Times of Tonbridge 8th February 2017

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

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Flood defence money flows in

INSIDE YMCA HERO DIES

Tributes pour in for beloved mentor Darryl Oung Page 8

By Murray Jones

newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

ANGELS HOLD ON

Early Akrofi goal sinks Canvey Islanders in away win Page 95 PHOTO: Suzannah Niklas

A MULTIMILLION-POUND project which will give Tonbridge even more protection from flooding and safeguard thousands of homes is being backed by government funding.

Central government has announced that it is committed to spending £4.65million on improvements to the Leigh Flood Storage Area [FSA], ensuring that a £23.6million expansion plan can go ahead. The project will increase flood storage capacity by 30 per cent, and will include the building of embankments along the River Medway in Hildenborough and East Peckham.

The reduced likelihood of flooding in areas around the River Medway also means land that was previously deemed too high a risk can now be developed.

The bulk of the funds (£15.5million) for the work will be provided by the Environment Agency. Contributions are also coming from local government: Kent County Council (£2.5million) and Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council (£0.5million). Construction can get under way once the project has been approved by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs [DEFRA]. It is hoped the works will be finished by 2022.

MP Tom Tugendhat said he was ‘delighted’ by the arrival of a ‘fully funded, viable option’ for flood defence. He estimates that it could also deliver more than 13 hectares of employment land by 2031, which roughly equates to a creation of 2,900 potential jobs.

OVERRUN The Botany during the 2013 floods The announcement will come as welcome news to those hit by the devastating floods of Christmas 2013, when the region experienced the wettest December in more than 100 years. Approximately 80 homes in the Barden Road and Danvers Road area were flooded as a result.

The increased capacity is anticipated to make a ‘huge difference’, according to Tonbridge Flood Warden Carl Lewis.

“This will significantly increase the town’s flood resilience. Hopefully, Tonbridge will now get the flood protection it deserves,” he said.

The news has been roundly welcomed by the town’s elected representatives, who have been lobbying government since 2014 for funding for the project.

Adam Hignett adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk THE Royal College of Surgeons [RCS] has criticised a decision to suspend routine operations at Tunbridge Wells Hospital as being ‘unprecedented and unfair.’

The three month ban has been described as the longest in NHS history. Designed to save £3.2million, it will impact around 1,700 operating slots across West Kent.

Brewery takes on Barden locals after council ruling Page 5

Continued on page 4

Ban on hospital operations branded ‘unfair’ Operations on hold include fitting replacement knees and hips as well as some forms of heart surgery. These are procedures that would have taken place at both private and NHS hospitals used by Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust.

The decision was made by West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group (WKCCG), a body of GPs and healthcare professionals, responsible for funding local services.

The extent of the ban, which ends in April was disclosed last week in the group’s meeting minutes.

PUB PROTEST ROW

RCS President, Clare Marx, contrasted the financial ‘short term savings’ to the potential ‘major consequences’ for individuals’ health, adding: “While patients wait for treatment, their conditions could deteriorate, sometimes making treatment more complex and costly in the long term.”

WKCCG Chair, Dr Bob Bowes, sought to allay concerns, promising that ‘no-one with an urgent health care need will be made to wait’.

He also denied that the delays would have a knock-on effect, declaring: “There will be no backlog.”

BRIGHT IDEAS

Weald of Kent girls win regional business competition Page 4

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Wednesday February 8 | 2017

The Weald of Kent winners prove they mean business ON THE MONEY Pictured after their victory are (l-r) Poppy, Bethany, Phoebe, Ellen and Ella

By Murray Jones

newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A GROUP of Tonbridge schoolgirls will have their ideas used in a national marketing campaign after beating hundreds of other entries in a school business competition.

The team of five Year 10 students from Weald of Kent Grammar School beat more than 400 other pitches from over 200 schools to be crowned the South East Champions of the Real Business Challenge.

Bethany Brennan, Ellen Capon, Ella Johnson, Phoebe Lloyd and Poppy McCarthy, all aged 14-15, made up the victorious ‘Team Esteem’.

They were given the brief of planning a campaign to raise funds and awareness for the Special Olympic Games, which will take place in Sheffield this August.

It is the country’s largest multisports event for athletes with intellectual disabilities. This year, around 2,600 athletes are expected to compete across 19 sports.

The girls pitched their ideas against ten other finalists at the Brighton Amex Stadium, home to the city’s football team, on January 24.

Their ideas for raising the profile of the games included a colour run, in which competitors run while being covered in powdered paint, a formal charity dinner, and a flash-mob. They also designed a billboard, which will now be used nationally to advertise the games.

Continued from page 1 Leader of Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council (TMBC) Nicolas Heslop said: “I have been single minded on this issue since the terrible flooding that was experienced.

“In terms of getting the funds, we’ve held our line, we’ve been purposeful and we have been working tirelessly behind the scenes because we knew it was the right thing to do.

Cllr David Cure, whose Judd ward was worst hit by the floods said TMBC had ‘been pressing for this for a long time’ after the ‘very serious damage’ that his constituents suffered three years ago.

DEVASTATING New Wharf Road in 2013

What is the Leigh Flood Storage Area?  THE Leigh Flood Storage

Area [FSA] was built in 1982 following the 1968 floods.

restrict the amount of water flowing downstream.  On Christmas Eve 2013, the FSA

 It is formed of a 1.3 kilometre-

Poppy McCarthy said: “When they announced we were the winners, we all looked at each other in amazement.

The school received £1,000 for their win, but the girls get a say over how it is used.

“We are writing a proposal to make sure we are spending the money on something that will really reward students, so we are thinking of something memorable and fun, like going for a meal

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or watching a musical in London,” said Ellen Capon.

Mr Chidlow, one of their Business Studies teachers, said: “This is the first time that the school has entered the Real Business Challenge, and to win at the first attempt, from what was originally a field of over 200 schools in the South East region, is an amazing achievement by these girls.”

long, five metre-high earth embankment across the Medway Valley.

went from being empty at 5am to within 10mm of its maximum limit by 8pm.  The Environment Agency, which

 The River Medway passes

through a reinforced concrete control structure built into the embankment. The three steel radial gates can be moved to

runs the storage area, estimate that the FSA enabled them to halve the amount of water that flowed downstream towards Tonbridge during that period.

Gin maker seeks support for distillery tours STILL GOING Visitors can make their own gin

A GIN distiller is attempting to quell concerns that the expansion of his business will lead to disruption in the village where he is based.

Will Edge, aged 37, has been producing gin and other spirits at his Greensand Ridge Distillery on the Shipbourne Road, between Tonbridge and the village of Shipbourne, since August last year.

Last month he began offering tours of his premises to gin enthusiasts, who are able to learn more about the distilling process and try their hand at making their own spirit.

He submitted a retrospective planning application on January 17 to change the use of a hall to include corporate events for a maximum of 12 people.

But Hadlow Parish Council has objected to the move, citing ‘concerns over the detrimental effect on the residential amenity’.

In response, Mr Edge sought to reassure residents. He said: “I, one hundred per cent, understand that people looking at it on paper might think it means loads of people would be attending.

“But if those objecting come and see the place for themselves, I think it would put their minds at rest. My vision is not to conquer the world. My children live here, so I have an interest in keeping it peaceful,” he said.

He explained that the sessions will enable people to distill their own gin in six small stills over two and a half hours, allowing them to take their own creations home.

Local News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

NEWS IN BRIEF

Residents to have say on public space rules THE PUBLIC consultation over the new local orders proposed by Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council [TMBC] began last week.

The orders include borough-wide measures for dog owners. They state that an £80 fine will be issued to anyone who does not put their dog on a lead when instructed to do so by an authorised person.

The aim is to stop a loose dog causing a ‘nuisance, annoyance or disturbance’ to the public or wildlife.

This would apply to all public spaces in Tonbridge, including the Racecourse Sports Ground.

Stricter orders, where dogs must be kept on leads at all times will apply in a small number of areas, such as the Castle grounds and Tonbridge Cemetery.

The proposals are part of a raft of Public Space Protection Orders (PSPO), which aim to tackle anti-social behaviour across the borough.

Full details of the all the proposals are available online at www.tmbc.gov.uk/ PSPOconsultation. Hard copies can be requested.

Views can be posted to TMBC in Kings Hill.

Arson attacks arrest A MAN has been arrested in relation to the spate of arson attacks in the town at the end of last year.

A series of incidents caused damage to properties and parked vehicles in areas including Crabapple Road, Cannons Lane, Redbud Road, and Medway Wharf Road.

A 46-year-old man from the Tonbridge area was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life on February 2.

He has been bailed pending further inquiries until March 22.

Comic event announced TONBRIDGE is getting its own Comic-Con on September 24.

The event at the Angel Centre sees science-fiction and comic book fans come together, often dressed as their favourite characters, to meet special guests involved in the entertainment franchises.

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Barden residents go into battle with brewery to save their historic pub THE NELSON ARMS pub in Tonbridge, which is facing closure, has been successfully classed as an ‘Asset of Community Value’ [ACV] by the borough council, but the owners are fighting the classification.

Campaigners representing the Barden Road area, where the pub is based, submitted the ACV application in December after Shepherd Neame, which owns the premises, announced its intention to sell the property once the current landlord, Charlotte Gow, leaves in March.

Funds ACV status triggers an initial moratorium period, meaning the property cannot be sold for six weeks.

Within that period, if the Barden community decide they will attempt to raise funds to buy the property, they can inform the council to extend the moratorium to six months.

Even if community funds are not

forthcoming, ACV status would mean any proposal to turn the pub into residential premises would need planning permission from Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council [TMBC].

The council deemed that the pub met the two criteria for being classed as an ACV. It agreed that the current use of the building would ‘further the social wellbeing or social interest of the local community’, and it also accepted that it is realistic to believe the building can continue to serve that purpose in the future.

Shepherd Neame has requested a review of the decision, which TMBC Chief Executive Julie Beilby will complete by March 23.

A spokesman for the brewery said: “Unfortunately, The Nelson Arms has not proved to be a viable business and we are considering options for its future. We are bound by our industry code not to let pubs we deem unviable. In the circumstances, we consider the pub unsuitable for sta-

CLOSING TIME Campaigners are determined to save The Nelson Arms tus as an Asset of Community Value.”

The Head of the Barden Residents Association, Mark Hood, who launched the campaign, said he was ‘disappointed’ by Shepherd Neame’s resistance and rejected its claims of economic unviability.

“We are concentrating on delivering a business model which will balance profitability with providing a

community pub and café to the benefit of everyone,” he said.

“We are talking to the Campaign for Real Ale and other organisations to make The Nelson Arms a success for future generations. As a free house, the pub will find it far more economical to balance the books and provide customers with a product they actually want to drink.”

Dinosaur on course to join crazy golf club

Council consider sale of town centre assets for new apartments

AN 18-HOLE dinosaur-themed crazy golf course is set to open in Tonbridge by Easter this year.

The 20,000 sq ft site will be built within the existing area of the Tonbridge Golf Centre in Cannon Lane, and will cost between £400,000-£500,000.

The Jurassic Park-type attraction will be aimed at children under 12, and hopes to draw around 50,000 visitors a year.

Golf Centre owner James Jones, 47, said: “The dinosaur idea came from the fact that it is something children will really love. We want

TWO town centre buildings are being considered for residential development by Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council [TMBC].

The sites are a building on River Walk, which was formerly home to the Citizens Advice Bureau, and one on River Lawn Road, adjacent to the Teen and Twenty Club site, which itself is set to be sold to make way for a ‘state of the art’ medical centre.

The sites have been identified as suitable for ‘high quality apartments or mews-type properties’.

The estimated value of these assets are not publicly released.

Approvals of the sales will be discussed at a TMBC Cabinet Meeting tomorrow [February 9], when they meet to debate the 2017/18 budget. n For a full report on the TMBC budget see next week’s paper.

MASSIVE FUN Crazy golf to open by Easter, so are doubling the manpower to get it finished.”

He described Tonbridge, where he has lived all his life, as a ‘good catchment area’.

The course will include a model of a crashed helicopter, a three-metre animatronic T-Rex figure and a large water feature.

The owner said he originally wanted the dinosaur to be seven

metres tall, but this was ‘slightly too big’ for practical reasons.

Planning permission for the development was granted last month after the golf centre applied in March last year.

It is not the first time Mr Jones has subverted the game of golf.

His ‘Footgolf’ course based on football, has now been open for two years.

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Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Florence campaign raises £300,000 for vital cancer treatment in America

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk FLO’S FIGHT, the campaign to raise money for twoyear-old Florence Jackson’s cancer treatment, has reached £300,000 – and the funds keep rolling in.

Her parents Carolyn and Rodney Jackson, from Speldhurst, need the money in order to afford medical care in the United States which is not available in the UK. It took just 11 days to raise the original £250,000 thanks to crowdfunding, widescale support on social media and events held across the region.

Typical of the fundraising events was the one staged on Saturday at Salomons. It was organised

by Laura Swann and Natalie Mcilveen from Mum’s the Word and generated £17,077. More than 300

‘It shows what great things can be achieved if everyone pulls together’ people paid £15 a ticket for the night that included a silent and live auction.

Laura and Natalie told the Times: “It was a great community event, with everyone donating their time, efforts and services for free, all in aid of an amazing cause. It just shows what great things can be achieved when everyone pulls together.”

Florence was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma at the age of 16 months in December 2015, and is being cared for at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey.

The Jacksons’ campaign has been remarkably well

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Closed down Cosmo will be US ice cream parlour THE Cosmo restaurant on Grosvenor Road is set to be transformed into a large, Americanstyle ice cream parlour this summer.

The US chain Creams Café, which specialises in desserts, will be opening one of its largest UK branches in the town in May – at 5,000 sq ft – as one of five in Kent.

Cosmo, an all-you-can-eat Oriental buffet, was shut in September last year after a damning report by the environmental health officer from Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

Hygiene high score DETERMINED Carolyn and Rodney Jackson with Florence and Charlotte supported since it was launched last month with around 10,000 donors contributing from all over the UK – including one anonymous gift of £45,000.

Notts County Football Club featured Flo’s Fight on the front cover of a match programme, and the Plush Addict shop in Peterborough raised £6,800.

And Flo’s sister Charlotte managed to raise over £1,000 in one day at Speldhurst Primary School for a non-uniform day.

“The news that our precious little girl had cancer came as a complete body blow,” Mr Jackson said.

“But we were determined that this was one fight that cancer wasn’t going to win.”

Florence underwent 20 rounds of chemotherapy, major surgery, a stem cell transplant, five weeks of

radiotherapy and immunotherapy treatment.

“Sadly, our hopes that Florence could soon start enjoying a life free of cancer were cruelly dashed last November,” added Mr Jackson. “A routine CT scan showed that the tumour was growing again, despite everything that had been thrown at it.

“A follow-up scan in January has shown that the tumour has spread into her stomach and has wrapped around her blood vessels.

“The doctors have told us the tumour is too dangerous to remove and there’s nothing more they can do. But we can. And we will.”

Florence will travel to New York to be treated by a leading cancer surgeon, Dr Michael La Quaglia.

For more details of Flo’s Fight see Education, page 21

A NEW study has revealed that food hygiene standards at takeaways and sandwich shops in the Tunbridge Wells area are amongst the highest in the country.

Out of 355 council areas in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland has a different rating system), Tunbridge Wells had the 25th highest percentage of businesses scoring the top rating of 5, at 83 per cent. The research was undertaken by LoveMyVouchers.co.uk using data taken from the Food Standards Agency Government.

Recycling renewed A PILOT of the waste electrical goods collection service in Tonbridge has been extended for a further two years. The service has diverted more than 530 tonnes of waste from landfill since it was introduced. Due to it’s popularity it will continue until 2019.

Local News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Public are invited to put forward their own ideas for new mural at station

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk THE new mural for platform two of Tunbridge Wells railway station is now underway and will be painted by local artist Chris Burke.

The renowned caricaturist created the front page cartoon for the Times illustrating the stand-alone position of Tunbridge Wells when it voted Remain in the EU referendum last summer.

The theme of the mural is a timeline of Tunbridge Wells

‘It starts with the town’s sandstone rocks during the Iron Age’ from the Iron Age up to the present day – and the town’s residents are being asked to put forward their ideas to illustrate the last 100 years.

Mr Burke, who lives in Tunbridge Wells, was selected from 20 applicants and is working in conjunction with another local artist, Elaine Gill. The mural will be completed by March 31.

He is currently using a vacant shop in Ely Court as his studio, producing an initial drawing of the design which is six metres long.

The completed design will consist of 18 large

panels, which will form a mural 35 metres long and three metres high. The panels will be photographed and put on to vinyl using a special camera.

Mr Burke, 61, will continue to paint in Royal Victoria Place (RVP) as the work grows. He says: “It will be exciting for the public to see it unfolding.”

There will be a drop-in session on Saturday, February 18 for the public to pass on their ideas to the artist.

“It’s just too big to do it at the station,” he said, “and there would be health and safety issues working on the platform.”

THE BIG PICTURE Chris Burke is working on his six-metre long drawing in Royal Victoria Place

After the vinyl version is produced, the original will be housed either in RVP or at the new Creative Hub premises on Monson Road.

“I haven’t got room for it in my own house,” Mr Burke said. “Unfortunately I don’t own a Victorian mansion. Maybe if Peggy Oppenheimer had still been alive, she could have had it.

“I went to an expressionist exhibition recently and there was the huge Jackson Pollock ‘Mural’ there that she had commissioned for her hallway.

It was 20ft long!”

The subject matter almost suggested itself, given the nature of the undertaking. “I did a timeline because it’s so long that you couldn’t just do one picture,” explained Mr Burke.

“It starts with the town’s sandstone rocks during the Iron Age – apparently there was a settlement here. Then came the Romans, Dudley Lord North, who discovered the Chalybeate Spring, then Queen Anne, whose patronage helped to found The Pantiles, Beau Nash and Queen Victoria.”

“So far the timeline goes up to 1909, when Edward VII gave the town its ‘Royal’ prefix. But we’ve still got half a panel left, which may not sound like much but it’s still a lot of space.

“We’re inviting the people of Tunbridge Wells to

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send in their ideas for what we might include to depict the period from 1909 to 2017.”

The background will be white because ‘it’s a dark old spot on the platform’. There will be filigree decoration featuring hops, while the railings of The Pantiles will turn into railway tracks because of the station connection.

Mr Burke is experienced in working with murals – even those with a commuter element. He was commissioned by Transport for London to paint some hoardings when Green Park tube station was refurbished.

“They wanted caricatures of eminent personalities from Green Park. So I did Queen Victoria breakdancing, the Duke of Wellington in a boot and Sir Isaac Newton wearing a wig made of apples.”

Ten years ago, Mr Burke supplied 90 murals for the book chain Ottakar’s across the country – including the Tunbridge Wells branch, in which he depicted famous people from the town’s history.

The previous murals at the station were removed last July when it was discovered that the framework securing them had become decayed.

When repair work was undertaken, Southeastern said the MDF that acted as the canvas had crumbled and the mural could not be saved.

The loss of this previous artwork, which cheered up many a commuter’s miserable wait for rail services, has caused an outcry around the town.

The originals were painted in 1989 by the noted mural artist Brian Barnes in conjunction with Carrol Kenna and Steve Lobb of the Greenwich Mural Workshop.

Mr Barnes has also been recommissioned to produce a replacement for his mural, which will again feature the town’s landmarks.

If you would like to make a suggestion for the content of the final panel, visit the Facebook page for Platform2tw or email Platform2tw@ gmail.com before February 14. For examples of Chris Burke’s work, go to www.chrisburke.co.uk

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Local News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Memorial service for the former policeman who mentored the towns’ vulnerable young people

SUPPORT NETWORK Darryl Oung (left) with the Horizon boys

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk DARRYL OUNG, a highly respected tutor with the YMCA Horizon Project in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge, has died after suffering a heart attack.

He served as a police officer in Tunbridge Wells and worked in Sherwood as well as being a member of the tactical firearms unit. He has two sons, Darryl and Luke.

Mr Oung, who was in his fifties, had been an influential figure in the Horizon Project for eight years, working at the Sherwood branch and on Shipbourne Road in Tonbridge.

“He taught the boys plumbing but it was more than that, he had a wealth of life experiences to share with them,” said Tunbridge Wells key worker Bonnie Corbett.

“He had been a local bobby on the beat on the Sherwood estate for many years and he knew the families, what sort of lives the boys led.

“He would support them, he was the paternal type and he would go the extra mile for them, even away from the Horizon Project.”

His death has led to an outpouring of emotion among the young men who he had helped to save from going off the rails.

“They all respected him hugely and were very fond of him,” said Ms Corbett.

“They are coming into the centre at the moment and sharing their memories of him.

“An ex-student came in to talk about Darryl, and he ended up staying on to talk to the boys here now, relating those experiences to them.”

A memorial service will be held at Horizon Tn2 in the TN2 Community Centre off Greggs Wood Road in Sherwood on Friday February 24, starting at 1pm.

“That’s why we will be holding a memorial in his memory here rather than in a church,” added Ms Corbett. “It’s somewhere where the boys feel safe and comfortable.

“We help them when they are going through a vulnerable period in their

lives so they don’t feel excluded even if they are no longer in mainstream education. It’s a real family atmosphere here.”

Mr Oung grew up in the East End of London and said he became an accomplished boxer to protect his family from racist abuse. He then joined the Royal Engineers aged 16 and spent 11 years in the army.

His horrific memories of serving on the Falkland Islands, clearing up after the conflict there in 1981, also stayed with him throughout his life.

He said: “I spent six months doing minefield fencing and construction work.

“I saw some horrible things and, even though the fighting had ended, soldiers were being seriously injured from mines and explosions.”

He was forced to leave the police force after suffering a spinal injury in a training exercise. He subsequently suffered from depression and was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Bipolar Disorder.

“I wanted to find work that involved helping people because I knew that would help me too,” Mr Oung said at the time.

PATERNAL “My job now is Darryl Oung was worthwhile, full time ‘hugely respected’ and permanent – and it’s saved my life.”

Cut foreign aid to fund social care says charity PEMBURY-based charity Pepenbury have welcomed the Kent County Council Leader’s call to cut Foreign Aid programmes to alleviate the escalating costs of social care.

Cllr Paul Carter bemoaned the fact that local government budgets have ‘contracted by 36 per cent’ while foreign aid has been protected at 0.7 per cent of GDP. In 2015, this was £12.2billion.

He argued that central Government’s priorities ‘need recalibrating’, adding: “I think one of the primary duties of central Government is to make sure that the elderly, sick and vulnerable are supported adequately.”

Pepenbury, which supports vulnerable adults in West Kent, welcomed the call to redirect the funds in a press release.

Karl Pay, Head of Operations at the charity, said: “The current funding allocation does not always adequately meet the changing needs of people.

“We as a care organisation could do so much more to provide additional care when people become unwell if the funding was more flexible and based around people’s changing needs.

“Ultimately this would be much more cost-

effective than an admission to an NHS hospital which could potentially lead to bed blocking, which we know is a real issue for hospitals.”

Underfunding of social care has been a sticking point for Theresa May’s Government as the NHS and local government leaders have pleaded for more cash.

Criticism In December the Government announced that local authorities would be able to increase council tax by up to 3 per cent to raise funds for social care.

The move was criticised as it would mean the quality of social care would vary depending on the wealth of the area.

Pepenbury is the trading name for Larkfield With Hill Park Autistic Trust Limited – a registered charitable company.

They employ more than 250 people, spending over £7million a year to provide residential facilities with full-time care, supported living, a day services centre and a community team who help support people living on their own in the community.

CONCERNED Pepenbury’s Head of Operations Karl Pay

Variety Performances should set the seal on Calverley playground TICKETS have gone on sale this week for two special shows being staged at the Assembly Hall as part of a final burst of activity to raise money for the play area in Calverley Grounds.

Taking place on Sunday March 12 and sponsored

by AXA PPP Healthcare, it’s hoped The Royal Tunbridge Wells Variety Performances will be the final fundraiser for the Calverley Adventure Grounds project as it nears its £225,000 target.

“We were thrilled when the Assembly Hall offered to donate the theatre to Calverley Adventure Grounds for a day,” said Anna Brandon, one of the event organisers.

“We wanted something that would bring the whole community together and the Variety Performances seemed the perfect way to do this.”

Mary Stoner from the Tunbridge Wells Kids on the Go website, which has been orchestrating the two events, said: “We have been able to put together two highly entertaining shows that celebrate the huge array of talent in the local area thanks to the overwhelming response we received to our request for performers.”

Musicians The 1.30pm show will feature performers who are aged 11 and under, while the second instalment, which starts at 5pm, will showcase the talents of the older entertainers.

Dancers, musicians, gymnasts, singers and even gifted footballers will entertain the audiences.

On January 1 the team of volunteers fundraising for the Calverley Adventure Grounds project launched their ‘£75,000 in 75 days’ campaign.

The project received two large grants towards the project in 2016 but they require Calverley Adventure Grounds to be built this summer.

This means that if the play area is to be constructed in its entirety, the £225,000 target must be reached by March 16.

Tickets for the performances can be purchased from the Assembly Hall box office and start at £8.50 plus £1.75 booking fee. A 15 per cent discount on tickets is available until this Friday if the code ‘variety15’ is used.

More information on the initiative can be found at www.calverleyadventuregrounds.co.uk

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BUSINESS

Local Business News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

County’s £2.15billion budget heads for vote amid tax hikes and cuts to public services

By Adam Hignett adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk COUNTY councillors are due to meet tomorrow [February 9] to vote on a new budget tasked with plugging an £112.7million black hole for the 2017/18 financial year.

The shortfall is a result of reduced support from central government and expanding spending demands, council documents state.

Of this, £34.5m will be raised through the implementation of a two per cent social care precept on top of a 1.99 per cent increase in Kent County Council’s [KCC] portion of council tax.

Some of this additional revenue is also set to come from increased business rates.

Leader of the Council Paul Carter has called the increased tax rises ‘justifiable’, adding: “Whilst we would have liked to keep increases Paul Carter lower, these

are in line with the government’s spending plans, but it is essential to raise additional funds towards rising costs and to protect frontline services.”

While council plans to raise taxes were announced in the Times in October, details on how to find the remaining £78.2million have only been revealed this year following a public consultation.

In total, KCC will have a gross expenditure of £2.15billion over the period. Most of this income is derived from charges and specific government grants. However, £887.9million is net expenditure and has to be raised through council tax, local retention of business rates and ‘un-ring-fenced’ government grants.

Almost all of the services which fall under the remit of KCC will see a reduction in their net expenditure, excluding small rises in Children’s Services and Waste Management.

Proportionally, the largest decrease is in ‘Schools’ Services’, while the single biggest area of current expenditure to be cut is ‘Management Support & Overheads’. Total cuts to services amount to £23million. The remainder of the shortfall is met through ‘generating income’ and the use of reserves. However, the use of reserves has been labelled a one-off action which ‘cannot be repeated in subsequent years’.

Commenting on the need to make cuts, Cllr Carter said: “KCC is approaching another year where again we have to make substantial savings on the budget in response to the ongoing squeeze on public spending.”

Council documents also warn budget assumptions are based on ‘sustained economic prosperity’, adding: “Should there be further economic

shocks this could have a significant impact on future central government funding, local tax receipts and demand on local services.

KCC net budget expenditure:

“The Council maintains an appropriate reserve to help mitigate such shocks and other risks to the Council’s finances.”

2016/17

2017/18

Net Expenditure £m

Percentage of Expenditure

Net Expenditure £m

Percentage of Expenditure

Adults & Older People’s Services

352.7

38.7%

348.0

39.2%

Children’s Services

149.5

16.4%

151.9

17.1%

Community Services

17.6

1.9%

17.3

1.9%

Highways

29.9

3.3%

28.3

3.2%

Public Health

0.2

0.0%

0.2

0.0%

Schools’ Services*

7.8

0.9%

2.3

0.3%

Transport Services

63.6

7.0%

62.6

7.1%

Waste Management

66.6

7.3%

68.2

7.7%

Other Direct Services to the Public

20.4

2.2%

19.9

2.2%

Financing Items

124.7

13.7%

122.9

13.8%

Management Support & Overheads

78.1

8.6%

71.5

8.1%

Unallocated Savings

NA

0.0%

5.2

-0.6%

911.0

100.0%

887.9

100.0%

Total

*Schools’ Services fall outside of the School and Higher Needs Education Budget, which in 2016/17 stood at £732.6million. Figures for 2017/18 are currently unavailable.

Local Business News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

2016/17 budget £911million

Balancing the budget books (See illustration)

Rising costs add £57.2million to required spending Savings and income reduce this by £72million Public health, other grants and ‘unidentified’ savings £8.6million

Who gets what from your council tax?

Average division per pound spent  KCC 72p  Tunbridge Wells

2017/18 net budget of £887.9million

Borough Council 10p  Kent Police 10p  Kent Fire & Rescue

Service 5p (All figures are rounded)

 Parish 3p

The big picture Since 2010, Kent County Council has had to make annual savings in the region of £80 to £90million per annum, leading to total savings of £515million over this period.

In addition, £93million has been raised through council tax.

This has helped to largely plug a growing budget deficit caused by cuts from central government worth £221million, and the spiralling price of service provision, which added £387million to council costs over the period.

No plans to copy Surrey The huge pressures faced by local government authorities across the UK were thrown into sharp focus at the start of the year when neighbouring Surrey County Council said it will increase council tax by 15 per cent, subject to a public vote.

Surrey County Council said this will help ensure cuts are kept at £30million rather than £73million – similar to those faced at KCC. However, council chiefs at KCC have dismissed this option, with Leader Paul Carter insisting ‘there will be no such thing’, as the authority had put together a ‘sensible and intelligent’ budget.

Police and Crime Commissioner gets approval for precept hike The Kent and Medway Police and Crime Panel has unanimously approved Commissioner Matthew Scott’s plan to raise council tax, enabling Kent Police to recruit more officers and PCSOs. One of Mr Scott’s main duties as Kent’s Police and Crime Commissioner is to set the amount that Kent Police receives from council tax, known as the ‘policing precept’.

Following a meeting in Maidstone on February 2, an average household bill for 2017/18 has been set at £157.15, representing an increase of £5 (3.3%).

A portion of that additional income will go to supply ‘boots on the ground’ by increasing the number of police officers from 3,180 to 3,260.

BUSINESS

11

BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF

Top marks for Perrys Tonbridge accountant DANIEL POWLEY, from Tonbridge, has achieved the highest mark worldwide for his accountancy examination, ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) Paper Joint P2, with a score of 89 out of 100.

Mr Powley, who works at Perrys Chartered Accountants in Tunbridge Wells, and joined the business as a trainee accountant in October 2013, sat the examination in December.

He received a letter last week confirming his results and will now be recognised for his achievement by ACCA. He will also receive £200 prize money along with a certificate of merit.

Commenting on his achievement, Mr Powley said: “I am absolutely delighted with my result. It was really unexpected. I had worked very hard for this examination, but I didn’t ever expect to receive the highest mark in the country, let alone worldwide.”

German trade show TUNBRIDGE WELLS small and medium-sized businesses in consumer goods sectors – which include beauty, food, drink and fashion – have a free opportunity for their goods to be presented to the German market by the The Department for International Trade.

The Munich Pop-Up Shop takes place over two weeks at the beginning of March.

To register an interest, email: business@tunbridgewells.gov.uk with all your details by February 7.

12

NEWS

Communtiy News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Paralympian hero Bayley is ambassador for Pepenbury

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk PARALYMPIC gold medallist Will Bayley has joined forces with Pepenbury to become an ambassador for the Pembury disability charity.

The men’s class 7 world No 1 Para table tennis player, who received an MBE in the New Year’s Honours List, visited the charity last year.

Will, from Groombridge, was born with arthrogryposis, a rare congenital disorder that affects the movement in all four of his limbs.

He then contracted Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer, at the age of seven, Will Bayley which required 18 months of chemotherapy.

Pepenbury provides residential facilities with full-time care, supported living, a day services centre and a community team that help support people living on their own in the community around West Kent.

The charity, which employs more than 250 staff, primarily supports people with learning disabilities but also those who have physical disabilities and other issues.

Pepenbury also helps them to experience more independent living through training in life and work skills.

“People with learning disabilities are no different to us,” says Will. “They want to go on first dates, laugh with friends in the pub and have jobs, but without the right support they struggle to do this.

“Pepenbury is really committed to doing everything they can to support them, which is why they have to fundraise.

“I know first hand what having the right support can do and what you can achieve.

“That’s why I’m excited to get involved and support this charity.

I was so impressed with them when I visited last year.”

Pepenbury’s Chief Executive, Sarah Stookes, said: “We are beyond thrilled to welcome Will as our ambassador. He is such a role model for many and his enthusiasm for what we do and the people we support is amazing.

“We are looking forward to working with him to raise awareness of learning disabilities, and the fact that being different doesn’t mean you should be excluded or that you can’t progress in life with the right support.”

PEDAL POWER The law firm staff complete the Tour de Cripps

Boost for Alzheimer’s Society from Cripps’ fundraising team TUNBRIDGE WELLS law firm Cripps has donated £16,000 to the Alzheimer’s Society following a year of fundraising by its staff.

ON YOUR MARKS The start of the Get Cripps to Rio Challenge

House builder wants to back local charity THE UK’s leading retirement house builder, McCarthy and Stone, are looking for a local charity to support after announcing a new project in Tunbridge Wells.

The developer wants to form a relationship with an organisation working within the community as part of its commitment to the area.

The new development, situated on St John’s Road, will comprise of one and two bedroom Assisted Living apartments for those aged 70 and over.

Community groups and local charities are urged to contact mccarthyandstone@mccann.com by midnight on Monday February 20. Please mark your emails ‘Royal Tunbridge Wells Community Appeal’.

Julie Ward, Regional Sales and Marketing

Director at McCarthy and Stone South East, said: “It is part of our ongoing commitment to help the local communities in which we build, which is why it’s such a pleasure to be able to offer our support to deserving organisations and individuals in Tunbridge Wells.

“We want to give something back to the community, having recently started work on a new development in the area.”

The development will include a lounge with a coffee bar, bistro-style restaurant, landscaped gardens and a guest suite.

For more information about Assisted Living at the St John’s Road development, call 0800 201 4743 or visit www.mccarthyandstone.co.uk

The Snowflake swimmers take the plunge to help Demelza MORE than 50 swimmers braved the outdoor waters of Charlton Lido again to raise funds for Demelza Hospice Care for Children, which helps hundreds of families across West Kent and East Sussex.

Among them was Adam Phillips, brother of the late Demelza Phillips, after whom the charity was named. He took on a 2km challenge along with 20 others.

The ‘Snowflake Swim’ was held for the first time last year. Participants aged from six to 72 took the plunge, swimming between two and 40 lengths of the pool in Hornfair Park, London on January 29.

There were many who wore fancy dress, including a school of singing fish from the Bexleyheath Rock Choir and characters from Star Wars.

A full calendar of events featured the Get Cripps to Rio Challenge, which saw members of the company walking, running and cycling 5,767 miles – the distance from the town to Rio de Janeiro.

Supported by cycling café The Velo House, the Challenge included the Tour de Cripps bike ride, in which 14 staff cycled a 55-mile route taking them between Cripps’ offices in London, Kings Hill and Tunbridge Wells.

The Get Cripps to Rio Challenge earned the company a silver award in the Team Initiative of the Year category at the Citywealth Future Leaders Awards.

Other activities included a football tournament, a spacehopper challenge and a Christmas bake-off.

“We’ve had a really successful year of fundraising and are delighted to have been able to make such a significant donation to our charity of the year for 2016, the Alzheimer’s Society,” said Senior Partner Clare Hyland.

The Alzheimer’s Society is the UK’s leading dementia support and research charity, providing almost 3,000 community-based services.

Clare added: “The bright ideas and engagement generated by our internal fundraising team and wider staff help to spread the word and encourage participation across the whole firm.”

SPLASHING OUT Adam Phillips with Demelza volunteer Rosie Wheatley Events Co-ordinator Gemma Murray, who took part in the swim, said: “We were really pleased to see so many people embracing this chilly challenge again this year.

“Last year our swimmers raised an incredible £20,473, and we would love this year’s brave participants to beat that!”

Demelza provides specialist one-to-one care and support art for young people with terminal illness up to the age of 19.

The charity also offers access to life-enhancing facilities like a hydrotherapy pool and therapies such as music and art.

For more information about Demelza visit www.demelza.org.uk

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NEWS

National News

Southern drivers discuss latest deal SOUTHERN Railway drivers are expected to accept a deal to end a long-running dispute.

Members of Aslef are being balloted on an agreement thrashed out during 11 days of talks aimed at resolving a row over driver-only trains, which has led to strikes.

However, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has attacked the deal as a ‘shocking betrayal’ of workers and passengers.

In response, Aslef’s assistant general secretary Simon Weller said there had been a ‘misunderstanding’, insisting significant gains had been achieved.

He said: “We wanted a second, safety-critical person on trains, and that is what we have got.

“There will be some exceptions, such as when someone is taken ill or delayed on their way to work, but they are broadly the same as they have always been.

“It is the arrangement we have with conductors under the old system.”

If an on-board supervisor (OBS) - the new role for guards on Southern - is delayed, a train can leave, but the company will have to book on a replacement, explained Mr Weller.

He said original plans for drivers to operate trains on their own in the event of further strikes

by RMT members were opposed by Aslef and had been dropped.

“They wanted driver-only operation but they have not got driver-only operation.”

Mr Weller said he believed the 900 members of Aslef involved in the dispute will vote to accept the deal, but he warned there was a lot of mistrust towards Southern which could affect the outcome.

Aslef officials were due to explain the deal to a mass meeting of drivers last night (Tuesday).

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Government faces claim it has ‘thrown in the towel’ on nation of home owners PLANS to fix the ‘broken’ housing market and boost housebuilding across England have been unveiled by the Government.

The moves aim to speed up the housebuilding process and encourage innovation from smaller builders, as well as helping renters.

Under the reforms set out in a white paper, every local area will need to produce plans to make sure enough land is released in areas where people want to live.

The plans will also see housebuilding timescales shortened, requiring developers to start building within two years instead of three.

More action has also been promised to help small independent builders enter the market through the £3billion Home Building Fund.

Reflecting the trend towards more people renting for longer, the Government also plans to make it easier for developers to offer affordable private rental homes.

It is also working with the British Property Federation and the National Housing Federation to ensure that ‘family friendly’ tenancies of three or more years are available for renters wanting longer-term tenancies.

Labour say the plans still do not go far enough.

BUILDING A FUTURE More affordable homes needed

NEWS IN BRIEF

Cannabis farm found close to Legoland TWO men have been arrested after a cannabis farm was found in a derelict cottage on land owned by Legoland but outside the boundary of the children’s theme park in Windsor, Berkshire.

A Legoland spokesman said the cottage was inaccessible to the public and appears to have been accessed via Crown Estate land which is owned by the Queen.

A Thames Valley Police spokesman said a 40-year-old man from Windsor and a 34-year-old man from Burnham, near Slough, have been arrested on suspicion of producing a class B drug.

Premium Bond cuts Shadow Secretary of State for Housing John Healey said: “We were promised a white paper; we’ve got a white flag.”

Nick Leeming, chairman of estate agents Jackson-Stops and Staff, said: “The Government has thrown in the towel on Britain as a nation of home owners.”

The Government also said that, to limit the pressure on the countryside, as much use should be made of previously-developed ‘brownfield’ land for homes as possible. It also said starter homes such as shared ownership homes should be available to those who need them most, with an income of less than £80,000 or £90,000 in London.

A consultation on the proposals will run until May 2.

NS&I (National Savings and Investments) has announced a wave of cuts to its Premium Bond prizes and savings rates.

The changes, which will affect more than 21 million customers, take place from May 1 and will apply to Premium Bonds, the Direct ISA, the Direct Saver and Income Bonds.

NS&I said the move follows reductions in interest rates across the savings market, after the Bank of England base rate was cut to 0.25 per cent.

Cabin crew protest STRIKING British Airways cabin crew staged a protest outside Parliament as part of their campaign against ‘poverty’ pay yesterday (Tuesday) in an effort to gain support from MPs.

National News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

NEWS

15

Driver filled his car with gadgets to beat police speed cameras

PRICE HIKE? No comment from Centrica

British Gas remains tight-lipped over plans to increase fuel bills ENERGY campaigners have reacted with fury following speculation British Gas is to ramp up the price of bills by 9 per cent.

The country’s biggest energy firm is reportedly working on plans that will force families to stomach a £94 increase to average dual fuel bills for gas and electricity, according to The Evening Standard.

In reply, British Gas owner Centrica said it ‘never speculates on future pricing decisions’.

If the speculation proves to be accurate, it would affect 11 million customers and follows hot on the heels of a price increase from rival Npower, which last week jacked up prices 9.8 per cent - a move that will add £109 to the annual dual fuel bills of its customers.

Laura Hill, from the Switched On campaign group, said: “We are disgusted to hear that British

Gas are again planning to hike up prices in order to maximise their bottom line.

“This will really hurt hard-pressed households, many of whom spent the winter months shivering in their homes.

“People need a genuine alternative to these ripoff merchants. By setting up local public energy companies that put affordable bills before profit, the Government can ensure people are able to heat their homes. This is a basic need, not a luxury.”

EDF also hiked prices in December, and experts believe other energy providers will also ramp up prices in the coming months in the face of rising wholesale energy costs.

On Tuesday morning energy regulator Ofgem stepped in, setting a temporary price cap aimed at protecting over four million households who prepay for their energy.

A SALESMAN who viewed speed limits as an ‘inconvenience’ has been spared jail after using a laser jamming device to avoid being caught driving too fast.

Ben Kitto, who was travelling at 91mph at the time of the offence, received a suspended prison sentence at York Crown Court after pleading guilty to perverting the course of justice.

Judge Andrew Stubbs QC said it appeared to be more important for Kitto, who drove 45,000 miles each year in a BMW 6 series car, to arrive at his destination quickly. He said: “For you it appears the speed limits were an inconvenience.

“This arrogance led you to fill your car with gadgets, both legal and illegal, to allow you to operate outside the law. You wanted to speed without getting caught and to do so you installed a laser jammer.”

The judge added: “I hope the message goes out from this court to everyone else that perverting the course of justice almost inevitably leads to a custodial sentence. It’s only your exception-

al character that has prevented you from being jailed immediately.”

Father-of-two Kitto, who has raised thousands of pounds for local charities, listened to the judge’s comments with his head bowed.

The court heard that Kitto, from Scarborough, was travelling at 91mph on the A64 in North Yorkshire on June 30 last year. He slowed down to 53mph after the device in his car sounded an alarm as it jammed a police speed gun.

A police officer realised the car was fitted with a laser jamming device and Kitto was tracked down to his home.

The court heard that analysis of dash cam footage from his car showed that he had been speeding on nine other occasions.

Judge Stubbs sentenced Kitto to a two-month jail term, suspended for 12 months and 100 hours of unpaid work. For the speeding offence, the 41-year-old received five penalty points on his licence and a £1,000 fine. He was also ordered to pay £1,200 court costs.

SPORT IN BRIEF

Rugby club prepares for Westhuizen memorial TRIBUTES have been pouring in following the death of World Cup winner Joost van der Westhuizen.

The former South Africa scrum-half died on Monday at the age of 45, having been diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2011.

A public memorial service for Van der Westhuizen will be held at Loftus Versfeld, the Blue Bulls ground where he made his name, on Friday.

Support for Ranieri LEICESTER City Football Club moved quickly to dismiss rumours surrounding the future of manager Claudio Ranieri following a string of poor results. A statement released on Tuesday by the Premier League outfit said: “Leicester City Football Club would like to make absolutely clear its unwavering support for its first team manager.

“The entire club is, and will remain, united behind its manager and behind its players, collectively and firmly focused on the challenges ahead.”

London ban for Russia

No festival for Mad

RUSSIA will be barred from the World Championships in London in August after failing to convince the International Association of Athletics Federations that it is ready to return following allegations of state-sponsored doping.

The IAAF voted unanimously to extend the current ban on the Russian Athletics Federation from senior international competition, although Russians can still apply to compete as individual athletes.

AR MAD will not recover from a setback in time to make the Cheltenham Festival as trainer Gary Moore feels next month’s horse racing showpiece meeting will come too soon. The West Sussex handler had already ruled the seven-year-old out of the Ascot Chase on Saturday week.

Ten-times champion trainer Paul Nicholls rates novice chasers Politologue and Arpege D’Alene as his best two chances of a gaining a winner at this year’s Cheltenham Festival.

16

BUSINESS

National Business News

Lloyds will review HBOS fraud cases

TOUGH CONDITIONS BP boss Bob Dudley

BP’s end-of-year boost but group still needs to balance the books OIL giant BP stayed in the red in 2016 with losses of $999million (£803million) but revealed a strong finish to the year as crude prices bounced back.

The group clawed its way out of the red in the fourth quarter, with profits of $72million ­(£58million) against losses of $2.2billion ­(£1.8billion) a year earlier.

‘We have delivered solid results in tough conditions’ This helped annual losses improve from the mammoth $5.2billion (£4.2billion) loss posted in 2015 – BP’s worst result for at least 20 years.

On an underlying basis, BP saw profits more than halve in 2016 to $2.59billion (£2.1billion) from $5.91billion (£4.8billion) the previous year.

BP said oil prices remained ‘challenging’ in 2016, with the average for Brent crude standing at $44 a barrel – the lowest for 12 years.

Recent higher oil prices, which have recovered above $50 a barrel, helped underlying ­replacement cost profits more than double to

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

$400million (£322million) in the fourth quarter from $196million (£158million) a year earlier.

But this was lower than City forecasts for around $560million (£450million).

The group said it expected to balance its books at an oil price of around $60 a barrel by the end of 2017 and hopes production to rise this year, although it cautioned over the impact of Opec’s decision to cut production.

Bob Dudley, BP’s Group Chief Executive, said: “We have delivered solid results in tough conditions – and are well prepared for any volatility in oil pricing.”

Shares fell 2 per cent on the fourth-quarter earnings disappointment.

BP said the benefits of the higher oil prices were offset by weaker refining margins in the quarter.

The bill for the Deep­water Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 surged to $62.6billion (£50.4billion), with another $625million (£504million) charge taken in the fourth quarter.

Mr Dudley said with the costs of the Deepwater tragedy ‘substantially behind us’, the group is ‘fully focused on the future’.

LLOYDS BANKING GROUP is to carry out a review and decide whether to pay out compensation to business customers who became victims of fraud at the hands of former HBOS staff.

The bank said it will assess ‘all customer cases’ which may have been affected by ‘criminal ­activities’ linked to the former Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS) impaired assets office in Reading.

The bank said it was currently in talks with the Financial Conduct Authority about appointing a third party to help carry out the review.

It comes after a group of corrupt financiers who carried out a £245million loans scam and ­squandered the profits on high-end prostitutes and luxury holidays were jailed on Thursday.

Consultant David Mills bribed HBOS m ­ anager Lynden Scourfield with designer goods, sex parties and ‘boys’ jollies’ to exotic locations.

The perks were a reward in exchange for loans which allowed Mills and his associates to profit from high consultancy fees.

In a statement, Lloyds said: “Customer cases will be considered afresh in light of all relevant evidence including new evidence that emerged during the trial.

“Since the investigation began in 2010, it was important the group did not do or say a ­ nything that could subsequently prejudice the trial.

“The group deeply regrets that the criminal actions have caused such distress for a number of HBOS business customers.”

It said it plans to contact all ‘potentially affected’ customers but urged customers to contact the bank if they think they have been hit by the scam.

The move comes after a group of MPs wrote to Lloyds bosses on Monday demanding ‘proper compensation’ for defrauded businesses.

BUSNIESS NEWS IN BRIEF

Aldi moves into fifth place on grocer’s list ALDI has overtaken the Co-operative to become Britain’s fifth largest grocer, according to new figures. Aldi’s sales rose 12.4 per cent year-on-year in the 12 weeks to January 29, taking its market share to 6.2 per cent – ahead of the Co-op’s 6 per cent, data from Kantar Worldpanel shows.

Hornby back on track TOYMAKER Hornby, which is best known for its model railways, said plans to shore up its flagging performance were on track as it presses ahead with a sweeping structural overhaul. Shares in The Scalextric-to-Airfix firm soared 12 per cent on the London Stock Exchange at the start of the week.

Property prices decline HOUSE values fell by 0.9 per cent month on month at the start of the year, marking the first monthly decline in prices seen since August last year, says a report by the Halifax. However, across the UK, the average house price stands at £220,260 – which is 5.7 per cent higher than a year earlier.

Firms must catch up BRITISH firms are lagging behind US and German peers when it comes to responding to cyber security threats, putting them at risk of new hacks that could cost upwards of £500,000, says a cyber-readiness report by specialist insurer Hiscox.

World News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

NEWS IN BRIEF

Unsustainable debt threatens Greece GREECE is making progress towards reducing its massive budget problems and restoring economic growth, but its debts remain ‘unsustainable’ over the long term, the International Monetary Fund has said.

Greece is under pressure to conclude its latest bailout negotiations in time for a scheduled February 20 meeting of Eurozone finance ministers.

This would allow the country to join the European Central Bank’s bond-buying programme, which could boost market confidence and make it easier for Greece to return to the bond market later this year.

Park faces questions PRESIDENT Park Geun-hye is to be questioned by South Korean prosecutors this week over her alleged involvement in a political scandal that toppled her from power.

Ms Park was impeached by the oppositioncontrolled parliament in December over allegations she let her long-time confidante Choi Soon-sil interfere in state affairs and extort money from businesses in collaboration with presidential officials.

Choi and several of Ms Park’s former advisers are already facing criminal trials.

Security man charged POLICE have charged a security consultant with public mischief after an investigation into allegations a listening device was planted in the New Zealand rugby union team’s meeting room in a Sydney hotel before a Test match against Australia in August last year.

The man has been identified as Adrian Gard, a director of Brisbane-based security and investigations company Bodyguards International. He could face up to 12 months in prison if convicted.

Pills found in car A BUDDHIST monk has been arrested in Burma after authorities said they found more than four million methamphetamine pills in his car and his monastery.

NEWS

17

Melania Trump refiles her libel action against newspaper website US FIRST lady Melania Trump is continuing to pursue a £121million libel lawsuit against the corporation that publishes the Daily Mail’s website, this time in New York, for reporting rumours that she worked as an escort.

In the new filing, Mrs Trump’s lawyers argue the report damaged her ability to profit from her high profile.

Mrs Trump, the filing states, ‘had the unique, opportunity, as an extremely famous and wellknown person, as well as a former professional model, brand spokesperson and successful businesswoman, to launch a broad-based commercial brand in multiple product categories, each of which could have garnered multi-million dollar business relationships for a multi-year term during which Plaintiff is one of the most photographed women in the world’.

Those product categories, it goes on to say, could have included clothing, accessories, jewellery, cosmetics, hair care and fragrance, among others.

Mrs Trump had previously filed the lawsuit against Mail Media Inc in Maryland, but earlier this month a judge ruled the case should not be filed there and dismissed it.

LIBEL LAWSUIT Melania Trump with husband Donald

‘Updated’ Playboy bunnies hop back into the Big Apple PLAYBOY Bunnies, complete with rabbit tails and ears, will soon be back in business in New York City.

Three decades after the original Playboy Club closed in Manhattan, an apparent victim of changing American tastes and views on women, a new one will debut later this year in a hotel a few streets from Times Square.

The club in West 42nd Street ‘will be one of the most chic and sophisticated venues in the world’, promises Playboy Enterprises spokesman John Vlautin.

It will have a lounge, a restaurant, a games room and of course, the Bunnies, with updated outfits.

Other Playboy clubs are already operating in London, the Vietnamese capital Hanoi and several places in India, and another is due to open in

Shanghai in the spring.

New York’s club will be in the Cachet Boutique New York Hotel, replacing the gay-themed Out Hotel, which closed last year.

If the club opens as scheduled, it will be in a city that began the year with hundreds of thousands of women taking to the streets to protest against the presidency of Donald Trump, in part because of remarks he made that

were perceived as chauvinistic.

The timing may be off, says travel guidebook publisher Pauline Frommer.

“Retro is in, but I’m not sure this type of retro,” she said. “We live in this era when thousands of women are gathering in marches to protest.

I’m not sure the zeitgeist is right for Playboy now.”

Playboy founder Hugh Hefner opened the first club in Chicago in 1960 and quickly expanded the operation to 30 clubs around the world. New York’s version opened in East 59th Street between Fifth and Madison avenues in 1962.

The original clubs remained popular and lucrative for years before faltering in the 1980s but were all defunct by 1991.

NEW YORK COMEBACK: Bunnies return

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NEWS

Pantiles News

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

PANTILESNews

The

Will the promenade’s new building go down in the history of Tunbridge Wells’ architecture?

After property developer Dandara revealed their proposal for the development of Union House 0n The Pantiles, reactions were less than positive. Here we look back at how this particular part of town has served its residents

box

PAST TIMES The Old Pump House

Tunbridge Wells’ main social gathering spaces.

Its name was a total misnomer however as it had no function of dispensing the town’s famous Chalybeate spring waters.

The building hosted a ballroom, supposedly enlarged at the turn of the 20th century to ‘host a thousand people’. It was also the venue used by a very successful debating society founded around the same time by Thomas Fox Simpson, the town’s first Magistrates’ Clerk whose portrait now hangs in the Town Hall.

The Pump Room was also used as a Masonic lodge for local members and during the war became a little more deserving of its name when it was made the administrative headquarters for dispensing extra petrol coupons to those deemed in need of more than just the basic ration.

Yet for all the good its practical purpose served, after the war The Pump Room failed to recover its original position as the town’s pre-eminent social spot and so was earmarked for demolition in the early 1960s – with what we all know now as Union House constructed in its place.

Local historian Ian Beavis has admitted in the past that the sixties was a period that didn’t place much value on existing historical properties.

Commenting on his Twitter account he alluded that 1960s architects weren’t too fussed about heritage. “Sadly Victorian buildings weren’t appreciated back then. Union House was thought to be an improvement!” Let’s hope that whatever eventually replaces the modern retail and office building will reflect and respect the special heritage of The Pantiles.

FUTURE VISION How The Pantiles will look PHOTO: Craig Matthews

I

t’s fair to say that the decision surrounding the redevelopment of Union House, located at the bottom end of Tunbridge Wells’ famous promenade, has been met with both denouncement and stoic defence.

Labelled as ‘oppressive’ by the Civic Society the proposed new Dandara Pantiles development, which will include residential apartments, underground parking and some retail outlets, if it goes ahead, has also been cited as a ‘suitable remedy to past damage’ by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Urban Design Officer.

Even here at the Times we have seen how the plans have split opinion. When we asked in a recent Twitter poll if readers were For or Against the idea of supporting the Union House development proposal it was a resounding ‘For’ while the majority of those commenting on our Facebook page were overwhelmingly against it.

It’s easy to see why the current structure, known as Union House and built in 1964, has been described as ‘a monstrosity’ and ‘ugly’ by certain traders on The Pantiles as it’s not the most aesthetically pleasing of buildings and doesn’t exactly chime in with the rest of the period properties dotted along The Pantiles. But it would seem that keeping Union House is also unpalatable given the fact that no one has spoken out in favour of saving it.

So, as the debate rages on, we thought it was timely to give a brief history of this area of our town which is causing so much divided opinion.

Built in 1870 it was for just under 100 years, known as The Pump Room and served as one of

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NEWS

Letters

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

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 at 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU

Calverley

Tunbridge Wells remains a no-go area for gay and lesbian followers of Christ. That’s the view of one of our readers, who also believes gay Christians have choice The Church of England has said it will not change its position on gay marriage. It is not the Church of England’s right to decide, it is the Bible which is the ultimate authority, and God’s blueprint for sacred marriage is between a man and a woman.

We live in a country which celebrates diversity and promotes equality, and provision has been made for same-sex loving couples to get married outside of the Church of England.

Those of us who are gay and have partners and are Christian know there is a price for following Christ, and if we are truly to take up our cross and follow him then that means decisions will need to be made which fly in the face of our militant secular society.

I cannot rubbish what God has written in the Holy Scriptures and it is a cost to my life, but it is a cost I chose, and for those who scream at the injustice of it all let me say, Jesus gives us the option to walk away.

The report, delivered after three years, gives a warning to clergy and parishioners and that is to ask the gay community for forgiveness for the

Buying Dowding House was right decision Well done to the borough council for their decision to buy up Dowding House [January 18] in order to provide homeless families with emergency accommodation in Tunbridge Wells.

As well as the obvious benefit of looking after vulnerable people, there is clear financial sense to this decision.

While other councils look to sell off assets to raise money, Tunbridge Wells seem to be taking a more long-term, reasoned approach. Property assets are essential, and are almost guaranteed to grow in value as populations rise and demand increases.

Without Dowding House, our council was spending £100,000 a year on B&Bs. I respect our homeless, but having taxpayers shell out for such accommodation is ludicrous.

If we lose all our public assets we are just going to end up paying other people for their facilities – at a much greater cost.

Patrick Randolph Via email

Illegal parking outside schools I read with interest the story on the front page of your Tonbridge edition of the Times [January 25] about the lady with her children who was hit

Observations on life and more important things

CONFESSION time. When it comes to ladies’ fashion, Calverley has to admit his knowledge is, well, limited. But even he finds it hard to understand why a young lady would choose to parade around a supermarket in her pyjamas, especially when she is the wife (relatively new) of one of the town’s young(ish) entrepreneurs. But that’s exactly what happened in Sanisbury’s. Himself had to hide behind the Weetabix in case she spotted him and came over to say hello.

Narrow escape.

Church’s arrogance and hostility towards them.

Tunbridge Wells remains a largely no-go area for gay and lesbian followers of Christ. Those of us in Evangelical or conservative Churches have a difficult time but we have a right to be there. As Christ said, “You did not choose me, I chose you.”

This week I was contacted by someone who slammed me for describing myself as a Christian who happens to be gay. They said I should not refer to myself that way as being gay is a sin and when we become believers we are no longer gay.

This, of course, is nonsense and dangerous.

When someone asks me when did I become by a car that was reversing outside a school.

The drop-off at school in the morning has become an increasingly fraught moment. The so-called ‘yummy mummies’ all seem to drive ‘Chelsea tractors’.

These 4x4s appear to manoeuvre at random, pulling out, blocking roads, often without indicating – presumably because the drivers, perversely, feel safe inside their tanks.

The serious point to all this is that kids are small and very hard to see if you are perched up high in the tank’s turret. One can only be glad that this mum was with her children at the time.

The fact is that schools are not equipped to deal with today’s school-run requirements. The rearview camera technology is almost standard now, but those lenses are not the clearest.

Schools do still have lollipop ladies (and gentlemen), though fewer than before. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about employing them to regulate parking now that fewer children walk to school.

The other alternative, sadly, is to place the burden on teachers who are already being required to spend their lives writing reports and filling out forms rather than just concentrate on teaching.

But it’s hard enough to recruit teaching staff in mainstream education, so placing children’s road

aware I was gay? I ask them when did they become aware they were heterosexual? In other words it is a non-question!

None of us as far as I am aware wake up in the morning and thank God for our sexuality!! We are who we are and that’s that.

As our world descends into building walls, and as we become increasingly tribal in our thinking, the Church can offer a beacon of hope and build bridges on foundations of shared values love and compassion.

Patrick Gill Pembury safety in their hands seems like too much to ask.

Time for the councils to step off the kerb?

Martin Hinchcliffe Via email

Ban on free-roaming dogs in parks While people may moan about Trump and Putin ushering in a period of tyranny in the 21st century, we actually should look no further than our own borough council.

As you reported [February 1], Tonbridge & Malling Council are proposing a mandatory order to keep a dog on the lead in one of the most central and popular parks in the town if a ‘person of authority’ requests it. Regardless of whether you are a responsible dog owner, you can be fined £80 for letting your dog roam free if a bureaucrat deems it inappropriate.

This measure is mind-bogglingly overbearing and threatens to take away one of the greatest traditions a person can enjoy – walking out into a sea of greenery with an enthusiastic, freeroaming dog reminds me and thousands of others of the simple pleasures in life. To think that this haven of happiness, which I enjoy every day, could be stripped away is actually quite distressing.

John Blanchard Via email

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

TALKING of dress sense, Calverley found himself in that most pleasant of places, Fuggles bar, when in bounced a young lady known for keeping horses. Ony she wasn’t dressed in riding gear – see-through blouse, short skirt and fishnet tights. She rightly caught the eye of many, including the 23-year-old farrier who shoes her nags and happened to be in the place on a night out.

He obviously saw his client in a new light.

Besotted is not a strong enough word.

THE Leader of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Davd Jukes, has been called many things in his time. Some of them have even been complimentary. Now the postman confides in Calverley that he is delivering mail to the Town Hall simply addressed to Mr Marmite and it ends up on the Leader’s desk.

There might be some connection to the fact that the Editorial Opinion in this very newspaper the other week referred to him as being akin to Marmite – love him or hate him.

Happily, Cllr Jukes has a balanced sense of humour. Or so it is said.

NIGEL FARAGE – there’s another ‘Mr Marmite’.

Last week, though, you could not but help applaud the chap. Speaking in the EU Parliament to MEPs about his friend Donald, as in Trump, he said, and Calverley paraphrases: “You lot will probably find it strange that a politician who tells the electorate he is going to do something actually does it.” Ah, that’s always likely to happen when you elect into office an amateur who doesn’t even know the rules.

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

EDUCATION Times

Education

NEWS

21

WITH THE

Pupils picked to play for England at a prestigious international games festival Two schoolgirls from Benenden have been selected to play lacrosse for their country SCARLETT JOHNSON and Freya Hopkisson, both 17 and students at Benenden School, have been picked for the England U19 Lacrosse squad as part of the World Cup Lacrosse Festival in July.

The event runs alongside the Senior Women’s Lacrosse World Cup, which is being held in Guildford, Surrey.

‘Playing for your country is the ultimate in sport’ At the festival, England U19s will compete against a variety of clubs, schools and other nations, including U19 teams from Germany, New Zealand, Scotland, Israel and several club teams from the USA and Australia.

The girls were thrilled with the news: “We’re very excited and feel extremely lucky to play at the World Cup Festival in July as part of the Under-19 England squad,” said

Freya. “This will give us the opportunity to play some fantastic lacrosse, as well as having the chance to watch England Seniors play in a top level event on home turf.”

“Playing for your country is the ultimate in sport, it made us very proud that our hard work has paid off,” added Scarlett.

Both girls, who are in the Sixth Form at Benenden, have been working their way up the England Lacrosse talent pathway for the past five years. They began in the regional academies, and after many training sessions, tournaments and selections, were chosen for the National Academy – just before starting the Sixth Form.

Louise Hall, the school’s Director of Sport, Fitness and Wellbeing, said: “I’m delighted for Freya and Scarlett.

They have worked tirelessly over the past few years and it’s wonderful to see their commitment and determi-

PROUD TO PLAY: (l-r) Freya & Scarlett

nation pay off. They are excellent role models, and by managing to break on to the national scene, they have shown the younger girls at Benenden what can be achieved.

“I know they will enjoy the experience in the summer and I am sure it will inspire them to keep working hard and progress to represent the England senior side in the future.”

Benenden School has a strong pedigree when it comes to lacrosse.

It counts three England Lacrosse international players on its PE staff and a host of Benenden seniors have played at international level.

The school consistently performs strongly at the National Lacrosse Championships. Last year, this included winning the U15B section and three other teams reaching the quarter-final stage in various age groups. In September, the school unveiled its new all-weather lacrosse and hockey pitch.

RAISING VITAL FUNDS: Pupils at the Mead School

Fighting for Flo

THE Mead School in Tunbridge Wells has just raised £700 for Flo’s Fight, which aims to raise the vital funds needed for potential life-saving surgery on two-year old Florence Jackson, who has been battling stage 4 neuroblastoma (cancer) since she was just 16 months old.

The school, which has 239 children, invited pupils to come dressed in their own clothes for the day in return for a donation towards the campaign. Headteacher Mrs Angela Culley said: “We felt strongly that this was a cause we wanted to support. This could be any of our children in this desperate situation, and we wanted to do something immediate to help the family, who are based just down the road from us. We have been blown away by the generosity of the Mead parents and are thrilled with the total raised.”

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NEWS

Weekly Comment

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Greg Clark

MP for Tunbridge Wells

Greg Clark was elected to Parliament as a representative of Tunbridge Wells in 2005. The Conservative MP has since held a number of positions in Government and currently sits as a member of the Cabinet in his capacity as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Our future depends on the choices we make…

THIS WEEK, Parliament will continue to debate Brexit – as it will for most of the next two years.

It’s a time when – whatever our views in the referendum debate - we must come together to reach an agreement with the European Union that will advance our mutual prosperity in the years to come.

As readers know, I campaigned consistently to remain in the EU. And I also said that I would abide by the result of what was clearly established by Parliament as a national referendum.

You can’t renege on commitments if the result doesn’t go your way.

Some people have said that the referendum should be seen not as a single national one with each citizen having one vote, but as a kind of electoral college in which, say, the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council area voted to remain and the Tonbridge & Malling area voted to leave. It’s an interesting idea, but not what was agreed by all sides in Parliament in advance. And, as it happens, it would have made no difference anyway to the result many more places voted to leave than to remain.

So, whatever our views, the result can’t be ignored: we clearly need to start negotiations.

And, technically, in order to do so, Article 50 has to be triggered.

On the morning of the referendum result, unlike a lot of people, I didn’t tweet an instant reaction.

In my view, the bigger the matter, the more time you should spend thinking about what needs to be said instead of what you might instantly feel like saying. The statement I put out later that morning read as follows: “The choice of the British people is clear. Now, as we negotiate with our European neighbours, we must show calm judgement and mutual respect.”

In the days that immediately followed the result, calm judgement and mutual respect weren’t always in evidence. Whether in public or in private, things were said that we’re best left unsaid.

In some cases there were acts of outright abuse.

And yet the vast majority of people in this country just got on with their jobs and their lives. In the end, it was these quiet voices that spoke most

‘We must show calm judgement and mutual respect’ clearly. Certainly my colleagues in Westminster got the message – and quickly formed a new administration under Theresa May. Despite many people having campaigned on different sides in the referendum, all of us need to unite in seeking the best possible deal for Britain.

Now the negotiations are about to begin in earnest, once more it is essential that calm judgement and mutual respect should prevail.

Trade and other forms of cooperation between

nations shouldn’t be about winners and losers, but seeking mutual advantage.

Any talk from the EU side of ‘making an example’ of Britain would go against the spirit of internationalism – and strengthen fears that the EU is domineering and protectionist. Don’t forget that, after Brexit, the EU’s three biggest neighbours will be Russia, Turkey and Britain; it is surely in the interest of the EU to be friends with at least one of them.

Of course, good relationships require goodwill on both sides.

Therefore we shouldn’t regard Brexit as a cynical opportunity to undercut our neighbours by lowering standards – for instance by weakening worker’s rights or protections for the environment. A ‘race to the bottom’ would be bad for Britain and bad for Europe. Brexit must not turn into a game of Beggar thy Neighbour.

For some people, UK membership of the EU was our only hope as a nation; for others, the source of all our troubles. What I believe is that our future depends on the choices we make for ourselves.

As we now make the big decisions – whether on Brexit, industrial strategy or other policy areas – we need to come together and unite in planning a positive future for our country.

WITH THE

FROM PRACTICAL SUVS TO LUXURY SUPERCARS – THE TOWN’S PREMIER MOTORING GUIDE

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

PAGE 70 The new Lamborghini Aventador

INSIDE

has the ‘teeth’ to compete with its forebears – and with extra horsepower to reach 217mph

OUR supplement brings you two of the latest offerings from Italy’s style gurus alongside the practicality of American 4x4s and Germany’s attention to detail. And we give you a sneak preview of the best of British: Aston Martin’s stunning Vanquish convertible.

 JEEP RENEGADE  Rugged new model blends all the traditional styling with impressive fuel economy in first foray into compact SUV market.

PAGE 26

 FIAT ABARTH SPIDER  Italian design joins forces with Japanese specialism to produce a stunning new soft-top with two-tone paint job and turbo.

PAGE 27

 ALFA ROMEO GIULIA  Another stunner from the Alfa stable has an executive feel which aims to please while retaining all that romance.

PAGE 28

 AUDI MOTABILITY  Dealership is dedicated to making sure that you have an affordable new car which suits your every need.

PAGE 71

 ASTON MARTIN VANQUISH  The beautiful Volante arrives to complement its hard-roofed sibling, with the same 6-litre V12 engine under the skin.

PAGES 72-73

Spot the VW California Camper Van

Southern Motor Group (Tonbridge) 1 Morley Road, Tonbridge, TN9 1RD 01732 778877 - www.smgvans.com

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FEATURES

Motoring

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

A DV E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

Jeep go Renegade to conquer new terrain Jeep arguably invented the concept of the 4x4 and the American brand’s latest creation is its first foray into the modern compact SUV car

RUGGED AND RARING TO GO In a variety of trims

THE rugged Renegade model blends traditional Jeep qualities of chunky styling and a practical interior, with a compact footprint and impressive fuel economy. The high-set seating position and wide opening doors make access especially easy for those with limited mobility, and the blunt styling of the nose and tail make judging the extremities a doddle when parking.

There are six engines to choose from. The 1.6litre MultiJet diesel hits the sweet spot, boasting 120bhp to provide plentiful torque while keeping CO2 emissions low at just 115g/km. Fuel economy is impressive, too, at over 64mpg.

The good fuel economy is partly explained by the fact that the Jeep Renegade is offered with front-wheel drive, in recognition that many off-roaders never tackle anything muddier than a country lane. If you’re planning anything more extreme, four-wheel drive comes as standard with some of the more powerful engine models.

A variety of trim levels are offered, kicking off with Sport and progressing through Longitude, Night Eagle, Limited, Desert Hawk and Trailhawk.

Standard safety equipment includes six airbags and rollover control, earning the Renegade a fivestar Euro NCAP rating.

SUBBED: No price?

Each trim brings it owns unique styling tweaks, with Trailhawk the most off-road focused, but all come with air conditioning, alloy wheels, a touchscreen infotainment system, Bluetooth and a DAB digital radio. All but Sport editions come with cruise control and satellite navigation as standard, too, and you can choose from more than a dozen exterior colours.

Call Thames Jeep at Tunbridge Wells on 01892 575983 today to find out more and arrange a test drive

Motoring

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

FEATURES

27

A DV E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

Roof down, revs up Abarth has had an exciting rebirth. Fiat’s tuning arm creates high-performance versions of mainstream Fiat models, adding more power, sportier styling and upgraded handling THE NEW ITALIAN JOB The Abarth 124

THE latest offering from Fiat’s tuning arm is the 124 Spider, closely related to the identically named Fiat model and co-developed with roadster specialists Mazda.

Sharing the same platform as the Japanese brand’s iconic MX-5, Abarth’s take on the sporty soft-top features a distinctive two-tone paint job, a glorious exhaust note from its turbocharged engine, and a more luxurious cabin.

The star of the show is the 168bhp, 1.4-litre engine. That power output doesn’t sound like much, but in a car weighing a fraction over 1,000kg it’s more than enough to push it up to 60mph in under seven seconds. But when you’re not feeling like a track day superstar, manual models can also achieve over 44mpg with sensible driving.

The traditional two-seater, rear-wheel drive roadster layout means the 124 Spider won’t be the most practical car you’ll ever own, but that’s not the point.

It aids weight distribution and coupled with refettled steering ensures truly special handling, even when sticking well within the legal limits. This is aided by the standard limited-slip differential, which aids quicker acceleration out of corners.

More good news: Unlike some rivals, there’s no labyrinthine maze of trim levels to navigate. All Abarth 124 Spiders come identically equipped, with cruise control, Bluetooth connectivity, a DAB digital radio, Alcantara upholstery and climate control all standard. You can, however, upgrade to add satellite navigation and a nine-speaker BOSE sound system if the mood takes you.

Call Thames Abarth at Tunbridge Wells on 01892 575981 today to find out more and arrange a test drive

SUBBED: No price?

28

FEATURES

Motoring

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

A DV E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

Stunning and sharp: Alfa’s new Giulia They say you can’t call yourself a true petrolhead until you’ve owned an Alfa, and this beauty makes that easier than ever to justify – not only with your heart, but your head BENEATH the Giulia’s svelte saloon lines lies a brilliant executive car, packed with the latest technology and a sweet rear-wheel drive chassis that delivers sharp handling.

Alfa’s standard D.N.A. drive mode selector also allows you to alter the driving characteristics to match the conditions and your driving style.

Under the bonnet you’ll find a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine with 197bhp, or a 2.2-litre diesel with either 148bhp or 178bhp, all mated to a standard eight-speed automatic gearbox. The diesels emit just 109g/ km of CO2 and return over 67mpg.

The star of the show is undoubtedly the barnstorming Giulia Quadrifoglio, boasting an astonishing 503bhp from its V6 twin-turbo. It’s so good, Top Gear magazine named it their Car of the Year 2016.

Every version is equipped to please, with desirable options like dualzone climate control, alloy wheels, cruise control and rear-parking sensors standard across the range.

Meanwhile, the safety innovations include Lane Departure Warning

and Forward Collision Warning.

Upgrade from the standard model to the popular Super trim to enjoy part-leather interior, larger alloys and an 8.8-inch screen with Alfa Connect 3D Navigation.

Then add the Lusso pack to benefit from full leather interior in a choice of four colours, wood dashboard inserts, and other upgrades that give the cabin a stately air. Other trim levels include the Tecnica, aimed at business users, and the sportier Speciale and Veloce models.

Call Thames Alfa Romeo at Tunbridge Wells on 01892 575982 See page 30 for our test drive

‘Top Gear magazine named it their Car of the Year 2016’

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Motoring

FEATURES

29

30

FEATURES

Test Drive

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

FIRST DRIVE

Alfa Romeo Giulia

By David Thacker

A

LFA ROMEO’S Giulia has been missing from the compact executive D segment for some time – but what a return!

Giulia has been the focus of a long conception which involved a €5billion investment for an eight model line-up.

Reportedly it was sent back to the drawing board many times by CEO Sergio Marchionne, but

the project really came alive when Ferrari Technical Director Philippe Krief was seconded

by Alfa Romeo; his ‘no compromise and attention to detail’ approach is impressive.

Unlike most manufacturers, Alfa Romeo didn’t start with the mass market model, working their way up the range to a more powerful sports variant, finessing existing chassis and improving handling and braking to accommodate the power. Krief’s starting point was a twin turbo V6 monster engine delivering 510 bhp, and he domesticated this wild bull with his original approach to design, the latest technology and great styling that can only come from Italy.

Our drive today is the Giulia Super 2.2 litre turbo diesel, coupled with an eight speed

ZF automatic gearbox and paddle shift.

From any angle it’s gorgeous! There isn’t a line that jars, although it has spent many hours in a wind tunnel to improve aerodynamic airflow to cheat the breeze, and make any resistance futile to even try. It’s an emotional, hot-blooded Italian with style, and to my mind there is a hint of

Maserati Quattroporte about the rear quarter.

The interior has very supportive leather and cloth upholstered seats, a fully adjustable slim rim steering wheel and well-positioned pedals which make for relaxed driving.

The instrumentation is angled well for the driver, and the infotainment system is controlled

WEST KENT’S ULTIMATE PROPERTY GUIDE – FREE EVERY WEDNESDAY A MUST READ FOR THOSE LOOKING TO BUY, LET OR SELL

The Times is proud to work with:

WITH THE

Available in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks

bracketts

est. 1828

Rural living out in the sticks Country living in Winnie the Pooh’s Hundred Acre Wood

32

PROPERTY

To suit your budget

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

In my view…

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Your at-a-glance guide to

Robert Gordon-James Director Martin & Co Tonbridge

Do all tenants want long term tenancies? I’m not so sure!

I keep on reading - mainly comments from politicians - that most tenants want long term tenancies – say 3, 4 or 5 years. If you are a tenant out there, would you have signed up for a 5-year tenancy? I suspect not!

Here at Martin & Co, we let just over 150 properties in and around Tonbridge in 2016 and, of those I don’t recall too many applicants asking for more than a 12-month tenancy.

In fact, a lot ask for a break clause so that they have the option to leave early if they need to. Why? Because a considerable number of applicants are saving up to buy, or a purchase may be imminent. Others don t want to be tied down – they want the flexibility to move jobs, or to upsize if circumstances change.

BISHOPS DOWN ROAD

£229,999

Recent research by insurer AXA, has found that nationally 61% of tenants say they are happier to rent for a up to a year, while only 18% prefer a 5 – 10-year tenancy term. Clearly this is not a trend restricted to Tonbridge. So why the clamour for long term tenancies?

Policy makers – please check the facts first before forcing more change onto the Lettings Market.

Come and Ask Martin!

Martin & Co 126 High St Tonbridge TN9 1AS 01732 602602 www.tonbridge.martinco.com UNDER £350,000 CROMWELL ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

£260,000

newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

FROM

DO YOU HAVE A STORY?

Located nearby to Dunorlan Park, this modernised two bedroom end of terrace house has a lounge, kitchen and bathroom. The property is double glazed throughout, with shutters and exposed wooden floor boards in the

lounge area. The kitchen includes wall and base units, stainless steel sink/ drainer, tiling and work surfaces.

There is also space for further appliances. Outside, there is a tiered courtyard garden.

CONTACT Connells 01892 547966 www.conells.co.uk

UNDER £450,000 SHIRLEY GARDENS, RUSTHALL

and shower room. The property is also double glazed and has gas fired heating. There are both front and rear gardens. No onward chain.

Three bedroom family home, with garage and driveway for three cars, is situated in a popular location. The property is an end of terrace corner plot, and comprises lounge/diner, kitchen, and downstairs cloakroom

CONTACT KMJ Property 01892 515188 www.kmjproperty.co.uk

£425,000

To suit your budget

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

PROPERTY

33

great properties by price range…

Under £600,000 FAIRVIEW CLOSE, TONBRIDGE

£435,000 - £475,000 Conveniently located, this three bedroom detached house has planning permission for a loft conversion, porch enhancement and rear extension – to become a four bedroom property. The accommodation has also already been enhanced and by converting the garage into a family/study room and there is a downstairs cloakroom. Outside there is a private rear garden and ample off road parking to the front.

CONTACT Ellis & Co 01732 770077 www.ellisandco.uk

UNDER £800,000 FLAT 2, 74 MOUNT EPHRAIM

£650,000 GUIDE PRICE This apartment in a 19th century period building comprises of an entrance hall, sitting room, dining room, kitchen, and shower room. There are also three double bedrooms, one of which includes an en suite and sun room. The property is in an elevated position on the edge of the town centre, and includes period features such as deep skirting boards, picture rails, and decorative mouldings. Communal parking is also available by arrangement.

CONTACT Savills 01892 507000 www.savills.co.uk

UNDER £250,000

UNDER £1MILLION

BISHOPS DOWN ROAD

ACREMEAD, KNOCKHOLT

£229,999 Accessed through a communal lounge and lift, this apartment has an entrance hall with storage cupboard, living room with fireplace and space for a dining table, as well as a separate kitchen, double bedroom with built in wardrobe and modern shower room. The development has a part-time lodge manager, communal laundry room, and communal grounds - there is also

£950,000 GUIDE PRICE

link to a 24 hour care line in this property. This is a leasehold property.

CONTACT Andrews 01892 515 144 www.andrewsonline.co.uk

A detached family home in the village of Knockholt, this property is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. For sale for the first time in 60 years, the principal reception rooms comprise of a triple aspect sitting room with access to the rear and a dining room, both of which include brick fireplaces.

There is also a kitchen/breakfast room, four double bedrooms (one of which has an en suite) and a family bathroom. The property, including shingle driveway, parking, attached garage and both front and rear gardens, comes to about 3.4 acres.

CONTACT Savills 01732 789 700 www.savills.co.uk

36

PROPERTY

Park Cottage

AT A GLANCE

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Enjoy outdoor life with far-reaching views from this Victorian property

PARK COTTAGE WEST FARLEIGH At a glance: ■ Kitchen/family/dining room ■ Drawing room ■ TV room/snug ■ Study ■ Utility room ■ Boot room and cloakroom ■ Master bedroom and en suite ■ 4 further double bedrooms ■ 2 family bathrooms ■ Roof terrace ■ Oak framed double garage ■ Workshop ■ Gardens and grounds of about 0.7 acres

GUIDE PRICE

£950,000

For sale through Jackson-Stops & Staff 01580 720000 www.jackson-stops.co.uk

‘The south west facing rear garden and roof terrace provides the perfect setting for summer parties’

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

AT A GLANCE BOURNE CLOSE TONBRIDGE n Covered porch n Entrance hallway n Reception hall n Sitting room n Conservatory n Dining room n Kitchen n Breakfast room n Bedroom/ reception room n Bathroom n Master bedroom n 3 further bedrooms n Bathroom n Terrace seating areas n Grape vine n Two sheds n Detached timber garage with power and light n In all about 0.4 acres

£1,200,000 For sale through Bracketts 01732 350503 www.bracketts.co.uk

‘Enjoy the outside all year round with a heated conservatory and doors on to the patio area’

Bourne Close

PROPERTY

Traditional family living in natural surrounds

43

44

PROPERTY

Forest Gate

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

A collection of stylish barn-style buildings in secluded location

Forest Gate

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

PROPERTY

AT A GLANCE

FOREST GATE HARTFIELD GUIDE PRICE

£3,250,000

Main House: ■ Entrance porch ■ Reception hall ■ 3 reception rooms ■ Study area ■ Kitchen/breakfast room ■ Utility room ■ Shower room ■ Cloakroom ■ Boot room ■ Landing/study area ■ Master bedroom with en suite ■ 4 further bedrooms ■ Family bathroom Detached Annexe: ■ Entrance hall ■ Office ■ Open plan kitchen/ living room ■ Shower room ■ Bedroom Gardens: ■ Established gardens ■ Covered decked seating area ■ Heated swimming pool ■ All weather tennis court ■ Pond Equestrian facilities: ■ American barn-style stable block with 6 boxes ■ Tack room and wash area ■ 3 fenced paddocks of about 7.62 acres ■ All weather manège ■ Direct forest access (permit required) ■ Kennel ■ Store rooms ■ In total about 12.14 acres GUIDE PRICE

£3,250,000

For sale through Savills 01892 507000 www.savills.co.uk

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PROPERTY

Rosewood House

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Old meets new in this modern build with Georgian influences

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Rosewood House

PROPERTY

AT A GLANCE

ROSEWOOD HOUSE SEVENOAKS n Portico n Reception hall n Drawing room n Dining room n Family room n Study n Kitchen/breakfast room n Utility room n Cloakroom n Master suite n 3 further bedrooms with en suites n 2 further bedrooms n Bathroom n Cinema room n Detached double garage n Landscaped gardens

GUIDE PRICE

£3,250,000

For sale through Savills 01732 789 700 www.savills.co.uk

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PROPERTY

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

55

Tidy tips to declutter by design

W

E’VE all heard the saying, ‘tidy house, tidy mind’, and there is a lot of truth in it. Maximising your space and ridding yourself of all that clutter can be far more positive than you might think.

Not only can hoarding cause us anxiety and stress, but freeing your home of unwanted stuff means you can actually display the things you really love, creating a style statement with a dual purpose.

But where to start?

“Decluttering isn’t about throwing out the old to bring in the new, it’s about stripping it back, leaving only items that you need and that add value to your home,” says Simon Granville, Managing Director at Store (aplaceforeverything.co.uk) “To avoid feeling daunted, tackle a single drawer, cupboard or shelf at a time. Sort through each item one by one making four piles – keep, sell, charity, and bin – but be ruthless.

“Once you’ve decided what you’re keeping, it’s

important to find a home for each item; if you know where everything lives, you’re less likely to ‘reclutter’ throughout the year.”

Interior designer Amelia Carter (www. ameliacarter.com) agrees: “Consider a plan of attack. I would pick the room that is most vital and needs to be in working order, and begin there. Also, don’t overestimate what you can achieve in a day. We all start with good intentions and get bored, so think of it in smaller jobs, rather than one big one.”

AND RELAX! A place for everything, and everything in its place

Bedroom bliss

Hall of fame First impressions count, and the hall offers a clear vision of what the rest of the house may look like.

Storage benches are the perfect way to declutter your hallway, and baskets grouped together in varying sizes can be functional as well as fun.

And don’t pooh-pooh the humble shoe rack; it can take care of wellies, trainers and everyday shoes, and you can always turn one of the shelves into a makeshift wine rack! n J ohn Lewis Croft Collection 3 Tier Shoe Rack, £60 (www.johnlewis.com) n Somerton Under Console Baskets, from £45, Neptune (www.neptune.com)

n Storage Bench with Drawers & Basket –

Dowpipe, £425, Store (www.aplaceforeverything.co.uk)

Love your living room This is the place that needs to work extra hard for you, especially if you want to keep it clutter-free, as it’s where we relax, watch TV, entertain – and display all those precious family photos, paintings, books and pretty knick-knacks.

Back in vogue, a dresser or cabinet can not only mask a TV screen when not in use (and unsightly cables), but provide extra storage space for possessions you can’t bear to part with.

Another must-have is a butler’s tray (with a removable tray) – a modern yet timeless way to serve cocktails, canapés or a TV supper, and with a wide table top it can double up as a sideboard.

And if you’re not sure where to store those glossy magazines, winter throws and small soft furnishings, a footstool with hidden storage, covered in a favourite fabric, could become a key feature (it will also come in handy for putting your feet up after all this tidying!) n Farlov Footstool with Storage £145, Ikea (instore from mid-February; www.ikea.com) n Henley 5ft Media Dresser, £3,190, Neptune (www.neptune.com)

‘Decluttering isn’t about throwing out the old to bring in the new, it’s about stripping it back’

Taking time to create a clutter-free boudoir, with the focus on a few crucial items – like crisp bed linen, a tidy dressing table, fresh flowers and a radio instead of a TV – will make it look AND feel relaxing, and therefore help you get a decent night’s sleep, too.

An untidy wardrobe, strewn with clothes that should have gone to the charity shop years ago, might mean you start the day with unnecessary stress as well. But with a little thought, you can make the most of your accessories, while hiding more mundane items behind closet doors.

Your colour scheme could add a sense of calm, too.

“Cool tones of soft greys and neutral light-grain wood are key bedroom colour palettes this year,” says Rachal Hutcheson, design expert at Sharps.

“Our stunning new colour combinations, such as cashmere, stone and satin white, also work with this trend perfectly to create a tranquil space.”

Along with calming those wardrobe woes with fitted units, an ottoman bed means heaps more storage to stow things away without taking up extra space in the room.

“There’s nothing more tranquil than a bedroom with a place for everything,” says Willow & Hall founder, Sarah Massouh. “When considering an ottoman bed, it’s important to give some thought to the size that will work best for you, according to your needs and storage expectations.” n Sharps Element in Light Driftwood, inspired by minimalistic Nordic style, fully fitted bedrooms start from £2,000, including design, manufacture, delivery and installation (www.sharps.co.uk) n The Braydon Storage Bed With The Oxenwood Ottoman Bed Base, currently reduced to start from £818 (previously from £1,062), Willow and Hall ( www.willowandhall.co.uk)

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Advertising

PROPERTY

63

Test Drive

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

by a rotary controller through an 8.8in colour display that suddenly appears behind a smoked screen in the fascia when the start button on the steering wheel is pressed.

The passengers are suitably looked after, too, as the rear seating accommodates a six-footer with ease; there’s more leg room than most passenger jets, and you won’t need to put your bags in front of you – they can go in the ample boot, with a 480-litre capacity going spare.

The dynamic qualities can only be fully appreciated on the road. The all new design aluminium 2.2 turbo diesel engine pulls hard through the middle of the rev range, where the eight-speed automatic transmission makes seamless changes, keeping it on the ideal power band, and returns an impressive (combined) 67.3 mpg. Its lightweight body and

50-50 split weight distribution, with power being transferred to the rear wheels, make it truly responsive. Extremely little steering input on cornering is required, and the driver feels far more involved than in nearly anything else of this size.

On the motorway it runs effortlessly – so much so that a careful eye has to be kept on your speed.

A host of safety tech, such as autonomous braking, forward collision alert and lane departure warning, are all standard.

Make no mistake, the more time spent with Giulia the more you’ll be captivated by her enthusiasm, which will reward a driver more than anything else in the segment.

FACTS AT A GLANCE MODEL: Alfa Romeo Giulia ENGINE: 2.2 Turbo Diesel 180 bhp TRANSMISSION: ZF 8-Speed Automatic EMISSIONS: 109 (g/km)

PERFORMANCE: Top speed 143mph, 0-62mph – 7.1 secs FUEL ECONOMY: Combined 67.3 mpg COST: £31,950

FEATURES

‘From any angle it’s gorgeous!

There isn’t a line that jars’

‘WILD BULL’ Giuilia’s back – with feeling!

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FEATURES

Motoring

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

FIRST DRIVE

Lamborghini Aventador S

By Jack Evans

WHAT’S NEW?

SPACE AND PRACTICALITY

The original Aventador was launched in 2011, so it’s high time that it received some attention to bring it up to date, which leads us to this – the Aventador S. The original car was one of the most successful models ever made by Italian supercar maker Lamborghini, so the new 730bhp model has a huge amount of weight upon its shoulders.

However, it’s now armed with fourwheel steering as well as uprated software, which should make it even sharper to drive than the previous generation. It also gains ‘Ego’ mode, which gives the ability to split the separate driving modes to suit the individual, and makes it easier to set up the car just as you’d like it.

As a two-seater, £270,000 supercar, the Aventador doesn’t offer too much in terms of practicality.

You do, however, get a small boot in the front of the car, which is just about large enough for a soft weekend bag. If you’re looking to transport a lot of items, you may have to look elsewhere.

There’s a bit of space behind the seats, but this is suited to only two jackets or a small bag. The golf clubs will have to stay at home, unfortunately.

LOOKS AND IMAGE Here’s where a Lamborghini really needs to succeed, and the Aventador S doesn’t disappoint. Its new look, upgraded for 2017, is impressive in the flesh. It’s close to the original – there’s no doubt about that – but it’s the subtle differences that really make it stand out.

The front end now has additional inlets – or ‘teeth’, as Lamborghini calls them.

At the side, the air intakes have been cleaned up and the overall impression is of a simpler, more purposeful vehicle.

The iconic scissor doors remain, which means that wherever you pull up, you’re sure to make an entrance.

BEHIND THE WHEEL Rejoice, as the Aventador S retains that original car’s iconic 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12. It puts out a staggering 730bhp – 40bhp more than before – as well as 690Nm of torque.

This is sent to the road through all four wheels via a single-clutch automatic gearbox. It’ll reach 60mph in 2.7 seconds, and continue ferociously accelerating until it hits a top speed of 217mph.

The biggest change comes in the form of four-wheel steering, which aims to improve handling and stability at high speed, as well as making the car easier to drive at lower speeds. It has the ability to virtually shorten the wheelbase by 500mm for low-speed movements, or increase it by 700mm for better stability.

The first Aventador was somewhat of a brute, with very little finesse in terms of handling or dynamics. The same cannot

FACTS AT A GLANCE MODEL:

Lamborghini Aventador S ENGINE: 6.5-litre V12 (730bhp, 690Nm) TRANSMISSION:

Seven-speed automatic PERFORMANCE: 0-60mph in 11.9 seconds, 109mph top speed ECONOMY: 16.7mpg EMISSIONS: 394g/km

be said for the S, which now demonstrates a delicacy to its handling.

In truth, our testing conditions weren’t perfect – the Ricardo Tormo Circuit in Valencia, which we were using, had been sodden by unseasonably wet Spanish weather, but it still allowed the car to showcase just how far it had come.

Now able to send up to 90 per cent of its drive to the rear wheels, the Aventador S feels far more adjustable than before. Go too hard into a corner and it will naturally push into understeer, but plant the throttle, and it’ll quickly match that with far more oversteer than you might expect.

There’s actually a fair amount of feel translated from the road through the steering wheel too, which makes placing the car – and given its size it takes a lot of placing – a little bit easier.

The performance afforded by that incredible V12 is addictive. In all-out Corsa mode it is truly brutal, with each gearshift intensifying the fury. It revs out insatiably, and continues pulling throughout the range. However, rather than being matched with rather blunt steering as found in the original Aventador, that fury is now applied in a far more composed way. More direct, it’s a car that feels keen and eager to attack corners just as hard as the straights.

The Aventador S’s ride is also something special. It’s firm, there’s no doubt about that, but it remains composed. Out on the road it has a tendency to crash through

larger potholes and bumps, but this is to be expected of an out-and-out supercar.

One point of contention is that gearbox.

When pushing on, it makes complete sense, with crisp up and downshifts completing the racing package. However, around town it’s simply too jerky – and when compared with modern dual-clutch units it feels a touch outdated.

VALUE FOR MONEY At more than £270,000, the Aventador S is not what you’d call cheap. However, for that money you get a mechanical masterpiece in that V12 engine. You also get a hugely impressive design, which stands out in the presence of almost any other car.

That price tag also brings you a part of history. Flagship Lamborghini cars aren’t released often, and though it is based on the original Aventador, this latest car is just another part of that iconic story.

WHO WOULD BUY ONE The Aventador S is ideal for someone who wants to stand out from the crowd. Not only that, but it’s for people looking for supreme performance, high levels of craftsmanship and a serious attention to detail.

It’s a truly impressive package, and one that is hard not to fall for.

There are foibles to find – the gearbox, for instance, might become annoying in day-to-day usage – but the overall impression is of a car that has been refined and given a well-needed level of finesse.

PLENTY OF BITE The new model has front ‘teeth’

Motoring

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

FEATURES

71

A DV E R T I S I N G F E AT U R E

Motability is even more accessible at Audi FREEDOM TO HIT THE OPEN ROAD In a wide choice of models

At Tunbridge Wells Audi, we are dedicated to providing those who are eligible for the Motability Scheme with an affordable new car suited to their needs, and we pride ourselves on providing you with a premium service befitting of the marque WITH iconic cars such as the classic Audi A1, stunning A3 and the versatile Q3 models at Tunbridge Wells Audi, a wealth of affordable choice is at your disposal.

Once you’ve decided on your model, our unique, bespoke test drive experience allows you the opportunity to drive the Audi of your choice at a time and place convenient for you.

Whether you would like to drive from work to home, or take a route of varied terrain; the choice is entirely yours. Alternatively, we would be happy to come to you.

Why Audi? Our Motability Specialists can talk you through choosing the best model for your needs, with a personal, bespoke level of service.

If you have any questions regarding the Personal Independence Payment [PIP], which replaced the Disability Living Allowance [DLA], then we are here to help.

If your Audi of choice requires further modifications, that’s not a problem. At Tunbridge Wells

Audi, our Motability Experts can advise you on which vehicle changes will help make your life easier and more accessible.

In addition, your insurance is provided by RSA Motability [RSAM] at no extra cost, roadside breakdown assistance is included and guaranteed, and we will service, maintain, and repair your vehicle, should anything happen to it*.

With an entitlement to a new Audi every three years, your Audi Motability driving experience will remain stress-free.

To find out more, and to book a bespoke test drive, call your local Motability Experts at Tunbridge Wells Audi on 01892 620 960, or visit us at www.tunbridgewells-audi.co.uk *Terms and conditions apply. Please see our advert for further information or visit www. motability.co.uk. Test drive subject to applicant status and availability

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FEATURES

Motoring

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

PUMPED Optimistic BP thinks the tank’s half full

Out to Vanquish all The first pictures are unveiled of Aston Martin’s racy Vanquish S GT convertible…

Oil change for the future AROUND 100 million electric vehicles are expected to be on the road in 20 years’ time, according to BP’s 2017 Energy Outlook.

The document, which outlines the petrochemical company’s predictions for the coming years, says the number of electric cars on the road will increase eightyfold by 2035.

However, the company also predicts that the global car fleet will double in size over the same period, leaving electric vehicles with a five per cent share of the market.

As a result, BP is optimistic that oil will continue to be vital for the transport industry.

The energy report says that oil demand for cars is estimated to increase by around four million barrels a day, although BP does expect

the growth in demand for the liquid to slow.

By the early 2030s, the company believes non-combusted oil use, such as the production of plastics and fabrics, will take over from transport as the main source of growth in demand.

Spencer Dale, the company’s Chief Economist, said: “The impact of electric cars, together with other aspects of the mobility revolution, such as self-driving cars, car sharing and ride pooling, is one of the key uncertainties surrounding the long-term outlook for oil.

“The possibility that the most important source of growth in oil demand in the 2030s won’t be to power cars or trucks or planes, but will rather be as an input into other products, such as plastics and fabrics, is quite a change from the past.”

SOFT-TOP But an even more robust engine underneath

ASTON MARTIN has unveiled a soft-top Volante version of its latest Vanquish S GT car.

The British brand confirmed the convertible Vanquish S was on its way when the coupe was revealed in November, but these are the first images to have been released.

Motoring

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Featuring the same styling tweaks as its hard-roofed sibling, the Volante wins a reworked aerodynamic package featuring an exposed carbonfibre splitter and diffuser, as well as model-specific quad exhausts.

A Tweet from the famous manufacturer described the Volante as ‘stunning from every angle’.

Under the skin, it uses the same 6.0-litre V12 as the hard-top.

Now boasting a faster throttle response, which has been achieved by dint of a freer-breathing intake system, the naturally

aspirated unit offers a power output of 592bhp.

That engine is mated to an eightspeed automatic transmission that has been revised to offer faster gear changes and improved low-speed refinement.

Behind the huge alloy wheels, the suspension has been tuned to be more aggressive in the sportier driving modes and more supple in comfort-focused settings.

As we went to press, no prices have yet been announced for Aston Martin’s Vanquish S Volante, but it seems certain to be more expensive than the £199,950 coupe.

FEATURES

73

The new Kia Rio comes with a range of choices

SUPERMINI The launch will include a First Edition model with special features THE new, fourth-generation Kia Rio has gone on sale with an asking price of £11,995. Available solely as a five-door, the Fiesta-rivalling supermini is arriving in the UK with three trim levels and one limited-edition variant.

The basic price buys the 1-grade car, which comes with air conditioning, electric windows, Bluetooth and steering wheel-mounted audio controls.

Mid-range ‘2’-trim cars start at £13,745 and add 15-inch alloy wheels, a leather trim on the steering wheel and a

five-inch colour display screen, as well as cruise control and a reversing camera.

Moving up to the top-spec ‘3’ model, meanwhile, will cost at least £16,295, but it provides 16-inch alloys, automatic air conditioning, faux leather upholstery and a seven-inch display screen, plus automatic wipers, heated seats and a heated steering wheel.

At launch, there will also be a First Edition model, which will boast even larger 17-inch alloys, keyless start, plus black and red faux leather upholstery.

Customers will also be offered a large choice of engines, with a new turbocharged 1.0-litre unit joining the existing 1.25-litre petrol and 1.4-litre petrol and diesel units.

The newcomer is available with 99 or 118bhp, depending on variant, and manages up to 62.8mpg on the combined cycle.

The diesel version, however, remains the most economical choice, returning as much as 80.7mpg and CO2 emissions from 92g/km.

76 FEATURES Food & Drink

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

These delicious desserts will make the perfect sweet treat on Valentine’s Day If you’re dining à deux at home on February 14, then why not finish your romantic dinner by serving one of these beautifully indulgent puddings? They’re sure to melt hearts…

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE LAYER MOUSSES Serves 6 What you need: For the mousse: 3 sheets of leaf gelatine (platinum grade available in supermarkets) 400g/14oz ripe strawberries, hulled and sliced 100g/ 1/2 cup caster/ granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or vanilla bean paste Juice and zest of 1 lemon 300ml/1 1/4 cups double/heavy cream 80g/scant 2/3 cup cream cheese For the cheesecake crumb layer: 200g/7oz shortcake biscuits 100g/7 tablespoons butter

TRUE ROMANCE These Valentine’s hearts are wonderful for a romantic supper

VALENTINE HEART CHEESECAKES Makes 6 What you need: For the meringue hearts 3 egg whites 170g/scant 1 cup caster/superfine sugar a few drops of pink food colouring gel For the filling 250g/generous 1 cup mascarpone cheese 200ml/generous 3/4 cup crème fraîche 100g/1/3 cup cherry compôte 2 tablespoons icing/confectioners’ sugar, sifted To assemble 6 tablespoons cherry compôte Crystallised rose petals (see below), shredded A 6-hole silicone heart mould (each heart approx 6cm/20 inches in size) A large baking sheet lined with baking parchment or a silicone mat A piping bag fitted with a large round nozzle/tip

Preheat the oven to 140°C (275°F) or Gas 1.

Put the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and whisk until they hold stiff peaks. Add the sugar, a tablespoonful at a time, whisking constantly, until the meringue is shiny and glossy. Fold through the food colouring, stopping before it is fully incorporated to leave pretty swirls in the meringue.

Spoon the meringue into the piping bag and pipe 12 heart shapes, about 7cm/3 inches in length on to the baking sheets. (You want the hearts to be just slightly larger than the size of your cheesecake moulds.)

Bake the hearts in the preheated oven for about 1-1 1/4 hours until the meringue is dried and crisp, then leave to cool.

For the cheesecake filling, whisk together the mascarpone and crème fraîche in a large mixing bowl.

Fold the cherry compôte into the cheese mixture along with the icing/ confectioners’ sugar. Spoon the

mixture into each heart in the mould and place in the freezer.

When frozen, pop the hearts out of the mould and leave to defrost slightly. Place a spoonful of cherry compôte on to six of the meringues and top each with a cheesecake heart. Place a second meringue heart on top of the cheesecake and decorate with shredded rose petals to serve.

For the crystallised flowers 1 egg white Pesticide-free edible flowers, stems removed Caster/superfine sugar for sprinkling Whisk the egg white until it is foamy.

Working on one flower at a time, use the brush to paint the egg white on both the front and the back of the flower.

Sprinkle it with caster/superfine sugar.

(This is best done by holding the sugar at a small height above the flower and sprinkling lightly. Have a plate below to catch any excess sugar.) It is important that all the egg white is covered in sugar.

Repeat with all the flowers and lay on a silicone mat or sheet of non-stick baking paper placed in a warm place to dry overnight. Once dried, store flowers in an airtight container until you are ready to serve.

To assemble: 300g/10 1/2 oz ripe strawberries 150ml/2/3 cup double/ heavy cream 6 pretty glasses 2 piping/pastry bags, fitted with large round nozzles/tips

What you do: Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water until soft. This will take about five minutes.

Place the strawberries, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest in a saucepan with 100ml/1/3 cup water and heat for about five minutes until the strawberries are very soft.

Pass the mixture through a sieve/strainer, pressing down on the strawberries firmly with the back of a spoon so that they become a fruit purée. Discard any strawberries remaining in the sieve/strainer.

Squeeze the water out of the gelatine leaves and add to the warm strawberry syrup. Stir until dissolved, then pass through the sieve/strainer again to remove any undissolved gelatine pieces.

Leave to cool.

Whisk the double/heavy cream and cream cheese together and then whisk in the strawberry syrup. Blitz the shortcake biscuits to fine crumbs. Melt the butter and then stir into the crumbs to ensure they are all coated.

To assemble, reserve three strawberries for decoration, then hull and slice the rest.

Place a large spoonful of crumbs into the base of each glass and then top each with several slices of the strawberries. Spoon the strawberry mousse into one piping/pastry bag and pipe a generous swirl of mousse into the glasses. Repeat with a second layer of crumbs, strawberries and mousse and then leave to chill in the refrigerator for three hours, or ideally overnight.

To serve, whip the 150ml/2/3 cup double/heavy cream to stiff peaks and spoon into the second piping/pastry bag then pipe small swirls of cream around the edge of each mousse. Decorate each glass with a reserved strawberry half to finish.

HEART OF THE MATTER Strawberry shortcake mousses are so moreish

Food & Drink

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

LOVE BITES Indulge in these exotic Ispahans

77

ISPAHANS Makes 12

Valentine’s Heart recipe courtesy of Cheesecake and Ispahans and Strawberry Shortcake Mousse recipes courtesy of Layered Desserts.

Both books are

by Hannah Miles, photography by Steve Painter © Ryland Peters & Small. Both are available for £11.99 including P&P (rrp £16.99) by telephoning Macmillan Direct on 01256 302 699 and quoting KA5 for Cheesecake and HT5 for Layered Desserts.

FEATURES

What you need: For the ispahans: 120g/scant 1/4 cup ground almonds 175g/1 1/4 cups icing/ confectioners’ sugar 90g/3oz egg whites (approximately 3 UK large/ US extra-large eggs) 75g/6 tablespoons caster/ granulated sugar Pink food colouring gel For the filling: 300ml/1 1/4 cups double/ heavy cream 1 tablespoon icing/ confectioners’ sugar, sifted 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 150g/5 1/2 oz fresh raspberries Edible gold leaf or lustre powder 2 piping/pastry bags, one fitted with a large round nozzle/tip and the other with a star nozzle/tip 2 baking sheets, lined with silicon mats or baking parchment

What you do: For the ispahans, place the ground almonds and icing/ confectioners’ sugar in a food processor and blitz to a very fine powder.

Sift into a bowl and return any pieces that do not pass through the sieve/strainer to the blender, blitz, then sift again until all has passed through the sieve/strainer.

Whisk the egg whites to stiff peaks and then add the caster/ granulated sugar a spoonful at a time until the meringue is smooth and glossy. Whisk in the food colouring.

Add the almond powder one third at a time, folding it in with a spatula. The important thing is to get the right texture to the meringue. The mixture needs to be folded until it is soft enough that it just does not hold a peak.

Drop a little on to a plate and if it folds to a smooth surface, it is ready. If it holds a peak then you need to fold it a few more times.

However, if you fold it too much it will be too runny and the ispahans will not hold their shape.

Spoon the mixture into a piping/pastry bag fitted with a large round nozzle/tip and pipe 24 rounds on to the baking sheets a small distance apart.

If you do not have a piping/ pastry bag, place rounds of mixture on the baking sheet using two spoons. Leave on the baking sheets for 20 minutes so that a skin forms on the ispahans, which will give them their classic sugar-crusted edge.

Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) or Gas 3. Bake for 15-20 minutes in the preheated oven until firm. Leave to cool on the baking sheets.

For the cream filling, place the double/heavy cream, icing/ confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl and whisk to stiff peaks.

Spoon the filling into the piping/pastry bag fitted with the star nozzle/tip and pipe small stars of cream around the edge of half of the ispahans, leaving a small gap between each star.

Place a raspberry in between each gap. Pipe a swirl of cream in the centre of each ring and place a second ispahan on top. Repeat with all the macaron shells.

Rub a little gold leaf or lustre powder on top of each ispahan and serve straight away.

Any uneaten ispahans should be stored in the refrigerator as they contain fresh cream and should be eaten within two days.

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FEATURES

Travel

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

TRAVEL FACTS  Vietnam Airlines (www.vietnamairlines. com) offers the UK’s only non-stop flights to Vietnam, with daily Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner services from Heathrow Terminal 4 to Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon).  Experience Travel Group (www.experience travelgroup.com; 020 3468 6268) can tailor seven-night holidays to southern Vietnam from £2,101 per adult, including two nights at the Park Hyatt Saigon (saigon.park.hyatt. com); two nights at the Victoria Can Tho (victoriahotels.asia/en); three nights at La Veranda, Phu Quoc (www.laverandaresorts. com); daily breakfast; Experience Travel Group signature Saigon tour; private guides and transfers throughout, and return flights with Vietnam Airlines.

CALM BENEATH THE PALMS One of Phu Quoc’s unspoilt Vietnamese beaches

Hidden Quoc of Asian gold

T

HE beach vendor sets down a thick bamboo cane, laden at either end with heavy hanging baskets of mangoes and coconuts, which she has been balancing on her shoulder. With deft precision, she peels and cuts the ripe mango, handing it to the tourist before lifting the cane back on to her shoulder and walking on down the beach – a tiny figure in a conical hat and carrying what looks like an outsized weighing scale.

This is just one of the regular sights on Long Beach, a sandy stretch skirting the tropical island Phu Quoc, 45km off the coast of South Vietnam.

It’s a sun-splashed haven roughly the size of Singapore and billed as the next Phuket, but is so far less tainted by tourism than that popular Thai destination. But visitors will need to get there soon to enjoy the simple pleasures this relatively peaceful island has to offer. When direct flights launch from the UK this year, the world and his wife are likely to descend.

Hotels have sprung up quickly on Phu Quoc in the last decade, and its first golf course opened last year, but more are being built along the coast in preparation for the arrival of the masses.

Phu Quoc, also called Pearl Island, was once a backpackers’ haunt, yet a number of five-star hotels now provide an oasis of luxury and calm to those who’ve experienced the bustling madness of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) on the mainland, with its cacophony of motorbikes, war museums and chaotic, sweaty markets.

Regular direct flights operate from the UK to Ho Chi Minh City, and from there it’s a 50-minute flight to Phu Quoc. The itinerary allows for a multicentre break, combining a taste of Vietnam’s frenetic pace with paradisiacal island relaxation.

I’m staying at La Veranda Resort, a charming, luxurious boutique hotel on 12-mile Long Beach, the island’s longest stretch of sand in the west.

The hotel’s French colonial-style buildings feature large louvred windows and rooms devoid of bling, walkways fringed with lush tropical planting, bright, eye-catching, orange bird of

END OF ANOTHER DAY IN PARADISE View of the sunset from the island paradise flowers and soft pink hibiscus. It’s a jewel in the crown of the island.

Stepping on to its private beach, I’m surprised by the many beachfront bars which have already sprung up alongside it, one of the most popular, Rory’s Bar, being right next door. But refreshingly there’s no in-your-face, pushy tourism, with waiters badgering you to go into their restaurants or hawkers hounding you to buy their wares.

There’s a relaxed feel to the pristine sweep of sand, where quiet couples enjoy a drink watching the burnt orange and deep pink hues of the sunset, or head for a smattering of beach barbecues where locals cook freshly-caught fish.

While many prefer to stay put, swimming in the tepid waters of the Gulf of Thailand, I want to find out what sets Phu Quoc – an island which stretches 30 miles north to south – apart from the conventional fly-and-flop destinations.

Surprisingly, some 50 per cent of it is national park – made up of jungle, mangrove forests and woodland. Some of it is inaccessible, home to macaque and silver langur monkeys, fruit bats and reptiles, including pythons. You can rent a motorbike and attempt to see some of it by dirt

track, but the road is rocky, bumpy and – after the frequent short, sharp tropical downpours – often muddy, so not the most comfortable ride.

I’m also told that the jungle is so dense in the north-east that you can easily become disorientated.

That, coupled with the fact that Vietnamese soldiers guard restricted areas and may appear unexpectedly should you veer into no-go zones, convinces me to pursue a different course.

Phu Quoc is actually closer to Cambodia – just nine miles away – than to mainland Vietnam.

Cambodia lays a competing claim to the island, which is why the Vietnamese keep a substantial military presence there and much of the north is off-limits to the public.

You can go on jungle hikes and treks, but it’s humid and hot, so I venture to the cooler mountain waterfalls of Suoi Tranh further south, a regular picnic spot for locals.

Trying to ignore the unnecessary additions of tacky concrete animals on a winding path in the shade of the forest, I arrive at one of the Tranh stream waterfalls where bathers are swimming in the crystal clear water below.

These can dry up between November and March, but we strike lucky as a torrent of water provides some cooling relief.

As well as its beaches and waterfalls, Phu Quoc is famous for its fish sauce (nuoc mam), considered the finest in Vietnam.

Much of it is sent to the mainland, but it’s widely exported and you can buy it in specialist shops and online in the UK. There are family-run fish sauce factories all over the island – just follow your nose for directions, because the stench of anchovies as they go through the fermentation process is truly unforgettable. Ironically, you can’t take it home in case the bottle breaks on the plane, releasing that pungent whiff of the festering essence.

Phu Quoc also produces high quality pepper, 55 per cent of which is exported to India, China and Thailand. And this you can bring home.

Of course, many tourists will end their trip in Phu Quoc after visiting Ho Chi Minh City and cruising through the Mekong Delta, a watery maze of rivers, paddy fields and floating markets which extends from the city limits to the Gulf of Thailand.

Eager to escape the crowds, I’m persuaded by a local woman with a huge smile to let her take me on a different type of boat trip on her little sampan. We cannot communicate – very little English is spoken in this neck of the woods – but she leads me across to a quieter stretch, turning into narrow inlets and switching off the motor, gently rowing as I take in the floating boatyards in the hidden veins of the river.

Here, families live in corrugated shacks balanced precariously on stilts above the water, grey washing hanging forlornly over rusty balconies while small children smile and wave from their rickety jetties, seemingly content with the world.

This is rural, idyllic Vietnam at its best, despite tourism.

Let’s hope Phu Quoc can weather a similar storm.

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Valentine Gift Guide

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

HOW TO SPEND IT

Valentine'slovetokens CIRCLES OF LOVE 18ct white, rose and yellow gold and diamond stacking bangles, £2,900, Mimi Baldwin, www.mimibaldwin.com

FOR HER SMOOTH OPERATOR Heart and flower print silk pocket scarf, £35, Thomas Pink, www.thomaspink.com

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, £242, www.sunglassesshop.co.uk

On February 14, spoil that special lady with one of these luxurious gifts. She may well love you forever!

LISTEN UP Rose gold Peekaboo star earrings, £75, Alexi, www.alexilondon.com

LET’S GET FIZZICAL G.H. Mumm Brut Le Rosé , £41.99, Waitrose, www.waitrose.com

RIGHT ON TIME Salvatore Ferragamo Ladies’ cuore diamond watch, £1,460, www.watchshop.com

Valentine Gift Guide

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

HEART’S DESIRE Love poster, £45, The White Company, www.thewhitecompany.com

DON’T BOTTLE IT UP The Duppy Share Rum, £38 (price includes a personalised label), www.etcheddrinks.com

Splash out on these perfect treats for the man in your life…

FLORAL TRIBUTE Wildabout ‘The Chelsea’. Small £100, Medium £150, Large £200, Luxury £300, at www.wildabout.co.uk

SWEET TREATS Mixed Truffles 480g £12.95, Carluccios, www.carluccios.com

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IN THE PINK Edgerton Pomegranate Gin, £24.25, available from www.31dover.com

TIMELESS APPEAL: Police Bushmaster Watch, £172, www.watchshop.com

FOR HIM

FEATURES

A SOFT TOUCH: You’re guaranteed silky smooth skin courtesy of this trio of treats, Grooming Kit, £32, Clinique counters nationwide and www.lookfantastic.com

NEWS

Recruitment

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

FIND YOUR PERFECT JOB TODAY – A MUST READ FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR WORK LOCALLY WITH THE

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OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Recruitment

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Births, Marriages and Bereavements

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To help you provide the information required please email info@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or call 01892 779650.

We try to publish reports as quickly as possible after receipt and when space allows.

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Puzzles

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

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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.

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.

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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 next week’s paper

1 8 4 5 2 7 9 3 6

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T U P H O E N T D E A I N C P P Y R ON T V A I R S S K O U S

Jigsaw Sudoku:

Sudoku:

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M L I A O S E GM Q I U C H E A F L O E V E R M E E L L A Y A NO X I

7 6 8 2 1 9 3 5 4

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DIFFICULTY RATING: ★III

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FEATURES

Arts & Culture

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

The future is looking bright for our cultural landscape The Assembly Hall has just enjoyed a hugely successful few months under the new directorship of JJ Almond. Here, he tells Eileen Leahy about his plans for the next phase of the theatre’s 21st-century makeover, and why a restructure had to happen to ensure it stays on firmly on the artistic map…

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HEN I meet John-Jackson Almond, the Assembly Hall’s Theatre Director, in the venue’s now very cool and contemporary-looking bar area, he is in defiant mood.

Despite having received a bit of bad press from some areas of the media when he recently announced he was making seven posts at the 1930s theatre redundant, JJ – as he likes to be known – doesn’t seem to have let the negative coverage get to him.

Throughout the duration of our chat he’s extremely candid about why he had to take a long hard look at the commercial side of things, and is also very upbeat about the proposed plans for a new £70million Civic Centre which, if it goes ahead, will include a 1,200-seat theatre that would signal the end of the Assembly Hall.

Neither of these potentially stressful situations seem to phase JJ. In fact, he’s the same as when I first met him last summer, when he was appointed to this role: Acutely focused on the success of the Assembly Hall, utterly passionate about giving audiences the best live performances, and resolutely committed to ensuring that the building, which is owned by the borough council, is accessible to all areas of the community.

As we sit down to talk, it’s not long before he mentions the much-maligned redundancy scenario.

“It is a restructure and not about saving money,” he explains. “It’s about changing the direction of the theatre and bringing greater benefit to more people. I want to do things in a different way and I can’t do that with what I’ve got now.

“The thing I felt over the first three to six months of being here was that we weren’t as strategic as we could be in relation to audience development.

“One of the main things with the restructure was to bring in strategic thinkers with high quality experience in the current theatre and music industry. We wanted people from these backgrounds with a tried and tested track record of success in this area.”

JJ is swift to acknowledge that the Assembly Hall staff have worked ‘really hard’ over the last few years, but insists that in order for it to continue to survive, and receive its subsidy of some £250,000 a year from the council, the theatre has to adopt a more commercial approach.

“We can’t ignore the fact that the audience has plateaued and so has the programming, and that the weekly product coming in has reduced,” he

continues. “Although we’ve been operational in planning up until this point, we haven’t really been forward thinking about the future.

“So that was one of the other things underpinning the restructure: To think about things strategically and not tread water operationally.

“I want to be really clear that we are part of a local authority and are subsidised by taxpayers’ money.

Therefore, we have a duty to spend every single penny of that properly, and make decisions about why we are spending. In other words, we have to be socially and morally responsible.”

After surveying the cultural and commercial landscape of the Assembly Hall shortly after his arrival last May, JJ decided that certain roles were no longer relevant, but there were some that needed to be created in order to maximise the theatre’s potential.

BIG IDEAS JJ Almond

‘What I’m trying to do is build a foundation for a future that would work here but would also be suitable for the new one’

“The restructure is part of the journey and not the end of it. What I’m hoping is that the people we’ve brought in will take a more commercial approach to the business – because that’s what it is at the end of the day – and properly analyse how we use our data, how we tell people about our shows, and how we get them interested in the theatre.”

To achieve his vision of creating a theatre for the future – whether or not the plans for the shiny new Civic Centre go ahead – JJ has created five new jobs. They include a Sales and Marketing Director, a Development Director, a Creative Learning Manager, a Systems Co-ordinator and a Finance and Programming Assistant.

“There’s strategic, operational and community elements in those new posts,” JJ explains. “I don’t have any more money to spend so had to look at where I could make operational savings so I could deliver a bigger picture.”

He confirms that the biggest loss of jobs was the in the box office where three went.

“We used the Gateway in town for tickets but still had people manning the box office here day in day out, waiting for overflow calls or for people to drop in on the off-chance to buy

tickets. So all that has happened is I’ve moved all of that to the Gateway. The theatre’s box office will still open 90 minutes before each show and from midday to 5pm on a Saturday, so it’s not completely closing, it’s just now open when it needs to be.”

The other positions JJ did away with include that of the Marketing and Development Manager, Theatre Team Assistant, E-marketing and Research Officer and the Business Manager.

So have seven people lost their jobs?

“No, I’ve made seven posts redundant and created five new ones. The

reality is that 1.5 posts were lost. Four people have left completely, while the three others have been absorbed elsewhere.”

One, for example, he says, has gone into the pool of casual workers who will now do everything from ushering to manning the bar and selling tickets on show days.

“My thinking behind this is that I want everyone in the casual pool to do everything to enhance the customers’ experience. I don’t want a ‘that’s not my department’ approach if a theatregoer asks the bar staff about tickets or

the programming. I want everyone to participate across the board and be as helpful and customer-focused as possible.”

The new managerial roles will focus on other areas, ranging from the overseeing of the website and customer database to focusing on improving fundraising and reaching out to untapped talent.

The latter will be a big part of the remit for the new Creative Learning Manager, who happens to be Bethan Minter, formerly of Trinity Theatre.

“She will be going into schools, putting together a participation programme and capitalising on and accelerating a talent development programme. Things like that are hugely important,” says JJ. “This particular job is really in my heart as it’s the one that matters – it gets you outside of the theatre and communicating and engaging and will hopefully benefit lots of people.”

The community is a big issue for JJ Almond. He wants the Assembly Hall to be a valuable ‘asset’ for everyone – not just for those with a higher cultural barometer or disposable income.

“We don’t want to be four walls that sell tickets and drinks. We need to reach outside those walls and do something that is meaningful and brings value and enrichment into the lives of people that might not even come to the theatre but might be interested.”

He’s hoping to achieve this in a number of ways, including the recent Pay What You Can initiative, which enables those on a lower income to pay what they can afford for tickets on selected shows courtesy of the Local Authority’s Go!Card scheme (available at the Gateway in town).

“It’s about building a proper relationship and developing a conversation with those who might not ever have even been into our building.

That’s what has also underpinned the restructure.”

With all of that now properly clarified, it’s time to talk about the proposed new Civic Centre, which will also boast a shiny state-of-the-art theatre.

Hoped to be up and running in five years, and costing a rumoured £70million pounds, it is the biggest development Tunbridge Wells has seen for 80 years, and would result in the Assembly Hall closing its doors for good. Is JJ worried?

“We have to be clear that nobody has given the go-ahead for the new theatre yet,” he emphasises, cautiously. “So

Arts & Culture

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

THEATRE OF DREAMS Artistic impression of the town’s new 1200 seater arts building

we are still looking at this building. For us it’s very much business as usual at the moment at the Assembly Hall.

“What I’m trying to do is build a foundation for a future that would work here but would also be suitable for the new venue. What theatre should achieve is the same – regardless of its location.”

JJ does admit that if it gets the green light he still wants to be in charge and draw more audiences and productions from London, but isn’t he worried that a provincial theatre will struggle to do so?

“I don’t think that’s a challenge. The Royal Shakespeare Company has said

they’d love to come here but we just don’t have the space to accommodate them.

Now that is the challenge. There’s absolutely an audience dynamic for them here, but the shows won’t fit. It’s not just the seating capacity that’s a problem, it’s the size of the stage and the lack of wing space. When Priscilla (Queen of the Desert) came here we had to hire an extra generator, for example, so there are always restrictions in the building.

“My personal feeling is that with a bigger stage, better facilities, more seating, then yes, absolutely we can fill the theatre.”

‘It’s about making sure we invest our time and effort in getting the best work on the stage’

His other key aim is to improve the quality of the programme, regardless of whether the new theatre is approved at the end of this year.

“It’s about making sure we invest our time and effort in getting the best work on the stage so we can cultivate the audience appropriately and not dilute things.”

He’s hoping to have much more content on offer, but equally those things that aren’t selling tickets will be offered to other smaller organisations like Trinity Theatre to see if they can work elsewhere.

“I’d rather do that than not have it happen in Tunbridge Wells at all.

However, there are some events which may have a smaller audience that I will include in the programme because they are culturally important, or serve a specific audience group or a diversity issue, and are therefore important for us to have. Those are the events I want to make a choice about subsiding.”

He’s already supporting some community groups such as Tunbridge Wells Opera and Dramatic Society [TWODS] and the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra [RTWSO] by offering them reduced rates so they can perform, and he is working with charities such as the Friends of Calverley Grounds Adventure Playground and the forthcoming Women Work mentoring event on March 10.

“This building can cost up to £3,500 a day to run, but for people like TWODS, who are important not just historically but in the landscape of the venue, then we can subsidise. I’m trying to have this conversation with other community groups. If I’ve got a spare day then I’ll say ‘have the venue’, but it has to be within three months and a cause that has a large

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social impact. It can’t be anything niche or has other fundraising areas.”

When we first spoke, encouraging community ownership of the Assembly Hall and improving the quality as opposed to the quantity of the programme were two of JJ’s biggest goals, along with developing an ongoing discourse with fellow cultural venues such as Trinity and The Forum, which he says is now happening regularly. He gives the music nights put on by the latter at the ice rink (which he also oversees) at Christmas as a good example. So, having achieved those goals, and after almost ten months at the

‘The restructure is part of the journey and not the end of it’ helm, what would JJ cite as his biggest highlight so far?

After a long, thoughtful pause he responds with: “You can’t escape the real sense of achievement people have when they come out of the Christmas season.

We have to be so proud of all the people who work here and deliver all of those things. Panto season is busy in any theatre, but achieving a successful one and running an ice rink at the same time – wow!

“Theatre is in my blood, it’s my passion.

You have to have an eye on everything, talk to people and try to ensure you’re engaged – because through that you really start to make a difference.

“For me, it’s not just about selling tickets, but making a difference in the best possible way, with the pay-off that you can see an amazing show as well.”

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Life & Style

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

BRACHERS SHORTLISTED IN PRESTIGIOUS NATIONAL AWARDS Brachers has made the final shortlist in two categories of the MPF Management Excellence Awards, with the winners due to be announced in March.

The firm has been shortlisted for Best corporate culture and Best collaboration across the management team at the 2017 Managing Partners’ Forum (MPF) Management Excellence Awards in conjunction with Harvard Business Review and The Financial Times - the only competition that highlights management’s contribution to strategy and leadership, the client journey, operational excellence and responsible business.

LOCAL MUMS LAUNCH BESPOKE PROPERTY FINDING SERVICE DEDICATED TO SEVENOAKS MARKET January 2017: A professional home finding service dedicated to the Sevenoaks housing market is being launched this month by two local entrepreneurial mums.

The MPF is an organisation dedicated to helping professional firms grow by providing insights to improve performance. Its Management Excellence awards have become well-established and receives entries from firms across the UK.

Hart & Vine’s founders Catherine Smith and Ruth Richman are offering a bespoke service for buyers looking to move within, or into, Sevenoaks and its surrounding villages. By focusing on such a small geographic area the agency can offer a highly effective service.

In the Best corporate culture category, Brachers’ entry centred on the firm’s ‘With You All The Way’ campaign which focused servicing clients’ needs better and listening to client feedback to achieve better client satisfaction scores and retention. Their new internal behavioural competency framework was also acknowledged, promoting staff behaviours more tightly aligned to business strategy.

In the Best collaboration across the management team category, Brachers’ entry highlighted the firm’s new internal structures and how they deliver an improved alignment of the business plan to best serve the needs of clients rather than thinking in practice area silos. The result has been to promote better teamwork across the firm, which has also improved staff engagement.

Joanna Worby, Managing Partner, said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for these highly coveted awards. We are always looking for ways to improve everything we do at Brachers and to put clients’ needs at the heart, so it’s very encouraging to see our efforts recognised.”

News of the firm’s shortlisting comes in the wake of successful rankings for Brachers in the legal industry’s two leading independent directories - Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500. The firm received 26 rankings across the two directories, with over half falling into the top and second tiers.

For further media information, please contact Alexa Bleek, Marketing and Business Development Manager at AlexaBleek@brachers.co.uk or call 01622 690691. www.brachers.co.uk

RENCRAFT OF KENT AWARDED BEST OF HOUZZ 2017 Rencraft of Kent were Nominated the Best Home Improvement and Design Professionals in the UK and Around the World On January 26, 2017, Rencraft of Kent was voted ‘Best Of Design’ on Houzz® - the leading platform for home renovation and design. The award-winning handmade kitchen designer and manufacturer was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the worldwide Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, improvement and design industry professionals.

The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Work from the winners of the Design Award was the most popular amongst Houzz users. Customer Service honours are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional company received in 2016. Architecture and interior design photographers, whose images were most popular, were recognised with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2017” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and toprated home professionals on Houzz.

“To have scooped a Houzz Best of Design award for the second year in a row is a great honour” said Karen Cowell, Marketing Manager at Rencraft, “We are absolutely delighted to know that our work has been enjoyed and recognised by the many members of the Houzz community year after year.”

Andrew Small, MD of Houzz UK and Ireland said: “We are so pleased to award Best of Houzz 2017 to this incredible group of talented and customer-focused professionals, including Rencraft. Each of these businesses were singled out for recognition by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts, for helping to turn their home improvement dreams into reality.”

Follow Rencraft on Houzz https://www.houzz.co.uk/pro/ rencraftltd/rencraft-ltd or visit their website www.rencraft.co.uk

Commenting, founder Ruth Richman said, “The Sevenoaks property market is very competitive with demand often outstripping supply, but with extensive local contacts, knowledge and close ties with estate agents in the town, we’re able to gain privileged and early access to off-market properties, giving our clients a distinct advantage. As many as a quarter of properties in Sevenoaks sell discretely without any marketing* so we really can add value for prospective buyers”.

Born and bred locally, Catherine and Ruth returned to Sevenoaks with their families over ten years ago, and so have first-hand experience of the local housing market and bringing families up in the town. The pair spotted a growing number of families moving here from London or as expats in recent years.

Indeed, Dominick Brown at Savills, Sevenoaks commented ‘we have seen a growing trend in recent years in the numbers of buyers moving to this area from London and abroad, attracted to Sevenoaks by excellent schools, ease of commuting, a vibrant local community and countryside on the doorstep’.

And so, the dedicated duo have also set up a bespoke Settling and Establishing Service, as a complimentary service to the Home Finding and aimed at families moving into the area.

The pair put considerable time and effort into building strong relationships with local schools, clubs, businesses and tradesmen and have racked up an impressive black book of contacts. With five children between them at four different schools they are up to speed with school catchment areas and admissions criteria! Founder, Catherine Smith added ‘our Settling and Establishing Service is aimed at helping the family to quickly settle and generally to help them avoid the pitfalls of living by trial and error in their new environment in the early weeks and months. We will help find schools, register with doctors and dentists, suggest recommended local tradespeople, find clubs for the children and even recommend somewhere for a good Sunday roast!’

For further information please contact: Catherine Smith on 07810522101 / Catherine@hartandvine.co.uk Ruth Richman on 07879016229 / ruth@hartandvine.co.uk

What’s On Half-Term Special

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

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HALF-TERM FAMILY ACTIVITIES AND ATTRACTIONS

WHATS ON WITH THE

With schools breaking up on Friday for a week’s holiday, it can only mean one thing: It’s time to get planning some days out so your children are kept busy and engaged – with no time to complain! Eileen Leahy selects the best activities and events to get stuck into this half term Adventure Playground. All the items listed on the special programme are free with admission price For further information on activities, visit www.groombridgeplace.com

REALLY WILD SHOW Enjoy a wealth of fun activities at Groombridge Place

>> PENSHURST PLACE This popular attraction will have a special family outdoor trail running through its extensive gardens over the half-term holidays that will feature much-loved children’s book illustrations and a riddle or two. It is the first of a series of special events and activities Penshurst Place has planned for 2017 on its theme this year of culture – art, literary and music. For more information on tickets and times, visit www.penshurstplace.com

>> HEVER CASTLE One of the area’s most historical properties, Hever Castle, the former home of Henry VIII’s second wife Anne Boleyn, will be running an event in conjunction with the RSPB over the half-term holidays. To mark National Nest Box week, visitors will learn tips on things like how to encourage birds to build their very own homes and survive during the colder months. Activities on offer throughout the day include bird-spotting sessions, making your own wooden bird box, a castle quiz and a talk on nature. Ticket prices vary according JUMP FOR JOY Children will love bouncing around this trampolining centre

to activities. For further details, visit www.hevercastle.co.uk >> JUMP IN If the rain puts paid to any trips to the great outdoors, then worry not, as the area’s only trampoline centre, located in Tonbridge, is the perfect alternative activity when the weather doesn’t want to play ball. Jump In, which can be found on Morley Road, offers toddlers to teens a variety of different packages, which include an hour’s jumping time from £7 (for the under-5s).

For more information, visit www.gojumpin.com >> GROOMBRIDGE PLACE Wild Adventures Week will be happening every day at this glorious country house and grounds until Sunday February 19. The event will run from 10am until 4.30pm and will offer plenty of fun activities, including jungle explorer shows, den building and wildlife crafts.

Children will also have the chance to build a ‘bug hotel’ and explore the Enchanted Forest

>> CIRCUS ZYAIR The Hop Farm in Paddock Wood will once again be hosting the popular Circus Zyair. Pitching its big red top tent up for the whole of half term, the circus will entertain audiences with all manner of clowns, acrobats and jugglers who will mesmerise with their routines, which include tinkering on the high wire and racing motorbikes through the wheel of death. The twice-daily shows take place at 2 and 5pm and last 90 minutes. Tickets cost £7.99 and can be purchased from www.zyair.co.uk >> NATIONAL TRUST Ightham Mote and Scotney, Bodiam and Sissinghurst castles will all be holding a variety of childfriendly activities

CHILD’S PLAY Discover newfound hobbies and skills at Bore Place

YOUTHFUL WISH LIST Explore your National Trust properties throughout the half-term holiday, including treasure trails and bug hunts. Each one will also be promoting the Trust’s ongoing activity 50 Things To Do Before You’re 11¾, which involves everything from identifying butterflies to making mud pies. For more information, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk >> BORE PLACE Located in Bough Beech near Chiddingstone, this pleasant venue is pulling out all the stops for children this half term, and also includes specialist activities for those with additional needs. Suitable for ages eight to 17, there will be everything from cooking to art classes and gardening to pond-dipping and learning about Bore’s farming community. The aim is to help children develop skills, confidence and self-esteem. Each club runs from 10am until 2.30pm and sessions cost £12 per day per child. Places can be booked at www.boreplace.org

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What’s On

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

SEVEN DAYS OF SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE

WHATS ON WITH THE

Eileen Leahy

If you would like to see your events featured in our weekly What’s On pages please email eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Local events >> WEDNESDAY The Kent High Weald Partnership will be putting on their Over The Hedge volunteers workshop today from 10am until 3pm. The aim is to get as many volunteers as possible along to cut back the hedges in Barnett’s Wood near High Brooms in order to create bushier and healthier habitats for wildlife. If you’re interested in helping, simply call 01580 212 972.

Comedian Rob Beckett brings his Mouth of the South show to the Assembly Hall tonight from 8pm. The star of popular BBC One shows Live at the Apollo and Would I lie To You? presents his latest stand-up act, where he takes on the big issues of 21st-century life – namely Kit Kats and flatbread! Tickets cost £15 per person and can be bought from www.assemblytheatre.co.uk

CHILDREN WILL BE CHUFFED Spa Valley is offering some £1 half-term tickets

Every Wednesday from 7 until 9pm the Angel Indoor Bowls Club in Tonbridge welcomes beginners to their ‘Have a go at bowling’ evening. There’s even a free drink on offer at the bar afterwards! For more information visit www.angelibc.co.uk >> THURSDAY Tunbridge Wells Library, Museum & Art Gallery is hosting a free business start-up surgery from 6pm until 8pm. Local entrepreneurs and business experts will be on hand to help you with tips on setting up your company, choosing the right branding and advice on how to maintain a successful company or enterprise.

The surgery is being run

by Girl Friday Graphics, NatWest, Appledore Marketing and Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

Acclaimed magician and star of Britain’s Got Talent Jamie Raven will be bringing his clever

conjuring act to the Assembly Hall Theatre from 7.30pm this evening. Jamie’s unique style of magic has earned him a big fan base, particularly amongst families, with a show style that can be enjoyed by all ages. Tickets cost £17.50 per person and can be bought by visiting www.assemblytheatre.co.uk

MAGIC MAN Jamie Raven is at the Assembly Hall

>> FRIDAY The EM Forster Theatre at Tonbridge School will be holding another of their monthly and highly popular Comedy Nights this evening from 7.30pm. On the bill are headliner Dan Evans, whose act revolves around gags on childish surrealism. David Tsonos provides the support with his amusing anecdotes on life – namely being the youngest of five boys, babysitting and his cat.

Russell Hicks is your compère for the evening, which is open to those aged 16 and over. Tickets cost £12 and can be bought from www. boxoffice.tonbridge-school.co.uk The Mercure Hotel in Pembury is hosting a trio of special

FOR YOUR FREE DRINK COUPON

SEE PAGE 92

intimate dinners to celebrate Valentine’s. Starting tonight and running until Sunday, you and your loved one can enjoy a delicious three-course meal.

If you book for Saturday night there will be a live musical performance by singer Kate Austin to enjoy. Tickets cost £35 per person and include a complementary glass of Prosecco and a box of chocolates to share. For more details, email events@mercuretunbridgewells.co.uk >> SATURDAY A collection of images from the prestigious International Garden Photographer of the Year competition are currently on display at Sissinghurst Castle. The exhibition, which runs until March 5, showcases everything from portraits to panoramic shots of horticultural scenes and intricate flora and fauna details from both professional and amateur photographers.

To find out more, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk There will be a quiz night on from 7.30pm at St Philip’s Church, Salisbury Road in Tonbridge.

Come as a team of six or come and join a team.

Bring your own drinks and nibbles! Cost £2.

Please book via St Philip’s office: 01732 352416 or saintphilips@tonbridgeparishchurch.org.uk >> SUNDAY Half term is now upon us, so if you’re stuck for ideas on how to amuse the children this week then why not treat them to a train ride? On specific days

What’s On

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

SIMPLY WIZARD Fantastic Beasts…

Trinity is where to find them!

throughout half term, the Spa Valley Railway is offering children’s tickets for just £1 each. Families can travel today, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday at these special rates and enjoy the picturesque views along the journey from Tunbridge Wells West to High Rocks, Groombridge and Eridge.

To purchase tickets online, visit www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk If you’re after an artistic fix, then why not pop along to Trinity’s latest exhibition, entitled Cityscapes and Other Works?? It’s a collection of paintings by William Pierce, who recently completed a postgraduate course at the Royal Drawing School in London. The exhibition, which is free, runs until Sunday February 12.

For further details visit www.trinitytheatre.net >> MONDAY The Tunbridge Wells branch of the Royal British Legion meets every second Monday of each month from 1.30pm (excluding August and October) at Crabb Hall. At each meeting there

is a guest speaker. This month it will be the turn of former Tunbridge Wells Mayor, and current Southborough Mayor, Cllr David Elliott. There is no charge to attend and everybody is welcome. For more information visit www.britishlegion.org.uk At 3pm there will be a screening of JK Rowling’s hugely successful Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them at Trinity Theatre. Starring Eddie Redmayne as British wizard Newt Scamander, it follows his amazing story of arriving in New York for a brief stopover only to uncover a hidden world of wizardry, muggles and magical beasts. A must for Harry Potter fans, tickets cost £6 for children and £8 for adults. See www.trinitytheatre.net The Royal Oak pub in Prospect Road, Tunbridge Wells hosts an Open Mic night every Monday from 7.30pm. So whether you’re a keen musician who wants to try out some new material, or you simply enjoy getting up and singing a few tunes, then this is the perfect showcase. >> TUESDAY The Oast Theatre, Tonbridge is currently putting on a play entitled Honour. It’s the story of happily married husband and wife George and Honor, whose relationship is threatened when a beautiful female biographer is sent to interview George, who is a successful journalist. Will their intense attraction to one another threaten George and Honor’s love and loyalty to one another? Written by Joanna Murray-Smith and directed by Stuart McCreadie, it’s described as ‘affecting and poignant’.

It runs until February 18 and ticket prices cost £7.50 for members or £10 for nonmembers. For more information, visit www.oastheatre.com

FEATURES

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A ROUND-UP OF THIS WEEK’S MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Paul Dunton

The must-read guide to what’s on musically for the week ahead… www.paulduntonandguests.com

Live music It’s another busy week across the local scene with an array of fantastic gigs and concerts to be enjoyed. See all the highlights below:

Sarah Tonin band

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

Doors 7.30pm, entry price variable, event information and tickets at www.twforum.co.uk

FRIDAY Dub Pistols + Bombay Monkey SATURDAY Boogie Nights THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE

The Pantiles, doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7, websites www.pdag.co.uk + www.thegreylady.co.uk

WEDNESDAY James Medhurst, Code Marla, Sarah Tonin FRIDAY Dino Baptiste SATURDAY Live Jazz with Jennifer Maslin and friends TUESDAY Funkin Function SUNDAY Zoe Eve, Kyla & Nat, Bea Everett MONDAY No Show THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE

Crescent Road Information on times and tickets at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

THE ROYAL OAK

Prospect Road, open all day, free entry, music from early evening onwards

SATURDAY Cut Above MONDAY Open Mic Night THE BEDFORD

2 High Street, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm onwards

SATURDAY Uplift

FRIDAY Sweet Illusion THE DUKE OF YORK

THE BEAU NASH TAVERN

The Pantiles, open all day, free entry, music from 8pm onwards

Mount Ephraim, Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late

SATURDAY Alex Gold

MONDAY Open Mic Night

THE PUNCH & JUDY

THE CROSS KEYS

11 St Stephen’s Street, Tonbridge Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm

St John’s Road, open all day, free entry, music from 8pm, website www.crosskeystw.co.uk

MONDAY TWUNT: Ukulele Jam Session

Jennifer Maslin

TUESDAY call 01732 352368 for confirmed act

Sporting Times

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

NEWS

93

Breast cancer survivor running One week to go: in memory of those who can’t Make sure you are

By Siobhan Stirling WHEN Paula Brindley crosses the finish line of the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon on February 19, it will be one more milestone in her recovery from breast cancer – and another training run ticked off in her preparation for the London Marathon.

The fact that she has set herself this goal is not a surprise: She ran the Race For Life two days after her first round of chemotherapy, and since finishing her treatment has completed the Tonbridge Half Marathon, the Hever Triathlon twice and the Moon Walk – and cycled from Belgium to Tunbridge Wells. In the process, she has raised over £6,500 for cancer charities.

“I didn’t want cancer to be a reason for not running and exercising,” she says. “It was important for me to get my life back to how it was.”

In 2013, at the age of 40, Paula from Pembury was the fittest she had ever been. She had taken up running a few months earlier and lost weight. She completed the Hildenborough 10 Miles. Two days later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

There were huge consequences for Paula and her family: “I was a freelance primary teacher and it wasn’t advisable for me to be around the children during treatment, so with sadness I left.”

But her biggest challenge was telling her own young children, then aged six and four. “I wanted to make it positive,” recalls Paula, “but following the biopsy, my lump unusually tripled in size.

“As a precaution, my medics started my chemotherapy straightaway, so we had to tell the children sooner than we had planned.

“We watched a great video together by Macmillan, called Mummy’s Lump, and they were very matter of fact about it.”

The day after her first chemotherapy treatment was her daughter’s birthday party. “I had been up all

night being sick,” Paula says. “I made it to the party but I had to drop out for a bit.”

The following day, she managed the Dunorlan Race For Life: “I was completely dazed by the drugs – friends pushed and pulled me up the hill at the end.”

Halfway through her chemotherapy, Paula had to give up running as the later treatments left her unable to keep it up.

‘I didn’t want cancer to be a reason for not running. It was important for me to get my life back to how it was’ But after finishing treatment at the beginning of 2014 – and having put on two stones because of the medication – Paula was determined to regain fitness, especially because exercise is known to reduce the risk of recurrence.

She started with a ‘couch to 5k’ training programme, notching up the Tonbridge Half Marathon that September. “I managed it, but I was so slow. I wanted to get quicker, but I got breathless when I ran.”

Rather than give up, she started training

MOTIVATION Paula (left) with her sister Lorna Baker after the Race for Life in Dunorlan Park

for the Hever Triathlon in September 2015, so she could mix the running with swimming and cycling. The triathlon training hooked Paula on cycling.

In May 2016, she rode from Belgium to Tunbridge Wells with the 4 Chapel Challenge team in aid of The Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre in Tunbridge Wells.

And last September, she entered the Hever Triathlon again, this time as part of a team of breast cancer survivors.

“I was still finding breathing hard when running,” she admits. “It turned out my medication had caused a pulmonary embolism and my B12 levels were low.”

When those conditions were successfully treated, Paula started running again, but didn’t really enjoy it. “I had just decided to hang up my running shoes and enjoy the cycling when I got a place for the London Marathon!

It’s a daunting prospect but also an irresistible challenge. “I’m scared, but incredibly excited. It draws a line after all the health problems I’ve had, while raising money for anyone going through breast cancer.”

Paula trains twice during the week, then on Sundays with the Nuffield Runners: “The encouragement from running in a group is great – it keeps me going.”

She’s on track for both the Half Marathon in 11 days’ time and the London Marathon in April. “I’m running this time for Breast Cancer Care, because they do a lot of research for ladies with secondary breast cancer. Some of the women I was diagnosed with are receiving further treatment, or are sadly no longer here,” she adds.

“When I don’t want to train, I remember that some women can’t choose. They are my motivation.”

To support Paula’s fundraising visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/PaulaBrindley If you would like to enter the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon on February 19, visit www.twharriers.org.uk or www.race-nation.com

wearing the right kit NOW is the time to make sure you know exactly what kit and clothing you will be using for the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon on February 19 so that you can enjoy the best possible race.

The simple message is to stick with what you know. “Now is not the time to go and buy new kit that you don’t have time to trial on a long run before the race,” says Jane Dew, a fitness instructor at Nuffield Health Fitness and Wellbeing Gym on Knights Park Leisure Park and a run leader for Runtogether.

“You absolutely mustn’t even think about buying new trainers that you don’t have time to wear in, but even an untested pair of socks could cause a blister, or a new label could rub.”

You also need to think about the temperature and the weather, how that contrasts with training conditions and the solutions that worked best for you.

“If it’s expected to be cold, can you run comfortably in an extra layer, or will you get too hot? If you think you might get cold waiting at the start, you may like to take a layer that you can discard after a couple of miles, or ask a supporter to position themselves to take it from you,” advises Jane.

If you’re likely to overheat, accessories could provide the solution. “Gloves, sleeves and a hat can all be taken off if necessary and put into a pocket or tied on to your belt,” says Jane.

If it’s due to rain, only take a jacket if you have already practised running in one. “If you get too hot, will you be comfortable running with it round your waist, or will it annoy you?” asks Jane.

“You may be better off with a cap to keep the rain out of your eyes, but

Four more golds for Caitlin – and No 1 ranking in UK

GOING SWIMMINGLY (Back, l to r) Caitlin Ebbage, Erin Nisbet, Coach Pete Withey; (front) Dan Brice, Harvey Thatcher

SWIMMING: CAITLIN EBBAGE added four more gold medals to the three she had already won at the Kent County Swimming Championships in Crystal Palace.

The 11-year-old also became the leading swimmer in the British rankings for her age group in the 200m backstroke.

Tonbridge Swimming Club had seven swimmers in action for the second part of the four-weekend event, and they set 13 new longcourse club records.

Erin Nisbet had an impressive weekend, picking up two bronze medals in the girls’ 12 years freestyle and backstroke events.

Harvey Thatcher, making his debut at the event, set a new 2.5sec personal best (PB) and club record in the 100m butterfly for the boys’ 14 years age group.

He was followed by Dan Brice

in the 13 years age group. He also achieved a new PB and club record in qualifying for the final.

Caitlin set a new PB and club record in winning the girls’ 12 years 200m freestyle event in a time that ranks her sixth in GB for her age. Erin managed a PB to secure third place in the race.

Caitlin recorded another PB in the 100m freestyle heat and won the final, while Sarah Brown secured a PB in her first swim of this year’s championships.

Sunday saw the boys competing in the breaststroke and the girls contesting the backstroke events over 100m and 200m.

Dan and Michael Roshier both set new long course club records in the 100m breaststroke.

In the 200m backstroke Caitlin won gold again with a PB and club record. She came home

more than 20 seconds ahead of the nearest rival in her age group and recorded the sixth fastest swim across all age groups. That result took Caitlin to No 1 in the GB rankings for her age group.

Caitlin and Erin took first and third place in the girls’ 12 years 100m backstroke final, the latter achieving a 1.5 second PB to win the bronze.

A tired Caitlin secured victory by more than four seconds but was outside her PB. Her heat time now ranks her second in GB for this event at her age group.

Sarah swam to another PB and club record in the same event, while Holly Gordon also set a new club record.

Dan Brice was again the sole boys’ representative in the 200m breaststroke event, and set a new club record for his age group.

FITNESS TIPS Jane Dew again you need to trial it to know that it works for you.”

You also need to think beyond the finish line. “It’s likely to be cold, so you will need to layer up afterwards. Are you going to have your extra clothes in a kit bag that you hand in, or can a supporter bring them to you at the end?”

You also need to plan your nutrition and other kit. “If you’re using energy gels, you will probably want to carry them on a belt, but you need to have tested it to make sure it doesn’t rub,” says Jane.

“You also need somewhere secure, comfortable and waterproof to store your phone.

And, if you’re using a runners’ watch, make sure it’s charged.”

Finally, don’t forget to work out how you will travel to and from the start line. “If you are driving, plan where you intend to park and what time you need to leave to ensure a space,” adds Jane. “Leaving it until the last minute can cause undue stress on race day.”

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NEWS

Sporting Times

CONTACT US:

Please send your sports stories to newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

Allberry masterminds tactical victory over chasing Maidstone

FIGHTING CHANCE Jackie Chan enjoys the parade before last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans

Maidstone 1st XI 2 Tunbridge Wells Men’s 1st XI 3

By Brandon Begg HOCKEY: A TOP-of the-table clash between Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone in Kent & Sussex Regional Division One promised to be a closely fought battle and so it turned out.

After a nervous opening for both teams, Tunbridge Wells settled first and took the initiative with several incursions into the Maidstone penalty area, but without reward.

A quick Maidstone counterattack after 10 minutes saw them awarded a penalty corner, which they duly dispatched into the bottom right side of the goal to take the lead.

Unfazed, Tunbridge Wells continued to show patience in

MOTORSPORT: THE chances of bumping into the Kung Fu legend Jackie Chan in Tunbridge Wells unexpectedly increased last week after Jota Sport announced it was tying up with the Hollywood star’s Le Mans race team.

The Chinese Jackie Chan DC Racing team and Frant-based Jota Sport will join forces for a twocar programme with a pair of ORECA 07 LMP2 cars this year to compete in the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC).

It is a combination which is certain to strike fear into rival teams as both outfits have achieved considerable success in endurance racing, including victory at the iconic 24-hour race.

‘We have a very strong heritage of working with ambitious teams’ This year will be the second season that both teams have been involved in the FIA WEC, which is widely regarded as the world’s biggest and best competition in the field. They will also be racing in the 85th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.

Jackie Chan DC Racing was formed in 2015 and immediately tasted success after joint team founder David Cheng, along with team-mate Ho-Pin Tung, claimed the 2015-16 Asian Le Mans LMP3 title, adding to their championship triumphs in 2013 and 2014.

The team was co-founded by Mr Chan and has created headlines around the world for its achievements and profile.

In 2016 they entered the FIA WEC for the first time while running a concurrent Asian Le Mans campaign in LMP2 with an ORECA.

A pair of victories at Zhuhai and Buriram in LMP2, as well as one victory in LMP3, saw them finish runners-up in the burgeoning championship after an excellent campaign.

Team co-owner Mr Cheng said: “I am very excited that our team has joined forces with Jota Sport to create what I believe will be a very strong squad for 2017 in the FIA WEC. “I have already got a very good feeling that I and our partners will enjoy racing alongside Sam Hignett, David Clark and all the team at Jota Sport.

“I think with the knowledge that we gathered last season in the FIA WEC and the great results we enjoyed in the Asian Le Mans Series, allied to the experience of Jota Sport, will be a very potent combination this season.”

Jota Sport will be renewing their commitment to the WEC after taking a stunning hat-trick of wins at the final three races of 2016 at Fuji, Shanghai and Bahrain. The local team were also crowned as champions in their class at the European Le Mans Series last year, which feeds into the main event.

Jota’s expertise in endurance racing stretches back 18 seasons and includes an LMP2 victory at Le Mans in 2014 and two second places in 2015 and 2016.

Sam Hignett, Team Director of Jota Sport, said: “This is a significant day for both Jota Sport and Jackie Chan DC Racing. This new alliance will ensure we can carry the momentum that both squads had from 2016 into the current campaign and continue the winning ways which saw such a successful end to last season.

“Jota has a proud history as a winning endurance racing entity, but we also have a very strong heritage of working with other ambitious teams and partners.”

PHOTO: Brandon Begg

Jackie Chan joins forces with Jota to strike fear into rivals

their build-up play and they were duly rewarded for their hard work

by Jack Garwood and Ben Brandt’s skilful interplay, finding Ben Allberry at the top of the D. The Player-Coach then drilled the reverse shot into the bottom corner of the goal and Tunbridge Wells were level.

Allberry was the provider five minutes later when a quick counter-attack and a neat one-two set up Brandt for an easy tap-in, leaving Wells 2-1 up at the half.

The second half started in much the same vein with Wells on the attack, and after a surging James Beck was fouled in the act of shooting, Allberry stepped up to convert the resulting penalty stroke into the roof of the net.

Maidstone rose to the challenge

after going 3-1 down and continued to press high, trying to make life more difficult for the visiting team.

The hosts’ persistence was eventually rewarded with a second goal, which brought the score back to 3-2 midway through the half.

A nail-biting final ten minutes saw Wells repel several Maidstone attacks, goalkeeper James Harris putting in a man-ofthe-match performance.

Alex Bull and Mitch Hawksbee each cleared the ball off the goalline, ensuring Wells hung on for a well-deserved victory.

With eight games to play, Tunbridge Wells are now in control of their own destiny in first place, with a two-point cushion over second-placed Maidstone.

POWER PLAY Ben Brandt unleashes a potent shot

Organ pulls the strings as ambitions grow Bromley & Beckenham 2nd XI 1 Tunbridge Wells Ladies 1st XI 2

By Brandon Begg HOCKEY:

HARD work in training paid off for Tunbridge Wells Ladies as they were rewarded with smartly executed passes and more shots on goal.

The visitors started slowly, however, and Brom-Becks were all over Tunbridge Wells in the first few minutes.

But they could not convert these early opportunities thanks to the solid defence of Hare, Begg, Ross and Cairns, and Tunbridge Wells finally kicked into gear.

After strong play down the right-hand side, right-half

Ele Cairns lifted a ball into the back of the net from the tightest of angles and Tunbridge Wells were 1-0 up going into half-time.

Player of the match Roberta Organ was instrumental in distributing the ball through the middle of the pitch and there were some excellent runs out of defence by Georgia Whitaker.

Early in the second half, Wells’ Amy Hare made a save on the goalline but she was adjudged to have stopped the ball illegally. A penalty flick was given and duly converted.

In the middle of the second period there was a sweet passage of play from the defence through Ollie Gerrett in

midfield to Organ then on to Ana Glubb up front.

She slipped the ball through to Becky Bradbury and she managed to scramble her way through the Brom-Becks defence and pass the ball back to Glubb, who slotted it home to put Tunbridge Wells 2-1 up.

A tense final 15 minutes was made worse by the fact that the visiting team were tiring from their hard work in the first half but they hung on for the victory.

Tunbridge Wells are now sitting joint fourth in East Region Division One South with a game in hand so there’s plenty to play for with just under half the season to go.

Sporting Times

Wednesday February 8 | 2017

NEWS

95

Reynolds shows his class as Wells keep pace with rivals Tunbridge Wells 27 Gravesend 10

Canvey Island 0 Tonbridge Angels 1

By Jim Rowe FOOTBALL: IT WASN’T a classic but the Angels will not worry as they took all three points against a hard-working but predictable Canvey Island team in the Ryman Premier on Saturday.

Angels Assistant Manager Barry Moore was in charge because Steve McKimm was unwell. After the drama of the midweek 4-4 draw at home to Leatherhead, Alex Akrofi was back from suspension to partner Nathan Elder up front.

Moore’s faith in Akrofi brought an almost immediate return as the pacy striker scored after just four minutes, taking advantage of Luke Allen’s through ball. The visitors’ first serious attack was to prove decisive as the only goal of the game.

On 26 minutes Jack Parter’s overlap and cross flashed past Canvey Island’s goalmouth with Luke Blewden’s first-time shot thudding into the post.

Canvey Island did put much more effort into their game during the second half but were unable to vary their plan of attack to surprise the visitors.

The unmarked John Mbamarah should have done better for the Gulls at the back post with a header on 50 minutes but made it too easy for Anthony Di Bernardo to collect.

A flowing move on 62 minutes involving Akrofi, Nick Wheeler and captain Tom Parkinson, who was having an influential game, saw the latter head narrowly wide.

Tonbridge piled on the pressure. A Wheeler corner was almost converted by Akrofi, a George Beavan shot was saved on the line by Ashley Dumas and Mitchell Nelson headed just over the bar.

Elder forced a decent save out of Gulls keeper Conor Gough on 79 minutes with a strong header, and nine minutes later the big man again created a chance for himself after combining well with Luke Blewden.

Afterwards, Moore said: “We knew what they would be about and were able to deal effectively with their threat.

“Yes, 85 minutes is a long time to hold out but we created loads more chances and I can’t remember too many coming from them.”

Parsons double fires Rustics’ promotion bid Eltham Palace 1 Rusthall 4

FOOTBALL: RUSTICS stayed on top of Southern Counties East League Division One after Ian Parsons scored twice in an impressive win at Eltham Palace.

They had inflicted Rusthall’s only defeat of the season at the Jockey Stadium on December 3.

On 20 minutes Rusthall took the lead when Parsons’ free-kick from 25 yards out deceived the

home keeper and went in under the crossbar.

But three minutes later, the hosts were level, Mark McKenna firing home from 20 yards.

Eltham were enjoying a spell of pressure but on 34 minutes the visitors regained the lead.

Jon Sebbaron made a mazy run down the left and his superb cross was met by Parsons, who scored inside the six-yard box.

The game was scrappy in the second half but on 76 minutes

George Rogerson came on and immediately crossed for John Phillips to head home.

That gave the Rustics breathing space and four minutes minutes later it was 4-1. As Eltham pushed forward the Rustics broke quickly and hard-working striker Adam Davies rounded the keeper to wrap up the points.

Since that defeat to Eltham, the Rustics have won seven in a row, scoring 26 goals. Striker Danny Powell is returning from a long injury lay-off to provide a boost in the race for promotion.

By Roger Clarke RUGBY: IN THE WEEK that club chairman Graham Withers stood down after four hugely successful years, Tunbridge Wells kept their play-off hopes alive with some spectacular tries and a late bonus point.

The visitors were first on the scoresheet with a penalty for offside. But Wells threatened the visitors’ line and the Gs were soon adjudged to have ‘deliberately’ knocked on, the

referee awarding a penalty try.

During injury time in the first half, young fly-half Reynolds, who has been selected for Kent Under-20s, received turnover ball on his 22 and ran the length of the pitch on the touch line to score a spectacular try.

Wells were 12-3 up at half-time and had to go for two more tries for their bonus point in pursuit of Havant in London One South.

The second period started perfectly as No 8 Nick Doherty caught the kick-off, made a neat step inside and passed to

TJs edge ahead in crucial clash Tonbridge Juddians 19 Wimbledon 17

By Adam Hookway RUGBY: IT WAS first versus second in National Three London & South-East and for some it represented a title-decider even with eight games still to be played.

So there was pressure on both squads but they did very well to put on a cracking game of rugby that ebbed and flowed and was undecided until the final minute.

Wimbledon opened the scoring from a catch and drive lineout. Quality ball for the backs allowed the centre to go over under the sticks.

Liam Prescott scored with a penalty but TJs could not break a very solid Wimbledon line. Eventually a series of scrums deep in opposition

territory led to a penalty try and the half ended 10-7.

In the second half Prescott slotted two more penalties with Wimbledon adding one of their own in between.

The away side then had their own penalty try from a catch and drive lineout and they were in front 16-17.

A flurry of yellow cards saw saw TJs go down to 13 at one stage. And when they won a penalty in front of the posts.

Will Ward tapped and went and the chance was gone.

Then Wimbledon again offended and this time Prescott added the penalty to put TJs back in front 19-17.

There were still a few nervous minutes to go but TJs survived and how hold a four-point lead over Wimbledon at the top.

PHOTO: Adam Hookway

Akrofi wastes no time in making a mark on return

PHOTO: Bruce Elliott

PHOTO: Chris Coolbear

BACK WITH A BANG Alex Akrofi fires Angels into an early lead

By Richard Smith

DAGGERS DRAWN Charlie Dagwell makes a break for Wells

winger Tom George. He took contact on the line but he skilfully got the ball down, making it 17-3 in the first minute of the second half.

Doherty then went into the referee’s notebook 10 minutes into the half, receiving a yellow card for a high tackle.

Being a man down did not stop Wells going further ahead in the 56th minute as they opted to take a penalty kick at g oal after an infringement for ‘in at the side’.

Wells finally picked up the bonus try with three minutes to go when Charlie Harding showed his strength and speed to break down the left touch line.

He transferred the ball to Rob Hendley, who had come on for his first game of the season, and he spun in the tackle and offloaded to skipper Chas Spence, who made no mistake.

There was still time for Nick Blacklock to be sent to the bin for a deliberate knock-on. While Wells were down to 14 again, the visitors took advantage to score their first try under the posts.

In the race for the second-place play-off spot, Wells remain eight points behind Havant after the latter also managed a bonus point win at Maidstone.

HIGH HOPES: Man of the match Dave Irvine claims the lineout ball