Local, National and International
OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS
MARKET WATCH: ONGOING TURMOIL CAN PROVE BUYING OPPORTUNITY Pages 8-9
NESTING DOVE MEANS THE CHRISTMAS TREE STAYS PUT
BAKE OFF PAIR IN LINE FOR LOADS OF EXTRA DOUGH
Page 5
A TEAM of cyclists representing The Chapel hairdressing salon in Tunbridge Wells sets out in May on a ride that will take them nearly a 1,000 miles through six countries and raise £50,000 for cancer charities. The ride comes after five of the staff were diagnosed with cancer; three of them subsequently died. Leading the team will be salon co-owner Toby Dicker, who told the Times: “The inspiration for the challenge has been very much about the fact we have had five members of staff diagnosed with cancer in the past couple of years, with three of them recently having passed away at young ages, between 26 and 34, so we wanted to set a large fundraising target.” The ride will pass through
Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and Switzerland before heading back to the UK and Tunbridge Wells, calling at its other salons in Sevenoaks and Islington “The most challenging part will be in the Alps going through to Strasbourg, which will be a 230km,” said Mr Dicker. He started the business in Chapel Place in 2001 with his wife Amanda, who will be also be joining the ride. “Before she died I told one of my colleagues, Natasha Douglas, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer, that we wanted to do something special in terms of fundraising, and I thought that doing this ride would be the least I could do.”
Full story page 7
Town is rated top place to live By Adam Hignett adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk
IT’S official. A Government report reveals that Tunbridge Wells is the best place to live in the county when measured by the level of ‘deprivation’. Figures released by the Department for Communities and Local Government, which is headed by MP Greg Clark, show the local authority is the ‘least deprived’ in Kent. Swale and Thanet are named as the most deprived. Researchers took into account income, employment, health, education and training, crime, living environment and barriers to social housing. Deprivation is seen as the damaging lack of material
benefits considered to be basic necessities in a society. However, the rating can be a double-edged sword as it can be used when distributing funding or targeting resources to an area. A spokesperson for the borough council also told the Times it was not necessarily ‘an indicator of how affluent a place is.’ The breakdown forms part of the department’s nationwide Index of Multiple Deprivation 2015 survey. Each authority is ranked from 1 (most deprived) to 12 (least deprived); Tunbridge Wells scored 12, placing it above both Tonbridge (11) and Sevenoaks (10). The strong performance by Tunbridge Wells could be seen as hampering those aiming to tackle pockets of deprivation as it means funding is more likely to be directed elsewhere.
DAME KELLY STRIKES GOLD WITH HER VILLAGE CAFÉ
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Loss of young colleagues inspires Alps charity ride
CHALLENGE The team facing the Alps
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Documents published alongside the report state: “National and local organisations use the Index of Multiple Deprivation, sometimes in conjunction with other data, to distribute funding or target resources to areas. “Locally, it is often used as evidence in the development of strategies, to target interventions, and in bids for funding. “The voluntary and community sector also uses the index, for example, to identify areas where people may benefit from the services they provide.” Dawn Stanford, project manager at the town’s Nourish food bank, which helps those in crisis, said it was ‘fantastic’ the borough scored so highly. But she acknowledged the perception of Tunbridge Wells as a place of affluence was mainly held by those from outside.
Pages 70-71
INSIDE EMERGENCIES
Plea to silence the sirens sparks social media storm
PAGE 5
EDUCATION
Exam results put students top of the league table
PAGE 19
FOOD
Wadhurst couple make their dream come true
PAGES 72-73
PROPERTY
48 pages of the finest homes on the market
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