Times of Tonbridge 17th May 2017

Local, National and International Tonbridge Castle

OF TONBRIDGE

THE MAN WHO WENT TO BED WITH FLU AND WOKE UP WITH PARALYSIS Page 14

HILLVIEW CHEERLEADERS SHOW THE WORLD HOW IT’S DONE AT DISNEYLAND Page 78

LUCY WORSLEY TALKS ABOUT JANE AUSTEN AND HER TONBRIDGE ROOTS Page 72

PHOTO: BBC South East

Continued on page 2

STOLEN DINO IS ON THE LOOSE IN TONBRIDGE AFTER MIDNIGHT THEFT Page 3

INSIDE

Company faces online shaming following email interview fiasco The reputation of a small ventilation company has been left in tatters this week after an insulting email chain that was accidentally sent to a job applicant, made national headlines.

Anna Jacobs (pictured), from Horsmonden, had applied for an office administrator position at Tecomak Environmental Services, based in Hadlow Road, Tonbridge.

The company invited her along for an interview by sending her an email. However, attached to the formal response was a series of derogatory comments meant only for internal distribution.

Among the comments was a suggestion any interview would only be worth the business’s time ‘for a laugh’.

Speaking to the BBC Ms Jacobs said she was ‘furious’ at the ‘absolutely awful summary’, which read: “Home educated oddball. Can’t get a job since leaving uni. Forages for mushrooms.

“Difficult to assess from her CV - might be very good but equally could be a biscuit short of a packet or a left-wing loon tree hugger.”

The story went viral becoming

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All the news that matters

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Wednesday May 17 | 2017

TEAM THERESA

Will the Tory candidate hold on to his big majority? Page 2

TAKING FLIGHT

Charity members take to the cockpit and fly high Page 3

CHEERING FOR TONBRIDGE: It was a day to remember for these young Hillview students when they paraded through Disneyland Paris. They were in the iconic theme park to take on teams from all around the world in an international cheerleading competition

Town grieves death of ‘down to earth’ and ‘caring’ barber after bike crash

By Murray Jones newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk TRIBUTES have poured in for a popular young Tonbridge barber who was killed on Sunday (May 14) when the motorcycle he was riding was in collision with a car near Crowborough.

Josh Field, 24, who was a partner at Dapper Dans in the High Street, was out with a group of friends when the accident happened shortly before 3pm on the A26 just south of Crowborough.

His red and black Suzuki GSXR collided with a silver Ford Fusion being driven by a 70-year-old woman.

An air ambulance landed at the nearby Crowborough Beacon golf course, but Mr Field was pronounced dead at the scene.

Messages have since flooded in from fam-

ily, friends and customers who knew the barber, with several floral tributes left outside Dapper Dans.

His mother Mandy Field wrote on Facebook: “Thank you for all the lovely messages, the flowers and cards, just shows how much he was loved, my heart is break-

‘You will be missed so much by so many people’ ing the tears won’t stop flowing.”

A colleague, Georgie May added: “Knowing I’m never going to work with you again breaks my heart, work is going to be so POPULAR hard to be in and Josh Field around for a very long time.”

The Nuts, another barbers based in Quarry Hill Road said: “The Nuts would just like to pay our respect to Josh Field a wellknown talented barber from Dapper Dans.

He was once our Saturday boy and it was a pleasure to have known such a wonderful person who we also called a friend.”

Mr Field lived in Rusthall with his girlfriend Stephanie Massey and their friend Anna-Marie Salter.

“Words cannot even describe what a down to earth, lovely, crazy, caring boy Josh Field is. You will be missed so much by so many people.

The house won’t be the same without you.

“I’ve had one of the best years with you and Steph as my roomies,” wrote Ms Salter on Facebook.

CULINARY GENIUS

Local foodie wins the top title on new TV show Pages 56-57

SHINING BRIGHT

Sevenoaks Suns dazzle with league and cup double Page 78

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NEWS

Local News

Candidate has declined interview offer

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Can anyone topple Tugendhat?

By Murray Jones newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

Continued from page 1 the second most read article on the BBC’s website on Sunday [May 14].

As people heard about Tecomak’s treatment of Ms Jacobs, they sought to punish the company by giving them a one-star rating on their Google profile – the first thing that comes up when their name is searched online.

At one point there were more than 150 reviews, although this has now been reduced to 58, possibly due to an appeal from the company to Google.

A typical comment came from Hugh Sweeney: “Joke outfit run by unprofessional morons – avoid,” he said.

American David Clapp said: “Your appalling reputation as a company has extended to the U.S. You have gone global for all the wrong reasons.

Although Kerry Quick was not so rapid to judge: “How

sad that one complete moron based in the company could potentially lead to the company’s fall. Remember that this business also employs other people, and wishing this company to go bust will affect them greatly too,” she implored.

Ross Black of Tecomak issued an apology to Ms Jacob. It read: “Clearly the comments were informal and not to the high professional standard you would expect from a company like ours.

“I understand that it must have been upsetting to read the comments and I apologise on behalf of the company and the employees concerned.”

He added: “We genuinely felt your application and CV was interesting and you were shortlisted from a long list of over 40 candidates.”

The offer for an interview still stood, he insisted, but Ms Jacobs has declined.

CANDIDATES from all the major UK parties have registered to compete in next month’s general election for the prize of representing Tonbridge and Malling in Parliament.

Conservative Tom Tugendhat will be aiming to retain his seat that he won in 2015, where he was elected with 59.4 per cent of the vote. The former military man increased the party’s majority of his predecessor Sir John Stanley, who had represented the constituency for more than 40 years.

In 2015, Mr Tugendhat’s main competition came from UKIP, who this year will be represented by Colin Bullen.

A self-described ‘veteran opponent of the European project’, Mr Bullen will be hoping the recent collapse in UKIP’s vote at the local elections is not repeated on June 8.

Labour, whose candidate finished closely behind UKIP’s two years ago, will be represented by Dylan Jones from Ashford this time around.

The Royal Mail worker’s experience as a postman Tom Tugendhat should stand him in

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16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU

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PARTY

CANDIDATE

VOTES

%

Conservative

Tom Tugendhat

31,887

59.4

UKIP

Robert Izzard

8,153

15.2

Labour

Claire Leigh

7,604

14.2

Liberal Democrat

Mary Varrall

3,660

6.8

Green

Howard Porter

2,366

4.4

good stead as he campaigns around the borough’s doorsteps.

Meanwhile the Green Party’s April Clark, who recently received 1,028 in the county election earlier this month, is fighting to gain the party its second seat nationwide.

The Liberal Democrats, whose staunchly pro-European stance may fall on unsympathetic ears in the decidedly Brexit supporting constituency, have chosen Keith Miller as their candidate.

Hailing from South Croydon, Mr Miller has stood in three previous parliamentary elections in Houghton, Washington East and Stafford.

Calendar founder makes 2017 a year to remember

CONTACTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR RICHARD MOORE richard@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 779615

Election 2015: Tonbridge and Malling - Majority 23,734 | 44.2%

Suzannah Niklas receives the award from Lions President Bob Bartlett THE FOUNDER of Tonbridge’s first calendar received a prestigious award from the town’s Lions Club last week [Monday, May 8].

Suzannah Niklas of Tonbridge Daily, an

online community blog, accepted the Holly Renny Award at the Hadlow Manor Hotel for her donation of all the proceeds from the calendar – more than £3,000.

They proved to be so popular the original print run of 500 sold out, meaning an additional 200 had to be printed.

The Holly Renny Award is the highest honour a non-Lions member can receive from the club. Named after former Lions District Governor for the British Isles and Ireland, the award was established after his death in 1992.

Dylan Jones

Borough Councillor hopes to shine in the Midlands  Sophie Shrubsole, who represents West

Malling and Leybourne on the Borough Council, has been selected as the Conservative Party candidate for the Birmingham Selly Oak constituency.  The Borough Council’s Cabinet member

will be facing an uphill struggle as she tries to overcome Labour’s 8,447-strong majority in the industrial area in southwest Birmingham.

It is only awarded once a year to a person or organisation who has provided significant service to the Club.

Mrs Niklas said: “I was honoured to receive such a prestigious award from the Tonbridge Lions Club. Working together with their members was a pleasure and I have made some very good friends along the way.

“I am delighted that over £3,000 from the Tonbridge Daily 2017 Calendar could be contributed to their charity funds, and to be recognised with such a celebrated award is humbling.

“Here’s hoping the 2018 calendar will be an even bigger success for Tonbridge, so that even more local charities and worthy concerns can benefit.”

Lions President Bob Bartlett said: “On behalf of the Tonbridge Lions Club, it was my pleasure to present Suzannah Niklas of Tonbridge Daily with the Holly Renny award this evening for her continuous efforts in promoting the work of the Lions Club and for her very generous donation of all of the 2017 Tonbridge Daily Calendar proceeds, which will greatly benefit our local community.”

Consultation begins on new cycle route MEMBERS of the public now have the chance to voice their opinions on the proposed cycle lane from the A21 to Tonbridge train station.

The route, which was announced in November 2016, will run along Vauxhall Lane, Pembury Road, St Stephen’s Street and Priory Road to Quarry Hill Road.

‘With cyclists likely to come down the hill fast a shared path could be unsafe for pedestrians’ It will be installed by Kent County Council and the facility will provide a dedicated route by transforming existing footpaths to allow cyclists, except on St Stephen’s Street, where bicycle users will be directed onto the road.

The new path comes as work has started on a new cycle route between Tonbridge School and Longmead Stadium.

Fran Long, of the recently established Tonbridge Bicycle Users Group [BUGS] said the new route, known as Angel Scheme Phase One, ‘will be excellent as it provides a safe route from north to south avoiding the dangerous narrow section of the Shipbourne Road’.

Although she noted there had been some concerns from BUGS members that a shared path between cyclist and pedestrians may be problematic especially at the times that nearby schools start and finish.

They have suggested that, with cyclists likely to come down the hill fast, a shared path could be unsafe for pedestrians.

One recommendation is to have a cycle lane on the road but have it separated from motor

A BUG’S LIFE Members of the Bicycle Users Group traffic by a kerb rather than merely a line painted on the road.

The consultation runs until midnight Friday May 26. To view the plans and contribute your views, visit: consultations.kent.gov.uk/consult.ti/pemburyroadcycleroute/consultationHome. Or call 03000 418181 to request the location of a paper copy.

Local News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

NEWS IN BRIEF

Dinosaur stolen but culprit is seen on camera RESIDENTS are being asked to keep their eyes peeled for a stray dinosaur who may be roaming the streets of Tonbridge this week.

But rather than a Jurassic Park-style disaster, this extinct creature has been stolen from the recently opened Mr Mulligan’s Dino Golf Course in Cannon Lane in the early hours of Monday [May 15] morning.

On Facebook, the owners posted an appeal after ‘a nasty person has decided to steal our giant Pteranodon/Pterodactyl model’ adding that the culprit had been seen on CCTV between 12.30am to 1.30am and the police had since been called.

They asked for people to spread the word to help locate the prehistoric reptile and ‘return it to its habitat’.

Final Mayor giveaway AS he prepared to give up his mayoral chain, Cllr Mark Rhodes donated the proceeds of his fundraising events over the past year to two of his chosen charities.

Age UK Sevenoaks and Tonbridge received £2,450 with the cheque presented to the charity’s senior manager John Prendergast on Monday [May 15].

The sum of £2,450 was also given to Wide Horizons, an adventure learning project for under-privileged children.

The new Mayor Cllr Roger Dalton was sworn in yesterday [Tuesday] evening. He represents Burham and Wouldham ward and lives in Rochester.

Hope for live CCTV after Tunbridge Wells U-turn

By Murray Jones newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A QUESTION mark hangs over Tonbridge’s CCTV provision despite a reversal from authorities in Tunbridge Wells.

The neighbouring town’s Borough Council bowed to public pressure after the decision to end live monitoring of the town’s cameras was criticised by several stakeholders in the town.

‘It is a really tough decision, I’ve heard personal stories of lives being saved by live CCTV’ However, despite this U-turn the Times understands that several leading Tonbridge and Malling councillors are in favour of the downgrade as they desperately look for areas where money can be saved from their deeply diminishing budget.

Cabinet members in Tunbridge Wells were originally tempted by the £100,000 annual saving the downgrade would produce. It is thought the similar potential figure is also turning heads within the King’s Hill offices of Tonbridge and Malling

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the Cabinet backing down at a special meeting last week [Thursday, May 11] Cllr Georgina Thomas, a Conservative who represents Trench ward, had previously expressed support for a passive model and said she was ‘shocked’ by the decision in Tunbridge Wells.

Although she said since making that statement she has ‘heard a lot of evidence from the other side of the argument’ adding: “It is a really tough decision, I’ve heard personal stories of lives being saved by live CCTV. But then of course it is a lot of money.

“We are all weighing up our options. Outsourcing may cut back costs for example. But this [Tunbridge Wells’ reversal] will have a big effect on Tonbridge and Malling’s decision.”

CONFLICTED Cllr Thomas believes the decision is difficult

Pottery members enjoy the flight of their lives TWO members of a local special needs charity were treated to a once in a lifetime experience as they were taught to fly.

Sue and James from Hadlow Pottery, which provides work experience for adults with learning difficulties, visited the Aerobility centre in Blackbushe Airport, Camberley.

Double election debate UNLIKE their party leaders, Tonbridge’s prospective parliamentarians will go head to head at a double bill of Town Hall style hustings.

The first, organised by the Federation of Small Businesses, will be held at The Old Fire Station in Castle Street on May 25, at 7.30am.

The latter will be on the following Sunday [June 4] at Tonbridge Baptist Church in Darenth Avenue at 4pm. It has been organised by the Tonbridge Area Churches Together group.

Borough Council, who currently spend £216,000 a year on CCTV. The issue is set to be discussed at the next Communities and Housing Advisory Board on July 24.

The two boroughs have shared a control room since 1997, with nearly 200 cameras actively watched by staff within Tunbridge Wells Town Hall 77 per cent of the time [129 out of 168 hours a week]. And 49 of these cameras are within Tonbridge town centre.

But in April Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Cabinet approved a switch to a passive model of surveillance. This means cameras still record but no one is watching them live.

However, after an appeal from other councillors, an Overview and Scrutiny Committee demanded that the Cabinet reconsider their decision due to a lack of evidence and insufficient consultation.

This led to

NEWS

Grateful RIDING HIGH Sue takes her seat in the cockpit on April 29

Aerobility, which is itself a charity, have been offering disabled people the chance to fly since 1993.

Tonbridge Lions Club funded the trip, a fact that Hadlow Pottery founder and

CEO, Maggie Blanche, was especially grateful for.

“We are a very small charity, there are only three of us here and we are not able to do anything like that, we just don’t have the money. It’s other organisations that donate to us that help us give that little bit extra,” she said.

Hadlow Pottery offers a 5-day-a-week service, developing art projects with 37 adults with learning difficulties. Ms Blanche has been running the service for 11 years, although it has only existed in its current form since 2014.

A selection of their work will be exhibited at the International Arts Fair in Sevenoaks, from June 2-4.

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NEWS

Local News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

ADAM HIGNETT’S

ELECTION SKETCH BOOK

Lib Dems make bad idea worse

Ed-stone mock-up deemed to be in very poor taste LOCAL LIBERAL DEMOCRATS found themselves on the receiving end of criticism after the group acknowledged the imminent launch of the Conservative manifesto by posting a spoof image of Theresa May in front of the ‘Ed-Stone’ on Friday (May 12).

This in itself could have been good satire, especially as she is accused of stealing many of Ed Miliband’s ideas, but the mock-up clearly missed this fact.

Naturally the post was not up for long, but the damage was done Instead it claimed that among the Tory pledges to be unveiled were ones to ‘kill disabled people’, ‘kill foreign people’ and ‘kill pensioners.’

Naturally the post was not

up for long, but the damage was done.

Some of those who had seen it said they were ‘disgusted’ by the post while another quipped: “Only the Liberal Democrats could take a terrible Labour idea and somehow make it even worse.”

A spokesman for the Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrats defiantly stated that although they took it down ‘as it may cause offence to some of our members and the residents of Tunbridge Wells’ they still ‘acknowledge the sentiment of the post’ and listed all the terrible things the Tories have planned.

It appears that hedging answers is not just the preserve of sitting MPs.

Red faces after Labour leaflet KENT Labour are looking for a new copywriter for the General Election after literature for their recent county council election campaign was found wanting.

Although the term ‘throwing stones in glass houses’ aptly describes a journalist criticising someone else’s grammar, the campaign leaflet from one local election Labour hopeful in Maidstone Rural South is quite a sight.

The leaflet states each councillor gets a £20,000 budget to spend, and asks “Do you know what your Councillor have spent it on?”

Apparently Labour’s Marlyn Randall would have spent it on community ‘projectsl’ and on “environmental improvements across the area to improve resident’s local environments.”

It also pledges to prevent future ‘unstainable’ housing developments, improving sports ‘fcilities’ and, strangely states “Kent should not be in the bottom five per cent of the county,

Pledge main text here.”

Apparently it was not enough to win over the voters of Maidstone Rural South, who went with the Tories instead.

A rocky start for Greg Clark IT WAS not the most auspicious of starts for some of those campaigning to get our vote at the upcoming General Election (June 8).

Greg Clark demonstrated his ability to doggedly dodge answering a straightforward question on the Good Morning Britain TV show last week in a case this paper is now calling ‘Nine Gate’.

The Conservative candidate was asked by controversial host Piers Morgan: “Why, under the Conservative government over the past seven

years, have nurses in some hospitals in this country had to pay £100 a month to park their car - to then go and save lives?”

Unusually playing the role of the ‘good guy’, Mr

Local News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Morgan then asked: “So do you think it’s wrong?”

It is a question many local healthcare workers would also want answered, for although those at Tunbridge Wells Hospital pay considerably less, it still racks up to over £200 a year. And besides, it is the principle that matters.

Not one to rock the boat by giving an opinion without first getting clearance from Tory HQ, Mr Clark replied: “Listen I think - whether it’s nurses, whether it’s other staff in hospitals - they do a great job.”

Asked if nurses ‘do have free parking?’ The Business Secretary said ‘it is a matter for NHS trusts’ but people ‘should be able to park to do their jobs’.

Personal view “So you think they should have free parking?” Mr Morgan interjected.

Clearly not briefed that his boss was about to announce the most interventionist manifesto in Conservative history, Mr Clark started to say he didn’t think ‘we should take a central government view of control…’ before his adversary asked for his ‘personal view’ on the issue.

Unsurprisingly, Mr Clark’s ‘personal view’ was that hospital workers ‘are doing a valuable job’.

Other answers to broadly the same line of questioning were, ‘it depends on the circumstances of the place’…that, despite plans to introduce energy price caps, central government ‘shouldn’t get involved’… nurses ‘should be well treated by their employers’… it’s ‘for the trusts’ to decide and ultimately, ‘it’s a local thing’.

In response to a request for comment by the Times Mr Clark said: “Every hospital is different in the number of car park spaces it has, and they have to meet the needs of staff, patients and visitors.

These things have to be decided by the local NHS.”

NEWS

5

Mosque visit marks one year in office

By Adam Hignett

adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk MATTHEW Scott celebrated his one year anniversary as Kent’s Police Crime Commissioner by visiting the Masjid Al-Noor mosque in Camden Road on Friday (May 12).

As part of his commitment to engage with the county’s diverse communities, he met with members of the Tunbridge Wells Islamic and Cultural Association where he talked about the challanges in recruiting people from all backgrounds into the police force.

He also listed his 50 achievements since taking office which have included the establishment of Kent Volunteer Police Cadets, cutting

waiting times for sexual assault victims’ counselling sessions and support for projects to reduce the demand placed on Police by calls involving mental health.

In addition, Mr Scott said he had ‘welcomed dozens of new Police Community Support Officers to the force’, set up a £250,000 a year Mental Health and Policing Fund and invested in the creation of a new team to tackle cyber-crime and fraud.

He added: “There’s lots more to come during the course of the next year and I look forward to working with all the residents of Kent and our local communities, local charities and fantastic organisations who have been so welcoming and supportive of me in this first year.”

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT: Police Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott (centre) with members of the local mosque alongside borough councillors

Final blow for theatre BULLDOZERS and diggers can be seen tearing into the Royal Victoria Hall as the project to remove the theatre and replace it with a new community hub continues apace.

Demolition work began at the start of May and the removal of the iconic Southborough landmark had split opinion throughout the town.

Opened in 1900 the hall was described as Britain’s ‘first municipal theatre’ and has hosted many productions and dramatic troupes since then.

During the demolition, efforts are being made to reclaim as many of the iconic red bricks as possible by grabbing sections of the brickwork by machine and dropping them on a ‘soft area’. This helps separate the bricks from the lime mortar, making reclamation easier.

However, it is understood that cost and time pressures mean salvaging the distinctive plaster decorative features next to the stage was not considered to be a viable option.

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BUSINESS

Times Awards

Our Finalists We are delighted to announce our shortlisted finalists: CREATIVE BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by John Bullock Design FREEFOLD PAGE & PAGE REDSPA NEW BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Distinct Business Insurance THE RIGHT TUITION COMPANY MISS KAY SEAMSTRESS TN RECRUITS BEST INDEPENDENT RESTAURANT

Sponsored by Fuller’s Butchers and Farm Shop VITTLE AND SWIG FRAMPTONS MOUNT EDGCUMBE TURMERIC GOLD BEST SMALL BUSINESS UP TO £2M TURNOVER

Sponsored by Childrensalon CASTLE CARS THE STRENGTH & CONDITIONING INSTITUTE LEIGH ROBERTS YOUNG ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Russell Fewins Commercial Facilities Solutions INFLUENCER BIG ORANGE MEDIA HOLLIE’S LITTLE CAKERY

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Business awards attract a sell-out audience for a night to remember MORE THAN 200 men and women will gather at Salomons tomorrow night (Thursday) for a black tie dinner that has become one of the biggest social occasions in the local business calendar… the Times Business Awards.

And you can follow it all via social media as events unfold at the gala, with winners across ten categories being announced.

“The response to this event has been overwhelming,” said Richard Moore, the Editorial Director of One Media that publishes the Times Local Newspapers in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.

“Some 130 businesses across West Kent put their names forward and those have been whittled down to shortlists.

RENCRAFT THOMAS MANSFIELD SOLICITORS JOHN BULLOCK DESIGN BEST TECH BUSINESS

Sponsored by Sponsored by Gemini Print INFINITY GROUP SALON-IQ LARRYTECH HOST MY OFFICE BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by RSM PAM LOCH ANIA JEFFRIES OLIVER TRAILOR

Celebrity “We also had so many people chasing tickets for the gala night dinner that we had to create a waiting list although some late comers I’m afraid will be disappointed.

“We launched the awards a year ago to celebrate excellence in local business and to see how such an event might be received. Well, the 2017 awards have confirmed there’s an abundance of first class businesses and individuals out there and there’s certainly an appetite for the awards.”

Handing out the awards will be celebrity host Ken Bruce who has been broadcasting at the BBC for the last four decades and these days can be found on the Radio 2 mid-morning show that attracts an audience of more than eight million listeners a day.

He told the Times: “Award ceremonies such as this encourage small businesses to keep at it and do their best for the economy.

“Awards and nominations can give them that extra boost, a little word saying ‘well done, we’ve noticed what you do so congratulations.’”

SERVICE EXCELLENCE AWARD

Sponsored by John Bullock Design

FAMILY BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Thomson Snell & Passmore THE HOP SHOP AT CASTLE FARM MARY MARY CREATES GARDENS LTD TURMERIC GOLD OUTSTANDING BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by Handelsbanken ABBEY FUNERAL SERVICES LTD WATER PROCESS SOLUTIONS LTD LOCH ASSOCIATES GROUP

Sponsored by

In association with

STAY IN TOUCH ON THE NIGHT… To keep up with all the latest from the Times Business Awards make sure you are following their handle on Twitter: @timeslocalnews #TimesBizAwards

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NEWS

Local News

HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES? (L-R) Keith Ennis, Geoff Wentworth and Craig Beeson

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Cornerstone founder looks to expand mentoring programme

By Adam Hignett adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Cider house rules at the Pantiles Tap WEST KENT CAMRA group presented their Cider Pub of the Year award to The Pantiles Tap last week for the second year in a row.

The presentation on May 9 was hosted by the organisation’s West Kent chairman Craig Beeson and cider representative Keith Ennis.

CAMRA members, cider fans and locals enjoyed a busy evening sampling the Tap’s twenty plus ciders.

An ever popular feature in the Lower Pantiles pub is ‘The Great Wall of Cider’ which has a constantly changing array of sixteen ciders.

Bar owner Geoff Wentworth said: “Our commitment to stocking lots of real cider comes from the fact that Kent is a great cider county and also that we consider cider deserves just as much care and attention to variety and quality as we show our craft beers and real ales.

“Generally cider drinkers find themselves expected to choose from a couple of ubiquitous lacklustre chemical fake ciders which is a dreadful situation in a county famous for its cider production.

“We are delighted to receive this award from West Kent CAMRA especially for the second year running and look forward to another cider filled summer.”

A FORMER Skinners’ pupil who co-founded a charitable enterprise to mentor GCSE pupils from less privileged backgrounds has spoken of his ambitions to grow the project.

The brainchild of 21-year-old school friends Tom West and Sam Carter, Cornerstone Tuition achieved remarkable success in its first year using its format of encouraging sixth formers from the grammar to coach pupils at Skinners’ Kent Academy who are on free school meals.

‘We have been learning it all as we go along’ It is a formula that worked wonders said Mr West: “Since we founded the project just over a year ago the number of sixth formers from Skinners’ and Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar school signing up has gone from 10 to more than 20.

“Originally it was just tutoring in maths and English, but now we offer science too. For those who we tutored last year over half got an A-C grade at GCSE when they were not predicted one. It is really encouraging and the Academy was happy to have us back.”

But it is not just Tunbridge Wells that is benefitting as Mr West has taken an adapted version of his formula to Exeter where he is currently at university.

ROLE MODELS: Tutors from Skinners’ and Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar school Still operating under the same brand, Cornerstone has now encouraged students of the university to help out at a local all-boys school that focuses on students with learning difficulties.

Mr West said the new scheme, which he describes as more akin to mentoring than tutoring, has been so successful he is oversubscribed with applicants wanting to volunteer.

“I have had about 80 sign up but only needed ten. We work with the boys for around three afternoons a week and it is very rewarding.

“Unlike in Tunbridge Wells we are doing a larger age range as we start with pupils in year 8.”

As he approaches the end of his time in Exeter, Mr West said he hopes to expand the university model further and is looking into approaching establishments in Kent and Sussex when he moves back.

Overseeing the growth of the charity, while juggling full time education, is not without its challenges for both himself and Mr Carter, who is based in Edinburgh at St Andrews and due to set up his own programme.

MENTOR “We have Tom West

been learning it all as we go along, but have been helped out by getting advice from other charities and businesses. Most of our money comes from small piecemeal grants that we apply for.”

Engage Although Mr West is keen to expand, he still believes the charity will be too small, for him to take a paid position within it for ‘at least two years’.

But he is happy to take on the change of balancing it with a full time job.

Luckily, the model appears to be self-sustaining and needs little direct oversight from the top once up and running as the volunteers on the ground have proven adept at managing it themselves.

To help facilitate the mentoring model, Cornerstone has just launched a training programme to assist its volunteers.

“When it comes to mentoring it is not just about the teaching itself. With many of the children we help you need to actually engage with them and spark an interest in the subject, not just know your stuff,” said Mr West.

Local News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Primark rumoured to be hiring for town store

9

Pupils take day trip to ‘Disneyland of physics’

By Adam Hignett

adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

SPECULATION that Primark may still be moving into the former BHS site returned last week after a social media report that the company has been interviewing for staff to move into the shop.

The comment was posted on a Tunbridge Wells community group Facebook, in which conversation was focused on the future of the vacant site.

One member of the group stated: “Someone I know had an interview for Primark last week for the BHS site.”

They were clear to point out that the person they were referring to ‘was not a friend’ and therefore they were not able to comment further on the issue.

Others remarked that Primark is poised to take over the BHS site in Hastings and wouldn’t be surprised if ‘Tunbridge Wells went the same way’.

However, the chain still remains tight lipped, with a spokesman for the company stating: “Primark does not comment on speculation regarding store openings and so we will not be able to provide a comment on this occasion.”

The BHS store has been empty since August and other stores that have been tipped to fill the premises have included John Lewis and The Range.

Since then then the premises has lay vacant and has attracted complaints that the lights remain switched on.

NEWS

SIXTH form pupils from Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys were given a rare tour of the world’s largest particle accelerator last month while on a visit to the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).

The 29 A-Level physics students, pictured with staff, were given a three and a half hour tour of the agency, which is at the cutting edge of scientific discovery and is situated on the border of Switzerland and France.

One pupil described the trip as akin to visiting ‘a physicist’s Disneyland’.

Their tour included being able to view the first World Wide Web server ON BEAT A young girl is taught to drum

and the letter written by Tim Berners-Lee to his supervisor at CERN, outlining his ideas on the future of the internet.

Unusually, the tour group were allowed underground to where the Large Hadron Collider runs in a 17 mile loop at a depth of between 100175m below the surface.

Lucky The boys were taken to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector, which is one of two large general-purpose particle physics detectors built on the Large Hadron Collider.

Its purpose is to investigate a wide range of physics, including the search for the Higgs boson, extra dimensions, and particles that could

make up dark matter.

The detector is immense – 21.6m long, 15m in diameter and weighing the same as two Eiffel Towers (14,000 tonnes).

Mr Darrell Hamilton, Head of Physics, said: “Although there were some reservations about the wisdom of a day trip to CERN, the enthusiastic engagement with and praise for, the

experience by the students was tremendously rewarding.”

Alec Walsh, a Year 13 pupil at the school, said: “To the surprise of everyone, including the staff, we were lucky enough to be chosen to visit the Compact Muon Solenoid. It was a bit of a physicist’s Disneyland to stand so close to such a significant machine.”

Visiting charity brings Sierra Leone closer to home AN EXHIBITION in Royal Victoria Place is offering people the chance to experience what life is like for a family in Sierra Leone.

The interactive installation, which arrived on May 8, will run until June 17 and recreates the family home of Sierra Leonean mother Miatta and her 8-year-old daughter, Ayie.

The first hut depicts the family’s

struggles 15 years ago, while the second shows how the family are thriving after working with charity World Vision, whose staff provide tours of the display.

Experience Steve Wood, of World Vision UK, said: “Visitors can experience first-hand what it’s like to live in some of the world’s hardest places.

“Visitors can try to lift the heavy can of dirty water children have to carry every day, and see the dangerous open fire – the only place the family have to cook.

“But it’s also a chance to see how we can all be part of the story of changing lives for the better.”

The installation will also offer the opportunity to take part in hands-on African drumming workshops.

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BUSINESS

Local Business News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Brexit dominates business discourse

By Adam Hignett

adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Plans will see Travis Perkins vacate site ONE of the last vestiges of light industry in Tunbridge Wells town centre looks likely to be converted into flats after a planning application was made for the site currently occupied by Travis Perkins on Tunnel Road.

Developers Ashill Land have submitted plans to convert the site currently occupied by the building merchants into 12 apartments – all but one of which will be two bedroom.

Much of the development will be confined within the existing Victorian office building currently situated on the premises addressed as 25-27 Tunnel Road, with documents stating ‘no extensions are proposed’.

Some minor conversions, such as the addition of new window opening and the demolition of a modern annex will be needed.

In addition, there are plans for 14 parking spaces, meaning all apartments will be catered for, with the addition of two visitor spaces. The existing storage yard will be landscaped to provide soft landscaping, refuse and cycle storage. A low brick wall and railings will replace the current palisade fencing surrounding the property.

The application was submitted on March 21 and no date has yet been announced for its consideration.

ONE issue dominated the Kent Vision Live business exhibition last week, Brexit.

Around 300 companies and ten times as many individuals gathered at the largest business exhibition in the South East, which was hosted at the Kent Showground in Detling on May 10.

Robert Peston, ITV’s political editor and former BBC economics correspondent, addressed a packed hall who had come to listen to his views on the ‘Brexit Bombshell.’

‘I don’t think the government has used the period of time it’s had up until now to do decent preparation’ He blamed a globalisation’s failure to distribute wealth more evenly for the rise of Donal Trump and the UK’s vote to leave the EU. He also said firm’s would need to raise their productivity in order to weather any fallout from the upcoming negotiations.

Mr Peston was followed by Institute of Directors chief economist James Sproule who spoke on whether business could carry on as usual after Britain leaves the EU. He engaged in a question and answer session on issues ranging from border controls, to migrant workers and ‘hard Brexit’, and said to those gathered that the process ‘could be a success’ but everyone had to

‘make sure that is the case’.

Britain will come to terms with Brexit before the EU will, Mr Sproule added.

Other keynote speakers who focused on Brexit and its implications included Professor Richard Whitman of the University of Kent, who warned ‘political uncertainty’ is now the ‘new normal’ in British politics.

He added: “I don’t think the government has used the period of time it’s had up until now to do decent preparation.

“They could have had studies looking at immigration, business and the like. We are not having a national conversation but just a rerun of the remainer remoaner conversation.”

Erol Huseyin, a partner at Maidstone law firm Brachers, said the process of untangling British and EU legislation will give rise to ‘a number of issues’.

Kent Vision Live took place shortly after Canterbury Christ Church University announced a new draft report is being prepared by their Centre for European Studies (CEFEUS) looking into the impact of Brexit on Kent’s companies.

CEFEUS director Dr Amelia Hadfield, speaking at a seminar hosted by Tunbridge Wells-based law firm Cripps at the headquarters on April 25, said: “There is a whole range of issues where we want to get a better understanding of business thinking – from the regulations they would like to see retained or scrapped and the possible impacts of a prolonged transition period to the kind of support companies would like to see from local and national government.

“We are particularly interested in the views of SMEs as they make up such a large proportion of the county’s economy. The better the data that goes into the final report, the more likely it is the government will pay attention to our findings and recommendations.”

GET IN TOUCH To contribute to the Kent and Medway: Making a Success of Brexit report, contact Dr Amelia Hadfield at CEFEUS at amelia.hadfield@ canterbury.ac.uk

CONCERNS (L-R) Proffesor Richard Whitman and Robert Peston

Local Business News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

chain shops in the town centre, The Pantiles and High Street complements the top of town by offering a wide range of independent retailers.”

In terms of an independent to chain ratio, The Pantiles was identified as the most attractive place for those wishing for a unique shopping experience, with three quarters classed as independent.

Camden Road is the next best place for independents, which count for over half of the total premises.

Royal Victoria Place is the best place to go for a branded retailer, with 71 of the 83 units currently occupied, belonging to a chain store.

‘I am looking hard at our footfall figures and at implementing different projects’

COLLABORATIVE Town Centre manager Karen Pengelly is working with local business

Report reveals Tunbridge Wells high street profile

By Jonathan Banks

newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk VACANCY rates in Tunbridge Wells come in just below the national average, marking the second year running that the number of empty shops has fallen.

The figures were released as part of a Town Centre Intelligence report, commissioned by Royal Tunbridge Wells Together.

With 9.3 per cent of premises lying empty, the

town has a slightly more vibrant retail and commercial scene than the national average, which stands at 9.4 per cent.

However, this masks large regional variations and Tunbridge Wells fares relatively poorly when compared to the South East as a whole, which records a vacancy rate of seven per cent.

The report states the retail offer in Tunbridge Wells is of an ‘upper middle classification’, with a ‘wide range of high quality shops’.

It adds: “As well as hosting a wide variety of

The report concludes: “Tunbridge Wells town centre is host to a healthy retail economy and ranks highly compared to other shopping destinations in the region. There is a good variety of shops… which is likely to be boosted by the redevelopment of Royal Victoria Place and the old cinema site.”

The report’s release comes after Karen Pengelly, who heads Royal Tunbridge Wells Together as the Town Centre Manager, met with around 35 business owners to discuss how to attract more people to the town.

A particular focus for her will be on strengthening the tourism and hospitality sectors.

She said: “I am looking hard at our footfall figures and at implementing different projects over a long period that will focus on group travel, orientation and inbound tourism.

“This means talking to overseas tour operators and working collaboratively with hotels and hospitality sector across town. There’s always strength in numbers, so working together is key.”

BUSINESS

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Profits up for the county’s tech-savvy agricultural sector FARMING in Kent had a mixed year in 2016 after declining turnovers were offset by improving profits.

Supermarkets determined to remain competitive and avoid passing on inflation to consumers squeezed their suppliers, resulting in a six per cent fall in revenue across the county to £476 million last year.

This came despite a 23 per cent boost to EU subsidies to about £44.4 million following the fall in the value of sterling.

Squeezed Director Mark Lumsdon-Taylor, deputy chief executive and principal of Hadlow Group, said: “Prices are being squeezed. The rate of return suppliers have had have been less positive over the last year than the year before.

“Supermarkets have been applying a price squeeze on their suppliers over the last 12 months.”

However, the rural sector nearly doubled pre-tax profits to £55.1 million compared to 2016 as the industry managed to reduce its own costs through efficiencies and reduced fertiliser prices.

Technology, in the form of robotic pickers and packers, has also greatly reduced overheads.

Rural plc Kent chairman Mike Bax said: “There is improving margins through the mechanisation of the sector and the reduction in the labour workforce. Regarding their core work, they will only improve profitability through consolidation.”

Despite profits rebounding strongly, they are still considerably less than the £142.3 million surplus of 2013.

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NEWS

Community News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Hospital Radio to offer ball-by-ball commentary on local cricket festival

By Andrew Tong HOSPITAL RADIO Tunbridge Wells will be providing live commentary of the town’s Cricket Festival later this month.

With the support of Invicta Motors and Kent County Cricket Club, cricket fans – whether in hospital or not – will be able to follow the four-day County Championship game between Kent and Sussex from May 26-29.

The station’s commentary team consists of Chris Woodward, Chris Reed, Joe Mendell, Tim Godsalve and Jerome Beadle, and will be based in the pavilion at the Nevill Ground in order to provide ball-by-ball coverage.

The service, which starts at 10.30am each day and ends at the close of play, will be available to patients in the Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury and Tonbridge Cottage Hospital.

Cricket followers around the country will also able to hear it online via the station’s website at

COVER POINT (L-R) The Hospital Radio commentary team of Chris Reed, Chris Woodward and Joe Mendell

www.hrtw.org.uk or via the TuneIn app on mobile and tablet devices.

Chris Woodward said: “We are pleased to be able to provide commentary on the four-day match again this year. Our thanks to Kent County Cricket Club for allowing us to attend and to Invicta Motors for sponsoring our coverage again.”

There was some doubt at the festival last year that the radio team would be able to return because the charity, which has just celebrated its 50th anniversary, faced closure due to a lack of funds to meet its expenses.

But thanks to a massive fundraising effort by volunteers, with the support of the community, Kent County Council and local businesses the service is guaranteed for at least a few more years.

Station Manager Chris Manser said: “We have signed the lease to remain in the studios for the next four years and we are starting to look at ways to extend our service to other outlets, to make all the time and effort our volunteers invest in keeping the service running even more worthwhile.”

HOLE LOT OF LOVE Wendy Turner, Compaid Chief Executive Stephen Elsden and John Turner with Compaid’s clients and members of the golf club

Golf club finds fair way to support Compaid’s work THE Kent-based disability charity Compaid has received more than £4,600 from Wrotham Heath Golf Club after being named as charity of the year for the Ladies’ Section.

Lady Captain Wendy Turner selected Compaid after visiting the charity’s Training Centre in Paddock Wood, where more than 80 disabled adults learn vital computer skills. Wendy’s husband John has been a Trustee of the charity since 2010.

The charity, which also provides accessible transport for disabled people across the county, has worked closely with Wendy on a variety of events at the club, including a Rio-themed

competition and a bridge event, raising £4,606.

Stephen Elsden, Chief Executive of Compaid, said: “It is wonderful that the Wrotham Heath Golf Club has supported our work in this way.

“The energy and enthusiasm from Wendy and her team mates has resulted in a total far surpassing our expectations.”

The funds will be used to provide new learning opportunities at Compaid’s Training Centre, as well as keeping its fleet of accessible minibuses on the road.

For further information about Compaid’s services visit www.compaid.org.uk

Community News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Applause seeks helpers to provide arts in rural areas ARTS charity Applause Rural Touring is looking for new recruits to join the creative company and take it forward into the next phase of its development.

Applause, which is based in Southborough, works with rural communities across Kent and Sussex to offer access to the arts and live performance.

The organisation has recently received an award of £450,000 from The Arts Council England to develop ‘Inn Crowd’, a trailblazBARREL OF LAUGHS ing project for rural pubs.

Applause are putting on This gives communities without shows in country pubs easy access to cultural activities in major towns the chance to come together in their local to enjoy an evening want to meet people who are excited about of entertainment. what we do and want to work with us.

Working with a largely voluntary network of “We think it is important to find individuals promoters, Applause has 18 years’ experience who can share our ambitions at this exciting of providing touring professional artists in viltime of growth for the organization.”

It is hosting two open events for people to meet lage halls, community centres, schools and the team and find out more about what Applause summer fetes in Kent and Sussex. does. If you are interested, visit the office at It has a number of flexible paid roles on offer 2 Speldhurst Road, Southborough on Saturday and is interested in meeting people with a May 20 from 11am-1pm or Wednesday May 24 broad range of skills and interests such as from 5-7pm. community engagement, interest in the arts For more information about Applause, email and experience of marketing and social media. admin@applause.org.uk or call 01892 457635.

Dawn Badland, Applause Director, said: “We

TS Brilliant Cadets are on parade for family fun day out THE Tunbridge Wells Sea Cadets and Royal Marines Cadets detachment TS Brilliant will be holding their annual Family Fun Day at Ridgeway playing fields in Southborough on Sunday May 21 from 10.30am.

The fete is the corps’ main fundraiser of the year to support its activities and training. The unit takes Cadets aged 10-18 and will provide information on the day about joining TS Brilliant in Albion Road.

There will also be displays from the cadets and a programme of entertainment including an exhibition of classic cars and unusual vehicles, along with live music, stalls, refreshments and bouncy castle.

The local branch is named after the destroyer HMS Brilliant, which was adopted by the borough of Tunbridge Wells during Warship Week in 1945.

There are 400 Cadet community groups across the UK, each with charitable status. The Tunbridge Wells Unit was founded in 1935 by the late Captain W A Cable of the Royal Indian Navy.

The local corps has taken part in the town’s Remembrance Day Parade every year since the end of the Second World War, and also runs a band.

The Sea Cadets were set up to celebrate Britain’s maritime heritage and contribute to its future development by supporting young people.

For more information, call 01892 522559 or email admin@tsbrilliant.org.uk. The cadets can be found online at www.tsbrilliant.org.uk.

Play a round at Woodlands Manor in support of Pepenbury’s golf day THE Friends of Pepenbury will be holding their annual charity golf day at Woodlands Manor Golf Club in West Kingsdown, near Sevenoaks, on Wednesday June 7.

Every year up to 120 golfers play to raise funds to help the Friends support Pepenbury support its service users.

Pepenbury, which is based on Cornford Lane near Pembury, provides care and support for adults with learning disabilities, physical disabilities, autism and complex needs.

The charity believes that every individual has the right to live an independent and rewarding life, whilst feeling safe and supported.

It achieves this aim through the provision of full-time residential care, supported accommodation, day service activities and community support.

If you would like to form up a team of four for the golf day, which includes brunch, dinner, an auction and raffle in the evening, contact thefriendsofpepenbury@gmail.com for more information and an entry form.

TEE TIME Last year’s golfers at Woodlands Manor

NEWS

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FEATURES

People

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

He went to bed with flu and woke up paralysed

“They made sure I was there. I could move my hands but it was very slow. I took my newborn child in my arms and the staff helped me to hold her.”

Neil was not dispirited by his predicament. “It was kind of surreal.

People kept saying to me, ‘It must have been horrendous’ but it wasn’t like that.

“I wasn’t scared – but it was bizarre.

They told me I should make a full recovery so I kept telling myself, ‘You’ll be alright in a couple of weeks’.

Unlike many of the people he has met who have suffered similar experiences, he is fortunate in that he has an optimistic outlook. “I’m a positive person, strong-minded. I don’t let anything get me down, I’m sure that I’m going to get better.”

‘I took my newborn child in my arms and the staff helped me to hold her’

NO HANDICAP Neil works on the greens at Dale Hill

How life changed overnight for Dale Hill greenkeeper Neil Durrant...

By Andrew Tong NEIL DURRANT was a healthy, active thirty-something who went to bed with flu symptoms four years ago – and next morning found himself paralysed.

He had been struck down Acute Disseminated Encephalomyelitis (ADEM), which causes inflammation of the brain and spinal cord.

It took a month in intensive care before the father of two from Maidstone could move his fingers.

It took longer for him to be able to eat and drink, see properly and talk again.

After a year he was able to walk with the aid of crutches.

The course manager and head

DO YOU HAVE A STORY? newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

greenkeeper at Dale Hill Golf Course in Ticehurst, Neil finally feels that he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But it has been slow, painstaking progress.

Neil, now 41, says: “It’s a very rare condition, six people in every million get it. I’ve had quite a few case studies done on me, which is interesting.”

The memories are still vivid. “I remember that I couldn’t move my lower limbs at all,” he recalls. “My wife Lisa-Marie, who was eight and a half months pregnant at the time, couldn’t help me so my brother had to carry me down the stairs and take me into Maidstone Hospital.

“They wanted to do an MRI scan but because it was Sunday the scanner wasn’t working. So they blue-lighted

me to King’s Hospital, the ambulance rushing through central London.

“That was 10pm on Sunday night. I woke up again on Tuesday and I was completely paralysed and on a life support machine. I couldn’t talk or see, I had chronic double vision.”

For two weeks doctors had no idea what was wrong with him. Finally they worked out that he had contracted the rare disorder after he had mumps.

However, there was a ray of light amid all the gloom. On June 19 2013, staff at the London hospital sent him back to Maidstone, where they strapped him into a wheelchair and took him to Pembury Hospital in an ambulance so he could attend the birth of his daughter Phoebe.

He found he had no problem driving after a year, which enabled him to get back to work after being stuck in the house for so long – ‘that was a massive life change’.

But he admits: “Family life had been difficult. My wife has had to do a lot. She had to lift me in and out of the bath. I couldn’t carry my second child around or look after her.

“But my wife’s a strong person like me and we’ve got over the worst of it. Now Phoebe’s nearly four and she can largely look after herself.

“I don’t let it stop me though, I can pick the kids up from school and nursery now, and I can still take STRONG BOND Neil with his wife Lisa-Marie, their son Finlay and daughter Phoebe

my seven-year-old son Finlay to football practice.

“It’s a long walk and he runs on ahead of me, but mentally that’s been very good for me too. That’s what you want to do when you’re a new father.”

It has not been a case of gradual improvement, however, since progress has faltered after the initial recovery.

“I got on really well for two years but the last two have been really slow. The consultant told me last month that he had done all he could for me.

“I was on 29 pills a day for a year because my muscles were very tense, and I’ve managed to get that down to six. But I still ache chronically every day, like someone who goes for a jog after six months of not running.”

Four years on, he still finds it hard to move. He can walk ten metres in 10.97 seconds – when he came out of hospital it took him 32 seconds.

“I used to play football, I was a six-handicap golfer, I was a normal physical young man,” he said. “I’ve got my handicap back down to 13 but I have to stand with my feet together because I’ve got no balance.

“I’m a competitive guy. I couldn’t play football or tennis or badminton any more, but I wanted to do something so I started playing snooker. I’ve adapted my game, I use the rest more than other players and I have to take time over my shots to make sure I’m balanced.

“Snooker has helped me mentally. It put me back on a level playing field where I can’t be with other sports.”

And he is still keeping the greens and fairways of Dale Hill in pristine condition amid the club’s stunning surroundings.

“Work has been good to me. Someone very sweetly said to me the other day, ‘we don’t see you as being disabled’.

“I’m getting better every day, physically and mentally. I’m getting stronger – just not much faster.”

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NEWS

Countywide

NEWS IN BRIEF

US investor eyes up £100m Manston deal AN UNNAMED US investor is believed to be in talks with Thanet District Council over a £100million scheme which could see Manston Airport once again be used as an aviation hub.

The logistics company has been seeking a compulsory purchase order for the site, but it is now understood to be making a direct offer to its owners Stone Hill Park, who themselves have plans to build 2,500 homes and leisure facilities on the disused airport.

It is the latest twist in the ongoing saga over Manson airport which closed in 2014.

Despite a report stating re-opening the airport for its original use is ‘unlikely to be financially viable’ others firms such as UK-based pension fund investor, Edi Truell and RiverOak Strategic Partners have been looking into this option.

New miners’ memorial A MEMORIAL which commemorates some of those who died in Kent’s mining industry was unveiled at Aylesham Heritage Centre last week.

A pair of black granite plaques with the names of all 57 men and boys who died in accidents between 1907 and 1965 at Snowdown Colliery. More than 100 people attended the ceremony.

Kent’s mining industry lasted 99 years, with the last pit closing in 1989. Members of the county’s mining union were among the last to return to work during the UK miners’ strike of 1984-1985.

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Councillors pay tribute after death of colleague THE leader of Sevenoaks council, Peter Fleming, has paid tribute to a long serving member of the council who passed away on Monday May 8.

Paddy Cooke, who died after a long battle with cancer, was described as a ‘genuinely decent human being’ by Mr Fleming, who added: “Paddy had been fighting a very aggressive cancer for some time, but never made a big issue about it.

“From diagnosis through treatment he remained upbeat and stoic.

“Over the last year he set himself a number of targets: attending as many council meetings as possible, continuing to represent his community

DEDICATED Paddy Cooke

to the best of his ability and refusing to make a fuss about his cancer or his treatment, truly the measure of the man.”

Stoic Mr Cooke, who was first elected on May 3, 2007 to represent the Penshurst, Fordcombe and Chiddingstone ward as a Conservative, died at home surrounded by his family.

His funeral will be held at 1.30pm on Thursday, May 25 at St Mary the Virgin church, along Chiddingstone Road.

FTA urges May to strike deal on Touquet Treaty FREIGHT bosses have reiterated their fears Kent could be marred in gridlock after the election of Emmanuel Macron as French president puts the future of the Le Touquet Treaty in doubt.

The Tunbridge Wells-based Freight Transport Association (FTA) wants securing the bi-lateral agreement, which permits British border officials to operate on French soil, to be high on Theresa May’s to do list if she is re-elected on June 8.

Vital They say the agreement is instrumental in preventing unnecessary congestion occurring at Britain’s ports, and ensuring the continued movement of goods between the UK and

continental Europe with as little delay as possible.

President Macron repeatedly warned on the campaign trail that he will review the treaty in light of Britain’s decision to leave the EU, despite it not being a piece of EU legislation.

However, the arch-Europhile has since softened

his stance and has spoken instead of ‘improving’ the deal, which was signed in 2003, but the freight industry is still seeking assurances.

Pauline Bastidon, FTA’s head of European policy, said: “The repatriation of border controls to the UK from France would have disastrous effects on the UK’s logistics industry, as well as on general traffic through the Channel ports.

“Every year, around £119bn worth of trade passes through the maritime Calais-Dover route.

“Moving immigration controls would disrupt this valuable trade lifeline and cause significant delays on both sides of the Channel.

“We urge both governments to maintain the status quo, in order to protect cross-Channel trade which is of vital importance to both the UK and France.”

Countywide

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Police Cadets help tackle bike theft MEMBERS of the Volunteer Police Cadets have been helping cyclists protect their bikes at a security marking event in Hildenborough.

A total of around 40 bicycles were marked during the evening of Tuesday May 9, as commuters at the train station took advantage of the free of charge service aimed at deterring thieves.

The event was run by local PCSOs (Police Community Support Officers) and supported by the Volunteer Police Cadets scheme, which opened in September 2016 and is a uniformed organisation supported by Kent Police for young people aged 13 to 17-years-old.

Cadets meet once a week for two to three hours during term time and in addition volunteer three more hours

HISTORIC FIND Each side of the coin

AN Anglo-Saxon penny dating back more than 1,200 years has been discovered in a farmer’s field in Sheldwich, near Faversham.

It is believed the rare coin, which bears the name of an early Archbishop of Canterbury, could fetch £12,000 at auction and is only the second of

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Defence village in E. Coli outbreak AN outbreak of E. coli. Led to hundreds of houses being supplied with bottled water in the Fort Halsted part of Sevenoaks last week.

Letters of caution were sent out to people living in the area after tests confirmed the mains supply had become contaminated.

Approximately 700 homes received the bottled water and residents were advised to boil mains water before drinking or cooking with it.

each month to help with a community based project.

Sergeant Joe Breen said: “Security marking of bikes greatly increases the chances of having stolen or lost property retuned to you and the assistance of the cadets in Hildenborough was in high demand as we were visited by many commuters arriving home from work.

“The cadets all worked very hard and I know their efforts were also greatly appreciated by all the cyclists that have benefitted from their enthusiasm, to support our community policing teams.”

Security marking enables bikes to be registered on a national database, making in it even harder for thieves to operate. Guidance was also provided on protecting motor vehicles.

Rare coin is worth a mint

NEWS

Safe It is believed there were two positive samples, originating from empty homes in Beckman Close and Crow Drive.

Fort Halsted is the home to numerous defence contractors, such as QinetiQ, and major research facilities. The water supply itself is provided by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), who denied anyone had been put at risk or become ill as a result of the outbreak.

The water has since ben retested and confirmed as E. coli free. its type known to be in existence.

The coin will soon go under the gavel of specialist auctioneers Dix Noonan Webb.

It was found by 53-year-old Ronnie Carlile of Biggin Hill during a rally of metal detecting enthusiasts last September who upon discovery had it analysed by the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge. Mr Carlisle said the rarity of the penny – which bears the name of Jænberht, an Archbishop of Canterbury in the late 8th century – came as ‘a shock’.

The coin dates from the years 775-9 and its rarity

is due to the fact that it depicts the name of an Archbishop rather Offa, than the then King of Mercia who is known for ordering the construction of a large dyke along the border with Wales.

It was minted during a very brief period in which Kent re-asserted its independence from Offa, whose powerbase was in the modern day Midlands, after defeating him at the Battle of Otford, near Sevenoaks in 776.

The auction is on June 14 in London and Mr Carlile will split the proceeds of the sale with the owner of the field.

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NEWS

National News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Labour would offer new protections for workers, ending the ‘scandal’ of zero-hours contracts.

The party’s plans would involve the wealthy and big corporations paying ‘a little bit more’ tax – and ‘stop dodging’ it in the first place.

The leader said: “We make no apology for finding the resources to hire 10,000 new police officers and 3,000 new firefighters.”

Ending hospital parking charges and creating four new bank holidays were ‘smaller things that can make a real difference’.

But the main challenge was creating a thriving economy and coping with Brexit.

“For seven years the Conservatives have been holding Britain back,” he said.

“Low investment, low wages, low growth.

Labour will move Britain forward with ambitious

ELECTION IN BRIEF

Tory lead slips by 3% as Labour gains ground THE Conservatives have seen their lead narrow by three percentage points over Labour, a new poll suggests.

The Tories polled 47 per cent compared to Labour’s 33 per cent.

Panelbase’s latest findings sees a one percent point drop for the Tories and a two percentage point increase for Labour.

The Liberal Democrats fell one percentage point to 7 per cent, no change for UKIP on 5 per cent and a one percentage point rise to 3 per cent for the Green Party.

£100 a week for starters WOULD-BE entrepreneurs who are setting up their own business will receive a £100-a-week allowance to help with living costs if the Liberal Democrats are elected to the government.

The start-up initiative would run for the first six months of a new business and hand out a total of £2,600, the Lib Dems said as they launching their business programme.

The start-up allowance would cost £146million over five years.

How big is your deficit?

SHADOW chancellor John McDonnell has come under fire as he appeared unsure of the size of Britain’s deficit in an interview ahead of Labour’s manifesto launch.

When quizzed by BBC presenter Nick Robinson on the figure, Mr McDonnell paused before saying ‘£68 to £70 billion’ instead of the correct figure of around £52 billion.

‘We will change our country while managing within our means’

LITTLE RED BOOK Jeremy Corbyn launches his blueprint

Corbyn’s manifesto promises to ‘unlock this country’s potential’ THE Labour manifesto pledges to provide a ‘better future for our country’, the leader Jeremy Corbyn said as he set out his blueprint for government.

The policies are set to cost £48.6billion – to be funded by tax increases for businesses and the wealthy, with a significant rise in corporation tax.

Last week the party was hit by an embarrassing leak which saw a draft of the plans released to the press seven days ahead of its official launch.

Mr Corbyn, who was speaking in Bradford, said: “We’re providing hope and genuine opportunity for everybody. I say to our children, whatever the postcode you’re born in, we will make sure you have the same chance as every other child.”

He described Britain as a place ‘for the rich and the elite and the vested interests’ and said: “We will change our country while managing within our means. And we will lead us through Brexit while putting the preservation of jobs first.”

The manifesto reiterated key pledges, including ruling out rises in VAT and National Insurance while also noting income tax will not rise for 95 per cent of workers.

He received big cheers for stating Labour will scrap tuition fees to ensure it lifts the ‘debt cloud’ from hundreds of thousands of young people.

Mr Corbyn said Labour was offering ‘hope’ against the ‘fear’ tactics of the Tories.

plans to unlock this country’s potential.”

A national investment bank and regional development banks would ‘finance growth and good jobs for all parts of the UK’.

A ‘national education service’ and taking key infrastructure into public ownership would also feature in Labour’s plans.

Renationalising the railways would ‘put passengers first’, Labour would ‘take back control’ of water by bringing it under regional public ownership and there would be a ‘public stake’ in the energy sector to keep bills down.

On Brexit, Mr Corbyn said Labour would ‘put jobs first’ while the Tories would have a plan ‘geared to the interests of the City of London and risk making Britain a low-wage tax haven’.

He defended Labour’s plans to borrow in order to fund investment, claiming that the government had ‘borrowed more and more because it invested less and less’, ending up with a process of ‘managed economic decline’.

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NEWS

National News

NEWS IN BRIEF

Brady had no details about final burial site

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Mollie breaks new ground on the roof of the world

PUSHING THE BOAT OUT The Camber lifeguards practice their skills

IAN BRADY’S lawyer has said if the killer had information on the burial site of 12-year-old Moors Murder victim Keith Bennett, it would have been revealed in the 1980s.

Robin Makin spoke to Brady, 79, at Ashworth High Security Hospital less than two hours before he died on May 15.

He said: “I don’t think useful information is going to come from him. I think that if he had been able to assist in its location it would have happened in the 1980s.”

Minister is honoured FOREIGN Office minister Tobias Ellwood has been presented with a coat of arms and Police Federation shield.

He delivered an emotional tribute to the force’s annual conference as he was honoured for his efforts to save PC Keith Palmer after the Westminster terror attack.

He said: “What came home to me after the Westminster incident was just how closeknit your fraternity is and just how you don’t know what’s round the corner.”

McDonald’s pulls advert McDONALD’S is withdrawing its new TV advertisement following widespread criticism that it exploits child bereavement.

The company had already issued an apology.

The advert shows a boy talking to his mother about what he had in common with his late father while sitting in one of the fast food chain’s restaurants. She tells him they shared a liking for the Filet-o-Fish burger.

Lifeguards start training to make Camber Sands safer LIFEGUARDS began training this week before their deployment for the summer season at Camber Sands, where seven men drowned last year.

The RNLI ran through mock scenarios at the beach in East Sussex, where the qualified beach guards will be stationed from May 27 until the end of the summer holidays.

The two-week induction covers advanced first aid, search and

rescue techniques and local risks and hazards.

Demanding RNLI lifeguard supervisor Joe Mitchell said: “Lifeguards have a demanding job requiring commitment, skill and a high ­ level of fitness, and we have a great team ready to patrol Camber Sands.

“They’ve already completed a

high standard of training and fitness tests, and these next two weeks are about really familiarising themselves with this beach.”

Rother District Council agreed in February to allocate £51,000 in its 2017-18 budget to bring in seasonal lifeguard cover following demands for safety to be increased.

The site, near Rye, attracts up to 30,000 day-trippers during peak season.

A WOMAN has become the youngest British climber to scale Mount Everest from both sides.

Mollie Hughes, 26, from Torbay in Devon, reached the summit of Everest from the north side ­yesterday (May 16).

Her feat also makes her the youngest European woman and the first English woman to scale the peak from both the north and south sides.

In temperatures as low as minus 40C, Ms Hughes reached the summit with climbing partner Jon Gupta of Mountain Expeditions.

She hopes to raise more than £8,000 for Cancer Research UK – or £1 for every metre climbed.

“I am elated, exhausted and know I still have the hardest part to do – the long and difficult descent to base camp,” she said.

“The climbing has been really, really hard but our mental and physical strength got us up here. I can confirm that the north side is definitely more difficult than the south side.”

In 2012 she reached the summit from its south side at the age of 21.

PEAK PRACTICE Mollie Hughes scales Mount Everest again

National Sports News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

SPORT IN BRIEF

England’s Six Nations campaign starts in Italy ENGLAND will start the defence of their Six Nations Championship title away to Italy.

Eddie Jones’ side begin their 2018 campaign in Rome on Sunday February 4 before welcoming Wales to Twickenham the following weekend.

The Red Rose team then face away matches in Scotland and France before finishing at home to Ireland on March 17 – the middle game of ‘Super Saturday’.

Atsu stays at Newcastle NEWCASTLE UNITED manager Rafael Benitez is closing in on his first signing ahead of the club’s return to the Premier League after agreeing a fee with Chelsea for winger Christian Atsu.

The 25-year-old Ghana midfielder is likely to cost the Magpies around £6million after the promoted club took up an option to make the player’s loan move permanent.

No wildcard for Maria MARIA SHARAPOVA has not been handed a wild card to compete in the French Open.

The 30-year-old has competed at three events since returning to competitive tennis following her 15-month doping suspension.

The Russian tested positive for meldonium at the 2016 Australian Open and her original two-year ban was reduced on appeal.

But she did acquire enough ranking points to secure an automatic place in qualifying.

For your local sport turn to pages 77-79

Mascot Bradley feels better ahead of big birthday party FOOTBALL mascot Bradley Lowery will celebrate his sixth birthday in hospital today (May 17) ahead of a big party with his friend Jermain Defoe.

The terminally ill boy, whose battle with the rare childhood cancer neuroblastoma has touched people around the world, had been in great pain lately, his family said.

But his parents said he is feeling ‘a little better’ and the pain is improving slowly during his stay in hospital.

times and Defoe carried his young friend on to the pitch at Sunderland’s Stadium of Light for the last match of the season at the weekend.

The boy received 315,000 Christmas cards after an appeal went global. This time, however, well-wishers have been asked not to send a birthday card but

to leave him a message online and, if they want, to donate the price of a card.

Any money left over from donations will go towards setting up Bradley’s charity, which will help other children.

The site can be found at www. justgiving.com/crowdfunding/ bradsbirthday

Excited On the Facebook page the family uses to update the thousands of well-wishers, they said: “Bradley is super excited to turn six on Wednesday although he will be spending it in hospital and he is looking forward to his party on Friday.”

There will be a party in his home village of Blackhall, County Durham, on Friday, and the Sunderland and England striker Defoe will be there.

On his birthday itself, family members will be with him in hospital to hold a tea party.

Bradley has been a mascot for Sunderland and England several

HAVING A BALL Bradley Lowery has led out the England team

NEWS

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Walsh pays tribute after retirement of ‘lamb’ Annie Power RUBY WALSH described Annie Power as a ‘brilliant mare’ after the racehorse was retired.

Owned by Rich Ricci, the Willie Mullins-trained nine-year-old was retired in foal to Camelot after failing to make it to the track last season.

In 2016 she stepped in at late notice to replace injured stablemates Faugheen and Arctic Fire in the Champion Hurdle, and made all the running.

The jockey (pictured) said: “She rode out this morning, she’s retired and she’s in foal and hopefully she might breed something for us.

“We had so much belief in her at home, it was a relief she got to deliver that in the Champion Hurdle. To do it in a championship race against the geldings was great.

He added: “She was always in control, my one worry was if her jumping would hold up at that pace, but she never missed a beat, she was never going to be beaten.

“I’ve been lucky enough to have her at home the last two summers and she’s like a lamb.

“She delivered on big days, with Faugheen and Arctic Fire having gone by the wayside she delivered when you needed her.

“She’ll She’ll take a fair bit of replacing, but it was great to have had her.”

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BUSINESS

National Business News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Inflation ‘posing a serious challenge to UK households’

NEWS IN BRIEF

India troubles put Vodafone in the red MOBILE phone giant Vodafone has slumped into the red with annual losses of £5.2billion after taking a mammoth hit on its Indian arm.

The group confirmed a £3.2 billion writedown on its under-pressure Indian business after striking a deal in March to merge the operation with Idea Cellular to help tackle a raging price war with new network Jio blowing rivals out of the market by offering free calls and data until April 1.

Vodafone also suffered a 15.8 per cent plunge in underlying earnings in the UK as it was hit by falling sales and a falling pound.

UP IN FLAMES Many of the clothes will be unsellable

Profit crash for easyJet BUDGET airline easyJet has racked up large half-year losses after being stung by the collapse in the value of the Brexit-hit pound and the timing of Easter.

The low-cost carrier reported a £236million pre-tax loss in the six months to March 31, which compares with an £18million loss in the same period last year.

EasyJet said that the impact of the timing of Easter into the second half of the year stood at around £45million while currency woes cost it £82million in the period.

Long winded insurance CLIMATE change is set to create more costly storms in the UK pushing insurance losses associated with high winds by between 11 per cent and 25 per cent for the country, according to a report by industry experts AIR Worldwide.

Millions of pounds worth of stock lost in warehouse fire ONLINE fashion retailer Asos has said a fire at its warehouse near Berlin has ‘compromised’ more than £6million of stock.

The blaze, which broke out overnight at its Eurohub Two distribution centre just outside the German capital, did not result in any injuries.

The company said that there were around two million units of stock in the affected chamber, with a cost value of £25million, of which £6.25million ‘could be compromised by fire and water damage’.

It comes three years after a fire at the firm’s Barnsley warehouse resulted in £22 million of

damage to stock.

In 2005, Asos was forced to stop trading after an explosion and fire at the Buncefield oil depot damaged a warehouse in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire.

Asos said in a statement: “None of the technology, automation or structure of the building has been affected by the fire.

“The clean-up process is under way and it is anticipated that the other three chambers of the site will be operational again later today. We are fully insured for loss of stock and any subsequent business interruption.”

INFLATION hit its highest level in nearly four years last month as the Brexit-hit pound, electricity price hikes and rising air fares tightened the squeeze on consumer spending.

The Office for National Statistics [ONS] said the Consumer Price Index [CPI] measure of inflation rose to 2.7 per cent in April, above economist predictions of 2.6 per cent.

CPI has not reached 2.7 per cent since September 2013 and was last higher in July 2013 at 2.8 per cent.

It means inflation is now outstripping wage growth, which rose by 2.3 per cent in the year to February.

Kay Daniel Neufeld, economist at the Centre for Economics and Business Research said the jump in the cost of living poses ‘a serious challenge to UK households’.

He added: “Wage data are due later this week and are expected to show that real wage growth has turned negative in the first months of 2017.

“Consumer spending has already slowed, as evidenced by weak retail sales growth in the first quarter of this year, and is expected to suffer further from low wage growth and higher inflation.

“This means that the UK economy is losing considerable momentum which as of yet has not been offset by stronger exports.”

ON THE UP Inflation is rising

World News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

NEWS IN BRIEF

Airport opens terminal solely for celebrities HOLLYWOOD stars who are tired of being stalked by photographers at Los Angeles International Airport can now find some privacy – not to mention luxury – at a new terminal.

The £17 million facility called the Private Suite opened on Monday and offers an exclusive entrance, one-on-one security screening and plush lounges.

Access is available to anyone who can afford fees up to £2,700 for a domestic flight or £3,100 for an international flight.

Two killed as protests escalate in Venezuela ALL FIRED UP A demonstrator holds a sign that reads ‘It’s for you’

Greek seamen strike WORKERS operating ferry services in Greece have joined forces with journalists to walk off their job a day before a nationwide general strike to protest against new austerity measures.

The 48-hour seamen’s strike will leave ferries servicing the country’s islands tied up in port for two days.

Journalists are holding a 24-hour strike, pulling news broadcasts off the air. The general strike is being held in protest over a new deal with Greece’s international creditors that imposes a raft of new tax hikes and spending cuts beyond the end of the country’s third bailout in 2018.

Ebola cases resurface A SECOND case of Ebola has been confirmed by laboratory testing amid an outbreak in a remote corner of northern Congo, according to the World Health Organisation [WHO].

Maduro remained mostly tranquil, but in the western state of Tachira near Venezuela’s border with Colombia, two men were reported dead in separate demonstrations: Luis Alviarez, 18, and Diego Hernandez, 33.

In the central state of Carabobo, three officers were shot, including one left in critical condition after being struck in the head, authorities said. In Lara, a vehicle ran over three protesters.

The violence added to a mounting toll of bloodshed as Venezuela’s opposition vows to step up near-daily demonstrations and Mr Maduro shows no intention of conceding to the opposi-

More than three dozen people have been killed, including a national guardsman and a police officer

CHAOS has erupted in western Venezuela during another round of protests against the socialist government, with buildings set afire, tear gas swirling around protesters and at least two people killed since Monday.

Thousands hauled folding chairs, beach umbrellas and protest signs on to main roads for a 12-hour ‘sit-in against the dictatorship’ the latest in a month and a half of street demonstrations that have resulted in dozens of deaths.

Protests in Caracas against President Nicolas

tion’s demands.

More than three dozen people have been killed, including a national guardsman and a police officer, hundreds injured and as many as 2,000 detained in nearly seven weeks of protests.

Polls indicate the great majority of Venezuelans want Mr Maduro gone as violent crime soars and the country falls into economic ruin, with triple-digit inflation and shortages of many basic foods and medical supplies.

The wave of protests were triggered by a government move to nullify the opposition-controlled congress in late March, but the demonstrations have morphed into a general airing of grievances against the unpopular socialist administration.

NEWS

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NOT SO SECRET Trump has reportedly told a Russian minister state secrets

President proclaims ‘absolute right’ to share classified information DONALD TRUMP has defended his sharing of information with Russian officials, saying he has an ‘absolute right’ to do so as President.

He tweeted that he wanted to share with Russia ‘facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety’.

His Twitter post added: “Humanitarian reasons, plus I want Russia to greatly step up their fight against ISIS & terrorism.”

Mr Trump’s response came after the Washington Post reported that he revealed highly classified information to senior Russian officials during an Oval Office meeting last week, putting a source of intelligence on the Islamic State group at risk.

The disclosure drew a rare rebuke of the president from some Republican legislators.

White House officials denounced the report, although officials did not deny that classified information was disclosed in the May 10 meeting.

The Post, citing current and former US officials, said Mr Trump shared details about an IS threat related to the use of laptops on aircraft with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak.

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NEWS

Letters

Wednesday May 17 | 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 Too much ‘hassle’ to switch suppliers?

But Mr Clark was the Energy Minister You report (May 10) that Mr Clark, Tory candidate for Tunbridge Wells and formerly Secretary of State for Business Energy and Industrial Strategy, has not switched energy supplier because, in his words, it is ‘a hassle’.

This comes from a minister in a government whose whole policy on domestic energy supply is based on a privatised competitive market which is supposed to be driven by people changing supplier to get the cheapest deal.

So we are required to waste our lives regularly searching dubious comparative websites to drive the government’s market agenda, while the minister formerly responsible for this energy policy doesn’t bother. You couldn’t make it up, could you?

What else does Mr Clark consider ‘a hassle’, I wonder? Climate change, the most serious problem facing future generations – which means today’s little children – which is barely

Clark should have run as an independent I voted to leave Europe in last year’s referendum.

Nevertheless, I’m still disappointed that Greg Clark has not stood down from the Tunbridge Wells seat he holds for the Conservatives, and put himself up as an Independent.

He is a Remainer; the town is overwhelmingly Remain, and he should have had the courage of his convictions – and serve and represent the people of the town.

Career politician? Of course he’s a career politician and, like the Vicar of Bray, he’ll hang on to his living come what may.

Ben Hardy Tunbridge Wells

Big brands harm our local retailers Have we become a town obsessed with which new retail chain is or isn’t coming here next? It would seem so given the amount of speculation that surrounds whether cheap and cheerful Aldi moves into Tunbridge Wells or not (May 10).

As a long-time resident of the town, one of the things I am most proud about is the amount of independent retailers that are still trading.

But the sad fact is, if the council keeps granting permission for big brands and restaurant chains to settle here then the personal, grass-roots image of the town will pretty much be wiped out.

It’s becoming a real struggle for independent businesses to continue to meet the ever increasing rates demanded in certain locations such as the High Street and The Pantiles.

So let’s stop speculating about whether we’ll get a Primark or an Aldi and start celebrating those independents who, despite having nothing like the financial resources of their national rivals,

mentioned in the election campaign by the Tories. That was another of Mr Clark’s previous ministerial responsibilities. Is dealing with that also too​much of ‘a hassle’?

John Telling Tunbridge Wells are trying their hardest to keep going in order to offer the town something unique and interesting.

Martha Hynes Via email

CCG should get on with its job The West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group Chairman’s apparent indifference and insensitivity to those waiting for what he calls ‘elective’ surgery (May 3) and now compelled to wait even longer is most disappointing.

Mr Bowes suggests that patients will wait three months, but in fact they must wait an additional three months – at least. It takes the NHS over a year to reach the point that surgery is needed so we are getting on for two years.

As for ‘elective’ surgery, this suggests patients are choosing to have it done – so cosmetics then, facelifts? This is just a verbal sleight of hand.

Any public body which chooses not to do what it is mandated to do must surely look very carefully at itself. This is further proof that the NHS is in need of a serious rethink, but all we do is tinker at the edges and, like an open sore, picking at it does not make it better.

At the business end , the service is first-class, staff are simply amazing – and I’m now coming over all rosy glow. But the wait, oh the wait.

Sam Goodenough Tunbridge Wells

Is this how we share the burden?

I’m very happy to be living in the Velvet Ditch of central Tunbridge Wells in a smart little flat – part of a new-build ‘social experiment’ project dreamed up by species far higher than myself.

But recent changes to the government’s ‘Help to

Buy’ scheme means that Housing Association tenants in my complex can receive low mortgage rates, help in finding deposits and even a discounted price.

If back in the day, like me, you entered into a Shared Ownership scheme with the very same Housing Association, you now receive zero help in purchasing the rest of your property, in fact you’d need to pay full market value to boot.

Here’s the official answer: “The 20 per cent loan Help to Buy offer can only be used when purchasing an Equity Loan Scheme property, and is not available to use for Shared Ownership.

Help to Buy have no other facilities available to help you purchase the rest of your property.”

The reply even included the obligatory ‘Is there anything else I can help you with?’ – erm no!

Lee Smith Tunbridge Wells

Don’t cut funding for the homeless Tunbridge Wells Borough Council should be applauded for trying to provide accommodation for the homeless (April 26).

But there is another problem which is not being addressed – helping the poor souls who are sleeping rough to get a roof over their heads.

In our affluent town we have seen a homeless man, a ‘normal’ guy who fell on hard times, die on his first night on the streets, because he had to be put on a waiting list by The Bridge Trust.

And now we hear this great homeless charity is facing oblivion because of falling funding from Kent County Council (KCC). As your paper told us, it had already lost so much that it had to give up four of its beds. The Trust said Mr Metcalfe might still be alive today if that had not happened.

There is just no provision in West Kent for real ‘emergency’ accommodation, apart from what the Trust provides – and Tunbridge Wells Churches Winter Shelter for a couple of months a year.

Can’t our council dip into its bottomless coffers – see the Civic Complex vanity project – and look after the most vulnerable people in our society?

Alastair Green Tunbridge Wells

This mistake is nothing to boast about I had to smile when I read the article ‘Grammarly raises funds’ (May 10). Their software ‘uses spell-checking, proof-reading and plagiarism detection tools, scanning text for the correct use of more than 250 advanced grammar rules’.

Unfortunately the first line contains on error: “A firm that boats ‘the world’s most accurate online grammar checker’…”

Perhaps the Times should invest in a copy of the software itself, in order to give its readers ‘mistake free writing every time’.

Alan Yates Rotherfield

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

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

RUMOURS abound that The Range might relocate from its store opposite the station, to the other end of town and Royal Victoria Place shopping centre. Those who spread such gossip suggest that footfall at the present site is below expectations. Happily the discount superstore, which opened in December, has dismissed the rumours as being untrue. Only problem is, Calverley seems to recall The Range dismissed as untrue a story last year, in this very newspaper, that it was opening for business in Tunbridge Wells.

ALWAYS nice to get the nod of approval from our fellow hacks in the national press. The Daily Telegraph writer Tom Ough paid us a flying visit as part of his Daytripper series and wrote: “A spa town without a rough street in its environs; it’s simply disgustingly posh”. He also singled out one particular pub: “Only in Tunbridge Wells would the Wetherspoon’s be a magnificent, colourful, gloriously baroque former opera house.” Well, if you really do need to have a Wetherspoon’s, the least you can do is disguise the fact by plonking it in nice surroundings.

TALKING of the press, Calverley wishes to thank his news desk colleagues who called East Sussex County Council last week wanting to know why they had closed one side of the busy Frant Road near Argos Hill, when there was no sign of anything being done; not a single workman was spotted in over 24 hours – just a set of traffic lights causing mayhem. Hours after the phone call the bollards disappeared with still no holes in sight. How curious.

OFF to a family wedding that was ruined by thoughtless people taking pictures via mobile phones on the end of long selfie-sticks. As the bride (and most stunning she was) walked down the aisle and the official photographer tried to capture the moment, some guests stuck out their phones from their pews blocking the view of others, including the distraught photographer.

MUCH chuckling in a certain office this week at the expense of the boss who rarely gets out into the real world. On a return trip to Essex he zoomed through the Dartford Crossing believing it was free as toll booths had been removed. He now has fines totalling £140 for failing to pay online. And he still has to pay the £2.50 charge each way.

Chin, chin readers

Advertising Feature

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

EDUCATION Times

 Carefully choose the words used to praise

See exams as a chance to learn

With new GCSEs and A Levels being introduced this year, James Mossman, Assistant Head at Kent College Pembury, says it’s important to use tests in order to further students’ education our teaching at Kent College. Dweck’s research reveals that labels can lead to a ‘fixed mindset’, i.e. the belief that traits such as intelligence and talent are fixed and cannot be improved, and demonstrates the negative impact they can have on effective learning.

Most at risk are those who do not initially struggle academically and find themselves labelled by parents and teachers as ‘clever’. Arguably, those who have struggled in the early stages will develop a healthy appreciation of the need for hard work to succeed.

Whereas those labelled ‘clever’, often associate their success with innate ability, rather than effort. In order to maintain this reputation they may hide their failures and avoid challenges in the future, then miss opportunities to grow intellectually.

It is vital that our students are given the opportunity to face challenges and make mistakes; improvement is only really possible when we address our errors and are encouraged to learn from them. Dweck describes this as a ‘growth

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TIPS ON GROWTH MINDSET

WITH THE

External exams are on the horizon and this year the stakes seem higher than ever. New GCSEs and A-levels present uncertainty for all and while we cherish the belief that there will be no dramatic shift in national pass James Mossman rates, students inevitably see themselves as guinea pigs.

However, concerns that such tests lead schools to become mere ‘exam factories’ with little concern for breadth are commonly heard and recently the ATL teaching union voted, with a 96% majority, to boycott all testing at a primary level due to the pressure it puts on students. This invites a closer look at the impact of testing on the longterm mental wellbeing of our young people.

Exams give candidates labels, which can stick for life. Many adults will tell you that they are not good at Maths or are rubbish at Art, which can limit later choices and a willingness to learn.

Work on ‘Mindsets’, by psychologist Carol Dweck, is very pertinent here, and is influencing

NEWS

LESSON LEARNT Pupils need challenges to thrive

mindset’, the understanding that we can develop and improve. We use how we give feedback to cultivate a growth mindset in our students and focus on how the girls engage with the challenge to gauge long-term success.

Kent College is a leading independent boarding and day school for girls. Based in Pembury, it teaches girls from age three to 18. For more information, please visit: www.kent-college.co.uk

When feeding back to your child on an achievement, focus on praising the process leading to the success. Avoid fixed mindset phrases such as: “Aren’t you clever”, and instead try,“ Well done for putting in the effort”.  Discuss your own experiences It’s really valuable to talk to your child about times when you have overcome a challenge E.g. completing a charity run when you hated P.E. at school or becoming an accountant even though you struggled with times tables. This offers a forum for them to discuss where they feel defeated and helps them to devise strategies.  Avoid saying “I’m rubbish at.…”

Children take their lead from parents and so it is important to embrace a growth mindset for yourself. We’re all guilty of saying that we’re rubbish at something but this reinforces the fixed mindset, that there are certain things that cannot be improved by practice, which sets the wrong example.  Enjoy films and books that advocate a Growth Mindset Films such as Zootropolis and Chicken Run as well as biographies and particular novels demonstrate how the protagonist uses failure to later succeed or can achieve in the face of adversity.

While our children’s futures will still be decided by final grades and labels, parents, students and teachers can look at the exam process as a way to develop emotional resilience and cement learning processes. It is a long term rather than short term investment, which can enable our children to succeed – and not only in the exam hall!

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NEWS

Weekly Comment

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Charles Woodgate Labour Party candidate for Tunbridge Wells

Charles Woodgate is the labour candidate for Tunbridge Wells at the upcoming General Election on June 8. Over the past 30 years he has gained experience in the fields of international trade, finance and banking.

Standing up for the many in Tunbridge Wells I AM delighted to have been chosen as Labour candidate to be your next MP in Tunbridge Wells. I was born in and have spent most of my life living in Kent, where I now live with my wife Liza and our two young sons. I have a strong business background and have spent the last 30 years of my life working in international trade, finance and banking.

This General Election is a choice between a Labour Party who will stand up for the many and a Conservative Party which only looks after the privileged few.

Under the Conservatives the NHS and social care have been pushed into a state of emergency, with soaring waiting lists and hospitals in financial crisis. Both our local hospital and ambulance trusts are in special measures and there is not enough money for many older people to get the care they need.

Schools across the country face

working families are set to be on average over £1,400 a year worse off.

This election is not a re-run of the EU referendum. The decision to leave the EU has already been settled by the British people. But we oppose

‘Under Theresa May, working families are set to be on average over £1,400 a year worse off’

cuts and class sizes are rising. Over the next two years £78 million is being cut from school budgets in Kent - equivalent to a loss of 2110 teachers. Young people who want to go to university face huge debts.

House building has fallen to its lowest peacetime rate since the

1920s. And our safety has been compromised with more than 20,000 police officers cut since 2010.

Over the past seven years the Conservatives have been giving the super-rich tax breaks, worth tens of billions, whilst working families are worse off. Under Theresa May,

Daniel Minett Investment Management Director Brooks Macdonald, Tunbridge Wells

Theresa May’s reckless approach to Brexit and her not-so-hidden agenda to turn Britain into a low wage, tax haven for big business.

Labour is the only party that can be trusted to put the interests of working people first in the Brexit negotiations.

This General Election is the chance for a fresh start with a Labour government. Instead of a country run

Daniel Minett is the Investment Management Director and Deputy Head at the Tunbridge Wells office of Brooks Macdonald, an independent company that specialises in providing investment management services in the UK and internationally. This is another in a series of personal comment columns

The Digital Disruptors “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”

Henry Ford Amid the constant flow of political news dictating markets last year, one story which may have been missed is that for the first time ever the largest five companies in the world are all technology companies. The market for technology companies is truly global; today more than three billion people have access to the internet through their mobile devices. Technology has also ensured that the amount of capital required to build a company has collapsed. Ten years ago, businesses had to buy servers, infrastructure and software; now they can use free development tools and host their infrastructure on ‘the cloud’.

Technology is such a big part of our everyday lives it is easy to forget that three of the five largest companies (Amazon, Google and Facebook) didn’t even exist 25 years ago. These companies have shown that the speed with which new competitors can disrupt traditional business models and industries has never been so fast. Incumbent

businesses that fail to adapt to new technological challenges will struggle and see their profits fall.

For example, Google didn’t invent the search engine, they just built a better product than anyone else; now they have a staggering 67% share of the global web search market.

Amazon’s success has been in selecting products and services that customers want, utilising highly efficient distribution methods and delivering excellent customer service. In the same way Henry Ford revolutionised the car industry through the development of the assembly line method of production, Amazon has changed the way we shop, to the detriment of many traditional high street retailers. Originally started by Jeff Bezos as an online bookstore, Amazon has grown to become the biggest retailer in the world, with 80 million of its customers paying for subscriptions to its Amazon Prime service.

One man who is no stranger to disruption is Elon Musk, the founder and CEO of Tesla. Three years ago he made the company’s patents for their electric cars publically available in order to

for the richest, Labour wants to see one in which all of us can lead richer lives. It would be a fairer Britain in which no one would be held back.

Labour will invest to create shared prosperity. We will protect our public services, giving the NHS the money it needs and delivering good teaching in good schools for all our children. And we will take an alternative approach to Brexit: one which protects jobs and the economy, investing in infrastructure, skills, new technology and the green industries for the future.

A Labour government will stand up for you. We will deliver a better, fairer Britain where prosperity is shared, everyone is rewarded fairly for hard work and where a home to rent or buy is affordable. We will build a Britain for the many not the few.

I look forward to this election and the chance to meet you during the campaign.

‘Amazon’s success has been in selecting products and services that customers want’ encourage major automakers to start building electric vehicles (EV) and therefore accelerate the growth of the industry. While this seemed a fairly radical move at the time, most car companies are now investing in EV technology.

Over the coming years the infrastructure will increase, the cars will go further without the need for charging, and the cost of a car will inevitably fall. In the same way that smart phones quickly began to replace old style handsets, the growth of electric vehicles will disrupt both the car industry and the oil industry alike.

Anyone who has had to endure public transport in the UK will be pleased to know that Apple, Google and Tesla are all heavily investing

in self-driving vehicle technology. Great companies like these don’t stand still, they continue to evolve and diversify. As investment managers we seek to identify the winners of the future and given developments in the sector, technology is one of our preferred investment themes.

We are in the midst of the third industrial revolution. Many of the industries that have traditionally dominated the global economy are seeing their positions challenged by the new powerhouses of the digital world. Men like Bezos and Musk are continuing to revolutionise our lives with innovative products we didn’t even know we wanted.

Daniel Minett represents only Brooks Macdonald. Brooks Macdonald is a trading name of Brooks Macdonald Group plc used by various companies in the Brooks Macdonald group of companies. Brooks Macdonald Asset Management Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. More details of which are set out in our website at www.brooksmacdonald.com

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

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Available in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks

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est. 1828

Holding Court

in listed property with additional cottage and outbuildings

28

PROPERTY

To suit your budget

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Your at-a-glance guide to 3 THE MANOR

WITH THE

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS

TUNBRIDGE WELLS GUIDE

PRICE

Pick up your edition at the following stations

£675,000

Tunbridge Wells Tonbridge Wadhurst Hildenborough Paddock Wood High Brooms

To feature a property or to place an advert please call: Patsy Kelly 01892 774 781

Alternatively you can contact the Times of Tunbridge Wells in the following ways 01892 779 624 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1NU newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

f facebook.com/timeslocalnews k twitter.com/timeslocalnews L timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

UNDER £300,000 WHITEFRIARS WHARF, TONBRIDGE GUIDE PRICE

£245,000-£270,000 LEASEHOLD

garage and parking. The accommodation comprises of a lounge/ dining area, kitchen, two double bedrooms and a bathroom. Leasehold charges include ground rent of £100 per quarter and a service charge of approx. £365 per quarter. Both bedrooms are modern and the kitchen includes an integrated oven and gas hob.

Modern two bedroom first floor apartment within walking distance of town centre and station. The apartment CONTACT has a gated communal entrance leading Ellis & Co 01732 770077 to four apartments and comes with www.ellisandco.co.uk

UNDER £400,000 WINDMILL STREET, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

£355,000-£375,000 Semi-detached property restored to a high standard with a sitting room, kitchen/breakfast room, two double bedrooms and spacious bathroom.

The entrance to this property is via double glazed entrance doors, and there is a sitting room with feature

fireplace, double glazed window to front and built in cupboard to side.

Both double bedrooms feature a double glazed window, one to the front and one to the rear. There is a courtyard with fencing and gated side access to the rear. Residents permit parking area included.

CONTACT Wood & Pilcher 01892 511211 www.woodandpilcher.com

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

To suit your budget

PROPERTY

29

great properties by price range…

UNDER £800,000

UNDER £500,000

3 THE MANOR, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

KINGSWOOD ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

GUIDE PRICE

£450,000

£675,000

Ground and first floor duplex apartment in 19th century period conversion with high ceilings and generous proportions. There is a communal vestibule and reception hall, followed by a private entrance lobby with cloakroom and drawing room. The apartment includes a kitchen/breakfast room, master bedroom with en suite bathroom, master bedroom with en suite bathroom and a double bedroom with shower room. There is a private double garage and an onsite residents’ gym with communal terrace. The communal estate grounds extend to about 7 acres.

CONTACT Savills 01892 507000 www.savills.com

Two bedroom ground floor apartment in a development which includes a private terrace with views over the communal gardens and onto Dunorlan Park. This property has a spacious living room with further dining area and doors to the terrace. Beyond this there is a spacious fitted kitchen, a master bedroom with fitted wardrobes and further en-suite bathroom, second double bedroom and further WC and shower room. A single parking space is included as well as further parking spaces for visitors.

CONTACT Wood & Pilcher 01892 511211 www.woodandpilcher.com

UNDER £600,000 STEPHENS ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS GUIDE PRICE

£575,000 Victorian town house with four bedrooms, one en suite. The property has an array of period features as well as south-facing gardens. The kitchen/ dining room is an open plan layout and the kitchen is designed with white cabinetry and granite work tops. Three of the four bedrooms include period fireplaces. The garden includes a lawned area, bordered by low flower beds, and a decked area directly accessed from the kitchen.

CONTACT Flying Fish 01892 514 189 www.flyingfishproperties.co.uk

UNDER £1million TUDOR COTTAGE, IGHTHAM

£975,000

Set in landscaped gardens within the centre of the village, this property comprises a drawing room, dining room, sitting room, study, kitchen/ breakfast room, utility room, cloakroom, four bedrooms, bathroom and shower room as well as gardens and a garage. This grade II listed property includes features such as parquet and wood flooring, exposed wall and ceiling timbers, exposed brickwork, column radiators and some lead light windows.

CONTACT Savills 01732 789700 www.savills.co.uk

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PROPERTY

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Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Handsome Grade II listed Georgian fronted village home with cottage

Hatherleigh

PROPERTY

AT A GLANCE HATHERLEIGH THE GREEN, MATFIELD n Drawing room n Dining room n Family room/library n Kitchen/breakfast room n Rear hall n Cloakroom n Large cellar n Master bedroom with en suite bathroom n 3 further bedrooms n Family bathroom n Adaptable attic room n Detached barn n Detached office n Garaging n Gardens and grounds of 2.25 acres The Cottage: n Sitting room n Kitchen/breakfast room n Bathroom n 2 bedrooms n Shower room

ÂŁ2,250,000 For sale through Batcheller Monkhouse 01892 512 020 www. batchellermonkhouse.co.uk

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40

PROPERTY

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Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Court House

PROPERTY

AT A GLANCE

COURT HOUSE SUTTON VALENCE Main House: ■ Reception hall ■ Drawing room ■ Dining room ■ Family room ■ Kitchen/breakfast room ■ Utility room ■ Dog room ■ Cloakroom ■ 3 room cellar ■ Principal bedroom suite with dressing room and bathroom ■ Guest bedroom with en suite bathroom

A splendid village house with tennis court and landscaped gardens

■ 4 further bedrooms ■ Family bathroom Court House Cottage: ■ Detached building ■ Sitting room ■ Kitchen ■ 2 bedrooms ■ Bathroom Gardens and outbuildings: ■ Landscaped south-facing gardens ■ Kitchen garden ■ Spring-fed pond ■ Substantial period barn with mezzanine floors ■ Log store

The spacious family accommodation is mainly on two floors with views over green belt land

■ Bin store ■ Greenhouse ■ Tennis court

GUIDE PRICE

£1,895,000 For sale through Savills 01580 720 161 www.savills.com

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44

PROPERTY

Interiors

S

ometimes nature knows best, but who'd have thought it also holds the answers to home decorating? Looking to the skies and the changing colours of the landscape is the newest (and highly welcome) alternative to struggling with perplexing paint charts, and it's the method used by one of the world's leading stylists.

Hans Blomquist, renowned for his work as an art director with major home brands, including Ikea, Harrods, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis and Zara Home, reveals that looking up to the skies - whether sunny blue, stormy or rain-lashed horizons - as well as noticing the seasons, is his perfect inspiration for winning interiors.

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Natural colour schemes have a depth and softness to them, says Blomquist, and feel so unmanufactured and true in their shades that they'll always bring a sense of integrity to your home and make it feel warm, inviting and relaxed.

"I'm always collecting pieces of wood from the beach and the forest. I use some to light the fire, but the sculptural pieces usually end up on display and inspire me in my choice of colours," he explains.

DIP INTO PALE SHADES: If you have plain white walls, add layers of texture and introduce different shades of soft white to make a room more inviting. Layer textiles in different weaves or colours, hang a panel of vintage fabric as a work of art. A collection of vintage mirrors will reflect and accentuate any light in the room and is particularly effective in making a small space appear larger.

says Blomquist, whose beautifully illustrated book, In The Mood For Colour: Perfect Palettes For Creative Interiors, is a guide to seeing colour in a completely different light.

The perfect palette is out there just waiting to be seen, he says, and the easiest way of finding out what appeals is to take photos on your phone, of whatever catches your eye, over a period of time.

Blue's a colour that works especially well when you layer up different shades to create a tone-on-tone effect, and Blomquist promises it will result in a harmonious interior with a sense of depth and calm.

"I consider myself a 'blue' person. Painting walls a deep blue will give you a sense of summer all year round, and you can add warmth with natural objects and colours," he enthuses.

"Denim blue, greyish blue, duck-egg blue, shades of blue that veer towards green, and anything in between are all favourites of mine.”

DIP INTO BLUES: Anything goes with deep moody blues - light or dark, muted tones or bright clear, springlike shades. In an interior, dark blue works as a neutral and looks brilliant either covering walls or used as a grounding accent in the form of textiles and decorative objects. Try layering different shades of blue from darkest navy to washed-out cornflower.

Towards the end of summer vivid hues begin to fade and moodier colours appear along with dark stormy days and autumnal earthy colours; this is a palette Blomquist recommends for atmospheric rooms.

“While you may be reluctant to repaint a room pitch black, I’m sure you would be pleasantly surprised if you did, as it’s such a chic, comfortable colour to live with. I wish I had more dark colours in my home.” he says.

DIP INTO GREYS AND BLACKS: If painting a whole room seems too much, start with one wall or ceiling.

Create a tonal wall by painting one solid colour of matt paint in a dark colour and then, using a sponge, apply a wash of diluted lighter paint over it.

Repeat until you get the desired effect.

In The Mood For Colour by Hans Blomquist is published by Ryland Peters & Small, priced £19.99.

Available to readers for the special price of £14.99 (inc p&p) by calling Macmillan Direct on 01256 302 699 and quoting reference: HV3

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Durrants Cottage

PROPERTY

AT A GLANCE DURRANTS COTTAGE FREE HEATH ROAD, HOOK GREEN ■ Entrance vestibule ■ Cloakroom/WC ■ Sitting room ■ Family room ■ Conservatory ■ Dining room ■ Kitchen/breakfast room ■ L-shaped first floor landing ■ 5 bedrooms ■ Bathroom ■ Shower room/WC ■ Double width cart barn ■ Herb garden ■ Brick paved seating area ■ Pond ■ Timber shed ■ Greenhouse ■ Fruit cage

GUIDE PRICE

£950,000 For sale through Bracketts 01892 533733 www.bracketts.co.uk

Idyllic country haven set to be a gardener’s paradise with greenhouse

47

50

PROPERTY

Berkeley House

Centrally located town house close to mainline station and ammenities

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

AT A GLANCE BERKELEY HOUSE MOLYNEUX PARK ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS n Entrance hall n Drawing room n Dining room n Sitting room n Kitchen n Breakfast/family room n Cloakroom n Basement n Principle bedroom with dressing room and en suite n Five to six further bedrooms n Additional kitchenette/breakfast room n Two further bedrooms n Double garage n Two driveways n Established gardens n Near mainline station

ÂŁ1,795,000 Hamptons International 01892 516611 www.hamptons.co.uk

Beautifully presented and a perfect family home ideally placed for commuters

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FEATURES

Food & Drink

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

The making of a culinary genius A new ITV daytime cooking show called Culinary Genius came to its grand finale last week and the winner of the first series was…

Bruce McMichael Manager of Tunbridge Wells Farmers’ market and Times food contributor. Here he explains to Eileen Leahy how he managed to stand the kitchen’s heat in order to be crowned champion of a very hotly contested cookery competition

C

ELEBRITY TV chef Gordon Ramsay’s hit new ITV cookery talent show has just crowned its inaugural winner and he may just be familiar to you if you visit your local Farmers’ Market or regularly read the Times’s Food and Drink pages, to which he is a contributor.

Last Friday it was announced that Tunbridge Wells Farmers’ Market manager Bruce McMichael had won the Culinary Genius competition and he is currently basking in gourmet glory after a tense cook-off between three finalists. He was in good - and familiar - company as the town’s own celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager happened to judge five episodes of the popular series.

Spread over a month, the competition featured a different celebrity chef each week. These included Gordon Ramsay, Rosemary Shrager, Phil Vickery, and for the final week, Michelin-starred Jean-Christophe Novelli who helped decide that Bruce was the show’s rightful winner.

Described by an ITV insider as a ‘high-drama cooking competition’ which sees nine amateur cooks do battle in a ‘wrestling-ring style studio, competing against each other in tough tasks designed to push them to their limits’ it certainly provided tonnes of tension but this didn’t seem to phase Bruce.

“It was a fantastic experience,” he says. “I love cooking at home for family and friends and was thrilled to reach the final and hear Jean-Christophe describe my winning dish of Turbot en

Papillote as ‘delicious’. It was great to learn some chopping and filleting skills from a Michelin-starred chef and then go on to use them in order to win the competition.”

Each hour long show starts with nine amateur home cooks, and involves two knock-out rounds in which three contestants are eliminated, leaving three for the final cook-off. Presented by TV favourite Fern Britton who came to fame through the popular BBC2 series Ready Steady Cook back in the 1990s, contestants are tested on knife and chopping skills and ultimately on their culinary creativity.

Walking into the studio for the first time which Bruce says was described by the production team as a ‘cauldron’ of noise, cameras, technicians, lights and a cheering audience, was he admits a bit of a ‘daunting experience’.

“Nine contestants enter the studio to stand in front of a cooking station with cooker, sink, a range of knives and kitchen tools and a huge, silvery coloured cloche with lights flashing dramatically as the studio lights dim at the start of the knockout round,” explains Bruce.

“Before the first and second round, Jean-Christophe gathered us around and gave us a masterclass in chopping and slicing chip-sized pieces of sweet potato, and then for the six of us who had made it through the first round, he showed us how to fillet a turbot, which is one of the more

I love cooking at home for family and friends and was thrilled to reach the final and hear Jean-Christophe describe my winning dish as ‘delicious’ - Bruce McMichael

expensive fish you’ll find on a fishmongers slab.”

Three contestants are then eliminated after the first and second rounds, before the three finalists get two minutes to choose ingredients from the studio’s larder and fridge, which are packed full of fresh herbs, potatoes and pasta, fruit and veg, oils and vinegar. They are not however allowed to return to top up on supplies.

With just 25 minutes to cook something that will really impress the chefs, Bruce’s final dish of Turbot en Papillote, which he accompanied with crushed new potatoes, a lightly spiced tomato and pepper sauce and samphire garnish won the day - and the title of Culinary Genius.

“I was absolutely thrilled to win the competition, especially as my food was judged by Jean-Christophe, a Michelin-starred chef. I was quite nervous at the start especially cooking in front of a live audience and celebrity chef but Fern was lovely, very supportive and funny and helped us relax. It was a brilliant experience!”

You can catch episodes of Culinary Genius on the ITV Hub. If you want to see Bruce in action then he will be running cooking demos at the Tenterden Food Festival, Tonbridge Food Festival and Kent County Show. See their websites for specific dates and details. He can also be found at Tunbridge Wells Farmers’ Market which runs on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays of every month outside the Town Hall.

Food & Drink

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

‘I was absolutely thrilled to win the competition, especially as my food was judged by Jean-Christophe Novelli, a Michelin-starred chef’

KICKER Caption body to go in this style thankyou

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FEATURES

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Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Creativity and craft in a jeweller’s workshop You may recognise his name if you’ve ever set foot in Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells, but Richard Burrell has left the old shop behind after selling the business in 2014. Now, he has returned with a new shop in Chapel Place, named after his daughter Gabriella, who is in charge as store manager. Hannah Patterson meets with him to find out how it’s going...

Gabriella’s has been open now for six months – how have you found the transition from Burrells?

We’re very fortunate that we have such a dedicated client base who will always come to us, so we hit the ground running. The main challenge we faced when opening Gabriella’s was separating ourselves from the Burrells store in Royal Victoria Place. I sold it in its entirety and now have no relationship with it at all, but there has obviously been some misunderstanding because the name is still there.

We’re very fortunate that we have such a dedicated client base who will always come to us, so we hit the ground running.

Was it always your intention to open Gabriella’s after selling Burrells?

My intention was to retire. I’m almost 72 years old and have had my own jewellery business since the age of 21. When my daughter, Gabriella, returned from New Zealand, she was keen to open a new store and continue in the family trade. The knowledge and passion was already there for her – she has been helping and working alongside me since she was eleven. Gabriella’s was opened for her to run with me acting as managing director.

How did you get into the jewellery industry?

I was working at a jewellers in Croydon, but I had different ideas that were being stifled in that environment. That was the moment I made the decision to take on an apprenticeship at Hatton Garden in London. It lasted for three years with a real emphasis on the craft of creating truly beautiful pieces from quality material.

Growing up, my father had owned an antiques shop in Margate, so I had always had an interest in beautiful things – it was inherent.

By 21, I had set up my own jewellery business, and during the 20 years that followed, I’ve owned 12 shops in locations such as Croydon, Bromley, Canary Wharf and Brighton, as well as Tun-

MASTER AT WORK David Markey in the onsite workshop

bridge Wells. After a break, we are now back with Gabriella’s.

Can people expect a similar experience at Gabriella’s to what they had at Burrells?

We have a lot of the exceptional staff we had at Burrell’s now with us at Gabriella’s.

Matt Delves, who I’ve worked with for many years before, was very keen to come to the new store when it opened. We recruited him as sales manager due to his outstanding knowledge of the products and the excellent relationship he always maintained with customers.

What you can’t see from the shop, is the workshop underneath, where we make a wide range of our jewellery. That’s where David Markey works his magic. He is a master of the craft and has been making fine jewellery for forty years.

Do you still make jewellery yourself? Or have you passed the torch?

Because of the attention needed to design quality pieces, my eyesight will no longer allow me to create them myself anymore. I still design, and David and I work very well together.

David very much manages the workshop.

His skills and experience cover the whole process of creating fine jewellery – something that is rare and hard to find. In most jewellers, you’d have to send the piece to a separate setter or polisher, whereas David is able to do everything here in store.

Does it really make any difference to a client whether any work gets done on or off-site?

I believe it makes a huge difference. One being that, especially if it is a particularly valuable piece or a family heirloom, customers feel comforted knowing that the jewellery is staying in the shop and not being shipped off to another location.

Also, time; Customers could wait 48 hours for work to be done in our shop, when it can take as long as 48 hours to get it shipped to and from another location – that’s not even including the labour.

We can also resize jewellery on the day it is bought, rather than making people wait an extra fortnight. That’s a real bonus, particularly with things like engagement rings. I’ve always had my own workshop for these very reasons.

What do you look for in a good jewellery maker – what’s the secret?

It’s all about attention to detail and creative flair. I made jewellery for many years and it all came down to the love of creation.

I’ve always been interested and involved in property, and those types of projects are much the same. There’s obviously a difference between designing items for stock and designing BUSY BURRELL something bespoke.

Retirement takes a With the custom made backseat to business jewellery, something we

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specialise in, we let the client take the lead with the design – a lot of people like the floral patterns, some go for the ultra-modern style and others want the 60s/70s designs, etc.

That’s really our forte. The real beauty of bespoke handmade jewellery is knowing no one else has the exact same piece as you and all the components were chosen personally by, or for, you.

If someone wanted to commission a bespoke piece, what would the process be?

Firstly, we’d ask them to make an appointment with us. This is where we will discuss ideas and inspiration for David to sketch out.

He is present at these meetings to contribute ideas and feedback should the client want. There will be the opportunity to review the drawing and make amendments to the design if it isn’t spot-on.

Once they’re happy with the design, we will produce a ‘dummy’ using cheap materials, including plasticine, so they can have a clearer visual of what the finished product will look like. Then we order the stones. Customers can come in and check on the production process as well, since it’s being made onsite.

‘It’s all about attention to detail and creative flair. I made jewellery for many years and it all came down to the love of creation. ’ How about payment?

Usually we ask for at a 50% payment deposit beforehand because we have to order in material.

Where do you source the stones?

I’ve been dealing with the same New York diamond dealer for the last 35 years. We also source a lot of our stones from Sri Lanka, as well as Thailand.

TEAM EFFORT (L-R) Matt Delves, Richard Burrell, David Markey and Gabriella Taylor

What is currently high in demand?

Sapphire is very popular, but recently we’ve seen an increasing demand for Tanzanite – a blue/violet variety of the zoisite mineral. There’s only one mine in Tanzania that it can be sourced from, and the supply won’t last forever. It’s a real investment piece – both rare and expensive.

A CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT The commissioned replica of Elizabeth I’s coronation crown, created by David Do you have any plans for opening more stores?

Our focus is on consolidating for the time being. Settling into a new store and re-branding takes time, so that’s where our focus is, but more stores are not out of the question. We are celebrating the six-month milestone by offering a half-price sale on selected items of jewellery for a limited period only.

Gabriella Jewellery 9 Chapel Place, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1YQ 01892 540216 www.gabriellajewellery.co.uk info@gabriellajewellery.co.uk

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NEWS

Local News

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Wildlife haven not strictly for the birds…

It’s National Ferry Fortnight again when the industry showcases the various routes, Sarah Marshall explores one of them, avian paradise Baie de Somme, just a short hop across the Channel

By Sarah Marshall

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VERY YEAR, thousands of foreign visitors descend on the marshlands of northern France, jostling and screeching for a comfortable spot on Picardy’s nutrient-rich shores.

Although many of these temporary residents plan extended stays, none arrive with any luggage. Dressed only in their finest plumage, they have all the attire needed for a beach break.

Sitting on the sandbanks of Saint-Valery-surSomme, exposed now the tide has inched furtively away, I’m joined by a gaggle of these outsiders who - like me - have come to enjoy the sun and seafood. But unlike most holidaymakers eager to soak up the surroundings, these avian drop-ins have become a spectacle in their own right.

More than 300 species of waders, shorebirds and other ornithological fancies pass through this region, many en route from northern Europe to Africa, making it a wildlife focus for nature lovers in France.

Yet, although it’s only a 90-minute drive from Calais (in itself, a 90-minute ferry hop from Dover), few Brits come here. Many simply pass through on a mission to reach sun-soaked beaches in the south or to pay respects to solemn war memorials commemorating the Somme’s darkest hours.

But beyond the blood-red poppy fields, other natural wonders colour the landscape - inky blue river estuaries stretch their fingers into the Channel, a rainbow of wild flowers climb pebble and flint walls, and the brilliant white wings of herons settle on trees, like silk handkerchiefs surrendered by the wind.

Comprising 200 hectares of dunes, pine forests and salt marshes in the Somme Bay, the Marquenterre nature park provides a refuge for both resident and migratory birds.

Serious twitchers and amateur observers can watch wildlife from a series of pond-side hides or along several signposted nature trails.

Others take horse-and-cart rides across the mudflats, which form part of a larger nature reserve, where mussels are collected and sold in restaurants around the bay.

I spend a good hour in the park’s highlight attraction, the heronry. Roosting birds - a mixture of storks, spoonbills and egrets - settle in a dense canopy of boughs and branches as the sun begins to set, crowning the foliage with a halo of angel wings.

In peak season (from April until June), about 170 couples nest here.

‘The perfect beach companions, they cause little disturbance and go as they came, leaving only footprints behind’ Originally reclaimed from the sea as an area to farm tulips in the 1940s, Marquenterre opened as a nature reserve in 1973. Like most people who have lived or currently live here, original owner Michel Jeanson was a big fan of birds.

Sculptures of winged wonders decorate street corners and roundabouts all over the bay, and every April a festival of film and photography (Festival des Oiseaux et de la Nature) celebrates avian species.

As we drive along the road to Saint-Valery-surSomme, traffic halts to allow a mother duck and her waddling clan a safe amble across the road.

Birds are first-class citizens here, no less.

A medieval commune once visited by William the

SEAL OF APPROVAL See if you can spot these slick creatures

WINGING IT Birds love La Baie de Somme Conqueror and Joan of Arc (who was imprisoned here), Saint-Valery-sur-Somme is now an idyllic waterfront retreat. These days, the only risk of invasion comes from soaring sunflowers and towering foxgloves threatening to take over the ramparts.

Year round, more than 1,000 plants flourish in L’Herbarium, a secret garden cultivated by Augustine nuns in the grounds of a 16th century hospital.

I stoop to enter through a battered blue wooden doorway, stepping back hundreds of years into an even sleepier, bucolic world.

Several streets surrounding the garden have also been transformed into botanical pathways, lined with a buzz of petals and bees.

Fishermen’s cottages decorated with driftwood sail south towards the riverside promenade, where pots of steaming moules frites entice salivating diners and fresh samphire is sold in pert bundles from market stalls.

The salty taste of seawater clings to my lips, while the ebb and flow of water laps at my ears.

As the tide races back before bedtime and floods the estuary, sandy horizons become a liquid blue and grazing sheep scamper to higher ground for fear of getting hooves wet. (Yes, shepherds do herd their flocks through the dunes.)

Hundreds of birds take flight and glide overhead - some arriving, others fluttering goodbye.

The perfect beach companions, they cause little disturbance and go as they came, leaving only footprints behind.

GARDEN OF DELIGHTS Enjoy the flora and fauna

TRAVEL FACTS  Sarah Marshall was a guest of DFDS (www.dfds.co.uk; 0871 5747235) who offers return fares from Dover to Calais from £78 for a car and up to nine passengers.

WATERWORLD Port of Saint-Valerysur-Somme

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FEATURES

Dementia Awareness week

NEWS IN BRIEF

Care home worker and 100 Dementia Friends A CARE home worker at Chamberlain Court in Tunbridge Wells is attempting to educate 100 people about dementia by making them Dementia Friends.

Darren Hill has been running the sessions, taught in line with the Alzheimer’s Society’s material, to explore what it’s like to live with dementia.

Visitors who complete the course receive a Dementia Friends badge and some takeaway material from the Alzheimer’s Society.

Three courses have already taken place this week, but you can still take part on Thursday May 18th at 11:00am and 1:00pm.

Email Darren.Hill@hallmarkcarehomes. co.uk for more information.

What dementia really means...

It is one of the most feared conditions in the UK and yet not enough of us are talking about it – dementia. That’s why this week is Dementia Awareness Week (May 15-21). We speak with the Alzheimer’s Society Services Manager for West Kent, Kate Sargeant, about why it’s never been more vital to shed light on this potentially fatal condition and those living with it affect us all. It is set to be the 21st century’s biggest killer – someone develops dementia in the UK every three minutes. Yet there is no cure and we know that too many face it alone. For these reasons we have no choice but to start talking about it more and more.

Cupcakes and memories HIGH BROOM Care Home is looking forward to supporting the Alzheimer’s Society and will be raising awareness, as well as funds, by having a Cupcake Day on June 15. The care staff are planning to bake some extra special treats with the residents during the day. This activity will itself evoke many happy memories for the residents living with dementia – and will teach the staff a tip or two.

Dementia Care, although can be challenging, reaps so many rewards for the staff and residents. That’s what makes days like these so important. www.crowboroughcarehome.com

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Do you believe dementia is talked about enough in local communities? And if not, why not?

We know that many people feel nothing can be done about dementia and there is therefore a prevailing sense of apathy and hopelessness about the condition. We need to shift this mindset, encouraging people from every walk of life to unite with us to urgently find a cure, improve care, and offer help and understanding.

Dementia doesn’t care who you are; it could

What do you believe are the biggest misconceptions about dementia?

People often believe that dementia only affects the elderly but there are currently more than 40,000 people living with the condition in the UK who are under 65. Dementia is not a natural part of aging – it is caused by diseases of the brain.

There is also a belief that life ends when dementia begins when, in fact, there are ways in which people can live well with the condition.

Although there is currently no cure for dementia, scientists and researchers are working hard to find one. Until that day comes, support and treatments are available that can help with symptoms and managing daily life.

Are there steps you can take to lower your risk of dementia?

Ageing is the biggest risk factor for dementia.

There are however lots of things you can do to reduce your risk. Research recommends keeping active, not smoking, eating a healthy balanced diet, limiting the amount of alcohol you drink and giving your brain a daily workout by reading, doing puzzles or crosswords.

How can you help someone who has dementia?

If you’re worried about your memory, or about someone else, the first thing to do is make an appointment with the GP. Alzheimer’s Society offers services and support to people with dementia – including our National Dementia Helpline on 0300 222 1122, online ‘Talking Point’ forum, Dementia Advisor service and Side by Side, our new befriending service which sees people with dementia being paired up with a volunteer to do things they enjoy.

What steps can local communities take to make themselves more dementia-friendly?

We are continuing to grow the dementia movement, which has already seen nearly two million people become Dementia Friends and over 200 communities working to become dementia friendly and end stigma around dementia.

From local governments and health boards to

Dementia Awareness week

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

the local corner shop and hairdresser, we all share the responsibility for ensuring that people with dementia feel understood, valued and able to contribute to their community.

People can start simply by becoming a Dementia Friend via our dedicated website (dementiafriends.org.uk), and local businesses can join our Dementia Action Alliance here: dementiaaction.org.uk We’re in the wake of news about a snap election – what does the next Government need to do for people with dementia?

We want the next Government to recognise that dementia is the 21st century’s biggest killer – yet too many face it alone and people with dementia are bearing the brunt of a broken care system that is critically underfunded.

Repeated governments have failed to put a long term plan in place. The next government – whoever it might be – must find a social care solution that works, and ends the injustice people affected by dementia have long experienced.

Knitting up a storm If you haven’t heard of a twiddle mitt before, then let us enlighten you. In association with West Kent’s Alzeimer’s Society, Bethan Kate Minter, creative learning manager at the Assembly Halls, has been working to encourage the community to knit in the fight against dementia...

DEMENTIA – What you may not know n Dementia itself is not a disease, but an

umbrella term for symptoms of conditions such as Alzheimer’s.

n It’s not an inevitable part of growing old.

In the UK over 40,000 people under 65 have dementia.

n Dementia has a bigger impact on women.

Half a million UK women live with dementia.

n Dementia is more than just memory

loss. It can cause changes in behaviour, confusion and disorientation, delusions and hallucinations.

GETTING INVOLVED: Volunteers with Bethan Kate Minter (second from right) and Assembly Hall’s Artistic Director, John Jackson Almond.

Tell us a little about your involvement in this year’s Dementia Awareness Week…

At the Assembly Hall Theatre, we’ve always done our best to be dementia-friendly. But this is the first year we’ve become closely involved in Dementia Awareness Week and hosted the Knit Appeal.

How did the Knit Appeal come about and what inspired it?

Part of my role is to find new ways to form connections with different community groups. I found the Tunbridge Wells Dementia Friends Forum and, realising that there’s a growing number of people in this area living with the illness, I went

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along to one of their meetings and met Barbara Cobbold who is a Councillor as well as being a member of the Tunbridge Wells Over 50s Forum (TWOFS). She told me about their work last year in sending Twiddle Mitts to Pembury hospital.

a great support and help to me throughout the run-up to the event as well. It went remarkably well considering it was all pulled together in ten days. The community feel to it was really touching. It was so nice to share stories and skills.

What are Twiddle Mitts and what role do they play?

Twiddle Mitts are simply knitted muffs that have a variety of buttons and “twiddly” things on them for people to fiddle with. A lot of dementia sufferers absently play with things like their sleeves, and giving them these mitts goes a step further in helping them with anxiety and stress.

Do you have any future plans to do any further work with the Tunbridge Wells Dementia Friends Forum?

The classes were such a success that it would be a shame not to. People of every age, apart from perhaps really young children, turned up and it was great to see it all go so well for such a good cause.

We are kick starting our Assembly Hall Theatre’s Community Participation Programme at the minute and this has been a great step in the right direction. We’re really passionate about putting the community back into the heart of the theatre and building relationships with people like the Tunbridge Wells Dementia Friends Forum.

All of our front of house staff at the theatre are now officially dementia friendly staff, thanks to training we arranged through Alzheimer’s Society UK South East, run by Kate Sturgeon.

The set of Dementia Friends in the South East who organise that training are lovely and I’m grateful to them for providing that.

Dementia touches the lives of millions, but until it touches someone you love, you don’t fully understand the impact on the individual and their families.

How did you go from having the idea to organising the event?

We had a lot of valuable support from local organisations and businesses to help the event happen.

Royal Victoria Place very kindly gave us space to host the appeal, Trinity Theatre kindly lent us the chairs and Cook Kitchen supplied us with some very tasty treats for the participants – lemon drizzle cake and glutenfree brownies.

C&H Fabrics were also a great support as they offered a 10% discount to anyone buying extra chunky yarn to make a Twiddle Mitt – the offer is still available if you want to get involved!

The Assembly Theatre team have been amazing in supporting this. Our marketing team were great in their promotion. John Jackson Almond was

Beauty

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

FOR BUDGET BEAUTY

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IMPORTANCE OF CLEANSING

Maybelline makes fantastic concealer - their technology has really stepped up a notch. L’Oreal and Revlon make great foundations and I really love Soap & Glory products, especially their mattifying powders.

MAYBELLINE FIT ME

A lot of people don’t realise how important cleansing is. Spend a few minutes massaging your face with cleansing oil, before rinsing off.

Make sure it bubbles up and when you rinse, splash 12-15 times to really get rid of that residue.

ORIGINS CLEAN ENERGY

Concealer, £5.99 (boots.com)

Gentle Cleansing Oil, £24.50 (www.origins.co.uk)

L’OREAL PARIS INFALLIBLE Total Cover Foundation, £9.99 (boots.com)

Beauty Tips You Need To Know

By Claire Spreadbury, Want to discover the ultimate bargain buy, latest must-have luxe product and most important skincare tricks?

Beauty vlogger extraordinaire Bubzbeauty spills the beans. Here are her top tips, insider secrets and make-up bag must-haves...

LIPSTICK, CONCEALER AND A BROW PENCIL If your brows are done and skin looks nice, your make-up is 80% finished. And once you’ve got some lip colour on, it doesn’t matter how dark your dark under-eye circles are, the lips are all anyone will focus on.

IT COSMETICS BROW POWER Universal Pencil Duo, currently reduced to £19.98 from £22 (www.qvcuk.com)

IF YOU’RE SPLASHING OUT YSL Touche Eclat gives you a spa-like finish and I’m a huge fan of Kiehl’s Daily Reviving Concentrate. I tend to just use it at night. Everyone I’ve ever recommended it to has completely fallen in love with it. It’s quite pricey, but a little goes a long way.

NARS RADIANT Creamy Concealer, £23 (narscosmetics.co.uk)

YSL TOUCHE ECLAT £25.50 (www.yslbeauty.co.uk)

KIEHL’S DAILY Reviving Concentrate, £38 (www.kiehls.co.uk)

COLOURPOP LIPPIE Stix in Whip, £16.36 (www.Amazon.co.uk)

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FEATURES

Motoring

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

FIRST DRIVE

Volkswagen Golf R WHAT’S NEW?

SPACE AND PRACTICALITY

Volkswagen’s giant-killing Golf R has been updated for 2017, breathing new life into one compelling package. It’s now packing 306bhp - the previous car had 297bhp - and an updated interior with a new infotainment screen and all-digital dials.

It’s been refreshed on the outside, too, though you’d do well to notice. There are restyled bumpers and new LED lights, but for the most part it’s a subtle change and the Golf R retains the understated looks that won favour with those who loved travelling quickly under the radar.

Thanks to its use of four-wheel-drive, the Golf R isn’t able to offer quite as much luggage space as the standard car upon which it is based. Load capacity shrinks from 380 litres to a still-respectable 343 litres - more than enough for a good weekly shop. If you want more space, you can lower the Golf R’s rear seats and expand the load area to 1,233 litres. In contrast, the Ford Focus RS has just 316 litres of seat-up boot space to offer.

If you want the most amount of practicality, then your best bet is the five-door Golf R. This gives better access to the rear of the car, and suits the look of the Golf R even more. Once there, passengers will find plenty of leg and headroom, while those up front are spoilt for space, too. There’s a good amount of shoulder room as well.

LOOKS AND IMAGE As mentioned, the Golf R doesn’t shout about its performance. You won’t find any over-styled wings here, nor will you see hugely flared wheel arches - just subtle R badges and four menacing exhaust pipes at the rear. In truth, it looks pretty much like any Golf on sale today, which is definitely part of its appeal. Only those in the know will tell it apart from other cars in the range.

The previous-generation Golf R interior was well made. This updated version is just as solid, with generous use of high-quality materials and soft-touch plastics. The driving position remains spot on, while all elements of the cabin have a robustness that indicates they’ll stand the test of time.

BEHIND THE WHEEL Here’s where the Golf R’s prowess shines through. Thanks to that four-wheel-drive system, it is formidable in almost all conditions, with even torrential rain failing to cause it to slide. An electronic system transitions power to the wheels it senses have the most grip, meaning it almost defies the laws of adhesion. The Golf R won’t think about spinning its wheels even when under full acceleration on a damp surface.

The Golf R is fitted with lowered sports suspension, which does mean the car’s

The Volkswagen Golf R has always been the go-to hot hatch, but the competition has improved. Jack Evans assesses whether the new version is still up there with the best of them

Golf’s all-round usability shining through no matter what the conditions.

VALUE FOR MONEY

ride edges on the firm side of things. You can have adaptive chassis control fitted as an optional extra, though, and this will allow you to change the car’s ride while on the move. In truth, it’s perfectly acceptable as standard and deals with the vast majority of lumps and bumps in the road well.

The Golf’s throttle response is impressive and you can use the car’s swathes of torque to punch you out of every corner. It does this with little fuss and means you can cover a lot of miles at considerable speed without really thinking about it. There’s not too much body roll either, and this just adds to the feeling of composure when cornering. It does all this time and again, with the

FACTS AT A GLANCE: MODEL: Volkswagen Golf R ENGINE: 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol POWER: 306bhp TORQUE: 379Nm MAX SPEED: 155mph 0-60MPH: 4.8seconds ECONOMY: 47.9mpg (combined) EMISSIONS: 180g/km BASE PRICE: £32,965

Prices for the Golf R start at ¬£31,510. For that, you get adaptive cruise control, climate control and the all-new Discover navigation system with eight-inch touchscreen. Of course, you also get the R’s subtle bodykit as standard, as well as 18-inch alloy wheels.

Our car weighed in at ¬£38,165, and this increase in price was due to the inclusion of a larger 9.2-inch screen with gesture control, as well as lane assist with dynamic light assist and full Nappa leather upholstery. In truth, you could do without the extras fitted to our car - the upgraded infotainment system is a nice addition, though - and simply enjoy it for what it is: a superb all-rounder for a smidge over ¬£30,000. You can option the automatic gearbox - it costs more than ¬£1,000 - but we’d be inclined to leave this box unticked and be happy with the manual.

WHO WOULD BUY ONE? The Golf R is ideal for anyone who wants a car that is involving to drive, quietly premium to look at and practical to live with. It ticks all the boxes you could want from a hot hatch, while its four-wheel-drive system makes it suited to life in the UK. It’s a touch soulless we’ll admit, but that’s down to the individual.

However, if you want a car to make everyday life just a little more exciting, then the Golf R is the car you’ll want.

‘The Golf R is ideal for anyone who wants a car that is involving to drive, quietly premium to look at and practical to live with’

BLUE FOR YOU The new VW Golf R

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Advertising

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FEATURES

Life & Style

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

SPLASHING SOME COLOUR WITH FORGET-ME-NOTS A thousand ceramic forget-me-nots are set to bring a vivid splash of colour to local meadows. The pink flowers, hand-made and painted by volunteers at Hospice in the Weald, will be planted from early May in the beautiful settings of Wilderness Wood in Hadlow Down, Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells and Riverhill Himalayan Gardens in Sevenoaks.

SWEETWOODS PARK GOLF CLUB HOSTS ANNUAL CRYSTAL PALACE FOOTBALL CLUB GOLF DAY

Each one is available to purchase for a minimum donation of £25, in memory of loved ones, whether they passed away at the hospice or elsewhere. At the end of the display, hospice chaplain Liza Waller will conduct a ceremony of dedication at each setting, with the names of the people being remembered displayed on a dedication board. The ceremonies will take place on May 20 at Wilderness Wood and Dunorlan Park and May 21 at Riverhill.

On Wednesday May 3, Sweetwoods Park played host to the Crystal Palace Football Club Golf Day. 2017 is the sixth consecutive year that Sweetwoods Park has welcomed this prestigious event.

The Crystal Palace players enjoyed exclusive access to the course, with the morning consisting of a nine hole Texas Scramble, followed by an 18 hole Stableford after a delicious buffet lunch.

The Appeal, now in its second year, has already proved to be a big success. Sue Glass, who bought a forget-me-not last year in memory of her son Oli, has done so again this spring. She said: “I keep the flower from last year as part of the remembrance of my son. The flowers are so beautifully made and are a keepsake for always. The service at Dunorlan Park last year was such a moving experience. It was very special to see the names of our loved ones on the remembrance board and to share the moment with others who had lost someone. I am sure this year’s service will be equally fulfilling.”

Sweetwoods Park welcomed former manager Steve Coppell and former players, Jim Cannon, Ian Evans and iconic striker, Mark Bright. Chief Executive Phil Alexander and Crystal Palace co-owner and owner of Sweetwoods Park Martin Long were also both present. The golfers fought it out to win prizes for the straightest drive, nearest the pin and beat the Pro. Matt Tyler, Director of Golf at Sweetwoods Park says “It’s always a great honour to host the Crystal Palace Football Club Golf Day. Whilst the sun wasn’t shining, it certainly didn’t dampen any spirits and everyone enjoyed a great day of golf. A big thanks to all who joined us and we look forward to welcoming you back next year, if not before!”

For any further information on Sweetwoods Park please call 01342 850 729 or visit www.sweetwoodspark.com.

For more information, call Becky King on 01892 820506 or see www.hospiceintheweald.org.uk/fundraise/event/forget-menot-appeal

HOLME, CELEBRATING THE BEST OF ENGLISH WINES WITH ANOTHER WINE TASTING EVENT In April, The Guardian reported that wine producers in Britain will plant a record one million vines over the next 12 months, allowing growers to produce two million more bottles of wine a year in the south of a country, not historically known for its viticulture.

Clearly, wine is one of the fastest-growing agricultural products in the UK, and Holme is working to support the best of the wine industry. By using their gallery showroom on 7 Chapel Place, they’re collaborating with the best of British wine, and offering all the opportunity to taste and learn the full range of available awardwinning produce.

On Friday May 26, from 7.30pm to 10.00pm, Holme will be hosting their fourth tasting event with the award winning Westwell Vineyard, where special guest John Rowe will give attendees the opportunity to learn more about English wine in a relaxed and informal setting.

Holme is also available for private hire. If you have a business team, network event or birthday celebration, then make use of the central location. You and up to 40 guests can take over the venue for an evening and have your own private tailored wine tasting with a vineyard or specialist of your choice. Contact the events Holme team and discuss the level of service required.

Ticket only event, with limited availability.

Please contact events@holme-uk.com Holme, 7 Chapel Place, High Street, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1YQ Tel. 01892 527926 www.holme-uk.com

OPEN GARDENS Some of the most stunning private gardens in Kent and East Sussex are throwing their gates open this summer to welcome visitors and raise vital funds for Hospice in the Weald.

The hospice’s Open Gardens brochure features a varied and enticing choice, ranging from Long Barn in Sevenoaks, once the haunt of celebrities such as Charlie Chaplin, to cottage gardens, wildlife havens and village walkabouts with a wealth of imaginative and exciting ideas. For the first time, there will be a rare chance on Sunday June 4 to tour six private gardens in the centre of Tunbridge Wells.

Hospice deputy fundraising director Ben Alonso said: “There’s something for everyone with some really exciting new gardens to view. Our Open Gardens scheme raised £26,000 last year towards the £7million we need annually to provide our services, and we’re hoping this year will be even better.”

Call Ben Alonso on 01892 820530 for a free brochure or see full details at www.hospiceintheweald.org.uk/fundraise/opengardens-and-travel-club/open-gardens

Puzzles

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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.

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S F I T S E L R R J E E R A A C A K I N T Q U I E U R E L I E U D G E NOM S L

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

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S K S TWE N T A P E N A T I V D I B OO Z E S Y F T F U S I N C A S H F A H O A F R O G E E NO U G N R T Y

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Jigsaw Sudoku:

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© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

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DIFFICULTY RATING: ★★★I

CODEWORD

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FEATURES

NEWS

Recruitment

Wednesday May 17 | 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

After just one day of the newspaper being out, our recruitment advert had received a great response from potential candidates; three of which we had at interview stage.

We will certainly use the Times of Tunbridge Wells for future recruitment adverts.

John Haynes, Partner, Belvoir Tunbridge Wells

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Arts and Culture

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

The private life of a public literary heroine

To celebrate Jane Austen’s bicentenary the esteemed historian Lucy Worsley will give a talk on the places the author lived at the EM Forster theatre this weekend. She spoke to Eileen Leahy about why she is such a fan of Austen’s work and why she is still so relevant two hundred years on, not just as a social commentator but also as a feminist too

D

espite having died when she was only 41 years old, it’s fair to say that Jane Austen has made a vital and long lasting impact on not only the literary world but that of feminism too.

Her literary canon, which includes Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion and Emma, penned between 1812 and 1818, have been on the keen reader’s radar for the past two centuries with some of her works being made into acclaimed theatrical productions and big Hollywood blockbusters, too.

The reasons for their longevity are simple; they’re not just great stories but are also a wonderful social commentary and important cultural reflection of what life was like in the 1800s - especially for women.

So it’s not really surprising to learn that one of the UK’s best-known female historians and BBC presenters Lucy Worsley is currently touring UK theatres extolling the virtues of Jane Austen and her work ahead of her bicentenary.

“She’s like Shakespeare,” declares Lucy who is also Chief Curator of Historic Royal Palaces as we chat about her forthcoming Jane Austen shows at the EM Forster theatre in Tonbridge on Friday and Saturday (May 19 and 20).

“Her novels are great art and you can read them in lots of different ways. I personally read them

as somebody who’s inspiring for other female writers and took a lot of risks in order to have a life that was creative.”

Lucy says her idea for a series of live shows came about after she wrote her latest book entitled Jane Austen At Home (published on May 18) which will also be accompanied by a BBC2 TV series of the same name later this HISTORY GIRL month.

Lucy Worsley “This is something I love doing. I love going out and giving history talks to history lovers,” says Lucy.

“I’m going to give them a PowerPoint presentation. Now, it doesn’t sound like the most exciting thing in the world but I think my PowerPoint presentations reach the parts others don’t,” she gently jests.

“I’m going to describe how Jane Austen’s life was a bit at odds with the idea you might have had about it if you’ve read or seen the film versions of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, where everybody is living in a grand country house and travelling about in carriages and enjoying a luxurious lifestyle.

“Poor Jane Austen didn’t have a luxurious lifestyle at all! I think in some ways her life was quite a struggle. She was always economically dependent and felt she had to maintain appearances. She did have quite a few wealthy relatives who led a Mr Darcy type lifestyle but she was their poor relation so once you know about her you understand why she became a novelist. She was very much on the outside looking in.”

As well as Lucy explaining where Jane Austen lived and what influenced her work when she appears at the EM Forster theatre, she will be opening up the floor for a Q&A session with the audience so they can pose questions to her.

“I always enjoy doing that. People can ask me anything they like – although when I do these

events people ask me if I have [fellow TV historian] Dan Snow’s phone number!”

Interacting with the general public about her love of history is something Lucy says she enjoys doing on a regular basis.

“It’s an important part of what I do. I’m a museum curator at heart so a lot of the talks I do will be at places such as the Tower of London or Hampton Court. Does it sound too grand if I call them my palaces?’ Probably!” she jokes.

So how did Jane Austen’s houses compare to the royal piles she’s more used to exploring? “I went on a wonderful road trip all around the

‘This is something I love doing. I love going out and giving history talks to history lovers’ country and slept in as many of her houses as I could and they’re not at all grand,” she reveals.

“This is what struck me: More often than not Jane was living in rented accommodation, or worried about paying the rent, or living in the homes of other people.”

Jane Austen’s final house was in Chawton in Hampshire which is where the official bicentenary celebrations will take place next week (on May 24) to mark the exact day 200 years on from when Jane Austen left her last home.

“She went into Winchester for her hospital treatment and that’s where she died. She was only 41. It’s shocking isn’t it? When I was working on the book I turned 42 and I thought ‘oh my goodness I have not yet written six world changing novels’!”

Has Lucy been a fan of Jane Austen since she was young? “Oh yes! In many ways you can get life advance from her novels can’t you? The underlying message of them is ‘look how rubbish it is that women feel they have to get married for money,’ that’s what I personally take away. I suppose I like to think of Jane Austen as being like a sneaky saboteur.

“Jane Austen chose not to get married – so she

wasn’t some unhappy spinster. And I like to think that she turned down the man with the mansion because she preferred to carry on writing her novels. She was sitting there writing these books and blowing the locks off the doors that kept women like her trapped in their houses.”

Which one is Lucy’s favourite book? “Emma,” she swiftly responds. “It’s not everybody’s favourite; a lot of people would say Pride and Prejudice but to me that’s entry level Austen.

Emma hooks you and a lot of people dislike Emma because she’s quite uppity and too full of herself but I quite like stories about difficult heroines who aren’t easy to like.”

Despite rummaging around Jane Austen’s old houses and haunts, the personal side of her life is still something of a mystery says Lucy.

“I think she was a very private person and that’s why her houses are helpful because at least they survive and give you something to work with.”

Lucy Worsley’s talk Jane Austen at Home will be held at the EM Forster theatre on May 19 and 20 from 7.30pm. Tickets cost from £24.

For more details please visit www.boxoffice. tonbridge-school.co.uk

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST Jane Austen painted by sister Cassandra

Arts and Culture

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

Jane Austen’s Tonbridge Connection Vivian Branson is a member of the Jane Austen Society. Here she reveals the author’s links with the town…

“Jane’s great-grandmother, Elizabeth Weller, was born and brought up here. Elizabeth married John Austen IV of Broadford, Horsmonden, to whom she bore seven children before he died leaving her in considerable debt. She procured employment at Sevenoaks School as housekeeper, in return for which the five sons living with her were educated. Three of her children returned to Tonbridge, including Jane’s grandfather, William, who became a surgeon. Jane’s father, George, was educated at Tonbridge School, later becoming Under Master and Usher to the Headmaster James Cawthorn who determined that Tonbridge School should establish an extensive library; so it’s probably Cawthorn’s influence from where George’s love of books came.

I had never read any of Austen’s books until my Godmother asked if I would like to join her at the AGM held annually at Chawton where Jane Austen lived. That was the beginning of a wonderful journey more than fifty years ago and I have been a member of the Jane Austen Society ever since. I view Jane Austen as a brilliant writer who has fascinated tens of thousands of fans for more than 200 years. In terms of a favourite novel, well that changes.

Today it may be Mansfield Park, tomorrow it may be Sense and Sensibility or it could be Sanditon, which she never finished. Such is the brilliance of Jane Austen that one can never be sure which is the favourite.”

Vivian tweets daily @JaneAustenKent and organises Austen’s Birthday Celebration at St Peter & St Paul Church every December.

FEATURES

73

Making a song and dance of life

TIME TO RENT The musical’s cast in action

RENT is coming to the Assembly Hall all next week. Its choreographer Lee Proud tells us why it’s a unique musical IF YOU thought musicals were either sweet or sad then RENT is going to quite simply blow that simplistic notion right out of the water when it rocks up at the Assembly Hall next week.

Lee Proud Loosely inspired by Puccini’s La Boheme opera, RENT is a grittier, edgier, more passionate and pulsating version of its meeker musical cousins which tells the tale of a group of impoverished young artists struggling to survive during the days of Bohemian excess in New York City’s East Village. It follows a year in their hectic, turbulent life from 1989 to 1990 where we see AIDS, love and loss impact on them in one powerful production.

In short, RENT, which was on Broadway for a

decade before it moved to the West End where it ran for another ten years, is not shy of being bold, in your face and controversial.

And, after 20 years of representing the murkier side of musicals in both New York and London, it’s now been reworked for the 21st century and going on tour for the first time in the UK. The tour kicked off last November and its final stop is our very own Assembly Hall which is hosting the production - originally written by Jonathan Larson - from next Tuesday until Saturday May 27.

This particular touring version has been put together by director Bruce Guthrie and legendary 80s musicals star-turned-choreographer Lee Proud. It also features a cast of 17 which includes Lucie Jones (as Maureen Johnson) who was this

year’s Eurovision UK entrant and also Bad Education star Layton Williams, the first black Billy Elliot, (who plays Angel Schunard).

“We started rehearsing in September last year,” reveals Lee. “We then kicked off the tour in November and our aim is to bring this iconic musical to a new generation of fans – or RENT Heads as they are known.”

Lee, who originally started off as a performer in hit shows like Starlight Express and Billy Elliot before becoming a choreographer, says he had a very ‘clear vision’ when director Bruce Guthrie brought him on board.

“Traditionally dance takes a back seat to all the drama and singing but we purposefully put it at the heart of our 2017 production,” Lee continues.

“I’ve aimed to create a type of fluidity where the audience shouldn’t be able to tell where the dance begins and ends.”

Although it takes its original creative cue from the story of La Bohème which was about young bohemians living in Paris, and has the original Jonathan Larson production to reference, Lee says that ‘it can’t look like you’re copying anything’.

This, he says, meant he was determined to make things look as ‘fresh, anarchic and spontaneous’ as possible when the show’s iconic numbers such as Seasons of Love, Take me or Leave Me and La Vie Boehme are being belted out.

Given the rave reviews the tour has had so far – showbusiness bible The Stage deemed the choreography as ‘dynamic’ while The Guardian said it provided ‘energy and momentum’ - he has certainly achieved that goal.

RENT comes to the Assembly Hall Theatre from Tuesday May 23 to Saturday May 27. For prices, timings and to book, visit www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk or call 01892 530 613.

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FEATURES

What’s On

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

SEVEN DAYS OF SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE

Eileen Leahy

WITH THE

Local events WHEN IN ROME Julius Caesar

>> WEDNESDAY Ruth Rendell’s A Judgement in Stone is on all this week at the Assembly Hall. This classic murder mystery which has been adapted for the stage by Simon Brett and Antony Lampard features a stellar cast including Sophie Ward, Shirley Anne Field and Antony Costa. Its ghostly goings on will have you gripped right from the start of the dramatic action. For more information on timings and tickets, which start from £15, visit www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Over at Trinity from 7pm there will be a live transmission of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Julius Caesar. Angus Jackson directs this epic political tragedy by the Bard which is spiked with lashings of betrayal and mutiny and forms part of the RSC’s Rome season.

Tickets cost from £18.

For more information visit www.trinitytheatre.net >> THURSDAY Tonight is the final evening you can catch a screening of Unforgettable at the Hop Farm open air cinema. Starring Katherine Heigl and Rosaria Dawson it’s the tale of Tessa Connover (played by Heigl) who is determined to make life hell for her

CHILD’S PLAY Aesops Fables at Trinity

If you would like to see your events featured in our weekly What’s On pages, please email eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

former husband’s new flame Julia (played by Dawson). Expect passion, jealousy and drama from this thriller. Tickets cost £25 per vehicle and can be ordered from www.moonlightcinema.com James Macdonald’s critically acclaimed, five star production of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf is broadcast live to cinemas including the Odeon in Tunbridge Wells from the Harold Pinter Theatre, London at 7pm. Starring Imelda Staunton, Conleth Hill, Imogen Poots and Luke Treadway it’s a highly acclaimed production of Edward Albee’s famous play which originally starred Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the lead roles of Martha and George who draw in young college tutor Nick and his wife Honey into their toxic, alcohol fuelled world of secrets and lies. Tickets cost from £17.50 and can be booked via www.odeon.co.uk

>> FRIDAY This morning there will be another Mamas Meet Up at the Royal Wells Hotel from 10am til 12pm. 10.00 am - 12.00 pm. Entitled How To Make Work Work For you it will feature successful blogger Clemmie Telford of Mother of All Lists fame who is not only just a mum to two boys but also a freelance creative strategist at Facebook and Instagram. She will be sharing her views on how to ensure mothers hoping to return to work or freelance can get the most out of it.

Digital Mums’ Gill Munro and Elizabeth VanBergen from Tunbridge Wells Women’s Equality Party will also be joining the debate. For more information visit www. mumsthewordonline.

This weekend there will be a mini festival happening at Hole Park. Roots Gathering will offer workshops on LEADING LADY drumming, meditation, See Imelda Staunton beekeeping and ‘wild’ on Thursday cookery. There will also be

displays of wood carving and clay sculpture and sessions on European mythology, folk traditions and also some tips on how to create a perfect camp fire. A weekend ticket costs £75 per adult and under 16s go free. See www.eventbrite.co. uk/e/roots-gathering-tickets for more details.

Popular TV historian Lucy Worlsey is speaking at the EM Forster Theatre from 7pm about the life of Jane Austen and her connection to Tonbridge. See page 72 for our exclusive interview with Lucy. >> SATURDAY Artspring gallery hosts their Artists at Work this weekend. Pop along to the gallery in Tonbridge to see a pottery throw down, glass blowing or jewellery making being done. There will also be live music being performed from 12-2pm by Music Station students. www.artspringgallery.co.uk Hilbert & Grosvenor Park hosts its annual dog show from 10am-12 today. In previous years it’s been part of a whole park fun day but this year it’s a standalone event with plenty of competition categories for dogs to enter into and hopefully be crowned best in show. Entertainment and food and drink will also be available.

There will be another Revolver Record fair taking place at King Charles The Martyr church today from 10am until 4pm so make sure you pop along to stock up on your vinyl or seek out these special limited edition singles and LPs. Calling all fashionistas! Enjoy a catwalk show, shop til you drop – and do your bit for charity at the same time by visiting the ellenor fashion event at St Barnabus Church, Quarry Road. Doors open at 6.30pm with the show starting at 7pm. Entrance costs £7.50 and includes entry into a raffle to win either Hoopers beauty or goody bag. To reserve tickets call Lauren on 01892 542 058 or pop into the ellenor shop at 107 Camden Road. >> SUNDAY Trinity Theatre hosts Aesops Fables this afternoon at 2.30pm. Performed by the Cat’s Grin theatre troupe it’s a charming hour of animated dialogue which creates a story around some of the author’s most famous characters. All of them have a simple moral message to adhere to which children will

find easy to understand and hopefully learn from.

Tickets cost £7.

As part of the events marking the town’s cultural festival this month, the Crowborough Players will be putting on numerous performances of Beyond Baker Street – The Life and Times of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle today. The production, which will be performed hourly from 3 until 5pm and then at 7 and 8pm celebrates the life of one of Crowborough’s most famous residents, illustrating key moments in the author of Sherlock Holmes’ life. Performances take place at Crowborough Community Centre. >> MONDAY Arthritis Support Kent (A.S.K) meets today from 1:45 until 3pm at St Phillips Church, Birken Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 3TE. All welcome, £2 entrance.

Going Green is currently showing at the Oast Theatre in Tonbridge all this week until May 27.

Penned by David Tristram it tells the story of John who is suffering from a rare illness which there is only possible cure from – ‘Go Green… or die!’

Sounds intriguing? Then go along to the Oast all this week to find out more. Tickets cost £10 or £7 for members and can be ordered via www.oasttheatre.com Tonbridge School’s Junior Play is on this evening at the EM Forster. They will be performing Romeo and Juliet from 7.30pm. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £1 for students. See www.boxoffice.tonbridge-school.co.uk for more details

GREEN PARTY Enjoy Roots Gathering at Hole Park

PHOTO: Stuart Kirk

WHATS ON

What’s On

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

PICK OF THE WEEK

Paul Dunton Live music

ON TRACK A lifelike model set

>> TUESDAY Rent comes to the Assembly Hall all this week and will be a treat for fans of this classic American musical, both young and old. For ticket prices and show times see www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk (see also p.73)

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A ROUND-UP OF THIS WEEK’S MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Model Railway Show, Southborough Primary School, Saturday May 20, 10am until 4pm

This is a must-see exhibition for any keen train spotter or model railway enthusiast.

Boasting more than 20 layouts and a number of trade stands, the exhibition is being supported by clubs and modellers from around the South East, with layouts including Cato Pass –a Sci Fi inspired setting, San Maria Gandia, a Spanish layout set near Valencia in the 1960s and Wittenden, a stunning layout based on the High Weald.

Tickets cost £5 per adult, £2 for children or £12 for a family ticket on the door.

FEATURES

The must-read guide to what’s on musically for the week ahead… www.paulduntonandguests.com

THE ROYAL OAK

Prospect Road, open all day, free entry, music from early evening onwards SATURDAY Super Duper and the Ya Yas MONDAY Open Mic Night

THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE

TRINITY THEATRE

THE CROSS KEYS

The Pantiles, doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7, websites www.pdag.co.uk and www.thegreylady.co.uk WEDNESDAY Summer Mooney, The Pioneers, Stuart Evans, Andy Twyman FRIDAY Soul Kitchen SATURDAY Project 5 SUNDAY Will Watson, Jennifer Lee Ridley, Josie Lee TUESDAY Isaac Hopper, Joanne Louise Parker, Gabriel Morino

Church Road, information on times and tickets at www.trintytheatre.net THURSDAY 8pm Some Enchanted Evening – an evening of musical entertainment from the West End and Broadway which features songs from some of their most famous shows include Les Misérables, Sound of Music, South Pacific and Chigago.

St Johns Road, open all day, free entry, music from 8pm, website www.crosskeystw.co.uk MONDAY TWUNT Ukulele Jam Session

THE BANDSTAND

THE PUNCH & JUDY

THE BEDFORD PUB

Pantiles, open all day, free entry, music from 8pm THURSDAY Jazz On The Pantiles with The Andalus Band

11 St Stephen’s St, Tonbridge, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm TUESDAY Snakes & Ladders

2 Highstreet, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm onwards SATURDAY Badflys THE DUKE OF YORK PUB

The Pantiles, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm onwards MONDAY Open Mic Night THE BEAU NASH INN

Mount Ephraim, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late SATURDAY Quentin Holway THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

Doors 7.30pm, entry price variable, event information and tickets at www.twforum.co.uk THURSDAY Isaac Gracie FRIDAY Dirty Dike, DJ Sammy B-Side SATURDAY Back To The Eighties

VAN-TASTIC Andy Twyman

THE SUSSEX ARMS

Sussex Mews, open all day, music from 8.30pm, entry charge may apply TUESDAY Goon Sax

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

CONTACT US:

Please send your sports stories to newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

NEWS

77

“It’s definitely really healthy, very physically ­ ctive. You need strength, stamina and coordinaa tion – and resilience is very big too,” says Tayla.

“It’s good for learning about teamwork too, because they have to get their timing right went they are throwing each other up in the air.

“Everyone gets on really well, and you see Sixth Formers going to lunch with first-year girls.

“Every day in the sports hall there are 40 or 50 girls practising at lunchtime to try to get in the team. It’s an infectious bug.

Pupil Louisa Heller has become a huge fan of cheer and spends her lunchtimes practising too.

“I really enjoy it,” says Louisa. “I like all the sections; the introduction, the baskets, stunting jumps, tumblers, pyramid and dance.

By Andrew Tong IT’S hard to put a finger on what cheerleading consists of. Is it a sport, or is it a show? It’s a form of dance, but it’s gymnastics too.

It requires strength and stamina, but also agility, coordination, perfect timing and close teamwork – and acrobatic ‘stunt’ skills.

And it is not even remotely about girls providing touchline frivolity for the rough and tough male athletes according to the American model. It is now recognised as a sport in its own right.

Hillview in Tonbridge, a performing arts academy school, is an ideal place to nurture this complex performance. Since they began in 2012, the pupils have excelled – and become very enthused.

Some 200 pupils applied to take the ‘cheer’ course last year, but there were only enough places for 100 – an impressive number in itself.

The driving force behind the cheerleading is ­Tayla Petrie, a PE teacher who arrived in 2012 and immediately set up a programme.

In March two Hillstars squads went to Disneyland in Paris to compete against other European teams who were not based in schools, and took second and third place in their categories.

Tayla says: “Our two squads were up against gymnastics and dance teams, not schools, and they train every day of the week.”

“On the way out I told them to just enjoy the experience but they did brilliantly and they were ecstatic afterwards. The girls had a fabulous weekend and can’t wait to go back already.”

The performers had breakfast with the Disney characters before taking part in a parade through the park in the shadow of the iconic castle.

Last month the Hillstars were on top form at the National Schools Championship in Telford, where all three teams took part along with a stunt group.

They amassed two first places, third and fourth.

Tayla says cheer is a growing phenomenon in the UK. “It’s becoming absolutely huge,” she says.

Sporting Times

‘You need strength, stamina, coordination and resilience’

HIGH HOPES The Hillstars in action at a charity event at the school

Hillview’s cheerleaders are on top of the world “Team England won the all-girl division and the para-cheer at the Worlds in Florida last month.”

Cheerleading now receives funding from the ­International Olympic Committee – the first step to featuring as a sport in the Olympic Games.

Tayla, 26, is certainly an expert in the field, as she explains: “I did my dissertation at Brighton ­University on why cheerleading should be part of the national curriculum.”

When she arrived at Hillview, she saw a great ­opportunity. “They had never done it here before

I arrived in 2012 and I was very passionate about trying it with the children.”

It is an ideal activity for a school environment because, perhaps unlike the impression given by US mythology where cheerleaders are all Barbie dolls, it can offer something for everyone.

“It’s very inclusive and it suits all shapes and ­sizes,” says Tayla. “Some of them wouldn’t think of being part of another PE club.”

The ‘flyers’ are small and light, and they need big, strong girls to hold them up and launch them.

“It’s very good for your confidence,” she adds.

“You have to have a lot of energy. It’s very energetic, like when you’re at the front and you have to run all the way to the back in a count of eight.

“It’s really good for team work too. The flyer has got to trust all the bases to hold them up, ­especially with an extension.”

The routines require high levels of concentration and focus. “There is a lot to think about,” says Louisa. “In the stunts you have to dip and throw at the right count. If one person gets the count wrong then the whole thing goes wrong.”

And perhaps surprisingly, it can be a rough sport too. “You’ve got to be tough, you can easily get punched in the face,” says Tayla.

Louisa agrees: “I got really badly hit in the face once. You chuck them and they spin around and kick you in the head.”

But the girls’ enthusiasm cannot be knocked by a touch of danger. It takes a lot more than that to knock the Hillstars off their lofty perch.

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NEWS

Sporting Times

CONTACT US:

Please send your sports stories to newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

Suns ‘comeback kids’ eclipse Wildcats to win national title BASKETBALL: SEVENOAKS SUNS have achieved a remarkable double after they won the Women’s British Basketball League (WBBL) play-off final against Nottingham Wildcats at the O2 in London last weekend.

The triumph crowns a season of great achievement for the club – they won their first ever title when they beat Leicester Riders in the WBBL Trophy final in March.

Len Busch’s side were down 12 points in the first half against a highly talented Wildcats side, but a dominant third period set the platform for a 70-61 victory.

Cat Carr was hugely influential for the Suns and finished with 20 points and a play-off final record of 14 rebounds along with six assists.

WBBL young player of the year Gabby Nikitinaite scored 15 points and Ta’Yani Clark 14, putting in a big performance at both ends.

The turning point came in the third quarter as the Suns stepped up their defence, forcing multiple turnovers as they held Nottingham to just two points in the period.

Clark put Suns ahead at 46-44 and they scored the final eight points of the quarter to lead 52-44.

Danish forward Anne Pedersen made it a 10-point game with the first points of the fourth before the league champions hit back with a 7-0 run.

Carr came up with huge back-toback baskets before finding Pedersen inside and she stretched the lead to 63-51. Fom there Sevenoaks held on to secure the title.

“It’s just unbelievable,” said head coach Len Busch, who was named

WBBL Coach of the Year. “They’re an amazing group that never get rattled and find ways to win.

“It’s been a magical season and this game summed it up. We started poorly, we talked about it and fixed it, playing some pretty good defence.

“We have a great group and it’s been a wonderful ride.”

For Clark it was two play-off final victories in a row after she won with Team Northumbria last season.

Clark, who was unable to play last year due to injury, was relieved to have another shot. “It’s a great feeling,” she said. “It was good winning with Northumbria last year but being able to play this time around and contribute is a ­special moment.

“We have a great group and to finish the way we have is incredible.”

RISING TALENTS: Sevenoaks Suns celebrate with coach Len Busch (far left); (below) Ta’Yani Clark displays her shooting prowess on her return to the O2

Grit Clark came up with a number of key baskets and stops on the defensive end to prevent Nottingham from improving on their 12-point gap.

Down six at the half, the Suns came storming back and showcased their desire and determination to never give up as they produced an astonishing third quarter display.

“We started slow, but we’re used to that – we nicknamed ourselves ‘the comeback kids’,” added Clark.

“It shows the grit we have and that we can find a way to win close games. Nobody expected us to win, but we have put in a lot of hard work and believed in each other.

“At the start of the season, even we wouldn’t have predicted we would be finishing here with two trophies.

“It’s a great achievement and something we will all remember.”

Kent College’s Under-11s are crowned acrobatic champions

SPECTACULAR Kent College’s Under-11 acrobatic team

Sevenoaks Vine in tatters after losing 18 points for rule breach CRICKET: SEVENOAKS VINE went into their local derby at Tunbridge Wells under a cloud after they were docked all 18 points from their first match of the season for fielding an unregistered – and therefore ineligible – player.

The Vine had made a strong start to the season by recording a thumping six-wicket victory over Lordswood in the pipe opener.

They arrived at the Nevill ground in determined mood but they came up against much stiffer opponents and found themselves heading back down the A21 very early.

Tunbridge Wells put them in to bat on a track which had showed some life early on and the visitors were reduced to 73 for 7 before the halfway mark.

The home captain Alex Williams brought Paddy Sadler on at the Pavilion End instead of his customary Railway End, and he responded by grabbing 3 for 26.

He and Dave Smith (2 for 31) ripped out the top order, while Chris Williams picked up 2 for 14 and his brother Alex 2 for 27.

Only the veteran opener John Bowden put up any early resistance with dour 20.

Ollie Howick, newly restored to the Sevenoaks side, top-scored with a vital 30 as the wicket eased, but the final score of 124 all out was an insufficient target.

Mainstay

PHOTOS: Mansoor Ahmed

By Andrew Tong

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

KENT COLLEGE’S Under-11 acrobatic group were crowned c­ hampions at the British Schools Gymnastics Association National Acro & Tumbling competition in Stoke-on-Trent.

Francesca Arnell, Constance Arnell, Matilda Secker, Jemima Cynk, Caroline Gente and Evie Ginbey scoring an impressive 8.7 points.

Teammates Francesca and Evie also secured fourth place with an excellent score of 9.0 points in the

Under-11 Girls Pairs competition.

The Under-14 Acro group consisting of Poppy Morrison, Natalia Cynk, Olivia Secker, Phoebe Hollands, Annabel Lloyd and Harriet Fuller were placed sixth in what was an extremely high level of competition.

In the tumblers category, Under-11 Scarlett Howard-Stapaj came eighth and Violet Manser 11th, while in the Under-14s Olivia Hossenboccus was placed 10th.

Wells’ new recruit Christian Davis fell to the new ball and his fellow opener Chris Williams was dismissed for 25 to give the Vine some degree of hope at 35 for 2.

But Alex Williams batted carefully and hit the ball hard while Michael Waller dug deep to support his captain, and the pair added 87 before Waller miscued to square leg for 27 off 73 balls.

The skipper romped to his second successive half-century – 53 not out off 76 balls with eight fours and six – and wrapped up the win by seven wickets with 21.2 overs to spare, which placed Wells equal sixth in the table.

It was their first victory over the Vine since 2011.

Their next opponents are Beckenham, who are level with Wells on points, at the Foxgrove.

In Division One Linden Park were defeated by 95 runs at Bickley Park. The home side were bowled out for 224 in the final over after winning the toss.

Carl Hopkinson had made 42 and Harry Hovey 34 at the top of the order.

Then Falzalm Nizamdeen chipped in with 45, adding 67 with Gordon Darroch (29) for the seventh wicket to boost the total, while Usman Sahar took 3 for 21.

Opener Scott Newman proved the mainstay of the Linden Park innings but no other batsman managed double figures as the innings tailed off at 129 all out from 37.1 overs, Phil Browning picking up 4 for 24.

Newman, remarkably, scored 91 off 103 balls – contributing more than 70 per cent of the runs.

Sporting Times

Wednesday May 17 | 2017

NEWS

79

Time to hang up boots after century of football

By Les Dewis and Bill Warner

SILVER SERVICE Wells Under-16s show off their medals

Smith in dominant form as Wells girls win final

By Graham Ellis FOOTBALL: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Ladies Under-16s won the Kent Girls & Ladies Tina Marshall Cup final by beating Meridian 3-0.

Wells soon settled into their comfortable style of passing and took the lead after five minutes.

Imogen Ellis slotted a pass through to Kaya Hardie, who rifled her shot first time into the bottom corner.

Wells doubled their lead before half-time when Betty Smith delivered

an inch perfect cross that Sara Walker met with a first-time finish.

In the second half the Wells keeper Denise Abriam was forced to make several vital saves.

The impressive Smith calmed Wells’ nerves when she jinked her way through the defence to make it 3-0.

Wells defender Abi Todd also deservedly picked up the Kent League Player of the Year award.

Tunbridge Wells Ladies are looking to recruit players of all ages for next season. Contact Graham Ellis at twladiesfc@gmail.com

Baker’s double secures title

By Lorraine Stapleton FOOTBALL: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Ladies Under-12s went into their final game of the season at home against Castle Colts needing a win to secure the Kent Girls and Ladies League Division One title.

Holly Tapp helped settle Wells their nerves with an unstoppable shot

STRIKE A POSE Wells Under-12s celebrate their title

from the edge of the area to open the scoring after just two minutes.

The hosts dominated the first half and Annabel Stokes saw a shot cannon back off the crossbar.

Wells secured the title with ten minutes left when Amelia Baker fired home from Stokes’ pinpoint corner.

Baker’s player of the match display was rewarded with her second goal with two minutes remaining.

FOOTBALL: ON June 21 the Tonbridge & District Football League will be put to rest at the grand old age of 119 years.

It was born on Friday August 26, 1898 at the Bull Hotel on Tonbridge High Steet and was originally named Tonbridge & District Junior Football League. The first match was between Tonbridge Reserves and Leigh Institute on Leigh Green.

The league reached its zenith with seven divisions between 1980-83.

But in 2015-16 the league went down to two divisions and at the start of the current campaign only ten clubs entered.

In February it was decided to dissolve the league. The remaining teams have all applied to join Sevenoaks & District League, and all funds will go to assist them.

By coincidence Leigh were one of the two last teams to play, contesting the Tunbridge Wells Intermediate Cup Final.

Sadly the time has come to put to bed this grand old football league which has spanned three centuries and provided organised grassroots football for tens of thousands of local lads down the years.

The final honours board reads: League winners Dowgate, runners-up Leigh; President’s Cup winners Dowgate, runners-up Five Oak Green; Chairman’s Cup winners Penshurst Park, runners-up Hawkenbury Reserves; Spring Cup winners Dowgate, runners-up Five Oak Green.

In addition, Dowgate were runners-up in the Sevenoaks Charity Cup Junior Section

TAKE CHARGE The league started at the Bull Hotel

and Leigh runners-up in the Tunbridge Wells Charity Cup Intermediate Section.

Dowgate were dominant all season long.

They lost their second game to Rusthall Thirds but only suffered one more defeat, to Five Oak Green. From the end of January they were always ahead of the pack.

Leigh were challenging them all the way and the title went down to a decider between the two sides on April 1, which Leigh had to win to have any chance of the title. But Dowgate prevailed 2-0, gaining the first of their three trophies.

Rusthall Thirds constantly changed

their squad – using 50 players – so consistency was near impossible despite the early promise of that victory at Dowgate.

Tonbridge Invicta Reserves were to prove hit and miss too, despite recording a good win at Leigh early in the season.

Five Oak Green’s hopes of a top-two finish were dashed by a run of four league defeats in November and December, and they were also thwarted in two cup finals.

Credit goes to Hawkenbury Reserves and Roselands, who respected the league and completed the programme when it might have been easier to throw in the towel.

Young players earn stripes at Tigers RUGBY: JUNIORS from Tunbridge Wells Rugby Club have been honing their skills with the professionals at Welford Road with the Premiership’s Leicester Tigers.

They took part in a Matchday Coaching Clinic with the Tigers and then joined a 23,940 strong crowd for the final home game of the season against Sale Sharks.

Tigers Clinics allow teams to work with the club’s coaches. They also had a chance to quiz Tigers scrum-half Jono Kitto about his life in professional rugby.

Then they followed in the players’ footsteps by having a team photo taken on the famous Welford Road turf at half-time in front of the crowd.

Tunbridge Wells coach Rob Green accompanied the group for their photo with Kitto and said: “We are on tour and it has been a great day.

“The coaches were brilliant and went through everything we asked for and they were really good with all the kids.”

CROWD PLEASERS: Tunbridge Wells Juniors with Jono Kitto at Welford Road