Times of Tunbridge Wells 12th August 2020

Local, National and International

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS

r ur Yo EE pe a FRwsp

All the news that matters

Ne

Times

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

NEW DINNER

JAZZ ON THE

STARTS RIGHT NOTE: Local businesses have ‘clubbed together’ to sponsor tomorrow’s Dinner Jazz on The Pantiles, which is seating only.

Organisers say without these businesses the event, which can cater for up to 500, would not be viable. Bookings are essential.

Campaign is launched to help more businesses bounce back Newspaper offers free support for local enterprises THIS week the Times launches its Back in Business campaign aimed at supporting local retailers, traders, entrepreneurs and others battling to overcome the ravages of Covid-19.

In the coming weeks we will recognise those working to get Tunbridge Wells

‘It all adds up to a great start... but we have to keep up the momentum’

See ad inside...

Putting the WOW back into Craft Fairs CIF_Hever_20_193x45.indd 1

back on its feet by profiling their businesses on our news pages and social media platforms.

It’s our way of playing a small part in helping to kick start the local economy while at the same time emphasising the need to observe restrictions such as social distancing.

13/07/2020 15:28

Eat Out to Help Out scheme is hitting the spot with Government discounted meals on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Sopranos on the High Street was ‘fully booked’ for the lunches and catered for 350-400 customers last week.

At Zorbas Meze Grill on Upper Grosvenor Road staff had ‘to turn people away’ with overall takings up 20 per cent on the same time last year.

It all adds up to a great start ... but we have to keep up the momentum.

If you would like to see your business featured for free in the Times, particularly if you are a smaller independent, then please see details on page two.

Richard Moore Editor

We’re

BACK in

BUSINESS

13th August SOCIALLY DISTANCED & SAFE

Tunbridge Wells Hotel

01892 530501 The Kirthon Indian

07592 271151 The Casa Vecchia

01892 544700 NO SEAT NO SERVICE RESERVATIONS ESSENTIAL DO NOT JUST TURN UP ENTRANCE £5pp

TS AR m ST 7p

9.30am – 5.30pm Daily

The town centre is already returning to life. Staff at A-Plan Insurance on Mount Pleasant Road are back working in their offices. Branch Manager Mike Burke told us: “The High Street is starting to look really busy and it’s great to see people out supporting the local economy.”

The popular Framptons restaurant on The Pantiles has reopened with the help of a Government backed grant. There’s a maitre d’ to greet guests and help collect track and trace details.

And the boards have come down at Cote Brasserie on Mount Pleasant. They were put up when the restaurant was closed four months ago.

Feedback this week confirms that the

Thursday

2

NEWS

Local News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

this week… Insurers ‘proud to be supporting’ the SHIELDING STORIES: We found out what it has been like for those who ar the most vulnerable to Covid-19 as they finally venture out P6 THE SECRET TO LIFE: A Tonbridge resident turns 100 and reveals the key to their longevity P10

local economy as they reopen offices

BACK IN BUSINESS: AN INSURER has implemented Covid safety measures in its town centre office to enable it to reopen on the high street.

Staff at A-Plan Insurance, which is situated on Mount Pleasant Road, had all been working from home over the last few months.

But the firm, which ‘prides itself on talking directly to its clients’, decided to reopen this month.

Branch Manager, Mike Burke said: “From a technical perspective we have managed to stay open using remote technology that enables staff to work from home. Clients on the phone have experienced minimal disruption.

“But we came to the high street initially because our customers like to speak to

ARE YOU BACK IN BUSINESS?

We’re

BACK in

BUSINESS

INSANITY IS CATCHING: See the Royal Ballet’s new production of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party online P29

Here’s how to sign up for our initiative aimed at helping businesses, particularly smaller independents, bounce back. Just send us the background details of your company, in no more than 400 words, telling us: Who you are ... where you are... what you offer... and how you believe raising your profile in the Times might help.

Relevant images of you and product will also be appreciated.

We’ll do our best over the coming weeks to profile your business along with your website site, at no cost to you.

Details to: newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Boards torn down at landmark brasserie BUSY Cote Brasserie last week

LIGHT ENTERTAINMENT: Find out about Trinity Theatre’s outdoor comedy nights P30 CONTACTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR RICHARD MOORE richard@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 779615 DEPUTY EDITOR EILEEN LEAHY eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 576037 CHIEF REPORTER RICHARD WILLIAMS richardwilliams@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 240626 DESIGN/PRODUCTION LEE SMITH lsmith8@markerstudy.com SALES ENQUIRIES RSinger@markerstudy.com | 01892 739763 FIND US ONLINE facebook.com/timeslocalnews timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk twitter.com/timeslocalnews

Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 0TF

CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS HERE at the Times Local News we strive to deliver fair, accurate and balanced reports. When we don’t meet our own high standards we will accept the responsibility and publish clarifications and corrections.

If you would like to make a comment on any aspect of the newspaper, please write to the editor at David Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TF, or email newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk Markerstudy Leisure is a trading name of One Media and Creative UK Limited registered in England and Wales under company number 5398960 with registered office at 45 Westerham Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2QB.

PRINTED BY MORTONS PRINT LTD Media Centre, Morton Way, Horncastle, Lincolnshire LN9 6JR

somebody in person – it is really important to them, so we are back in the branch now with the appropriate precautions in place.”

He added Covid safety measures included PPE for staff and clients, hand sanitation stations, and regular office cleaning.

The insurers, which has around 100 branches nationwide, still has some people working from home who are high risk, but Mr Burke added: “I think as long as you can make the workplace safe, and people are happy coming back, there is no reason why you shouldn’t.

“The high street is starting to look really busy and it’s great to see people out supporting the local economy, the team and I are proud to be playing a part in this.”

BACK IN BUSINESS: A RESTAURANT situated in

the centre of Tunbridge Wells town centre has reopened, following four months of being boarded up.

When lockdown began in March, the Côte Brasserie on the corner of Church Road and Mount Pleasant, had to have boards put up against its doors and windows due to a request by insurers.

The decision has caused concern in the town, with even the Chief Executive of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, William Benson taking to social media to complain about the move.

But last week the boards were finally removed as the popular French restaurant reopened for business.

In a statement, the 94 strong restaurant chain, which was originally founded by Richard Caring, owner of the Ivy, said: “We are delighted to announce that we have begun a gradual reopening of our restaurants, with our brasseries now open from midday until 9pm.

“In order to protect the health and well-being of our guests and our staff, we will be making some changes to the way we operate until further notice.

“Our brasseries will only be opening from 12 noon until 9pm, accommodating groups of up to 6 people.

“We have adapted our layout and seating arrangements to allow for social distancing, in accordance with government guidelines.”

BEFORE Boarded up during lockdown

Loan enables Framptons to begin trading again

BACK IN BUSINESS: A TUNBRIDGE Wells restaurant has managed to reopen thanks to a government backed loan scheme aimed at small to medium sized business.

Framptons, based on The Pantiles, reopened last month following a six-figure loan from HSBC UK through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS).

Framptons has three locations across the south of England - in Tunbridge Wells, and the sixfigure loan from HSBC will go on helpimg protect 47 jobs and allow the business to continue paying its suppliers and rent after income stopped overnight at the start of lockdown.

Focussed The company has been focussed on adapting its business operations to make sure they can reopen safely.

Tom Walker, Director of Framptons Café Bars said: “Framptons has faced unprecedented challenges in recent months but the CBILS loan has helped us protect our sites and ensure they were in a stronger position to reopen once the time was right.”

He added that Framptons is also using the funding to develop new safety measures to meet social distancing guidelines.

These include having a maître d’ to greet guests and help collect track and trace contact details; implementing enhanced cleaning routines; and purchasing hand sanitiser for staff and customers.

Early feedback shows eat out Initiative is hugely popular BACK IN BUSINESS: A NUMBER of Tunbridge Wells restaurants were fully booked for three days solid last week as the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme began.

From August 3, restaurant goers have been able to receive 50 per cent off their meals when they dine out – up to a maximum of £10.00 – on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday throughout the month.

Last week as the scheme began, most town centre restaurants say they were fully booked during both lunch and dinner across all three days.

HELPING OUT: Diners in the Pantiles last week

Ivan Soprano, who runs Spanish restaurant Soprano’s on the High Street, said takings for the week were up 20 per cent on this time last year thanks to the deal.

“It was brilliant. We were fully booked and even this week we are nearly fully booked for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so it is working really well for us.”

He said the restaurant catered for around 350-400 people last week.

Sedat Zorba, who runs Zorbas Meze Grill said his takings were also up 20 per cent for the week.

He added: “We had to turn people away.”

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

NEWS IN BRIEF

Body found in a hotel housing the homeless A MAN was found dead at a hotel that has been providing temporary accommodation for the homeless during the Covid pandemic.

The man in his 40s was found at the Russell Hotel in London Road last Thursday morning [August 6].

The hotel has been providing homeless accommodation for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council since March 23 when lockdown was announced.

A spokesperson for Kent Police say they were called at 11.13am on after reports regarding the welfare of a person at the hotel.

“Officers attended along with South East Coast Ambulance Service and a man in his 40s was pronounced deceased at the scene,” he said.

He added that the death was not being treated as suspicious and a report was being prepared for the coroner.

Water warning for Kent SOUTH East Water is warning that some customers in Kent will be without tap water unless use is cut immediately.

The water authority says despite producing an extra 150 million litres of drinking water a day, this spike in the amount of water residents are using is putting a strain on the county’s water network.

As a result it is asking people to put away their hose pipes, garden sprinklers and garden water toys to help make sure everyone has the water they need.

Steve Andrews, Head of Central Operations said: “Our water technicians have been working round the clock to produce this extra drinking-quality water, but with this record amount being used daily it is getting harder to keep up.”

Firefighters save pond A VILLAGE pond on the verge of drying up during this week’s heatwave has been saved thanks to the fire service.

Kent Fire and Rescue used their hoses to refill Matfield village pond in Tunbridge Wells.

Sandra Fisher, a headteacher who grew up in Matfield and who asked the fire service to help said : “The pond is central to Matfield, it’s a place where people can go and sit, find some space.”

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Local News

NEWS

3

More than 13,000 workers were furloughed in Tunbridge Wells

By Richard Williams NEW figures released by HM Treasury reveal the impact of Covid-19 on the workforce and businesses across Tunbridge Wells.

More than 13,400 workers have been furloughed throughout the coronavirus crisis and a further 4,600 self-employed people received cash help. The figures are based on where people live and not where they work.

According to HM Treasury, up until June 30, around 18,000 people in Tunbridge Wells were either on the government’s Job Retention Scheme or received a grant from the SelfEmployment Income Support Scheme [SEISS].

The furlough scheme, which is set to end on October 1, saw workers paid up to 80 per cent of their salary by the government.

During its first raft of payments, the SEISS provided cash grants of 80 per cent of three month’s income to self-employed people.

The self-employed are able to claim a second tranche of payments later this month worth up to 70 per cent of their usual income for the three months up to August.

Unprecedented By the beginning of this month, 1,829 local businesses had been offered government-backed ‘Bounce Back Loans’, and a 121 firms in Tunbridge Wells received government-backed Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Facilities [CBILS] through high street banks.

Nearly 1,000 other businesses including those in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector are set

to pay no business rates this year.

While 2,006 local business have received cash grants of up to £25,000.

Tunbridge Wells MP, Greg Clark said this level of support was ‘unprecedented’.

He added: “Together, these schemes have helped tens of thousands of my constituents, while thousands of businesses have been offered a valuable lifeline through grants, bounce back loans and business rate relief.

“However, we must acknowledge that this crisis is not yet over and many of my constituents will continue to struggle in the months ahead.

“I will continue to push for those who work in sectors that continue to be disproportionally impacted by Covid-19 to receive Government support during this tough time.”

Wall falls down days after restaurant Arrest made after closes because of the virus lockdown dog walker killed

in a hit and run

By Robert Forrester THE wall of a Tunbridge Wells restaurant owned by the Borough Council has collapsed, just days after it was vacated.

Ask Italian on Monson Road, which never reopened post lockdown, had been under threat of permanent closure after owners Azzurri announced it was to shut 75 restaurants across the UK. While the restaurant chain has yet to officially announce which branches it would close, last week the property was emptied of all its furnishings [see Business page 9].

A MAN has been arrested after a dog walker was killed in a suspected hit and run in Tonbridge.

The body of a man in his 50s was found last Thursday night [August 6] by a member of the public on the A2014 Pembury Road, about 200 metres south of the Vauxhall Inn pub.

Police say he had suffered injuries consistent with being hit by a car but no vehicle had stopped at the scene.

The man, whose next of kin have been notified, has not yet been named.

He had been walking a dog at the time but that was found unharmed.

Courtyard But on Friday [August 7], just days after Ask Italian had vacated the building – which the restaurant chain leased from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council – a wall collapsed.

The wall collapsed onto a courtyard that backs onto the restaurant but has been locked up since the premises closed.

One nearby eyewitness told the Times: “It made a hell of a bang.

“It looked like an air conditioning unit came off and took half the wall with it. The fire brigade turned up but left soon afterwards.”

Kent Fire and Rescue said that nobody was hurt in the incident.

A spokesperson added: “Kent Fire and Rescue Service was called to reports of a partial wall collapse on Monson Road in Tunbridge Wells at around 11:41am on Friday, August 7.

“One fire engine was

RUBBLE Onlookers after the collapse sent to the scene and crews used a ladder to help make the scene safe, before passing the scene into the care of a building and property manager.”

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council say their property and estates team is now investigating the cause of the collapse.

A spokesperson added: “The Council was notified Friday morning [August 7] by neighbours that a wall was collapsing at Ask restaurant into the small courtyard at the side of the building.

“We asked building control officers to attend and Kent Fire and Rescue Service, who cordoned off the area.

“Our property and estates team is now investigating the cause of the collapse and taking any necessary action to ensure the building is safe and there is no danger to the public.

“The nearby bus stop on Monson Road is still in operation.”

Investigation Officers say they have now arrested a suspect and recovered a car.

The vehicle, a small hatchback, was found last Friday [August 7] damaged and unattended in a sportsground car park at the end of Darenth Avenue. It was seized for forensic examination.

A local man in his 30s was arrested the same day on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. He was later bailed to return to the police station on September 4.

He too has not yet been named.

PC Jamie Woodhams of the Serious Collision Investigation Unit said: “We continue to appeal for anyone with information about this incident to come forward and help us to provide answers for the deceased’s family.

“We are widening our appeal for dashcam and CCTV footage from the scene of the collision on Pembury Road to now include routes to the car park in Darenth Avenue.”

Anybody with information is encouraged to call the appeal line on 01622 798538 quoting

Rates of coronavirus cases have fallen JUST seven people in Tunbridge Wells tested positive for coronavirus last week, the latest figures show.

According to Public Health England cases in both Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge & Malling have fallen.

The seven recorded cases in Tunbridge Wells mean in the seven days up to August 4, just 5.9 people out of every 100,000 tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19.

Last month a spike in infections was recorded in Tonbridge & Malling as 10

people tested positive causing a rise per 100,000 people to 9.2 from just 0.8.

Cumulative But last week, just three people tested positive for coronavirus in Tonbridge, meaning just 2.3 people in every 100,000 had been recorded as having the virus.

So far, 495 people have had coronavirus in Tunbridge Wells – around 416 per 100,000 population.

In Tonbridge & Malling, just 369 people have returned a positive test – or just 279 per 100,000 people.

Across Kent, the total is 8,269 cases and 1,103 in Medway – around 522 per 100,000 of population in Kent and 396 for Medway. Around 1,650 have died in Kent due to Covid-19.

Kent County Council’s Director of Public Health, Andrew Scott-Clark said that as more people are tested across the county, they expect to see ‘a rise in the number of cumulative confirmed cases’.

4

NEWS

Local News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Leader survives second attempt to topple him and says time to ‘unite’

By Richard Williams THE leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has called for his party to unite following an unsuccessful attempt to oust him.

Last Thursday [August 6] the local Tory group of councillors voted in a blind ballot to keep Alan McDermott leader of their group, after he was challenged for his job Cllr Paul BarringtonKing.

Tory Cllr Barrington-King, who represents Pembury ward, was backed in his failed leadership bid by a number of Conservative councillors, including fellow Pembury councillor, David Reilly, as well as Cllr David Scott [Culverden] – who earlier this year resigned from his cabinet position citing a ‘lack of vision’ at the Council.

Speaking to the Times after winning the leadership vote, Cllr McDermott dismissed the claim.

He said: “We are in the process of building four cultural hubs – the Amelia Scott, the Southborough Hub, one in Cranbrook and one in Paddock Wood, so we are quite active.

“We are one of the only councils in Kent at the moment actually building anything.

“And we are very well-regarded. Roger Gough, leader of Kent CHALLENGER County Council, Paul Barrington-King regards Tunbridge Wells among the top

TRIUMPH Alan McDermott

£500,000 a year and is currently closed until April next year due to Covid-19.

“We are going to have to find a way to unite.

When it comes to the theatre, we [the Conservative group] have councillors who do not think we should have the Assembly Hall, and councillors that do.”

“Others do not even think we should support the Trinity Theatre, which is also in trouble,” he added.

However, the local Labour Party say the borough needed a new Council with more ‘energy, purpose, pace, listening and engagement’.

Engagement two or three boroughs in the county.”

He also said that the Council was working on a new five-year plan for the borough, which he hoped would be published early next year before May’s local elections.

He added that his party now needed to unite to find a way forward and solve the issues caused by the failure of the Calverley Square theatre project.

The current Town Hall is in need of renovation and is four times too big for the Council’s need, and the Assembly Hall Theatre is subsided by taxpayers by around

Martin Betts, Acting Chair for Tunbridge Wells Labour, said: “At a time of continuing national crisis Conservative councillors are still in-fighting over who should be their leader.

“We have criticised the lack of leadership in the town and still do. We do not believe that Cllr Alan McDermott is the person to lead the Council.

“The Borough needs someone with ambition and a vision for the future. If this is the best they can do, then so be it, but we need the leader and his team to up their game.

“The town doesn’t need more of the same. We need to see more energy, purpose, pace, listening and engagement with residents.

“Whoever is in charge of rearranging the Council deckchairs, Labour will continue to challenge the Conservatives on poor thinking, poor planning and poor decision-making. We actually need a new Council - and we will have the chance to do this next May.” Cllr Paul Barrington-King did not respond to a request for comment.

No coronavirus found at station SWAB tests taken at Tunbridge Wells railway station have found no trace of the virus that causes Covid-19.

Southeastern told the Times that laboratory tests on ‘high touch points’ at ten stations, including Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks, all came back negative for coronavirus.

The rail company says it has invested £400,000 in extra cleaning to ensure a safe and hygienic working environment for passengers and employees, and will be hiring more than 30 extra members of the cleaning team to work on trains across 20 of its busiest stations.

Crumbling car parks are cause for concern

SUPPORTED Jacks supporting Crescent Road car park.

ANOTHER Tunbridge Wells car park is in need of repair.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is already facing bills of more than £1.5million for fixing two if its ageing parking facilities, and now structural problems have been found with a third.

The Council is currently repairing and upgrading the Royal Victoria Place [RVP] Car Park at a cost of £855,000. The car park, used by shoppers at RVP, is Council owned so taxpayers have to foot the bill for its maintenance.

There are also £800,000 worth of repairs, which were outlined in this year’s budget, for the Great Hall Car Park, which is in danger of failing compliance rules.

It has now found issues with a cordoned off section of the Crescent Road Car Park, which is used by Town Hall officials but is open to the public at the weekend.

A number of support jacks are having to be used to prop up the roof due to failing concrete.

A spokesperson for the Council said the car park was safe to use, but added: “A small section of Town Hall Yard Car Park is cordoned off to allow for maintenance work to be carried out on the concrete structure. A routine, cyclical, inspection highlighted that some of the concrete needed repairs.”

Drop in commuters hitting some town centre traders hard

STRUGGLING: The Pleasant Cafe by the station

Supported This includes sanitising every train carriage each night to apply anti-viral treatments in areas such as toilets, handles and buttons, as well as in the driving cabs.

In addition, Southeastern is ‘fog cleaning’ carriages using an anti-viral product called Zoono that gives 30 days protection against coronavirus.

David Wornham, Passenger Services Director for Southeastern said: “We are doing everything we can to help our passengers feel safe and supported when returning to travelling by train on our network, and we’re really pleased with the results of our cleaning testing so far.

“During August, passengers will see a visible increase in cleaning staff across the network.

“We recommend that in addition to wearing face coverings and carrying hand sanitiser, passengers think about planning their journey ahead, travelling at quieter times to help maintain social distancing and registering for one of our contactless tickets by visiting the Southeastern website.”

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

SANITATION STATION A Southeastern worker cleaning handrails

THE number of commuters using trains across the South East has fallen to just 22 per cent when compared to last year, figures show.

Southeastern, which runs services in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge, says before Covid-19 struck around 600,000 passengers used its rail services every day.

Numbers are now down to around a fifth compared to this time last year – with just 132,000 people catching the train to work daily.

The government has warned of job losses unless people stop working from home and go back to their offices and support the local businesses in towns and cities.

The reduction in the number of people going to work is already having an effect on some businesses in Tunbridge Wells.

Maheen Ramphul, who runs the Pleasant Cafe next to the railway station, says his trade is down 60 per cent compared to last year.

“We have always relied a lot on commuters, so our customer numbers are down. We are seeing around 40 per cent of what we had last year,” he said.

“If people went back to work it would really help us.”

NEW ON THE PANTILES

DINNER JAZZ

Starts Thursday 13th August For 7 weeks As part of getting the Pantiles Rocking again Jazz is back - seated, socially distanced & safe.

ALL SEATED NO SEAT NO SERVICE ENTRANCE £5pp MAKE A RESERVATION DO NOT JUST TURN UP PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS 01892 530501 07592 271151 01892 544700

The Tunbridge Wells Hotel The Kirthon Indian The Casa Vecchia Sponsored by

In Association with

Tunbridge Wells Agency 01892 337488

SOCIALLY DISTANCED TargetfollowJAZZ - MAKE LIONEL THE NEW NORM

Targetfollow

bdp.media

The Tunbridge Wells Hotel

6

NEWS

Local News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

Sarah’s story: what happened when one woman finally ventured outside after months in lockdown Many people, particularly those deemed most vulnerable, are venturing outside for the first time since lockdown restrictions were lifted. It’s proving for some to be an interesting yet worrying experience. Reader Nigel Peacock wrote to the Times about one of his friends. We thought the comments were worth sharing...

A GOOD friend of mine in Tunbridge Wells, Sarah (not her real name) has been shielding at home since late March. Sarah suffers from an illness which places her in the vulnerable group of almost two million across the UK who were asked to shield for 12 weeks or more.

At the weekend, the government suspended the shielding requirement, allowing those who are considered vulnerable to finally open their front doors and venture out. Sarah has been waiting, aching, to walk out onto the pavement for over four months. To walk, like so many others have been able to do, the short distance into the centre of Tunbridge Wells.

On Saturday morning, Sarah donned her mask, made sure she had her house keys, unused since March, pulled on her walking shoes, opened the front gate, and hit the pavement. She felt liberated.

On the short walk into Tunbridge Wells town centre, she encountered several people walking two abreast on the same side of the road, walking closer to her than one metre plus, forcing her to step into the road. This unnerved her but she continued her first journey.

After about 10 minutes, Sarah arrived at the entrance to Royal Victoria Place, adjusted her mask and went inside. She was horrified to find about 20% of those in the centre were not wearing any form of face covering.

The government rules require people to use a mask inside shops and inside shopping centres.

There are exceptions to wearing masks, but not for one in five of the population.

Sarah did find that inside the first shop she

visited, much to her relief, everyone other than staff, were following the rules. Sarah took her time, slowly browsing and enjoying her newfound freedom. She proudly made her first shop purchase since mid-March. It was an emotional moment.

Back in the centre walkways, Sarah tried to follow the arrows on the floor only to find dozens of people completely ignoring them and

‘On her first foray into town, she was greeted by people who did not care, people without face coverings , individuals and families ignoring the rules’ walking in the wrong direction. She spent time having to avoid people, sometimes three or four across walking against the flow of the arrows and paying zero attention to social distancing.

It was too much. Sarah fled for home. On her way back, she saw three discarded masks, thrown on the ground. That disgusted her.

My friend has been alone at home, seeing only food delivery drivers, the postman and an occasional support visitor coming to her door.

Sarah has followed the rules to the letter and not stepped across the boundary of her property since lockdown.

She believed she was doing the right thing to protect herself and just as importantly, to protect others. Sarah saw this as her duty and had

We need office workers to return to work to support our town centre TUNBRIDGE WELLS TOGETHER Chief Executive Ross Feeney talks to the Times and explains that if more people returned to their offices to work it would give the town centre a boost.

The period of lockdown has made many businesses and office-workers realise that working from home can be both cost-effective and productive.

Challenge For businesses there is realisation that they do not need big City-based office buildings to operate effectively, and office workers now realise they do not need to spend a great deal of time and money commuting to do their jobs. It is a win/win for both.

However, not everybody wins – our town centre loses out. Like many town centres around the country, Tunbridge Wells has traditionally benefited from hundreds of office workers visiting each day, either before or after work, or during their lunch hours – spending money in our cafes, shops and restaurants.

To lose these visitors is an additional challenge for our town centre.

We know a lot of offices are putting in place safety measures to make their workspaces COVID-compliant, and we look forward to seeing

more people returning to the town centre after the school holidays. It is incredibly important that our office workers return.

It is also important that we retain our office space, and not succumb to widespread residential redevelopment.

Our historic town has long been a tourist destination, it now needs to become a flexible and creative business hub - with improved conference space (to provide more delegates for our hotels and restaurants). We need to capitalise on the new collective national desire to work closer to home by providing more flexible co-working space in the town centre.

Co-working spaces provide the opportunity to work with other people, to avoid the isolation of working from home every day, but on flexible low cost terms.

Our workplace practices are changing, but we will always need office space, we simply need to change how we use it.

Tunbridge Wells needs its office workers to return to their desks and continue to support our town centre.

Our town centre needs to retain its office space, but be creative and dynamic in how it utilises this space to become a hub for flexible businesses, entrepreneurs and business start-ups.

INTIMIDATING The town centre can be a frightening place for those that have been shielding expected others to follow the rules set down for everyone’s safety. She discovered that the rules were, for the most part, being ignored.

On her first foray into town for many months, Sarah was greeted by people who did not care.

People without face coverings where they should be worn. Individuals and families ignoring the simplicity of arrows on a floor. Others completely ignored the one metre plus rule when passing in the street, even when there was plenty of space.

Sarah is in the vulnerable health category. No wonder she was scared and bolted for home.

Spending four months at home, alone, is a serious matter and one which she followed with diligence and fortitude. Sarah has now said that she is too frightened to venture out again into town. This proud lady is refusing to leave her home again, until ‘people improve’.

Come on Tunbridge Wells people - we have to do better. We must improve. For Sarah’s sake.

MP GETS BACK TO FACE TO FACE MEETINGS GREG CLARK says he is now conducting face to face meetings with constituents.

The Tunbridge Wells MP had been conducting only virtual meetings over the internet or on the phone following the Covid lockdown on March 23.

But he has now resumed his physical meetings.

He told the Times: “We can’t be sure that we will discover a vaccine against Covid, so we have to learn to live our lives with it being present.

“It’s great to see people back in our local shops, and in cafes and pubs and it’s crucial that children are back in school next month.

“Since the House of Commons resumed voting in person on June 2, I have been there asking questions and making points throughout. But it has been alarming to be travelling on virtually empty trains.

“Throughout the pandemic I have conducted my local surgeries for constituents via zoom and telephone, but I’m now combining that with face to face meetings for those who want to chat in person.

There’s a long way to go, but with the right precautions we can save the jobs that depend on people being out and about while staying safe.”

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Domestic abuse charity saw ‘colossal increase’ of calls during Covid-19 lockdown

By Richard Williams A DOMESTIC abuse charity has told of the ‘harrowing’ stories they received during lockdown, as abuse cases rose dramatically.

Henu Cummins, the Chief Executive Officer of Domestic Abuse Volunteer Support Service (DAVSS), which is based in Tunbridge Wells, says lockdown created a ‘colossal increase’ in cases.

Speaking at a panel discussion with Police and Crime Commissioner [PCC] Matthew Scott on Facebook on August 4, she said: “Within a couple of weeks of lockdown we saw a colossal increase in the number of calls to our helpline, and almost all were of an urgent nature.

“Absolutely desperate people in lifethreatening crisis situations.”

She added: “We’ve heard harrowing incidents of women telling us their partners have forced them into shielding, using Covid as an excuse.

“Callers were telling us they were reaching out at the one chance they have to escape their abuser.”

The charity received around £65,000 in help from Mr Scott’s office as part of government funding aimed at helping the victims of crime.

Ms Cummins continued: “We’ve increased the numbers of volunteers available on our helpline and doubled the numbers of hours we are available.

“Redesigning the service has been possible only thanks to the emergency funding from Mr Scott’s office and other places.”

Mr Scott said: “It was really important for me, as part of the work I do as PCC, to reach out to these organisations.

“We know domestic abuse has been an issue during lockdown and it is important to talk to charities to understand the trends they’ve seen and discuss how we can work better together to support vulnerable people.”

CRISIS Henu Cummins from DAVSS says women were ‘forced’ into shielding by partners

Local News

NO BANG The skies will remain quiet over Dunorlan Park this year

No fireworks at Dunorlan Park this year ORGANISERS of Tunbridge Wells’ annual November 5 firework display have had to cancel the event for only the second time in its 63-year history.

Royal Tunbridge Wells Round Table [RTWRT], who put on the charity event, say they made the decision due to uncertainty around public gatherings amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Each year the firework display – the largest annual public gathering in Tunbridge Wells – raises thousands for local charities and good causes.

It has only ever been cancelled once before – due to poor weather – and that was more than 40 years ago, organisers say.

But in a statement, the Round Table said they would now have to cancel this year’s event.

They explained: “Costs have to be incurred in advance of the display and as a small charity, we

cannot risk charitable funds being put at risk should the display not go ahead.

“It is also vitally important to put the safety of our guests and amazing volunteers first.”

Phil Hardy Bishop, Chairman of the RTWRT, added: “It is a great disappointment that the fireworks cannot go ahead this year.

Charities “This is the biggest single event held in the town each year and we know many will miss the display.

“It also means a number of charities will miss out on vital funds but we promise to come back bigger and better.

“We will continue to support local charities and other events in the town the best we can over the next year.”

In tough times you need a friendly expert Covid-19 has changed all our lives.

Equity release could be a solution if you want q A home office or extension

Why 55Plus Equity Release 4 Local experts – since 2006

q To help loved ones

4 Equity Release Council Members

q To make day-to-day expenses easier

4 Award winning

q To pay for care so you can stay in your own home

4 Personal service

q To help a family business

We’re experts at helping over 55s release the potential of the equity in their property.

For you. For your loved ones.

55Plus Equity Release made it easy to understand and helped me through the process from start to finish.

7

NEWS

PHOTO Gavin Rimmer

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

4 Bespoke advice 4 Independent 4 Honest

0800 0239155

www.55plusequityrelease.com

Equity release schemes, such as lifetime mortgage or home reversion plans, may reduce the value of your estate and could affect your entitlement to benefits. To understand the features and risks ask for a personalised illustration.

We may charge a fee for equity release advice; the precise amount depends upon circumstances and will be agreed at the initial meeting. The maximum fee will be £995 payable on completion. We will also be paid commission from the company that lends you money or buys your home.

8

BUSINESS

Local News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

New name for Freight Transport Association

By Richard Williams ONE of Tunbridge Wells’ largest employers has rebranded to reflect the changing shape of the British logistics industry.

The Freight Transport Association, which has been headquartered in Hermes House in St John’s Road since 1975, has changed its name to Logistics UK in a move the association says is to reflect the business group’s expanding influence across the entire UK logistics sector.

The trade association was founded in 1889, ands employs around 110 people at its Tunbridge Wells HQ, which is on the site of a converted church.

“It will strengthen our position and give us a great opportunity to achieve even more for members in the years to come.

“Logistics UK will carry forward the legacy of FTA as an organisation with a long and proud history in Tunbridge Wells and further afield – these changes are all about protecting our heritage, and

ultimately achieving even more for our members by strengthening our voice and increasing our relevance in a fast-changing world.

“FTA has not changed focus or the critical services, support and advice it provides to its members and we are proud to be one of Tunbridge Wells’ largest employers.”

REBRAND Logistics UK is headquartered in St John’s Road

Rebranded It has grown to become one of the UK’s largest business groups, representing more than 18,000 businesses operating in the road, rail, sea and air industries, as well as the buyers of freight services such as retailers and manufacturers.

The organisation’s offices on St John’s Road have now been rebranded with the business group’s new logo to reflect its expanded focus, representing the whole logistics industry and not just freight.

David Wells, CEO of Logistics UK, said: “Logistics is a huge sector which is critical to the success of UK plc.

“Our name change to Logistics UK makes it more obvious to stakeholders, such as policymakers, the media and young people looking to develop a career in logistics, who we are and what we do.

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

Couple who saved holiday firm are ‘devastated’ at making job cuts THE travel firm that took over Thomas Cook’s shops said it is ‘devastated’ that they are now having to lose 878 employees.

Hays Travel took over more than 555 Thomas Cook sites when the travel giant fell into administration in October last year, including the Mount Pleasant branch in Tunbridge Wells.

Last week, Hays said 878 employees out of 4,500 may now lose their jobs because of new coronavirus travel restrictions.

The Sunderland-based company has not outlined if it will close branches but said it was consulting with 344 staff training as travel consultants and the 534 who work in the foreign exchange division.

Owners John and Irene Hays said Spanish travel restrictions meant hundreds of thousands of holidays were cancelled.

In a joint statement, the Hays said: “We are devastated that after all of our efforts and the huge investment we’ve made, we now face losing some of our valued employees, through no fault of their own.

“Following the decision to ban travel to Spain and the changes in furlough conditions coming at the same time, we have had no choice.”

In July, the government brought back a 14-day quarantine for travellers returning to the UK from Spain after a spike in coronavirus cases, which heavily impacted the holiday industry.

The firm said it was ‘impossible to overstate the importance of Spain’ on the company’s business.

Rival travel firm Tui said last month that it would close nearly a third of its High Street stores in the UK and Ireland because of coronavirus.

A D V E R TISIN G FEATU R E

More people accessing property wealth due to coronavirus

O

lder homeowners are increasingly helping loved ones through the coronavirus pandemic, according to Tunbridge Wells based equity release experts, 55Plus Equity Release.

Director Jan Johnson said: “We’re getting enquiries from people who want to release some of the wealth tied up in their home to support loved ones who have lost income, to tide family businesses over or to ease our new work-from-home reality by financing a garden office or extension.

“We’re also getting more enquiries from older homeowners to pay for care to enable them to carry on living in their own home and for age-proofing innovations, such as walk-in showers, as well as to help with regular bills and pay for medical fees.

“Demand for equity release to pay for a new kitchen or bathroom is also on the rise – people realise they’re going to be spending more time at home for some months to come, so they want to enjoy it as much as possible.”

Equity release is a form of loan available for homeowners aged 55 and over taken out against the value of their house. The loan and any interest accrued is normally paid off when the house is sold or through the estate when the homeowner dies.

“Tighter regulations and innovations such as no-negative equity guarantees, along with longer life expectancy and less generous pensions, have led to equity

release becoming an increasingly popular option within retirement finances,” explained Jan. £1.06bn of property wealth was accessed via equity release products in the first three months of this year, up 14% on the same period last year, according to The Equity Release Council.

The number of equity release products available doubled during 2019, with lenders offering increasingly innovative solutions, said Jan: “Lenders now offer loans on a wider range of properties, including former council houses, second homes and B&Bs, and with a greater choice of features, such as the ability to pay back some loans early

without penalty.

“These innovations mean we can find a product to match a whole range of personal circumstances, and older homeowners are increasingly taking advantage of this.

“There’s a growing trend for equity release to provide a living inheritance, to help children and grandchildren while you’re still alive. The coronavirus crisis has increased this, with older homeowners wanting to help loved ones, either by easing their financial situation or by helping them pay for an extension or garden office while they’re juggling working from home, often with children at home more of the time.”

55Plus Equity Release has been helping older homeowners since 2006, Jan said: “I set up the business because I couldn’t find a company governed by the values that are important to me.

“I wanted to be able to act with complete integrity, always putting my clients’ interests first. I will only write an equity release mortgage if it’s the right thing for them. I didn’t want to be pressured by targets.

“It’s an approach that’s worked. I’ve taken on other advisers around the country who share my values, which have never been more relevant.

“Offering honest, objective advice, going through both the pros and cons and alternative options to enable people to make the decision that feels best for them and their loved ones has never been more important than in the current, challenging circumstances that are unfortunately facing so many people at the moment. It’s at times like these that people really do need a friendly, honest expert.” www.equityrelease.com • 0800 023 9155

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

Covid business fund launched A NEW £6 million loan scheme from Kent County Council has been launched to support businesses affected by Covid-19.

KCC say there are three different schemes running – the Kent and Medway Business Fund (KMBF) Recovery Loan, providing zero per cent interest loans between £50,000 and £100,000 and available to help small and medium businesses recover and return to growth.

Loans of the same amount will be available through the KMBF Capital Growth Loan, allowing owners to, for example, buy plant and equipment or hire new staff.

Thirdly, the KMBF, which opens on August 17, offers zero per cent loans between £101,000 and £500,000 and is open to small and medium sized businesses (SME) in Kent and Medway.

Productivity KCC Cabinet Member for Economic Development Mike Whiting said “It’s important that businesses in the county get as much support as possible to move on from the impact of Covid-19 and being able to offer these loans is fantastic news.

“It can help to develop new or expand existing products, services or processes. This in turn can lead to new and protect existing jobs, deliver business growth and improve productivity.

“Many businesses in Kent and Medway have been hit incredibly hard by the effects of the pandemic and anything that we can do to support them we will.

“We recognise that we need to take urgent action now to safeguard jobs and futures.”

“I urge all eligible businesses to apply for these loans as soon as they can, so that we help the Kent economy to move forward into recovery.”

Information about the KMBF schemes is available on: www.kent.gov.uk/business

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Local News

BUSINESS

9

Hopes for town’s Pizza Express after the chain announces closures

By Robert Forrester TUNBRIDGE Wells Pizza Express may yet reopen, despite the news the firm was closing 67 restaurants and shedding around 1,100 jobs

Closure would mean another casualty among the town’s chain restaurants due to the pandemic

closure, it said recent customer demand was ‘encouraging’ and they were planning to open more branches soon.

Closure would mean another casualty among the town’s chain restaurants following the pandemic.

In May, Boparan Restaurant Group [BRG], confirmed the Mount Pleasant branch of Carluccio’s was not among the

30 sites it saved from closure.

Last month, Azzurri, which runs Ask Italian and Zizzi said it would close 75 of its restaurants.

While the company has not yet revealed which branches will go, the Monson Road Ask Italian has been vactated and High Street’s Zizzi has been removed from Azzurri’s website.

Garages sale is a positive sign for investment market A BLOCK of five garages in Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, has sold on an online auction for £84,000 – well above the guide price.

The garages, which include a forecourt, are situated off Southfields Way and they were offered with a freehold guide price of £50-55,000.

Levels The High Street branch has been closed since the Covid lockdown on March 13.

Since lockdown was lifted, Pizza Express has reopened 166 other outlets across the UK. Last week, the chain announced it is considering closing 67 UK restaurants permanently as it restructures its business, raising fears that the Tunbridge Wells branch could be among them.

While Pizza Express has not said which of its 449 UK outlets were possible targets for

CLOSED Pizza Express in the High Street hasn’t yet reopened

The lot was among 135 listed for sale by Clive Emson, the land and property auctioneers, who said the sale was a sign that lots for property investments were ‘returning to pre-Covid levels’.

John Stockey, auctioneer, added: “This was a fine investment opportunity.

“Garages are popular investments for those adding to their portfolio or starting one.

“These are in a residential area and had plenty of interest.”

He added that lot numbers are returning to pre-Covid levels as buyers and sellers return to auctions to make property investments.

The next on-line auction will be held on September 23 and the catalogue will be available online from September 4.

10

NEWS

Community News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

‘Being naughty’ is the secret to a long life says centenarian

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

GOING THE EXTRA MILE Raise money for palliative care in Ride Local 100

By Jerome Bowman A LOCAL resident celebrated her 100th Birthday last week and has revealed the secret to her long life.

Despite lockdown restrictions Vera Greening was able to celebrate her milestone birthday with family and staff at her home in Roswell House Residential Care in Tonbridge, on August 3.

They plan to have belated celebrations when restrictions are eased, but Greening and her family were still able to have balloons, gifts, cards and cake, in part organised by her careers and staff at the residential home.

Reader The former housekeeper was born in 1920, just two years after the end of the First World War, and was a member of the WRAF (Women’s Royal Air Force) during the Second World War. Vera, who grew up in London but moved to Kent in 1954 due to the smog, has three daughters,

BIRTHDAY GIRL Vera Greening celebrates her in 100th birthday in style

three grand children, four great grand children and one great great grandchild.

Her husband passed away in the 1970s.

Now living in Tonbridge Vera, a keen reader who has books dropped to her regularly by

Tonbridge Library, says the secret to her longevity is ‘being naughty’.

She added: “I always thought I’d live a long life...but I don’t feel 100, not all the time anyway.”

Hospital reopens after water leak REPAIRED AND REOPENING Tonbridge Cottage Hospital has fixed the water damage

Virtual cycling fundraiser organised by ellenor TERMINAL illness charity ellenor has organised this year’s Ride Local 100, a fund-raising challenge in which cyclists must complete a 100 mile ride.

The event started two weeks ago on August 1 and runs until September 30.

The national charity, which plans to reopen their Tunbridge Wells shop in Camden Road soon, hopes that the event will help raise money to continue supporting those with life limiting illnesses, particularly during the Covid-19 crisis.

The run, which can be 25, 50 or the full 100 miles, will now be organised virtually, with participants being asked to ensure they stick to all social distancing rules and other guidelines.

Participants can record the length and time of their run using a camera or app of their choice.

Malcolm Clarke, the managing director of sponsor Baxall Construction, said: “all contributions help provide care for adults and children living with life limiting or terminal illness.”

For more information on how to take part, go to ellenor.org

‘Super staff’ pull together to help care homes in Kent

TONBRIDGE Cottage Hospital will reopen next week, four months after a burst water pipe brought down the ceiling, causing significant water damage.

The roof caved in on May 19 during a night shift. But nurses, ‘reacted quickly and without panic’ according to Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust’s (KCHFT) Chief Executive Paul Bentley.

He said staff moved patients into safe rooms

until they could be transferred to other hospitals in the trust. No patients or staff were injured during the incident.

Installation During the repairs, other improvements were carried out including the building of two new wet rooms and the installation of a new call bell system for patients and staff.

Car service survives lockdown A CHARITY that provides public transport for vulnerable people has continued operating throughout lockdown despite pressures to close.

The Community Car Service has been providing safe, affordable transport for vulnerable people who cannot use public transport since 1992.

During lockdown, when the government told people, especially those at risk of coronavirus, to avoid public transport, the service decided to remain open.

The charity, which provides a 365 day a year service, say they had drivers isolating and would have found it easier to furlouhg staff.

“Although it would have been much easier to close the charity and furlough the staff for the past four months, we made the decision to stay

open,” said a spokesman.

“We felt that our customers needed us more now than ever and we had no intention of letting them down.”

He added: “We have provided our services, which include prescription collection, shop drop and calling our customers to make sure they are OK from the first day of lockdown.

“It has been a very rewarding time and all the staff and volunteers have had a real feel good factor at the end of each day. Our customers have told us they simple do not know what they would have done without us,” they added.

The charity also hopes eventually to bring back their social inclusion projects such as days out, and also expect to have their Christmas Lunch in December.

Now the hospital is planning on reopening on August 21.

Head of Clinical Services Urgent Care and Hospitals, Victoria Cover said: “Staff are looking forward to moving back to Tonbridge into a new and improved environment.

“While the works have been going on, staff have embraced working across our other community hospital sites and supporting the teams there.”

CARE homes in Kent have adapted to the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to hard-work from staff and locals to keep residents safe and happy during lockdown, a report published last week has shown.

According to Healthwatch Kent in a survey of over 200 care homes across the county, staff have been working much longer hours to protect residents during the pandemic, in spite of feeling ‘tired’.

The health body says care home workers have found ways to connect their residents to the outside world during lockdown through video chat with families, pen pals and socially distanced ‘window visits’.

Among those home surveyed, Tonbridge House Care Home reported having staff live-in at the home in order to provide better care.

“I have a brilliant team here and I am very thankful that my staff have put their own needs to one side to keep our residents safe and cared for,” a spokesperson for Tonbridge House said.

“There are many heart-warming stories”, Robbie Goatham from Healthwatch Kent added.

“We also heard about a number of issues which we have shared with Kent County Council and across the NHS.” He said concerns raised include a lack of clarity in information on the virus and government policy, as well as supplies of PPE, food and other equipment.

Feedback was also ‘highly varied’, with some care-homes reporting a very smooth operation given the circumstances and others reporting serious concerns and mistakes made in implementation.

CLOSING DOWN SALE NOW ON W E A R E BAC K!

O T P U

70

of f

A L L J E WEL L ERY REDUCED Only While Stocks Last 9 Chapel Place, Royal Tunbridge Wells, 01892 540216 gabriellajewellery.co.uk

Mon – Sat 10.00am – 4.00pm, Sundays – 11.00am – 4.00pm

12

NEWS

National News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

Scottish pupils have their exam results upgraded SCOTLAND’S Education Secretary has said more than 124,000 exam results downgraded by a controversial moderation process will revert to the grades estimated by pupils’ teachers.

John Swinney made the announcement in a statement at the Scottish Parliament.

As a result of the pandemic, exams were cancelled and a new grading system put in place, with teachers’ estimates of pupils’ attainment moderated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA).

This was based on criteria including the past performance of schools.

It resulted in 124,564 exam results being downgraded – about a quarter of all grades handed out by the SQA this year.

The pass rate for higher pupils from the most deprived areas of Scotland was reduced by 15.2%, compared with 6.9% in the most affluent parts of the country.

Mr Swinney said: “I can confirm to Parliament today that all downgraded awards will be withdrawn.

Estimates “Using powers available to me in the Education (Scotland) Act 1996, I am today directing the SQA to reissue those awards based solely on teacher or lecturer judgment.

“Schools will be able to confirm the estimates they provided for pupils to those that are

returning to school this week and next.”

The Education Secretary faced criticism from pupils, parents and teachers, with opposition politicians calling for him to resign.

Mr Swinney is set to face a vote of no confidence later this week, tabled by Scottish Labour and supported by the Conservatives, with the Lib Dems and Greens withholding judgment until after his statement on Tuesday.

His statement follows First Minister Nicola Sturgeon apologising to pupils for the way results were handled this year.

The news comes ahead of the release of A-Level results in England on Thursday [August 13], which too are expected to be downgraded leading to schools fearing a similar backlash.

New action plan promised to tackle ‘unacceptable’ migrant crossings THE immigration minister has promised a ‘new, comprehensive action plan’ to stem the latest surge in migrant Channel crossings after talks with French officials.

Chris Philp and newly appointed clandestine channel threat commander Dan O’Mahoney travelled to Paris yesterday [Tuesday] to seek stronger enforcement measures as Border Force continued to deal with crossings along the south coast of the UK. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Philp said: “We are going to be working at pace in the coming days to make that plan a reality.”

He said the ‘sheer numbers’ crossing the Channel were ‘completely unacceptable’ to both the French and UK governments, so it is quite clear that more needs to be done.

“And that is exactly what this new,

ARRIVAL Border Force bringing migrants ashore comprehensive action plan that we are working on will aim to do.”

Mr Philp would not comment on details of the plan but said there were a ‘number of measures, some of them new, which are under discussion’.

He said it would be ‘premature’ to talk about financial commitments at this stage because the plans were still being finalised.

But he insisted both countries had ‘renewed and reaffirmed their absolute commitment to make sure this border is properly policed and this route is completely ended’.

Mr O’Mahoney will return to the continent early next week to continue discussions, with France due to appoint its own commander.

It comes as the Government faces fresh criticism over warnings nine months ago that its own policies meant migrants were resorting to more dangerous routes.

More than 4,000 migrants have made it so far this year after completing the dangerous voyage across the world’s busiest shipping lane, with at least 597 arriving between Thursday and Sunday.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Dad threw daughter across the room A MAN accused of murdering his 13-yearold daughter threw her across a room in a ‘fit of temper’ when she was a baby because she would not stop crying, a court has heard.

The court was told that Maisie was born healthy, but suffered brain damage from the assault. She subsequently died in June 2014, allegedly as a result of the injuries.

Dean Smith, 45, from Hertfordshire, admitted manslaughter but denied murder at the Old Bailey yesterday [Tuesday]. The trial continues.

Welsh face masks PEOPLE in Wales are less likely to wear a face covering during the coronavirus pandemic than people in England and Scotland, according to a new survey.

Just 43 per cent of Welsh respondents said they had worn a covering or mask in the last two weeks, compared to 65 per cent in England and 75 per cent in Scotland.

Lawrence case shelved DETECTIVES have no further lines of inquiry in the Stephen Lawrence murder investigation and it will be moved to an ‘inactive phase’, Metropolitan Police chief Cressida Dick has announced.

The 18-year-old was murdered in Eltham, south-east London, in 1993, but only two of his five killers have ever faced justice.

Gary Dobson and David Norris were jailed for life in 2012 but three remaining suspects were never convicted.

E AT O U T TO HELP OUT

Enjoy Summer Nights Out in Royal Tunbridge Wells #TunbridgeWells #EatLocal #EnjoyLocal #SupportLocal Funded by Tunbridge Wells Together on behalf of hospitality businesses in Royal Tunbridge Wells

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

NEWS IN BRIEF

Belarus candidate flees the country THE leading opposition candidate in Belarus’ presidential election has fled her country and is now ‘safe’ in Lithuania, according to the country’s foreign minister.

Linas Linkevicius made the statement on Twitter on Tuesday and added that Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya had ‘to flee for her children’.

It comes after the opposition candidate refused to concede defeat in Sunday’s vote and dismissed the official results showing authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko’s landslide victory as a sham.

Thousands of opposition supporters protested against the official vote results, facing a tough police crackdown in Minsk and several other cities.

Covid cases in NZ NEW Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has said four coronavirus cases have been found in one Auckland household from an unknown source.

The new infections are the first reported cases of local transmission in the country in 102 days.

Iranian ‘spies’ jailed TWO Iranians have been sentenced to 10-year prison terms on charges of spying for Israel, Germany and the UK, the country’s judiciary has reported.

A report identified the two men as Masoud Mosaheb, the co-chairman of the Iran-Austrian Friendship Society, and Shahram Shirkhani.They are accused of sharing information on nuclear projects and gathering ‘sensitive information’.

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

World News

NEWS

13

Caution warning over Putin’s vaccine claim EXPERTS have urged caution over Russia’s claim they have developed a coronavirus that is ready to be rolled out.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday [Tuesday] that a Covid-19 vaccine developed in the country has been registered for use and one of his daughters has already been inoculated.

He emphasised that the jab underwent the necessary tests and offers ‘sustainable immunity’ from coronavirus.

Russian officials have said they plan to start mass vaccination in October.

However, scientists in the UK say no evidence backing these claims has been published.

They also warn that the release of a vaccine that is not safe could cause extreme damage and worsen the current situation.

Danny Altmann, professor of immunology at Imperial College London, said there are many vaccines in development around the world and there is an interest in it all being a truly open.

He added: “While information on the vast majority of the vaccines and trial protocols in the

world have been made available, there seems to be rather little detail thus far on the Russian candidates.

“The bar is necessarily set very high for criteria that must be satisfied for approval after Phase 3 clinical trials.

“The collateral damage from release of any vaccine that was less than safe and effective would exacerbate our current problems

insurmountably.

“I hope these criteria have been followed.”

Speaking at a government meeting, Mr Putin said: “I would like to repeat that it has passed all the necessary tests.

“The most important thing is to ensure full safety of using the vaccine and its efficiency.”

But details of these tests do not appear to have been made available to the research community.

And there are also concerns about the way Russia has been reporting the number of Covid-19 cases in the country.

Keith Neal, emeritus professor of the epidemiology of infectious diseases, University of Nottingham, said: “Using the figures from www. worldometer.com an infection rate of 5,000 per day equates to one per 1,000 a month in Russia and this may be significantly under-reported.

“This will be higher in Moscow and probably health care workers.

“If 25,000 people were recruited in each arm then we would expect 25 cases in one month in the control group.

Baltimore gas explosion destroys several houses A NATURAL gas explosion has destroyed several houses in the US city of Baltimore, killing a woman and trapping other people in the debris.

At least seven people were seriously injured, and firefighters are searching for more survivors from the blast.

Dozens of firefighters converged on the piles of rubble in the neighbourhood of Reisterstown Station.

Seven people were admitted to hospital, while a woman was pronounced dead at the scene, The Baltimore City Fire Department said.

One person transported to the University of Maryland Medical Centre is in a critical condition, the Baltimore Sun reported. Rescuers were painstakingly going through the rubble by hand,

prepared to work into the night.

“We’re trying to make sure that we comb through every area to determine if there are any victims inside,” Baltimore Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said.

Reported The Baltimore Gas and Electric Co (BGE) has thousands of miles of obsolete pipes that need to be replaced, an effort that would be expensive and take two decades, according to reports.

No gas odours were reported prior to the event and BGE did not receive any recent gas odour calls from the row of homes that were damaged, it said.

BGE said it responded to the scene at the fire

department’s request to shut off all gas and electric service to make the scene safe. BGE has canvassed the area and found no current readings of gas. A statement from the utility said it will conduct an investigation of its equipment in the area.

“Area inspections will encompass homes and gas equipment in a wide area to ensure there is no additional damage,” it said. “In addition, BGE is reviewing records for this area, including any reported gas odours, recent inspection results and repairs.”

Baltimore City Council president Brandon Scott said he needs ‘the entire city of Baltimore right now to focus on hopeful prayers for those individuals that have been impacted by this’.

14

BUSINESS

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

National News

Diners eat 10.5 Employment falls as 730,000 million meals in workers removed off payroll first week of Eat Out to Help Out MORE than 10 million meals were claimed for in the first week of the government plan to boost the UK’s restaurants after months of lockdown.

The Eat Out to Help Out scheme gives diners 50 per cent off their meal, up to a maximum of £10 per person, which is covered by the government.

The around 83,000 restaurants that have signed up to the Eat Out scheme so far take off 50 per cent of a customer’s bill at the till and are reimbursed by the Treasury.

The Treasury said it had been sent 10,540,394 claims for individual meals from restaurants as part of the programme.

If two people eat out together, they count as two individuals in the statistics.

This means that a maximum of £105.4 million can have been claimed in the first week of the scheme, which runs on every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in August.

The Treasury has put

aside £500 million to pay for the programme.

“Britons are eating out to help out in big numbers.

And they aren’t just getting a great deal – they’re supporting the almost two million people employed in this sector,” said Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

NEWS IN BRIEF

Debenhams to axe 2,500 jobs across UK DEBENHAMS is to axe 2,500 jobs across its stores and warehouses as the retailer looks to slash costs after sales were impacted by the coronavirus lockdown.

The move comes four months after Debenhams collapsed into administration.

The department store business is scrapping the roles of sales manager, visual merchandise manager and selling support manager as part of a management restructuring process.

P&O cancel sailings

Receipts “These amazing figures show that our plan for jobs is delivering.”

The scheme will run for every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in August.

The Treasury did not say how much the receipts it had been sent were claiming back or how many meals are normally sold during the first three days of the week.

There are conflicting figures on the success of the scheme, with figures out on Monday from Springboard and finance app Yolt seemed to suggest the number of people eating out rose by around a fifth at the start of last week.

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

NEARLY 3 quarters of a million workers have been taken off the payrolls of British companies since March when the coronavirus lockdown began, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics [ONS].

The ONS said that employment rates have continued to decline in the last month as another 81,000 jobs went across the country, pushing the number of employed to just under 28.3 million.

The over-65s, the self-employed and part-time workers were especially badly hit.

Furloughed The worst of the job losses came in the beginning of the lockdown months. Many people were taken off payrolls as large parts of the economy ground to a halt in late March when Prime Minister Boris Johnson told everyone to only leave their homes to exercise or get food.

Between March and June UK workers on company payrolls dropped by 649,000, according to

ONS data released last month. Most of that was weighted towards the early days of lockdown.

Experts are worried that the full extent of Britain’s jobs problems has been hidden by the Government’s furlough scheme, which promised to cover 80% of the salaries of staff who could not work because of lockdown.

These furloughed workers are still considered to be employed, but many worry they will have no job when the scheme winds down.

The furlough scheme ends in October, though the Government has promised a £1,000 per employee bonus to any company that brings back furloughed staff and keeps paying them until January.

However, this does not mean that the people in question do not want a job, said Jonathan Athow, the ONS’s deputy national statistician for economic statistics.

“Figures from our main survey show there has been a rise in people without a job and not looking for one, though wanting to work,” he said.

THE UK’s largest cruise line has extended the suspension of sailings until mid-November.

P&O Cruises said this was due to the government advising people to avoid cruises because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It has cancelled all sailings until November 12, while two trips with longer itineraries due to begin in January 2021 have been suspended.

Toshiba ends laptops JAPANESE tech giant Toshiba have sold their final stake in PC makers Dynabook, meaning that after 35 years they no longer make PCs or laptops.

Analyst Marina Koytcheva from the firm CCS Insight said: “Only those who have managed to sustain scale and price (like Lenovo), or have a premium brand (like Apple) have succeeded in the unforgiving PC market.”

We could save you £129* on your car insurance in Tunbridge Wells Not only will our expert advisors at our Tunbridge Wells branch help find you the right price, we’ll also make sure you’re fully covered.

And if you need to make a claim we’ll do the leg work for you, liaising directly with the insurer.

Speak to us in branch or call us

01892 559 420

AP2008/06

www.aplan.co.uk/tunbridge-wells * 67% of new car clients saved money, with an average saving of £129 between August 2019 and January 2020. A-Plan Insurance is a trading style of A-Plan Holdings who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered office: 2 Des Roches Square, Witney, OX28 4LE. Registration number 750484.

AP200806_Car savings tunbridge wells.indd 1

04/08/2020 16:42:48

Wednesday July 15 |12 2020 August | 2020

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Local News Education

EDUCATION Times

NEWS

15

A D V E R TIS IN G FE ATU R E

TESTING TIMES: Over eight million children in England missed out on school during the coronavirus pandemic this year

PENSIONS SPRING CLEAN HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED…?

• • • • • •

where are my pensions held? what are they worth? what are they invested in? what are the charges? what are my options at retirement? who will they pass to upon my death?

FIND YOUR LOST PENSION PLANS Having a job for life seems to be a rarity these days and it is likely that people will have multiple jobs and pension pots with different providers. People can lose track of these over time.

The best place to start is by writing a list of where you have worked, add a timeline, and try to marry up the pensions that you know of.

Why schools should be the very last places to shut in a future lockdown England’s Children’s Commissioner has urged the government to prioritise children and their education saying they must not be an ‘afterthought’ should we experience a second wave of coronavirus…

Nearly eight million children were out of school from March until the end of the academic year which finished at the end of last month for most pupils.

The exact impact this will have is not yet known in firm detail but given that children have missed out on months of learning, the country’s Children Commissioner has felt the need to draw a line in the sand.

She says should we experience a second wave of coronavirus, schools should be the last to shut after pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops.

‘Too often during the first lockdown, children were an afterthought’ Anne Longfield says children have a right to education and, must not be an ‘afterthought’, and that schools should be ‘first to open, last to close’.

Her key point is that in the grand scheme of things children play a far smaller role in spreading Covid-19 than adults and are therefore less likely to get ill from it.

In her briefing paper which was published last week Ms Longfield went on to say that the Department for Education (DfE) should expand its laptop programme in the event that pupils need to work online.

Crosshead: challenging She added that consideration should

also be given to those children going into Years 11 and 13 who will be taking exams next summer so they are not disadvantaged, particularly in the case of extended local lockdowns.

The commissioner’s briefing paper also warned there is a danger that some children will struggle to come back to school after a long period away, and that this could lead to various issues such as truancy and challenging behaviour.

The paper also advises the DfE that it should closely monitor attendance and exclusion figures within areas that have LESSONS TO BE LEARNT: England’s Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield has written to the Department of Education asking that schools be the last to close if another lockdown occurs

experienced a local lockdown or increasing cases of Covid-19, in order to identify where further help is needed.

Ms Longfield also suggests the government holds a news conference aimed at children, giving them the chance to submit questions to press briefings, just as adults were in the previous daily briefings.

She said: “Too often during the first lockdown, children were an afterthought. If the choice has to be made in a local area about whether to keep pubs or schools open, then schools must always take priority.”

If you have gaps in your pension history, try to find details of the provider or plan. Do this by searching your old documents, contacting past employers or colleagues, or using the Government’s Pension Tracing Service.

Once you have found the pension plan details, phone the providers and update personal information. Ask for the current valuation, where it is invested and charges, for example.

EXPRESSION OF WISHES Pensions can be passed to beneficiaries upon death and the details of those beneficiaries may not have been updated, even though family circumstances may have changed considerably. It is important to refresh your preferences by amending the expression of wishes or names of survivors.

FINANCIAL PLANNING Financial planning should include a pensions spring clean as part of the evaluation of your current circumstances.

Advantages can include finding lost pensions, ease of administration, matching investments to your attitude to risk and capacity for loss, retirement planning and your pension passing to your chosen beneficiaries.

For further information about financial planning or to arrange a no-obligation meeting, please contact Richard Cox Wealth Management by phone on 07971 594647 or by email at richard.cox@sjpp.co.uk or visit www.richardcoxwm.co.uk.

Richard Cox Wealth Management is an Appointed Representative of and represents only St. James’s Place Wealth Management plc (which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority) for the purpose of advising solely on the Group’s wealth management products and services, more details of which are set out on the Group’s website www.sjp.co.uk/products.

16

NEWS

Letters

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

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 newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk or write to the Editor, Times Local News, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG

We don’t need Rishi Sunak’s help to eat out On Friday August 6 we ate out, the fourth time and every week since pubs opened.

When this newspaper is next published we shall probably be planning to eat out again.

It will be another opportunity to enjoy some great fish’n’chips at one of the local hostelries: the Mount Edgcumbe and The Bull at Ticehurst are particular favourites, as is The Bell, also at Ticehurst.

We are not wealthy, but we haven’t needed Rishi Sunak’s ten quid contribution and we won’t change our plans to take advantage of it - there’s little point in adding more debt to the mountain already spent.

Hugh Masters Pembury

One-way is the wrong way If ever evidence of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s complete ineptness - aided and abetted by their partners-in-crime KCC, is wanted, it is the proposals to make the High Street in Tunbridge Wells one-way going north.

This will benefit no-one, least of all the small cafes and businesses on the lower side struggling to find space on an over-crowded and inadequate footpath; these businesses need more space to put out tables and chairs and a pedestrian run to the side.

Making the south-bound lane traffic-free may free it up for pedestrian traffic, but it won’t be used because the footpath on that side is wide enough already, and the businesses there have enough room to spread onto the pavement.

And what is the point of a pavement that does not afford window-shopping?

If further proof of their amateurism is needed it’s the failure to advise RTWSO that the Assembly Hall isn’t available – they had to read about this news in this paper, the Times of Tunbridge Wells.

Ben Hardy Tunbridge Wells

Conservatives need new group leader When I rejoined the Conservatives a few months ago it is was in the (admittedly) arrogant and now somewhat forlorn hope that I would be able to help the local Party return to traditional Tory values of listening, caring and encouraging.

No doubt my Lib-Dem and Labour friends ( and I mean friends) will claim that these values do not belong exclusively to the Conservatives, and they could be right; however it is also clear that certain Tory Councillors (including Cabinet Members) have become smug, complacent and entitled, mostly due to poor Leadership and factional infighting.

The current leadership represents all that was wrong with a Council that wasted £10 million of public money on a hubris fuelled project.

Sadly last week Conservative Councillors rejected the opportunity to change their Leader, and their re- affirmation of that leadership will do nothing to dispel the public perception that they are unwilling to change.

Undoubtedly a forced change of Leader now would have lost the Tories some support, but how much more support will they lose in future if they continue with more of the same into next May’s elections?

Bob Atwood - former Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council Langton Green

Planning rules are part of democracy Ross Feeney is quite right (July 29). The Govt’s proposal to allow shops to be converted to residential without planning permission risks making a bad situation worse.

It could be a disaster for the commercial future of the town centre.

With the present demand for housing – any housing - we already see many applications to do this, resulting in unsuitable, cramped, poorly lit accommodation – not the slums of the future, the slums of now.

Planning at least sometimes makes it possible for the worst of these to be rejected and prevent the break-up of commercial areas.

Another part of the Govt’s package is to allow roof-top extension of houses by up to two storeys, again without planning.

It’s hard to imagine what they hope to achieve by this, or what the effect might be in areas of the town where extensions already proliferate.

We have been here before, with ill-considered extensions of Permitted Development Rights reflecting a belief that planning holds up development and local decision-making can’t be trusted.

As you report elsewhere there were more than 8,000 public responses on the Local Plan.

These will contribute to Local Plan policies to be implemented by our elected representatives in public, and defended by them if necessary.

Those who complain that this process is too slow, or too difficult for developers to negotiate, are in fact objecting to local democracy.

Alastair Tod Tunbridge Wells

One can imagine then the disappointment of the Spanish government that the Canaries have been included in an all Spain blanket ban.

Edward Baker Tunbridge Wells

The council must learn from mistakes I believe that local communities should be in the driving seat when it comes to the planning of the new developments which the borough has to accommodate.

Large new extensions to settlements across the borough are proposed in the new Local Plan, including Paddock Wood, Capel, Hawkhurst and Cranbrook, as well as a new garden village settlement at Tudeley.

These proposals will have a significant impact on residents and businesses.

It is essential that the council understands and learns from past mistakes, such as the failure of the Calverley Square project.

As an Alliance Councillor and leader of the Cranbrook & Sissinghurst Neighbourhood Plan, I want local residents across the borough to be given the opportunity to positively engage in planning their future communities.

It is nearly ten years since the Localism Act came into force, yet only one parish in the borough, Hawkhurst, has made neighbourhood plan.

One of the major drivers behind the act was a recognition that faster delivery of new homes could only be achieved by greater collaboration with and empowerment of local communities.

It is only by enabling community buy-in to these new developments that we can ensure the creation of truly sustainable places which will be pleasant places in which to live, work and play for many years to come.

Cllr Nancy Warne [letter abridged] Alliance Cllr for Benenden & Cranbrook

Are public on the hook for KCC losses?

Investing in the stock market is not risk-free, at its worst it’s little better than putting money on a horse.

Prudent and safer investment choices are available, but perhaps being less risky, they’re return is correspondingly low.

Minibonds have always been high risk and just because Neil Woodford and his products seemed to do no wrong, like a high risk-roller, bad luck was always going to be part of the play.

Why the trustees of the KCC pension fund decided to put any money, let alone so much, into such products would seem to me to suggest a cavalier and untrustworthy course of action.

Is the public on the hook to make up the losses?

Peter Casson Tunbridge Wells

Cycle support for 20mph Tonbridge Bicycle Users Group of course support the trial 20mph speed limit for residential areas of town. We would love to see this extended to include Lower Haysden Lane between Brook Street and the entrance to Haysden sailing lake.

This stretch of the lane has a 40mph speed limit, although it is part of national cycle route 12 between Tonbridge and Penshurst and used by cyclists including families with young children.

The lane is also used by residents of Brook Street estates to reach Haysden Country Park.

Many residents feel they have to drive to the country park because the road is too dangerous for walking or cycling.

Please KCC/TMBC, include Lower Haysden Lane in the 20mph scheme!

Fran Long Chair Tonbridge Bicycle Users Group) CARTOON BY PEPPY (Follow her on Twitter @Peppyscott)

Why red list the Canaries?

If other countries ‘Red Listed’ Britain because of a coronavirus outbreak in the Falkland Islands, I don’t think the UK government would be best pleased.

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

Reopening Tunbridge Wells

i

Important recovery and reopening information for tourism businesses £multi-million project offers support for tourism businesses An exciting opportunity for tourism businesses in the Tunbridge Wells borough is on offer in a partnership between the Council and Visit Kent.

The Experience Development Programme will help both traditional and non-traditional tourism businesses across the region adapt and develop new tourism products.

diversify their product offer. Collaboration with businesses inside and outside the tourism sector will be encouraged, helping participants to reach new audiences and develop a year-round product.

Visit Kent are currently looking to work with 125 eligible organisations, each of whom will receive a range of support to build and launch their new products, from specialist one-to-one consultancy and business planning, to new photography, marketing campaigns and proactive testing and sales with the travel trade.

This new programme will assist organisations as they recover from the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and it will support them to adjust and

Visit Kent Chief Executive Deirdre Wells OBE said: ‘In light of the current COVID-19 crisis, the tourism, leisure and hospitality industry is having to drastically re-think how to rebuild demand and revenue streams.

To survive and future-proof business, it’s crucial for organisations to rethink, adapt and develop new ideas for consumers

Closing date for Government grants scheme

Sign up to Visit England’s We’re Good to Go

The Government has announced that applications to the Small Business Grants Fund and the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grants Fund must be made by 28 August 2020.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has now paid over £26m to nearly 2,000 eligible businesses, but it is possible that there are still a few businesses who haven’t applied.

Information about the eligibility criteria and how to make an application can be found on the Council’s website: tunbridgewells.gov.uk.

Please email businesscovid19@ tunbridgewells.gov.uk with any questions about the process or to check your eligibility.

Please ensure that you have applied in advance of the deadline.

visittunbridgewells.com TWellsTourism

VisitTunbridgeWells

tunbridgewells.gov.uk

Visit England has launched a UK-wide industry standard and quality mark.

‘We’re Good To Go’ means businesses can show that they’re following government and public health guidance, have carried out a COVID-19 risk assessment and have the required processes in place.

Sign up to the free scheme visitbritain.org/were-good-go-industrystandard-all-sectors-tourism-industry

who will be travelling differently, looking to reconnect with close family and friends to enjoy shared experiences in a safe and secure environment.

‘We’re very excited to announce the launch of our brand-new Experience Development Programme. If you have a great idea for a new experience, an idea for collaborating with another business or an existing offer which could be adapted for a new audience, we’d love to hear from you. This programme could help you turn your idea into reality, and take it to market through a package of dedicated support.’

Sign up your business

The project will be funded through the European Interreg Experience project.

To find out more and for details of how your tourism business can apply visit visitkentbusiness.co.uk/ about-us/european-funding/experience

Sign up to Eat Out to Help Out

You can use Eat Out to Help Out to offer a discount to diners and encourage them to eat at your establishment. Registration for the scheme closes on 31 August. Full details are available through gov.uk

18

NEWS

Weekly Comment

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Rt Revd Simon Burton-Jones Bishop of Tonbridge

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

The Rt Revd Simon Burton-Jones is the seventh Bishop of Tonbridge. He has oversight and leadership of the education, youth and children, and community engagement work of churches across the Diocese of Rochester, which includes Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.

The anti-vaccination movement is an assault against science THE spread of falsehoods in 2020 has been described as an ‘infodemic’, feeding off the coronavirus pandemic, confusing and demoralising people.

Conspiracy theories, already lurking in a networked world, have mainstreamed. Viruses have this effect. Fatuous claims about the 5G network have been followed by a blame game over the origin and spread of the virus.

When we can’t see our enemy and it does its work quietly and invisibly, people try to draw the dots between events. Some do this rationally, a few mendaciously. It allows the vindictive to stigmatise those they hate.

Minorities are threatened. In this way, the virus unravels social cohesion as effectively as physical health.

At the heart of the infodemic is the assault upon science, which calls for wisdom and understanding. Scientists with a grasp of philosophy have always been careful with their truth claims.

Hypotheses need to be tested and re-tested, examined by peers, held up to endless, critical scrutiny. This process has taken place away from the public eye until today. Now that science has

mingled with politics, some have gleefully undermined the scientific endeavour as slippery and self-serving. This is a vulnerable moment in the quest for truth.

We each have a role to play, one of which is not to be a source of misinformation. All those online have a public voice and much has been made of the citizen journalist. A serious journalist checks and re-checks their story and sources to make sure of the truth.

In contrast, many of us simply forward news without any thought, especially if we love or hate what it says or it makes us look cool and on the money.

Luke Everitt

Labour councillor for Southborough & High Brooms

We are prone to do this when afraid, too, as in a pandemic. But we need to wise up, because we can unwittingly pass on disinformation designed to confuse, demoralise and undermine others. It would probably alarm us to know how often we have done this.

‘We should not sit back when the truth is being treated cynically’ We hope, and some of us pray to God, that there will be a vaccine for this awful virus. To ensure it is contained, huge numbers of people will need to be vaccinated. But there is a strong anti-vaxxer movement already at work, and it is gearing up for this fight.

Part of its power lies in the unusual coincidence of conspiracy theorists on the hard right and hard left. The former cohort distrusts government and views an injection into their bodies as an intrusive, controlling intervention.

The latter cohort, meanwhile, opposes vaccination because it has a visceral distrust of

Luke Everitt is a newly elected Labour councillor for Southborough & High Brooms. He is a graduate of Sussex University in history and politics, has previously worked for the council, and now works for UNISON. Locally, he is Labour’s environmental spokesperson.

We cannot take our eye off the impact of climate change COVID 19 is a wake-up call regarding the immediate dangers to our public health and economy of an unpredictable world pandemic. However, its consequences are as nothing compared to the current and future devastation being caused to our planet by the climate and biodiversity emergency staring us in the face right now.

Our own local council is rudderless on the issue. In May local groups, businesses and residents who have concerns about the impact of both the pandemic and the climate crisis signed an open letter to the Tunbridge Wells Council Leader asking him to put in place a green ‘recovery from Covid plan’ for our Borough.

His failure to respond has demonstrated a disregard for the signatories of the letter and a complacent towards the climate emergency characterising Conservative administrations for the past decade. It seems their interest in this subject is just

skin deep.

In 2009 the Council paid The Carbon Trust to find modest 25% reductions of the Council’s carbon emissions by 2015 – at the last reported figure in 2014 a mere 4.2% reduction had been made of its 25% target.

Wasting By way of contrast, by 2015 Stroud Council became carbon neutral, significantly reducing emissions, and showing what councils can do - given the will.

In 2014 the Council published a document entitled Climate Local Tunbridge Wells, without acknowledging its prior failures. The unpopular Calverley Square project took centre stage, eventually wasting in excess of £10.8million of taxpayers’ money.

Climate change vanished from the agenda and the current Five-Year Plan

big pharma, leading to claims the current pandemic has been engineered by profit-hungry unscrupulous capitalists.

If these views are remaindered at the margins, they will have little effect. However, the anti-vaxxer movement has found adherents among some educated middle-class people, which in itself is an ever-growing global cohort.

The opinions of this group may influence other social media friends. It is uncertain how many would need to be immunised to destroy coronavirus – some suggestions hover around seventy percent – but we cannot assume there would be universal agreement to a programme, especially if it is mandated.

The retreat from the quest for objective truth may have begun in some fashionable university faculties, but it has spread with viral alacrity in a matter of decades.

Finding the truth can be hard, painstaking work. We argue and disagree with one another, but we cannot let loud, bullying voices drag us to the extremes. But there is a greater danger still, and it is growing in power. The 1990s conspiracy laden science fiction TV show The X Files claimed the truth is out there.

Less than twenty years later, we are being told the truth is not out there. That truth is simply decided by those who are more powerful. That there is something in this last point makes us more vulnerable still.

We should not sit back when truth is treated cynically. Eventually, it becomes a matter of life and death.

doesn’t mention the subject.

Last year’s elections saw the loss of many Conservative councillors and the abandonment of the Calverley Square project. Essentially voters said there were more pressing issues for the council to pursue.

As a new Labour councillor leading on environmental issues I worked cross party and with local groups to gain consensus on the subject. As a result, the

‘We must concentrate on the pandemic, but we cannot take our eye off the even bigger impact of climate change’ CLIMATE CONCERN Town Hall protest encouraging the council to act

Council passed a motion acknowledging the climate and biodiversity crisis and committed to make the work of the Council and the wider borough carbon neutral by 2030.

A year has passed and the sluggish progress towards this goal has been alarming. The request for a green recovery has been ignored and we are little further in setting up a Citizen’s Assembly where residents can tell us want to do locally to help the fight against climate change.

For Labour, action on the climate emergency is a priority. We work with Friends of the Earth and held a wellattended Climate Event at TW Forum, we stood with school children who went on a climate strike, and we joined the recent protest on the Town Hall steps about lack of council action.

We clearly must concentrate on the pandemic, which is having a shattering effect on our lives, but we cannot take our eye off the even bigger impact of climate change.

That’s why we must have a green recovery. As Labour councillors we will redouble our efforts to work with residents and cross party, to keep our council to its commitment to achieve a sustainable borough by 2030.

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

WITH THE

Move Times

AVAILABLE EVER Y WEDNESDAY – A MUST-READ

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PROPERTY, IN TERIORS & TOP TRENDS

INSPIRATION FOR MOVING AND IMPROVING timeslocalnews.co.uk

21

A RUSH FOR HOME IMPROVEMENTS

Light up your kitchen life…

24

in an Arts & Crafts home Page 25

A PERFECT COUNTRYSIDE COTTAGE

Bright Spark 35x264 banner advert 07.20.qxp_Bright Spark 35x264 banner advert 07.20 16/07/2020 17:30 Page 1

Helping local residents and property owners with everything electrical…

LIGHTS • SWITCHES • FUSEBOXES • SOCKETS • SECURITY LIGHTS

Speak to one of our trained engineers today:

01892 531 728

www.brightsparkelectrician.co.uk

STUNNING NEW HOMES

T U NBRID G E WELLS COMMUTE TO LONDON IN UNDER AN HOUR KNIGHTS WOOD

Stylish new 3 and 4 bedroom homes Prices start from £490,000

1887 THE PANTILES

New luxury apartments and 2 bed mews homes Prices start from £299,950

Our new homes offer you the comfort, style and quality you deserve - reserve now.

Assisted Move Available* | Help to Buy Available* SAVE UP TO £15,000 WITH THE STAMP DUT Y HOLIDAY Contact our sales team for full details.

FIND YOUR DREAM HOME - CONTACT US TODAY SHOW HOMES OPEN 7 DAYS - BY APPOINTMENT ONLY: KNIGHTS WOOD - Knights Park - just of Knights Way - Call: 01892 800 580 1887 - The Wells Building, Lower Pantiles, off Linden Park Road - Call: 01892 726112

For full details visit dandara.com *Available on selected plots, subject to house type and purchase price. Specification may vary subject to house type and build stage. Full details available on request. Price and details correct at time of going to print. Images shown are indicative only. Stamp duty saving dependent on purchase price. Stamp duty holiday ends 31st March 2021.

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Property Focus NEWS

Property Focus

Move

WITH THE

Times 21

Top 10 Desirable Property Features • Storage • Natural light • Outdoor seating area • En-suite bathroom • Large garden • Garage • A great view • A quality front door • Walk-in wardrobe • Kitchen island More lockdown labours of love Another survey carried out this summer by insurer Aviva found that 85% of UK residents used the lockdown to make home improvements, with more than half the population (56%) getting busy decluttering.

Gardening was second, with 52% digging in to their outdoor spaces, and more than a quarter (26%) used the time for a spot of home decorating.

Thousands of sudden moves to improve A new study shows lockdown has led to homeowners in the South East being willing to spend up to £12,000 to create the perfect home or add the ‘wow factor’ Our lives have changed dramatically since lockdown, and many homes are changing, too – with a sudden surge in people spending thousands on home improvements, and a new love of outdoor spaces is also shooting up the scale.

Given how much time people suddenly spent at home these last few months, this is perhaps not surprising. And many who started working from home will have decided to carry on with this new way of living, so are also creating comfy and cheery home or garden offices.

But what might be surprising is the fact that homeowners in our region are willing to spend as much as £12,000 to transform their habitats, as well as how much extra buyers might be willing to pay for properties with all the right features.

The new findings come from a survey commissioned by aluminium doors and windows manufacturer Origin, who found that the most soughtafter features in homes in the South East were storage (61%), followed by natural light (60%) and an outdoor seating area (57%). And when it came to adding special features, 86% of the homeowners surveyed agreed that they would pay more for added extras such as a large garden (41%), an

en-suite bathroom (41%), and a garage (39%) .

And almost one in ten said they would be willing to reduce all other household expenditure to be able to afford the upgrades they want.

Somewhat worryingly, one in 20 admit to financially overstretching themselves in pursuit of the perfect home.

But this does illustrate the importance of this to them.

‘It is no surprise that natural light and storage are top’ When considering moving house, almost three quarters of buyers in the South East were also happy to sacrifice square footage in order to get the right features – with a garage, natural light and an en-suite bathroom all considered more essential than space.

Interestingly, homeowners are less likely to compromise on the location of their home than the size or price, suggesting that location remains king. And West Kent remains a hugely popular area, particularly for those continuing to commute, and for its top schools. Hence the current local property boom.

However, 24% admitted it is nigh impossible to have a

home with all the desired features as one can never be truly satisfied!

Commenting on the findings, Property Consultant Alex Goldstein said: “It is no surprise to me that natural light and storage take the top spots. However, we are also seeing new and emerging trends, like en-suite bathrooms and outdoor spaces, becoming far more important.

“During lockdown, people have had time to consider what they really want and need…

Once they have decided, they go the extra mile to get it.

“An Englishman’s home is his castle, and, in his mind, he deserves all the comforts that go with it.”

People are also optimistic about how much value can be added to a home with improvements. Many expected to add up to 10% to the price, wth natural light and outdoor seating both considered worthy of an 8% increase.

And sometimes adding value to a home can just be in a name. Try using terms such as ‘guest room’ instead of ‘spare room’, and ‘outdoor living room’ instead of ‘patio’ – terms all considered to be more valuable by discerning Brits!

To find out more about adding value to a home, visit origin-global.com/advicecentre/added-value

LEFT BEAUTIFULLY REFURBISHED: One Coursehorn Barn, Cranbrook is for sale at a Guide Price of ££725,000 through Savills.

Tel: 01580 720 161 BELOW IDYLLIC GARDEN: Oakleigh Cottage, Horsmonden is for sale at a Guide Price of £725,000 through JacksonStops.

Tel: 01892 521 700

are starting to look forward to the next phase of their education at many of Britain’s leading

Sciences, Oriental Studies, PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) and Physics, which

received 162 Oxbridge offers since 2015.

Each year Tonbridge leavers also take up places

01732 365555 admissions@tonbridge-school.co.uk

Do you need shade from the sun or shelter from the rain?

AWNINGS, VERANDAS & CARPORTS FROM SBI Ltd

25% OFF INSTALLS INC. FREE HOME SURVEY – QUOTE SBI Ltd SUPPLY AND INSTALL A RANGE OF CANOPIES THAT HAVE BEEN DESIGNED SPECIFICALLY TO ADD STYLE AND PRACTICALITY TO YOUR HOME. Durable and attractive aluminium structures are available with a range of glazing or fabric covers, allowing you to choose the perfect structure for your setting and budget. SBI’s bespoke awnings are remote, have LED lighting built into the arms, have a motion wind sensor and manual override, fully loaded as standard. Any size up to 7m wide by 3.5m projection.

Garage door and carport packages available.

SBI Ltd Established 1998 – Over 1000 satisfied customers – Members of the BBSA

CALL NOW 0800 0742721 www.sbiproductsltd.co.uk

The Wellington ÂŁ600,000

24

Move

WITH THE

Times

Best BuysFOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

This week’s best property buys…

Since estate agents were told they could start selling properties again after the government eased lockdown measures the housing market has experienced a bounce – both in terms of buyers and sellers. Here are our top picks of what’s on the market this week

Popes Row

Chicks Lane, Kilndown GUIDE PRICE

£625,000 CONTACT

Savills, Cranbrook 01580 720 161 savills.co.uk A highly appealing four-bedroom country cottage in Kilndown, nestled between Lamberhurst and Goudhurst, with stunning views over an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and lying just a couple of miles from Bewl Water. It is also within the desirable Cranbrook School catchment area.

Popes Row is a terrace of charming former workers cottages which are mentioned in the 1881 census. Numbers 5 and 6 form the end of the terrace and provide really well-balanced living space.

n The cottage is meticulously presented and all windows are double glazed n The ground floor features a generous hall with storage and terracotta tiled floor, a sitting room with wood-burning stove, a kitchen/dining room with a range cooker, a study/gym, and a cloakroom. To the rear is a utility room and a storage shed n Four first floor bedrooms are served by three bath/shower rooms (two being en suite) n Ladder access can be gained to a loft room with Velux window currently used as a TV snug n An electric five-bar gate opens to a private drive of crushed stone with parking for 3-4 cars and a turning space, plus there is planning permission for a single garage n The south-east facing garden is a combination of lawn, pretty flower beds and a York stone patio enjoying the beautiful views n Mainline rail connections at Paddock Wood and Marden provide commuter services to London

Nestled between Lamberhurst and Goudhurst, with stunning views over an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Best Buys

Move

WITH THE

Times 25

Hollin House

Court Road, Tunbridge Wells GUIDE PRICE

£2,495,000 CONTACT

Knight Frank, Tunbridge Wells 01892 515 035 knightfrank.co.uk A stunning ‘Arts and Crafts’ family house in the Molyneux Park area of town offering exceptional family accommodation, with an impressive architect-designed glazed extension. The current owners have undertaken a bold programme of renovation to create this statement property. The original 1907 Edwardian building features many interesting Elizabethan and Jacobean influences.

High ceilings, picture windows and designer fixtures and fittings complement the period features, including fireplaces, oak flooring and Chadder & Co luxury bathrooms. Plus a Lutron lighting control system in the kitchen, underfloor heating to the ground floor and extension, and a Bowers & Wilkins home audio system

n A canopied front entrance with a wide oak door opens into an oak-panelled entrance hall n The ground floor comprises a characterful sitting room, a study, a family room and a light-filled kitchen/breakfast/dining room with vaulted ceiling and large glazed doors to the terrace n The freestanding Hansen walnut kitchen includes a huge central work station, two Fisher & Paykel dishwashers, a Gaggenau flexible induction hob, and a Stuv wallmounted glazed fireplace with barbecue attachment n The utility room has a cloakroom and shower room off and a door to the garden n A large, dual-aspect master bedroom on the first floor of the new wing features tall windows to either side, a vaulted ceiling and a luxury bath/shower room, with an adjacent fully-fitted dressing room n A glazed walkway links through to the original house n There are five further double bedrooms, with one with an impressive en-suite bath/ shower room n The house enjoys a tucked away position with a long, shared private drive, a substantial attached garage and a parking area for several cars n The sheltered landscaped garden with lawn has a wide terrace incorporating a sliding decked cover over an Endless Pools Swim Spa n The property also enjoys private use of the gated Molyneux Park Gardens

26

Life&Times

Advertisers

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

Wednesday August 5 | 2020

Life&Times

ARTS & CULTURE LIFE & STYLE FOOD & DRINK MOTORING SPORT and MORE...

IN PRINT AND ONLINE SEVEN DAYS A WEEK timeslocalnews.co.uk

xxx

29

xx

Page xx

xxx xx

Page xx

ROYAL BALLET GOES VIRTUAL

32

TOAST TO ROAST

36

CARRY ON CRUISING

34

Trinity Theatre

Alfresco comedy, food and live music Page 30

THE NEW DISCOVERY

28

Life&Times

Out & About

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

out&about 7 days of activities

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

WATER, WATER, EVERYWHERE: Bewl Aqua Park is open

By Eileen Leahy

Just in time for the summer holidays many of our favourite beauty spots, galleries, museums and places of interest are now open.

Here’s where to go this week...

AQUA PARK Bewl Water is the perfect place to get away from it all thanks to the tranquil nature of its 800-acre site but during the summer months, part of its magnificent reservoir becomes a hive of aquatic activity courtesy of the Aqua Park it hosts. Full of fun inflatables the good news is it’s still going ahead despite the pandemic and has some very clever social distancing measures in place. Unlike previous years you have to book in a bubble of up to six people – which can be a mix of family and friends – and the cost of the group ticket is £100. Bewl is

open daily from 8am to 7pm parking and admission costs just £5 per car. See www.bewlwater.co.uk TIME TO GO APE Go Ape at Bedgebury is up and running once more, with all the necessary safety and social distancing measures in place. It is great for thrill-seekers to get stuck into with its tree top walks, swings and zip wires. Children must be aged at least ten years old to participate and be a minimum of 1.4m tall in this external adventure.

For tickets and timings, visit www.goape.co.uk

PARK LIFE As always there’s always plenty to discover on our doorstep here in Tunbridge Wells courtesy of our many beautiful park spaces including Dunorlan, Grosvenor & Hilbert and also Calverley Grounds Adventure park which is just great for little ones. Each one has the relevant social distancing in operation – so there’s plenty to enjoy without having to pay or book.

STEP BACK IN TIME Tunbridge Wells’ new culture hub The Amelia is providing families lots of fun activities and discover days to keep them occupied during the holidays. There is a different theme every week and lots of these Discover Days content can be accessed via the hub’s website and social media platforms. Last week for example people were being encouraged to take part in the hub’s ‘Stink Tubes’ event which looks at the traces left behind by the Victorians! See www.theamelia.co.uk

CORNERING THE MARKET: Visit The Pantiles this weekend

Traditional English Afternoon Tea At the picturesque Salomons Estate & Country House in Tunbridge Wells

Only £11.50 per person when booked as part of the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme

Available Midday – 4pm, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday during August To book simply send your preferred date, time and party size to reception@salomons-estate.com

CONFERENCE AND EVENTS VENUE www.salomons-estate.com

MARKET VALUE After months away our cherished Pantiles

Markets are now back up and running. Held every two weekends they are a wonderful way to support local producers and makers – now more important than ever due to the Covid crisis. As well as being able to source all kinds of delicious specialist and seasonal food and drink there are also lots of stalls selling art, handmade jewellery and interior items so make sure you head along one Saturday or Sunday in order to enjoy a socially distanced browse and buy to help all those independents keep going.

ROYAL TREATMENT From Our House to Your House is the Royal Ballet’s streaming service via its You Tube channel. Tune in to see a wealth of content from the world famous ballet company including The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party. Simply go to their YouTube channel to find out more about what’s on when.

FAMILY FUN Penshurst Place is the jewel in the crown of local stately homes is once again able to offer tours for

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Out & About

visitors around its palatial premises.

Like many similar historical tourist attractions, the 14th Century manor house will also operate a booking system in order to accept visitors so it’s important to book before heading over to the popular destination. www.penshurstplace.com

Life&Times

29

CAPTURING THE CASTLE: Visit Bodiam this summer

CELLULOID CLASSICS This is the second weekend that Hever is hosting its own outdoor cinema. From August 14-16 you can check out movies including Us, The Goonies and The Gentleman. There are options to picnic and stroll around the grounds too,. The summer cinema is £15 per ticket with a £10 parking charge per car.

Visitors are able to arrive from 6.30pm with the films starting at 8pm.

RAVING MAD: See the Mad Hatter's Tea party online

SPRING INTO ART We have a variety of excellent galleries in Tunbridge Wells but sometimes it’s nice to venture further afield. The Artspring gallery on Tonbridge High Street is an artist-run one which presents a collection of high quality work from local emerging and professional contemporary artists specialising in paintings, printmaking, photography, digital art, ceramics, glass and jewellery disciplines. See www.artspringgallery. co.uk

PERIOD PIECES We have so many beautiful National Trust properties on our doorstep and most of their gardens and grounds are open again. Bodiam Castle, Igtham Mote and Emmetts Garden are just some of the places you can visit. Like most places of interest though you have to book your slot before going along.

Visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk to see the relevant details for the aforementioned as well as other National Trust places of interest in Kent and Sussex.

The Community Car Service provides a vital transport service for people that cannot use public transport... n Join this week and pay no Joining Fee n We are “Covid-19 Secure” n From just £21.99 a month n We offer a huge gym and a friendly welcome n Classes are included: face-toface and by Zoom n Free trial session available

n Can you help us to support the elderly and vulnerable people of Tunbridge Wells? n We need more drivers to take people to and from hospital, doctors’ appointments and day care centres.

Come and join our friendly team of drivers, support your local community

CALL:

01892 540131

for more information Contact via tunbridge.wells@energiefitness.com 01892 804007 or www.energiefitness.com/tunbridge-wells

n We reimburse our drivers at 45 pence per mile. n Any time you can spare will help, you choose how much or how little you do.

Life&Times

Art & Culture FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

arts

30

Staging an exciting comeback Trinity Theatre is emerging from lockdown with a number of brilliant alfresco events which include jazz brunches and comedy nights. Eileen Leahy discovers more about its eagerly awaited return Like so many of our favourite cultural venues, Trinity Theatre has had to come up with plenty of creative ways of being able to welcome back its loyal fans.

And although it has yet to reopen its much-loved theatre, the team at the popular arts centre, located on Church Road, has been extremely busy behind the scenes cleverly devising ways in which they can still operate and keep afloat.

After having closed its doors indefinitely on March 23, a couple of months went by with little to no news of a game plan on how Trinity would reopen.

During lockdown the theatre’s members were simply encouraged to help support the cultural centre by donating money via paying to name a seat in the theatre after a loved one or by purchasing vouchers for use on future shows.

So when an announcement came in mid-May from Trinity’s Marketing and Communications Director Elizabeth

Mahoney about how the theatre and arts space planned to reopen locals were quite rightly very excited.

Talking to the Times Elizabeth said: “We are currently in planning mode, focusing our efforts on opening as a ‘safe haven’ in Tunbridge Wells.

“We are working on access models and customer flows that will make each visit to Trinity as safe, pleasurable and reassuring for our community as possible.”

All that time spent planning has now translated into Trinity operating an alfresco offering of comedy, food and drinks as well as live music.

Events began a couple of weeks ago and now include a jazz brunch on Sundays and comedy nights on Fridays during August and September.

As anyone will know, Trinity is much more than just a theatre. In addition to the many plays and productions staged in the beautiful Decimus Burton building, which was converted from a church into an arts venue in 1977, the

venue also welcomes comedians, artists and many groups from the wider community. So it seems fitting that Trinity is continuing to offer audiences stand-up comedy – only just outside instead.

“After a particularly difficult time we need a good laugh,” Elizabeth told the Times last week. She was not only referring to lockdown but also to the recent spate of thefts the venue had while they got ready to launch their external attractions – many of the newly planted flowers were stolen and the theatre also had a flood.

Desperate to give both Trinity’s hard working team and the general public something to smile about, last week Trinity hosted the second of its much loved Comedy Nights.

“Obviously our theatre is closed but the comedians have been taking to the stage in our Secret Garden which looks incredible,” adds Elizabeth.

Comedians who’ve appeared so far include Irish stand up Andrew Ryan and

‘Obviously our theatre is closed but comedians have been taking to the stage in our Secret Garden’

COMIC Andrew Ryan

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

Mock the Week’s Kerry Godliman.

The Comedy Nights will run for a total of six weeks so there is still time to get your tickets – but you’ll need to be fast says Elizabeth.

“With only 92 tickets available they are going quickly – even without the line-up being announced. Romesh Ranganathan was a last minute add, in one instance, so you never know who may just turn-up!”

Other comedians on the summer bill include Angela Barnes, Nathan Caton and Phil Jerrod.

Elizabeth reveals that the venue will also shortly be announcing more theatre, music and cinema events which will happen from Tuesday–Sunday during the summer.

In addition to this you can simply stroll along to the theatre’s gardens and enjoy a spot of lunch or a sundowner. Do so on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and you can benefit from the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme which offers 50% off your food and soft drinks bill up to £10 per person.

“Trinity’s Kitchen & Bar is at the heart of everything we do” states Elizabeth before intriguingly adding: “And interestingly we are also in discussions with a well renowned restaurant as we are looking into doing pop-up nights with them.”

With a now weekly Saturday Jazz Brunch event also in place it sounds like our beloved cultural hub in Tunbridge Wells is slowly starting to return to normal and we couldn’t be happier to hear it.

Comedy Night tickets cost £22.50 which includes a meal. More details can be found at www.trinitytheatre.net. There will also be a live performance of Twelfth Night in Trinity’s gardens on August 13 at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £17.50 per person.

Art & Culture

Life&Times

31

‘Trinity’s Kitchen & Bar is at the heart of everything we do’

The most exciting craft event in the South East

Special Reader Offer

£10

using Discount Code

CRAFT2020*

10 – 13 September

Hever Castle & Gardens TN8 7NG

Purchase direct from the very best makers in the UK

Putting the WOW back into Craft Fairs

Advanced Booking is required as tickets are being limited due to Covid-19 precautions. See website for full details and admission costs. *Offer codes valid for adults and seniors on dates of craft fair only.

9.30am – 5.30pm Daily (Garden open until 6pm daily)

Admission to garden also gives admission to the craft fair.

Free entry for Hever Castle Annual Members but advanced booking required.

CIF_Hever_20_160x284.indd 1

30/07/2020 09:23

Life&Times

food

32

Food & Drink FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

Meet the entrepreneur who is full of beans for his new coffee business It takes true grit to keep a business going during lockdown but that’s exactly what coffee maker Peter Sturdey decided to do and thankfully it’s been a huge success.

Eileen Leahy talks to him about why a pandemic was the perfect time to step up his business model

TUNBRIDGE WELLS Coffee Roastery is a speciality coffee company sourcing premium quality green coffees. It also roasts to order and sells to both coffee drinkers at home and commercially.

Established last year, Tunbridge Wells Coffee Roastery is causing quite the stir in the coffee enthusiasts’ world – especially when we were in lockdown.

Based at Salomons Estate it is run by Peter Sturdey, a dedicated coffee drinker who certainly knows a thing or two about quality having worked as an AA hotel and restaurant inspector for 11 years.

“It was a fantastic job as I used to travel the country inspecting a range of hotels, restaurants and B&Bs, as well as delivering a range of training programmes. But after 11 years of spending five days of every week on the road, staying overnight in at least 175 hotels a year I wanted a change of lifestyle and a new challenge.”

Peter says that during his time as an inspector he worked out he’d stayed in over 1870 hotels and eaten over 2200 meals during his time in restaurants.

“I used to cover Greater London, the South East and the Channel Islands so I was constantly on the move! But I built up some great working relationships with hotels and restaurants in that time so when the idea came of starting the coffee roastery, I wanted to start a business I could partly tie in with customers I had worked with for many years.”

It took a couple of months for Peter to get everything set up including creating

his branding, building a website and sourcing coffee. But he says the biggest challenge was finding a commercial space to operate from.

Eventually he found the ‘perfect’ site at Salomons and hasn’t looked back since.

“It’s just the right space to get set up the business and working from the estate has been a delight. My commute from Tunbridge Wells High Street where I live takes a matter of minutes and it’s such a beautiful place to come to work at.”

He says he even donates all of his coffee grounds and chaff from the roasting process to the team of gardeners there so they can mix it into the compost as it’s really ‘excellent’ for the soil.

So what does Peter enjoy most about working with coffee? “The variety available is fantastic and I have barely scraped the surface so far. I tried a huge range of coffees before I launched to see what I wanted to start with and to create my own house blend.”

Once Peter was happy he launched with six coffees and has just expanded the range with a further three.

“Each coffee has such differing characteristics so you get really different flavours from all of them,” he explains.

“They all roast slightly differently and getting the roasting profile for each one correct was paramount before launching them to market.”

Peter, who currently runs the business single handedly, carried out lots of research including enrolling on coffee roasting courses before he started

trading and has since developed a real passion for the black stuff – as have his customers.

“We have been offering a daily home delivery service within the Kent area so between 4 and 6pm I am usually on the road to customers.

“It has worked really well, as people can order by 2pm and I’ll have the coffee out to them that afternoon.

Locally it has been great as during lockdown I was able to offer a drop and go service, leave the coffee at the address and ring the bell to let them know their coffee had arrived.”

As well as his individual customers Peter also provides a number of commercial establishments in Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge and Penshurst and was hoping to expand further until the coronavirus pandemic put paid to that.

“My coffee was being used in a few outlets and then Covid-19 happened so all previous meetings and wholesale leads came to a complete standstill and rightly so.

“As and when we are out of this, I will hit the ground running and hopefully you will see my coffee more and more in cafés, restaurants and hotels.

“As a new business it does take time to get the name out there and let people know about the company but it’s fantastic to be getting new customers every week.

“Word of mouth has really helped and with more and more people looking to drink better quality coffee at home long may that continue. As awful as Covid-19

A TOAST TO ROAST Peter Sturdey of the Tunbridge Wells Coffee Roastery

‘As a new business it does take time to get the name out there but it’s fantastic to be getting new customers every week’

SEALED AND DELIVERED: You can order Tunbridge Wells Coffee Roastery online

is I think more people now working from home and in lockdown have really looked at their buying habits and have really started shopping even more locally than before.”

As the only Coffee Roastery in Tunbridge Wells, Peter is certainly at an advantage. So where does he source his coffee from?

“I use speciality coffee importers as the range is endless but over time I will extend it and see what I can introduce to keep the offering exciting, fresh and interesting for customers looking to try new blends or single origin coffees.

“So far my range – which comes in both bean and ground forms - includes coffee from Colombia, Nicaragua, China, Rwanda, El Salvador and a few varieties from Brazil.”

What does he enjoy so much about working with, and drinking, coffee? “It is something that is to be enjoyed and is such an integral part of our daily life perhaps without us always realising.

“Whether it’s that first cup of coffee in the morning before starting the day or taking a sip of cappuccino from your local café it’s a part of daily life that anyone can relate to and enjoy.”

To find out more about the Tunbridge Wells Coffee Roastery visit www. twcoffeeroastery.co.uk

Life&Times FIRST DRIVE:

34

Motoring

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Land Rover Defender

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

By Darren Cassey

There are nods to the old model to keep aficionados happy too, while that side-opening rear door gives it real character and allows for a full-size spare wheel to be attached.

There are two body styles available – three-door (90) and five-door (110) – with the latter commanding a slight premium. There’s some more cool charm attached to the three-door, but for family life, the five-door’s extra space and practicality can’t be ignored.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE? The interior has been one of the most contentious issues among enthusiasts, but for the general public, there’s nothing to complain about. Land Rover has managed to give the cabin a touch of luxury, with some expensive-feeling materials, chic design, and the new infotainment system, while keeping a more rugged look in places.

For example, there are exposed bolts in the door cards, and a metal structural element is visible in the dashboard.

These have been integrated in a way that doesn’t detract from the premium feel while also hinting at its tougher abilities.

Gone are the days of cramped interiors too. While classic Defenders were famed for having little room up front, the new one feels big and spacious inside. If you’re looking for a family car it’ll do a fantastic job of carrying multiple people and all their things.

The new Land Rover Defender promises traditional off-road abilities with new-found on-road composure – but how does it fare? Darren Cassey finds out WHAT IS IT? When discussing the greatest off-roadcapable cars ever produced, few come close to the classic Land Rover Defender.

The iconic 4×4, which has its roots way back in the 1940s, became the go-to vehicle for those who need off-road capability and nothing else. However, as buying habits changed and rivals became more capable, the traditional Defender needed shaking up.

Revealed last year, the new Defender has burst onto the scene with a cool new look, better-than-ever off-road abilities – but a new-found air of luxury, comfort, and driveability on the road too.

Some purists have decried the fact it’s no longer the rugged, utilitarian 4×4 of the past. But by keeping its traditional abilities while appealing to a new, more lifestyle-focused audience, does Land Rover have a massive hit on its hands? We put the new Defender to the test on urban streets, country roads, boggy forests and boring motorways to find out…

WHAT’S NEW? The new Defender is so far removed from the car it replaces that it’s not even worth comparing the two. It sits on a vehicle platform that’s ’95% new’ compared with the current Land Rover range, and made from lightweight aluminium that’s been upgraded for ‘extreme’ capabilities. It’s three times stiffer than traditional designs, features independent suspension and can integrate electrified powertrains.

It also gets the latest version of Land Rover’s Terrain Response, which is now configurable so that off-road experts can

tweak settings to their own preference, while the latest Pivi Pro infotainment system is also introduced, including over the air software updates.

There’s also that all-new look, the latest engines (including a plug-in hybrid later), 90 (three-door) and 110 (five-door) body styles as well as a commercial version… the list of newness is endless.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET? The plug-in hybrid engine is arguably the biggest news, but since that’s not available at launch we’ve been testing the D240 engine, which will likely be the most popular.

It’s a twin-turbocharged 2.0-litre diesel unit from the latest family of JLR Ingenium engines. Its stats are 240bhp, 430Nm of torque, fuel economy of up to 31.7mpg and CO2 emissions up to 253g/km.

For a car like this, that torque figure is arguably the most important, because when you’re on a boggy forest track you need it to help pull you out of trouble. On the road, it’s impressively quiet, while power is more than adequate for most situations.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE? There are two aspects to the driving experience – on-road and off-road. We tested the Defender in the forests surrounding Eastnor Castle, not far from JLR HQ and the place where the car was tested during production. There are three tyre options: the standard road tyre, an off-road tyre, and a compromise between the two, which is what our test car was fitted with. You wouldn’t have known it.

While the Defender unsurprisingly

found little issue with dry, dusty paths, no matter how steep, at times the route would turn to a gooey, chalky mess. The Defender never hesitated. There was barely any slip, with the on-board technology taking over and giving pure confidence that any terrain is passable, even without the top-spec tyre.

And when the road became narrow or sharp crests appeared, the on-board cameras made them a breeze to navigate.

It was almost boringly easy.

On the road? Excellent. Again, you’d expect a lot of tyre noise from the ‘compromise’ tyre, but if you didn’t know you’d think it was quiet enough to be a road-focused tyre. The ride is sublime too, ironing out bumps to make for carpet-like comfort, while wind and road noise is minimal at motorway speeds, too.

There are a couple of complaints.

Although it’s fantastically comfortable, that high centre of gravity and soft suspension does lead to a lot of head wobble when the road gets particularly bumpy. Meanwhile, the gearbox is frustratingly slow to respond to inputs, which is likely related to hitting emissions targets. Overall though, it drives much better on the road than any car this good off-road should.

‘The Land Rover Defender had an almost impossible task on its hands, appealing to those who have long loved its no-nonsense ruggedness as well as those looking for a practical, characterful family runaround’

HOW DOES IT LOOK? One of the toughest jobs for any car designer is reimagining an icon, but when the new Defender was revealed, there can’t have been many who were disappointed with how it turned out. Its boxy, upright stance remains, with enough chunky design features to give it the rugged looks its abilities deserve.

ENGINE: 2.0-litre diesel

FACTS AT A GLANCE MODEL AS TESTED:

Land Rover Defender 110 D240 S PRICE: £52,110

POWER: 240bhp TORQUE: 430Nm MAX SPEED: 117mph 0-60MPH: 9.9 seconds MPG: 31.7 – 29.3

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE? At launch, there are four trim levels available: Defender, Defender S, Defender SE and Defender HSE. There are also two separate models, called First Edition and Defender X. The entry level Defender 110 starts at £43,385 and includes 18-inch steel wheels, LED headlights, fabric upholstery, sat nav and all the off-road technology you could require. Upgrade to the S from £46,840 and you get 19-inch alloy wheels, part-leather upholstery, and an integrated driver display.

SE starts at £50,690 and adds 20-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights with the signature DRL and LED taillights, front fog lights, a leather steering wheel and the upgraded Meridian sound system.

The HSE, from £55,515, gets different 20-inch alloy wheels, Matrix LED headlights, a folding fabric roof, and full leather upholstery.

First Edition models start at £55,220 and add electronic air suspension, configurable terrain response, a heated steering wheel and khaki leather upholstery. And finally, the Defender X, starting at £75,510, gets more advanced off-road abilities, a sliding panoramic roof, and two-tone leather upholstery.

VERDICT The Land Rover Defender had an almost impossible task on its hands, appealing to those who have long loved its no-nonsense ruggedness as well as those looking for a practical, characterful family runaround. After a day behind the wheel, it’s fair to say it has succeeded in its task. Our tricky off-road route was mere child’s play for the Defender, yet when we took it to the Tarmac it was quiet, refined and comfortable with fantastic entertainment technology on-board.

The high-spec versions are too plush and too expensive to be considered for a truly workhorse lifestyle, but there are more affordable options at the bottom of the range, not least the forthcoming commercial version. It’s safe to say Land Rover has nailed the brief.

Emissions: 234 – 253g/km CO2

ge om o rid r n! w nb ho ai Tu s S Ag ll

e en W Op

We are pleased to announce that our Tunbridge Wells showroom has now re-opened.

ALL PPE VAT FREE

We have put in place stringent measures to protect staff and customers whilst in store.

for all customers

We hope these will give the confidence to visit us again soon.

until 31st October

Packs of 10

Changes We’ve Made We are limiting the amount of customers in store at a time and limiting each customer group to 2 people.

Disposable face masks are available whilst in store. Please ask a member of staff for more information.

Disposable Face Masks

Face Shields

Disposable Gloves

from £5.90 ex-VAT

£5.49 ex-VAT each

from £8.99 ex-VAT

Contactless Engineered Delivery Included

Please keep a minimum of 2 metres between yourself and other customers and staff at all times.

We are operating a one way system in our showrooms where possible. Please follow signage in store.

Wheeled Walkers

Mobility Scooters

Riser Recliners

from £64

from £799

from £569 ex-VAT

.99 ex-VAT

ex-VAT

Terms and Conditions

www.clearwellmobility.co.uk We offer Click & Collect on a huge range of products online.

No Queues | No Hassle

When You Spend Over £100

When You Spend Over £250

26 Grosvenor Road Tunbridge Wells TN1 2AP

Call 01892 544 933

Mon-Sat: 9:00am - 5:00pm

Full T’s & C’s at www.clearwellmobility.co.uk/offers-conditions Terms and Conditions

Just choose Click & Collect at the checkout to pickup from your chosen Clearwell showroom.

Tunbridge Wells

1. Only valid at Clearwell Mobility Tunbridge Wells.

2. Valid until 7/9/2020.

3. Only 1 voucher per transaction.

1. Only valid at Clearwell Mobility Tunbridge Wells.

2. Valid until 7/9/2020.

3. Only 1 voucher per transaction.

Full T’s & C’s at www.clearwellmobility.co.uk/offers-conditions Terms and Conditions

When You Spend Over £1,000

1. Only valid at Clearwell Mobility Tunbridge Wells.

2. Valid until 7/9/2020.

3. Only 1 voucher per transaction.

Full T’s & C’s at www.clearwellmobility.co.uk/offers-conditions

Life&Times

Travel

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

travel

36

The first cruise ships are setting sail – what safety precautions have they put in the place?

Luke Rix-Standing looks at how the world’s cruise ships are tentatively putting out to sea again.

O

South Pacific when the world’s f all the industries borders began closing, and was decimated by forced to sail for 40 days without coronavirus, cruise landfall to reach its final ships must be destination in Marseille. among the worst-hit.

Many analysts have found it Enclosed, communal, and often difficult plotting a course for the isolated for long periods of time, industry through a there’s no doubt post-Covid world, Covid can wreak over the havoc on a liner ‘The ship did not but weekend the first should it manage to stop at any ports, cruise ships once sneak aboard.

During the early and was restricted more braved the waves – albeit on days of the to 60% occupancy limited itineraries. pandemic, the In Germany the Diamond Princess – eventually TUI liner became an welcoming 1,200 MeinCruises Schiff 2 international news passengers out of a (literally, My Ship story when it was quarantined for normal maximum 2), was first out of the blocks, setting almost a month off of 2,900’ sail from Hamburg the coast of Japan. on Friday July 24 for Of the 3,711 people a weekend voyage trapped on board, at in the North Sea. The ship did not least 712 became infected with the stop at any ports, and was virus, and at least 13 died. restricted to 60% occupancy – Later, and despite all its eventually welcoming 1,200 passengers and crew remaining passengers out of a normal healthy, the MSC Magnifica, maximum of 2,900. dubbed “the last cruise ship on Customers and crew filled out Earth” found itself stranded in the

Wednesday August 12 | 2020

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk health questionnaires and had their temperatures taken before boarding, and were required to observe 1.5 metre social distancing at all times. Masks were mandatory in communal areas, and passengers were banned from serving themselves at the ship’s buffet.

And 9,000 kilometres and seven time zones away, another cruise company dipped in a toe with an island-hopping tour of Taiwan. Setting sail on Sunday July 26, the Genting Hong Kong’s

‘The sweeping safety measures on this trip included equipping the Explorer Dream with designated Covid-19 wards’

Travel

Explorer Dream ship received some 900 domestic holidaymakers (only a third of capacity), all of whom are required to socially distance.

The sweeping safety measures on this trip included equipping the Explorer Dream with 22 designated Covid-19 wards to isolate passengers if any fell ill, and a 21-day health screening process completed by the ship’s 500-strong crew before boarding. Dining tables are divided by screens, client-facing crew

Life&Times

37

have been decked out with masks and gloves, and the on-board casino and spa have been closed.

Germany and Taiwan have both seen success in their efforts to curb the virus, and for both boats it’s so far so good, but the cruise industry will ultimately live and die on consumer confidence.

It may take a good deal more healthy seafaring to convince swathes of the general public that it’s safe to go back on the water.

We are following the Government guidelines and are Covid secure!

We are proud to be part of the “Eat Out To Help Out” scheme. Up to a maximum of £10.00 off your food and soft drinks bill Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday during August.

We Look Forward To Welcoming You!

The Bull • 01892 546089 • 79 Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5LH

38

Life&Times

Books

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday August 12 | 2020 CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK

9/10

The bookcase…

published in paperback by Puffin, priced £6.99 (ebook £3.99). Available August 6

Life in lockdown has given many the chance to fall in love with reading again. Here’s our pick of this week’s top tomes to enjoy…

This is a thrilling end to the Murder Most Unladylike series, joining Daisy Wells and Hazel Wong on their holiday cruise along the Nile. A grisly murder is never far from this pair, and within days of boarding they’re unpacking the twists and turns of a cult leader’s untimely demise before their boat docks in Aswan.

Fortunately, the Junior Pinkertons happen to be onboard too, so there are four detective minds working the case – and a few extra characters who help this instalment feel fresh.

Emotional challenges are also explored as the girls leave their childhoods behind. Ending an awardwinning series can be a challenge, but Robin Stevens delivers a clever murder mystery. that sucks in the reader and pays homage to Agatha Christie.

This is a fantastic read that should please fans, and anyone new to the series will still find it thoroughly readable. (Review by Nicole Whitton)

NON-FICTION

INTIMATIONS: SIX ESSAYS BY ZADIE SMITH

published in paperback by Penguin, priced £5.99 (ebook £4.49). Available August 6

8/10

In this slim collection of new pieces – proceeds from which are going to charity – the author of White Teeth and The Autograph Man explores thoughts, feelings and issues raised by the experience of lockdown.

Writing from New York on the verge of leaving for London, Zadie Smith confesses to a new selfconsciousness about how she fills her time.

Smith says she writes for something to do – and she isn’t the only person who has been searching for ways to fill their time.

FICTION

Final Cut by SJ Watson

She reflects on suffering and the limits of compassion, and sketches the centuriesold history of the virus of (racist) contempt. Her explorations are always thoughtful and quietly provocative.

The collection is strongly personal too, as Smith recounts vignettes from her own everyday existence, and reflects on some of the key figures, famous and family alike, who have helped form her. It is a slight book, but its reflections will continue to reverberate. (Review

by Dan Brotzel)

DEATH SETS SAIL BY ROBIN STEVENS

FICTION

THE MAJESTIES BY TIFFANY TSAO

published in paperback by Pushkin Press, priced £8.99 (ebook £6.99). Available August 6

7/10

Gwendolyn wakes up in a hospital bed, the sole survivor of a poisoning which killed her entire family. Her sister Estella is seemingly responsible for murdering 300 people and as she lays there dying, Gwendolyn tries to make sense of what happened.

The Majesties explores the lavish wealth of one of Asia’s richest families and the drama that goes with it. Ideal for fans of My Sister, The Serial Killer

by Oyinkan Braithwaite, it is full of suspense and steeped in opulence.

Well-paced and beautifully written, ignore any comparisons made to the Crazy Rich Asians trilogy – this book is in a world of its own. (Review by Megan Baynes)

published in hardback by Doubleday, priced £12.99 (ebook £7.99). Available August 6 Bestselling author SJ Watson (Before I Go To Sleep) is back with another disturbing psychological thriller. Like the quiet village where documentary filmmaker Alex’s new project is set, the pace is slow for much of the novel.

Watson is a master manipulator of suspense – every time you think you’re close to a revealing a chink of truth, it suddenly becomes a dead end. Everyone in town is a suspect, and Alex’s own secrets are tied up in it all too.

A complex plot centred on psychological dissociation and amnesia shatters the novel’s timeline, with chapters flitting between ‘then’ and ‘now’.

As unpredictable as the turbulent tide, you’ll be caught up in the relentless winding tension until the truth eventually breaks and you’re able to breathe freely again. (Review by Rebecca Wilcock)

8/10 FICTION

HOMECOMING BY LUAN GOLDIE published in hardback by HarperCollins, priced £12.99 (ebook £5.99). Available August 6

BOOK CHARTS 1. The Little Book of Ikigai by Ken Mogi 2. The Man with the Golden Gun by Ian Fleming 3. No Way Out by Adam Jowett 4. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens 5. They Disappeared by Joy Ellis

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)

6. Mythos by Stephen Fry 7. Becoming by Michelle Obama 8. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte 9. Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L. Trump 10. Sherlock Holmes: The Definitive Collection by Arthur Conan Doyle (Compiled by Audible)

8/10

Luan Goldie’s new book has a title that suggests identity will be at its core, instead, Homecoming sees identity pushed to the background in favour of interpersonal relationships and drama.

The action flashes from past to present and focuses on four characters: Yvonne and Emma, two best friends from university who drift apart, Lewis, the father of Emma’s baby who has an on-again, off-again relationship with Yvonne, and Kiama, the child. In the present day, 18-year-old

Kiama visits his mother’s home country of Kenya to come to terms with her death. Goldie is skilled at drip-feeding information to keep the reader in the dark and desperate to know what actually happened.

However, with Emma being white and from Kenya, Lewis black and from London, it feels like there’s a wealth of issues around identity that are not touched upon. It’s a gripping read, but you’re left wanting more. (Review by Prudence Wade)

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

4

5

6

14

15

16

17

18

19

T

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

B

A B C D E F GH I J K L MNO P QR S T U VWX Y Z

6

T

SPORTS COVERAGE SUSPENDED Because of restricted local sport due to Covid19 the decision has been taken, with much reluctance, to temporarily suspend the regular sporting news that would appear on these back pages.

Normal service will be resumed soon.

18

22

20 14

26 8

19 16

3 13

18

B

3

T

23 17

3

6

19

1

23 24

3

25

16 13

22 21

22

1

16

25

23

26

22

16

6

T

16

3 23

18

10 23

26

8

26

3

19

10

3

23

9

16

23

T

8

23 23

23

19

6

25

T

22

23

2 17

3

6

16 14

17

22 17

22 19

26

22 22

14

19

8

B

4

23

19

23

6

T

6

15

7

10

T

16

4

12

11

8

25

26

We are offering our Sushi platter to you for just £10 as you take advantage of the Eat out to Help Out offer at The Wine Rooms.

Every Wednesday from 4pm until 9pm you can enjoy your pre-ordered sushi platter to go with a glass of something chilled, we shall also have our full food menu available.

Simply book your table at The Wine Rooms, in the notes box say you are coming for the sushi £10 offer and we will have one made up for you! The Sushi Platters are designed for 1 person for dinner, so just let us know how many you want!

Thank you for your support and we hope to see you at The Wine Rooms.

01892 522022 www.thewineroomstw.com 40 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5TN

4 3 9 9 5

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

4 7

1 9

11

Numbers are substituted for letters in the crossword grid. Above the grid is the key with two letters solved. Try to complete the first few words to give you more letters, or look for a frequent number that might reveal a common letter. As you find letters, enter them in the key and into the grid. Cross off the letters in the A to Z list.

The WINE ROOMS Are Excited To Announce Our Partnership With KIKO SUSHI!

2 9 8 3 7 6 1 6 2 5 5 6 1 8 4 7 8

5 22

23

20 23

4

3

16 8

1

Codeword:

7 5

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

3

DIFFICULTY RATING:★★★✩

2

5

LAST EDITION’S ANSWERS

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

1

8 6

7

39

5

4

9

4 3 7

3 2

5

2

5 8 7

In this Sudoku, the normal 3x3 boxes are now strangely odd shapes – but all the rules and logic of normal Sudoku apply.

Fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and box contains every number uniquely.

Puzzle solutions will be published in a forthcoming issue

A C C L A I Z O D T OWE L E A I C A R I B O D J O S H U A O M U S U R P R N I N UM E R A E E E Y A T E S

M L I A O S E GM Q I U C H A E F L O E V E RM E E L L A Y A N O X I

T U P H O E N T D E A I N C P P Y R O N T V A I R S S K O U S

4 5 1 3 7 8 6 9 2

2 3 9 6 4 5 7 1 8

5 9 7 4 8 2 1 6 3

8 1 2 9 6 3 5 4 7

3 2 6 1 8 7 5 4 9

9 1 5 7 4 2 6 3 8

2 6 7 5 3 8 9 1 4

Sudoku:

3 2 5 8 9 6 4 7 1

1 8 4 5 2 7 9 3 6

9 7 6 1 3 4 8 2 5

7 6 8 2 1 9 3 5 4

6 4 3 7 5 1 2 8 9

Jigsaw Sudoku:

5 9 2 4 1 6 7 8 3

1 7 8 6 9 3 4 2 5

6 3 4 2 7 5 8 9 1

8 4 3 9 5 1 2 6 7

4 5 1 8 6 9 3 7 2

7 8 9 3 2 4 1 5 6

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

CODEWORD

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

CLASSIFIEDS

Life&Times

Puzzles

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★✩✩✩

Wednesday August 12 | 2020