The Times of Tunbridge Wells 25th January 2023

TUNBRIDGE WELLS

By Richard Williams

A PROPOSED motor village that was rejected by council planners more than two years ago, could be set for the former site of the John Lewis in the North Farm area of Tunbridge Wells.

Car dealership group, Hendy, has applied for planning permission to build a ‘multi-million pound’ car dealership in Kingstanding Business Park on the site of the former department store.

It had previously wanted to build a £25million dealership hub, which would have included showrooms and workshops, in Pembury next to the Tesco superstore.

The original plans were subject to protests from villagers, a petition that garnered 1,000 signatures and scores of objections, including from Pembury

Parish Council.

The scheme was eventually refused planning permission by councillors at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s (TWBC) planning committee in October 2020, who said they wanted to retain the Pembury site for a park and ride scheme,

But rather than take the planning committee to the Government’s planning inspector, Hendy Group has now lodged a planning application to build a ‘fivebrand’ motor dealership on the abandoned one-hectare (2.4-acre) John Lewis site.

A £200million business park by developers U+I is also being planned for the same area of Tunbridge Wells.

although plans for such a scheme was later dropped by the Council.

At the time, Hendy said they would look at their options but were ‘confident’ they would ‘win any appeal’.

The John Lewis store was one of eight closed by the chain in April 2021 when Covid restrictions were lifted, as the department store giant underwent a major shift in strategy to adapt to changing shopping habits.

The application by Hendy is for a change

Continued on page 2

Dealership is planned for North Farm John Lewis site

of purpose to the former store, as well as changes to the frontage.

The plans for the site include five car showrooms, an 18-bay service workshop, 15 car wash spaces, a sales office, and an outside display parking area for 110 cars.

Manufacturers

Paul Hendy, Chief Executive of Hendy Group, said: “Our plans would bring this major empty retail site back into use. It is close to other motor retailers, and the A21, so will ensure this part of the town remains a destination for eager car buyers.

“Modern manufacturers – and our customers –rightly expect ever higher standards. However, the obvious physical constraints of our current site mean we can’t make the improvements we would like to put in place. The only option is to relocate, and the vacant John Lewis site provides the ideal solution.”

The move to the North Farm area of the town will also see Hendy’s existing showrooms in Mount Ephraim close, with a view to those sites

being redeveloped for housing. Paul Hendy added: “As well as retaining jobs in the borough, our plans will reduce traffic into the town centre and provide sufficient space to expand our operations to accommodate our car franchises.

“Redeveloping the existing site for housing is far more in keeping with the current character of Mount Ephraim, but that will be a subject of a

future application.

“As well as removing cars from the centre of Tunbridge Wells, when fully operational our Kingstanding Way site would generate less traffic than when John Lewis was open.”

If the application is approved, Hendy says construction work would start on site as soon as possible with the aim of it welcoming its first customers by early 2024 ‘at the latest’.

No Levelling Up cash set for Tunbridge Wells despite PM’s garden party boast

By Lilly Croucher

TUNBRIDGE WELLS will not be receiving funding as part of the Government’s Levelling Up scheme despite Prime Minister Rishi Sunak claiming during his leadership campaign that the borough and similar areas would get the ‘funding they deserve’.

Last week, the government launched round two of its Levelling Up fund that saw 111 projects across the UK receive £2.1billion in an effort to create jobs and boost the economy in regional areas.

Concerns over favouritism emerged after footage of Rishi Sunak told party members at an event in Tunbridge Wells last August (during his leadership bid) that: “I managed to start changing the funding formulas to make sure areas like this are getting the funding they deserve.

Favouritism

“We inherited a bunch of formulas from Labour that shoved all the funding into deprived urban areas and that needed to be undone. I started the work of undoing that.”

Despite the claim, the Lib Dem-led Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) told Mr Sunak that the funding claim had ‘not been our lived experience’ and that they had only received one successful bid for Government funding in the last six years.

In a report submitted to a parliamentary committee, councillors said: “We suspect that

TWBC might have been invited because of the suggestion that the Government has changed funding formulas to benefit areas like Tunbridge Wells. As this submission will demonstrate, this has not been our lived experience.”

And the Borough received no Government funding in the latest tranche of payments.

The South East, however, was awarded £210million in funding with five bids totalling £122.7million being handed to Kent projects.

Successful bids in the county include £45million to improve the border at the Port of Dover, and schemes in Folkestone, Canterbury and Sheerness.

Nationally, successful bids include £50million for an eco-tourism attraction, Eden Project North, in Morecambe, £27million for a ferry in the Shetland Islands and £100million for rail improvements in both Cornwall and Cardiff.

Investment

In total, 52 projects were announced in Conservative-held constituencies, and 59 in non-Conservative areas, although Richmond in Yorkshire, the Prime Minister’s own constituency, has been awarded £19million to regenerate Catterick Garrison high street.

Mr Sunak denied the funding allocations were motivated by an attempt to shore up support in southern Tory seats, saying: “We are completely committed to levelling up across the United Kingdom”.

Of the £2.1billion of funding, £362million will be spent in London and the South East, while £354million will go to the North West.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “There are areas of deprivation in London and in the South East, particularly along the Kent coast that we do need to invest in.

“Within the South East, it is the case that there are communities in Kent like Sheerness, Margate and Ramsgate and around Dover and Folkestone that do need a degree of investment.”

BID seeks new Director as scheme enters final years

By Victoria Roberts

THE board of RTW Together that runs Tunbridge Wells’ Business Improvement District (BID) is understood to be seeking a new Director in the run-up to a new vote on extending the scheme.

The Times has not been told why Sarah Jane Adams, who took over the £45,000 a year-role in 2021, has left the BID, but it is understood she no longer works for organisation. The former Director was unavailable to comment last week.

However, a trader in the BID area told the Times that Ms Adams left RTW Together following a ‘furore over the Christmas promotional video’ that featured look-a-likes of the Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Kate, on a visit to Tunbridge Wells.

The news comes as the BID’s mandate is due to expire next year, meaning a new ballot must be organised this year if the scheme is to continue for another five years.

Promotional

The Tunbridge Wells scheme, which covers town centre businesses only, has over the years paid for the Christmas lights in the town, taking over the responsibility from the Borough Council, along with producing promotional materials to encourage more visitors.

Other projects have included an anti-spiking campaign and self-defence and first aid classes

for hundreds of town centre workers.

All businesses in the town centre were balloted in 2018 to approve the setting up of the BID.

According to the last available annual report, BID received a total of £379,435 from the levy in 2020/2021 and £22,000 from a government grant.

The BID’s current five-year mandate runs from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2024. The last ballot was held in October 2018 and organised and run by the Council, which provides one board member to the BID.

Ms Adams came from Maidstone’s BID, succeeding Ross Feeney in spring 2021.

FORWARD THINKING Beacon Academy prepares its Year 11s for their post-GCSE future with talks and guidance P19

ABSENT ICON

An Evening Without Kate Bush is a loving tribute in cabaret form P22

DANGEROUS GAMES The Times ’ film editor Matthew Dann finds that ‘living doll’ M3GAN does not play nicely P24

WOOLLY HUGS A 100-year-old knitter and her family bring comfort to children in hospital P10

PROPOSED The John Lewis site

CAMPAIGN Rishi Sunak in Tunbridge Wells in August

SARAH JANE ADAMS

Mary Beard takes the train to Tunbridge Wells

By Victoria Roberts

A POPULAR historian, classicist and TV personality has been in Tunbridge Wells as part of a promotion for Southeastern Railway.

Professor Mary Beard, an expert on Ancient Rome and a familiar face on TV, visited the town during November’s heavy rain as part of a new podcast series for Southeastern. Released last week, the series, ‘Hop On Board’ is aimed at enticing leisure travellers back on to trains.

The podcast sees Mary travel from London to Tunbridge Wells before moving on to Hastings and Battle.

In Tunbridge Wells, Professor Beard is heard drawing the past out of a local devotee, Blue Badge guide Alison Finlay.

Traveller

Starting on The Pantiles, Professor Beard lapses into her rather more characteristic brashness in describing the royal town’s Chalybeate Spring as ‘some rather murkylooking water’.

Ms Finlay rises to the bait and defends the honour of the water, saying: “When it separates, it’s crystal clear. The first sip of Tunbridge Wells water is like your first sip of draught Guinness.

“You pucker your lips a little bit. The second sip, it’s sweet and has an iron taste.”

Talking to the Times after the podcast, Ms Finlay revealed that the Cambridge professor had been rewarded with at least one classical reference.

“She got extremely excited to see Ceres (the Roman goddess of the harvest) on the top of the Corn Exchange.”

Unfortunately, due to the heavy rain, the two had remained on The Pantiles rather than walking up to the ‘third phase’ of the historic town, Decimus Burton’s Calverley New Town.

Tunbridge Wells customers set to receive £2million compensation for water outages

“We planned to take that in, but she didn’t have the [right] rain gear!” she said.

“I hope it does promote Southeastern,” said Ms Finlay. “She was going on to lots of places.”

‘Prepare for Battle’ (30 minutes), Mary Beard’s podcast for Southeastern Railway, is available on all podcast apps.

Danger driver jailed after 115mph chase

A MAN who fled police in Tunbridge Wells by driving at high speeds and who narrowly avoided hitting a group of school children has been jailed.

Ozgur Suyolcu had been disqualified from driving, but reached speeds in excess of 115 mph during a pursuit which saw his BMW collide with another car on January 28, 2022.

The 27-year-old ignored several red traffic signals and crossed on to the wrong side of the road in his bid to evade capture when two school children were forced to run to safety in St James’ Road. He then collided with a Land Rover in Pembury Road before fleeing.

Suyolcu was eventually traced to an address in Maidstone Road. He pleaded guilty and on January 12, 2023 was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court to a year in prison. He was also banned from driving for five and a half years.

Fare dodgers warned

FARE dodgers who are travelling on Southeastern trains have been warned that fines have risen for those travelling without a valid ticket from £20 to £100 from Monday (January 23).

By Richard Williams

SOUTH East Water is to pay out around £2million to its customers in Tunbridge Wells to make amends for the repeated outages before Christmas, MP Greg Clark has said.

Thousands of households were left without water in the weeks before Christmas, sometimes for as long as eight days, after a series of systemic failures at South East Water’s pumping infrastructure left the main reservoir in Tunbridge Wells severely depleted and unable to supply homes.

Failure

During the crisis, the water company promised customers that they would be compensated.

Mr Clark, who was in daily contact with the Chief Executive of South East Water during the shortages, restated his commitment to ensure South East Water did ‘not hide behind its terms of service to avoid paying customers who were suffering rolling outages’ during a debate on the performance of South East Water in Parliament last week.

Mr Clark now says that in an admission of the extreme disruption they caused in the run up to Christmas, South East Water has agreed to ‘waive the rulebook’ and calculate losses on aggregate

‘in acknowledgement that water services were often only restored for extremely short periods, usually at night, and therefore were of little benefit to customers’.

The acknowledgement means that 85 per cent of households affected will receive £250, with the remaining households either receiving £120 or £60.

The top level of compensation exceeds the average household water bill of £220 in recognition of the severe impact these households suffered.

The details were disclosed to Mr Clark in a meeting with South East Water on Monday.

He said: “I am pleased that South East Water have recognised the magnitude of their failure before Christmas and have taken on board my advice to be generous with compensation and not hide behind statutory obligations.

“I am also pleased that they are willing to provide a community-wide fund in recognition of the impact this has had on my constituency and I have further meetings scheduled to discuss this issue.

“Of course, this compensation will be of little comfort if we find ourself in the same situation all over again. I will continue to meet with South East Water until I am satisfied that they have a full and well-funded plan to upgrade the infrastructure in my constituency to avoid any repeats of that nightmare before Christmas.”

Boris

views

house in Bells Yew Green

The rail provider, which serves Tunbridge Wells, said the hike in fines was to deter fare evasion across the railway in Kent, East Sussex and southeast London.

Alicia Andrews, Commercial Director for Southeastern, said: “We have a responsibility to reduce the costs of the railway and bear down on ticketless travel, and so with the fine increasing on January 23 it’s a great time to remind the people who don’t pay the right fare for their journey that they could end up paying a lot more if they are issued with a penalty fare.”

Pantiles Rolex theft

CCTV images have been issued by detectives investigating a Rolex robbery in Tunbridge Wells, whose perpetrators may have carried out other robberies.

Mr and Mrs Johnson went to look at the £4.5million pile as the pair are trying to find a country retreat, the Mirror newspaper reported at the weekend.

But a spokesman for Mr Johnson, 58, said the former Prime Minister was not intending to make an offer on the house that has nine bedrooms, a wine store, stables, sauna and tennis court. Mr Johnson is a keen tennis player.

Luxury

One local said: “I’m delighted to hear it. This is a nice quiet village and the last thing we want is the Johnson circus coming here.”

It comes as Carrie Johnson, 34, was seen shopping at Harrods, which is a short stroll from the £20m home they have occupied since September, which is owned by a Tory donor.

The Knightsbridge property is worth up to £30,000 a month in rent, accoridng to the Mirror. However, Mr Johnson has refused to say how much he is paying JCB tycoon Lord Bamford’s wife Carole.

He declared that he is benefitting from £10,000 a month in ‘concessionary’ accommodation. Earlier this week Carrie, Mr Johnson’s third wife and mother of two of his seven children, walked to the upmarket department store in a pair of £850 Gucci embroidered loafers.

This fresh evidence of the former PM’s deep pockets comes as speculation mounts over his political future. It is rumoured that Mr Johnson - who is currently the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip - is looking for a safer Tory seat to fight for in the next general election.

The Rolex Air-King watch was stolen from a man in The Pantiles at around 12.25pm on January 10, when he was distracted by two women who asked for directions in foreign languages.

The man gave directions before one of the women grasped his wrist and started shaking his hand and bringing it to her chest.

Afterwards, the women may have got into a car being driven by a third offender, said police.

DS Rachel Howson of West Kent CID said: ‘It is likely that the suspects have targeted other potential victims in and around the Tunbridge Wells area.”

Anyone with information can call the appeals line 01622 604100, quoting reference

46/6560/23 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously at 0800 555111 or using the online form on their website.

PCC backs protest law

KENT’S Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, said he supports giving more powers to police in a clamp down on hard-line protestors who cause serious disruption.

In an interview on BBC Radio 4, Mr Scott said that the plans by the Government that will give officers more flexibility to stop and arrest protestors using disruptive tactics, such as blocking roads or slow marching, was ‘the right thing to do’.

The plans are part of an amendment to the Public Order Bill, introduced in Parliament on Monday January 23.

VISIT

Mary Beard with Alison Finlay recording the podcast in November

APOLOGIES

Greg Clark MP (right) with South East Water CEO David Hinton

FORMER PM Boris Johnson has viewed a property near Tunbridge Wells with his wife Carrie.

Concerns over 17-metre 5G mast that’s planned for St John’s Road

By Lilly Croucher

PLANS for a 17-metre high 5G telecom mast on St John’s Road have been submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s (TWBC) planning committee amid negative reactions from residents.

The plans detail the installation of a 55-foot street pole, a third of the height of Nelson’s column, as well as additional equipment cabinets on the pavement outside Henrietta Court, St John’s Road.

A planning application was submitted on December 21 2022 and the proposals are currently awaiting a decision by the planning committee.

Intrusive

The mast is to be installed by telecommunications operator, CK Hutchison Network, which operates the UK mobile network ‘Three’ that served 13.5 million customers across the UK in 2022.

In their planning documents, the telecoms firm claims that the proposed design for the 17-metre antenna is the ‘least visually intrusive option available’ that will not ‘overly detract from the character of the existing streetscape’.

They believe that the mast will be the best possible compromise to resolve the ‘coverage hole’ in the area, while keeping the street pole and cabinets to the minimum height needed to provide the 5G coverage to High Brooms.

The operator has also made clear that the local planning authorities should not impose a ban on new communication installation under section 116 of The National Planning and Policy Framework (NPPF).

An online petition against the 5G mast in St

John’s has gained 166 signatures and 17 written objections have been submitted alongside the comments of the planning application.

St John’s Road resident, Mrs Helen MontagueSmith, who created the petition said she agreed with all the objections to the plans, stating her concern for the ‘science and health issues’ of the 5G technology and the proximity to local schools and houses.

Mrs Montague-Smith said: “St Johns is a densely populated residential area and we believe that there are more suitable sites for the placement of this technology.

“I am urging the planning department to either find an alternative, more appropriate location that is not near so many schools and nurseries and in such close proximity to so many homes.”

The mast is positioned in a densely populated urban area of the town, close to several secondary, primary and nursery schools.

Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School

(TWGGS) wrote to parents on January 19 informing them of the proposed installation of the 5G mast on St John’s Road, the main road used by pupils travelling to the school.

Voicing her objections to the mast’s proximity to the schools, Ms Chloe Myers of Hopwood Gardens, said: “I am gravely concerned about the long-term implications of 5G exposure to residents and students alike, let alone the proposed position [which is] directly in the vicinity of students at TWGGS, Skinners School, the Boys’ Grammar and all the local primary schools.”

CK Hutchison Network said the street pole abides by all laws and guidance, including The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) that has found ‘no convincing evidence of adverse health effects at exposure below the guideline levels.’

A spokesperson from the Three UK mobile network said: “5G rollout is vital for residents and businesses of Tunbridge Wells. We want to

offer the community a reliable network experience and this site will be critical to making that happen.

“Masts need to be situated where people will be using the service and, in many cases, in precise locations to ensure the widest breadth of coverage.

“We carry out extensive searches and evaluate a wide range of options before submitting any planning applications.

"We are aware that there have been some concerns raised, however, from a health and safety perspective, 5G deployment is no different to any other mobile technology,” the spokesperson continued.

“All generations of mobile technology used by Three comply with guidelines to ensure that no harmful levels of radiation are emitted.

“As a responsible company, we take our obligation to run a safe network very seriously and actively work to ensure that our network remains compliant with international guidelines.”

KCC to sell off children’s centres and and move them to community hubs

By Victoria Roberts

SOUTHBOROUGH Civic Centre is to be the model for new ‘Family Hubs’ as Kent County Council (KCC) proposes to sell properties across Kent, which County Hall said would save services and help address a budget gap of tens of millions.

Under the proposals, children’s centres across the county – including four in the borough of Tunbridge Wells – will be closed and moved to hubs or other KCC-owned buildings such as libraries.

Closed

KCC said the plans were motivated by ‘big increases in costs and less money to spend’. This follows warnings last October by the cabinet leader that KCC’s overspend is likely to reach £70million.

In a consultation launched last week (January 17), KCC said it would gain Department for Education funding to develop the new Family Hubs.

The consultation proposes keeping Tunbridge Wells Youth Centre in Grove Hill Road open, and offering services from closed children’s centres.

But the proposals would see children’s centres at Cranbrook, Southborough & High Brooms, Broadwater (Little Ark Children’s Centre) and Rusthall (Harmony Children’s Centre) closed and

moved to a hub such as the Amelia, Southborough Civic Centre or the Little Forest Children’s Centre (Sherwood) – which will remain open.

Cranbrook Library would become a Community

Hub, serving families displaced from closed children’s centres at Marden and Tenterden.

Speaking to BBC South East, Rusthall mother Jayne Sharratt, who used Harmony Children’s Centre with her two children, stressed the value

of making friends face to face, and having resources close by.

“When you have prams and buggies and other children, it’s not that easy to get out of the house and get on buses, which is what you’d have to do to get to the children’s centre that will be left if this one closes – which will be 3.6 miles away,” she said.

While these buildings would be sold off, new developments such as the Southborough Civic Centre, previously known as the ‘Southborough Hub’, would provide space for new family centres to replace those closed.

In its proposal, KCC said: “New co-locations would follow the success of community hubs such as the Swanley Link and Southborough Hub in Tunbridge Wells.”

It added that services moved to hubs would be children’s centres and youth groups, public health services for children and families, community services for adults with learning disabilities, community learning and skills (Adult Education), and Gateways.

The proposal includes new ‘outreach services’ for Benenden & Cranbrook, Paddock Wood West, Southborough and High Brooms.

The consultation runs until March 23. A drop-in information event will be held at Southborough Hub on February 7 at 10am-1pm.

The proposals and consultation questionnaire can be found at letstalk.kent.gov.uk/communityservices-consultation

CONCERNS Jayne Sharratt who fears the closure of the centres

HIGH FREQUENCY Similar cabinets proposed for St John’s Road and (right) a 17 metre 5G mast in Hove

Figures show employment and unemployment down

By Lilly Croucher

THE local employment rate has crashed to its lowest levels since records began, though unemployment rates in Tunbridge Wells have also dropped to one of the lowest in Kent.

In figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) last week (January 17), the percentage of those who are employed in Tunbridge Wells dropped dramatically to 68.7 per cent in September 2022, from 83.4 per cent in June 2021 – the lowest rate on record since 2004.

Inactive

However, unemployment in the borough fell to 2.2 per cent, one of the lowest rates in the county, following Tonbridge and Malling on 2.1 per cent and Sevenoaks on 2 per cent, while the national unemployment rate is now 3.7 per cent.

People who are economically inactive in Tunbridge Wells – students, carers, the retired, those with long-term illness, or stay-at-home parents – constitute 25.8 per cent. That’s slightly higher than the national average of 21.5 per cent.

There are 6,245 businesses in Tunbridge Wells, with 90.6% of those being micro-businesses and only 10 being large businesses with over 250 employees.

Of those who are employed, 65.4 per cent work full-time, while 34.6 per cent work part-time –similar to the national average of 68.1 per cent full-time and 31.9 per cent part-time.

Most employees in Tunbridge Wells work in the highest-paid occupation group, with 65.2 per cent working as managers, directors and senior officials, including professionals and associate

professional occupations.

This is much higher than the national average of 51.8 per cent working in higher paid professions.

Meanwhile, 14 per cent of workers in Tunbridge Wells were recorded as working in administrative or skilled trade jobs, while 20.9 per cent are thought to be in the lower skilled and manual jobs such as caring, leisure, sales, service, and machine-operating jobs.

The ONS also showed that pay rose nationally by 6.4 per cent in the three months leading up to November 2022 – although with inflation at 10.7 per cent, this represents a real-term pay drop of 2.6 per cent.

The average weekly wage of someone working full-time in Tunbridge Wells is £676.70, which is

£34.50 more a week than the national average of £642.20.

Those on an hourly wage, excluding overtime, earn £17.69 on average in Tunbridge Wells, while for the rest of the country, the average person earns £16.37.

Disparity

Women in Tunbridge Wells were paid on average £129.20 less than men per week in full-time work, with female earners being paid £612.90 a week while their male counterparts earn £742.10.

In comparison, this disparity is greater than the national average, where women earn £103 less a week than men.

EVEN FLOW, a record shop and coffee house, plans to build on the success of its store in St John’s and open a second shop in the town.

Opening this weekend (January 28-29), at Ely Court on Camden Road, part of the Royal Victoria Place (RVP) shopping centre, the store will offer live music and discounts on records and drinks.

Showcase

The new shop will be serving hot coffees and home-made baked goods, along with a vast selection of second-hand records.

Even Flow owner Matthew Lord said: “We want to create a music hub and hangout for the local community and visitors to our town.

“We will give local musicians an opportunity to showcase their talent, and hopefully entice customers to enjoy a drink and listen to some cool tunes.”

Some staff will move from the original shop to RVP, alongside some new hires, he said.

“We have recruited some awesome new team members for both shops. We’ll have a total of 13 staff.

“We are super-excited about opening Even Flow at Ely Court as it’s a great location and we’ve had some really positive feedback from customers.

“It’s a perfect fit for our business and hope to have a lively, bustling atmosphere in the shop as well in the outside area.”

We’re right

EVEN MORE The team at Even Flow

SPONSORSHIP opportunities are still available for the 2023 Times Business Awards and gala dinner. Sponsors are encouraged to enter the Business Awards, but cannot enter the category that they sponsor.

Start-Up Business of the Year (Sponsor TBC) Companies founded since January 2021, which have really been attracting notice.

Creative Business of the Year (Sponsor TBC) This is a strong sector for Tunbridge Wells, covering the creative, design, marketing and PR sectors which have made our town their home.

Entrepreneur of the Year (Sponsored by Charles Stanley) An entrepreneur is more than just a business person. Entrepreneurs turn their ideas into business opportunities and may run more than one company.

Green Business of the Year (Sponsored by Clarity Homes & Commercial) This new award category will recognise companies for their commitment to the environment, whether through reducing energy usage, ‘localising’ their supply chains or any other green initiatives.

Charity of the Year (Sponsor TBC) In this new award category, judges will analyse the charities and not-for-profit organisations which play such a positive role in the life of our area, looking for impact, sustainability and imagination.

Best in Food and Drink (Sponsored by NFU Mutual) This award is for the local companies producing or serving truly remarkable food and drink. Entries are welcomed from fine dining restaurants,

gastropubs, simple cafés and food and drink producers – any company which can demonstrate how it puts Tunbridge Wells or the local area on the map with its gastronomic excellence.

Best Family Business of the Year (Sponsored by Childrensalon) The judges will be looking for the business that best demonstrates how running a family business has added significantly to its competitive advantage. The winner will need to show how being a family business has had a positive impact on its achievements.

Best Business 1-25 Employees (Sponsored by TN Recruits) This award category is for the companies with a workforce of up to 25 which has maintained consistent growth and strong financial performance, both meeting its customers’ expectations and supporting its employee’s welfare and growth.

Best Business 26+ Employees (Sponsored by The Finance Hub) Consistent growth, financial performance and an engaged, positive workforce are just some of the criteria that set these companies apart other medium to large businesses in the area.

Outstanding Business of the Year (Sponsored by Thomson Snell & Passmore) This award will reveal which company demonstrates the best combination of growth, ambition and quality of management in the area. The ‘outstanding’ company has delivered on a compelling business strategy, while developing its employees’ skills and looking after staff.

‘Recognition’ from Business Award secures previous winner’s support

grow our successful team further.”

By Sarah Carter

Winning the Best Business (1-25 Employees) award last year had increased business and recognition, and prompted the company to increase staff and floor space, said Neil Simmons of TN Recruits in Lonsdale Gardens.

Confidence

So now, the Tunbridge Wells-based recruitment firm is sponsoring the same category at this year’s awards.

Sponsors cannot enter their own category, but Mr Simmons told the Times: “Since last year, our business connections and clients have increased whilst we have become more recognisable as a go-to company where recruitment is concerned.

“This has led to us increasing the number of heads and having the confidence to take on additional office space with the ambition to

He said: “We were thrilled to win this category last year. We enjoyed lots of coverage and general recognition for a fantastic award.

“As an added bonus, the event was a memorable night, the team had a fabulous time and have talked about it so many times since.

“I decided to sponsor the trophy as it will be great to hand the baton to the next winner of this extremely competitive award.”

The recruitment firm specialises in finding talent for law, accountancy, financial services, administration, IT, sales, automotive, and other roles in the local area.

It also sponsored the Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & District Law Society annual dinner last November and was also shortlisted for the Kent Business Awards in December.

“There are exciting times ahead,” Mr Simmons said.

“I’m so grateful we decided to enter the Times Business Awards in 2022.”

The Times Business Awards take place on March 30, with entries open until February 20 at: timesbusinessawards.co.uk

Radio personality will celebrate businesses surviving and thriving

MEDIA celebrity Nick Ferrari plans to offer a boost to companies and individuals who have survived the ‘challenges’ of the past few years when he hosts the Times Business Awards at the end of March.

“I’m really looking forward to hosting the Times of Tunbridge Wells Business Awards,” he said.

Recognition

“The past few years have impacted businesses across all sectors in many different ways but despite the challenges, so many have not only survived but thrived.

“The evening will be a great opportunity to celebrate that and provide local entrepreneurs with the recognition they deserve.”

Nick started his career in journalism as a reporter and climbed the editorial ranks, as well

as working in television.

However, he is best known for radio, where he can currently be heard from 7am to 10am on weekdays, anchoring the LBC breakfast show, one of the station’s flagship programmes.

Stories

The award-winning presenter will regale guests with his own stories before getting on to the serious business of making ten companies’ night.

The winners of the Times Business Awards will be recognised on stage as the best in what they do, from starting businesses to supporting the community.

The annual awards ceremony and black-tie dinner will be held in the Victorian Theatre at Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells, on March 30.

A PREVIOUS winner of the small employer category in the Times Business Awards found the boost so positive that it is sponsoring the same award this year to ‘hand the baton’ on.

NICK FERRARI

Squash club at the top of its game from the grassroots up

By Victoria Roberts

THE LOCAL squash club’s top player, who travels from Brighton to play in Tunbridge Wells, recently won against an international player ranked over 100 places higher than him thanks to club support from the ground up.

Hosting the Colin Payne Kent Open on January 11-14, Tunbridge Wells Squash Rackets Club was treated to a high standard of international play.

The event, which was part of the PSA (Professional Squash Association) Challenger Tour Open, brought 32 professional players from 16 nations to the town.

Battle

Noah Meredith beat Temwa Chileshe of New Zealand in the quarter-finals and the top-seeded Valentin Rapp of Germany in the semis, before finally losing to Wales international Owain Taylor after a five-set battle.

But he stressed that it was fan and financial support from club members that got him to that final against very stiff opposition.

“The support from the gallery definitely helped me across the line in some tough battles against world-class players,” Mr Meredith said.

“Some of my Tunbridge Wells team-mates are supporting me financially and helping me to compete in more international tournaments.”

With the Tour mostly taking place in squash clubs – which are in decline nationally – the local environment, from young players to serious players and sponsors, is ‘crucial’, said the organiser, top national promoter Alan Thatcher.

“Traditional clubs are just about hanging on,” he told the Times

“As a promoter, my job is bridging the gap between the grassroots and the professionals.

“It’s lovely to see Tunbridge Wells working so hard on the game, and lovely to see the young players engaging with the pros.

“Tunbridge Wells has a thriving junior section with more than 50 youngsters,” he added.

Underlining the local contribution made by sponsors Kent-based 501 Fun, Alan said another tournament he had tried to organise in Brighton fell through due to lack of funding.

One of the club coaches, Phoebe Colman also competed in the women’s tournament, which was won by Torrie Malik from Sussex, who beat Scotland international Alison Thomson.

TUNBRIDGE Wells Squash Rackets Club is continuing to invest in its players from the early years by becoming part of the new England Squash Stars programme, which is aimed at children aged between five and nine. The London Road-based club starts offering the six-week programme from this February, teaching children the fundamental skills for the game. Coaches will help them improve their handeye coordination and all-round physical literacy,

SQUASH STARS OF THE FUTURE

as well as working on important life skills such as resilience and teamwork.

According to England Squash, the game is widely considered the highest intensity participation sport played anywhere in the world.

Joanna Rowbottom, England Squash’s head of partnerships and programmes, said: “Squash is a fantastic sport and a great way to help young people get active.

“Squash Stars is suitable for everyone – it

doesn’t matter how much or how little sport children have done before. There are friendly, welcoming clubs and coaches ready to help your child get started and enjoy the benefits of this amazing sport.”

The six-week programme costs £42 and includes a free racket, Squash Stars t-shirt, ball, goggles and kit bag.

Squash Stars booking is open at: squashstars.co.uk

Elite Leisure Collection is an award-winning independent group of local companies operating across the hospitality, leisure and media sectors. Founded in 2008, we always aim to recruit, train, develop and support our team to consistently deliver a high level of quality and service. Following a probationary period, by joining our team, you’ll enjoy free gym membership, contributory pension, Healthshield, reward incentives and staff perks along with a competitive salary. Due to continued growth and internal advancements, we are now recruiting for the following roles across our venues in Tunbridge Wells:

SUPPORT Fans cheer on Noah

SQUASH SQUAD Tournament winners and sponsors at the club

Photos by Artyom Liss

100-year-old knitter makes teddy hugs for sick children

Local loyalty card plans mental health fundraiser

By Victoria Roberts

A 100-YEAR-OLD woman from Crowborough is reaching out across the generations with knitted hugs to help children in hospital face their tears and fears.

Kate Smith started making bears for Tunbridge Wells Hospital during lockdown.

She said: “People gave me a load of wool, so I thought, ‘right, this is where it’s got to go’.”

Anxieties

Knitting bears became a family project after her granddaughter, Tracy Taylor, a junior sister at the Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), had the idea as a way to help children cope with anxieties about staying in hospital.

Tracy said: “All my Grandma and family want to do is give a child a teddy when staying in our Paediatric A&E unit, to help ease their distress and comfort them.”

Kate’s daughters Jacqui Taylor and Kate Smith,

and the younger Kate’s husband Bernard, are also involved in the project, knitting, sewing, packing and delivering the bears to Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury.

The family have produced over 300 bears so far, including 50 knitted in Union Flag colours during the period of the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

Teddies come with an encouraging message from the bear’s maker in their pocket, where children can also put their own message.

“They can put their own anxieties or worries on this little note, pop it in the teddy, and the teddy takes it away,” Tracy explained.

Children’s A&E can be a distressing place for children, she admitted.

“Sadly, we do have to do things which aren’t very nice but will make them better.

“We give them a bear to say we care. I’m really proud of our team,” she said.

Kate is now urging other people to pick up the inter-generational stitching.

She said: “I think a lot of young people should start knitting.”

Starting from February 1 and running until 4pm on Sunday February 12, donors making a contribution to West Kent Mind (WKM) through

Prize

TN Card founder Jess Gibson said: “Every person who donates will be entered into a draw to win a prize as a thank you for their kindness.

“Last year the fundraiser raised £3,000 including Gift Aid, and I'd like to beat that,” she told the Times

Prizes range from treatments and baby toys to luxury food and drink.

Stevie Rice, CEO of the independent local charity, said: “Our partnership with the TN Card is

extremely important to us and to date the TN Card has raised £15,000, which is an extraordinary achievement.

“The donations from the TN Card have supported our affordable counselling programme, enabling people from all across West Kent to access low-cost counselling so that money is no barrier to getting the right support,” she added.

“In the last year, demand for our services has increased, but resources for our work have become scarcer and the funding environment has become even more challenging and competitive.

“Like most charities, the cost-ofliving crisis has had a real impact on West Kent Mind, and these are very difficult times financially for everyone.”

Entrants do not need to be a TN Card member, but must live in a TN postcode. There is no minimum donation to enter.

The fundraiser takes place on February 1-12 at: justgiving.com/page/the-tn-card-birthday

•

•

•

•

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LOCAL loyalty card TN Card is to celebrate its third birthday by raising funds for wellbeing and mental health services in West Kent, through prizes donated by the scheme’s retailers.

the fundraiser will be entered into a prize draw.

THANKFUL Stevie Rice, CEO of West Kent Mind

STITCH OF THE CENTURY Centenarian knitter Kate Smith

BBC chairman denies conflict of interest over Boris Johnson loan

BBC CHAIRMAN Richard Sharp has said he does not believe there was any conflict of interest over his appointment following the disclosure that he helped then prime minister Boris Johnson to secure a loan of up to £800,000.

Mr Sharp said he believed his selection process was conducted ‘by the book’ and denied he had misled the advisory panel or MPs on the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee when he appeared before them.

Merit

The former banker has been facing calls to stand down after it emerged that in late 2020 he had introduced his friend Sam Blyth to the Cabinet Secretary Simon Case to discuss whether Mr Blyth could act as a guarantor for a loan facility for Mr Johnson.

But he insisted he would remain in place and was confident he was given the job on merit.

On Monday, public appointments commissioner William Shawcross announced he is to investigate Mr Sharp’s appointment as BBC chairman in February 2021 to ensure the process was conducted ‘fairly, openly and on merit’.

Asked if he should stand down while the investigation is carried out, Mr Sharp said: “No, I’m confident that he will determine that I was appointed on merit. That’s obviously for him to conduct that investigation and process.”

The appointment was a ‘highly rigorous process’ with ‘very tough interviews’, he said.

In an interview with BBC News, Mr Sharp said he was ‘comfortable’ with the way the process had been carried out.

“Having had a discussion with the Cabinet Secretary about avoiding conflict, and the perception of conflict, I felt comfortable and I

still feel there was no conflict because at that stage what I was seeking to do was ensure that the process was followed exactly by the book, and that the process hadn’t started, of any kind, in terms of any support that Sam [Blyth] was going to provide to the prime minister,” he said.

Perception

“I had clarified and agreed with the Cabinet Secretary, both of us had the judgment that I’d avoided a conflict or a perception of conflict.”

His interview follows a statement on Monday in which he insisted he was ‘not involved in making a loan or arranging a guarantee’ for Mr Johnson, although he acknowledged the row was a ‘distraction’ for the broadcaster.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Licensing Act 2003

Application for the grant of a Premises Licence:

An application for a Premises Licence at The Cloudberry, Stone Street, Cranbrook, TN17 3HE has been made by Mr Toby Welfare

Summary of the proposed licensable activities and the proposed hours of opening:

Sale of alcohol and opening times: Tues to Sat; 18:00 to 23:00

Any person wishing to view details of an application may contact the Licensing Partnership on 01732 227004

Any person wishing to make representation about the application should make them in writing by 16th February 2023 to:

Licensing Partnership, Council Offices, PO Box 182, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. TN13 1GP licensing@sevenoaks.gov.uk www.sevenoaks.gov.uk

It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application. The maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary conviction for the offence is unlimited.

The former prime minister, who was responsible for Mr Sharp’s appointment, has dismissed the furore as a ‘load of complete nonsense’, saying Mr Sharp had no knowledge of his personal finances.

That point was echoed by the BBC chairman, who said ‘I don’t know anything about Boris Johnson’s finances’ as that was ‘[between him and his family’.

Mr Sharp was in the process of applying for the BBC chairmanship when he introduced Mr Blyth to Mr Case and was subsequently appointed to the role at the corporation.

Rishi Sunak, who is under pressure over Tory Party chairman Nadhim Zahawi’s tax affairs, has sought to distance himself from the controversy, saying saying Mr Sharp’s appointment was made by ‘one of my predecessors’.

Tens of thousands of teachers join union so they can strike

MANY schools will close during strikes after the National Education Union received tens of thousands of new members, a union boss has suggested.

Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), has called on school leaders to let parents know ahead of February 1 if they plan to shut their doors during strike action next week.

The NEU said it has received 22,000 new sign-ups in the past week after announcing it will launch seven days of walkouts throughout February and March in England and Wales.

Closing

Asked if there is likely to be more disruption due to the influx of new members, Ms Bousted told the PA news agency: “I think the action will be stronger because we’ve got a bigger membership. People join so they can take part in the action.”

Ms Bousted said she is expecting more than 100,000 teachers to strike on February 1 – the first day of industrial action – which she has said will result in ‘lots of schools’ closing.

On the sign-ups, she said: “It’s because there’s a deep and prolonged anger about the circumstances in which they’re working.”

Asked how many teachers could strike next week, Ms Bousted told PA: “Definitely over 100,000 but I think many more than that.”

“Lots of schools will close. In areas where the NEU is the biggest union and has a really strong density like London, there will be lots of schools closed,” she added.

Guidance from the Department for Education suggests agency staff and volunteers could be used to cover classes on strike days, with schools expected to remain open where possible.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Licensing Act 2003Application for the grant of a Premises Licence

An application for a Premises Licence at Eat Italiano, SU19, Royal Victoria Place, Tunbridge Wells, has been made by Eat Italiano ltd

A summary of the proposed licensable activities and the proposed hours of opening:

Sale of alcohol and opening hours

Mon to Sat – 09:00 to 18:30; Sun – 10:00 to 18:30

Any person wishing to view details of an application can contact the licensing team on 01732 227004

Any person wishing to make representation about the proposals should make them in writing by 7 February 2023 to:

Licensing Partnership, Council Offices, PO Box 182, Argyle Road, Sevenoaks, Kent. TN13 1GP licensing@sevenoaks.gov.uk www.sevenoaks.gov.uk

It is an offence knowingly or recklessly to make a false statement in connection with an application. The maximum fine for which a person is liable on summary of conviction for the offence is Unlimited.

Coronation Street’s Gail Platt was among those to receive honours

SOAP star Helen Worth led those collecting honours at Windsor Castle yesterday (January 24).

The Ossett-born actress, who has played Gail Platt on Coronation Street since 1974, was made an MBE for services to drama.

Also honoured at the ceremony were England’s chief nurse Dame Ruth Beverley (Ruth May), who was made a Dame Commander for her contribution to nursing, midwifery and the NHS.

The Bailiff of Jersey, Sir Timothy Le Cocq, was made a Knight Bachelor for services to the bailiwick where he was born and has lived much of his life.

Commonwealth

Visual artist Cornelia Parker, who is best known for large-scale installations, was made a CBE for services to the arts.

Air Vice-Marshal Suraya Marshall was also made a CBE, while Jonathan Powell’s efforts when director at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office saw him become a Companion in the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George.

Andrew Rhodes, who has retired as Lancashire Chief Constable was rewarded with an OBE.

New ‘filter-feeding’ pterosaur unearthed in German quarry

The fossil of the nearly complete Balaenognathus maeuseri, part of the pterosaur family, was discovered accidentally in a Bavarian quarry while scientists were excavating a block of limestone containing crocodile bones.

Since the first pterosaur was discovered in Bavarian limestone in the 18th century, hundreds of remains of the flying reptiles have been unearthed, making the quarries of the Franconian Jura one of the richest pterosaur localities in the world.

Skeleton

The research was led by Professor David Martill of the University of Portsmouth, Hampshire, and involved palaeontologists from England, Germany and Mexico.

Prof Martill said: “The nearly complete skeleton was found in a very finely layered limestone that preserves fossils beautifully.

“The jaws of this pterosaur are really long and lined with small, fine, hooked teeth, with tiny spaces between them like a nit comb.

“The long jaw is curved upwards like an avocet and at the end it flares out like a spoonbill. There are no teeth at the end of its mouth, but there are teeth all the way along both jaws right to the back of its smile.

“What’s even more remarkable is some of the teeth have a hook on the end, which we’ve never seen before in a pterosaur ever.

“These small hooks would have been used to catch the tiny shrimp the pterosaur likely fed on – making

sure they went down its throat and weren’t squeezed between the teeth.”

The animal likely dabbled as it waded through shallow lagoons, sucking in tiny water shrimps and copepods and then filtering them out through its teeth in the same way as ducks and flamingos.

The name ‘Balaenognathus’ roughly translated means whale mouth because of its filtering feeding style, while the specific name ‘maeuseri’ is in honour of co-author Matthias Mauser, who died during the writing of the paper.

Prof Martill said: “Matthias was a friendly and warm-hearted colleague of a kind that can be scarcely found. In order to preserve his memory, we named the pterosaur in his honour.”

The paper, ‘A new pterodactyloid pterosaur with a unique filterfeeding apparatus from the Late Jurassic of Germany’, is published in Palaontologische Zeitschrift.

The specimen is currently on display in the Bamberg Natural History Museum in Germany.

DNA evidence sparks conviction appeal hope for man jailed for rape

A MAN who served 17 years in prison for a rape he says he did not commit could be allowed to appeal against his conviction for the first time after new DNA evidence emerged.

Andrew Malkinson, now 57, was convicted of attacking a woman in Greater Manchester in 2003 and jailed for life the following year.

He applied for his case to be reviewed by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) twice, but was turned down, eventually being released from prison in December 2020.

Doubt

After his release, advancements in scientific techniques allowed his legal team to provide new DNA analysis that cast doubt on his conviction to the CCRC.

The body then commissioned its own testing that found that DNA from the victim’s clothing matched another man on the police database.

It has allowed the case to be referred to the Court of Appeal, where judges will decide whether to allow an appeal against the conviction.

On Tuesday, Greater Manchester Police confirmed that a man had been arrested and released under investigation in light of the new information.

1954 Bentley R-Type Continental One of just 201 examples constructed of the ultimate post war Bentley, desirable ‘C Series’ model with manual transmission and lightweight seats, original colours, comprehensive history from new and exceptional provenance

1964 Jaguar E Type 3.8 Series 1 Coupe Fully restored and upgraded by local Jaguar marque exponents CKL Developments Ltd

1968 Porsche 911T Short Wheel Base Exceptionally rare original right hand drive from the collection of Drew Pritchard from TVs Salvage Hunters

1985 Aston Martin V8 Vantage Original high performance Vantage model with manual transmission and just 19,000 miles from new

2008 Aston Martin DBS Finished in special order Storm Black coachwork and desirable manual transmission with high specification

London Road, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Miles of smiles

OVER 200 people were in attendance as actor and comedian Steve Coogan, a friend and client of Dylan Miles Ltd, cut the ribbon and officially announced the showroom open, following an extensive nine month restoration. Constructed in 1909 as a car showroom for original occupants ‘G.Stevenson Engineers – The Kent and Sussex Garage’ the site has a rich history with the motorcar spanning well over a century . Today the fantastic showrooms have been restored to pay homage to the past. Its walls are adorned with period artwork and a present offering of some superb classic Aston Martins, a 1960s Porsche 911 and a ‘Works Cologne Capri’ which won the 24 hours of Spa Franchorchamps in 1972 in the hands of famed F1 driver Jochen Mass. Guests were catered for by local Italian

restaurant Lago Di Como and the night also included a charity auction of fifteen lots, held by antique dealer extraordinaire Drew Pritchard from TV’s Salvage Hunters and William Smith from RM Sothebys. It generated over £12,000 for mental health charity MIND and a respected member of the classic motor trade who has recently suffered a life changing illness. Many of the lots were generously supplied by a number of local businesses including Pushkin Antiques, Paragon Porsche, Godin Sporting Cars and Eagle Racing.

Miles said: “We are delighted to return this historic building back to its original purpose and are very excited about being based in Tunbridge Wells. The opening was a tremendous success and we thank all those involved.”

Photograph: Tom Shaxson

Photograph: Tom Shaxson

Photograph: Tom Shaxson

Photograph: Tom Shaxson

Ruth Grant

Tunbridge Wells Labour Party

New photo ID law means there are new barriers to voting

RECENTLY, the Conservative government quietly released details of its new election law requiring voters to show acceptable photo identification (ID) before they can vote.

From May 2023, anyone without acceptable ID will be turned away from polling stations. For most people, the easiest ID will be a passport or driving licence.

To avoid this ID hassle, the best thing to do is register for a postal vote at tunbridgewells.gov. uk/council/voting-and-elections/how-andwhere-to-vote. so that you can fill in your ballot at home and simply post it back.

Convictions

There has been barely any explanation of why the new ID law is necessary, other than to say it combats voter fraud. But the Electoral Commission publishes data on the number of convictions for electoral fraud. Between 2017 and 2020 there were just 11 convictions out of 45 million people registered to vote.

With such a small number of convictions, what possible reason could the Conservatives have for this law?

When we regularly use a range of ID from household bills to credit cards to verify our identity, the government has restricted acceptable voter ID to a shortlist including passport, driving licence, Blue Badge, Older

Person’s bus pass and Disabled Person’s bus pass.

Anyone without the correct ID can apply for a Voter Authority Certificate from the Borough Council which is free, but requires a passport quality photograph, which is not. A large number of people will have to jump through hoops that others don’t, in order to use their democratic vote. This is hardly fair and deliberately undermines our democracy.

The Conservatives are creating these barriers to voting and adding more costs to already strained

household budgets suffering from the cost-ofliving crisis. The young and people on low incomes are most affected by this law. They are less likely to have a passport or driving licence and will find it difficult to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate. They are also more likely to vote Labour.

The Electoral Reform Society along with over 40 leading charities and academics has said that voter ID presents a significant barrier to democratic engagement and could disadvantage young people, older people, disabled,

transgender, BAME communities and the homeless.

The cost of voter ID to taxpayers is eyewatering. The government’s own assessment says it will cost between £65 and £180 million over the next 10 years, with a ‘central estimate’ of £120 million. This a staggeringly foolish waste of public funds while our public services are falling apart and families are choosing between heating and eating.

TWBC will have to find the money to implement this law at the May local elections. The money it will spend comes from our Council Tax which could and should be spent on local services, not putting up barriers to voting.

Just as the last Conservative Council here in Tunbridge wasted £10.8million on the Calverley Square Project and left a nearly £1million black hole in the budget, so the Conservatives nationally are being reckless with taxpayers’ money by introducing this law.

They are using government power for party political gain. That is not democracy – it is fixing the voting system to suit themselves.

We urge all voters to look at the TWBC to check what photo evidence you need and how to apply for a Voter Authority Certificate tunbridgewells. gov.uk/council/voting-and-elections/voter-id or alternatively to register for a postal vote at https://tunbridgewells.gov.uk/council/votingand-elections/how-and-where-to-vote

Jon Farina

The Alliance

The party they’d prefer you didn’t know about

COUNCILS and councillors shouldn’t really be noticed, they should just be humming away in the background working hard, making sure bins are collected, dealing with planning applications and working on improving our borough by supporting great local initiatives. All this whilst never forgetting that they are there to listen to the views of residents and act accordingly.

However, there can be a conflict of interest when national party politics comes into play. Do councillors of national parties owe their first loyalty to their party or to residents?

Survey

Last week, one of the national parties delivered leaflets to residents with a bar chart stating that TWBC was made up as follows: Lib Dem: 33%, Con: 27%, Lab: 14%.

You don’t have to be Carol Vorderman to figure out that this only adds up to 74%. “What’s going on here?” you might ask. In reality, the Council was made up of Lib Dem: 33%, Con: 27%, Alliance: 19%, Lab: 15% and Independents: 6%.

Similarly, another national party has been sending out a survey asking about voting intentions in May’s local elections. Strangely, there is no option to tick the Alliance. Again:

airbrushed out of existence.

The truth is that TWBC is currently controlled by an administration called The Borough Partnership, a partnership between the LibDems, Alliance, Labour and an independent.

So why mislead residents and try to deny that we have a local, independent residents’ party?

Putting party first is why TWBC regularly

features on the front page of this and other local papers and why it’s always the hot topic online. National parties tend to vote en masse, despite their protestations that they do not whip their members.

You can see them discussing amongst themselves how to vote as a group when an unplanned or amended motion comes before the

council. It’s very tribal and I cannot see how this benefits us, the residents. How can they represent you when their first priority is their party?

The Alliance was only founded in 2018 and already has nine seats, so it’s perhaps understandable that the national parties are worried. Their reaction says it all: they use their party literature to try to mislead residents. A lack of honesty and integrity is why so many people are already disillusioned with national politics.

Communities

This why I am standing for the Alliance in May. We believe in putting Tunbridge Wells first. We are a broad church and full of great ideas, and I am keen to have a chance to put some of these into action for all of you. I’d love to hear your views. We know a healthy debate is vital to the success of our borough based on the needs of our local communities, not simply towing the national party line.

Local Politics matters, whether we like it or not. We, the residents, are responsible for deciding who runs our borough. It’s in our hands. Vote in May.

Get in touch: jon@twalliance.com or twalliance.com.

Ruth Grant is a retired communications manager and Social Media Officer for Tunbridge Wells Labour. She has lived in Tunbridge Wells for the last 17 years.

Jon Farina is a prospective Alliance candidate in the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council elections in May 2023.

Road priorities should yield to oncoming traffic

After reading your article ‘Traffic banning LTN plan for Tunbridge Wells’ (Times, January 18), I would have thought that the priority of the Council was to fill in the many potholes on the roads in Tunbridge Wells.

The money being requested from KCC would be better used to fill these, which would be far more beneficial for the safety of motorists and cyclists on our roads, rather than causing more upset on the said roads by introducing one-way systems and other calming measures which, quite frankly, are not a priority at this time.

Clearly, members of the Borough Partnership do not drive on Tunbridge Wells roads often,

and therefore do not have to avoid the numerous potholes and the resulting damage to their vehicles, while trying to drive safely as we should to avoid the normal driving hazards.

It is about time the Council got their priorities right, and stopped wasting residents’ Council Tax, which keeps increasing, on things that are totally unnecessary at this time.

Maybe in the future when all Tunbridge Wells issues are solved, it could be spent on pet projects.

Linda Holman Tunbridge Wells

supports the Wesley Centre should be preserved, along with the valuable green space behind, which is used by those who hire the hall.

We want to find a viable way to keep the last historic public building in Paddock Wood doing what it was always intended for, serving the community.

Times are indeed hard, but I ask the Leader Cllr Chapelard, and his Cabinet, to please listen to Paddock Wood and be open to constructive discussions about the potential of this valuable facility.

Cllr Sarah Hamilton (KCC Member Tunbridge Wells Rural Division)

Chairman of Heritage Paddock Wood Ltd Member and former Chairman of Paddock Wood Town Council

Everyone has aspirations

Benenden Headteacher Samantha Price (Times, January 18) makes some excellent points about the invaluable lifelong benefits of a good education.

However, comments she makes about Labour leader Keir Starmer are unjustified.

Far from proposing a ‘tax on aspiration’, Labour’s plan is to enable greater aspiration for all parents on behalf of their children by ensuring state schools are properly funded. Rather than dismiss Starmer’s proposed solution, shouldn't we allow experts (with no vested interest) to at least consider his plan?

stationery.

It is hardly the fault of Ms Price, or any other private school headteacher, that the Conservative government's 13-year record of underinvestment in state education has cruelly deprived the majority of our nation's young people of the ‘best possible education’ of which she speaks so eloquently, and for which we all aspire on behalf of our children.

But even Tory stalwart Michael Gove has expressed a view that a 20% discount for many of the wealthiest people in the country is, quite simply, not fair. Let’s hope common sense will eventually prevail and that the broader shoulders of parents who choose to opt out of the state sector will readily yield to the moral responsibility of paying a little more in taxes to help educate future generations.

Name and address supplied Tunbridge Wells

Fit of the vapours

Calverley’s opening words in his column last week (Times, January 18) gave me a real fit of the vapours: "Sex change, it's official". My immediate reaction was: this thing is unstoppable, everyone's at it, even that dyed-in-the-wool conservative. Order was quickly restored, and Calverley remains intact. Phew! and I'm sure he's happy too.

Charlotte Steerpike Tunbridge Wells

Rejuvenation not insults

In The Times (January 18), Cllr James Rands seemed to have the need to insult everyone rather than accept that Councillors all have personal and professional skills and the common aim of enhancing our community.

Following Covid, there is a need to rejuvenate the Borough and Royal Tunbridge Wells with entertainment, performing arts, events, and facilities and to grow our income to cover increasing costs of core services. This was my belief when I formed the Cross-Party initiative, which could honestly look at alternatives for our town.

As a Borough we are starting from a strong base. Year after year of positive financial results, enabled us to accumulate substantial reserves and many property assets (over £100m). These are primarily invested in the community through sports and leisure centres and car parks that subsidise services, enabling us to have one of the lowest council tax rates.

We also have income potentially surpassing pre-Covid levels from our car parks, additional business rates from new business developments, increased interest and income from our winter Skate and Assembly Hall shows and the cross-party plans for coworking.

There are many demands for money. Our local taxes also subsidise other parts of the country. Running a Council is never easy, especially during Covid and high inflation. Growing the prosperity of the town and Borough is the key, not increasing taxes or charges but by encouraging more people to come to RTW to invest, and to enjoy expanded facilities, thereby

paying into our local community.

We should not insult, scare, or mislead the public or each other. Yes, we have differences in approach and priorities. We should work together to put unbiased choices to the public, using the engagement system I commissioned, and in open discussion in the Council and with the public – without the insults.

David Scott Conservative, Prev. Deputy Leader TWBC

Let the Wesley Centre serve

I write about Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s consultation on disposal of assets, which includes the Wesley Centre in Paddock Wood.

It has long been the aspiration of Heritage Paddock Wood Ltd to protect the Wesley Centre for the benefit of the community. That is why we are based there.

The aim is to promote and preserve the heritage of the area and create a cultural arts and heritage destination to enrich people’s lives and support the local economy.

The Wesley Centre, built in 1888, was purchased by the Borough Council in 1996 thanks to former Cllr and Mayor of the Borough Mrs Ruth Baker (Liberal) and her husband, Dr John Baker, a local GP.

The Community Store House is a valuable tenant and its customers from surrounding areas benefit from the central location. Paddock Wood Community Advice Centre is nearby.

All Paddock Wood Borough Cllrs have indicated support that it is retained as confirmed at a recent Town Council meeting. The Neighbourhood Plan for Paddock Wood

The Institute for Fiscal Studies states that the funding gap between state and private schools has more than doubled in the past decade, with the latter increasing by 23% in real terms compared with 9% in the state sector.

This does not include income from investments, endowments and donations.

It is asserted that private schools registered as charities merely ‘deliver education for children, and are non-profit making’ – yet they still enjoy state of the art theatres, science blocks, sports and other facilities, as well as rewarding their staff with higher salaries.

In stark contrast, many state schools lack even the most basic facilities, with buildings in need of repair, and diminishing budgets for books and

Are we too stoic?

Gawd bless yer, Miss, us yokels, out in the sticks like, not havin’ the benefit of a proper education and don’t know nuffin’ abart those johnny foreigner lingos an’ that, was glad you gave us the English words to La Marseillaise.

She has a point, though. We are too stoic about matters we should not put up with and, with everyone else out on strike – nurses, doctors, train drivers, post office staff, the list goes on and on –is there any room left on the streets for the silent, long-suffering majority? They are rather crowded.

Hugh Masters Pembury

PEPPY SAYS...

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Students educated about their post-GCSE

Year 11 students at Beacon Academy and all external students who have applied to join the Crowborough school’s Sixth Form in September 2023, recently attended one-to-one meetings with a member of the Sixth Form team to discuss their progression pathways. The aim of the meetings was to support students when it comes to deciding on their next steps after their GCSEs.

Over the course of several days, Assistant Headteacher of the Sixth Form, Mr Charles Howarth, along with Assistant Headteachers, Mr Steve Baker and Dr Katrina Grossman, met with the students to discuss their future plans and aspirations. There are a wide range of choices available to them following GCSEs, including academic and vocational courses, apprenticeships and training.

Support

Mr Howarth said: “These meetings help to support the students with their transition to Sixth Form, further education colleges, training or apprenticeships and can motivate and inspire them to work towards achieving those higher grades that are within their reach. The interviews also provide an opportunity to review any further support that may be required to help to make these goals a reality.”

Year 11 student, James, commented: “I really enjoy history and know that I definitely want to study it at A-level. I am also interested in other humanities subjects such as psychology, sociology and criminology – I feel that this could give me a few options in the future. The meeting was really useful because it helped me to understand what I need to focus on now.”

Elsa added: “It was really positive. We talked about the courses I am interested in, which are

drama, digital media and maths, and also discussed how my studies can work around my role as a carer. I learnt that there can be flexibility in my timetable and that there is lots of support available to me as an individual. It was great to have that reassurance from Mr Howarth.”

Owen said: “I am thinking of a career as an engineer or F1 Mechanic. I am interested in studying maths, physics and chemistry, and

possibly a fourth subject. The meeting helped to inform me that I could choose to do three or four A-levels.”

Samuel, who is thinking of going into a career in construction told us: “The meeting went well and I have another meeting planned with Mrs Jones to talk about the courses I could do.”

Another Year 11 student, Matilda, revealed: “The meeting helped me to think about where I could study. I would like to study psychology, biology and geography, and I have visited some local colleges as well as Sixth Form.”

Applications for Beacon Academy Sixth Form are now open. For further information, please visit www.beacon-academy.org or contact the Sixth Form Manager, Mrs Amanda Hilton at: a.hilton@beacon-academy.org

‘These meetings help to support the students with their transition to Sixth Form, further education colleges, training or apprenticeships and also motivate and inspire’

Beacon Academy in Crowborough is supporting its Year 11 cohort’s next steps in education by hosting a series of supportive and informative meetings with key Sixth Form staff members. The Times finds out more about the clever scheme…

future by forward-thinking local academy

FUTURE PLANS Student options being discussed at Beacon Academy

Kate Bush show set to wow audiences on national tour

So the first question is why pick Kate Bush for your show?

I’ve aways loved Kate Bush’s music and as a child of the 70s and 80s, I remember that first appearance on Top Of The Pops and all those amazing videos and songs which followed. Plus, my brother fancied her a bit, so her music was always floating through the house!

What do you love about her?

Kate Bush is a true icon. Her music is unique, spanning nearly five decades and has won countless awards. Kate has sold millions of records, but the woman herself is something of an enigma. Not performing live for over 30 years between her 1979 Tour Of Life and 2014’s Before The Dawn, she really only spoke to us through her music.

What did fans do to compensate for not seeing her perform live for years?

In her physical absence, her fans created their own community – ‘The Fish People’. And they are at the heart of ‘An Evening Without Kate Bush’. We wanted to celebrate them through her music. That was the starting point of making the show.

Do you try and impersonate her in the show?

I never set out to impersonate her (I mean who could?)

But it’s amazing how many people tell me I sound like her!

A few fans thought I was miming at the start of the show!

As well as her unique voice, Kate Bush is also renowned for her dance routines. How have you trained for this?

How hard is it to sing in her unique vocal range?

It’s definitely a vocally athletic workout! She sang them all live back in 1979 apart from ‘Hammer Horror’ (which we do in the show) so there’s no excuse not to do the same. What you hear on the albums is months of intricate layering of harmonies and different instruments, so it’s a more raw sound on stage, of course. I perform all the songs in their original keys and I think part of it is that because she chose such specific phrasing and wrote such intricate melodies, hearing them instantly hot-wires you back to the original.

I spent one day working with the amazing Tom Jackson Greaves, who is a director and choreographer. We watched a lot of her videos and noted down some of her choices. We explored those in our session; again, never trying to ‘be’ her, more tap into her spirit. Quite by accident, the nicknames we came up with for her moves (‘The Pulse’ and ‘The Champagne Whipcrack’, for example) found their way into the show. That’s often how it happens with devised work – you become a sponge for every impulse and they jostle around your head during the making process until they either find a home or float off into the ether.

And can you tell us about the costumes you wear, which again is something Kate is very well known for?

With the costumes too, my brilliant co-creator, Russell Lucas and I tried to evoke her, not copy her. We rub shoulders with themes (Kate uses a lot of nature and bird imagery in her work, hence the feathery headdress).

as it is to her TV special appearance where Kate sang ‘Army Dreamers’ dressed as a cleaner or archetypal vintage housewife. That’s one for the super-fans.

What kind of research did you do?

We watched a LOT of footage, interviews, videos – basically everything we could find, to get to know her journey as an artist and also how the world around her changed. Her early interviews are so uncomfortable to watch. She is often being asked truly banal or overtly sexualised questions. She is so polite and accommodating, but it’s great to see her later on her career take the reins and shut down lines of enquiry which show the interviewers have no idea what they are talking about. I also read the brilliant biography by Graeme Thomson called ‘Under the Ivy’. It’s the best music biography I have ever read and really lets you into her creative process.

Do you have to be a super-fan to enjoy An Evening Without Kate Bush?

Absolutely not! Of course if you are a super-fan

you’ll hear lots of the songs you know and love – plus some little hidden gems for those in-the-know. But none of that is at the expense of the audience members who have perhaps come along with a fan friend or just out of curiosity. We elevate and celebrate everyone and when someone tells me after the show that they didn’t know her work but are going home to listen to her music, then I am thrilled.

The show is partly interactive, how does that work?

The show is as interactive as you want it to be. I’ve been working in cabaret for over 20 years and my primary aim is that the audience have a good time. It’s great to be challenged and surprised, but I want them to feel safe. That’s really important to me.

Whether you enjoy afternoon tea with family, getting creative with arts & crafts or pulling up a chair with a favourite novel, there’s something for everyone. Plus you’ll have the added reassurance of help when you need it.

How difficult was it to decide which her songs to include?

It was a massive challenge as there are many across such a huge time span. Inevitably there are lots from her early alumnus. ‘The Kick Inside’ and ‘Hounds Of Love’ are a lot of people’s favourites and first experience of her work. When we were making the show we ran a poll on social media to see what songs people wouldn’t forgive us for not including! We take well known songs like ‘This Woman’s Work’ and ‘Cloudbusting’ and give them a twist. So if you come to see ‘An Evening Without Kate Bush’ you might find yourself suddenly singing backing vocals!

Why do you think Kate Bush remains so adored and intriguing?

Her fans have travelled with her and as she has evolved as an artist, she has become the

soundtrack to their lives. I also think she influenced so many other artists that the whole music scene is steeped in her musical juices as it were. She was one of the first people to experiment with the Fairlight, she mastered complex sampling of vocals including the Trio Bulgarka from Hungary and if you read the list of pop royalty lining up to play a couple of bars on her albums everyone wants to work with her. She has never shied away from writing about the largeness of life either. There are epic themes such as the loneliness of love, the wonder of creation, the sensuality of being human. Her albums are somewhere you can climb inside and dream in. She’s one of us and yet totally Other.

And finally, how would you feel if the real Kate Bush was in the audience… and would you want to know in advance?

We would absolutely LOVE it if she came to see the show – although she’d have to wear a disguise as I think the audience would capsize if they knew she was in. When we were making it we always knew we wanted it to be something she would approve of – so it’s been created with love, respect and a hefty dose of joyful eccentricity!

An Evening Without Kate Bush is performed by Sarah Louise Young and made with Russell Lucas. It will be at the EM Forster Theatre on Friday February 3, at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £17. www.emftheatre.com

‘We would absolutely LOVE it if Kate Bush came to see the show!’

M3GAN shows that the rise of artificial intelligence is anything but child’s play

Twin themes of control and grief share the stage in new horror release, M3GAN, and neither overshadows the other, says Times Film Reviewer Matthew Dann…

iven that January is often a dumping ground for the mainstream studios, it is nice to see

different on our cinema screens.

The film M3GAN has a very simple plot – a toy engineer designs a doll – the Model 3 Generative Android – which wreaks havoc as it takes on a life of its own.

The film’s main two themes of control and grief occupy equal screen time, with neither overshadowing the other as the film plays out.

First comes the question of who controls technology – is it the human inventors and users, or does the technology itself dominate?

The actors play their roles very well, especially

DANN

carefully crafted machine and works extremely well. It is primarily a horror, but achieves this without much in the way of blood and gore.

The film itself flows at an easy pace, with plenty of chills and gags on display and no real low points to mention.

The theme of grief is dealt with well, with both plot and characters showing that humans are, quite often, very ill-equipped to deal with loss.

In fact, if possible, rather than deal with it, we would often prefer to outsource grief.

Allison Williams, who plays Gemma, is very good as the robotics engineer charged with looking after her orphaned eight-year-old niece. In many ways, she is the film’s antagonist.

Meanwhile, Violet McGraw is equally good as Gemma’s niece Cady, portraying a sweet kid who bonds with M3GAN while grieving her losses.

However, for me it was Ronny Chieng as Gemma’s boss David who provided the standout performance. He embraces his role well and really steals the show.

Amie Donald (M3GAN) and Jenna Davis (M3GAN’s voice). Between them, they bring M3GAN to life, with a monotone chill to ‘her’ voice, and with an expert blend of robot and human to ‘her’ movements.

Like M3GAN ‘herself’, the film itself is a

As the doll goes on to wreak havoc, the plot nevertheless takes centre stage, while the gore is very much secondary, which I believe helps the film rather than being a hindrance.

All in all, this is a well-engineered, quirky film that deserves your attention.

M3GAN is currently playing at the Odeon in Tunbridge Wells.

MATTHEW

‘First comes the question of who controls technology – is it the human inventors and users, or does the technology itself dominate?’

Through a fish-eye lens

WITH the start of the predator fishing season, the @BewlWater inbox is bulging with a fine catch of entries for the ‘Best of Bewl’ photography competition.

week, Times Drinks Editor

The annual competition, which opened for entries last month, is aimed at everyone using Bewl Water’s 800-acre site, from woodland to water.

Until December 20, entries may be submitted via social media (@Bewlwater) where the winner will be announced at the end of the season and receive an annual parking pass worth over £300.

which has really been inspiring photographers this week.

Law Society award for Loch paralegal

It’s whisky a go-go for Burns Night…

The Pantiles reveals its big Christmas display winners

Both experienced anglers and those new to fishing have been taking advantage of the ideal autumn conditions as the weather gets cooler to capture the moment.

Sean Holden

As the largest reservoir in the South East, the waters are home to many species including eels, pike, perch, and brown trout which attract over

A LOCAL law group’s paralegal has risen from administrative assistant to winning a junior Law Society award.

Ellie Searle joined Loch Law, part of Loch

administrative

Inspiring

‘THINGS fall apart; the centre cannot hold’. The great Irish poet, W B Yeats’ premonition of disintegration had grander themes than the puny ‘coalition of chaos’ trying to run Tunbridge Wells’ council, but the words fit.

Falling on Robert Burns’ birthday in 1759, Burns Night is when lovers of Scotland’s most famous poet and son, congregate to celebrate his life with a glass in hand, plates of steaming haggis, creamy neeps and tatties (mashed turnips and potatoes), recitals of the ‘Selkirk Grace,’ whisky toasts, the sound of bagpipes and a rehash of New Year favourite ‘Auld Lang Syne.’

The competition is part of the reservoir’s commitment to inspiring more people to get out in natural surroundings and enjoy the great outdoors.

Bits started falling off the coalition jalopy when it chugged into its first major policy disaster – the unconsulted plan to raise car park charges by 25-75 per cent. A hasty, retrospective consultation ended on September 5 and is being assessed.

The first Burns Night supper was held in July 1801, when nine of Burns’ closest friends assembled to mark the fifth anniversary of their comrade's death. If you’re throwing a Burns Night supper, you’ll need a wee dram to round things off, so why not get into the spirit with one of these four great bottles of Scotch. Slàinte mhath!

New self-guided walking trails have been introduced, along with 50% off cycle hire. However, it seems to have been the new season of predator fishing, which started on October 30,

But already, the coalition’s centre is not holding as the Liberal Democrat Leader Ben Chapelard grapples with the hotchpotch of his own party, Labour, a smattering of independents and the Tunbridge Wells Alliance (TWA). It took power only in May, though it seems like years ago.

WINNER Kumquat

1. Must-try sub-£17 supermarket single malt whisky. Glen Marnoch Highland Single Malt Whisky (£16.99, Aldi, 40% ABV)

By Robert Forrester

Hotchpotch

THE winners of the Pantiles Big Reveal Christmas Window display have been announced.

Organised by Holly Watson and Charlotte Bowyer of The Zero Waste Company, and sponsored by Maddison’s Residential and RTW Together (BID), the best windows voted for by the public were:

First place – Kumquat

Second place – PoggenPohl

Third place – Catherine Hills Jewellery

The Big Reveal is a free family event held on The

Aldi’s Glen Marnoch Highland and Glen Marnoch Islay single malt whiskies both received Gold Medals at the acclaimed International Spirits Challenge 2022. Although not especially complex, the youthful and pale Glen Marnoch Highland Single Malt has inviting notes of dried fruits, lemon sherbet, digestive biscuits and light spices. It is nicely balanced, mellow, polite, and delicious neat or in a Japanese-style mizuwari (with still water and ice). Pour a little over the haggis perhaps. A

The TWA is a hotchpotch in its own right. Its activists, of various political hues, have the improbable air of doing this council thing for a bet. Its leader David Hayward, a cabinet member, made it clear to Cllr Chapelard, writing in The Times of Tunbridge Wells that he is a ‘titular leader’– a leader in name only, who ‘definitely has no say or control over anything to do with the Alliance’. Nonetheless, Cllr Hayward lined up behind the Lib Dems, voting for parking increases.

people,

was necessary to see where they would go before

inflation have upended things. Maybe they’d like

Tunbridge Wells Conservatives

Cllr Seán Holden has been the Conservative councillor for Benenden and Cranbrook since 2008 and the county councillor for Cranbrook Division since 2013. He

a property business with his wife Corinna and before that he was a television reporter working for TV-am,

Meridian and ITN. In 2001 he was the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Chatham and Aylesford.

The many quiet inlets of the irregularly-shaped

Pantiles where participating traders submit their Christmas window displays for a public vote, alongside plenty of festive spirit in the form of local carol singers, seasonal food and drink offerings and even a visit from Father Christmas!

double that of last year, with over 3,000 votes cast since the unveiling. their fusion style restaurant on the Pantiles this

assistant and was later promoted to Ms Searle has taken on responsibilities including debt-collecting service for Loch Associates’ clients,

SECOND Poggenpohl

This

James Viner recommends a fine selection of Scotch whiskies that are perfect for toasting during a traditional Burns Night celebration, which falls this evening (Wednesday January 25)…

Photo: Shutterstock

bargainous treat, especially given the recent huge price increases for single malts (and everything else).

2. Smooth, light-bodied, easy-drinking dram from the Lowlands. Aerstone Sea Cask 10-Year-Old Single Malt Whisky, William & Grant, Lowlands (£20 Clubcard price, Tesco, 40% ABV)

Matured for over 10 years in warehouses perched on the Ayrshire coast in the Scottish Lowlands, the Aerstone Sea Cask is a light, mellow, heart-warming dram with an easy-going floral and smooth vanilla character, plus hints of honey, grass, baked shortbread, sea salt and a touch of toasted almond. It’s a joy to nurse and very much a gentle aperitif-style malt. An altogether fittingly festive local dram to raise a glass to the ‘Bard of Ayrshire’ who was born in 1721, just two miles to the south of Ayr. Easylistening sort of stuff.

3. Deluxe special-occasion blended malt whisky for the Burns Night supper. Berry Bros & Rudd Sherry Cask Matured Blended Malt Scotch Whisky (£36.90-£37.95, Berry Bros & Rudd and The Whisky Exchange, 44.2% ABV)

Single malt whiskies are made from 100% malted barley, yeast and water and are the

According to figures released by the Scotch Whisky Association, 44 bottles of Scotch Whisky are shipped from Scotland to around 180 markets around the world every second, totalling over 1.3bn bottles annually (whisky exports in 2021 were worth £4.5bn) – the plunge in the value of the British pound undoubtedly helping sales. If laid end-toend those bottles would stretch about 377,000 kilometres – that’s around 98% of the distance to the moon!

product of just one distillery (customarily blended from several within the same distillery). By contrast, blended malt whiskies – formerly known as ‘vatted malts’ or ‘pure malts’ – are made using single malt whisky from two or more different distilleries. Finished in sherry casks, this rich, dark, blended malt is a top-class drop and brims with dried fruits, prunes, caramel, toasted raisins, sweet spices, leather and figs. The sherry-cask influence gives a richness and spiciness and the somewhat higher strength exposes a step up in quality. Try not to grin until you’ve sipped. Voilà! Everything seems better now, doesn’t it? Would make a posh Bobby Burns (a close cousin to the Rob Roy) ice-free cocktail. Just add equal parts Marini Rosso sweet

vermouth and a half measure of Bénédictine liqueur and garnish with a citrus twist perhaps.

4. For peat’s sake, try this pungent, splash-out malt masterpiece from Islay. Lagavulin 16-Year-Old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky (£76.50-£81.75, Waitrose, The Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt, 43% ABV)

A luxury, world-class dram to toast Rabbie Burns would be the exceptional 16-year-old Lagavulin single malt from Islay. Islay is Scotland’s ‘Whisky Isle’ and it houses nine working distilleries. Is this a blemish-free, impeccably matured work of art in a glass bottle? I very much think so. Sitting in a tiny and

picturesque bay between Ardbeg and Laphroaig, Lagavulin is one of the three Kildalton distilleries in the south of Islay. Ideal for those whisky lovers who prefer a peatier and smokier dram. Think wave after wave of tobacco, phenolic peat, iodine, brine, salty seaweed and Lapsang Souchong tea, laced with chocolate, black pepper, smoked fish and creosote. A robust, nuanced, complex, not-to-be-missed malt masterpiece that will engage the senses of the most ardent ‘smokeheads.’ Try it with blue cheeses or the iconic Burns Night haggis, that ‘Great chieftain o' the puddin-race,’ as the bard himself described it. This is an awesome whisky to savour.

Follow James on Twitter @QuixoticWine

It’s never too late to learn a musical instrument

Whether you’ve never picked up an instrument in your life, or you used to play and life just got in the way, it’s never too late to grab an instrument and indulge your passion for music.

The beauty of music is that it has no barriers – everyone and anyone can enjoy it in their own unique way. At Brittens Music we help people of all ages begin to learn and enjoy playing an instrument.

Many adults believe that it’s too late to learn to play in later life, but this is a myth. As an adult, you are making a conscious decision to play and you have chosen the instrument you want to take up. Children on the other hand may have less choice over the instrument and feel resentful about practising.

reasons to start learning.

We all know that we need to keep our brain active and ‘exercise’ it to keep our cognitive functions in full working order. Learning an instrument is a great mental workout. Research shows that learning an instrument engages both the left and right sides of the brain. It uses the visual, auditory and emotional senses simultaneously. One study compared people who played a musical instrument to people who read, wrote and completed crossword puzzles. It concluded that musicians were less likely to experience dementia.

Mindfulness

Music is known as a great stress relief. Playing an instrument can lower cortisol levels and decrease anxiety levels. One study compared piano playing with calligraphy, and clay moulding. They discovered that playing the piano was significantly more effective at lowering stress levels.

Beyond the self-discipline adults bring to learning an instrument, there are many other reasons that adults make great music pupils. You are more motivated, so often progress very quickly. Plus, you understand that to get better at something, you need to practice.

There are a host of studies and research around the effects of playing an instrument as an adult. Benefits range from better communication skills, and decreased anxiety and agitation, to improved cognitive function and greater dexterity. There are many great

You’ve heard the expression ‘getting lost in the music’. When you play music, you use all your attention and focus. This focus means that you enter a ‘state of mindfulness’, putting the stress from the day to one side and focusing completely on your playing. A Spotify survey revealed that 89% of adults playing a musical instrument thought it positively impacted their mental health.

Feeling inspired? Come and have a chat with the team at Brittens Music on Grove Hill Road Tunbridge Wells, your local independent music store. Or visit our website at: www.brittensmusic.co.uk

Andrew Collins, owner of Brittens Music in Tunbridge

Wells explains

why adults of any age can learn an instrument…

‘Research shows that learning an instrument engages both the left and right sides of the brain’

ANDREW COLLINS

Cgi

The

Shards by Bret Easton Ellis

Published in hardback by Swift Press, priced £25

American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis returns with a disturbing, semi-autobiographical tale dripping with red herrings, doubts and melodrama. Narrated by an adolescent version of himself, Ellis details the supposed events of his senior year in 1980s Los Angeles, when a serial killer began targeting a group of his friends. But all is not as it seems. Being young, deceitful – and often high on drugs, alcohol or a pairing of the two – our narrator’s story, though aggressive in its presenting of ‘fact’, doesn’t always appear so clear-cut. Who is ‘The Trawler’, how does he choose his victims and how can we tell the difference between truth and fiction? A fantastically chilling novel that will stop you from falling asleep, and haunt your days in much the same way as The Trawler haunted Easton Ellis. An absolute must-read for January 2023.

Warning: R rated.

Review by Scarlett Sangster

Those People Next Door

by Kia Abdullah

Published in hardback by HQ, priced £14.99

When you move house, stress is expected, but are you really expecting a war with new neighbours trying to tear your home and family apart? Not at all, but when the Khatuns make a move to protect their son from a descent into violent crime, they find themselves caught in a battle with Those People Next Door, which encapsulates race, white Britain, the ways they parent and the language they use. Despite being a little predictable in the exposition, this novel ramps up the twists and turns to create a moving and disturbing narrative, with powerful characters, who are both brave and malicious on both sides of the fence. With some far-fetched plot features, this novel is definitely gripping, if a little unbelievable at points, but it creates an important dialogue about the communities we live in and the importance of frank discussions about race in the UK.

Review by Imy Brighty-Potts

Manifest: Dive

Deeper by Roxie Nafousi

Published by Michael Joseph, priced £16.99

After the huge success of her 2022 debut, Manifest, Roxie Nafousi is back for more in Manifest: Dive Deeper. This book very much does what it says on the tin, and goes even further into the practice of manifesting. Nafousi lays out the seven steps to successful manifesting – ranging from being clear in your vision to embracing gratitude without caveats. This is a practical guide, mapping out the key language you need to know, how to go about doing something like a vision board, and with plenty of space to write notes and answer questions on various topics. This is self-help for millennials – if you already follow Nafousi on Instagram and are interested in using manifestation to improve your life in 2023, this is the book for you – while some might find it overly earnest.

Review by Prudence Wade

Divorce is difficult, on so many levels. But, as lawyers who help families untie bonds and reshape their future, we see the opportunity it brings for people to move on, equipped for the next phase in their lives. One common myth we’re always keen to dispel is that divorce will be an entirely negative and hostile experience. The truth is that it doesn’t have to be. Our experience allows us to guide you on some important steps you can take to help alleviate the impact on you of the divorce/separation process:

Divorce is difficult, on so many levels. But, as lawyers who help families untie bonds and reshape their future, we see the opportunity it brings for people to move on, equipped for the next phase in their lives.

One common myth we’re always keen to dispel is that divorce will be an entirely negative and hostile experience. The truth is that it doesn’t have to be.

HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE AROUND YOU

The introduction of “no-fault” divorce in April last year has removed the necessity to play the blame game, but there are still some important steps you can take to help alleviate the impact of the divorce/ separation process on you and your family:

HAVE THE RIGHT PEOPLE AROUND YOU

Surround yourself with people who’ll help and support you. Friends and family really come into their own at times like these, so lean on those that truly have your back. Seek out the right legal and financial help, too. Divorce can be a long and intense process, so it’s worth investing time in finding professionals you click with.

BE PREPARED

Go into divorce with your eyes wide open. That means

Surround yourself with people who’ll help and support you. Friends and family really come into their own at times like these, so lean on those that truly have your back. Seek out

the right legal and financial help, too. Divorce can be a long and intense process, so it’s worth investing time in finding professionals you click with.

BE PREPARED

understanding what the process will involve, as well as what divorce will mean for you and your family. It also means getting your financial affairs in order. While divorce settlements are sometimes based on a ‘broad brush’ division of assets, time will need to be spent documenting those things owned jointly (the house, for example), and those owned separately - investments and valuables, perhaps. The earlier you can get your paperwork organised (and don’t be afraid to ask for help), the better able your solicitor will be to start working towards getting you the best outcome.

CONSIDER MEDIATION

Go into divorce with your eyes wide open. That means understanding what the process will involve, as well as what divorce will mean for you and your family. It also means getting your financial affairs in order. While divorce settlements are sometimes based on a ‘broad brush’ division of assets, time will need to be spent documenting those things owned jointly (the house, for example), and those owned separately - investments and valuables, perhaps.

CONSIDER MEDIATION

Divorce doesn’t always need to be fought in the courts. Where two people are able and willing to work together to agree the terms of their divorce, mediation can be a great way of achieving a settlement. The mediator acts as an independent third party, helping a couple work through their issues and reach a resolution. The parties remain in control, as opposed to a judge imposing

When two people are able and willing to work together to agree the terms of their divorce, mediation can be a great way of achieving a settlement. The mediator

terms. It can be quicker and less expensive than court. And the emphasis on collaboration can even begin to build bridges, which can be particularly important for those who need to maintain a more positive ongoing relationship with each other.

PUT YOUR CHILDREN FIRST

acts as an independent third party, helping a couple work through their issues and reach a resolution. The parties remain in control, as opposed to a judge imposing terms. It can be quicker and is much less expensive than court proceedings.

ACCEPT THAT DIVORCE WON’T BE EASY

PUT YOUR CHILDREN FIRST

Most separated parents are conscious of their children being caught in the middle of their relationship breakdown. But the reality of divorce is that children’s needs and wishes are not always met; parents can be easily and unintentionally distracted by fighting their own corner. Our advice is always to try to step into the child’s shoes.

Most separated parents are conscious of their children being caught in the middle of their relationship breakdown. But the reality of divorce is that children’s needs and wishes are not always met; parents can be easily and unintentionally distracted by fighting their own corner. Our advice is always to try to step into the child’s shoes. What would he or she want? What would be in his or her best interests? Sometimes this means backing down when you don’t want to, and that can be hard. But keep sight of the bigger picture.

We’re family lawyers who focus on helping clients get ‘good’ divorces - favourable outcomes and positive experiences. We’ll listen to what you want to achieve. We’ll find ways of getting what’s needed. And we’ll be alongside you, every step of the way.

Clients tell us that, during the most difficult parts of their divorce, they were spurred on by remembering ‘why’. That really is key. No one embarks on divorce lightly. They do it because their relationship is irreparable, despite best efforts. And they do it to find happiness elsewhere. Divorce is the stepping stone to getting there.

Contact us today to talk about your situation.

Contact us today to talk about your situation.

TUNBRIDGE

THOMAS MANSFIELD FAMILY LAWYERS

Developer has some good mews for Hungershall Park

By Richard Williams

PROPERTY development company Beau

Property is bringing its latest development at Hungershall Mews to market.

Set to launch in 2023, this private enclave, ‘hidden gem’ scheme comprises three homes set around a courtyard and will be found just off Hungershall Park, one of the most exclusive addresses in Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Surrounded by countryside, but within walking distance of the historic Pantiles and mainline station, this trio of two- and threebedroom mews houses are well located and the specification is set to be outstanding too.

Desirability

With dual aspect fires, Crittal doors and show-stopping principal bedroom suites, every interior is being meticulously designed by Beau’s own specialist Joss Miller.

Pricing is set to be between £600,000£800,000.

Chris Hammond, Founder and Director of Beau Property said: “We enjoy building homes close to our own so that we can have a positive impact on our family and friends’ living environment, whilst also supporting local businesses, tradesmen and communities.

“Having grown up in Kent, we know the area and many of its best attributes, so are particularly excited to be building within such an aspirational destination as Hungershall Park.

Beau Property is so confident in Hungershall Mews’ unique proposition and desirability, that

they are also opting this time to list and market the homes privately via their own Instagram account @beauproperty

“We always try to use our knowledge and network to shape the best developments for both prospective homeowners and locals. Similarly we would now like to try to use our growing knowledge of our prospective purchasers to see if we are able to market some properties through our own Instagram feed prior to launching to market officially.

“We understand this is a bold move and recognise just how hard our local agents work, but our feed has rather unexpectedly created a strong pool of interested prospective residents who we have decided we would like to open our properties up to first.”

Recognised by the national Housebuilder Awards and the Tunbridge Wells Civic Society for their quality design and build, Hammond says they are committed to responsibly and beautifully redeveloping homes across the South East.

House prices fall from previous peak

THE average UK house price edged down in November from a previous record high, according to official figures.

Property prices increased by 10.3% in the year to November 2022, slowing from 12.4% annual growth in October 2022, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.

The typical UK house price in November was £295,000, which was £28,000 higher than a year earlier but a slight decrease from the previous month’s record high of £296,000, according to the ONS.

Volatile

Average house prices increased over the year to £315,000 (a 10.9% annual increase) in England, to £220,000 in Wales (10.7%), to £191,000 in Scotland (5.5%) and to £176,000 in Northern Ireland (10.7%).

The report said that house prices had been volatile in 2021 amid changes to stamp duty.

ONS Head of Housing Market Indices, Aimee North, said: “Annual house price inflation slowed in November.

“There were also monthly decreases for average house prices in England, Wales and Scotland, although the average UK house price remains higher than the same period a year ago.

“While London remains the slowest growing English region, Scotland’s annual growth was slower than London.”

Within England, the North West was the region with the highest annual house price inflation in November, with a 13.5% increase.

London’s average house prices remain the most expensive of any region in the UK, with an average price of £542,000 in November 2022.

London was the English region with the lowest annual house price inflation, with average prices increasing by 6.3% in the year to November.

So, with 2023 under way, we thought we would check in with Shaun Kidd, co-founder of Jack Charles and their new estate agency on 6 London Road. Shaun was in an upbeat mood having taken delivery of their new window displays and signage.

It was clear that Shaun has maintained his cautiously optimistic view of the local property market into 2023. “We are delighted with the levels of new property valuations being scheduled in these early weeks of January and reassured to see the Tunbridge Wells team securing their third sale within 72 hours of reopening.”

We understand there is still a level of nervousness in the financial markets and cost of living concerns remain a key consideration. However, there are also indications that mainstream lenders are already looking to reduce their residential mortgage rates, and that inflation growth has slowed significantly, lets hope these are green shoots…

In any event selling your home is not just a financial decision, it’s often an emotional one too. Not every sale is about making a quick profit either, homes need to be right for a clients current and future needs and it’s our role to understand and support our clients on their individual property journeys.

If you are looking for a personalised agency service and a friendly local team to sell or rent your property, you can contact Jack Charles Tunbridge Wells on 01892 621 721.

Jack Charles has the privilege of listing this stunning Grade II Star listed fourbedroom regency town house built by Decimus Burton in 1836. The property is positioned within one of the most exclusive addresses in Tunbridge Wells

HIDDEN GEM Hungershall Mews

What does 2023 hold in store for the property market?

Big Dog Day Out returns to Bewl Water

By Molly Miller

DOGS are a man's best friend, so it's only right that an entire day dedicated to our pet pooches is coming to Lamberhurst.

While you’re there, you can also enjoy a scenic walk around the 800-acre reservoir, which is southeast England’s largest body of open water, then head to the adventure play area or refuel at the dog-friendly Waterfront Café.

Andrew Mann, Clarity Homes and Commercial

Returning to Bewl Water for its 5th year, the countdown has officially begun for ‘Big Dog Day Out’, which takes place on Saturday 25 March. The event promises visitors a day out for the whole family – including four-legged friends –with plenty of things to see and do.

Treats

Despite the name, Big Dog Day Out welcomes breeds of all sizes and starts at 10 am. There will be a children’s treasure trail, face painting, raffle, and an agility course where you can put your furry pals’ skills to the test.

There will also be a dog show at 11am, with

INFLATION and supply chain issues have had a huge impact on construction in 2022. We predict projects being put on hold while prices of materials continue to rise. As house prices begin to fall due to the cost-of-living crisis, increased inflation and interest rates, we expect to work on more renovation than new-build projects in 2023.

cost of land could begin to correct in the current market, which bodes well for future developments.

TUNBRIDGE Wells tends to remain resilient to property downturns due to our proximity to the capital, excellent education options and plentiful green open spaces.

will continue to move to our town, so we would expect property sales to remain buoyant. This will be further helped by cash buyers, or buyers

different categories every hour. These include ‘Most Handsome Boy’, ‘Prettiest Girl’, ‘Best Biscuit Catcher’ ‘Best Rescue’ and ‘Dog the Judge Would Like to Bring Home’, with rosettes awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners.

The event is free to enjoy, though there’s a small £6 charge for all-day car parking and a £1 entry fee for the dog show.

Refreshments for the whole family will be available all day, including hot drinks, fresh pastries, deli sandwiches and confectionery, while doggy treats and other products will be available from an array of stalls at the shopping village.

Guests can get involved on socials by using #BDDO23 where the Bewl Water team will be sharing updates in the lead-up to and after the event.

Bewl Water is leased to Bewl Events & Waterpark, part of the group that owns One Media, publisher of the Times.

Tunbridge Wells

Deborah Richards, Maddisons Residential

Photo: Shutterstock

‘The event promises visitors a day out for the whole family – including four-legged friends’

Computer Generated Image is indicative only.

JOSEPH TRINDER

with it, with a number of dedicated bidders taking this piece to an impressive £1,700 (plus fees).

Next we see an early-20th century Chinese silk embroidered panel, originally from a robe, embroidered in metallic and coloured threads detailing dragons and other auspicious symbols.

Determined

The reason this piece is chosen is to reflect just how determined the Chinese market still clearly is – with this fragment of a larger garment still going on to sell for £550 (plus fees).

Believe it or not, Monday January 30 is the date of the fourth auction at Gorringe’s of 2023 – how time flies!

In today’s article I’ll be discussing a few favourites which have passed through our galleries since the start of the year in the hope of giving you a flavour of the diversity of our sales and of today’s market through these few chosen items.

The first lot which caught my eye is this rather wonderful Victorian mahogany haberdashery cabinet of 24 drawers – each numbered and applied with a label denoting its contents.

An example of ‘brown furniture’ proudly bucking the trend of difficulty in today’s market – a handsome thing with wonderfully original features – it’s appeal in large part due to the fact it fights very hard for the space it takes up – no less than 24 drawers fitted into 136cm x 83cm leaves it a very useful piece of furniture – this particular piece removed from the home of a prominent local collector.

I’m not the only one that rather fell in love

The same sale also featured a gentleman's early 1970s stainless steel Omega Speedmaster Professional Mark II chronograph wristwatch, on an Omega stainless steel bracelet. Clearly well-loved and often worn, without its original box or papers present – it was by no means ‘perfect’ – yet collectors were clearly not dissuaded as it reached £2,200 (plus fees).

Other interesting results (in no particular order) from 2023 so far include £500 for a case of 1991 Graham’s Vintage port, £320 for a 19th-century copper bath, £180 for a tiny 18ct yellow gold brooch in the form of a lobster and £1,700 for a set of four country chairs – a glimpse that reveals that objects may hold a surprising value in today’s market. As I write today’s article – I am (happily) interrupted by a client who has kindly read my previous articles, reflecting on the buoyancy and at times surprising value in Chinese items.

They hand me a Chinese porcelain bowl, until recently used to hold loose change – with the question, “Is this old thing worth anything?” I then take delight in rewarding their kind attention to my weekly articles in reporting the bowl will fetch £1,000 or more when sold with Gorringe’s in the spring. It just goes to show, it really is worth getting in touch and finding out more about that curious bowl, vase or coin you may have waiting patiently at home!

I would love to welcome your enquiries directly, without obligation or fee – you can reach me on josepht@gorringes.co.uk or call directly 07789979396.

Motoring News

Jeep Avenger named as European Car of the Year

JEEP’S first electric car – the Avenger – has been crowned 2023 European Car of the Year.

Announced at an event held at the Brussels Motor Show, it’s the first time a Jeep has even made a finalist in the awards, which are voted for by 57 motoring journalists from across 22 European countries.

Winner

The Avenger – a Jeep designed, engineered and manufactured in Europe – is a new model for the firm, and shares an electric powertrain with various other Stellantis products, albeit with a more rugged focus than sibling products from DS, Peugeot and Vauxhall.

With the Avenger receiving 328 points, it was the clear winner out of the seven finalists. In second place behind the Jeep was the

Volkswagen ID.Buzz – a new electric MPV that sits on the firm’s bespoke EV platform, and acts as a modern interpretation of the brand’s classic Microbus. The ID.Buzz scored 241 points.

In third position was Nissan’s new electric Ariya SUV, which was handed 211 points, followed by the Kia Niro – which is offered with a choice of hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains – that ended with 200 points.

Following these were the Renault Austral (163 points), Peugeot 408 (149 points) and the Subaru Solterra/Toyota bZ4X (133 points).

The voting works by each juror having 25 points to award, and they can’t give more than 10 points to any individual model, and have to split it across at least five cars.

Previous winners include the Kia EV6 in 2022, Toyota Yaris in 2020 and the Peugeot 208 in 2020.

Suzuki’s eVX concept points to firm’s next-generation EVs

Mazda MX-30 range-extender revealed with rotary engine

MAZDA has revealed a plug-in hybrid version of its electric MX-30 crossover, powered in part by a new rotary petrol engine.

Unveiled at the Brussels Motor Show, the MX-30 R-EV takes elements of Mazda’s existing battery-powered electric car and adds a petrol-powered motor, extending the possible driving distance between visits to a charge point.

The newly-developed 74bhp rotary engine –similar in design to those used in famous Mazda sports cars like the RX-7 and RX-8 – has been slotted under the bonnet, alongside a 164bhp electric motor.

Smooth

claimed 53 miles on electricity alone.

That may not sound like a lot, but it does put the MX-30 ahead of similarly priced rivals: a Renault Captur PHEV can only manage around 30 miles of electric-only range, for example.

The MX-30 R-EV should prove to be a touch more refined to drive than its rivals, too. Rotary engines tend to be much smoother, quieter and more free-revving than the regular piston engines of most cars, which all helps in an otherwise silent electric vehicle.

Mazda also claims no drop-off in performance once the battery charge has dropped: the MX-30’s top speed of a modest 87mph is achievable whichever way the car is being powered.

SUZUKI has revealed a new concept car which previews what the firm’s next generation of electric vehicles could look like.

Unveiled at the Auto Expo 2023 event in Delhi, India, the eVX is expected to go on sale during 2025. Utilising a 60kWh battery, it’s said to be capable of delivering up to 342 miles of electric range when tested to the Indian MIDC driving cycle.

Chunky

The chunky proportions tie in with Suzuki’s ‘strong 4×4 DNA’ and though initial details are scarce, the car’s high ride height and chunky bumpers suggest that it could be a more off-roadfocused model than other EVs on sale today.

In a press briefing at Auto Expo 2023, Toshihiro Suzuki, president of the Japanese firm, said: “I

am delighted to unveil the eVX, our first global strategic EV. At the Suzuki Group, addressing global warming is a priority.

“We are promoting a range of global measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Suzuki will continue providing valuable products to our customers around the world by optimising them for the way different people live and drive.”

Measuring 4.3 metres long and 1.8 metres wide, it’s similar in size to Suzuki’s current S-Cross model. It’s expected that Suzuki will adopt its typically value-led approach to the eVX’s pricing, too, going up against more budget-orientated electric models like those from MG.

Suzuki says that the eVX will get the ‘advanced features of the latest BEVs’, suggesting that it’ll get a wide range of assistance systems. It’s expected that more details surrounding the car will be released over the coming year.

Unlike most petrol/electric plug-in hybrids however, the MX-30’s petrol engine never directly powers the wheels. Instead, it helps top up a 17.8kWh battery, which is then used to power the MX-30 R-EV’s electric motor.

The result, says Mazda, is smooth and effortless performance without the awkward interruption in power delivery that can be noticeable in some plug-in hybrid cars.

Mazda no doubt hopes that the R-EV goes some way to addressing the criticism of the regular MX-30 EV: notably its comparatively small range.

While the fully-electric MX-30 offers a claimed 124 miles of range, Mazda suggests the R-EV should be able to cover ‘more than 400 miles’ before needing a top-up of petrol. However, in order to squeeze in the necessary petrol-related elements like a 50-litre fuel tank, Mazda has halved the size of the battery –meaning the MX-30 R-EV can only travel a

Describing the MX-30 R-EV, Mazda UK managing director Jeremy Thomson said: “It’s a car that’s the perfect solution for customers who want an electric car for everyday usage but the flexibility to undertake longer journeys without the reliance on charging infrastructure.

“With the option to choose either the pure electric MX-30 or the new R-EV version depending on their needs, our customers now have even more choice.”

The MX-30 R-EV is priced identically to the regular MX-30 EV – with ‘Prime-Line’ entry-level models starting at £31,250 on the road, and top-end ‘Makoto’ trim starting at £35,550.

An ‘Edition-R’ trim level, featuring a unique black and maroon colour scheme and rotaryinspired detailing, is available exclusively on the R-EV and is priced from £37,950.

The MX-30 R-EV is available to order immediately, with cars due to arrive in showrooms later this year.

Award for Jeep Avenger n EV concept from Suzuki n Rotary engine for Mazda hybrid n