Times of Tonbridge 28th November 2018

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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PHOTO: Kerry Barton/Studio23 Photography

‘Community spirit’ as Poppy Appeal exceeds £40,000 for the first time

SHINING STARS: The Mayor Pam Bates turns on the Christmas lights with the cast of the Community Pantomime. Turn to page 12

20mph limits on 50 more streets to make town safer and healthier

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk LARGE swathes of the town are to have 20mph speed restrictions imposed in order to protect pedestrians and road users in what is described as a ‘public health scheme’.

They will be introduced on more than 50 roads. These include outside the railway station between the roundabouts at Pembury Road and Vale Road; Waterloo Road; from Barden Road and Avebury Avenue stretching to the western extremity of the town; Lyons Crescent and East Street; the top of the High Street, and roads leading west off Lansdowne Road and around The Slade.

According to Simon Jones, director of Highways, Transportation and Waste at Kent County Council [KCC]: “The various restrictions are to avoid the danger to persons or other traffic using the road.”

He added: “From April 1 2013 Kent County Council became responsible for a number of public health functions.

“One of those was the health improvement for the population of Kent.

“In recent years the demand for the implementation of 20mph schemes had been increasing in response to both local and national campaigns.”

‘Speed limits need to be enforced. Too many drivers ignore them’ County Hall’s decision to enforce the speed limits comes as a result of a petition raised by the Barden Residents’ Association for Barden Road to be 20mph. It has campaigned on the issue since it was set up in 2015.

Fran Long, a member of the association and also chair of the Tonbridge Bicycle

THE town’s Poppy Appeal has amassed a record total for the third year in succession, reaching £40,000 for the first time.

The figure stands at £42,259.70 after the Tonbridge Philharmonic Society’s performance of Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem in Tonbridge School Chapel on Saturday [November 24], the last of this year’s fundraising ventures.

The campaign’s organiser, Carl Lewis, attributed the success to the centenary of the Armistice and the end of the First World War. “I think we’ve done so well this year because of the significance of the 100th anniversary,” he said.

“It’s been a time for people to reflect on their own family history.

Time capsule

Users Group [TBUG], has welcomed the scheme as good news for the town’s cyclists as well as pedestrians – but would like to see it expanded further.

She said: “TBUG think that lower speeds making the streets safer will encourage more people to walk or cycle.

“Richard Long, our KCC councillor, told the Residents’ Association a different speed limit in Barden only would confuse motorists, which was a reasonable comment. I think he has gradually come to see it could be good in a wider area.”

But she added: “We would like 20mph in all residential areas. The proposed area should be extended to Brook Street and Lower Haysden Lane.”

Adrian Berendt, whose two-year 20’s Plenty in Tunbridge Wells campaign led to 50 streets in the St John’s area being designated 20mph zones last year, agreed with her recommendation.

“A lot of people have been to the battlefields in Europe, and to see the poppy display at the Imperial War Museum.”

The total has also been boosted by a number of special events held this year, such as the Tonbridge 100 weekend in August, a car show and several musical evenings.

“Remembrance can be done at different times,” said Mr Lewis.

“Tonbridge 100 was a living history event, with the town forming part of a time capsule.

“It was about the community coming together, like they did 100 years ago. We have such a strong community spirit in Tonbridge.

“I’d like to thank the retailers for their fantastic window displays and all those who collected in churches and schools and in the street. It’s going to help a lot of veterans.

Continued on page 4

Continued on page 4

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‘Environmental vandals’: Over 1,200 sign petition to save tree from the chop

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk FLOWER POWER Pam Mills led the centenary celebrations

POPPY APPEAL: Continued from page 1 Mr Lewis’s wife Jenny has also broken the record for collections in Southborough, having fully taken over the appeal there for the first time.

The couple were invited to attend the Centenary of the Armistice service at Westminster Abbey in recognition of their dedicated service to the Royal British Legion.

Next year Mr Lewis says the emphasis will move from the First World War to marking the 80th anniversary of the start of the Second World War. This commemoration of 1939 will be focused on the role of the Home Guard, the defence force assembled in readiness for a German invasion.

“Next year will be more about the home front, not just the soldiers that went to far flung places like North Africa and Burma, but rationing and air raid precautions, the work of the ambulance service – everyone had a part to play.”

Pam Mills is standing down after six years of fundraising and events planning for the appeal.

The local historian was the mastermind behind the Tonbridge 100 weekend and said she is ‘retiring on a high – I’ve loved every minute’.

She hosted a variety of musical events including this year’s Pack Up Your Troubles at EM Forster theatre and After The War at the Angel Centre.

Mrs Mills has also given talks and conducted walks around the town about topics such as soldiers’ graves and suffragists, which raised £1,000 for the Royal British Legion.

“I would like to say a massive thanks to everyone who came along throughout the year,” she said. “It’s been a brilliant year to finish on, even if I say so myself.

I have worked with and met some great people in our community and made lots of new friends.”

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CAMPAIGNERS were occupying the branches of a tree on River Lawn in shifts over the weekend, while over 1,200 people have signed a petition asking developers Assura not to cut it down.

They are calling on Assura to save the mature horse chestnut, which stands on the boundary of a new medical centre they are about to build.

Protesters have labelled Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council ‘environmental vandals’ saying: “They do not care, they do not listen.”

The Keep River Lawn Green [KRLG] group gathered at the site on Friday [November 23] when contractors were expected to fell the tree.

And the Hartley Morris Men came to dance under the branches on Sunday while they were taking part in the Tonbridge Christmas Festival.

At the start of National Tree Week, local people

have also been tweeting employees of Assura to try to obtain their backing, including the Head of Public Affairs Claire Rick.

The conker tree is one of nine that grow on the public space next to the Medway but it has been scheduled for removal in the plans for the new surgery on the site of the Teen and Twenty Club.

Building was due to start on November 1.

Assura have said that they will employ a chainsaw carver to create a work of art out of the tree trunk, which will be presented to a local school or community organisation.

Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council [TMBC] have justified the decision on the grounds that the tree is diseased, following an inspection by an arboriculturalist.

But KRLG, which is trying to stop the sale of the land adjacent to the building for developers to build residential accommodation, says the tree is healthy – and that a minor adjustment to the plan would mean it could be saved.

LEAVE IT ALONE: Protesters stand guard over the tree on the boundary of the new Medical Centre “The Green Party has been campaigning for 20mph limits on residential roads for a long time, so we are delighted to hear that KCC are finally “We welcome the extension of 20mph to more taking this issue seriously.

“By reducing traffic speeds we make roads residential areas and the centre of Tonbridge,” he said. “This will make it safer and more pleasant more welcoming for all road users which, in turn, helps encourage more people to walk and cycle.” for residents of those roads.

She added: “There is evidence to suggest that “Even better would be to include Brook Street – a road with two schools and a college – and lower speed limits reduce emissions and thereUpper Haysden Lane in the scheme plus the resi- fore help to increase air quality.

“But we would not want to overstate this dential area to the south of those roads.”

The move has been seen by the Tonbridge & because a lot depends on driving style, engine Malling Green Party as an opportunity to encour- design and other factors’.

“Reducing the number of car journeys is the age more people to cycle, walk or use buses only surefire way to make a serious impact on air rather than cars to help cut down on pollution.

The section of the High Street between Botany quality and congestion, which is why we support and Vale Road is one of seven Air Quality Man- greatly increased public transport capacity.”

A KCC spokesman said the scheme had further agement Areas in the borough where the targets health benefits since increased travelling by bike for nitrogen dioxide levels are being exceeded.

April Clark, the party’s Parliamentary candi- or on foot would help to improve fitness.

“There is evidence that 20mph schemes encourdate at the last General Election, told the Times: age healthier transport modes such as walking and cycling,” he said.

“In Bristol, preliminary results indicated increases in levels of walking and cycling of over 20 per cent.

“An increase in the implementation of 20mph schemes could assist in the outcome of reducing obesity in adults and children in Kent and improving the overall health of the population.”

But the Greens’ Mrs Clark warned that the new zones have to be properly SLOW PROGRESS policed in order to make them safe.

Existing 20mph limits “Speed limits need to be enforced. There in green, with new is evidence to suggest that too many drivones marked in blue ers ignore speed limits, which increases

20MPH LIMITS: Continued from page 1

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

UP IN THE AIR Mark Hood in the branches

They also stress the damage that removing such trees can do to pollution levels in the town, since they are regarded as suppliers of clean air.

Mr Hood said: “It has provided a marvellous supply of conkers for generations of children, in addition to improving the air quality in the second worst polluted area in the borough.”

“Its destruction is completely unnecessary. The architect confirmed that it could be easily accommodated in the final design, with a slight alteration to the upper floors.

“Even without a redesign, it is not certain that the tree would not survive the disturbance to its root system.”

‘The council has demonstrated its complete indifference to the views of residents’ He added: “The medical centre is coming and we accept that, we simply want them to leave our tree to enjoy many more seasons to the delight of schoolchildren yet to come.

“Keep River Lawn Green has campaigned to preserve all the trees and the open space in River Lawn Road against the council’s short-sighted sale of its property assets.

“Last year they ignored a 450-strong march through the town to save this area and a 3,200 strong petition which we delivered to the Full Council meeting.

“Our council has demonstrated its complete indifference to the views of residents.

“They do not care, they do not listen, they are environmental vandals.”

The petition can be signed by visiting change.org and searching for Assura

‘NEGLIGIBLE RISK’ OF FATALITY Cycling UK says the risk of serious injury or death to pedestrians or cyclists goes up disproportionately as speeds increase.

A pedestrian hit at 40mph has a 31 per cent chance of death; at 30mph the risk falls to 7 per cent; at 20mph ‘the risk is negligible’.

But a report by the Department for Transport last week noted that the imposition of 20mph limits had not led to a significant reduction in the number of road accidents and casualties since it began encouraging local authorities to do so five years ago.

It found only 47 per cent of motorists comply with speed limits in residential areas, a figure which rises to 65 per cent in city centres.

However, it did reveal that the numbers who travel at less than 24mph had increased, suggesting ‘faster drivers have slowed down’. the danger to other road users and themselves.

“Nevertheless, the likelihood of being killed or seriously injured by traffic travelling at lower speeds is reduced. Put bluntly, you are more likely to survive a collision if speeds are lower.”

Mrs Clark believes that more can be done, and called for an organic cultural change which would incorporate town planning and the delivery of public transport infrastructure.

“Reducing speeds is an important part of the solution but it isn’t a magic bullet,” she said.

“The overwhelming aim needs to be to make our streets pleasant and safe places for everybody.

“We have become overly car-dependent. This approach to how we get around and how we plan our towns, cities and villages needs to change.”

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

NEWS IN BRIEF

Library hours could be cut under plans PROPOSED changes to services, that could see Tonbridge Library open 18 fewer hours every week, are being consulted on.

Under Kent County Council’s plans to cut costs the facility, currently open 55 hours every week, would open for 37. Across the board, the cuts could save the authority £1million.

Tunbridge Wells and Southborough libraries would not be effected, but smaller library Tonbridge North would stand to see its hours cut to 23 from 25.

Cllr Mike Hill said libraries are ‘not immune to financial pressures’ but encouraged residents to take part in a ten week consultation. Visit consultations. kent.gov.uk to take part.

MP Clark backs May THE Brexit deal championed by Prime Minister Theresa May has the backing of Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark.

On his personal Twitter, the Business Secretary wrote: “For jobs and prosperity businesses need an agreement, not the disorder of a no deal.”

Museum and gallery THE Museum and Art Gallery in Tunbridge Wells will be closing on Friday [November 30] for redevelopment.

From January, Royal Victoria Place will provide a temporary home for these services, as well as the library, while the Amelia Scott culture hub is built.

Coffee for Kondoa TONBRIDGE church St Philip’s is hosting a coffee morning on Saturday, December 8, from 10am to 12pm.

Visitors can buy handmade jewellery, African textiles, coffees and homemade cake at the event. It all raises funds for a school the Salisbury Road church is sponsoring in Kondoa, Tanzania.

Few tickets remain NICOLA Benedetti has proven a top seller for Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra, with just a few tickets for her Assembly Hall Theatre appearance left.

The violinist’s performance on December 2 is the latest in the orchestra’s 2018/19 season. To find out more, visit: rtwso.org

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Foodbank urges donors to think inside the box this Christmas

By Duncan Audsley NOURISH Community Foodbank is not looking for a partridge in a pear tree in their Twelve Days of Christmas campaign.

The charity, which operates in Tunbridge Wells and South Tonbridge, is instead asking for donations to help families who may otherwise go hungry over the festive period.

“Christmas is our busiest time,” said Paul Haines, Co-Chair of the Trustees of Nourish.

“After running our Reverse Advent Calendar campaign for the past two years, we decided to launch the simpler Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Last year Nourish provided 129 households with a ‘food bag’ during the week in the lead up to Christmas Day, and delivered a total of around 11 tonnes worth of produce.

Dawn Stamford, Operations Manager, thanked residents for helping the Reverse Advent Calendar but described the campaign as nearly ‘impossible’ for organisers to keep up with.

This is why they are asking residents to source specific items every day from December 1 to December 12 – details of which can be found on Nourish posters and their social media.

These could include: Tinned vegetables, rice, sauces for rice, tinned tomatoes, noodles, tinned fish, toilet roll, or a Christmas treat.

Participants should put each of these items into the box and then take this box for collection after the 12 days.

Nourish is hoping to partner with individuals, schools, churches and businesses.

Mr Haines continued: “There are many reasons why people are referred to Nourish .

“These can include changes to benefits, loss of

Last year Nourish provided 129 households with a ‘food bag’ during the week in the lead up to Christmas Day a job, domestic abuse, illness or bereavement.

“Each and every week we work with more than 100 front-line organisations who identify people in genuine need; they refer to us and we deliver to between 60-80 households each week.”

Foodbank is a national campaign that sees households referred through social workers, doctors, Citizens Advice and health visitors.

If an individual or family’s circumstances can be seen to be eligible, they will receive a ‘food parcel’ of emergency goods for a minimum of three days. These are typically long-life products.

Royal Victoria Place shopping centre is sup-

HELPING HAND One of the volunteers at the foodbank

porting the campaign by offering a pop-up shop their Ely Court arcade on December 13 to 16.

This will allow shoppers and visitors to drop off their Twelve Days of Christmas collection boxes.

Alternatively, donation boxes can be dropped off at any time at the Big Yellow Self Storage on Longfield Road until December 21.

Social media users are encouraged to show their support by using hashtags #NourishFoodbank and #OurTownCares To find out more, visit: nourishcommunityfoodbank.org.uk

Light at the end of Camden Road for Winter Lantern Parade 2019

By William Mata THOUSANDS are expected to join in with the Tunbridge Wells Winter Lantern Parade when it returns in 2019, after a year’s absence.

Families and community groups traditionally show off their handmade lanterns in the event, which is one of the highlights of Camden Road’s calendar.

Organisers want February’s event to be the best in its ten year history but admitted financial EYE OF THE TIGER The lantern parade is making a comeback

concerns led them to question if the popular showcase would ever be back.

Nell Price, of Camden Road Education, Arts and Theatre Experience [CREATE], said: “It was always the intention to bring it back for 2019.

“As the event got larger we needed to stop and rethink the organisation, and also find the funding.

“We have received a couple of grants towards funding. We have also had donations and sponsors from local businesses have got involved.”

For the first time the parade will finish at Grosvenor and Hilbert Recreation Ground, Auckland Road entrance, when it is staged on Saturday, February 9, from 5.30pm.

And CREATE is looking to boost its outreach by holding a series of free family workshops throughout the weekends of January and first weekend of February.

They will also offer the chance for participants to construct a lantern by buying a pack for £5 containing materials, glue and instructions.

To hold as many outreach events as they have intended, CREATE need to raise around £21,000 and they currently have around half of that.

Mrs Price said: “We have had around 1,000 taking part in the past with 2,000 lining the route. It could be larger than previous years, with around 1,500 on the parade.

“To facilitate this we have been working with Royal Tunbridge Wells Round Table – who organise the Dunorlan Park Fireworks. They are providing extra marshalling.

“Anyone can get involved and it is a completely free event.”

She added: “I think the parade has been missed. CREATE has had lots of enquiries and it is something a lot of people want to happen. It has a nice community feel and atmosphere.

“If we could not get the funding we would have not have been able to put it on. And the more funding we continue to get the more workshops we can hold.”

CREATE also has a community choir and theatre company, but the Tunbridge Wells Winter Lantern Parade is the production they are best known for.

For information on how to donate, or to find out about workshops, visit winterlanterns.org

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Misogyny is not included in list of priorities for police KENT POLICE has clarified its priorities regarding dealing with offences following a call for some ‘hate’ crimes not to be treated as criminal cases.

Such cases would include misogyny, an ingrained prejudice against women.

The county force has instead listed its six key priorities as:

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Retailers swing into action as they battle with internet at Christmas

Their clarification follows Sara Thornton, Chair of the National Police Chiefs Council [NPCC], recently announcing her preference for officers to focus on ‘core policing’.

Tony Blaker, Deputy Chief Constable of Kent Police, said: “When a crime report is received officers will assess how best to respond based on the level of threat, risk and harm associated with the offence.

“The priorities for Kent Police are set by the Police & Crime Commissioner in his Police and Crime Plan, Safer in Kent. The force is then responsible for allocating resources to deliver against those priorities. As well as delivering against the Police and Crime Plan, the force control strategy determines operational priorities and takes into account national policing issues and policing priorities for Kent.

“However, high harm impact crime that causes distress for victims, such as fraud and burglary, are also of the upmost importance, and this is reflected by how our resources are allocated.

“This strategy is reviewed yearly and informs how we focus our training and knowledgebuilding.”

NAUGHTY OR NICE Father Christmas makes some friends inside his Tunbridge Wells Grotto

By William Mata THE countdown to Christmas has started in Tunbridge Wells with thousands enjoying events across the town.

And with Black Friday takings reportedly down across the UK from last year, businesses are under increasing pressure to provide experiences for shoppers to compete with ecommerce.

British Land, in their first Christmas as managers of Royal Victoria Place, are wheeling out some crowd-pleasers to attract families.

Last week Tunbridge Wells pantomime stars Claire Sweeney and Derek Moran opened the

shopping centre’s Grotto – where children can meet Father Christmas.

Centre Manager Nicky Blanchard has previously stated her desire to move away from ‘boring retail’ by offering shoppers more experience.

“We need to make our town different and give people a reason to come here, and to provide experiences and leisure activities,” she has said.

And at the opening, she commented: “We wanted to put on an event that would launch the Christmas season here in Tunbridge Wells providing fun for all ages, and I think from seeing the faces on the day, it certainly was that.”

Another crowd-puller is the Calverley Grounds

PHOTO: David Bartholomew

■ Child abuse and exploitation, gangs ■ Human trafficking and modern slavery ■ Organised acquisitive crime ■ Counter terrorism and domestic extremism ■ Domestic abuse ■ Serious violence and sexual offences

SEAL DEAL Melissa Turner with her sons Theo (left) and Rafferty

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Ice Rink, which is expected to be used by more than 40,000 before the end of season.

And at the other end of town, events are being lined up on The Pantiles on the first four weekends of December [see details below].

Karen Pengelly, Manager of business group Tunbridge Wells Together, said: “Experiences are the absolute. People are precious about their spare time.

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk “There is so much going on and it is part of our focus, with a plan to create a Business Improvement District to develop events which can have a positive knock-on effect.”

She said smaller businesses are looking to engage with customers on social media, and also pointed to the Fromage & French shop, where wine can be tasted before buying.

CHRISTMAS MARKETS Shoppers can enjoy a Christmas Market on The Pantiles on each of the first four weekends of December. As well as food, gifts and crafts, there will be live music.

This weekend [December 1 and 2], choirs and Morris Men will perform. On December 8 and 9, Paul Dunton will present ‘Fokal & Live’. A concert band will perform on December 15 and 16 before a choir and ukulele band will take to the stage on December 22 and 23.

ANNUAL CAROL CONCERT

PHOTO: Craig Matthews

COLD AS ICE More than 40,000 are expected to use the rink

The Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society will be holding their annual carol concert at 6.30pm on Sunday, December 9, at St Mary’s Church, Goudhurst.

Wadhurst Brass Band will accompany the choir as they perform Christmas favourites.

Tickets can be bought for £10 [£5 for children] on the door, or online at rtwcs.org.uk

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Eight youths target ‘Falklands vet’ in early hours attack

By Duncan Audsley newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk A MAN who was allegedly assaulted outside his home was a Falklands War veteran, according to local reports.

Sussex Police said the unnamed victim was confronted by eight young people outside his home in Sparrows Green Road, Wadhurst, in the early hours of Armistice Day [November 11].

The force received a report at 1.04am and were on the scene at 1.57am. Officers conducted a search, but no suspects were found.

Police said the man was in his 50s.

A neighbour wrote on a Wadhurst Facebook group that the victim was a veteran of the Falklands War and lived with his wife.

Trend She said the couple ‘wouldn’t hurt a fly’ and ‘moved to Wadhurst to have some peace’.

Sussex Police suggested a trend has emerged for this type of incident.

Prevention Sergeant David Gilmore said: “We are aware of issues with antisocial behaviour in this area and understand the impact this is having on the community.

“We want to robustly tackle this issue. There has been an increase in high visibility patrols and powers of stop and search, and dispersal orders will be considered where appropriate.

“We are encouraging members of the public to report issues of antisocial behaviour to us without delay and to come forward with any information they have by calling 101.”

Sparrows Green Road is one of the major connecting roads through Wadhust.

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Town meeting called as planning bid sought for Southborough Hub

By William Mata SOUTHBOROUGH residents are being encouraged to attend a Town Meeting to discuss new designs for a theatre and library hub.

Opposition members of the Town Council [STC] are unhappy with the £10million project’s latest blueprints, which have been ‘value engineered’ since originally being proposed in 2015.

Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors feel engagement efforts by the ruling Conservative group have been ‘inadequate’.

The Southborough Hub would replace the now demolished Victoria Hall Theatre and also contain council offices and a medical centre.

STC has now lodged a planning application with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.

The Town Meeting has been arranged for 7pm on Tuesday, December 4, inside the ‘Great Hall’ part of Southborough Primary School. Labour Cllr Nick Blackwell released a statement last week that read: “We believe that efforts to inform and engage residents, taxpayers, and potential users in its design and purpose have been unambitious and inadequate.

“This will have a negative impact on the success of the project.

“As a consequence of this and in line with the Local Government Act 1972 we wish to convene a Town Meeting at which the new plans will be presented and a full opportunity will be given for town residents to question, comment and make any suggestions for improvement.

“Because of the importance of this project to the town, its future, and its finances, we request that this meeting is given maximum publicity to ensure as many people as possible will attend.”

Residents have attended previous meetings about the hub, which has been scaled back since original designs and no longer contains a coffee shop.

Most recently a gathering on October 30 saw STC’s co-proponent Kent County Council lead a presentation. Afterwards an attendee commented: “I was asking questions and was not getting any answers.”

READ ALL ABOUT IT The hub would contain a library

The Times has previously reported how the Theatres Trust warned the project was ‘not viable’ after the downscaling.

Cllr Trevor Poile, STC’s only Liberal Democrat member, joined Cllr Blackwell in calling for the meeting.

He told the Times: “We are finding some people are still unclear at this stage. The original presentation was two years ago and it has changed a lot in that time.

“It is up to people to make their own minds up.”

He added: “But it seems to me that of the facilities being proposed, the only thing I am in favour of is the retractable seating. But the ancillary features for the theatre just don’t seem to be adequate.

“My worry is the pop-up bar. There is so much shared use proposed, it suggests built-in conflict.”

CONSERVATIVE RESPONSE The town’s Deputy Mayor, Tory Councillor Nasir Jamil, is fully behind the Hub and believes this Town Meeting would be unnecessary. He told the Times: “We had a public meeting already, and lots of people came along. Kent County Council were there and so were the architects. The presentation was very good.

“There is no point in having more and more meetings. The plans are on the website.

“We don’t want any delay on the project.

It’s very good for the people of Southborough. We have fought for ten years to have something in this town.

“Now that things are happening, the Labour and Liberal Democrats are trying everything to delay it which is not good and wastes our time.

“We have worked hard to make this Hub viable. I can’t understand the opposition making a fuss about it. I fully support the Hub.”

BRICK BY BRICK The ‘value engineered’ designs for the hub

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Tonbridge’s greatest ever get-together MORE than 10,000 people enjoyed The Rotary Club’s Tonbridge Christmas Festival last weekend, making it arguably the town’s most popular community event on record.

This year there were brand new Christmas lights hanging along the High Street and the river banks.

The Mayor of Tonbridge & Malling, Pam Bates, turned on the illuminations with the help of the cast of the Tonbridge Community Pantomime, Snow White.

Afterwards a lavish fireworks display lit up the night sky above the Castle.

During the afternoon there was a variety of live acts on stage, including Razzamataz Theatre School, the Tonbridge Community Singers, local singer-songwriter Charlotte Lubbock and popular rock and pop band Roxxon.

The TS Brilliant Tunbridge Wells Sea Cadets band started proceedings by marching through the High Street, which was closed to traffic.

The Hartley Morris Men also performed throughout the day, and there were more than 50 stalls along the thoroughfare.

This year, loud speakers lined the High Street for the first time, relaying the music from the stage.

The organiser Brian Piner, past President of The Rotary Club, said: “It’s hard work, it takes nine months to prepare and it costs more than £8,000, but when you put so much into an event, it makes it all worthwhile to see so many people enjoying it.

“The Rotary Club were proud to be part

of the Tonbridge community on Sunday.

It’s been one of the most successful events for bringing the town together.”

He told the Times: “It’s been a great team effort, and we had a really good turn-out from Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council too.

“There are so many people to thank, you haven’t got a paper big enough.

“But I would like to thank the stallholders and all our generous sponsors for their support in helping us raise funds for local charities, and making this event so successful.”

The proceeds from the three-day festival will go to local causes, among them Slideaway, a charity that helps children to cope with bereavement.

Professionalism Mr Piner added: “We would also like to thank all the acts that performed and gave their time free of charge, and in particular Dave Macdonald for his usual professionalism in compering the show.”

For the first time there was a retailers’ Christmas window competition – which was won by Clarke & Coleman Pharmacy – and a quiz competition in the High Street for the children.

The Rotary Club’s President, Sonia Williams, who conducted the firework countdown, said. “I am most appreciative of all those taking part inside and outside of The Rotary for what was a magnificent day that brought the community together in style.”

PHOTOS: Kerry Barton/Studio23 Photography

Record crowds lined the town’s High Street to enjoy The Rotary Club’s Christmas Festival ‘The Rotary Club were proud to be part of the Tonbridge community on Sunday. It’s been one of the most successful events for bringing the town together’

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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FESTIVE FUN: (Far left) Mayor Pam Bates on stage; (clockwise from left) Roxxon rock the crowds; the new lights; Hartley Morris Men; the cast of Snow White; compere Dave Mac; firewords at the castle

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By William Mata MORE ideas worth spreading will be shared in the Assembly Hall Theatre when TEDxRoyalTunbridgeWells returns on January 26.

The fifth event of its kind in the town will see 12 guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds deliver thought-provoking 12-minute talks.

Organiser Lizzie Bentley-Bowers said: “Since TEDx first came to Tunbridge Wells in 2015, we have had to upgrade venues three times to accommodate the growing attendance.

“There’s clearly a hunger and curiosity for knowledge in Tunbridge Wells and the surrounding area.”

TED [technology, entertainment

and design] has seen conferences spread around the world since being launched in 1984, under the motto ‘ideas worth spreading’.

Their headquarters are in New York and Vancouver.

Many talks are filmed, which has seen the movement’s popularity spiral in recent years, thanks to the easy accessibility of YouTube.

This has seen the launch of TEDx, which are independent TED-style events, which can be organised by anyone who obtains a free licence.

All events are non-profit and speakers are not paid.

Last year’s event in Tunbridge Wells was attended by 750 people.

This year’s event will run from from 2pm to 6pm.

TEN-YEAR-OLD’S HIT VIDEO THE wise words of a ten-year-old boy have been heard more than two million times on YouTube after his talk at TEDxRoyalTunbridgeWells.

Edward Foreman, of Tunbridge Wells, spoke at The Assembly Hall in 2016 about how he made a decision to have a facial mole removed.

His talk, ‘If You’re Unhappy, Change Yourself’, is among the most watched videos from the event’s five-year history.

Edward said: “The whole experience of TEDx has been amazing, and I encourage anybody who has an idea worth spreading to be brave and take that step – you have the courage.”

PHOTO: TEDx

Insightful and inspiring talks lined up for next TEDx event

GOLDEN GIRL Dame Kelly Holmes talked of ‘Life Discovery’ at Tunbridge Wells TEDx in 2017

THE LINE-UP Six of the 12 speakers in the 2019 line-up have already been announced. These are: ■ Max Thorpe and Chris Williams: Former students of The Judd School in Tonbridge who suffered a near-death experience rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.

■ Michelle Raymond: A successful entrepreneur who suffered abuse from her community while she was married to a man who was accused of heinous crimes.

■ Sarah Salway: A writer and poet, whose novels have been translated into several languages.

■ Don Smith: A former creative director in advertising, marketing and digital design who became an inventor in 2016.

■ John Mulford: A Year 11 student at The Judd School who has a passion for inspiring young people to get outside and active.

■ Sophie Sabbage: Who has written a book about her time living with cancer.

Touch and go for Greg Clark at another Arriva service launch

SWIPE RIGHT Greg Clark, MP, pays by touch on a Tunbridge Wells bus as driver Steve Dalton looks on

BUS passengers in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge can now pay for travel with an Oyster Card-style ticket system on Arriva services.

Customers can use credit and debit cards, Apple Pay and Android devices to swipe a sensor upon boarding a bus to buy a ticket.

Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark drew on his experience of opening the town’s Arriva depot, twice, to launch the technology last week on a bus outside the War Memorial.

After a hard week of Brexit talks, the Business Secretary took control of the first ticket paid for with the contactless payment system.

“Making bus travel more convenient for passengers is really important, so it’s great Arriva is introducing contactless ticketing,” said Mr Clark, who also opened a zebra crossing in Tunbridge Wells earlier this year.

The system is available on all Arriva buses within the Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks areas, with the exception of some of the route 6 and 7 services that come from Maidstone.

Both these routes are likely to be facilitated with the Ticketer ETMmade system from early next year.

Cash payments will still be possible.

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

NEWS IN BRIEF

More homes planned as firms build future PEABODY, one of London’s largest housebuilders, has taken on the Tunbridge Wells-based Town and Country Housing Group [TCHG].

Following the announcement of this deal, both parties committed to join forces to build 800 homes across the South East every year.

This is 500 more than TCHG, an organisation with an office in Monson Road, currently deliver. The business will become a ‘distinct subsidiary’ of Peabody.

A joint statement from both companies read: “We share a strong social purpose to support vulnerable people in housing need. Our combined scale and focus will enable us to do more together than we could achieve alone.”

Hat-trick of accolades EXPANDING law firm Cripps is celebrating after picking up three accolades in quick succession.

Locally-based on Mount Ephraim, Tunbridge Wells, the business was recognised in three respected legal listings within the space of one week.

These are: The Times Best Law Firms guide, the Legal 500 guide, and the Chambers 2019 UK Guide to the Legal Profession.

It is an exciting time for the company, which will soon be known as Cripps Pemberton Greenish – once a merger with a London firm is finalised.

Quiz teams do battle FOURTEEN local firms took part in a lighthearted competition in the AV Trinity Quiz Night, which raised £6,185 for charities.

It was a good night for Cripps, but the law firm was denied the chance to win another award [see above] by the Metro Bank team – who ‘pipped them’ to take first place.

Financial advisers AV Trinity organised the event at Nevill Golf Club, and it benefitted several good causes.

Best Employer listing CREASEYS, a Tunbridge Wells-based accountancy practice, has been awarded the highest ‘three stars’ in The Sunday Times Best Companies list.

The Mount Ephraim firm was praised for its ‘engaged workforce’ of 70.

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Duke pays a visit to present a second Queen’s Award trophy SPORTS consultancy Jon Tibbs Associates [JTA] has put its second Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade down to ‘hard work’.

Prince Edward, Duke of Kent, is accustomed to presenting trophies at Wimbledon, and visited the Tunbridge Wells-based firm earlier this month to give the firm the prize.

He presented the award to JTA Founder and Chairman Jon Tibbs, who started the communications and public affairs consultancy in Langton Green ten years ago.

The accolade specifically noted ‘Outstanding Short Term Growth in Overseas Sales over the Last Three Years,’ and the trophy can be placed alongside their Queen’s Award won in 2014.

ROYAL APPROVAL The Duke of Kent presents the award to Jon Tibbs

Mr Tibbs said: “It was an honour to be presented with such a prestigious award from His Royal Highness in the office where it all officially started ten years ago.

“Today was a truly special day for all the staff at JTA, and a reminder to everyone of the value of their dedication and hard work.

“This award is a reflection of our commitment and quality of service to our international clients, and we are fully aware that we are only as good as our clients’ success.

“We are so grateful for their continued loyalty to JTA.” JTA now also has offices in London, Alicante and Los Angeles. They are in the process of opening a new base in Beijing and have another office planned for Lausanne.

Mr Tibbs added: “The heart of JTA remains rooted in the local community, with its headquarters based in Kent, where the company was founded.”

Stately home wedded to personal success

By Duncan Audsley HISTORIC Penshurst Place and Gardens has proved its business credentials beyond its heritage by winning the Wedding Venue of the Year 2019 accolade.

The management of the 14thcentury country house picked up the Kent Wedding Awards trophy for the third time in a ceremony last week.

Bespoke General Manager Ben Thomas said: “It was particularly rewarding for us that the judges picked up on the bespoke elements and personal approach that we take with each and every wedding, no matter how

big or small. Couples tell us it’s those personalised touches that make the difference.”

Penshurst Place has been a licensed venue for ceremonies since 1995 and aims to make the best use of its backdrop for couples looking for a medieval touch.

Its success comes at a time when fewer couples are looking to conduct a wedding inside a church, with just one in three ceremonies being ‘religious’, according to Register Office data.

The Marriage Act 1994 opened up a wide variety of premises permitted to hold civil marriages by local authorities. ‘Approved Premises’, included hotels, castles, stately homes or sports and leisure centres.

PRIDE OF PLACE: (L-R) Awards host Andrew Maxwell with Penshurst Place’s Nikki Donovan, Caroline Simpson, Jane Golding and Chris Milton

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Action needed to halt harmful illegal dumping KENT businesses and landowners need action to be taken to counter fly-tipping, the Copyright Licensing Agency [CLA] has said.

The organisation represents firms and individuals in the South East and has reported that out of 997,553 incidents last year nationally, only 2,243 prosecutions were made.

It costs a farmer or landowner an average of £844 to clear up each incident.

The CLA also said the true numbers for fly-tipping are likely to be significantly higher, as the latest statistics do not include incidents on private land. The figures did not break down for area.

Penalties Robin Edwards, CLA Regional Director, said: “It is vital more prosecutions are brought forward successfully to encourage people to do the right thing and dispose of their rubbish through proper legal channels.

“Councils must send a clear message to fly-tippers that they will face financial consequences.

“But to really combat this crime against the countryside we need to see tougher penalties which act as a true deterrent.

“Imposing and enforcing stiffer penalties which better reflect the seriousness of the crime is crucial, along with seizing the vehicles used to fly-tip.”

He added that the CLA has welcomed an independent review, published earlier this week, that identified fly-tipping as a key element of serious and organised waste crime.

“It is good to see the review recognises the importance of working collaboratively,” he said.

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Netballers are bouncing after Lions convert court with gifts A NEW netball club in Tonbridge has attracted almost 50 women to come along and play, and the town’s Lions Club has been helping to provide them with equipment.

The Fun Netball club was set up to provide local ladies with the opportunity to play noncompetitive netball for fun and fitness.

Grateful

BY THE BOOK Paul plotting his course on his marathon walk

Long-distance walker sends Nourish in the right direction A MAN from Tunbridge Wells has completed a 630-mile walk along the South West Coast Path to raise money for the Nourish Community Foodbank in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.

Paul Eames, 66, completed the trek on Britain’s longest national trail in 41 days without taking any rest days, and has raised £2,200.

The distance includes 115,000 feet of ascent and descent, which is the equivalent of going up and down Mount Everest four times.

Proud As a member of Sweetwoods Park Golf Club in Cowden, he was supporting the chosen charity of the men’s and women’s captains.

Paul kept a blog of his journey on his Virgin Money crowdfunding page, and the last day’s entry describes the emotional and physical impact of the undertaking.

He wrote: “Rather emotional but relieved and thankful I made it to the end.

“A huge thank you to so many people who have sponsored me, walked with me, met me, fed me, given me a bed for the night, supped with me and generally supported me for the last 41 days.

“I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Nourish operates in Tunbridge Wells and south Tonbridge, providing emergency food and provisions to people in crisis on a referral basis Dawn Stanford, Operations Manager at Nourish, said: “We are so proud of Paul’s incredible achievement, he is an inspiration to us all.

“Many people think of Tunbridge Wells as a wealthy area, but around 16 per cent of households in our area are living in poverty, with many people literally unable to afford to put food on the table.

“Since 2012, we have provided over 110,000 meals to local people, costing us on average £3 to provide a meal.

“Paul’s incredible donation could cover the cost of over 700 meals for people in our community, helping us to achieve our aim that no one need go hungry in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge.”

SHORE THING Paul Eames walked for 41 days straight

They run short six-week beginner level courses on a court at Carroty Wood, providing weekly sessions consisting of 20 minutes’ coaching followed by a 40-minute game. One recent evening session saw 19 players taking part.

The players attend on a pay-as-you-go basis, which has allowed them to raise funds to buy netballs and a set of bibs.

However, they were playing on a basketball court, which has larger nets and backboards, and

NET GAINS (L-R) Lions President Tom Simmons, John Chapman and Dixon Hawkins with Coach Lee Athwal and the players

the club wanted to obtain proper netball posts and nets, which the Lions have donated to them.

John Ruck of the Tonbridge Lions said: “Being impressed with the objective of the club, which seemed to fill a gap in the sports offerings available in the area, Tonbridge Lions were able to provide them with two portable netball posts and nets plus a second set of bibs.”

The President of Tonbridge Lions, Tom Simmons, and his Lions colleagues John Chapman and Dixon Hawkins attended a formal handover at Carroty Wood.

Lee Athwal, the club Coach, said: “We are extremely grateful to Tonbridge Lions for their generous donation, which has allowed us to get our club up and running very quickly.”

Mr Hawkins added: “We are pleased to able to support an enterprising group of ladies in their endeavours to provide an enjoyable and sociable route to maintaining an active lifestyle.”

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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Puddle Ducks in pyjamas make a splash for children’s cancer charity

IN THE FRAME: (L-R) Paul Beard of Barnardo’s, Mary Monckton, Rachel Hay and Susan Christie of Weald BHG, Ravensdale Junior Manager Camilla Gould, parent Jackie Cullen and Meadows School Principal Vaughan Jackson

Barnardo’s helpers raise £18,000 to assist new Meadows Junior School A BARNARDO’S Helper Group [BHG] has raised more than £18,000 for the charity’s Meadows Junior School at its Ravensdale Campus in Tunbridge Wells.

The Weald BHG has held a series of fundraising activities over the last 12 months on behalf of the special needs school.

These included a successful summer jazz evening using the High Sheriff of Kent Mrs Jane Ashton’s marquee, which raised almost £6,500.

Last Friday the group presented a cheque for £18,230 to Principal Vaughan Jackson at Meadows Junior School in Sandhurst Lane.

All money raised will support the provision of playground equipment at the Ravensdale

Campus, which opened in June.

Mr Jackson said: “We are sincerely grateful to all members of the Weald BHG and their supporters who have raised such a phenomenal amount of money for Meadows Junior School.

“We were delighted when Meadows School extended its provision for children with additional special needs aged seven to 11, and we are sure the children are going to enjoy their new playground.”

Meadows Junior School accepts girls and boys who have an Education, Health and Care Plan or are in the process of obtaining one.

For further information on the work of Meadows Junior School, visit barnardos.org.uk

BABIES and children from Puddle Ducks swim school in West Kent and East Sussex have helped to raise £2,137 for CLIC Sargent, the UK’s leading charity supporting children and young people with cancer and their families.

Every autumn, Puddle Ducks holds a week-long charity event where swimmers raise money for a worthy cause while learning valuable water safety and survival skills, attending lessons dressed in their pyjamas.

This year Puddle Ducks’ chosen charity is CLIC Sargent, which supported 315 children and young people across Kent and East Sussex in 2017.

“They do fantastic work, and our Puddle Ducks families thought it was a wonderful opportunity to help other children.”

He added: “Our Charity Pyjama Week is a great way of teaching our children important life-saving skills in a fun and relaxed environment, whilst raising money for such a great cause.

“We had a tremendous time and we would like to give a big thank you to all

our customers and their little Puddle Ducks who helped us to raise over £2,000 for this fantastic charity.”

Puddle Ducks provides awardwinning swimming programmes for children from birth up to ten years old at 18 pools across the two counties.

Expert coaches focus on teaching independent swimming in a nurturing environment, with individually tailored activities to suit all abilities.

‘They do fantastic work, and our Puddle Ducks families thought it was a wonderful opportunity to help other children’ CLIC Sargent’s specialist care team of social workers and nurses provide emotional, practical and financial support out of the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton.

They also support young cancer patients at home or those who are being treated at other specialist children’s hospitals in London, Surrey or Hampshire.

Clive Relf, who runs Puddle Ducks West Kent & East Sussex with his wife Lindsay, explained: “We were delighted to fundraise for CLIC Sargent.

POOL RESOURCES: (L-R) Clive Relf, owner of Puddle Ducks West Kent & East Sussex, senior teacher Janina Westwell, marketing co-ordinator Louisa Langford, and teacher Charlotte Burgess with Alex Drury, CLIC Sargent’s fundraising engagement manager

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

May fights back over DUP claims she has ‘given up’ THE Prime Minister rejected claims by Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster that she has ‘given up’ on forging a better Brexit deal.

The DUP’s 10 MPs are pledged to oppose the agreement and the government relies on the Northern Ireland party’s support to give it a majority in the Commons.

Mrs May was on her way to Belfast when she said: “We have been resisting many of the things the European Union had wanted to put.

“When you negotiate, neither side gets 100 per cent of what they want. It is about compromising, but you have to be clear about what your vital interests are and we have protected those vital interests. That includes protecting the interests of the people of Northern Ireland.”

Disappointing The PM was due to visit business leaders at Queen’s University Belfast yesterday [Tuesday].

Mrs Foster told the BBC: “The disappointing thing for me is that the Prime Minister has given up and she is saying this is where we are and we just have to accept it.

“She may have given up on further negotiations and trying to find a better deal but I have not given up.

“I believe in a better way forward and I believe we must find that.”

MPs should vote for the Brexit deal to ensure medical stockpiles do not run out, Health Secretary Matt Hancock told the Commons.

Mr Hancock said ‘voting for the deal is the best way to ensure unhindered supply of medicines’.

He had reportedly told the Cabinet that he ‘could not guarantee people would not die’ if the UK ended up with a no-deal Brexit as it would disrupt access to medical supplies.

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Fallon says PM’s Brexit deal doomed to fail in Commons SIR MICHAEL FALLON has criticised the Prime Minister’s Brexit deal as ‘the worst of all worlds’ and confirmed that he will not vote for it in Parliament on December 11.

The Sevenoaks MP, who has previously been regarded as loyal to Theresa May, said the agreement seems ‘doomed’ to fail when it comes to the House of Commons.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “My fear is that this deal gives us the worst of all worlds.

“No guarantee of smooth trade in the future and no ability to reduce the tariffs that we need to conclude trade deals with the rest of the world.

“So, unless the House of Commons can be persuaded somehow that those are possible then I think, yes, the deal is doomed.”

Sir Michael added that the Government cannot simply brush off Donald Trump’s warning about the Brexit deal and said a future trade deal with the US now looks ‘difficult’.

The US President said that the Withdrawal Agreement ‘sounds like a great deal for the EU’.

DIFFICULT TIMES Sir Michael Fallon fears US reaction

Sir Michael said: “It’s no use us just brushing that off, saying ‘no, no we can do a deal with America’, he’s the President of the United States, and if he says it’s going to be difficult, then it certainly looks like it’s going to be difficult.

“This is not a good deal and we need a better deal. If it’s possible to get a better deal, to send the negotiators back to Brussels for two or three months, to postpone the actual leaving date for two or three months, I still think that in the long term that would be in the best interest of the country. We have to get this right.”

The former Defence Secretary, who voted Remain, said he did not think there should be another referendum.

He also said that Mrs May should not stand down if she loses the crucial Parliament vote on Brexit next month.

He said: “I don’t think changing the leader actually is going to affect this. It’s the Government as a whole that needs to see that this deal at the moment doesn’t work for Britain.”

HOME SWEET HOME Matthew Hedges with Daniela Tejada

Academic ‘spy’ praises ‘brave and strong’ wife after arrival in London A BRITISH academic who was pardoned days after being given a life sentence for spying in the United Arab Emirates has been reunited with his wife in the UK. Matthew Hedges was freed on Monday with UAE officials still calling him an MI6 spy – a claim denied by family and colleagues.

Daniela Tejada posted the picture with Mr Hedges on Twitter and said: “Thanks for collectively helping me to bring back my husband.

“We’ve been through hell and back and would really appreciate having some space to catch up on much-needed rest.

After landing at Heathrow Airport, Mr Hedges said: “Seeing her and my family after this ordeal is the best thing that could have happened”.

Mr Hedges, a 31-year-old PhD student at Durham University, was sentenced last Wednesday after being arrested at Dubai Airport as he tried to leave on May 5.

He said: “I could not have done this without Daniela, I hear her face is everywhere!

“She is so brave and strong. Seeing her and my family after this ordeal is the best thing that could have happened. I thank you all once again, this is very surreal.”

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Watchdog hails High Court order against Viagogo

NEWS IN BRIEF

De La Rue have rethink after loss of passports BANKNOTE printer De La Rue has revealed a strategy rethink for its identity business after losing a key UK passport contract.

The group announced it will refocus on specific parts of the manufacturing process for identity documents.

Chief executive Martin Sutherland said the shift in strategy came after the group lost the contract to make the UK’s postBrexit blue passports to Franco-Dutch firm Gemalto earlier this year.

De La Rue will concentrate on separate parts of the manufacturing process such as on polymer plastics and security technology.

VIAGOGO must ‘overhaul the way it does business’ under a court order secured by the competition watchdog following legal action launched over concerns the site was breaking consumer protection law.

The Competition and Markets Authority [CMA] described the High Court order as ‘a victory for anyone who decides to buy a ticket through Viagogo’ and said it will ensure that customers know key facts such as what seat they will get and if there is a risk that they will be turned away at the door.

Under the order, Viagogo must tell ticket buyers if there is a risk that they will be turned away at the door, inform consumers which seat in the venue they will get and provide information about who is selling the ticket to allow the customer to benefit from enhanced legal rights when buying from a business.

It must also not give misleading information about the availability and popularity of tickets.

Pets At Home to close 30 joint venture practices PETS AT HOME has said it plans to buy out 55 of its 471 joint venture pet practices and will put around 30 of those under review for possible closure as part of an overhaul of the division.

Details of the plan came as it reported pre-tax profits crashing 80.5 per cent to £8million in the six months to October 11.

Interim results showed bottom-line profits were hit by £29million in costs of the Vet Group buy-out plans.

On an underlying basis and with this stripped out, half-year pre-tax profits fell 9.3 per cent to £37.9million.

The company said it is now expecting full-year underlying pre-tax profits of at least £80-85million.

Group chief executive Peter Pritchard said: “Since becoming the group CEO in May, I have had the opportunity to take stock of the wider group and shape my view of our future.

“Reviewing our vet group has been a priority. I recognise we have grown at pace and, more recently, have seen the pressure that rising costs and our fees are placing on this young business.

“We will need to recalibrate the business to deliver more measured growth whilst maintaining our plan to generate significant cash profits.”

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Topps Tiles stockpiles

A SCALE model of a flying drone-car has driven and hovered across an exhibition hall in Amsterdam.

The Pop.Up Next prototype, which was one quarter of the real size, consists of a chassis with wheels, a two-seat capsule for passengers

and a four-rotor drone. It is being developed by aviation giant Airbus, carmaker Audi and Italdesign design house.

Airbus executive Jean Brice Demont estimates it will take more than a decade for a large-scale rollout of such a service.

Shares tumble as Thomas Cook announces third profit warning THOMAS COOK shed a quarter of its stock market value yesterday [Tuesday] after its third profit warning of the year.

The company said it would take a £30million hit to profits in an unscheduled announcement due to extra costs and the effect of the heatwave on holiday bookings.

Underlying earnings will be £250million for the year to September 30, down £58million on 2017.

This was put down to additional charges including flight disruption, writedowns on money owed by some hotels and transformation costs, as well as delayed demand for its tour holidays amid the heatwave.

Group revenue was up 6 per cent on a like-forlike basis, reaching £9.58billion.

Shares fell as much as 30 per cent in early trading before settling at about 37p in mid-morning, a drop of more than 23 per cent.

Rival holiday operator Tui was also affected, with shares dropping 3 per cent.

Earnings in the tour operator division dropped by £88million due to a higher-than-anticipated decline in margins as Thomas Cook slashed prices to keep up with competitors.

The company said that the warm weather in Europe meant many of it s customers had delayed holiday-booking decisions, with the UK particularly slow.

Shareholders will not receive a full-year dividend. Chief executive Peter Fankhauser said: “Looking ahead, we must learn the lessons from 2018 and go into the new year focused on where we can make a difference to customers in our core holiday offering.

“We will put particular attention on addressing the performance in our UK tour operator, where the challenges of transformation in a competitive environment remain significant.”

Bookings for the forthcoming winter season are currently down 3% in the tour operator division, but airline bookings are 11% ahead of last year.

TOPPS TILES is stockpiling key products ahead of the exit from the EU as it prepares for possible supply disruption.

The retailer said it would increase stock levels of ‘key selling lines’ ahead of March 2019, echoing the likes of Premier Foods and Pets at Home which also said they will store products in case of disruption.

Topps Tiles unveiled a 25 per cent decline in profits for the year to September 29, as it absorbed the costs of integrating its newly acquired commercial business.

Parkside, which the group acquired in November last year, made a loss of £1.1million in the period, diluting margins.

Uber fined over data UBER has been fined £385,000 by a UK watchdog for failing to protect customers’ personal information during a cyber attack.

A series of ‘avoidable data security flaws’ allowed the personal details of around 2.7million UK customers to be accessed and downloaded by attackers, the Information Commissioner’s Office said.

This included full names, email addresses and phone numbers, exposing people to an ‘increased risk of fraud’.

Norwegian’s off to Rio NORWEGIAN is to become the first budget airline to operate flights between the UK and Brazil.

The Scandinavian airline will operate four weekly services between London Gatwick and Rio de Janeiro from March 31 next year.

This puts it in direct competition with British Airways, the only other airline flying non-stop between London and Rio.

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National and World News

NEWS IN BRIEF

20,000 apply for online divorces in six months MORE than 20,000 applications for divorce have been made online since a new service was launched in May. Justice Secretary David Gauke said the figure was about 60 per cent of total divorce applications made by people without a lawyer getting involved.

This was an example of how the courts were being modernised, Mr Gauke told the Commons during the second reading of the Courts and Tribunals (Judiciary and Functions of Staff) Bill.

Flights affected by fog THICK fog caused problems for hundreds of flights serving London airports yesterday morning [Tuesday].

By midday 62 flights to or from London Heathrow were cancelled and a further 380 were delayed by more than 15 minutes. In total, one in three flights were disrupted.

British Airways alone saw 45 cancellations at Heathrow, while London City halted 62 flights. There were none at Gatwick but it experienced 173 delays.

Fighters join forces FIGHTER aircraft soared over the English Channel as the RAF joined its French and American allies in a training exercise.

More than 40 jets took party in Operation Point Blank on Tuesday, including two of the RAF’s F-35B Lightning II stealth fighter jets, based at Marham in Norfolk.

Planes took off from bases around the country and the exercise was led by the US Air Force’s 48th Fighter Wing, based at RAF Lakenheath, Suffolk.

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Belgian doctors face criminal probe over autism euthanasia OFFICIALS in Belgium officials are examining whether doctors improperly euthanised a woman with autism.

It is the first criminal investigation in such a case since euthanasia was legalised in 2002.

Three doctors from East Flanders are being investigated on suspicion of having ‘poisoned’ Tine Nys in 2010.

The 38-year-old had been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a mild form of autism, two months before she died in an apparently legal killing by a doctor.

Belgium is one of two countries, along with Holland, where euthanasia of people for psychiatric reasons is allowed if they can prove they have ‘unbearable and untreatable’ suffering.

Among Belgians euthanised for mental health reasons, the most common conditions are depression, personality disorder and Asperger’s.

Experts dispute whether autism should be considered a valid reason to be killed.

Last year, it was reported that after Ms Nys’s family filed a criminal complaint, alleging numerous ‘irregularities’ in her death, her doctors attempted to block the investigation.

“We must try to stop these people,” wrote Dr Lieve Thienpont, the psychiatrist who approved Ms Nys’s request to die – and one of the doctors now facing charges.

“It is a seriously dysfunctional, wounded, traumatised family with very little empathy and respect for others,” the message read.

Belgium’s Chamber of Indictment ‘presumes that there are sufficient indications in this particular case’ and the doctors involved have been referred to the Court of Assize in Ghent.

They will now face trial ‘due to poisoning’, said Francis Clarysse, a Ghent prosecutor.

In the 15 years since doctors were granted the right to legally kill patients, more than 10,000 people have been euthanised. Only one case has been referred to prosecutors, which was dropped.

OUT OF THIS WORLD: A selfie including the surface of Mars taken by the robotic arm of NASA’s InSight lander after the spacecraft touched down on the red planet.

ATTEMPTED MURDER Sergej W arrives in court

14-year sentence for football bus bomber A GERMAN court convicted a man on 28 counts of attempted murder over last year’s attack on the Borussia Dortmund football team’s bus.

After an 11-month trial the defendant, known as Sergej W, was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Dortmund defender Marc Bartra and a police officer were injured when three explosions hit the team bus as it left a hotel in the western German city for a Champions League game in April 2017.

Prosecutors alleged Sergej W took out a loan to place a bet that Borussia Dortmund’s shares would drop in value, then bombed the bus and tried to disguise the attack as Islamic terrorism.

Maldives president let off terror charge THE Maldives’ highest court has annulled a conviction for the former president on terror charges that carried a 13-year prison sentence.

The Supreme Court set aside Mohamed Nasheed’s conviction, saying the state had failed to produce sufficient evidence.

Mr Nasheed, who was the first democratically elected president in 2008, was sentenced in 2015 for odering the detention of a top judge in 2012.

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NEWS

Letters

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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 Runcie Court, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG

More vacant buildings would be a case of dereliction of duty AT A CROSSROADS Could the existing Town Hall be refurbished?

Watch out for this ‘Gatwick’ scam A few weeks ago in Waitrose car park in Tonbridge, a very friendly Italian man in his car called out to me and asked if I could direct him to Gatwick. When I’d done that he then described a problem: His luggage was overweight and would I be offended if he offered me four very nice jackets for free.

Then he said he was short of cash and did I have any to help him buy a present for his wife?

I politely declined.

Two other people have told me this scenario has happened to them, one in Sainsbury’s car park. Then, outside Lloyds Bank, a younger guy in a car asked me how to get to Gatwick.

It seems they accost elderly people for obvious reasons. I hope others will not now be robbed.

Bob Price Tonbridge

Railway extension makes me cross An eminent property professional said, some years ago, that there are only two important things you need to consider when undertaking a project such as that contemplated by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council: Timing and funding. It seems to me that the council have got both these key elements spectacularly wrong.

At a time when local government finances across the country are stretched to breaking point, with what most would regard as essential council-run services severely pared back or abandoned altogether, and with very uncertain economic conditions forecast for some years yet, the timing could not be worse.

The cost and viability of the project is open to conjecture, with projections of future income wildly optimistic to the point where it seems that the council taxpayers of the borough will

Have the decency to stop shooting For the second year running, I have had my quiet time to reflect upon the sacrifices of war on Remembrance Sunday ruined by people shooting pheasants.

I do not regard it as a religious occasion, but I am sure that those people observing the moments of silence in Penshurst Church must have been dismayed to hear the pock-pock of shots being fired in the background.

It seems all the more appalling this year, when the centenary of the Armistice was supposed to be commemorating the moment – real or not – when the ‘guns fell silent’ at the end of the First World War. There was, perhaps, something rather ironic about these people slaughtering innocent creatures for no reason at all, but I’d rather they just shut up.

Brian Halfyard Penshurst

KCC in denial over climate change Kent’s local government pension fund is neglecting to protect members’ pensions from the financial risk of climate change.

These are the findings of a new report by Friends of the Earth and Platform London.

have to foot the bill in the long term.

I would urge all councillors to put aside their personal preferences and desires and to think again about their responsibilities to the council taxpayers by considering alternatives to the scheme, the most viable of which would seem to be the refurbishment of the present buildings to bring them up to date.

This would save a permanent scar to the Grade II-listed Calverley Grounds and further vacant and potentially derelict buildings in the centre of the town for years to come once the council and theatre move out.

To my mind the council’s proposals might lead not to a regeneration of the town but to a degeneration.

I K Jefford Via email The report reveals that the Kent County Council [KCC] Pension Fund is the only fund to state that climate change is not a financial risk.

Yet the Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, has warned that climate change could have a ‘catastrophic impact’ on global financial markets.

Kent’s Local Government Pension Fund is one of only eight of the largest UK LGPFs to have taken no action to protect the pension fund from the financial risk posed by climate change.

We pushed the council’s superannuation committee to discuss this issue a while back but they decided not to take any proactive action.

It is shocking that while the council invests in fossil fuels it is also spending taxpayers’ money on flood defences to deal with the flooding caused by climate change.

KCC seems to be burying its head in the sand while more and more people in the financial industries are realising that to invest in fossil fuels is short-sighted and will damage returns for pensioners.

Kent needs to reassess its position to protect all those working in the county’s public services, who deserve to be treated fairly.

Fran Long Tonbridge & Malling Friends of the Earth

I don’t care whether the Kent & East Sussex Railway is the plaything of rich people or not [November 21]. The compulsory purchase orders for land and the extension of this line from Tenterden to Robertsbridge should be opposed simply because it means installing a level crossing on the A21 – the main Hastings-toLondon road. I’m surprised this absurd idea has even reached this point.

Joseph Howard Tunbridge Wells

Ballot has been spoilt in every way As it seems that my poetry gets up his nose, I’ll answer Sam Goodenough’s letter in prose.

I’m sure Sam [October 31] would agree that election campaigns should be fair, legal and ethically sound. Sadly, Brexit wasn’t. Leave groups broke electoral and data protection law and are now under criminal investigation. There are serious questions over the abuse of spending limits and the sources of campaign money.

There are also concerns over how data was obtained and processed. Personal information harvested from Facebook without permission was used to target undecided voters; and we saw Cambridge Analytica executives boasting how they could rig elections.

Then there was the propaganda: £350million a week for the NHS, a high-tech customs solution for Ireland, Turkey poised to join the EU, we held all the cards, a raft of new trade deals would be ready by March 2019, etc.

We weren’t told that even if a deal is agreed, we’ll be worse off than under the present arrangement, or that no deal will mean chaos.

Nobody mentioned rich Brexiters applying for EU residency, hedge funds making millions from shorting the pound, John Redwood telling investors to take their money out of Britain, and businesses failing or moving out of the UK. Finally, we didn’t know it would lead to more than two years of quarrelsome non-government and bitter division in the population.

So, although we did vote in 2016, the campaign is so discredited, the result should be invalid.

Paul Stepto Tonbridge

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

MEDALS to all those who work in restaurants and have to deal with stroppy customers.

Sitting in the most pleasant of places at lunchtime, Calverley witnessed a mother and daughter turn on staff with a vengeance. In a loud voice the daughter ordered one of the staff over, complained about the meal and indicated they had no intention of paying for it. The waitress apologised and smiled, which prompted the daughter to shout: “Why are you smiling?” The waitress replied: “Because I’m a nice person – you should try it sometime.” Bully for you. The manager then intervened and told the pair they did not have to pay but ordered them to leave the restaurant and never return. It was the third time they had eaten three quarters of a meal before refusing to hand over the money.

MPs were this week keeping their cards close to their chests. When the office of Tonbridge MP Tom Tugendhat was approached for his views on the Brexit package and the future of PM Theresa May, this particular journalist was told: “As soon as Tom has a comment we will let you know.” Fair enough. From Wealden MP Nus Ghani – total silence. And Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark? He’s so obviously smack bang alongside Theresa.

FORMER football stars Alan Shearer and Robbie Savage are among big names criticised for ‘encouraging’ young children to bet by promoting gambling companies on television and social media. Savage is linked to William Hill and has 1.75 million Twitter followers, while Shearer is paid by Coral and has 706,000 followers. Both have high profiles today because they’re paid huge sums of your money by the BBC to be soccer pundits. Take them off air and they’ll think twice about pushing gambling. Will the BBC be that bold? Don’t bet on it…

PANTO STAR Claire Sweeney (think Assembly Hall and Sleeping Beauty) found herself on thin ice when she opened the skating rink in Tunbridge Wells the other day. She asked the crowd: “How’re you doing Tonbridge?” Oh yes she did!

Don’t worry, Claire, you are hardly the first to mix up the two towns.

Chin Chin, readers

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EDUCATION Times WITH THE

Help youngsters find ‘the lost words’ A campaign has just launched to put a copy of the award-winning book ‘The Lost Words’ into every primary school in the county to ignite or boost a love of nature in children. These are nature words which were removed by by a dictionary. Here a local group named The Acorns tell the Times more about the inspiring project acorn and willow. They were words which research had showed were not being used enough by children for algorithms to declare them important.

It all seemed so self-fulfilling, so defeatist.

So we named ourselves ‘The Acorns’ and started to ‘find our crowd’.

We were joined by a Forest School teacher, backed by Kent Wildlife, the RSPB, The Weald AONB, Senior KCC councillors, MacFarlane, Morris, Penguin Random House and #TheLostWords campaigns around the country.

These campaigns, which have been run since the book was first published, have had similar objectives and have raised varying amounts of money. There are almost 600 primary and

IT STARTED as an idea in a Tunbridge Wells writing group, just around the corner from The Pantiles. Four of us stepped forward – two teachers, a lawyer and a journalist by background. All had different perspectives, but all held the strong view that children getting outside into nature has to be a good thing and that anything to help that is worth backing.

Magic And so the seeds were sown for Lost Words Kent, a campaign to reseed countryside magic into the imaginations of the county’s children.

To explain in less flowery language – to put a copy of ‘The Lost Words’, written by Robert MacFarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris, into every primary and special school in Kent.

The Lost Words was a response to the Oxford Junior Dictionary’s decision to remove nature words from its pages in 2007. These were words like dandelion, bramble and kingfisher; adder,

special schools in Kent and Medway so that has meant more fundraising than in some smaller counties. We are aiming to raise £6,500, and through crowdfunding and direct donations we are now halfway there.

So many people have been enthusiastic and there has been a real sense of community building. Some have donated money, some become patrons, others have spread the word on social media and among their friends and colleagues.

Jackie Morris, the illustrator of the book, has painted and given us four original otter pictures: They are ‘rewards’ for donating £200 or more via crowdfunding and can be seen on our website.

There are any number of research projects which show how nature can be good for our wellbeing as adults, but fewer such studies among children.

Most of the ‘evidence’ is anecdotal, but we have been inspired by teachers telling us what a difference being out in nature has made to the attitudes and perspectives of children in their classes. They talk of trundling through the fields, discussing wildflowers and how farmers bale hay, looking up at the clouds and listening to birdsong. Sometimes the children have simply sat, observing, letting nature guide them.

The book When children – and adults – know words ‘The Lost nature, it means Words’ was a from they begin to notice response to more of the world around them. the Oxford And the more they Junior notice, the more they might care. And the Dictionary’s more they might care, decision to the better the chance remove nature there is that nature will words from its still be there, waiting, for their children and pages in 2007 their children’s children.

Medieval Kent author Geoffrey Chaucer sums it up for us by saying; ‘Great oaks from little acorns grow’, which he wrote in ‘Troilus and Criseyde’.

We like to think that Geoffrey would approve of the Kent campaign, ‘The Lost Words’ book and children running around breathing it all in…

If you would like to contribute, please visitjustgiving.com/crowdfunding or get in touch on social media • Twitter @wordskent • Instagram @lostwordskent • facebook.com/LostWordsKent

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Weekly Comment

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Martin Betts Vice Chair of Tunbridge Wells Constituency Labour Party

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Labour Party member Martin Betts lives in Southborough and has long been active in local politics. He retired after a long career in the Civil Service, where his last job at the Department for Work and Pensions was in communications. He qualified at Leicester University in human resources and training and development. The Times also publishes regular opinions from Conservatives, Lib Dems and members of The Green Party

Retail needs government encouragement NEW research from PwC has shown that a total of 2,692 shops disappeared from Britain’s top 500 high streets in the first six months of this year – a rate of around 14 a day.

During the same period, a record low of only 1,569 new shops opened, leaving a net total of 1,123 more outlets lying empty. Over 50,000 retail jobs have been lost this year. We are warned that this crisis is due to get worse.

Across our borough shopping centres look run down and neglected. In Tunbridge Wells there are 22 vacant shops in Royal Victoria Place and 13 in Ely Court.

The old cinema site is still a vacant eyesore despite nearly 20 years of public protest and council promises that it would be fixed.

There are more empty units in Southborough – where even more shops are being built, and in Paddock Wood – where the town has to prepare itself for an additional 4,000 new houses over the next ten years.

Our business rating system is largely responsible for this problem with rate increases hitting high street shops for a second year in a row.

Business leaders have complained that the system favours online retailers like Amazon who operate in out of town sites with lower rates.

They complain that so-called remedial action recently taken by the Chancellor is tinkering and

inadequate, and will not prevent what Labour has called ‘high street annihilation’.

High business rents, poor planning laws, internet shopping, infrequent and costly bus services, and expensive car park charges have also helped to drive people from our town centres.

Flourish Government and local councils must take some responsibility for this and work together. For a start, government must sort out the business rating mess once and for all and set a business environment for our high streets to flourish.

Rather than cutting bus subsidies and services, government should start supporting public transport to encourage people to shop in our town centres. Many people living in our smaller villages have no regular bus services to do their weekly shops.

For years our council, which should be taking leadership on this issue, has promised improvements, but it is always jam tomorrow.

It should be working with developers to agree a town centre improvement plan that actually happens.

In recent years we have seen the council continuously increasing car park charges as a

RUNNING ON EMPTY? Our shopping centres and high streets are suffering way of making up for revenue taken away by the government. This is self-defeating since it is another disincentive for people to come into towns to shop.

Expensive developments like the Civic Centre and Southborough Community Hub claim to be future boosts to local shopping, but have little public support. Consultation has been abysmal

and the views of local taxpayers regularly ignored. Most doubt that these projects will bring back life to our high streets.

Both government and councils need to treat the shopping centre issue as a serious problem and genuinely listen to traders and residents.

Otherwise many of us will end up living in underused ghost towns.

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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INSPIRATION FOR MOVING AND IMPROVING timeslocalnews.co.uk

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LAPPING UP THE DUCK POND LIFE

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A STEP TOWARDS RETIREMENT?

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WONDERFUL WAREHOUSE LIVING

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Best in show

Latest ‘royal’ apartments Page 28

A CANDLELIT CHRISTMAS AWAITS

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Best property buys for...

We all love to see homes with the ‘wow’ factor – which could apply to the kitchen, reception room, garden or something else. Here we home in on specific aspects that make these particular properties well worth a look The SITTING ROOM…

Royal Wells Park Mount Ephraim Tunbridge Wells

PRICES FROM

£305,000

CONTACT • Royal Wells Park • 01892 532011 • royalwellspark.co.uk

A newly launched 2-bedroom show apartment at this prestigious Berkeley Homes development in the heart of town. There will be a variety of new 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments available. The show apartment is located in Sapphire House, part of the classically-styled Sovereign Place collection, and features sleek, modern interiors in a sophisticated palette that includes soft slate greys and natural wood.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Contemporary interiors designed for modern living n Finished to the highest specification n Spacious open-plan layout n Individually-designed kitchen with Siemens appliances n Generous living and dining area which looks out on to the balcony

The STAIRCASE…

n Balcony n Bathrooms featuring Villeroy & Boch sanitaryware n Master bedroom with bespoke fitted wardrobes and en-suite bathroom n Perfectly located for local amenities and open space n Help to Buy available on 25 of the remaining 1 and 2-bedroom apartments

Ridleys

Millbrook Hill, Nutley

GUIDE PRICE

£3,500,000 CONTACT • Savills, Haywards Heath • 01444 446000 • savills.co.uk We love this staircase so much we wanted to take a closer look! It sits in an immaculate modern 6-bedroom country house in a lovely rural location on Ashdown Forest.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Reception hall n Drawing room n Dining room n Music room n Kitchen/breakfast room n All 6 bedrooms en suite n Recreation room n Sitting room n Study/office n Billiard room n Gym n Catering kitchen n Gardens include streams n 3-bay garage n In total, approximately 3 acres

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

The Boleyn Eden Hall Stick Hill Edenbridge

Best For

The DINING ROOM…

£795,000 CONTACT • Savills, Sevenoaks RDS • 01732 789700 • savills.co.uk A 3-bedroom detached show home with fabulous open outlooks and good-sized garden in a lovely, rural, gated development just one-and-a-half miles from Hever station. A variety of other properties at Eden Hall are also available for sale.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n Superior specification n The kitchen is fitted with Quartz worktops lit by under mounted pelmet lighting, and includes Neff and Bosch appliances n Bifolds to rear n Alarm and video entry systems n Garden with lovely rural views n Electric entrance gate n Detached garage and parking n Set in 0.75 acres, with an additional 0.75 acres available

The DUCK POND…

Ferndene

Wadhurst Road Mark Cross

GUIDE PRICE

£1,250,000 CONTACT • Knight Frank, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 515035 • knightfrank.co.uk

A beautifully light and airy, refurbished 4-bedroom wing of a Victorian country house set over four floors. It also boasts well-secluded grounds, south-facing rural views, and a delightful pond complete with a duck house.

n Drawing room

n Raised decked with pergola

n 20ft, 5in kitchen/breakfast room with double doors to garden

n Natural pond with decked seating area

n Master bedroom with walk-in dressing room

n Apple orchard

n 3 further bedrooms

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n 2 bathrooms

n Detached 2-bay, oak-framed garage

n Dual-aspect sitting room

n Extensive cellarage

n Dining room with bifold doors to the kitchen

n Attractive gardens adjoining farmland, with walled terrace

n Gated driveway and parking

n Planning Permission for orangery n In all about 1 acre

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Erindale

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AT A GLANCE

ERINDALE HIGH STREET BIDBOROUGH ■ Remodelled, detached 3-bedroom bungalow ■ Located just off village High Street ■ Entrance hall with vaulted ceiling ■ Open-plan L-shaped living room with feature bressumer and wood burner, plus two sets of double doors to garden

Village home on one level could be ideal for retirement or family

■ Kitchen/breakfast room with shaker-style units, natural timber work surfaces, butler sink, vaulted ceiling with twin Velux windows and double doors aspecting garden ■ Master bedroom with generous en-suite shower room ■ 2 further bedrooms, one with triple windows ■ Front garden with fine far-reaching views ■ Rear garden, including large store with light and power ■ Driveway ■ Off-road parking

GUIDE PRICE

£850,000 CONTACT • Bracketts, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 533733 • bracketts.co.uk

Remodelled by the current owners with enclosed gardens front and rear and fine far-reaching views

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Interiors

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4. ESPA VETIVER AND BLACK SPRUCE CANDLE, £35, ESPASKINCARE.COM If you love padding around in your PJs and want to create a calming vibe, Espa’s blissful black spruce, woody cedarwood oil and heavenly vetiver will bestow peace of mind.

2. BAYLIS & HARDING SWEET MANDARIN & GRAPEFRUIT WICK CANDLE, £11.95, FRAGRANCEDIRECT.CO.UK With the festive season in full swing and twinkling Christmas trees fringing shop windows, there’s no reason to hold back when you can start sprucing up your space with this glitzy candle crowned with a gold fir. Sweet mandarin studded with zesty grapefruit will boost the mood.

1. JO MALONE INCENSE & EMBERS HOME CANDLE, £47, JO MALONE LONDON Smoky incense and embers is the scent of celebrating the calmer things in life, and with a touch of silver fir and warming notes of soft leather and amber, this concoction is a seasonal stress-buster, too.

3. ANYA HINDMARCH ANYA SMELLS LOLLIPOP DIFFUSER – BLACKCURRANT LEAVES AND ROSE, £99, AMARA.COM Who says scent can’t be fun? Famous for her designer handbags, we love Anya Hindmarch’s tongue-in-cheek take on home scenting, with pencil-shaped reeds encased within a quirky pencil pot. Fun and deliciously fruity, place it next to your laptop to make the most of working from home.

Winter candles

10 I

NTERIOR designers love to wax lyrical about mood-enhancing lighting, but if you really want to set the scene this winter, a scented candle can be a quickfire way to create a cosy – or sensual – ambience.

Whether you’re styling a mantelpiece, laying the table for a dinner party, or simply want to make

Ways to furnish your home with fragrance this festive season Candles are the quickest way to set a scene and conjure atmosphere. Here, this season’s best scented ones are selected by Sam Wylie-Harris the downstairs loo more inviting – think how boutique hotels manage to make their ladies’ rooms that much more luxe with a decadently dark wall paint, plush hand soap and the flickering flame of a three-wick candle – often the perfect finishing touch.

“Candles are the most ancient form of artificial light, adding instant

warmth and atmosphere to a room,” says The White Company founder Chrissie Rucker.

“Whether you choose giant churchy cylinders, thin tapers or mini tea lights, their display potential is limitless,” she adds.

Here’s how to make scent a seasonal statement this winter…

7. SANCTUARY SPA LUXURY OUD DIFFUSER, CURRENTLY REDUCED TO £12 FROM £18, BOOTS Rich and powerful, oud is the scent of splendour, with its intense woody notes, sumptuous sweetness and musky base. Sensual and exotic, it’s perfect for the bedroom.

5. BAYLISS & HARDING FUZZY DUCK ESPRESSO MARTINI 2 WICK CANDLE, CURRENTLY REDUCED TO £11.25 FROM £15, OCADO Why not come in from the cold and spice up your favourite wintry cocktail with this gently fragranced candle to mirror the notes of cold brew coffee? Delicious.

9. FORNASETTI PROFUMI REGALO GOLD OTTO SCENTED CANDLE, £140, SELFRIDGES (AVAILABLE FROM DECEMBER 3) Marvellously decadent, ‘Regalo’ means ‘gift’ in Italian – and who wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of this chic ceramic deco tied with a gold ribbon? Featuring the famous face of Fornasetti, the jar makes a wonderful collectable once the enticing blend of lavender, orris, cedarwood, incense and birch has burned to its end.

8. THE WHITE COMPANY WINTER TEALIGHTS – SET OF 12, £15, THE WHITE COMPANY If you’re planning to top place settings with glassware, crystal and trinkets and don’t want the fuss of a candelabra, the tender flame of a tea light is a godsend – especially if you don’t want guests fighting for attention over your favourite centrepiece.

6. YANKEE CANDLE HOLIDAY SPARKLE RANGE, FROM £8.99-£23.99 EACH, YANKEECANDLE.CO.UK Whether you’re dreaming of winter wonder, wishing upon a glittering star, have set your sights on an Icy blue spruce, or want to snuggle up with some frosty gingerbread, Yankee Candle have it all wrapped up with the most popular scents of the holidays.

10. APOTHECARY WILD FIG & POMEGRANATE CANDLE, £5, MORRISONS STORES With hints of honeyed wild fig and juicy berries, underlined by the bitter-sweet notes of tangy pomegranate, this luxurious-looking candle will create the right vibes anywhere in the home.

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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Property Focus

New Homes

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NEW H OMES

Phoenix Yard

Park Road, Tunbridge Wells

Prices from £490,000-£575,000 CONTACT

• Bracketts, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 533733 • bracketts.co.uk A marvellous warehouse-style building created on the site of a derelict warehouse that burned down in 2014, before conversion to residential units could begin. So plans had to be redrawn keeping the spirit of the old building, but as a new build rising from the ashes – hence the name ‘Phoenix Yard’.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

stunning full-length window

n Just 14 units set back from Park Road, with great views over historic Woodbury Park Cemetery

n Brick feature walls and Crittal-style windows give the homes an edgy loftliving feel

n All of the houses are different, with their own quirky USPs. One has a Juliet balcony, one has 2 terraces and one has a

n Luxury Schroder kitchens n Staircases of solid oak, which has been burnt to create a stunning Japanese ‘Shou-Sugi-Ban’ finish

n Brushed stainless steel ironmongery n USB charging ports n LED downlighters to feature the brickwork walls n Mixed flooring to include Moduleo Impress Country oak floor tiles n 2 allocated parking spaces

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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Cottages

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Tucked away town cottage surrounded by greenery and close to Holden pond

AT A GLANCE

HOLDEN HOUSE COTTAGES SOUTHBOROUGH ■ Beautiful, refurbished attached cottage dating back to the 1800s ■ Situated opposite common and woodland beyond ■ Canopied porch ■ Lliving room with large wood burner ■ Dining room ■ Kitchen/breakfast room with bespoke wooden country-style cabinets and door to terrace ■ Master bedroom with en-suite shower room ■ Further double bedroom ■ Vaulted attic room with Velux window ■ Bathroom with wooden panelling ■ Garden ■ Driveway and off-street parking for 2 cars

GUIDE PRICE

£499,950

CONTACT • Flying Fish Properties, Southborough • 01892 514189 • flyingfishproperties.co.uk

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Property Focus

CO MME RC I AL PRO PE RT Y

16 Lonsdale Gardens Tunbridge Wells TN1 1NU

TO LET – guide rent: First Floor £32,000 pa exclusive Second Floor £22,000 pa exclusive CONTACT

• Bracketts, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 533733 • bracketts.co.uk Contemporary first and second floor offices in an attractive period building in a superb central location with parking. The floors are available individually or combined, with space ranging from 970ft2 [90.1m2] to 2,442ft2 [226.8m2], under a new effective full repairing and insuring lease for a term to be agreed (contact agent for details).

n Reception/kitchen NIA approx 111ft2 [ 10.3 m2] n 3 offices totalling NIA approx 1,361ft2 [126.4m2] n Ladies and gents WCs n On-site car parking: 7 spaces SECOND FLOOR: n Total NIA approx 970ft² [90.1 m²] n Reception/kitchen NIA approx 102ft2 [ 9.5m2] n 2 offices NIA approx 868ft2 [80.6m2] n Ladies and gents WCs n On-site car parking: 5 spaces

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

GENERAL:

GROUND FLOOR:

n Central heating

n Shared reception/entrance hall

n Air conditioning to most rooms

FIRST FLOOR:

n Fitted carpet, floor boxes and blinds

n Total NIA approx 1,472ft² [136.7 m²]

n Door entry system

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Uckfield business awards an outstanding success Lawson Commercial were very pleased to be one of 15 sponsors at the recent Uckfield Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2018.

Lawson Commercial Partner Chris Lawson, who is also currently Uckfield Chamber President, said: “It was a tremendous evening. We had over 330 people at the Gala Dinner.

“There were 15 business categories all sponsored with the sponsor carrying out the judging in each category. There were just under 1,900 nominations across all the awards and each sponsor selected three finalists and the eventual winner.

“In the Small Business Award, which we sponsored, there were 23 separate businesses nominated which made judging extremely difficult, but

the winner was Horlock Holdcroft Financial Consultants, with the runners-up being Bishops the Butchers and GBA Motor Services.”

A big winner of the night was Kevin Markwick of the Uckfield Picture House, with Kevin picking up the Business Person of the Year and the Outstanding Achievement Awards, and The Picture House winning the Business of the Year Category.

As President, Chris Lawson also presented a special President’s Award to Sussex Support Service.

The Charity of the Night for the Raffle was Friends of Sussex Hospices, whose Chairperson, Kathy Gore, made the draw of three cash prizes. A total of £1,600 was raised for the charity.

Lock-up shop in Wadhurst

Just available in the centre of Wadhurst High Street is a lock-up shop ideal for a first time/start-up business.

The property is just under 400 sq ft, plus a kitchenette and cloakroom facility, and benefits from a rear car space.

A new long or short lease is on offer at £9,000 pa, and if it is the occupier’s only commercial premises then there should be no rates to pay with small business rate relief.

Lawson Commercial Partner Chris Lawson said: “Despite the growth in online retailing there is still a good demand from a wide variety of retail trades, and also office-based concerns that can trade from a property with a shopfront.

“We believe this shop in the heart of Wadhurst will have great appeal.”

Something a little different Lawson Commercial have a small, detached store in Crowborough, just off Crowborough Hill, of some 245 sq ft, which comes with the benefit of a car space. It has no power or water currently, but we believe these could be installed. The property can be bought freehold for around £55,000.

FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT • Lawson Commercial The Granary, Cornfords Yard, Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1RJ • info@lawsoncommercial.co.uk • Tel: (01825) 764488 • Fax: (01825) 761144 • lawsoncommercial.co.uk

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WITH THE

Times

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3 CALVERLEY STREET

TUNBRIDGE WELLS TN1 2BZ

To let at

£37,500 pax Self-contained building ACCOMMODATION: The building is arranged over ground, first and second floors.

Previously utilised for educational services, the unit benefits from a D1 planning use. However, alternative uses such as B1 would be considered suitable, subject to obtaining the necessary planning consent.

Ground Floor 835 sq ft First Floor 734 sq ft Second Floor 535 sq ft 2,104 sq ft AMENITIES: • Gas-fired central heating • Fully carpeted • WC/kitchen facilities LEASE: Available by way of a new full repairing and insuring lease for a term to be agreed.* VAT: Please note the property is not elected for VAT. RATES: Current rateable value £20,000. Rate in the £ (2018/19) 48.0p Prospective occupiers should make their own enquiries to verify this information. TWBC 01892 526121 EPC: The Band for the Energy Performance Certificate is D (100).

LEGAL COSTS: Each party to be responsible for their own costs incurred in a transaction.

BRANBRIDGES INDUSTRIAL ESTATE EAST PECKHAM

FRI leases at

£18,500 pax • 3 units of approximately 2,200 sq ft • Each are available per unit*

FORMER PRINTWORKS BALDWIN’S LANE NORTH FARM ROAD TUNBRIDGE WELLS TN2 3DH

Flexible lease terms at

£30,000 pax

AVAILABLE TO RENT ON SHORT TERM BASIS

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST • 9, 000 sq ft single storey workshop/storage building • Loading door • 9’0 headroom • WC facilities • On-site parking • Office space • AVAILABLE TO OCCUPY NOW • EPC: The Band for the Energy Performance Certificate is E (110). * Contact agent for lease details

FURTHER DETAILS ON THE THREE PROPERTIES AND OTHER BUSINESS SPACE OPPORTUNITIES IS AVAILABLE

BY CONTACTING • Shane Raggett at Broadlands Commercial Property Agents, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 512422 • shane.raggett@broadlands.co.uk • broadlands.co.uk

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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

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

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SUNDAY ROAST AND A RAMBLE

72 Biting talk at Soprano Taking on the tapas Page 70

Christmas magic

EATING OUT IN STATELY STYLE

78

In the forest Page 67

Crisp winter warmer

FUN IN THE FROZEN NORTH

82

Paul Crisp adds to the music at the ice rink Page 64

PUT YOURSELF IN POLE POSITION

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Arts & CultureFOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Ice and a slice of

musicianship Did you know that every Thursday evening The Forum organises a series of live music gigs entitled the Winter Sessions at the Calverley Grounds ice rink? The Forum’s Carolyn Gray reveals more about how this perfect partnership came about…

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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INCE 2012, all the cultural venues in Tunbridge Wells have been trying to work together to spread the word about their individual offerings, but to also see how they can support each other.

For example, The Forum has taken its annual music festival Unfest, which happens over the May Bank Holiday weekend, into the Tunbridge Wells Museum, while Trinity Theatre is working alongside its neighbour, the Assembly Hall, on various youth drama projects.

The Winter Sessions, which now happen every Thursday evening at the Calverley Grounds ice rink in

the lead-up to Christmas, evolved as part of a series of discussions about how the social side of the rink could be improved upon, adding another dimension to an evening spent there.

In 2016, the first sessions, organised by the team at The Forum, took place, just after JJ Almond joined the Assembly Hall as its Creative Director.

The idea has been fine tuned over the past couple of years– we even introduced Sunday afternoon sessions last year – but the aim has always been the same: To showcase popular and emerging singers and bands in a corner of the skate

LOCAL FAVOURITE Mike Wilton of The Standard Lamps

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

CRISP AND EVEN Musician Paul Crisp plays on December 6 marquee, which becomes a type of ‘mini Forum’.

Each Winter Session lasts two hours from 7-9pm every Thursday with three different acts performing live. The music can be heard over the ice rink’s PA as well as inside the skate marquee.

Over the years we’ve had a number of different singers and bands perform.

We realised from the start that the music needed to be suited to skating, and also a good backdrop to the various activities that go on in the marquee, so it’s a mixed theme of laid back and jolly.

The first year we launched we had lots of established local acts who you would be used to seeing at Unfest and Local & Live – the big music festival held at the other end of the summer – including The Breretons and The Ackerleys.

I guess you could say that we were all testing the water – or ice – as we didn’t really know what to expect!

It turned out the audience was a real mix of

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk people: We had fans of the acts, and lots of individual and group skaters, and people who just popped by for a drink.

Fortunately, the ice rink team, who are based at the Assembly Hall as the rink is run by the council, were very happy with how the Winter Sessions went.

So last year we shook things up a bit and invited some more unknown artists, as it introduces them to a new audience.

Since we launched the sessions, there have been great moments when young children have danced by the stage to the music, or those present have participated in seasonal singalongs, as some of the acts theme their set for Christmas, ice and winter.

One of our favourites was Joanne Louise Parker, who grew up in the ice skating fens of East Anglia, and has some songs with a very wintery feel.

Marathon cyclist Paul Cheese has also attracted interest, bringing his film show and assorted music instruments for audience participation.

‘It will be exciting to have The Gallerys play tomorrow night, and Mike Wilton will be along for his third year on December 6’ In terms of some of the highlight acts for this year, it will be exciting to have The Gallerys play tomorrow night (Thursday, November 29), and Mike Wilton, of Standard Lamps fame, will be along for his third year on December 6. Both have headline Christmas shows coming up at The Forum in December, so it’s good publicity.

But we’re also keen to showcase some of the new artists from The Stable. This is a Forum

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SOPHIE ON SONG See Sophie Harmsworth in the marquee tomorrow night (Thursday)

evening which was revived this year as part of the venue’s silver anniversary celebrations.

The Forum’s inboxes are always full of new bands asking for gigs, and so The Stable is now the first stepping stone for everyone.

Four bands with a common genre play during the evening and each is encouraged to pre-sell as many tickets as possible. The top seller gets to headline on the night. It’s something we’ll definitely carry on in 2019.

The feedback from members of the public for our Winter Sessions has always been positive, although occasionally friends meeting for a

chatty catch up have sat at the front, then been surprised by the music starting!

Having these music sessions adds something just a little bit special to Thursdays at the ice rink, almost a kind of wintery Jazz on the Pantiles. And makes it a very unique live experience – something which locals love.

The Winter Sessions take place at the Calverley Grounds Ice Rink every Thursday from 7-9pm. For further information, visit assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

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goingout 7 days of activities

By Eileen Leahy

for Perfection today at 8pm. This film tells the story of Degas’ obsessive pursuit for perfection through both experimentation with new techniques and lessons learnt from studying the past masters, using written accounts by Degas himself as well as friends and commentators.

Tickets cost £11 from trinitytheatre.net If you’re a fan of contemporary, boundarybreaking dance and theatre, then don’t miss the incredible Ballet Black, who will be performing a double bill – The Suit and A Dream Within A Midsummer Night’s Dream – this evening from 7.30pm at the Assembly Hall. Tickets cost £25 from assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk The Odeon screens The King and I musical live from the London Palladium this evening. This version of the unlikely romance between the King of Siam and a British schoolteacher is set in 1860s Bangkok and has won an impressive four Tony theatre awards. Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe star and tickets cost £20.75.

See odeon.co.uk There’ll be another Out of Bounds THE NUTCRACKER See this fabulous ballet at the Odeon

PERFECT WINTER FARE Roasts and rambles events at Penshurst Place

WEDNESDAY The latest exhibition at Trinity Gallery is entitled Through a Lens and features the work of Dorothy Clarke, a photographer based in Sevenoaks.

Through varied work, Clarke hopes that the exhibition brings to you a ‘sense of the wonderful and interesting places’ she has seen through her travels. Her photographs are just a few of the things that inspire her in life. The exhibition is

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

DELVING INTO DEGAS At Trinity Theatre comedy night with Bob Mills at the Royal Wells Hotel this evening from 8pm. Tickets cost £10 from outofboundscomedy.co.uk

FRIDAY Today at 10.30am and 11am you can join Susan at Tunbridge Wells Library for a toddlers’ storytelling session. Make sure you get there in plenty of time to ensure you place in the reading circle!

Today and tomorrow you can visit the Penshurst Christmas Market. This community event raises much-needed funds for two local causes, Pickering Cancer Drop-In Centre and Penshurst Church. There will be a wide variety of stalls, perfect for Christmas shopping, as well as performances from local choirs and harpists, mulled wine, savoury bites and sweet treats.

There will also be a raffle on both days. Open Friday 12noon to 9pm and Saturday 9am to 3pm.

Get yourself into the Christmas spirit by going to see Quantum Theatre’s delightful new production of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol at Trinity Theatre from 7.30pm.

Tickets cost £19 per person from trinitytheatre.net

SATURDAY

free to attend and is on until December 1.

The Calverley Grounds ice rink is open all day every day and has many special events, such as date nights (tonight, Wednesday) and live music in the Thursday Winter Sessions evenings from 7-9pm. See our feature on these on pages 64-65.

THURSDAY

Trinity Theatre is screening Degas: Passion

Tunbridge Wells Library Fun Day is on from 9am1pm. There’ll be lots of activities for all ages to enjoy, including: Take a Selfie with the Library Lion, face painting, balloon modelling, Christmas crafts, treasure hunt, meet Mara Bergman, story time, a Christmas cake decoration workshop and much more. Booking for the Christmas cake decoration session is essential. For more details, telephone 03000 41 31 31 or email: tunbridgewellslibrary@kent.gov.uk

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

There’s another Roasts and Rambles event happening today at Penshurst Place, and this time the theme is Portraits Through the Centuries. An expert will give a talk about the property’s impressive collection of paintings. The event runs from 12.30pm-3pm and tickets cost £21.50 for adults and £9.50 for children (under-5s eat free). For further information and information on future events, see penshurstplace.co.uk

MONDAY

CHRISTMAS AT HEVER CASTLE Enjoy this year’s theme of traditional tales At King Charles the Martyr Church Hall there will be a Book Fair from 9am-3pm where you’ll find all manner of rare and sought-after old and new titles.

This year, seasonal festivities at Hever Castle are themed around traditional Christmas tales.

During the day you can visit some of the castle’s beautifully decorated rooms, which boast welcoming log fires and twinkling Christmas trees. In the grounds visitors can discover a festive trail themed around the Charles Dickens classic novel A Christmas Carol and wander through the illuminated gardens as dusk falls.

Visit hevercastle.co.uk BAFTA and Perrier-award-winning comedian Dylan Moran brings his Dr Cosmos tour to the Assembly Hall this evening. Moran will offer his unique take on ‘love, politics, misery and the everyday absurdities of life’ from 8pm. Tickets cost £25 from assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

SUNDAY

For a magical Christmas experience, head over to Bewl Water where you can see Santa in his grotto, go skating on the country park’s ice rink, and have a delicious hot chocolate in the cosy bistro bar area. For more details, see bewlwater.co.uk

Going Out

PICK OF THE WEEK:

Bedgebury Pinetum Christmas Experience November 30-December 31

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, as they say, and it’s pretty hard to beat the Christmas offering at Bedgebury Pinetum.

Not only will visitors to this natural attraction be able to walk through the illuminated forest marvelling at the many colourfully-lit trees and shrubs, they can spy Christmas

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trees floating on boats, have a quick kiss under the Mistletoe Moment, and toast some marshmallows in one of the forest route’s many fire pits.

There will also be a vintage carousel to ride on, as well as lots of food and drink stalls to potter around and savour samples from.

Oh, and while you’re there, don’t forget to see Santa and his elves, who’ll be waiting in their secret grotto…

Tickets cost £10.50 for children aged 5-16 and £17 for adults. A family ticket costs £50. Visit christmasatbedgebury.seetickets.com

That Christmas ballet staple The Nutcracker comes to the Odeon this evening at 7.15pm. Staged by The Russian State Ballet and Opera House, this Tchaikovsky classic features a live orchestra with over 30 musicians.

Tickets are priced from £25.95.

TUESDAY Why not find your voice this festive season? The THE KING AND I Live from the London Palladium at the Odeon

MAGICAL THINGS HAPPEN IN THE FESTIVE FOREST At Bedgebury

singing group at the Church of Christ the Healer at Burrswood in Groombridge invites you to come along today between 3 and 5pm. No previous singing experience is required. Led by Barbara O’Neill, the cost is £4 per session (carers free).

For more information, call 01892 865988.

Head on over to EM Forster Theatre in Tonbridge this evening where you can catch a live screening

of Alan Bennett’s The Madness of George III. It’s the National Theatre’s first live broadcast from the Nottingham Playhouse, and stars Mark Gatiss in the lead role of the royal who saw his life and mind unravel at an alarming pace. Tickets cost £14, £12 concessions (over 65 & under 16 years) plus £2 transaction fee. For more information, see emtheatre.com

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FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk THE ICE RINK Calverley Grounds Open all day, free entry Music from 7pm onwards Thursday Winter Sessions: The Gallerys, India Fraser-Attewell and Sophie Harmsworth

THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE The Pantiles Doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7, websites pdag.co.uk & thegreylady.co.uk Saturday Into The Blue Sunday Emanuel Fanthome-Hodgson, Jack Leon Mackey

live music With Paul Dunton

T

his Thursday, the Winter Sessions at The Ice Rink in Calverley Grounds feature local acts The Gallerys, India Fraser-Attewell and Sophie Harmsworth. I also recommend the AVP Open Mic Night at The Bedford in aid of the Jay Harmer Foundation.

Friday night sees popular local soloist, Fred Clark return to The Spa Hotel, and The Sweeney will be rockin’ The Sussex Arms Basement.

Saturday night brings Into The Blue at The Grey Lady Music Lounge, The Lyrae Duo at The Trading Post, Acoustic Atlas at The Beau Nash Tavern and Velvet Goldmine at The Royal Oak pub. For fans of classical music, The Three Harps of Christmas concert takes place at Tonbridge

The must-read guide to what’s on musically for the week ahead… paulduntonandguests.com

Parish Church, featuring talented harpist Ruth Wall and narrator Graham Fitkin.

On Sunday afternoon, internationally-renowned violinist Nicola Benedetti returns to The Assembly Hall Theatre, performing with The Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra.

Sunday evening sees Skindred and Black Futures at The Forum, and Emanuel Fanthome-Hodgson and Jack Mackey at The Grey Lady.

On Monday evening, The TWUNT ukulele Jam session takes place at The George pub and folk fans can enjoy Bob Kenward at The Tonbridge Folk Club. On Tuesday night, The Stark Brothers will be at The Punch & Judy pub in Tonbridge.

THE BEDFORD PUB 2 High Street Open all day, free entry Music from 8.30pm till late Thursday AVP Open Mic Night in aid of the Jay Harmer Foundation Ruth Wall

Friday J & I Acoustic Saturday Freedom Cage Sunday Estelle May

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

The Gallerys

THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE Crescent Road Details and tickets at assemblyhalltheatre. co.uk Friday ‘You Win Again’ (Bee Gees Tribute) Sunday RTWSO: Nicola Benedetti

THE BEAU NASH TAVERN

Music from 8pm Saturday Lyrae Duo

Mount Ephraim Open all day, free entry Music from 8.30pm till late Friday Soul Night Saturday Acoustic Atlas Sunday Open Mic

TONBRIDGE PARISH CHURCH

THE SPA HOTEL

Event information at twforum.co.uk Sunday Skindred, Black Futures Monday Skindred, Aaron Buchanan & The Cult Classics

Mount Ephraim Open all day, free entry Music from 8pm in Zagatos Bar More information at spahotel.co.uk Friday Local & Live Presents: Fred Clark

THE SUSSEX ARMS, BASEMENT Sussex Mews Event information at twforum.co.uk Friday The Sweeney

THE ROYAL OAK Prospect Road Open all day, free entry Music from 8.30pm till late Saturday Velvet Goldmine

THE TRADING POST 5 Culverden Down Open all day, free entry

Tickets from tmc.org.uk Saturday The Three Harps of Christmas with harpist Ruth Wall and narrator Graham Fitkin

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

THE GEORGE PUB Mount Ephraim Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm Monday TWUNT ukulele Jam session

TONBRIDGE FOLK CLUB The Flying Dutchman, Hildenborough Hat collection Music from 8pm. More information at tonbridge folkclub.org Monday Bob Kenward

THE PUNCH & JUDY 11 St Stephen’s Street, Tonbridge Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm Tuesday The Stark Brothers

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Set your tastebuds off on a

European culinary adventure When it comes to dishing up a virtuoso display of Mediterranean cuisine Soprano is hard to beat, as Andy Tong discovers

W

VEG WITH AN EDGE Berenjena picante, a delicious aubergine concoction

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

HEN you think tapas, you think of Spain. And when you think of Sopranos, well it’s probably Italian-American mobsters shooting the breeze in a New Jersey trattoria.

How fitting that Soprano Tapas and Wine Bar, in the High Street in Tunbridge Wells, should offer a vibrant fusion of tastes from both those European countries – which is as refreshing as ever after 12 years in the town.

The owners, Ivan and Maurizio Di Santo, come from a restaurateur family in Calabria, the southernmost extremity of mainland Italy.

“There is a lot of Spanish influence,” says Ivan, “and a lot of tapas!”

The mixed cultural identity makes perfect sense for the tapas approach to dining, with its broad and distinct range of dishes.

And it comes as no surprise that the brothers also opened up a French restaurant in town last year, Coco

RAISE THE BAR Ivan Di Santo believes in ‘passion and heart’

Retro, just a few hundred yards away in Vale Road.

They are busy bringing the best of European cuisine to delight the palate of a town that voted Remain, after all.

Perhaps the Di Santos swayed the voters…

When we arrive at Soprano it is a gloriously sun-drenched afternoon and you can easily imagine yourself immersed in some charming spot near the Mediterranean.

Magical I go for a well-bodied house red Cabernet Sauvignon to drink, while my guest chooses a glass of the white Rioja. We can taste the anticipation as we then lose ourselves in the extensive menu.

It’s so hard to choose with tapas, sometimes you want to have about ten of them, but you know you will never get through it all and that wouldn’t be right.

So, Ivan takes over and brings a board of coruscating serrano ham

topped with shavings of manchego cheese and sliced jalapeno peppers.

It’s a good start. The ham, aged for 18 months, is a sheer delight, appealing far beyond the realm of the taste buds and delving down deep into the soul. It is accompanied by ‘berenjena picante’, an aubergine turret marinaded in Mediterranean herbs, paprika, coriander and olive oil, along with homemade houmous.

The aubergine is a revelation, subtle yet superior. My guest does not eat meat – I feel a little sorry for her as I lay into the ham – but no matter, the eggplant is a huge consolation.

It’s followed by another vegetarian showpiece, ‘calabacin frito’, tempura courgettes decorated with pomegranate seeds and served with a spicy aioli dip.

I could have eaten several platefuls, but had

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

to surrender the bulk of them to my fellow diner – only fair, given the magical meat feast coming my way.

One of Soprano’s favourite showstoppers is the ‘albondigas’ or meatballs, the first dish to appear on the menu when the restaurant opened a dozen years ago.

The composition of the extravagantly rich tomato sauce remains a secret to this day, and you can see why it is so closely guarded – it’s so good it makes your eyes water.

There is a mystery ingredient, too, in the ‘pincho de cordero’, or minced lamb kebab, a more delicate offering but with a wonderfully rounded feel. The succulent local meat is marinaded in red Rioja and rosemary, and rests on a bed of braised red cabbage with a yoghurt and coriander sauce.

By this stage I am beginning to feel pretty full.

And I haven’t even touched the fish dishes that my guest is tucking into. Clearly I can’t let her have the lot.

She describes the prawn piri piri as ‘packed with flavour’, and she’s right. You almost want to feel the sauce dripping down your chin. With it doused in garlic, chilli and olives with a squeeze of lime, it’s a race to the end of the plate.

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk Then there’s the pan-fried ‘nuggets de saumon’.

It sounds unusual, and it is, coated in pistachio, paprika and oregano breadcrumb. But it is an effective and fascinating comination – and it’s always good to find a new way to enjoy salmon.

Now I wouldn’t normally contemplate dessert after a feast like that. But then Ivan produces a homemade chocolate cake, gluten-free, made with olive oil and no eggs. It is irresistible – and divine as really only chocolate can be.

There’s also a deep slice of crisp, crumbly pecan pie, and two duelling spoons make light work of these surprisingly light puddings.

Ivan has had his chef, Tony Hutupasu, with him at Soprano since the very beginning in 2006, and together they have refined and evolved the menu to exquisite proportions.

“We strongly believe that with passion and heart you will always be successful,” says Ivan. “But we also try to innovate and keep changing.”

Ivan spent six months training in Manhattan, New York, as a sommelier and cocktail bartender, and can now throw into Soprano’s heady mix a range of concoctions designed – unusually perhaps – to accompany the dishes. It all adds to the wow factor.

SUCCULENT SUCCESS Pincho de cordero, marinaded in Rioja and rosemary

Food & Drink

Life&Times

COOL FEEL Soprano is as fresh as when it opened 12 years ago

He recommends the Big Buff, a whisky-based fruit blend, to be consumed with chorizo, while the pineapple mojito is a fresh, summery partner for fish dishes, especially calamari, with the acidity of the fruit combining with the freshness of the mint.

“There are a million combinations,” says Ivan with a definite twinkle in his eye.

He has also brought in another dimension – 55 gins and 13 tonics – and is busy matching them in the categories of fruity, floral, sweet, herbal and spicy. “We always try to find a new product all the time,” he adds proudly. “We want to be stimulating.”

Soprano is such a Tunbridge Wells success story that Thursday to Saturday nights are for reservations only, and they are booked up to a fortnight in advance. And even after a dozen years, there is no tapas rival in the town. After all, who would dare to take on the Soprano?

SOPRANO 56 High Street, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1XF Tel: 01892 535842 Web: sopranowinebar.co.uk

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New gastro treat in classic setting for

the whole family – dogs included!

By Ryan Peterson

A

PPROACHING the mansion house built

by Decimus Burton in 1829, you’re reminded of how grand and opulent Salomons Estate actually is.

Once the home of Sir David Salomons, and now a busy wedding, conference

TAKE A SEAT Part of the refurbished bar and restaurant

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

and events venue, I’m excited to experience the new foodie offering in the country house that is hoping to get people returning time and time again.

I’m met in reception by the group’s Executive Head Chef, Dan Yardley, who has been creating dishes at Salomons for nearly 15 years and is excited to share his new menu.

“Salomons is an amazing and

versatile venue, very popular for weddings and events, and we’ve now launched the new Salomons Pub & Dining Rooms,” he explained.

“We’re inviting people to come and spend a relaxing and enjoyable time in the house, with great food, wines and surroundings. And they can

‘It’s an amazing and versatile venue, and we’ve now launched the new Salomons Pub & Dining Rooms’

come along whenever they wish, not just for a special occasion. The team and I can’t wait to deliver the new menu and make Salomons a firm foodie favourite.”

Dan and his team have been busy preparing the new menu, which uses the finest and freshest ingredients right from

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Food & Drink

rooms are festive, warm and inviting.

With candles aglow, vintage artwork adorning the walls and plush banquette seating with cushions, it’s an ideal location for a romantic evening or a sophisticated dining experience with friends and family.

In the day it is bright and buzzy, perfect for that informal business catch-up, or even a comforting Sunday roast with all the trimmings.

The conservatory boasts stunning country views and is the perfect spot for a splendid Afternoon Tea, or a place to relax with a hearty meal after your country walk with your fourlegged friend.

The lounge, with a more relaxed feel, provides a welcoming place to warm yourselves by the fire, and enjoy a coffee with cake or glass of wine. The generous portions and fantastic service will undoubtedly make your meal at the

their doorstep. The menu is an impressive mix of delicious fayre, from traditional pub classics like the homemade steak burger and beer battered fish and chips to slightly more unusual dishes like Teriyaki Salomon fish cakes and Ox cheek nuggets; there’s certainly enough to whet the appetite.

With lighter bites like the Brie and cranberry panini priced at just £6, to mains costing no more than £12, you can’t question the value for money. One offering I’ve not seen before is the Afternoon Cheese, a new take on the traditional Afternoon Tea, a magnificent three-tiered selection using a mouthwatering choice of the finest English and European

cheeses all prettily presented for you to enjoy within the refurbished dining rooms or lounge.

Christmas The new offering also has a children’s menu, perfect for those family outings. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner and open seven days a week from 7am to 9pm, you are sure to find a food option that suits everyone.

The venue also allows you to enjoy a leisurely stroll around the estate, taking in the acres of rolling woodlands and the lake, before returning to relax and eat in any one of the spacious dining rooms.

Beautifully decorated for Christmas, with a magnificent tree, the

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Pub and Dining Rooms one to remember.

In addition to the tantalising menu, Salomons are also offering event nights, providing a variety of entertainment that sounds too good to miss! From Open mic nights and comedy shows to quiz nights, there will be something to suit everybody’s taste.

Why not extend your fun and choose to stay in one of Salomons comfortable guest rooms, guaranteeing a cosy and convenient ending to your day and evening, to be followed by a hearty breakfast to set you up for the next day.

The accommodation lies across from the mansion house, with free parking for all guests.

To reserve a table, or book accommodation, please call 01892 515152 or email: reception@salomons-estate.com For more information, visit salomons-estate.com

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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A WILDERNESS WONDERLAND Abi Jackson (second from right) approaching Hävvi i Glen restaurant on the edge of a village in northern Sweden

Travel

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

A delicious taste of tradition

ice fishing in Sweden Mix a hearty dollop of Sami food and heritage with a glug of Scandi schnapps and what do you have? Wilderness adventure with extra bite, says Abi Jackson

D

espite being zipped into a giant thermal romper, a faint chill creeps across my flesh. Even an inch of padding can’t completely keep out the cold when you’re lying on metre-thick ice.

But a few shivers won’t dent my zen. Forget palmlined yoga retreats and pricey spas, I’ve just discovered the ultimate holiday mindfulness belly-down on a frozen lake in the heart of northern Sweden’s Jämtland Härjedalen region, face planted in a freshly-drilled hole, fishing rod in hand.

There’s a steaming cup of coffee at my side, brewed above a teeny-tiny bonfire with wood collected en route, and, but for the occasional crunch of snowflakes compressing when I fidget, it is soul-strokingly silent.

Relaxation isn’t the prime purpose of my trip, it’s the food I’ve really come to explore – an exciting blend of old and new that’s really putting the region’s cuisine on the map right now.

I’d flown into Åre Östersund Airport the previous day, before driving a little over an hour to Buustamons Fjällgård, a cabin hotel and restaurant that’s home to one of Sweden’s smallest distilleries – and basically everything winter wonderland dreams are made of.

I’m embarrassed to admit, I’d always imagined Sweden as a land of pristine, pricey cities, full of Scandi-chic apartments and Ikea stores.

In fact, Sweden is 96 per cent wilderness – and you’d be hard pushed to find a better introduction to this than Buustamons, which started life as a coffee and waffle house for hikers in need of a shielded pit-stop (‘buusta’ is old Swedish for windshield).

The business grew as, over recent decades, Åre evolved into one of Scandinavia’s most popular ski resorts.

Although there’s plenty to do when the snow melts too; opportunities for hiking, cycling, paddleboarding, even wild swimming, make the region an outdoors Mecca.

Nestled halfway up Åreskutan mountain, the final leg of our journey requires clambering into a snowcat (a truck on tank-style tracks).

The snow’s so deep, it almost entirely obscures the window in my room, but it’s business as usual, which for me and my companions, means a distillery tour.

Buustamons’ schnapps is created with their own vodka, made from well-collected mountain water.

Everything’s bottled by hand, and foraged herbs, spices and berries provide the flavours.

Sweden’s drink laws are pretty strict, though. Getting a distillery licence is tricky – and selling rights even trickier. Buustamons’ drinks can be enjoyed on site, but you can’t buy a bottle to take home.

‘Hospitality here feels like an art, and perfectionism isn’t a rare trait – it’s a given’ “The plus side,” our host Mikalai, notes, “is you know if you go to a wine shop or wherever, everything is artisan, probably local and great quality.”

‘Great quality’, to be fair, is an understatement.

Hospitality here feels like an art, and perfectionism isn’t a rare and remarkable trait – it’s a given.

Take the 50-odd restaurants and bars that have set up in Åre – quite a concentration for a relatively small resort – almost all are artisan and draw the crowds.

There’s Åre Chokladfabrik (arechokladfabrik.se), a small but thriving chocolate factory started in 1991 by three friends – Marie, Marina and Eva-Lena. Everything’s produced on site (they make around 10 million pieces a year) using only fresh, local ingredients (try the soft goats’ cheese chocolate, or their bestselling cloudberry truffles), and not a drop of palm oil.

One of the most exciting hangouts right now is Krus, a pop-up a stone’s throw from the base of the chairlift, run

SNOW-TREK Abi about to man her snowmobile

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SWEDISH ‘PORK SCRATCHING’ A crispy fried slice of elk nose atop baked swede and suovas by the team behind Fäviken – Sweden’s most famous fine-dining restaurant.

There’s usually a year-long wait for a seat at Fäviken, but rocking up at Krus is a far more chilled affair. Your best bet is to head there for ‘fika’, the Swedish equivalent of elevenses, which generally means pastries, cake and a jolly nice chat (everything’s brought in from the Fäviken bakery, so it wouldn’t technically be wrong to say you ate Fäviken food).

It would be easy to assume a nation that favours daily pastries might have a weight problem, but Swedes are a fit bunch. The wilderness isn’t just their larder, it’s their playground. And what a playground it is…

Getting to the frozen lake for my ice fishing mission involves half an hour on a snowmobile, whizzing through forest trails and bouncing along snow-covered meadows in the foothills of the Oviken mountains, which eventually open up into a dazzling moonscape, the lake stretching

vast and stark beneath a brilliant blue sky.

Once I’ve planted my face in that icy hole, it feels like there isn’t another living soul for miles.

Unless you count the fish supposedly swimming around a metre below – not that any are interested in the maggot on the end of my line.

Ice fishing might be more about leisure than survival for most of us today, but for the Sami people it’s formed an essential part of putting dinner on the table for centuries.

Sami are the indigenous folk of Sápmi-land, a cultural region that spans northern Sweden, Norway, Finland and a small sliver of northern Russia. Many are nomadic reindeer herders, guided by nature and her seasons for generations.

But keeping traditions alive hasn’t always been easy. For Sami people, this has included maintaining hunting and fishing rights and adequate control of the land they live off.

In more recent decades, things have improved – and right now, with sustainability high on the

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agenda, and our appetites for joyful simplicity ever growing, people are relishing their naturerespecting wisdom and nose-to-tail don’t-wastea-scrap philosophies.

These principles are a key ingredient across the region’s food scene – but perhaps nowhere is it more evident than at Hävvi i Glen, where we head for lunch after our fruitless ice fishing attempt.

Chef Elaine Asp runs the restaurant with her husband Thomas, a Sami reindeer herder – and her dishes are a masterclass in how traditional techniques and fine dining can exquisitely combine. Not an iota is wasted, Elaine explains, as she serves up a platter of appetisers – smoked and cured moose and reindeer tongue, liver and heart, and elk bresaola.

Roasted bone marrow, fried fish skin and cloudberries add depth and colour to a smoked mountain char starter, while atop our mains of baked swede and suovas (dry-salted, firesmoked meat) sits a crispy-fried slice of elk nose (an elevated pork scratching, really).

But food and sustainability here isn’t just about feeding visitors; it’s a community mainstay, too.

Each village, for instance, has a moose hunting team, and for one week of the year everything shuts down while the hunt takes place. Limits are set for each region, but once butchered, frozen and prepared, it’ll last the season.

Before heading home, I tuck into my first plate of roast moose; it’s one of the richest meats I’ve ever tasted, yet at the same time mellow and soft.

COSY CABIN: At Buustamons Fjällgård

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MASTERCLASS Chef Elaine Asp with a platter of smoked meats

A fitting description, you could say, for the Jämtland Härjedalen food scene in general.

Effortlessly brilliant and authentically simple, but boy does it pack a punch.

HOW TO GET THERE For more information on the region, visit visitsweden.com/Jämtland-Härjedalen and adventuresweden.com EasyJet fly direct from London Gatwick to Åre from December 2018 to March 2019 on Thursdays and Sundays, from £30.70pp (easyjet.com) For more information on Buustamons Fjällgård, go to buustamonsfjallgard.se and for more on Hävvi i Glen, visit havviiglen.se

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Wednesday November 28 | 2018

How to keep your eyes on the optical fashion prize

Glasses make great fashion accessories as well as optical aids. Edney & Edney have a great range of frames and offer thorough eye tests AROUND 69 per cent of people in the UK wear glasses, but how many of us accessories with glasses?

Which frames suit your face? What colour is best for your skin tone?

Which would you wear to work and which would you wear on a night out?

We visited independent optometrists, opticians and eyewear connoisseurs Edney & Edney, on Monson Road, to have a thorough eye examination with the latest technology – and to look at frames in a whole new light.

Husband and wife owned Edney & Edney have 40 years’ combined experience as optometrists and opticians, and offer eye examinations in their state-of-theart consultancy room.

As soon as I enter the opticians, I’m welcomed with a friendly smile and offered a coffee, before being led through to the consultancy room. Optometrist Ayshah talks me through the process, and is personable as she discusses family history; changes I’ve noticed in my eyesight; and what I can expect from the next 45 minutes.

As with any eye test, we go through the usual protocol, puffs of air to check pressure, light shone

into the eye to examine the retina; slit lamps for front surface; a visual field check and the classic ‘test chart’.

But the really standout part of this consultation is the OCT scan [Optical Coherence Tomography] an advanced eye scan that uses light rather than sound waves to image the different layers that make up the structure at the front of the back and of the eye. The OCT can help identify conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

After the scan, Ayshah takes the time to talk through the results with me. I get to look at images of my entire eye, layer by layer. It’s fascinating to look at my eyes in that detail, and comforting to know I’ve had a full check for problems.

With my new prescription confirmed, I make my way to the shop floor to discuss frames with husband and co-owner Jamie.

The frames here have been carefully chosen and shipped from all over the world. It’s a gallery of quirky, creative and beautiful frames that Jamie has taken time to curate. No frame is ordered twice, so that no two clients will be wearing the same colour

‘Husband and wife-owned Edney & Edney have 40 years’ combined experience as Optometrists and Opticians, and offer eye examinations in their state -of-the-art consultancy room’

frame around Tunbridge Wells.

Everything from frames made of vinyl records (ensuring every pair is unique) to 3D printed frames with no hinges or screws, to those only made from acrylic – the whole collection is impressive, as is Jamie’s knowledge of this industry and his passion for helping clients find the right pair (or pairs) for their needs.

He talks to me about one client who came to him for one pair of glasses and left with multiple pairs to suit every different environment/ occasion. The client worked with vulnerable children and needed a softer, friendlier frame to wear when with them as opposed to when in the courtroom.

We change our clothes, shoes and accessories daily based on what we’re doing that day/evening. For Edney & Edney, it’s not just about putting a frame on a face, it’s important to build a relationship with that client and help them build a collection of eyewear that suits their needs and taste.

So if you like wearing glasses, and see them as a fashion statement or changeable accessory, then Edney & Edney is the destination store for you.

CLEAR VISION: Peter Stone (left) and Jamie Edney

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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Edney & Edney Optometrist & Optician 35 Monson Road, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1LS • 01892 517986 • edneyandedney.com

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Motoring

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Motoring News

A round-up of the latest new car reveals and consumer issues

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Clocked cars numbers reach record levels

Lighter and even more electric – meet the new BMW 330e hybrid

Your own Lamborghini racing car is en route…

LAMBORGHINI has let its racing division, Squadra Corse, loose to create the brand’s first one-off customer race car.

The SC18 is fully road-legal, but has its focus set firmly on the track and paves the way, says Lamborghini, for future personal motorsport projects under the Squadra Corse brand.

The car uses a top-of-the-line Lamborghini powertrain, a mid-mounted V12 engine delivering 759bhp and an impressive 720Nm of torque.

Performance figures are unspecified, but given the car’s track leanings we’d expect its 0-60mph sprint to beat the 2.6 seconds of the recently revealed Aventador SVJ.

Lamborghini calls the car’s aerodynamics ‘extreme’, as they’re derived from those used in competition.

They include a hood with air intakes akin to those on the Huracan GT3 Evo, while the sides and rear use fenders, fins and airscoops inspired by the Huracan Super Trofeo Evo. The rear also features a massive carbon fibre wing, adjustable to three positions, and 12 air intakes on the hood.

The carbon fibre body is Gregio Daytona grey, while the interior is clad in black Alcantara with red stitching.

No pricing information is available for the SC18 yet, but expect it to be a multi-million pound item.

BMW has revealed the latest addition to its new 3 Series range: The 330e.

A plug-in hybrid model, it mates a 182bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine to a 67bhp electric motor and 12kWh battery pack for improved efficiency.

It also offers up to 37 miles of electric motoring – an increase of 50 per cent.

The total system output is 249bhp – identical to the outgoing model – although an overboost can increase this for short bursts.

However, a diet means this model is lighter than its predecessor, so fuel economy is improved to an official 138mpg – under strict WLTP guidelines. Official CO2 emissions are also an impressively low 38g/km.

The hybrid powertrain offers good

performance, too. BMW claims the 330e will accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.8 seconds, while the top speed is 143mph. That’s thanks in part to the new ‘XtraBoost’ function, which temporarily raises the electric motor’s output from 67bhp to 112bhp.

Bespoke hybrid features include clever updates to the navigation system. When searching for a public charging point, the nav will offer drivers activities to do while the car is charging, from going to cafés to enjoying tourist attractions.

The new BMW 330e will go on sale from July 2019. Prices are yet to be confirmed , although expect a slight increase over its predecessor’s circa £35,000 starting price.

The number of cars with false mileages on the road has hit 2.3 million, leading to a call for a ban on mileage-correction tools.

The latest figures from vehicle data company HPI shows that vehicles with a mileage discrepancy increased by 25 per cent between 2014-2016 (the latest year for which data is available.) One in every 16 vehicles the company checks now has the issue.

The Local Government Association [LGA], which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, said a ban on DIY mileage-correction devices – which are freely available for around £100 online – would stop the rise of so-called ‘clocking’.

Councillor Simon Blackburn, Chair of the LGA’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, said: “Car clocking is a rising major fraud which not only rips off motorists but can have dangerous implications.

“Unscrupulous dealers are tricking unsuspecting buyers into paying thousands of pounds more for a vehicle with false mileage, which could put their safety at risk and lead to expensive repair bills if it is in a poorer condition than has been suggested.

“The sale of cheap mileage correction software needs to be banned.”

Clocking can add up to £4,000 to the price of a used family car. It can also hide serious mechanical faults or lead the new owners to ignore service items.

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

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Recruitment

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WITH THE

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

Fill your vacancy now in print or online

From just £99 For more information contact our commercial team on 01892 779650

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

CODEWORD 4

5

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14

15

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K

8

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A B C D E F G H I J K L MNO P Q R S T U VWX Y Z 1

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15 25

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15 12

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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.

8 4

9

5 2 1

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

1

16

24 14

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1 9

Codeword:

6 3 2

8

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18 23

9 6

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6 18

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1

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22 13

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© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

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DIFFICULTY RATING:★★★★

2

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7 8 8

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3 4 1 6

9 3

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3 2 9 3 7 6

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LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★✩✩✩

CLASSIFIEDS

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Puzzles

In this Sudoku, the normal 3x3 boxes are now strangely odd shapes – but all the rules and logic of normal Sudoku apply.

Fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and box contains every number uniquely.

Puzzle solutions will be published in a forthcoming issue

A N A E M I A M A S A I

C R E S R E U I O L F ON S O F K U S S O L I N V E Z O R E S H L R J A Y T R A G M U I U P E R L A I E E N C I S O R

S A C R I L E G E

U M E O S S I A X H

E S W MO O M P

D I R M B A A Q C R I

A M U A N S S T E E R

7 1 6 5 3 8 2 9 4

Sudoku:

1 4 7 6 2 5 8 3 9

3 5 9 8 7 1 4 2 6

8 6 2 3 9 4 1 7 5

9 2 4 7 5 3 6 8 1

5 7 1 2 8 6 9 4 3

6 3 8 1 4 9 7 5 2

4 8 5 9 6 2 3 1 7

9 5 8 3 1 6 2 7 4

6 8 7 5 9 4 3 1 2

2 3 4 9 8 5 7 6 1

2 9 3 4 1 7 5 6 8

Jigsaw Sudoku:

7 6 5 1 3 2 9 4 8

8 4 9 2 7 1 5 3 6

1 2 3 8 4 7 6 5 9

4 7 2 6 5 9 1 8 3

5 1 6 4 2 3 8 9 7

3 9 1 7 6 8 4 2 5

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

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Sport

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk Please send sports stories to: newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk ICE WORK (L-R) Team England’s Sydney Boyd, Jonathan Braden, Lorna Rettig and Greg Dunn

STOOP TO CONQUER Sydney Boyd in action for England in Canada

Wednesday November 28 | 2018

Sydney sweeps all before her for England on the world stage CURLING: SYDNEY BOYD of Beacon Academy has been sparkling on the ice for England at the World Mixed Curling Championships in Canada.

The sixth-former was one of the youngest participants at the tournament as she joined up with the adult mixed team for the prestigous event at Kelowna in British Columbia.

England finished the round-robin stage with a 3-5 record, defeating Italy and Kazakhstan and pulling off an impressive 4-3 victory over one of the tournament favourites, Germany.

“The World Mixed Championships was an amazing opportunity to play against many highly competitive curling teams from around the world,” said Sydney.

“The atmosphere at the competition was more than welcoming and all the athletes including myself felt extremely comfortable.

“It was an experience I will never

play on other than the Olympics. She is competing with the best players in the world.”

Sydney will now turn her attention to the World Junior Championships in Finland in January, when she will skip an England women’s team which includes fellow Beacon students Anna Howey and Annabelle Martin.

Three former Beacon pupils will also represent the England junior men, Joe Sugden, Felix Price and Archer Woods.

The school has become renowned for its Curling Club and dominates the national schools competitions.

Taking advantage of its close proximity to England’s only curling rink at Fenton’s, team members practice weekly and enjoy strong links with the England Curling Association (ECA).

The Winter Olympic sport is highly inclusive, promoting teamwork and allowing people of all ages and abilities to participate and excel.

forget. I learnt a lot from the competition and the other athletes there and I am so grateful to have been given this opportunity.”

Sydney’s curling career began at the Crowborough school’s thriving Beacon Curling Club, which was founded in 2013 by Humanities teacher and England curling coach Owen Rees.

Friendly Sydney said: “I started curling in Year 8 after Mr Rees gave an assembly. I saw curling in the Winter Olympics and I wanted to give it a try.

“It’s a team sport, and so it’s fun to play with lots of other people. The curling community are really nice, everyone is really friendly.”

Mr Rees described Sydney’s elevation as the highlight of his curling career. He said: “I’m immensely proud of Sydney; there is no greater stage to

Tonbridge Juddians 46 Taunton Titans 17

By Adam Hookway RUGBY: TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS produced arguably their best performance of the season as they overwhelmed Taunton at The Slade and replaced them in fourth place in National Two South.

The game began at a frantic pace with both sides eager to run and pass the ball at every opportunity, and TJs scored first after four minutes.

Wing Murray Galbraith-Lowe caught a deft cross-kick and after some smart inter-passing the centre Duncan Tout was on hand to dot the ball down for a try which Will Robinson converted.

Four minutes later, Charlie Edwards took a quick penalty and was well supported by hooker Ryan Jackson,

Tout and full-back Toby May, who crossed for another converted try.

Taunton hit back with a penalty and for a quarter of an hour there was no scoring as TJs’ defence was tested by Taunton’s attackers and held firm.

TJs scrummaged well and managed to disrupt Taunton’s possession, fly-half Robinson intercepting a pass off the back of an attacking scrum and running 65 metres to score and convert his own try.

Taunton found a try of their own after a penalty to the corner, catch and drive. But five minutes before half-time the hosts scored their fourth try and took the bonus point.

Tout, returning to his robust form of last season, wrestled the ball away from an opponent, brushed off a couple of tackles and stormed 40 metres up the touchline for a stunning solo try which went unconverted.

After a Robinson penalty stretched

PHOTO: Adam Hookway

Seventh heaven for TJs as Tout brushes aside Titans

ROAR TALENT Murray GalbraithLowe celebrates his try gathered by wing Ollie Rice, who ran in to score a converted try.

The home side remained focused

the lead to 29-10 early in the second half, Taunton took advantage of a rare TJ lapse when a chip ahead was

Chingford 23 Tunbridge Wells 21

By Bruce Elliott RUGBY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS narrowly lost to a side that were seeking revenge for an equally tight play-off defeat two years ago.

That knockout match was the last time these two sides met, with Wells achieving promotion to the London and the South-East Premier Division at Chingford’s expense. The London side were finally promoted at the start of the current campaign.

Wells started brightly with the ball going through hands to Richard Webster, who went in at pace and scored in the far corner for an unconverted try after two minutes.

Frank Reynolds made no mistake with the boot on 10 minutes, slotting a penalty to give the visitors an 8-0 lead.

From the restart Chingford’s full-back landed awkwardly, damaging his knee, which led to a lengthy delay

while he was given treatment.

When play began again, an energised Chingford came back with a powerful attack which led to an unconverted try in the corner.

Both sides continued to work hard in the middle of the field but they largely cancelled each other out for a quarter of an hour.

But with Wells conceding too many penalties in the danger zone, Chingford took advantage, converting two of them to take the lead at 11-8.

Pressure Then Chingford committed an infringement 20 metres from their line and Reynolds kicked a penalty to the corner for a lineout.

The ball was spun out to the backs and after a few probing attacks Ryan Taylor-Dennehy took it in for a converted try in the corner on the stroke of half-time to go in 15-11 ahead.

Chingford started the second half strongly and after some sustained

pressure the referee determined that Mike Doherty had his hands in the ruck and sent him to the sinbin.

The home side capitalised with a try but three minutes later Wells replied with another penalty to level the scores at 18-18.

Ten minutes later, the visitors added another kick to take the lead again but as the clock ticked down they were reduced to 14 men again after further pressure on the Wells line resulted in a yellow card for Josh Hawkins.

Chingford piled on the pressure and eventually went over for the final try of the match. Although it was not converted, it was enough for the home side to sneak the victory.

Wells head coach Simon Whatling said: “Clearly we were all disappointed at the end of the game. Discipline let us down and we weren’t as accurate as we should have been.”

Tunbridge Wells, who are ninth in the table, now take on eighth-placed Dorking at home on Saturday [December 1, kick-off 2pm].

PHOTO: Bruce Elliott

Wells pay for lack of discipline

KEEP CALM AND CARRY George Montgomery makes a break for Wells

and within three minutes they hit back. Galbraith-Lowe broke through the first line of defence, was taptackled but he got up to cross the line, with Robinson adding the extras.

Tout picked up a loose ball down the right side and was caught but Galbraith-Lowe took the move on with Robinson in support and the latter went over for his second try, which he could not convert.

With the end in sight, No 8 Will Colderick started a strong run down the right wing and the ball was tidily recycled until hooker Ryan Jackson crossed for TJs’ seventh try, which was not converted.

Tonbridge had produced an excellent display of sparkling, running rugby, while their resolute defence saw the whole team called upon to make valuable contributions.

TJs now travel to Worthing on Saturday [December 1, kick-off 2pm].

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Sport

PHOTO: Jo Wilson

Wilson pulls strings for battling Ladies PLAYING CATCH-UP Annie Wilson leaves her opponents trailing

Tunbridge Wells Ladies 1 Old Loughtonians 1

By Amy Hare HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Ladies had to settle for a hard-earned point at Kent College after a match which showed their resilience in what is

proving to be a tricky campaign in East Region Division One South.

The match started at a fast pace and inside the first 10 minutes Wells conceded a short corner. A slick, straight strike routine saw the visitors find the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

So Wells found themselves going behind early on once again, but they pulled themselves

together and settled, with the defensive line of Amy Hare and Peta Sadler interlinking well with Sophie Hewitt and Harriet Alexander.

Player of the match Annie Wilson worked hard to confound the opposition’s defence and regularly carried the ball up through midfield to supply Amelia Honavar up front.

The home side carried that momentum into the second half and applied constant pressure to Old Loughts for the first 10 minutes, earning a series of short corners.

From the third of these, after a straight strike attempt was saved, Wilson followed up with a quick rebound to find the back of the net and level the scores at 1-1.

Both sides were now playing a very physical game and battling hard for the next goal, and the flow of the match was disrupted.

Wells kept cool heads and worked as a defensive unit, with Imogen Jenner keeping possession well as the visitors attempted to gain a foothold.

Having overcome this period of pressure, Wells dominated the final ten minutes but despite having several short corner opportunities, they could not find winner.

The Ladies now face a tough challenge as they travel to league leaders Maidstone on Saturday [December 1, 12pm start].

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Wells let their lead slip again Tunbridge Wells Men 2 Indian Gymkhana 3

By Ben Allberry HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS suffered a disappointing defeat at Tonbridge School in match that showed how tight the margins are in South Premier League Division One. The home side started sluggishly and Indian Gymkhana were quicker to react to a rebound after a shot was blocked to take an early lead.

This spurred the home side into life and they rallied to play some patient hockey.

The approach paid off as James Lester fired home on the reverse to level the scores.

A flowing move then saw them take the lead as Jack French neatly finished at the back post.

But for the third time in as many games Wells were unable to hold onto their lead.

Indian Gymkhana levelled the scores from a short corner, then snatched all three points from a fast breakaway.

Tunbridge Wells now travel to Milton Keynes for their penultimate game before the Christmas break on Saturday [December 1].

James at double to kick-start Mackley sees off mighty Bay Angels Ladies 1 Rustics’ Charity Cup defence Tonbridge Herne Bay 0 Rusthall Reserves 5 Woodlands 1

By Joe Croker FOOTBALL: RUSTHALL Reserves began a successful defence of their Tunbridge Wells Charity Senior Cup title against Woodlands from the Sevenoaks & District Premier League.

Rusthall pressed hard and after 25 minutes the breakthrough came. A cross from the right reach Spencer Flowers at the back post, who thumped the ball into the net.

A free kick to Rusthall saw Adam James head the ball in for the home side’s second.

Then the Woodlands keeper tried to punch a clearance but the ball fell to George Salter, who fired it through a group of players into the net.

In the second half James recorded his second g0al of the match and then Theo Cunningham, who had just come on as a substitute, found the net with a long-range effort.

Rusthall will now meet Blackham & Ashurst in the semi-finals after they returned from Hunton with a convincing 6-1 victory.

In the other semi, AFC Valour of Horsmonden await the winners of the Southborough vs West Farleigh tie, to be played on December 22.

In the Intermediate Cup section, Southborough

CLOSE CONTROL Sam Murray on the ball for Rusthall

Reserves brushed aside Rusthall 3rd XI to set up a meeting with Pembury, who enjoyed an impressive 1-0 win at Malgo, a team playing two divisions higher in the Sevenoaks & District League. Seal will play Eccles, who overcame Hawkenbury at home.

In the Junior Cup, Woodlands 2nd XI overcame Southborough 3rds 3-1 and will meet Penshurst Park, who beat Hawkenbury Reserves 3-0, while Roselands will host West Farleigh Reserves.

FOOTBALL: TONBRIDGE ANGELS Ladies clung on to their 18-month unbeaten record at home with an excellent win over Herne Bay. The visitors arrived at Hadlow with ten successive wins under their belts as undisputed leaders of Division One East.

But Tonbridge stifled the opposition with a workmanlike display of ‘winning ugly’.

The first half was a cagey affair and the clearest chance came when Herne Bay’s captain Kate Foster started a counter-attack and released top scorer Lauren Harris, but her effort hit the foot of the post and bounced away to safety.

The home side struggled to produce any clear-cut chances and were pleased to go in at half-time with the match all square.

Tonbridge began the second half in the same vein but managed to find another gear as the game finally began to open up a little.

A clear chance arrived for the home side when Becky Mackley found herself clear with only the goalkeeper to beat, but the latter saved well at her near post.

From the resulting corner, Becky Janes picked up possession and laid a pass off to Mackley on the 18-yard line.

Her left-footed chip was lifted well out of the reach of the goalkeeper to give her side the lead.

Changes on way after third defeat in row Tonbridge Angels 0 Leatherhead 2

By Jim Rowe FOOTBALL: MANAGER Steve McKimm has said he will make changes to his squad after the Angels slumped to another league defeat with a belowpar performance at Longmead.

The Tanners cruised to their fourth successive league victory against a Tonbridge side that have now lost their last three league games.

Leatherhead opened their account on 16 minutes when a foul by Angels keeper Jonny Henly on Travis Gregory inside the area led to a penalty which was converted by Jeremiah Amoo.

Tonbridge enjoyed more of the possession and saw chances fall to Alex Read and Tom Beere, but it was the Tanners who went further ahead a minute before half-time.

D’Sean Theobalds grabbed possession just inside the final third, cut inside and beat Henly with an accurate shot into the right-hand corner.

With the two-goal cushion Leatherhead were in control with a sound defensive display but still showed plenty of attacking threat.

Two minutes into the second half Dan Gallagher saw his effort just clear the crossbar and on 65 minutes Travis Gregory spurned a good chance.

The home side tried hard to get back in the game but they were restricted to half-chances and Leatherhead always looked favourites to go on and claim all three points.

McKimm said afterwards: “We were awful at Harlow, I thought we had perhaps turned a corner last Tuesday at Worthing [1-1 in the Velocity Trophy] but today we were very poor.

“The home end was empty by the end of the game, and I can’t blame supporters for leaving early,” he added.

“We had perhaps three or four chances and haven’t scored, Leatherhead have had three chances and scored from two of them.”

Tonbridge, who had led the Bostik League Premier for three months, now find themselves slipping down to third and in danger of being caught by a number of other sides.

The Angels must now travel to take on the top side Dorking Wanderers on Saturday [December 1, kick-off 3pm].

Having the advantage only served to strengthen the resolve of the Angels, who continued to keep the visitors on a tight leash.

Herne Bay were restricted to one golden chance with a shot heading for the top corner but goalkeeper Sam Wright managed to tip it over the bar.

Tonbridge were now looking dangerous on the counter-attack, with Janes unfortunate to see a shot palmed onto the post by the goalkeeper.

Janes then broke down the right and delivered a cross which narrowly eluded the unmarked Megan Akehurst.

The hosts’ lead was not seriously threatened as the Angels closed out the match.

Manager Dan Couldridge was in buoyant mood, saying: “We’ve deservedly beaten the top two teams in consecutive games [after also defeating Ashford] and this team has earned the right to celebrate that.

“We always enjoy the big occasion so we will look to treat every game like a cup final as this outstanding season continues.”

The Ladies now face Bexhill United Reserves at Hadlow College in the SECWFL Chairman’s Cup on Sunday [December 2, kick-off 1.30pm].