. It was after this they decided to do a longer trip.

Mr Naismith said: “The plan had been to fly down to Greece and Turkey and then up through Ukraine to Moscow before heading into Scandinavia and back home. Our aircraft, a Skyranger Nynja, is from Ukraine.”

The original flight path would have taken them over 7,000+ nautical miles over 23 countries between 35 to 70 degrees of latitude.

“We know that they do not have enough food and health services are struggling due to lack of medical supplies.

“Your donations can really help reach even more people in desperate need. Please donate today.

“Together we must stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people and send our support to

charities in neighbouring countries who are already helping people affected by this horrific conflict.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Ukraine.”

Those able to help can contact tw-ukrainehelp.org for links to organisations helping the fleeing refugees.

Tonbridge churches hold a candle to the victims of war

Appeal Graham explained: “Recent events in the Ukraine have led us to change our plans and avoid Ukraine and Belarus and boycott Russia.

“In fairness, the Russians banned us about the same time. The contact we were dealing with who was assisting us had insisted for some time there definitely would be no war.”

The pair have a JustGiving page and are nearly half way to their target of £1,000.

Their new route will be updated on the website: 35-70.co.uk

VIGIL Several hundred people in Tonbridge attended a candlelit gathering for the people of Ukraine organised by the town’s local churches. People congregated by the big bridge near the castle and held candles on Wednesday (March 2) Picture: Christy Low Photography

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Community for Ukraine

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‘To Ukraine, with love’ – Rusthall RefugEase sets up online shop rallies round to help the victims Local charity RefugEase has launched an online shop to allow donors to buy items to be bought on location at the Ukrainian border, saving time and transport costs.

Partners The Rusthall-based charity has been applying the same model since 2019 for other refugee crises, inlcuding those in Syria and also Afghanistan.

It will now be set up in countries bordering Ukraine – Hungary and Poland, said founder Valentina Osborn, who lives in Tunbridge Wells.

“When we heard about the situation unfolding in Ukraine, we knew we had to do something, and the existing set up was perfect.”

She explained: “Our partners communicate which items are most needed, and we add them to our online store for people to donate by making a purchase. The item they buy is then added to a shopping list, and purchased and distributed directly on the ground.

“It saves us a lot of time and expense, as opposed to sending items from the UK, and we’re able to better cater to people’s needs by changing the items listed as the crisis develops.”

GEARING UP RefugEase has sprung into action

SUPPLIES One of the donations and [inset] Cllr Britcher

By Victoria Roberts A CALL for donations to Ukrainian refugees in Poland saw a pile of over 50 bags accumulate at one collection point in a day, and groups are now mobilising around the borough to fundraise.

Rusthall community groups are planning a supper on April 9 to raise funds, after a call by Rusthall Community Larder’s call last week, for warm clothes, blankets and sanitary supplies produced a mound of donations.

“We were able to plug in to the contacts and links which help the Larder operate, and some lovely people who use the Larder for food were able to drop off clothes in turn,” explained Cllr Alex Britcher [Labour], who is on the steering group for Rusthall Community Larder.

Last week’s relief effort was in response to a call by the White Eagle Club, a Polish émigré social club, which planned to take bedding,

warm clothes, personal care items including baby nappies, to the Polish-Ukrainian border, to help refugees arriving there.

Supper However, Cllr Britcher said, the message now was: “No more clothes, please.”

And a variety of Rusthall groups, under the Bonfire and Fete Committee, were now planning the fundraising supper, as well as attending the planned meeting in Tunbridge Wells on Saturday.

Groups from around Tunbridge Wells also met in Sankey's Seafood Kitchen & Bar on Saturday, organised by another Labour councillor, Luke Everitt (Southborough and High Brooms), to discuss which charities to promote, and formulate a community expression of standing with the Ukrainian people.

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Wednesday March 9 | 2022

UK to ban Russian oil and gas as stricken Ukrainian President updates parliament MPS GAVE a standing ovation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as he addressed the Commons last night (Tuesday).

Mr Zelensky appeared via a live video link from Ukraine.

He opened by addressing Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle.

He said: “Mr Speaker, all the Members of Parliament, ladies and gentlemen, I am addressing all the people of the United Kingdom and all the people from the country with a big history.

“I am addressing you as a citizen, as a president, of also a big country, with a dream and big effort.

“I would like to tell you about the 13 days of war, the war that we didn’t start and we didn’t want. However we have to conduct this war, we do not want to lose what we have, what is ours, our country Ukraine.”

Shelling He outlined the effect the war had been having on the Ukranian people, saying: “On day four, Ukrainians started to be taken captive and tortured. On day five, “the terror against us” was directed against cities - “constant shelling had been taking place, around the country, in hospitals, and at Ukrainians”.

On day eight, “we have seen Russian tanks hitting the atomic power station. We want everybody to understand that this is the terror against everyone. The following day saw a diplomatic meeting “without the result that we were hoping for.

“We did feel that unfortunately the alliances don’t work properly always, and the no-fly zone can’t be enforced.”

He went on to compare the struggle of the Ukranian people with that of the UK battling the Nazis during World War II, and gave an impassioned speech that was reminiscent of Churchill’s words.

He said: “We will not give up and we will not lose. We will fight till the end, at sea, in the end,

we will continue fighting for our land. Whatever the lost. We will fight in the forests, in the fields, on the shores, in the streets.

“I would like to add we will fight on the banks of different rivers... and we are looking for your help, for the help of the civilised countries.”

The President also outlined the effect the war was having on children, explaining over 50 had been killed so far.

“These people have taken them away from us,” he said, referring to the Russians.

“We have to fight one of the biggest armies in the world.

“To be or not to be”, the Ukrainian president said, adding: “We will not give up. We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost.”

He also thanked the UK for the sanctions imposed on the Russian State.

Following the Ukranian President’s speech, PM Boris Johnson said Britain will press on with supply defensive weapons, to ‘tighten the economic noose’ around Vladimir Putin, and ‘we will employ every method that we can -

diplomatic, humanitarian, and economic - until Vladimir Putin has failed in this disastrous venture and Ukraine is free once more.’

Squeeze President Zelensky’s address came as the British Business Secretary confirmed that the UK will phase out the import of Russian oil and oil products by the end of the year.

The move announced by Kwasi Kwarteng was matched by US President Joe Biden as the West looks to tighten the squeeze on the Russian economy following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement posted on Twitter, the Business Secretary said: “This transition will give the market, businesses and supply chains more than enough time to replace Russian imports – which make up 8% of UK demand.”

Making the announcement in Washington only minutes after Mr Kwarteng, Mr Biden said the US opting to ban Russian oil would be a “powerful blow” to the war being raged by President Vladimir Putin on Kyiv.

Two million now fleeing Ukraine as Russia bombards cities and leave 21 people dead HUMANITARIAN corridors left open after Russia began attacking key cities in Ukraine has led to buses packed with people fleeing the invasion.

In Sumy, a north western city on the border with Russia, a ceasefire is currently taking place after officials say that 21 people' were killed following an attack by Russia on Monday night.

Corridor The city is the first to have a successful humanitarian corridor, which opened Tuesday morning (March 8) following recent failed attempts across Ukraine.

The Russian onslaught has left people trapped TRANSPORT Buses taking those from Sumy on Tuesday

inside the besieged city that are running low on food, water and medicine amid the biggest ground war in Europe since the Second World War. Previous attempts to lead civilians to safety have crumbled with renewed attacks, but on Tuesday, video posted by Ukrainian officials showed buses packed with people moving along a snowy road from the eastern city of Sumy and yellow buses with a red cross on them in southern port of Mariupol.

It was not clear how long the effort would last.

The buses are heading to other cities in Ukraine, but many people have chosen to flee the country. Safa Msehli, a spokeswoman for the

UN’s International Organisation for Migration, tweeted that two million have now fled the country, including at least 100,000 who are not Ukrainian.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for the expansion of humanitarian corridors for civilians fleeing the war.

Buses In a video address on Tuesday from an undisclosed location, he said a child had died of dehydration in Mariupol, in a sign of how desperate the city’s population has become, and pleaded again with western countries to provide air support.

He said evacuation buses have been sent to Mariupol, but there was no firm agreement on the route, so ‘Russian troops can simply shoot on this transport on the way’.

With the invasion well into its second week, Russian troops have made significant advances in southern Ukraine but stalled in some other regions.

Ukrainian soldiers and volunteers fortified the capital Kyiv with hundreds of checkpoints and barricades designed to thwart a takeover.

A steady rain of shells and rockets fell on other population centres, including the Kyiv suburb of Bucha, where the mayor reported heavy artillery fire.

“In Mariupol, an estimated 200,000 people — nearly half the population of 430,000 — hoped to flee.

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

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‘Serial bully’ and ‘liar’ John Bercow is banned from parliament for life FORMER Commons Speaker John Bercow has been branded a ‘serial liar’ and been banned from holding a pass to Parliament after an investigation found him guilty of bullying.

Parliament’s Independent Expert Panel (IEP), which determines sanctions in cases where bullying complaints have been brought against MPs, said it would have recommended the former speaker be expelled from the House if he were still a sitting member.

Instead, he has had his Commons pass revoked and has now been suspended from the Labour Party pending an investigation following the publishing of the IEP report yesterday (Tuesday).

The IEP, which is led by Parliamentary Standards Commissioner Kathryn Stone, upheld 21 allegations against Mr Bercow from three complainants, all House of Commons staff at the time, relating to the period 2009 to 2014.

‘BULLY’ John Bercow

Expelled In the IEP report, Mr Bercow was branded a ‘serial bully’ and ‘his evidence in the investigations, the findings of the Commissioner, and his submissions to us, show also that the respondent has been a serial liar’.

The report went on: “His behaviour fell very far below that which the public has a right to expect from any Member of Parliament.

“The respondent’s conduct was so serious that, had he still been a Member of Parliament, we would have determined that he should be expelled by resolution of the House.

“As it is, we recommend that he should never be permitted a pass to the Parliamentary estate.”

As Speaker, Bercow made a number of high-profile stands against the government’s use of Brexit legislation, allowing a number of unorthodox challenges by MPs. But his final years in the role were dogged by allegations of bullying, including swearing at officials and throwing his mobile phone.

The allegations were brought by Lord Lisvane, the former clerk of the Commons, and private

secretaries Kate Emms and Angus Sinclair.

Bercow, a former Conservative MP, who has since defected to Labour was previously denied a peerage despite being nominated by the former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

He has now been suspended from the Labour Party while it holds its own investigation into the former Tory Speaker’s behaviour.

Mr Berkow released a statement on the findings of the report yesterday, calling the investigation ‘amateurish’ and claiming the complainants had been resisting his attempts to modernise parliament.

Absurdity He said: “Parliament is supposed to be the highest court in the land. This inquiry, which lasted a ghastly 22 months at great cost to the taxpayer, has failed it dismally.

“At the end of it, the panel has simply said that

Drivers suffer highest weekly hike in fuel prices on record MOTORISTS have been hit by the steepest weekly hike in fuel prices in at least 18 years due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The average price of a litre of petrol at UK forecourts rose from 149.2p on February 28 to 153.0p on Monday, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Methodology Average diesel prices rose from 153.4p to 158.6p over the same period.

The weekly increases of 3.8p for petrol and 5.2p for diesel are the largest in records dating back

to June 2003.

They mean the cost of filling up a typical 55-litre family car has increased by more than £2 over the past week.

Figures from data firm Experian Catalist based on a different methodology to the one used by BEIS suggest the average cost per litre of petrol on Monday was 156.4p, while diesel was 162.3p.

Oil prices have spiked due to concerns over the reliability of supplies amid the war in Ukraine.

The price per barrel of Brent crude – which is the most commonly used way of measuring the UK’s oil price – reached 139 US dollars on Monday, which was its highest level in 14 years.

I should be denied a parliamentary pass which I have never applied for and do not want. That is the absurdity of its position.

“Don’t fall for the establishment spin that I have been banned for life. I can still attend debates with the help of a friendly passholder or go as a member of the public.

“All I can say is that the case against me would have been thrown out by any court in the land since it is based on the flimsiest of evidence, rooted in hearsay and baseless rumour, and advanced by old school dogmatists once intent on resisting change at all costs and now settling some ancient scores with me. Add to that a dash of personal spite and you have some idea of the vengeful vendetta mounted against me.

“It is a travesty of justice and brings shame on the House of Commons.

“This has been a protracted, amateurish and unjust process which would not have survived five minutes’ scrutiny in court.”

Greggs warns of further price rises as costs soar GREGGS has warned that the price of its products is likely to go up for the second time this year as it faces runaway increases in costs.

The bakery chain said it had already increased some prices at the start of the year, and that further changes are expected.

The cost of doing business is expected to rise between 6 per cent and 7 per cent for the company this year due to higher costs.

It said it will try to protect its reputation for being “outstanding value for money”.

“This has necessitated some price increases, which were made at the start of this year, and further changes are expected to be necessary,” Greggs said.

“As ever, we will work to mitigate the impact of this on customers, protecting Greggs’ reputation for exceptional value in the freshly-prepared food-to-go market.

“Given this dynamic, we do not currently expect material profit progression in the year ahead.”

However, boss Roger Whiteside said the company will have to assess whether it is able to change prices before it does.

It comes down to ensuring that customers will still choose to spend money at Greggs even if prices go up.

“We’ve got no plans to raise prices currently, but obviously that’s going to have to remain under review given the way the markets are moving around the world on commodity food prices in particular,” he said.

Russia and Ukraine supply around a third of the world’s wheat exports, and Ukraine is also a major supplier of sunflower oil.

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Pupils celebrate Scouts founder Baden-Powell’s birthday Rose Hill School students mark Robert Baden-Powell’s birthday every year. The Times discovers why the co-ed prep school has such close ties with the former soldier who founded the Scout movement…

On February 22 Lieutenant Robert Baden-Powell would have turned 165 years old. BadenPowell, or ‘BP’ as he was affectionately known, wrote Scouting for Boys and went on to found the Scouting ROBERT BADEN-POWELL movement over 100 years ago. He was also a pupil at Rose Hill Prep School when it was located on its original site on London Road in Tunbridge Wells.

Baden-Powell attended the school in the 1860s and credits his time at Rose Hill, under Headmaster Thomas Allfree, as being wonderful for exploring the nearby Common and woods.

Inspirational It is believed that these much-loved trips helped inspire Baden-Powell to write Scouting for Boys – the fourth bestselling book of the 20th century

- and in turn to create the Scouting and Girl Guide movements many years later.

Headmaster Thomas Allfree founded Rose Hill prep school in 1832 and Robert Baden-Powell was

“As a school we are very proud of our links with Robert Baden-Powell” one of the early pupils at the school. He remained attached to Rose Hill until his death in Kenya in 1941. The school continues to have strong ties to the Scout movement and one of its houses is named after Baden-Powell.

In his final letter to the Scouts, Baden-Powell wished the Scouts a happy life: “One step towards happiness is to make yourself healthy and strong while you are a boy, you can be useful and so you can enjoy life when you are a man.

“Try and leave this world a little better than you found it and when your turn comes to die, you can die happy in feeling that at any rate you have not wasted your time but have done your best.

‘Be prepared’ in this way, to live happy and to die happy – stick to your Scout Promise always – even after you have ceased to be a boy – and God help you to do it”.

A Rose Hill School spokesperson told the Times: “As a school we are very proud of our links with the founder of the Scouts and Girl Guides. Last year the school launched its own Scout troop to join the already thriving Cub, Brownie and Rainbow clubs at Rose Hill.”

Philippa Lang, Scout Leader and the prep’s Deputy Head added: “The Scouting Movement is

as important today as it was when it was founded in 1910.

“Our pupils face very different challenges but the ambitions of the movement are still the same which in essence is to be a good citizen. Our children spend time working as a team as well as spending time outdoors, using their resilience to overcome challenges.”

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Matthew Scott Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Matthew Scott was first elected the Conservative Police and Crime Commissioner for Kent in 2016 and re-elected in 2021. He sets policing priorities, commissions services to support victims, sets the council tax precept, manages the force’s budget, and holds the Chief Constable to account. He serves as the national PCC lead for Mental Health, and is chair of the board for the BlueLight Commercial organisation.

Since my last crime plan we have seen the best of humanity but also the worst IT IS time for me to write my new Police and Crime Plan. This will set the priorities for the Kent Police Force for the next three years and I am grateful to those of you who engaged in the consultation process.

Since I wrote my last plan, a lot has changed: we’ve left the European union, changing the way policing interacts with our overseas partners as well as how our borders operate. We’ve also been through a pandemic, which has changed how our society operates.

We’ve seen the best of humanity, but also the worst. The murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer; the killing of our own PCSO Julia James; the killer of Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce being brought to justice, only to discover what other terrible crimes he had committed.

I hope my new plan reflects some of these changes. For a start I have prioritised tackling violence against women and girls. Statistically women are more at risk in our communities, with abuse all too often occurring behind closed BODY doors.

Many are afraid Caroline Pierce was to speak out, some are afraid to go out and enjoy their own town found in Romney marsh centres.

So I want Kent Police to focus on prevention, by raising awareness of the issue in schools and colleges, workplaces and online. I want the force to make public spaces and venues feel safer and I want victims to have the confidence to come forward and have access to first-class care and support.

Advice I have also heeded your advice and prioritised road safety in my new Plan. We all know people continue to drive through red lights, often at high speed and sometimes under the influence of drink or drugs. We know people use phones. They put not only their lives at risk, but the lives of others too.

Vision Zero is Kent County Council’s Road Safety Strategy, which aims to reduce to zero the number of deaths on our roads by 2050.

I’m supporting that campaign and want Kent Police to continue to play its part, by cracking down on dangerous driving and supporting the Community Speedwatch teams who do such a good job tracking motorists who’re

going too fast.

Antisocial behaviour increased during lockdowns and I know its something local communities care deeply about. The Force must ensure it has the right resources and skills to investigate these issues and where possible, bring those responsible to justice.

Neighbourhood policing is fundamental to this, providing opportunities for greater community engagement and delivering a local approach to policing which is visible and accessible.

The pandemic has made some people, particularly children and young people even more vulnerable. Behind closed doors too many suffer neglect or emotional or physical abuse.

Sometimes offending can be an indicator of vulnerability. I want us to protect these youngsters and offer them some hope, so I want the force to continue its vital engagement work with schools and continue its cadet and mini cadet programmes.

We still have financial challenges, but I am convinced that with your support we can build

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NEWS

Local News

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Wednesday November 10 | 2021

Dramatic end to court case that has shocked the nation

By Richard Williams THE man who murdered two women in Tunbridge Wells 34 years ago, dramatically changed his plea to guilty four days into his trial for murder last week.

David Fuller, 67, had already admitted he bludgeoned and strangled to death Wendy Knell, 25 and Caroline Pierce, 20, in 1987, but he’d been claiming manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility.

The case was one of the most notorious unsolved murder cases in the UK that went on to be called ‘the Bedsit Murders’ by the media of the time.

The Healthfield electrician was finally caught when his DNA, found at the murder scene, was linked to him three decades later via his brother.

Maidstone Crown Court had already heard that

the former hospital worker had abused dead bodies at Tunbridge Wells Hospital and its forerunner the Kent and Sussex Hospital.

He had admitted killing the women at an earlier hearing but had pleaded not guilty to murder on the grounds of ‘diminished responsibility’.

On the fourth day of his trial last Thursday [November 4], when the jury returned from lunch Fuller’s barrister, Oliver Saxby QC, told the judge that a medical report ordered had been submitted that meant his client could no longer rely on the defence of diminished responsibility.

Guilty Fuller, dressed in a sweatshirt, then lowered his mask and made a formal plea of guilty, admitting he murdered both Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce in 1987.

Supasnaps manager Ms Knell was last seen on June 22, 1987 after her boyfriend dropped her home on Guildford Road. He found her dead in her bedsit the next day.

She had sustained blunt force trauma to the head and had been ‘asphyxiated by application of pressure to the neck’.

Restaurant worker Caroline Pierce’s almost naked body was found in a water-filled dyke at St Mary in the Marsh at Romney Marsh on December 15 of the same year.

She too had sustained blunt force trauma to head and had been strangled. It is believed Fuller attacked the restaurant worker outside her Tunbridge Wells bedsit.

Both women had been sexually assaulted after they had died Following the change of plea, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb QC halted the trial and remanded Fuller into custody for sentencing at a

Biggest investigation reveals victims aged from nine to 100

By Robert Forrester THE investigation into the 1987 deaths of Wendy knell and Caroline Pierce and the subsequent offending of David Fuller at hospitals in Tunbridge Wells has been the largest investigation in Kent Police’s history.

Kent Police have been praised for their work on the case of David Fuller is likely to go down as one of Britain’s most notorious criminals, and police believe many of his victims may never be identified.

His crimes have been labelled as ‘unprecedented’ by those connected to the case involving crimes on a scale that ‘no British court has ever seen’.

After a judge lifted a reporting ban following the end of the trial last week, Fuller who is married with a son, can now be revealed to be BODY Caroline Pierce was found in Romney marsh

one of Britain’s most prolific sex offenders.

He was tracked down after forensic investigators widened their search for DNA found at the 1987 murder scene.

While Fuller did have previous criminal convictions for burglary, those crimes were committed before the advent of DNA capture, so he was not on file.

Police, however, managed to identify somebody on their records that they believed could be related to the man who conducted the Tunbridge Wells murders.

with overwhelming evidence.

“Fuller, with his uncontrolled sense of sexual entitlement, treated Wendy Knell and Caroline Pierce with extreme depravity. Both women were simply at home or returning from work when he ambushed them.”

She continued: “Fuller’s appalling crimes did not end with these killings and he went on to

HUNDREDS CALL HOTLINE Around 400 people have so far contacted a hotline set up by Kent Police for people who may feel they may have information about the investigation or who are worried that their family member s or who may have been a victim of Fuller.

Specialist family liaison officers have already contacted the families of all identified victims and are supporting them.

Those with information or who are concerned should call 0800 051 5270

Famlies are ‘spared additional Burden’ of facing a full trial

STRANGLED Wendy Knell was discovered dead in her bedsit committed horrendous crimes when he killed these young women.

“They should have had full lives ahead of them, but these were tragically cut short.

“He then went on to commit some of the most heinous acts, abusing his position working in a hospital, to sexually assault people who have passed away, further impacting grieving families.

“To support those relatives, my team has worked with the Ministry of Justice to ensure that there are bespoke support services in place for them, as well as the family liaison already put in place.

“I pay tribute to the Officers and Staff involved in investigating this case to pursue justice, especially given the nature of the offences and material that they have had to process for this trial.”

DISTRESSING CRIMES SAID TO BE ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ IN LEGAL HISTORY THE Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said that Fuller’s ‘deeply distressing crimes’ were unprecedented and on a scale not seen in British legal history.

Libby Clark, of the CPS, said: “This highly dangerous man has inflicted unimaginable suffering on countless families and he has only admitted his long-held secrets when confronted

date yet to be set but likely to be in December.

Reporting restrictions were then lifted so it could be revealed Fuller had also pleaded guilty to 51 other sexual offences before his trial began, mostly on dead bodies at two hospitals. mortuaries.

TOP COP DCS Paul Fotherington

Tributes It was Fuller’s brother, which led officers to and address in Heathfield where the electrician lived with his third wife.

Officers also found a picture of fuller taken in the 1980s and matched the shoes he was wearing with a print found at one of the murder scenes.

After he was arrested, material was recovered from Fuller’s home included four hard drives containing over 14 million images and videos of the electrician abusing corpses of ‘varying ages’.

Police then launched Operation Sandpiper to identify those he abused.

Fuller has admitted assaulting around 100 dead bodies, many of which he filmed, but detectives believe there may have been hundreds more victims in the three decades he worked at the two hospitals in Tunbridge Wells.

He has formally pleaded guilty to 51 of these offences, including 44 charges relating to 78 deceased females.

Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott was among those who paid tributes to the officer’s involved in the case.

Speaking no the day the trial ended, he said: “Today, Wendy, Caroline and their families have got the justice they deserved. This man

GUILTY Fuller admitted both murders and 51 other offences

abuse his position of trust as a hospital electrician in the most grotesque manner imaginable.

“No British court has ever seen abuse on this scale against the dead before and I have no doubt he would still be offending to this day had it not been for this painstaking investigation and prosecution.”

ONE of the lead investigators on the Fuller case, said Fuller’s change of plea has at least spared the families of having to endure a full trial, but admits they may never identify all the victims Detective Chief Superintendent Paul Fotheringham said: “Fuller used his role as an electrician at these two hospitals to carry out these heinous acts on deceased victims.

“Not only did he kill and assault two young innocent women in 1987, who should have had their whole lives in front of them, he then found another way to continue his horrific offending by assaulting and defiling multiple victims and traumatising their already grieving families in a way that is clearly beyond comprehension.

“The evidence we presented was indisputable; at the very least the families of all the victims in these cases have been spared the additional burden of a trial.”

He continued: “Sadly, it is likely to be the case that some of the victims will never be identified. In these cases, there is such limited information available to help us with establishing their identities, and there are no lines of enquiry outside of the investigation that can assist us.”

‘TERRIBLE’ David Fuller was sentenced last year

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Letters

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NEWS

17

And another thing…

This is the page where you, the reader, have your chance to express your views or comments on what’s going on in our part of the world. We like to hear from you. You can email us at newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or you can write to the Editor, Times of Tunbridge Wells, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG

The Opera House is well-run and we are committed to Tunbridge Wells

Pub critic a ‘nimby’ In response to James Ross (Times, March 2). Yes, you are a complete nimby snob!

You clearly didn’t attend the recent opera gala at Wetherspoon when it became an opera house for the day.

Wetherspoon’s lower prices unfortunately do attract some people who stand outside to smoke, but these are not the people who exhibit anti-social and violent behaviour.

It is unfair to hold JD Wetherspoon responsible for the behaviour of the town in general. If you don’t like it there are plenty of other establishments for you and your family to enjoy.

Thelma Huggett Tunbridge Wells Pub complaint unwarranted A self-proclaimed refugee from London ranted incoherently last week about Wetherspoon, reminding me of dongles who move to a village and then complain about the sound of church bells that have rung out for centuries.

Nationally smokers gather outside hospitals, shops, bus stops, and schools as well as pubs.

Until smoking in outside public places is banned this will inevitably continue.

It might have suited Mr Ross better if he had attended the excellent comic opera Mikado at the Opera House recently. Not Covent Garden perhaps, but Wetherspoon locally at its best.

It is also worth noting that the pub chain has spent millions renovating and maintaining one of Royal Tunbridge Wells most iconic buildings.

Terry Cload Pembury Opera ban is hypocritical As a Tunbridge Wells Borough Cllr. I wished to

Wetherspoon the building might still be empty, having previously been unused for many years.

Wetherspoon’s commitment to the pub and Tunbridge Wells is evident in the fact that the company spent £700,000 on renovating the pub’s wonderful ceiling a few months ago, which in turn, gained a lot of positive national press for both the pub and the town.

Is Mr Ross also aware that the pub hosts opera each year, which is enjoyed by hundreds of people and a boon to the town?

Maybe Mr Ross would benefit from a visit to the pub – we are sure he would see it for what it is – an excellent pub, which is enjoyed by thousands of customers each week.

Eddie Gershon JD Wetherspoon allow the Assembly Hall Theatre a few days to investigate the accuracy of the claims that The Russian State Opera has no funding or connections with the Russian State and was a brand name which they had removed from their performances immediately after Putin’s invasion.

In addition, as their statement condemned the violence in Ukraine, I wished to explore the possibility of allowing the performers to turn the event into a charity fundraiser for Ukrainian refugees maybe even rebrand themselves to the Ukrainian State Opera in

Budget was not overwhelmingly backed Your front-page report (March 2) on the Council’s budget meeting reported that ‘councillors overwhelmingly voted to pass the £62m budget’.

That is incorrect. There are currently 47 Councillors. Only 20 voted to pass the budget.

20 members abstained. All five Labour members voted against, for reasons you summarised in your report. Two members were not present.

Every single Conservative councillor unquestioningly approved the most visionless, uninspiring, out of touch budget. Not a single opposition member did. The budget was overwhelmingly not approved by 25 of us.

Cllr Hugo Pound Labour, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Calverley’s stance on toilets Calverley last week rightly pilloried genderneutral loos.

You’ve declined to print my previous missives on this, but it’s worth trying again.

So, I’ll take my hat off to any biological woman - I have to make that distinction now, who’s prepared to stand at a urinal and perform.

And if loos are to be only cubicles, how long before the ‘seat up’ and ‘seat down’ wars breakout?

Do we lower the seat in the belief the next one in will be a woman or leave it up - assuming it was up when we entered?

Why complicate something which has worked for ages in some footling pursuit of wokeism?

Edward Baker Tunbridge Wells

PEPPY SAYS CARTOON BY PEPPY: (Follow her on Twitter @Peppyscott)

James Ross has every right to make his views clear on the state of Tunbridge Wells (Times ‘I blame pub chain for violence’ March 2). However, we believe his comments on Opera House, a pub owned

by Wetherspoon, cannot go unchallenged.

This April the pub celebrates its 25th anniversary and is a landmark and popular pub in the town, serving thousands of customers each week.

The pub is run to the highest of standards by management and staff and prides itself on being a safe and enjoyable pub for customers to visit and staff to work.

Following on from the letter being published in your newspaper, the manager has spoken with both the local Pubwatch scheme and the town’s licensing officer and neither has any issues with the pub.

Mr Ross raises a concern over customers at the front of the pub.

Management at the pub have worked hard to remove customers from smoking at the front of the pub. The pub now has a side courtyard which is used as a customer smoking area.

Mr Ross refers to the pub as a ‘cheap drinking den in the centre of town’.

This is an illogical comment – Opera House is a well-run pub which offers a wide range of food and drink all day, including a wide range of non-alcoholic drinks and coffee.

The pub is in the centre of the town, but Mr Ross fails to acknowledge that if it wasn’t for

solidarity.

Unfortunately, Conservative Cllr Sean Holden, did not wait for the results of investigations, putting pressure on officers to get the performance cancelled.

So as not to have him appear hypocritical, I have requested that he continue his efforts and ask his own party to investigate over £2m of party donations made by wealthy people of Russian birth since Boris Johnson became Prime Minister, here I provided him with evidence from the electoral commission website.

There is no point in stamping on a mouse and leaving the elephant standing in the room after all.

Cllr Mark Ellis Liberal Democrat, St. John’s ward

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

LOCAL FARMER Marcus Wareing, also a bit of a cook, is a man after Calverley’s own heart – he hates social media. The man jokingly asked radio listeners at the weekend ‘what’s Tik Tok’, which he thought sounded ‘childish’ and admitted he ‘doesn’t do social media’. He thinks it kills off family meals with everyone on their phone. To help lure us back on track the Masterchef judge has just kicked off a BBC TV series called Kitchen Gardens and it features his very own farm on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells. Management (Mrs C) has been alerted, so hopefully some exciting new fresh- from-the-garden-meals are on the way. Yum, yum. (Please, no letters.)

STILL can’t get over the high-flyer who could not remember how much he earns. It was none other than the Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey who told a committee of MPs he didn’t ‘carry that number around’ in his head.

Bit of a worry the chap’s no good at numbers.

Surely that goes with the job. His latest pay packet was £575,538 a year. Obviously, he doesn’t need a pay rise. Just tell him he’s had one. His earnings are 18 times the national average.

AXA’S hybrid working arrangement with staff time split between the Tunbridge Wells office and home will not impact the quality or levels of service. That was the reassurance given by the healthcare insurer post Covid lockdowns. Calverley assumes then, that it was purely coincidental people were advised last week that phone wait times were ‘considerably longer’. At least one person waited in a queue for three hours before hanging up without getting through.

There was also, it seems, no online chat available or call back. Mind you, AXA ‘apologised for any inconvenience’. Refunds on monthly fees would go down better.

STRANGE how some ‘lefties’ change their spots when big money beckons. Prince of Darkness Peter Mandelson has opened a new political lobbying office in Qatar which has a shameful human rights record. Maybe he’s advising them on gay rights. In theory gay people can still be executed. The Gulf state also denies some basic rights to women. Mr Mandelson was twice forced to resign as a Labour Minister while serving in Government under his old friend, who is also selling his services to the highest bidder. Who would that be? Oh yes, Tony Blair. What a pair!

FINAL THOUGHT: It would be interesting to find out how many Extinction Rebellion activists have glued themselves to the gates of the Russian Embassy in London. Better still they should target the Kremlin in Moscow.

Chin, chin dear reader…

We do our best to publish letters in full. However, the Editor reserves the right to edit any letter. Please ensure that letters do not exceed 250 words

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Life&Times

Telling tales

Pupils celebrate World Book Day P24

ARTS • BOOKS • GOING OUT • FOOD • HOMES • INTERIORS • TRAVEL • MOTORS and MORE...

Arts

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

“This play’s themes which include women in work, motherhood, class and feminism are still relevant today…”

arts

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Following yesterday’s International Women’s Day, Groombridge Amateur Dramatic Society is putting on the 80s feminist cultural classic Top Girls next week. Eileen Leahy chats to assistant director Douglas Phillips about this iconic piece of theatre

T

HIS YEAR marks the 65th year of the Groombridge Amateur Dramatic Society – or GADS – as it is more commonly known amongst its members.

To celebrate such a milestone anniversary the amateur dramatic society is putting on Top Girls

by Caryl Churchill from March 16 – 19 at 7.45pm, at Groombridge Village Hall.

The famous play, which examines the issue of feminism courtesy of its central character career woman Marlene, first premiered at the Royal Court theatre in London in 1982. It was one of the first plays of the era to tackle the impact of Thatcherism too.

The opening scene is the play’s most famous: Marlene hosts a dinner party for a group of famous women from history, all of whom have

had to give up some vital piece of themselves along the way. The guests include Pope Joan, who ruled in the Middle Ages and disguised herself as a man; the explorer Isabella Bird, Flemish folklore figure Dull Gret; the Japanese courtesan Lady Nijo and Patient Griselda, the wife from Chaucer’s The Clerk’s Tale.

Excited Set in the early Thatcher years, Top Girls follows the ambitious business woman Marlene during the aftermath of her promotion at work.

As well as the aforementioned fantastical dinner party, we also see how Marlene’s life develops in her new management role and how her new promotion impacts her working-class sister.

“We are particularly excited to be putting on

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Arts

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

this production for a few reasons,” explains GADS’ assistant director Douglas Phillips.

“Beyond the play’s themes of women in work, motherhood, class, individualism and feminism being as relevant today as they were when the play was written in 1982, we have a personal connection to the play. Our lead actor, Jo Donelan, was shadowed in her work as a recruiter by the National Theatre cast when they put on the play in 2019.

“With part of the play set in a recruitment agency, Jo and her company were sought out to provide inspiration and authenticity to the cast - she lived the life of the characters.”

Impact Douglas adds the society is very happy to celebrate the directorial debut of Molly Byford, a recent graduate of Liberal Arts and long-time

“Set in the early Thatcher years, Top Girls follows an ambitious business woman named Marlene during the aftermath of her promotion at work” member of GADS. “Molly has taken on the tricky task of directing such a thematically complex and technically difficult play. With a twelve-strong, all female cast ranging from teenagers to retirees, she has created the opportunity, not only for women in our society to hone their acting skills but to discuss the larger issues considered in the play.

Whilst the number of female playwrights is growing, there is still a great disparity in professional and amateur theatre,” says Douglas.

​Throughout Top Girls, Marlene reckons with her own issues on class, her familial relationships and the sacrifices she had to make to become a ‘top girl’.

“The play’s narrative and themes are straight forward - that is until Churchill masterfully rearranges the play’s timeline to highlight the intersections between sacrifice, selfishness, and personal success, deepening the core of the play,” continues Douglas.

“Written in 1982, Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls has become a classic of contemporary British theatre and remains ever relevant.”

Tickets cost £10 and £7 for concessions and are available from website www.groombridgetheatre.co.uk.

The Big Dog Day out returns to Bewl Water!

“The RTWSO is a fantastic pro-am (professionalThe countdown has officially commenced amateur) orchestra, for the Bewl Water ‘Big consisting Dog Day Out’, of a unique mix of26th local and which will take place on50/50 Saturday professional players” March, the event promises visitors a day out for the whole family, and of course your furry friends! There is plenty of things to see and do with your pooches.

FREE ENTRY 10am - 4pm Dog Show - see a different category each hour. Running at 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.

Dog agility.

Face painting for the little ones!

Children’s treasure trails

www.bewlwater.co.uk info@bewlwater.co.uk Bewl Water, Bewlbridge Lane, Lamberhurst, Kent, TN3 8JH

‘For any cinema lover seeing a silent film on the big screen with live accompaniment is an absolute must’

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Going out

22

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

COUNTRYFILE Matt Baker (right) and BBC Countryfile film crew interviewing Flimwell Park’s architect Steven Johnson

going OUT

Victoria Roberts looks back at the last week and provides a round-up of local events and activities coming up over the next seven days...

F

LIMWELL in East Sussex lit up the small screen last Sunday [March 6], with a Countryfile profile of a new sustainable woodland development focusing on local materials.

Located close to Bewl Water and Bedgebury National Pinetum on the border of Kent and East Sussex, the former bird park has been turned into a 46-acre mixed-used area after over a decade’s worth of consultation, planning and negotiation. Flimwell Park finally received full, detailed planning consent in December 2015 and then started construction.

Focusing on the High Weald elements of timber, iron and clay, the Countryfile presenter Matt Baker saw the use of clay in Zankhana Patel’s pottery business, The Potters Studio, based at Flimwell Park.

The BBC crew was also there for the firing up of a prototype anagama kiln built in the woods by students of The Design for Manufacture

programme at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. Businesses at the new park, which is nearing completion, include Birchwood, chefentrepreneur Will Devlin’s third restaurant in the East Sussex-Kent area, which focuses on locally sourced ingredients and artisan food suppliers of Kent and Sussex.

Other businesses have moved in, too, and three eco-houses will be ready later this spring.

Chris O’Callaghan, director of Regalmain, which developed Flimwell Park in collaboration with architect Steven Johnson, stressed that the project showed how woodland enterprise, leisure, education and conservation could be combined.

“The episode will be a great platform to showcase how architectural and woodland development can exist in a continuous, integrated and mutually beneficial relationship,” he said.

Now available on the BBC iPlayer

going live

family fun

LOOKING at screens and stages big and small, The Times of Tunbridge Wells presents a selected guide to the week ahead...

Trinity Theatre presents ‘The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)’…. really and truly abridged, to 37 minutes of classic comic-tragic Shakespearean themes: mistaken identities, power games, love and hatred. Continues until Saturday, March 12. Wednesday and Saturday matineés at 2:45pm.

Evening performances at 8pm. Extra evening performance on Friday at 5pm.

‘Sing 2’ (U) continues at the Odeon, with two showings daily.

Meanwhile, audiences young and old will thrill to ‘The Duke’ (12A), the story of 60-year old activist Kempton Bunton, who stole Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London, announcing that he would return the painting in return for more government investment in care for the elderly.

Twice in her life, ‘Mary Rose’ disappeared in time, leaving family ageing without her. A chilling ghost story by J.M. Barrie, author of ‘Peter Pan’. The E.M. Forster Theatre (Tonbridge) on Wednesday, March 9 at 7:30pm.

The crooked road from carnival performance to high-society scamming is a true ‘Nightmare Alley’ for Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), when it brings him into confrontation with a dangerous tycoon. Trinity Theatre, Tuesday, March 15 at 8pm.

Rusthall Community Cinema presents the second of its MARY ROSE dementia-themed screenings, ‘The Father’, starring Anthony Hopkins. The film will be shown after a talk by Dementia UK ambassador, Bridget Pepper.

Saturday, March 12 at 7pm. The cinema club’s first film showing raised £120 for Dementia UK at an evening that showcased its own short film ‘Dementia and Us’.

WITH one of the best live music scenes in the South East, here is a round-up of some of the best bands and acts performing this week...

Elvis is back – with Ben Portsmouth as The King – on the stage of the Assembly Hall at Saturday, March 12 at 7:30pm.

Meanwhile, the delightful duo of Ian Ashpitel and Jonty Stephens could give you double vision. Are they Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise or are you just wearing the nostalgia goggles?

Assembly Hall, Tuesday, March 15 at 7:30pm.

Saturday night brings The Orange Circus Band, a Kentbased band offering up BEN PORTSMOUTH ‘Americana’ and bluegrass to The Forum. Supporting them are Kent based folk/country artists The Breretons. Saturday, March 12 at 7:30pm.

The Forum’s Under 18s Open Mic event on Thursday, March 10 marks the week of International Women’s Day (March 8). 5pm.

Then, on Sunday, the International Women’s Day theme

WHETHER your family is young or old, big or small, there’s plenty to do both indoors and outdoors over the coming week, along with some active ideas...

One-to four-year olds can enjoy Story Time with Out of the Bag Theatre at Trinity Theatre, on Fridays for the rest of term. Stories and interactive songs at 9:30-10:15, Fridays until April 1.

Out of the Bag also presents creative play sessions on Fridays for the rest of term, at Number One Community Centre at 11am and 1:30pm at St Philip’s Church.

Both events are supported by Kent County Council’s Reconnect funding.

A giant textile model, ‘Hope’, is on show at Beechwood School, Pembury Road.

The 12-foot tall dress was created in sections by schoolchildren, “HOPE” community and interest groups, visually impaired groups, mental health groups, women in refuge, and others – all writing messages of hope on the 500 fabric strips, before being assembled by artist Elaine Foster-Gandey.

Beechwood pupils were among the creators, the artist told the Times. “However, a lot of the strips were returned by post, as access to some vulnerable groups was impossible due to the pandemic.” Tuesdays at 5pm until March 21. Tickets free, with a chance to meet the artist, available through Eventbrite.

Schoolchildren and Tudor enthusiasts will benefit from Hever Castle’s newest exhibition, ‘Becoming Anne’, which takes visitors through Anne Boleyn’s childhood through to her debut at the English court, exactly 500 years ago, in March 1522.

The exhibition is included with Castle admission and runs until early November this year.

HEVER CASTLE

THE ORANGE CIRCUS BAND

continues with a female-orientated mixture of music, poetry, speakers and panels, with a pop-up Oxfam Bookshop, Fine Grind, Syrian food and The Forum bar. Sunday, March 13, at 1pm.

The Hive, Cranbrook puts on Motown Magic for its diners, featuring the Fireflies. Saturday, 7:45-9:45pm. Free entry with your Gourmet Burger meal, and a prize for best Motown outfit.

Reservations at The Hive.

Photograph by Ollie Dixon

on stage and screen

Books

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

23

Times book reviewer

ONE YOU MAY HAVE MISSED

LOWS AND HIGHS

Love is Blind by William Boyd

Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

(published by Penguin, priced £8.99)

(published in hardback by W&N, priced £14.99)

Hannah Kirsop grew up in Kent and now lives in Horsmonden with her family. She loves to read and share recommendations and runs Bainden Book Club for a group of local women to discuss interesting fiction and non-fiction in a range of genres. You can find www.baindenbookshelf.com online or on Instagram: @baindenbookshelf

Set in the late 19th/early 20th century, Brodie Moncur is a Scottish piano tuner who is offered the chance to escape his dysfunctional family and dominant father, and relocate to Paris. Love quickly follows. But the object of his love, Lika Blum, already has a lover, a brilliant pianist called John Kilcannon… and Brodie, Lika and John, along with his malevolent brother Malachi, enter a deep, interwoven set of relationships that drive the compelling plot.

Always a reliable author with his signature effortless prose, this is a very readable book. As with Any Human Heart, this is a character driven novel dedicated to the strong, absorbing Brodie Moncur, set in an engaging period in history where vibrant descriptive interludes in Boyd’s writing give it a real sense of time and place. Both happiness and sadness abound for the lead in this love story that will keep you hooked until the end.

This novel about the life of Martha from childhood through to her 40s is narrated through a series of flashbacks and contemporary reflections. Since her teens, Martha has suffered from an unspecified mental illness and, as narrator, she bluntly articulates how this affects her during big events, non-events and simply day-to-day with a descriptive quality that is almost childlike in its simplicity.

Satelliting around Martha are her family, most importantly Patrick whom she marries and who, along with sister Ingrid, absorbs much of Martha’s pain.

It’s a book about (a deliberately unspecified) mental illness, and its seriousness and repercussions for Martha and her family are not downplayed but there is also a lightness of touch in the writing that brings with it some complementary humour. Moreover, the evolution of Martha’s relationship with her parents, especially her mother, is grounding, truthful and touching.

Persevere at the beginning to get into it – the style is initially quirky and probably not one for an audio book - but this book is a solid, beautiful, painful read.

HANNAH KIRSOP

The bookcase…

Here are some more reads to inspire you this week …

Moon Witch, Spider King by Marlon James Published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton, priced £20 (ebook £9.99) The second novel in Marlon James’ Dark Star Trilogy chronicles the adventures of Sogolon, a woman with mystical and deadly gifts.

Using mythology and history, James spins a vivid and compelling fantasy world, drawing the reader in from the first page. His unique and uncompromising language is key to the immersive effect, often expressing complicated concepts and emotions with breathtaking clarity and charm. The Booker Prize-winning author of A Brief History Of Seven Killings gives his characters enough humour and wit to counter the hum of evil running throughout the story. The most unsettling thread is the seemingly unstoppable power of an individual to make people forget their history, and even wipe lost loved ones out of existence. Can the enchantment ever be broken, or is this world doomed to repeat past horrors?

Review by Emily Pennink

10/10

9/10

8/10

One Italian Summer

by Rebecca Serle Published in hardback by Quercus, priced £16.99 (ebook £4.99) Katy doesn’t know who she is anymore – her whole life she has been Carol’s daughter, but now she is gone and Katy feels lost in her overwhelming grief.

Katy takes herself off on the holiday of a lifetime to Italy – a trip originally planned for the mother and daughter duo – and she can feel her late mother everywhere. When she’s on the Amalfi Coast, she sees someone remarkably familiar – and this seemingly younger, healthier version of Carol takes Katy under her wing, and shows her a life she’d never thought of before. Rebecca Serle has crafted a beautiful love story that turns its own pages as you are sucked into the Italian sun. As a reader, you look on as the character’s grief slowly ebbs away, and is replaced by something new.

Review by Rachel Howdle

8/10

Good Intentions by Kasim Ali Published in hardback by Fourth Estate, priced £14.99 (ebook £7.99) There’s plenty of hype around Good Intentions, with Kasim Ali heralded as the new young writer to watch.

It’s perhaps a shame there’s been so much noise around the book – it’s almost impossible to live up to, and it doesn’t quite make the mark. The action takes place on multiple timelines – present day, where Nur (from a Bangladeshi Muslim family in Birmingham) has just told his parents he’s been seeing a black woman for four years (she’s also Muslim, but race seems to be the big

7/10

sticking point here) – and Nur’s blossoming relationship with Yasmina, from meeting at university to forming a relationship – all while he continues to hide her from his parents, scared of how they might react. Ali is a talented writer and it’s extremely readable, but the jumping timelines is a bit of a stranglehold, and prevents much from actually happening. An interesting look at race, family and mental health – but one that doesn’t quite follow through with a strong enough plot.

Review by Prudence Wade

24

Events

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

W RLD BOOK DAY

Bringing children’s books to life TO A ‘T’ St Luke’s Nursery dress-up

World Book Day (March 3) is one of the highlights of the literary calendar for young people, giving them a chance to express themselves as their favourite book character. Here are some young bibliophiles from Rose Hill School, St Luke’s Nursery and St James’ Primary School in Tunbridge Wells who enjoyed celebrating the popular event last week…

BOOK FUN Rose HIll class 2T

ALL SORTS Rose HIll class 2G

SPELLING CLASS Witches were a popular theme for Rose Hill School, class 1P

SCOOBY DO And friend from St Luke’s

WINNING SMILE At St Luke’s Nursery

FORMULA FOR SUCCESS Daisy, 7, at St James’ Primary School

STEALING THE SHOW Class 5C, Rose Hill School

LITTLE FUN More children from St Luke’s (l-r)

MIND OUT, MALTILDA! Victoria Robinson, Rose Hill head of Early Years plays Miss Trunchbull

KMJProperty (Tunbridge Wells) Ltd 01892 515188

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The property also benefits from a garage and an electric car charge point.

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Situated in the popular area of Hawkenbury is this 3 bedroom property provides an opportunity to update and modernise a family home with driveway and garage. This property is less than 30 minutes walk to the Main Line Station and Tunbridge Wells Centre which offers an abundance of fantastic bars, restaurants and cafes as well as a number of shops. Also local to the property are some beautiful parks and walks, perfect for families, couples and dog walking. EPC C

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A beautifully presented, 2 bedroom, semi-detached home in the popular village of Rusthall. The property benefits from a living room, kitchen, modern downstairs bathroom and 2 double bedrooms. The property also boasts a driveway and has planning permission to extend. EPC D

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Food & Drink

food & drink

26

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

All’s fair when you show your support for Fairtrade Following this year’s Fairtrade Fortnight event, which ended last Sunday, the spokesperson for the local Tunbridge Wells branch Mandy Flashman-Wells tells Eileen Leahy why it is important to support it all year round and how you can do so

I

n 2017 Tunbridge Wells celebrated a decade of being a Fairtrade town.

Now, in its 15th year of supporting the movement - which aims to ensure farmers in countries such as Belize, Costa Rica and Argentina get a fair price for their goods - organisers from the town’s Fairtrade branch are asking residents to support the campaign even further.

Mandy Flashman-Wells who heads up the local team says she and her Fairtrade colleagues want more of us to consider the farmers of developing countries who supply us with everything from our tea and coffee to chocolate, rice, cotton and bananas.

“Fairtrade is important to our town,” says Mandy. “I’ve been part of the Tunbridge Wells Fairtrade Town Group since its beginning in 2003. It started in the Churches Social Responsibility Group and has grown in the last nineteen years to a wider group of people that believe we can all make a difference to the lives of others simply by what we choose to buy.

“We see so much in the news about the poverty and difficulties that people all

TEAM EFFORT Fairtrade info launch in Southborough

over the world are living with, we want to do what we can to improve that situation.

Buying Fairtrade products is one way to ensure that farmers can work their way out of poverty. It is important to note that the producers and workers choose the best way to invest their social premium and often it is in climate change mitigation, because the climate crisis is

the biggest threat that they are facing to their livelihoods.”

Mandy adds: “Over the years we have put on lots of fun events to educate people about what buying Fairtradecertified products actually means. We’ve also worked with local schools, churches and businesses in order to inform and educate.”

For Tunbridge Wells to qualify for Fairtrade town status Mandy says that a number of things had to happen: “Tunbridge Wells became a Fairtrade town in 2007 and we began the campaign by working with the churches in the area and then involving the Council and the wider community such as schools, community groups (e.g. Guides and Brownies), cafes, shops and businesses.

“The Council has to pass a resolution to serve Fairtrade products in its meetings, offices and canteens for example. The Council has to be committed for a town to achieve Fairtrade status, however, it is also about getting the community

“Buying Fairtrade products is one way to ensure that farmers can work their way out of poverty” involved, it’s a shared goal.

“Many of our shops and cafes now serve Fairtrade products and over the years the schools, churches, community groups and businesses have got involved in many different events such as town wide community art projects, fashion shows, football tournaments, a pancake competition at the farmers market, tea dances and a flash mob in Calverley precinct. We have made films with chefs from different venues in Tunbridge Wells, one of whom, Scott Goss, cooked breakfast for over 100 people at a Fairtrade meeting in the Town Hall.”

Mandy adds that she and her colleagues have also welcomed farmers and producers who benefit from the Fairtrade agreement. Prepandemic people would come in person but that all changed when Covid struck.

Value “Previously we had visits from people in Malawi and Cameroon, giving us first- hand accounts of the life-changing difference that

Client Onboarding Assistant – Tunbridge Wells Thomas Mansfield Solicitors Limited is a rapidly expanding firm of solicitors specialising in employment, family and private client law. Currently based in London and the South East we have built an enviable reputation for the provision of legal services to individuals based on employing an experienced team of professionals delivering excellent client care.

We are looking for an Administrator to help onboard clients: • answer calls and call back new enquiries • open new client matters on our system Proposed view from St John’s Road

• Close completed matters • conduct online regulatory checks

Public consultation | Hermes House, St John’s Road

• Complete marketing spreadsheet

Logistics UK invites you to a public webinar to view and give feedback on proposals to redevelop Hermes House.

• Other admin tasks

Hermes House is located on St John’s Road, on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells town centre. The site is currently occupied by Logistics UK for employment use.

Redevelopment of the site provides a unique opportunity to deliver a high-quality sustainable scheme with 43 much-needed new homes, landscaping, car parking, access and amenity space.

We are keen to share the plans with the local community and obtain feedback!

Experience working in a law firm would be useful but not essential. The main requirement is excellent client communication skills.

The right person for this position will thrive on working in a busy, friendly and supportive environment. This role requires organisation, strong IT and document management skills, fast accurate typing with excellent interpersonal skills and a willingness to be flexible.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package. We are an equal opportunities employer.

Public webinars are being held on: Thursday 17 March 2022 6pm-7pm

• Taking payments

Saturday 19 March 2022 10am-11am

Scan the QR code or visit www.hermeshousertw.co.uk to find out more and register for the webinars.

If you would like a hard copy of the consultation materials or have any other queries, please contact us: hermeshousertw@bartonwillmore.co.uk | 0207 446 6812

In the first instance, please send a covering letter together with your CV for the attention of Sarah Wood at sarah.wood@thomasmansfield.com or telephone 01892 337540.

Short-listed candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Please note - no agencies.

Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Food & Drink

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

FAIR ENOUGH Support global farming

and our concerns for those who produce our food both locally and globally.”

Mandy is now involved in looking into Fairtrade status for Southborough too.

“It is considering becoming a Fairtrade Town.

Firstly we attended a Council meeting to discuss what would need to be achieved and then, during Fairtrade Fortnight earlier this year, we were out in the Town raising awareness of Fairtrade with the Mayor of Southborough, Cllr Dianne Hill, who is helping to promote this campaign.

Support

Fairtrade has made to the lives of their communities. Last year, during the pandemic, we organised a Zoom meeting, with the help of the Fairtrade Foundation, with two farmers, Harry Frederick speaking from his farm in Penshurst and Patrick Kabera Mathaura, sitting in the middle of his tea fields in Kenya. They discussed the problems of farming in the difficult and changing conditions of climate change and what they were doing to mitigate those problems.

“Each time we buy Fairtrade products, we help smallholder farmers that grow the food we eat and the beverages we enjoy, by making sure they have enough to eat, too,” explains Mandy.

“The fact that we are a Fairtrade town says a lot about the community in Tunbridge Wells,

“The Mayor said she was very pleased at the positive response of the residents that visited the stall, and was looking forward achieving Fairtrade Town status.”

Fairtrade Town status is a shared achievement and sends a powerful message about how a community wants trade to work, it puts people at the heart of trade and directly benefits some of the world’s poorest farmers and workers.

Mandy says choosing Fairtrade is hugely multi

“Tunbridge Wells became a Fairtrade town in 2017 and now Southborough is considering doing the same”

MOTHER’S DAY LUNCH AT

Join us at STEAK for a roast dinner on 27th March 2022,

MUMS EAT FREE!*

17-19 Chapel Place, TN1 1YQ www.steaktunbridgewells.co.uk 01892 552592 *Terms & conditions apply, when dining with another full paying adult. Only main-course free, one per table.

beneficial: “It is very simple, buy Fairtrade and you are telling companies that you care about the ethics of the products you choose. You care about those living in poverty who have to choose between food security and sending their children to school for example. You care that workers and producers receive a fair price for their hard work and recognise that Fairtrade isn’t about charity it is about recognising the worth of the people who produce our food.”

Mandy adds that the local Fairtrade Town Group is always looking for new members and would be glad to talk to anyone considering starting their own campaign in other parts of the Borough.

“Currently we don’t have any Fairtrade Schools and we would be happy to have schools and students involved in the group.

Similarly we need more businesses to sign up and become Fairtrade businesses, serving Fairtrade products to their staff and/or customers and we are looking for a flagship employer, which we need if we are to achieve Fairtrade Borough status. We are keen to work more with others in Tunbridge Wells such as

27

the Town Forum, the Soroptimists, the Friends of the Earth and other community groups which share our values for people and planet.”

Visit twfairtrade.org.uk

WHAT IS FAIRTRADE? In essence, Fairtrade means that people are paid a fair price for their produce, one that doesn’t fall below the market value. In addition producers are paid a social premium to invest in their communities, their businesses and in climate change mitigation. It’s about achieving trade and climate justice for workers in the developing world, speaking out and taking action for people who don’t have a voice of their own.

If you’d like to help farmers, producers and makers get a better deal for their products, visit www.twfairtrade.org.uk or contact Mandy and her team via email on contact@twfairtrade.org.uk

Food & Drink

food & drink

28

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Serve up some tasty tipples...

This month Alex Greig, founder of Fuggles bars and the new Bottle Shop on Camden Road picks out four great Sussex breweries for you to discover...

T

he local beer scene has come on in leaps and bounds since I first properly dipped my toes in to it almost 10 years ago. We’ve always had some fantastic breweries on our doorstep but more recently there’s been a little explosion in small, craft microbreweries popping up. It’s great to see the industry flourish so strongly – who isn’t a fan of fresh beer brewed just down the road? Here’s some of my ‘ones to watch’ over the coming months….

Established a number of years ago, they have recently expanded, bought new kit and over the past year or so they’ve been producing some really top hazy pales, including a really excellent English hopped one which is brewed with some experimental UK hops called All I Want Is Summer. Alongside their core beers like Green Monster and Double Act they’re a regular feature in our fridges.

Merakai This is yet another Uckfield based brewery

here - yes, Uckfield seems to be the hotbed of craft beer locally! Merakai started up life during lockdown and is haded up by Emma and Olly Parsons. This beer obsessed couple have really hit the right spot. From excellent fruited sours, to classic European styles and big juicy pales they’ve got it all covered.

hopped, juicy pales with their own unique take on it (it’s a water thing). Based in Lewes we’ve had some of our favourite beers over recent times – their latest release with Allkin Brewing Co (formerly the Good Things Brewery) ‘RON’ is one for anyone who loves their beers hazy, hoppy and juicy.

Beak If you’ve not tried Beak yet, you really should. They’re regarded as one of the UK’s best right now with a focus on well

All these, alongside more fantastic local breweries are available over at fugglesbottleshop.co.uk so why not take a look and discover your new favourite?

Only With Love Ever since brewers Steve and Roger came onto the scene mid lockdown in 2020 we’ve been selling their beers and Kombuchas.

Fun artwork, a focus on sustainability and quality are at the core of what these guys do. Based just outside Uckfield they’ve been brewing an eclectic range of styles and you can really tell they love what they do. They also produce some of the best alcohol-free beer we’ve had.

360 Degree On the other side of Uckfield we have 360 Degree, located close to Sheffield Park.

ONLY WITH LOVE

Wines to

WIN

The 2022 EE British Academy Film Awards event is being held on Sunday March 13 at The Royal Albert Hall and will be hosted by Rebel Wilson.

To celebrate the event, Official Champagne Partner, Champagne Taittinger and the Official Wine Partner, Villa Maria are offering a prize of a bottle of Taittinger Brut Réserve NV (with a bespoke BAFTA label), Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2021 and Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir 2020 which have a combined RRP of £80.

Champagne Taittinger and Villa

Maria are two of the Academy Partners in their 20th and 13th year respectively.

Taittinger Brut Reserve (BAFTA label) NV RRP £50.00 | Exclusive to BAFTA (non-vintage standard label available from most supermarkets, Fortnum and Mason, John Lewis, and thechampagnecompany. com, Just Champagne, The Wine Press) Villa Maria Cellar Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2021 RRP £14.65| Stockists: Majestic, Sainsburys Villa Maria Cellar Selection Pinot Noir 2020 RRP £17:30 | Majestic, Sainsburys, Waitrose

360 DEEGREE BREWING

MERAKAI BREWING CO

BEAK BREWERY

COMPETITION QUESTION:

How many years has Champagne Taittinger been the Champagne Partner for BAFTA? To enter, send us your answers by Wednesday March 16 with your answer (and a contact number) to the following email address: competitionttw@protonmail.com

TAITTINGER: OFFICIAL CHAMPAGNE PARTNER

Champagne Taittinger is proud to support the Academy.

Taittinger Brut Réserve is the celebratory toast for all the Academy awards and is available by the glass in BAFTA’s home at 195 Piccadilly. With Vitalie Taittinger at the helm, it is one of the few top Champagne houses to remain owned and actively managed by the eponymous family Taittinger VILLA MARIA: OFFICIAL WINE PARTNER This is now the 13th year that Villa Maria’s wines have been served and enjoyed at all BAFTA award ceremonies. They are the most awarded winery in New Zealand, effortlessly balanced, elegant and approachable, the wines are the perfect accompaniment to all of the Academy’s prestigious events.

6

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

BUSINESS

Local News

M Thomas e Mansfield

property news

Conservation project to restore oast houses OAST TO SUCCESS How the former hop houses look now

and had already worked on a number of historic buildings for the Estate.

He said: “I have worked on many oast conversions in the past and know that it is BEFORE important to prioritise what The Oast is good for the building. Of houses sat course, there is a lot of unused space and we could have had included more bedrooms in the design, but we Oast houses date back hundreds of wanted to retain as much of the open years and played an important role in area as we could. the drying out of hops, as part of the “Oast houses were used dry out brewing process. hops, so there are very few original In recent years though, many have windows in the barn and none in the fallen into disrepair or stand empty. roundels. Therefore, one of our first Park Farm Oast on the Hadlow challenges was to decide where to Estate, which is located between insert new ones whilst keeping the Tonbridge and Tunbridge Wells, was agricultural character of the building one of them, until ambitious plans and not make it appear too domestic. were put forward to transform the To do this we tried to limit the number building into the beautiful family of windows to as few as possible while home it is today. still providing good natural light and The Oast would have been ventilation levels. commissioned by Sir Julian Goldsmid sometime after he inherited Somerhill and the surrounding Estate in 1866. It Redundant was built between 1855 and 1874 and forms part of the larger Park Farm, “Internally there were particular which was remodelled by Sir Julian as historic elements we wanted to retain. a model farmstead.

For example, each year that hops were produced, the date would be stencilled onto the wall as a record. We were able Roundels to keep that feature and installed a glass panel so that the stencilling From the early 1800s, Kent was a centre for hop growing and most farms could still be seen.

“It’s always special and exciting to had an oast for drying and storing work on a project like this – I wanted hops. The circular roundels would to do the very best I could for both the have a furnace on the ground floor.

Halfway up the roundel was a slatted building and the clients and a domestic use such as this is a viable metal mesh drying floor where the way to preserve an otherwise hops would be placed. redundant agricultural listed building.

Kate Teacher of the Hadlow Estate, I am confident that those who used said: “Our research into the building the oast in the past would still has revealed some fascinating details recognise its origins today.” including a memorandum agreement One of the elements that required from 1911 between Sir Osmond particularly specialist attention were d’Avigdor Goldsmid and Whitworth the cowls, the distinctive cone-shaped Son & Nephew Ltd, to sell 50 acres or more of hops cultivated in the parishes chimneys. Cowls were put on top of the oast to provide a vital source of of Tonbridge and Hadlow. ventilation while the hops were dried “The agreement names the hop inside. They also protected the kiln varieties – Fuggles, Tolhurst and from the weather.

Brambling hops - and also stipulates When the furnace was lit and as the how they should be tested for quality heat rose through the slatted drying and dried.

“While we can’t be sure that the hops floor within the building, the excess steam and smoke would rise through grown at Park Farm were included in the conical roof and out through the this agreement, it’s very likely as Park cowl. They were rotated by a wind Farm was farmed in hand by the vane to ensure the air was always Estate and not tenanted out until after circulating throughout the building, World War One.” giving the hot air a clear path out.

The man tasked with producing a Highly-trained craftsmen from cowl conversion scheme for this new home restoration specialists Dude & Arnette was RIBA affiliated architectural were drafted in to repair and restore designer John Peerless, who the cowls. specialises in conservation projects

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: 29timeslo Property News

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30

Business feature special

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Spotlight on:

Paddock Wood

Famed for its hop picking, Paddock Wood is now set for some very big changes as Victoria Roberts discovers on talking to people and businesses in this evolving town

T

he coming of the railways marked the end of rural life in many places in England, but it also saw the creation of Paddock Wood by the South Eastern Railway in 1842.

The resident engineer on the project was George Robert Stephenson, the nephew of the ‘father of the railways’, George Stephenson.

The ability to get goods to market – and seasonal workers to the farms – was a revolution and helped cement Paddock Wood’s name in the hop industry, turning the Kentish hamlet into a village when St Andrew’s Church was built in 1851.

By 1900, Paddock Wood had become a rail hub and saw thousands of hop-pickers coming down from London.

Migrating farm workers may have travelled the village’s roads on foot or by horse and cart, but the town soon became famous for being the first place a speeding ticket was issued.

‘Around 4,000 new houses will be built over the next decade and a half, which will bring with it other changes’ A policeman on a bicycle, having pursued Walter Arnold in his Benz motorcar, charged the reckless motorist with driving at 8mph in a 2mph area.

Mr Arnold was defended by Tunbridge Wells’ law firm Cripps, but he lost the case and was

fined five shillings.

Today’s commuters have a choice of destinations ranging from London Charing Cross to the Kent coast at Sandwich, to the bank of the River Medway – with the hubs at Tonbridge and Ashford International in between.

Cultural

Paddock Wood has an active leisure and cultural life. With a programme of three major concerts a year and a policy of featuring young performers, including prize-winning soloists and instrumentalists from the London music conservatoires, the Paddock Wood Choral Society is the highlight of the community arts scene.

The singers are back after the pandemic, relaunching with their concert on March 19, ‘An Evening with Mr Handel’. The programme celebrates the Queen’s platinum jubilee and features the Henham Orchestra and young soprano Bryony Burnham.

With a new community centre, which includes an events hall, a nursery and its own parking, now planned for the edge of Memorial Field, the town is already starting its scale-up toward the future. Cricket is set to continue on the field.

Meanwhile, the Putlands Sports and Leisure Centre, run by Fusion Lifestyle, has gym and exercise classes, on the edge of the town’s other playing space, which features a skate park, and the running track used by Paddock Wood Athletic Club.

North of Paddock Wood, the Hop Farm has pivoted from agriculture to heritage tourism and

leisure, by preserving the world’s largest collection of Victorian oasthouses and building a Family Park as well as offering camping, music festivals and weddings.

Busy town

Paddock Wood is set for some big changes in the coming years.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s (TWBC) has earmarked 4,000 new houses to be built over the

next decade and a half, which will bring with it other changes such as a revamped High Street.

Business has always done well in Paddock Wood thanks to its rail links with British baker Warburton’s and catering industry wholesaler Bidfood both having major hubs alongside the railway line.

The Times speaks to a range of businesses about what it is like to live and work in this ever-evolving town…

AN ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE Paddock Wood’s leading secondary school is Mascalls Academy where there is a culture that supports students in developing their character to its fullest potential: “The curriculum is carefully planned over seven years to ensure our students arrive at academic endpoints in peak condition for public examinations and with the necessary study skills.

As a result, students consistently outperform their peers nationally following a broad and balanced curriculum underpinned by knowledge to make academic success a by-product of high-quality teaching and learning.

Students are challenged daily with expert explanation, modelling, questioning and feedback ensuring academic excellence can be achieved by all.

The skills required to be a success teamwork, creativity, performance and presentation are

highly sought after in the modern workplace, are all developed at Mascalls.

From shows and exhibitions, to competition and collaboration every student is encouraged to make the most of every opportunity to continue their personal development throughout their time here at Mascalls.”

A stunning collection of carefully crafted houses, apartments and a penthouse in Paddock Wood Within easy reach being just a stone’s throw away from the station, with direct links to London Bridge and the City.

Each of the houses, apartments and the penthouse have been designed for a contemporary yet functional lifestyle.

Prices From: £315,000

01892 836877 paddock.wood@wardsofkent.co.uk

32

Business feature specialFOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday March 9 | 2022 Local News NEWS 17

Wednesday April 7 | 2021

A department store with more than a century of trading BARSLEYS Department Store was established in 1891 when Charles Barsley took over a tailoring establishment in Brenchley.

The tailor used to travel around by bicycle or horse and cart, measuring his clients in their homes: other customers called at the tailoring workshop.

In 1903 he purchased a property in Paddock Wood and enlarged the building to

‘Paddock Wood has a wide variety of independent businesses including cafes, florists, a butchers and a hardware store’

accommodate a shop.

Today, it is one of the few family-run traditional department stores in the area and provides a wide range of products and services from bespoke flooring and Made-to-Measure Curtains & Blinds, to Kitchen, Dining & Electrical products.

Alice Barsley from the department store said: “Paddock Wood is a lovely town to discover, with more than you’d expect.

“There’s a wide variety of independent businesses including cafes, florists, an antique jewellers, estate agents, a card shop, a butchers and a hardware store.

“We’re big supporters of shopping local, and we believe that you’ll find what you’re after here.”

70 per cent off selected lines across the store.

We’ve seen lots of new season lines from big name brands arriving in store over the last few weeks.”

Alice said following the pandemic, Barsleys are introducing some new stock lines.

“Our Final Clearance event is now on. With up to

EXPANDING TOWN SEES MASSIVE SPIKE FOR HOMES AN ESTATE Agent in Paddock Wood says the property market is booming with house prices at ‘record levels’.

Giles Warner, Senior Branch Partner at Wards in Commercial Road says the last two years have seen a ‘spike’ in demand as the town expands and more homes come to the market.

“Prices are at record levels and between September 2021 and January 2022 Wards sold 56.1% of our homes at or over the asking price.

So, if any of your readers have a home to sell, I really can’t think of a better time to do so,” he said.

He says buyers are attracted by the strong community and rail links but there are other draws for families too.

“There is a wide choice of schooling in Paddock Wood and a huge choice nearby in the state/grammar and private sectors.

“We have small independent shops, national

brands, a superb Waitrose supermarket and our very own department store in the wonderful Barsleys.

“The surrounding villages are perfect for country lovers that don’t want to be too disconnected surrounded by beautiful Kentish countryside full of apple and pears orchards, sometimes a hop field and increasingly vineyards.”

He added that as the town expands, the infrastructure is already beginning to be put in place.

“The basics of transport, shopping, schooling, amenities and connectivity are all there.

“The Countryside development has an exciting shared ownership scheme that Wards are marketing and we are just launching a smaller boutique development at The Maples on Church Road by Imperium Homes. “

SNAPSHOT IN TIME Barsleys in 1891 and [below] as it is today

FOOD MENU

FROM OUR KITCHEN STARTERS TOMATO & BASIL SOUP (v) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.29

A mouth-watering combination of juicy sun ripened tomatoes and aromatic basil, with hints of garlic served with bread and butter.

CRISPY BREADED MUSHROOMS (v) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.29

Coated in breadcrumbs and deep fried until golden and crisp.

Served with a dressed salad garnish and mayonnaise dip.

GARLIC CIABATTA (ve) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.69

Ciabatta bread smothered with garlic and herbs and grilled until crisp.

GARLIC CIABATTA WITH CHEESE (v) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.19

Ciabatta bread smothered with garlic and herbs and grilled with cheese.

SOUTHERN FRIED CHICKEN GOUJONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.29

PRAWN COCKTAIL (+) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.79

Sweet and succulent king prawns in a creamy seafood sauce, served on baby gem lettuce with sliced ciabatta and butter.

MAC N CHEESE BITES (v) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.29

Macaroni cheese in a crispy crumb served with Bull's Eye Original BBQ sauce and a dressed salad garnish.

SAUCY WINGS (+) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.29

Choose between our buffalo chicken wings or spicy cauliower “wings” and then pick from

Plain Cauli Wings (ve) Bull’s Eye Original BBQ (ve) Hoisin (v) Spicy Firecracker Sauce (v)

Served with spicy Firecracker sauce and a dressed salad garnish.

UPSIZE TO ½kg FOR 10.59 or 1kg FOR 18.99

FOR SHARING

The John Brunt is a great British pub at the heart of the Paddock Wood community, serving a fantastic range of food and drink.

HOUSE SHARING PLATTER (*) (+) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.29

Spicy Firecracker chicken wings, breaded mushrooms, chips, beer battered onion rings and garlic ciabatta. Served with a dressed salad garnish, mayonnaise and Bull's Eye Original BBQ dip.

Why not make me vegetarian and swap the chicken wings for cauli wings.

SOUTHERN SHARER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.29

Southern fried chicken goujons, mac n cheese bites, chilli NON carne nachos, garlic ciabatta, pork belly bites and mini corn on the cob.

Served with sour cream and Bull's Eye Original BBQ dips.

DESPERADOS® CHILLI NON CARNE NACHOS (*) (v) 12.29

01892 338434 info@thejohnbrunt.co.uk www.thejohnbrunt.co.uk

24 Church Road, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6HB

A sharer of tortilla chips layered with chilli NON carne, jalapeños, sweetcorn and our Desperados® cheese sauce, topped with spring onion and ery red chillies.

CHICKEN CHICKEN PLATTER (*) (+). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.29

Chicken breast with smoked streaky bacon, Bull's Eye Original BBQ sauce and melted cheese. Spicy southern fried chicken goujons and spicy Firecracker chicken wings. Served with chips, beer battered onion rings and a buttered mini corn on the cob.

CHICKEN IN WHITE WINE (*) (+). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.99

French-trimmed, skinless British chicken leg in a creamy sauce with mustard and tarragon, served with baby potatoes and green beans.

CHICKEN MURGH MAKHANI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.99

Served with white and wild rice, naan bread, puppodum and mango chutney.

HALF ROAST CHICKEN COMBO (+) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.79

STEP 1: A glaze of spicy Firecracker, hoi sin, or garlic marinade.

STEP 2: A side of chips, skin on fries, mash or spicy rice.

STEP 3: A second side of BBQ beans, buttered mini corn on the cob, mixed side salad or gravy.

STEP 4: A dipping sauce of sour cream, Bull's Eye Original BBQ, sweet chilli, or mayonnaise.

HUNTER’S CHICKEN (*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.99

Chicken breast with smoked streaky bacon, Bull's Eye Original BBQ sauce and melted cheese. Served with chips, beer battered onion rings and a buttered mini corn on the cob.

FISH SCAMPI & CHIPS (+). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.99

Wholetails of Scottish scampi, coated in breadcrumbs and served with chips, mushy peas or garden peas and tartare sauce.

COD & CHIPS (+) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.79

Our signature hand battered cod served with chips, mushy peas or garden peas and tartare sauce.

CHIP SHOP PLATTER (+) 14.49

Our signature hand battered cod llet, golden scampi and crisp shcake with chips, mushy peas, Chip Shop Curry Sauce and bread & butter.

MOUTHWATERING MAINS STEAK, MUSHROOM & STOUT PIE (*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.99

Shortcrust pastry case lled with diced beef steak, mushrooms & onions in an Irish stout and ale gravy. Served with creamy mashed potato and a medley of green vegetables.

UNDER

BEEF & PANCETTA LASAGNE (*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.49

Beef and pancetta lasagne with a rich red wine ragu, served with garlic ciabatta and a dressed mixed side salad.

MAC & CHEESE (v) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.99

RED THAI VEGETABLE CURRY (ve) .600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9.49

Our American-style mac and cheese, served with garlic ciabatta and a dressed mixed side salad. Add smoked streaky bacon for only 99p

ALL DAY BREAKFAST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99

Three Cumberland pork sausages, caramelised onion gravy, creamy mashed potato and garden peas. (Vegetarian option available)

Served with white and wild rice rice.

CALORIES

Two Cumberland pork sausages, smoked streaky bacon, baked beans, fried eggs,a wedge of grilled beef tomato and chips. (Vegetarian option available)

SAUSAGE & MASH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.99

GRILLS 8oz RUMP STEAK (*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.79

8oz Rump steak, served with beer battered onion rings, chips, garden peas and a wedge of grilled beef tomato.

Why not double up on your steak and add another 8oz rump 20.29

MIXED GRILL (*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16.79

4oz rump steak, chicken breast, 4oz gammon steak and a Cumberland pork sausage. All crowned with a fried egg and served with beer battered onion rings, chips, garden peas and a wedge of grilled beef tomato.

SAUCES 1.99 Each

8oz GAMMON STEAK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.29

Gammon steak grilled until tender, topped with your choice of fried egg or pineapple rings. served with chips, garden peas and a wedge of grilled beef tomato.

MEGA MIXED GRILL (*) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23.29

8oz rump steak, buttery chicken breast, 8oz gammon steak, 2 Cumberland pork sausages and 2 fried eggs. Served with beer battered onion rings, chips, garden peas and a wedge of grilled beef tomato.

®

Choose from Peppercorn (*)(v), Diane (*)(v), Desperados Nacho Cheese (*)(v) or Chip Shop Curry

AW Prem L - BD

We pride ourselves on delivering high quality service every visit you have with us. Whatever the occasion, come and enjoy our stylish and comfortable surroundings whilst you catch up with friends and family.

There is free Wi-Fi available is available, as well as great quality coffee, and our beer garden offers a fantastic dog friendly retreat come rain or shine.

Fashions and furnishings from big name brands

n o s a e S Newore now in st VISIT US AT 16 COMMERCIAL ROAD, PADDOCK WOOD, TN12 6EJ

WWW.BARSLEYS.CO.UK

34

Business feature special

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Have a pint in the name of the town’s war hero THE John Brunt VC pub was refurbished in February 2020 following an extensive rebuild undertaken by Star Heineken group.

The Church Road hostelry is the only pub in the UK named after a winner of the Victoria Cross.

John Brunt moved to Paddock Wood with his family in 1934 from Shropshire, but he squeezed a lot of action and adventure into his all too short life.

After joining the Queen’s own Royal Kent regiment after leaving school, he received a commission as 2nd lieutenant in 1943 and was posted to north Africa. He later went to Italy where he was promoted to Captain and notched up over 90 kills in numerous battles.

Once, after becoming seriously injured and

‘Brunt was awarded the Military Cross and the Victoria Cross: the highest award that can be given for Gallantry’ admitted to a field hospital, Brunt checked himself out of his sick bed and re-entered the battle, taking out an enemy post and also rescuing fellow soldiers.

He sadly died on December 10, 1944 after a stray mortar landed where he stood, the only

shot fired in anger that day.

Brunt was posthumously awarded the Military Cross and also the Victoria Cross. The latter is the highest award that can be given for Gallantry at the age of 22 years old.

Today, his eponymous pub is run

by Jill Mackie and Alan Rose.

The John Brunt is famed for its good service and quality pub food that caters for a broad range of people in Paddock Wood.

PUB PERFECTION The John Brunt VC

RETIRE IN STYLE WITH NEW LATER LIVING DEVELOPMENT ALSO in Commercial Road, a new development of apartments aimed at the over 60s is attracting a lot of interest.

The 33 new apartments due to be released for sale later this year, along with the opening of a new Show Complex, Churchill Retirement Living who are building the apartments are encouraging interested purchasers to register early to avoid disappointment.

The new development will be a collection of one and two bedroom privately owned retirement apartments and shared facilities, designed exclusively for the over 60s, offering retirement

accommodation and safe and independent living close to local shops and amenities.

Anne Scherrer, Regional Marketing Manager for Churchill Retirement Living said: “We are thrilled to be launching a new development in Paddock Wood.

“The apartments have been designed to make life easier and more enjoyable for people in their retirement years and offer security, peace of mind and independent living for our owners, while being surrounded by a friendly new community.

“The new development has already sparked a

great deal of interest and we’ve had lots of enquiries from local over 60s keen to find out more about the benefits of retirement living.

“Anyone thinking of making a move should register their interest now to avoid missing out when the apartments are released for sale.”

She added that the new privately-owned apartments will provide attractive, high quality, secure, self-contained accommodation in landscaped grounds. Buyers will have the benefits of a communal Owners’ Lounge, a Guest Suite, a Lodge Manager, and a 24 hour emergency call alarm service.

Academic Excellence Character | Culture

Find out more about us at www.mascallsacademy.org.uk “Students behave impeccably in classrooms and when moving around the school.

In lessons, their level of focus is impressive. They are committed to their learning and want to do their very best. They work well together and show the highest level of respect towards each other and towards members of staff.”

“This is a vibrant place to learn.

Pupils value the opportunities they get... As one parent wrote: ‘It gets better every year.’”

Challenge Partners, July 2021

Ofsted, November 2021

Contact us: reception@mascallsacademy.org.uk | 01892 835366 Mascalls Academy is part of Leigh Academies Trust

NEW RETIREMENT APARTMENTS FOR SALE

Register your interest Britain’s award-winning retirement living specialists are coming to Paddock Wood, so you could soon be enjoying a safe, secure and convenient new lifestyle with like-minded neighbours. Forget about any maintenance worries and start enjoying your retirement with the trusted retirement housebuilder.

Call us to find out more

0800 458 1851 churchillretirement.co.uk

PADDOCK WOOD Commercial Road Paddock Wood, Kent TN12 6EL

O U R H E R I TAG E • YO U R F U T U R E B U I LT O N I N T E G R I T Y A N D T R U S T

36

Antiques

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Where there’s a will there’s a way

antiques

Joseph Trinder discusses sensitive valuations for the purposes of wills and probate Here, therefore I would like to take a moment to explain the basic principles of this process and how the team and I at Gorringe’s might be of assistance if ever required, in hopes of demystifying what can at times feel like a complex and daunting task, with the human and sensitive approach we pride ourselves in.

Joseph Trinder

‘The accuracy of such valuations is essential as this can have a real impact on taxable estates’

O

NE OF the main elements of my role as a general valuer and auctioneer is the provision of formal valuations for legal / financial processes – one of the most frequently required kinds of valuation here is a valuation for probate purposes – essentially the valuation of the estate of someone who has passed away for the calculation of inheritance tax.

Assistance Something which many of us will (understandably) perhaps not want or have reason to think about until such a time it is needed, this is something which most of us will require assistance with at some point in our lives – as I myself have navigated personally with family members as well as in my role as valuer with Gorringe’s.

Probate valuations are provided in accordance with section 160 of the inheritance act 1984 and essentially constitute a valuation of the combined elements of an estate, so any potential inheritance tax due can be calculated and processed by HMRC. Typically this consists of property, financial assets and ‘chattels’ – that is the items found within the home, ranging from motorcars to furniture and jewellery – it is the chattels which Gorringe’s provide valuation assistance with. Valuations for probate are provided at a midmarket estimate taken at the date of death.

This can often be the element of an estate valuation which provides the biggest challenge for executors who may consider completing this task themselves, as a high level of

current market knowledge is required to accurately value art, antiques and furniture etc - in a marketplace laden with nuance and intricacy. In my experience, many of us will have at least a reasonable idea of the value of our homes but that very rarely carries on with an intimate understanding of the value of our belongings therewithin.

The accuracy of such valuations is essential as this can have a real impact on taxable estates – where over-valuation of items may make the difference between an estate being taxable or not, or considerably adding to the tax burden due, whereas under-valuation can lead to challenges of the calculation by HMRC which will need to be justified by the valuing party in order to avoid an additional tax bill – it is therefore

WWW.TW-UKRAINE-HELP.ORG

our advice that professional valuers are always instructed for the provision of this process.

At Gorringe’s, we seek to provide a comprehensive and convenient service at this often-difficult time. This starts with the provision of a valuation which ticks the legal box of providing HMRC with a total value of a property’s contents, but we then go into more detail, providing executors with an itemised list of the contents of ‘auctionable’ value, leaving a helpful guide of exactly what is inside a home.

Required Then, as required, we take goods to sale by public auction with a global reach, ensuring full market value is achieved. We provide our own in-house transport team who can provide a full house-clearance of any remaining unwanted contents, even hoovering through the property leaving it ready to be sold, taking this burden away from executors. Often too, if a property’s contents are left vulnerable by being unattended, we can secure items of value in our alarmed premises for executors ahead of probate being granted.

So if ever our clients in Tunbridge Wells, Kent and the wider surrounding areas are left facing this task, please know that you are not alone in the process and Gorringe’s is here to assist you.

I am always pleased to answer any questions or provide additional advice on probate and indeed all aspects of valuation work without fee or obligation: josepht@gorringes.co.uk

Antiques

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

37

Putting a spring in your step through antiques Eric Knowles talks about the influence the season of spring has on collectibles and curios

H

ELLO Everyone – trust that you’re all luxuriating in the slightly warmer days, even if they are few and far between at the moment.

Naturally, they herald one of my quarterly updates on the state of roadside verges on the route through Sussex that I take on my trips to The Pantiles Arcade.

Not only is it a treat for the mornings to no longer be shrouded in darkness, but there’s now the additional benefit of observing as spring begins to encroach on the countryside. We’re still a little in advance of that indistinct, green haze that seeps in to the trees and bushes as they come in to bud, but there are already patches of other colour evident on banks and in hedgerows as the early flowers make their seasonal appearances.

As ever, I would draw your attention the link between the onset of spring and its influence on artists whose work I particularly admire. Now, of course, the stark branches and cold skies of

winter are replaced by blossoms, bracts, buds and warmer hues.

its vendor – more of an unexpected pleasure than a surprise.

‘Pinks and greens dominate many of these spring-themed pieces’

Accentuate

Pinks and greens dominate many of these spring-themed pieces, no more so than in the works of the Daum family, working in north eastern France in the definitive ‘fin de siecle’, around 1900. They produced several pieces of a similar nature, differentiated by the scale at which things were observed. Some vases show broad landscapes – bodies of water, low hills, and trees laden with blossom, whereas others zoom in on individual flowers. Techniques differ subtly between these perspectives, with the close-ups tending to be on entirely flat surfaces where the technical skill of the artist can be best displayed with forensic detail, and the landscapes incorporating relief work to enhance the sense of depth, foreground features being

The third in the triumvirate of art glass masters, the Legras company, were perhaps the more prolific users of enamelling to accentuate their pieces, and they were therefore better placed to replicate more strident colours. Ruby red cherry blossom on a pale crimson background was the basis for a whole series of pieces entitled ‘Rubis’ and, right now, they are the pieces which resonate the most, as my ‘final approach’ is currently highlighted by a glorious display of blossom toward the bottom of Frant Road. Do come and see us down here while this is still at its best – and if you cannot make it, don’t forget scottishantiques.com is the place to find many of the items I have mentioned for sale. layered over the middle and far distant backgrounds.

Emile Galle and the Tiffany glass studios – contemporaries of Daum – represented the other dominant colour combination which defines spring – green and yellow. Both often chose to represent narcissi or daffodils, and worked with light to enhance their creations. Tiffany opted for an artificial source to illuminate their signature table lamps, whereas Galle preferred to let natural light interact with his pieces. This gave them an amazing degree of animation; as the sun moves during the day it’s shifting rays illuminate cameo glass pieces from changing angles, with different colours becoming more or less prominent. It’s a feature which you learn to appreciate having owned a piece for some time, rather than being able to pick up on it during your initial encounter under spotlights, on display with

join us this

Mothers Day Make her day at The Blue Anchor!

Join us in your local award winning country pub based on the outskirts of Crowborough.

Sample our mouth watering menu whilst sipping on a cocktail, a refreshing G&T or perhaps a bottle of bubbly!

Reservations recommended.

Get in touch for more information 01892 319299 info@blueanchorcrowborough.co.uk Beacon Road, Crowborough, TN6 1BB

38

Motoring

Wednesday March 9 | 2022

Motoring News

This week…

Morgan Super 3

n

Juke’s new hybrid powertrain n Fisker’s Ocean EV

n

Morgan continues three-wheeler tradition with new Super 3 MORGAN has added to its legacy of threewheeled models with the introduction of the Super 3.

Hand-built at the firm’s factory in Malvern, Worcestershire, the Super 3 arrives as Morgan’s first ‘clean sheet’ design since the Aero 8 of 2000. It’s underpinned by a bonded aluminium monocoque platform, which helps to make the whole vehicle not only lighter but stiffer. It also meets the same impact standards as the firm’s Plus Four and Plus Six four-wheeled cars.

The interior features a stripped-back dashboard with Morgan’s recognisable centremounted dials – but they’re now fully digital for the first time. A universal fixing allows drivers to add a cup holder or Quad Lock phone mount, while bungee cords on the outside of the car provide storage for items such as coats or small bags.

Morgan has worked with tyre supplier Avon to create a new 20-inch diameter tyre directly for the Super 3. It has a traditional ‘ballooned’ look, but has been engineered to deliver the best possible performance. The rear tyre, meanwhile, is an all-season type from Avon, as testing flagged it as the best choice in terms of grip.

The Super 3 is, according to Morgan the ‘most configurable’ of its cars to date, with more than 200 options and accessories there to choose from. A partnership with British motorcycle luggage company Malle London has seen waxed black canvas panniers created for the Super 3 – as well as a range of other accessories – while Beeline Navigation has created Morgan’s first in-car navigation setup.

The Super 3 is available to order now, with prices starting from £41,995.

THREE’S COMPANY Morgan’s Super 3

Aspirated Many of the exterior panels have been created using Superform technology, which sees the aluminium heated to a superplastic state before being formed into different shapes. This process puts less stress on the material when compared with traditional pressing.

For propulsion, the Super 3 uses a Fordsourced 1.5-litre naturally aspirated petrol engine. This is linked to a five-speed manual gearbox from Mazda, which has been used both in the MX-5 and also in Morgan’s outgoing 3 Wheeler.

The Nissan Juke gains new, highly efficient hybrid engine NISSAN has announced that a new hybrid engine will join the Juke line-up.

The popular compact crossover’s range is expanding with the addition of the powertrain, which uses components from both Nissan and its Alliance partner Renault to bring extra performance and efficiency.

Developed The hybrid powertrain uses a 1.6-litre petrol engine that was developed specifically for use in a hybrid setup, and is combined with an electric motor to make 143bhp.

These components work with a starter/ generator, water-cooled battery and gearbox from Renault.

Nissan says the powertrain provides a power output that’s 25% higher than the current petrol unit, with fuel consumption down 40% in the urban cycle and 20% on the combined.

Figures have not yet been confirmed, Nissan claims 54mpg and CO2 emissions of 118g/km.

The gearbox has four gears for the internal combustion engine and two when running on electric only. An algorithm constantly adapts to manage shift points, battery regeneration and

Fisker’s Ocean EV makes European debut

engine/motor usage to offer a combination of performance and efficiency.

An ‘intelligent drive system’ is designed to spend as much time in EV mode as possible, with Nissan saying it has achieved around 80% of EV-only driving in urban areas without engaging the engine.

Much like the firm’s Leaf EV, the Juke hybrid has an ‘e-Pedal’ mode, which allows it to be driven using just one pedal. This increases the amount of regenerative braking so the driver doesn’t have to press the brake in typical driving scenarios.

Radiator There are also a few exterior changes to signify this as the hybrid model, as well as tweaks that make it more aerodynamically efficient.

These include a grille with a smaller opening, tweaked lower bumper and a radiator grille shutter.

Few changes have been made to the cabin, but hybrid models get new graphics in the dials and infotainment displays relating to battery charge and energy flows. The boot is 68 litres smaller than regular models at 354 litres.

HYPER The Ocean EV does 380 miles on a charge FISKER has revealed its Ocean electric SUV in Europe for the first time at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

Previously showcased at the Los Angeles motor show last year, the Ocean is expected to hit UK roads in the second quarter of 2023. Fisker recently opened a European office in Munich and has continued to open a brand experience centre in Germany with ‘other European countries to follow’.

Range The five-seater Ocean – which will start from £34,490 – will be available in one of three trim levels. Entry-level Sport models bring a range of up to 250 miles from its single motor and receive 20-inch alloy wheels with recycled material wheel covers as standard, as well as a power tailgate and a digital interior rear view mirror. All cars get vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-home charging capability too.

Step up to Ultra – which gains a motor on each axle, 540bhp and a 0-60mph time of 4.0 seconds – and you get Fisker’s ‘hyper range’ battery, which brings the car’s range to 380 miles.

Standard features include an ‘OpenSky’ panoramic roof, a 17.1-inch central touchscreen and ‘doggie windows’, which open just enough for pets to get some fresh air but not wide enough to allow them to jump out of the vehicle.

Ultra cars will be priced from £48,900.

Finally, there is Extreme specification. Priced from £59,900, this also features a dual-motor setup and gains a slightly longer range over the Ultra – with up to 391 miles claimed between charges – but adds a rotating central screen, a 360-degree parking camera and a ‘solar sky roof’, which uses solar panels to help add extra charge to the battery when driving in sunny weather.

There will also be a limited-run ‘One’ specification, which is based on Extreme, but as well as being limited to the first 5000 units produced, brings additional equipment including 22-inch ‘SlipStream’ wheels and a ‘commemorative digital signature’.

The Ocean uses a variety of eco-friendly materials, including carpets made from recycled nylon and polyester and a synthetic suede material crafted from recycled plastic water bottles.

39

November 10 | 2021 Wednesday March 2 | 2022

H ENGINEERING PROUDLY UNDERTAKE THE RESTORATION OF CLASSIC & VINTAGE VEHICLES.

WWW.H-ENGINEERING.COM

H E n gin eerin g Ltd, L ittle Ca cketts Farm , H ay m an s H i l l , H o rsm o n den , Ke n t , T N 1 2 8 BX

info@h-engineering.com | 01892 549042