Local, National and International
Times OF TONBRIDGE
r ur Yo EE pe a FRwsp
All the news that matters
Ne
Wednesday March 11 | 2020
Jump In sets a closure date as no new site has been found
FLOCK TO IT: Last year’s Lambing Weekend attracted 15,000 visitors, raising more than £70,000 for Hadlow College
Lambing event is cancelled as fears grow about coronavirus
By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk THE hugely popular Lambing Weekend at Hadlow College became the first local gathering to be cancelled because of the coronavirus. The move comes as public anxiety grows about the spread of Covid-19, with shoppers panic-buying and stocking up on supplies in case of self-quarantine periods of up to 14 days. Supermarkets have run out of items such as hand sanitisers, kitchen and toilet rolls - and Lidl has introduced a restriction of one four-pack of toilet paper per customer. So far there are no confirmed cases of the virus in Tonbridge & Malling although at the time of going to press there were five confirmed cases in Kent
and a further two in Medway. A borough council spokesperson told the Times: “In the event of a lockdown we have resilience plans for situations such as this and will endeavour to keep as many services running as possible. “But there is potential for services to be disrupted and our contingency plans
‘Risk of infection is low… But we expect more cases’ Andrew Scott-Clark Director of Public Health aim to keep this to a minimum. “We aren’t aware of any problems with schools, doctors surgeries, public outlets, restaurants or leisure centres at this point.”
JUMP IN Trampoline Park has said it will shut on May 3 as attempts to find alternative premises are proving unsuccessful. The popular venue on Morley Road is having to close after its landlords told the company to leave. Atom, a large drinks company which occupies both neighbouring units, will take over the site. Affected staff have now been given notice of redundancy after it became clear last week that a new site could not be found in time. In total more than 60 employees will lose their jobs. But the company still hopes to find new premises in the town or in Tunbridge Wells.
Goodbye
West Kent Clinical Commissioning Group said the public health team at Kent County Council is handling the situation on a county level. It encouraged residents to follow the guidelines published on the NHS website nhs.uk regarding hygiene and stressed that people should not to go to doctors’ surgeries or hospitals if they think they have symptoms. If that happens, the practice has to consult Public Health England and may have to close rooms to clean. The public is asked instead to use the 111 online service available at 111.nhs.uk/covid-19 The two-day lambing event, which was due to be held this weekend [March 14-15], attracted more than 15,000 visitors last year.
Gavin Lucas, founder and chief executive of Jump In, said: “The team are at risk of redundancy while we continue to search for a new home. “They have been amazing and are committed to delivering the best ‘goodbye for now’ possible to customers.” In a message to customers on social media this week, Jump In’s manager Joanne Marchant said: “Unfortunately we have not found a new home yet, but we are still looking so fingers crossed that we will secure one soon. “Due to this, we will be closing our doors on May 3. This will be our last trading day, but business will carry on like normal until then. So before we close our doors, come
Continued on page 2
Continued on page 2