Times of Tunbridge Wells 24th January 2024

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Wednesday January 24 | 2024

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RTW Together prepares its pitch to businesses ahead of new BID vote

A FREE WEBINAR SERIES TAKING YOUR BUSINESS FROM GOOD TO GREAT

IN today’s Times we speak exclusively to RTW Together Business Improvement District (BID) Chief Executive Alex Green ahead of the BID renewal ballot next month. The consultation process will last for the whole of February and will involve businesses in Tunbridge Wells, that are already part of the BID, voting to approve a second term.

RTW Together is a Community Interest Company which runs the Business Improvement District for Tunbridge Wells.

The BID is a defined area of the town centre, running from the large Sainsbury’s in the south up to the roundabout where Grosvenor Road meets St John’s Road.

Businesses contribute an annual levy based on the rateable value of their premises. Since 2019, £2.1million of funds have been raised. RTW Together manages these funds to carry out improvements, marketing and events to bolster trading

SESSION 1: THE STARTING BLOCKS February 20th, 9-10am

By Grace Corcoran

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conditions within the town centre.

This includes funding the town’s Christmas lights, running various campaigns to drive external footfall to the area and helping to promote different local seasonal activities including the recent ‘Joy to the Wells’ campaign.

Initiatives “In essence, local businesses within the town centre collectively pay for RTW Together, which then invests that resource in a range of initiatives that support business, and in turn, local residents.

“One of the main benefits being that, as a collective, we can achieve economies in scale, whether it’s radio advertising, street furniture, or CCTV – things a sole business might not be able to afford alone,” explains Alex.

BIDs are usually made up of 300-700 members, but Tunbridge Wells is larger, with around 650 already signed up.

Since launching in 2019, the town has grown, with 5,000 more businesses established here and surrounding areas.

And now, five years on, the future of RTW Together BID is in the hands of local member businesses once more at the re-ballot in February.

Tunbridge Wells is well known for offering a wealth of entertainment, hospitality, heritage and shopping for both locals and tourists. As part of its planning for the next five-year term, RTW Together BID has been consulting local retail, hospitality and general business sectors to understand what they think the town needs in order to continue to thrive.

More than 200 of these businesses are professional services, covering the legal, financial, creative and insurance sectors.

This particular cohort alone contributes more than £150,000 in levies each year.

Continued on page 4

INSIDE: Work has finally started on ABC Cinema site – page 2

Book your place today 020 3667 5400

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Wednesday January 24 | 2024

ranked as This week… Council launches Local Plan Fordcombe Kent’s second-highest NOURISH IN NUMBERS: Local food bank charity reveals its official stats for 2023 reporting a 25 per cent rise in referrals. P5

consultation for residents

FORDCOMBE Church of England Primary School were ranked the second-highest attaining primary school in Kent in 2023, according to the latest figures published in December on the government’s school performance tables.

The local primary school, located just outside of Tunbridge Wells in Fordcombe, was beaten to the top spot by Charing Church of England Primary School.

Of all their year six pupils who completed Key Stage 2 in the summer of 2023 (17), 100 per cent met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. This percentage is significantly higher than the local authority and national averages of 59 per cent and 60 per cent respectively.

WHEELS IN MOTION: ‘Girl On A Bike’ Vanessa Ruck exclusively tells the Times about her triumphant Africa Eco Race. P8

By Archie Lawrence

CELESTIAL CELEBRATION: Tunbridge Wells’ historic King Charles the Martyr church marks its anniversary with a special event. P18 FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The Small Holding’s talented chef Will Devlin shares his delicious seasonal recipes with Times readers. P24

attaining primary school

TUNBRIDGE Wells Borough Council (TWBC) is holding a public consultation for residents to have their say on the Local Plan.

In response to the Planning Inspector’s examination in 2022 where he laid out his initial findings to TWBC, the Council is proposing that it takes the Local Plan forward with a revised development strategy.

Progression The revised development strategy includes the removal of Tudeley Village, revision of the housing policy, employment, sport and recreation and secondary school education provision for Paddock Wood and east Capel, revised site allocation at Hawkhurst and the progression of a 10-year housing land supply position, including the requirement for an immediate review of the Local Plan.

Councillor Hugo Pound, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning said:

“I am delighted that the Local Plan is progressing towards adoption. Residents’ comments on the plan to be submitted to the Planning Inspector are very welcome and will help to shape both the Council’s and the Inspector’s thinking when he undertakes public hearings in the early summer.”

He added: “I would urge anyone with views about the changes that have been made to the Local Plan to respond to the Consultation, which remains open until 26th February.”

TWBC is holding its public consultation on the Council’s response to the initial findings, including the revised development strategy, for six weeks until midnight on Monday February 26.

Representations or comments can be submitted online, via email or by post. Hard copies are available for inspection at The Amelia Scott, Tunbridge Wells, Capel Parish Council, Paddock Wood Town Council and Cranbrook and Sissinghurst Parish Council. Comment online at tunbridgewells.gov.uk/planning/planningpolicy/local-plan/consultation-on-councilsresponse-to-inspectors-initial-findings

Amazing A further 29 per cent of their pupils achieved the higher standard which is recognised for those who achieve a scaled score of 110 or more in their reading and maths tests, and their teacher assesses them as ‘working at a greater depth within the expected standard’ in writing.

Headteacher Christopher Blackburn told the Times: “The results that Fordcombe achieve are the result of the amazing children we have.

“The children enjoy coming to school each day, enjoy learning and enjoy being in an environment where they are comfortable to be themselves, have the opportunity to grow, the opportunity to lead and the opportunity to be the best that they can be.

“They are all supported by a great teaching team that nurture and enable all the children at Fordcombe to shine.”

To see the government’s 2023 performance tables for all primary schools in Kent, visit: compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk/ schools-by-type?step=default&table=schools& region=886&geographic=la&for=primary

ground begins New Hawkenbury car park Breaking at old ABC Cinema site extension work commences

ENABLING works on the former ABC cinema site commenced on Monday (January 22) and will continue for the next four weeks, McAleer & Rushe Contracts UK Ltd have confirmed.

McAleer & Rushe Contracts UK Ltd, which is one of the UK’s largest design and build construction and property companies, were appointed to commence enabling works as part of the redevelopment of the former ABC cinema site on behalf of ‘Thrive Living’ by Retirement Villages Group.

CONTACTS EDITOR EILEEN LEAHY info@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 576037 NEWS REPORTER GRACE CORCORAN | 01892 240626 newsdesk@onemediauk.co.uk NEWS REPORTER BEN CORNWELL | 07494 453524 newsdesk@onemediauk.co.uk SUB EDITOR SIMON MUGFORD simon.mugford@onemediauk.co.uk DESIGN/PRODUCTION JASON STUBBS jason.stubbs@onemediauk.co.uk ADVERTISING 07557 847841 robin.singer@onemediauk.co.uk facebook.com/timeslocalnews www.timeslocalnews.co.uk twitter.com/timeslocalnews Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN3 0TF Salomons Estate, One Warwick Park Hotel and Bewl Events & Waterpark are owned by the Elite Leisure Collection, which also owns One Media, publisher of the Times.

CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS HERE at the Times Local News we strive to deliver fair, accurate and balanced reports. When we don’t meet our own high standards we will accept the responsibility and publish clarifications and corrections.

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Stalemate

By Grace Corcoran WORK has commenced on the car park extension at Hawkenbury Recreation Ground, with hopes the extension will alleviate parking problems in the area.

The car park extension, which could take up to six weeks to complete, was agreed last year, and did not require planning consent. The project is being funded with Section 106 money – contributions from developers used to mitigate the impact of the development on the local community and infrastructure, from the development of Hawkenbury Farm.

Demand With parking demand high as sports teams use the all-weather pitch seven days a week, and an increase in vehicles following the Hawkenbury Farm development and parking restrictions on Hawkenbury Road, residents will be pleased when the extension comes to fruition over the next few weeks.

Cllr Siobhan O’Connell (Alliance) for Park ward said: “It is good to see developer money funding the extension of the Hawkenbury Rec car park. I hope the additional spaces will result in a reduction in vehicles parking inconsiderately on Hawkenbury Road which causes problems for local residents.”

The existing car park at the Rec had 13 parking spaces, two for blue badge holders and bollards for locking bikes. The project will provide an additional 15 spaces, 2 more blue badge holder parking spots and the added space will mean school minibuses can park when visiting.

The car park extension has been allocated £85,361.43 of developer contributions.

The work commenced Monday January 22, and is expected to take around six weeks – there will be reduced parking during this period and footpaths will be closed along with the existing vehicle entrance.

Dear Times reader, do let us know your thoughts on the new car park extension. Send us an email to newdesk@timesoftunbridgewells. co.uk

As previously reported in the Times, the 1.5-acre development site, which has remained at a stalemate for 24 years, is set to become a £72million ‘extra care’ retirement facility, known as ‘Thrive Living’ after securing planning permission in November 2022.

The new ‘later living’ village will be an eightstorey building boasting 167 homes and is expected to also include retail space, restaurants, a café, an outdoor courtyard, and leisure facilities.

The four-week initial works will involve the adaptation of site hoardings, mobilisation of groundwork machinery to the site, and the demolition of the existing No.41 Mount Pleasant Road.

There will also be the temporary closure of the Public Right of Way that bisects the ABC Cinema site and provides pedestrian access between Clanricarde Road and Mount Pleasant Road.

McAleer & Rushe have confirmed to the Times that a traffic management plan will be implemented under the supervision of traffic marshals to direct pedestrians to alternative routes and ‘ensure safe logistics at all times.’

Work will commence on the site during the hours of 8am-6pm during weekdays and from 8am to 1pm on Saturdays.

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

NEWS IN BRIEF

KCC says no plans to close libraries despite Tunbridge Wells Councillor’s comments KENT County Council (KCC) released a statement yesterday (Tuesday January 23) clarifying its position on libraries, following KCC Cllr Peter Oakford (Conservative) for Tunbridge Wells North’s comments that KCC could sell off libraries to save money.

Cllr Oakford said that Kent has ‘too many libraries’ and suggested some of the county’s 99 libraries could be ‘sold or disposed of to local communities.’

He added KCC would not be ‘gifting’ libraries and that a proposal will be made at some point this year.

Following the backlash to Cllr Oakford’s comments, KCC released a statement stating ‘there are no plans currently underway to close libraries across the county.’

It added any changes to library service would involve public consultation and that there are no proposals to reduce them at present.

Former Speldhurst subpostmistress used life savings to cover costs THE BBC reported that a former subpostmistress in Speldhurst used almost £10,000 of life savings to balance the books following the faulty system.

Anu Aron bought Speldhurst Post Office in 2012 and used her own money across four years to pay her employees in order to ensure the system was balanced during the Horizon Post Office Scandal.

Ms Aron, a former midwife, was not convicted nor is she seeking compensation but wants justice for all involved.

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By Archie Lawrence A COUPLE from Tunbridge Wells has won a quarter of a million-pound prize on a National Lottery £250,000 Gold Scratchcard, with the winning ticket bought from a newsagent on Camden Road.

After scooping the jackpot, teacher Michelle Newton and her husband, school caretaker, John Simpson are now planning to pay off the mortgage, house renovations, purchase a rental property and go on holiday to Australia.

Light-headed Michelle (50) and John (61) work at Beechwood School, Tunbridge Wells. Michelle is a teacher of Science and Religious Studies and John is the school caretaker. The couple popped into Pages Newsagents later than planned after losing their keys and bought a scratchcard with the remaining change.

Michelle said: “We immediately scratched the card outside the shop and we just stopped dead in our tracks. I said to John, ‘I can’t believe this is happening’. We just stood there in the street, cars whizzing past, shaking, realising we had won.”

John added: “We kept looking at the scratchcard and thinking about what to do next.

Michelle said she felt light-headed. So instead of going home, we diverted to the local pub, The Black Horse, for a pint before calling to claim our prize.”

JACKPOT JOY: John Simpson and Michelle Newton As they were late John still had to run some errands so Michelle went home to call The National Lottery hotline to make the claim.

“As a teacher of Science and Religious Studies I constantly ask pupils to think about how and why things happen. And yet here is a totally random event. Life financially is definitely going to be more comfortable. One thing is for sure, we

Freemasons donate funds to Trinity Speech Bubbles

FOLLOWING their generous £19,000 grant to Trinity Theatre earlier this month, West Kent Freemasons attended one of the theatre group’s Speech Bubbles sessions on Tuesday January 16 to see the impact that their donation will make.

Confidence The grant will enable the Trinity Creative Engagement team to work with 16 primary schools in Tunbridge Wells and Kent, and aid around 320 children aged between five and seven.

The programme is designed to help children in their speech and communication, and also to fill them with confidence. By using their own stories, exactly as they tell them, the sessions

are never going to moan about losing our keys again,” said Michelle.

The couple, who have been married for nearly three years, haven’t arranged a celebration party yet. Instead they are busy planning a joint celebration – winning £250,000 on a National Lottery Scratchcard and John’s birthday – at the end of January.

Bidborough gastropub recognised in national hospitality awards Picture: West Kent Freemasons and Masonic Charitable Foundation

HOLOCAUST Memorial Day will be commemorated at the war memorial in Royal Tunbridge Wells on Saturday January 27 from 10.45am.

The Mayor, Councillor Hugh Patterson, will join others who will gather at the memorial from 10.45am. At 11am the Mayor will lay flowers and make a short address to those present. Duncan Lustig-Prean will also say a few words. His mother Erica, who died a year ago, was a refugee at The Beacon, Tunbridge Wells, and The Amelia Scott’s Beacon archive is named after her.

A short road closure will be in place in front of the war memorial from 10.45 to 11.15am.

All are invited to a number of events happening throughout the day in The Amelia Scott, including the Ashes to Light Concert.

These are all bookable via The Amelia Scott website.

KENT and Sussex Poetry Society’s Open Poetry Competition is open for entries.

The competition, judged by award-winning Welsh poet Kathryn Gray, is open for anyone aged 16 and over.

All entries will be read by Kathryn, and can be no longer than 40 lines.

Entries cost £5 per poem, or there is a writer’s deal on for 3 or more poems, £4 each.

The prize for the winner of the competition is £1,000.

Deadline for entries January 31 2024.

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are designed to empower each child, build their imagination and expression, both verbal and non-verbal.

Speech & Language UK estimates that 1.9 million children are struggling and behind with their talking and understanding of words. This is the highest number ever recorded by the charity and equates to roughly one in five children in the UK. Mark Estaugh, Provincial Grand Master from West Kent Freemasons, said: “I’m really pleased we’ve been able to help Trinity Theatre with this wonderful speech and language programme that can transform a child’s prospects at school. A child will only get one chance at an education and thanks to Speech Bubbles they can take full advantage of it.”

AWARD-WINNING pub, The Kentish Hare, has placed 27th in this year’s Gastropub competition.

The Top 50 Gastropub Awards, sponsored by Estrella Damm, is a nationwide competition celebrating establishments producing the best high-quality dishes. The awards are voted for by the hospitality industry.

The pub on Bidborough Ridge is run by brothers Chris and James Tanner and holds two AA Rosettes and a Bib Gourmand award in 2021. The pub was the only one in Tunbridge Wells on the list.

Highlight Top 50 Gastropubs describes the food at The Kentish Hare as a highlight, and what ‘most people from far and wide travel to sample.’

Pub co-owner, James Tanner, said on his Instagram: “So great to be included in this year’s Top 50 Gastropub Awards with our Kentish Hare Pub. To be alongside such brilliant pubs and their teams on the list is wonderful.

He added: “To everyone who voted for us, it means a lot to ourselves and our fantastic team who make our pub what it is. Can’t believe that we have had our little pub in Kent 10 years this year and what a great start to year number 10 to be part of.”

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Wednesday January 24 | 2024

RTW Together prepares to consult BID members on its five-year plan ahead of renewal ballot Continued from front page AHEAD of Royal Tunbridge Wells Business Improvement District (BID) balloting its 650 members to vote for a second term over the next five years, the Times had the opportunity to exclusively speak to the organisation’s CEO Alex Green about the ways in which it will ensure the economic and cultural future of Tunbridge Wells if it is granted a second term.

RTW Together is a Community Interest Company which runs the BID for Tunbridge Wells. The BID is a defined area of the town centre, running from the large Sainsbury’s in the south, up to the roundabout where Grosvenor Road meets St John’s Road (see image below).

Improvements “Businesses within this commercial area pay an additional levy based on the rateable value of their property to fund services and improvements that have been identified as priorities by the businesses themselves. Each one of these businesses can vote in the February re-ballot,” explained Alex.

Proposed future activity includes specialist RTW guides, walking trails and the festive Joy to the Wells and The Big Reveal window competition at Christmas.

Alex also talked about the BID’s plans for further increasing tourism and footfall in Tunbridge Wells and outlined the specific actions the group will take to promote businesses, grow the creative sector and support schemes to help retain younger people in the town.

“We will invest in town-wide projects including lighting schemes, graffiti removal, street

furniture, art and planters and aim to introduce town security patrols at peak times to deter thefts and anti-social behaviour,” he said.

If the ballot is successful, RTW Together BID will start a second five-year term commencing on April 1, 2024.

Here, Alex breaks down what the BID has set out its plan for the next five years to include: Enhancing the town • Investing in town-wide projects including lighting schemes, graffiti removal, street furniture, art and planters • Town security patrols at peak times to deter thefts and anti-social behaviour • Investment in the Safe Town Partnership, town radio scheme and CCTV network • Support for businesses including free resources and training and cost savings through group purchasing • Financial support for Amplifi, encouraging businesses to address the climate emergency collectively and support local community development • Creation of a new Women’s Safety Charter and defibrillator provision Supporting local • Encouraging RTW residents through ‘Love Local’ promotions to spend money with businesses, retail and hospitality within their local community • Campaigns and information including RTW Guides, press features, The Big Reveal, walking trails and Joy to the Wells at Christmas, encouraging people to support all the different parts of the town • Financial support of local events and attractions to ensure we have a lively calendar of

WILLS AND BUSINESS PROPERTY RELIEF Inheritance Tax danger for owner managers of SMEs - in outline Many owner managers of small to medium sized businesses are aware that on death, their shareholding or partnership interest or sole trader business’ value will qualify for the Inheritance Tax treatment in the form of 100% Business Property Relief which reduces to zero the Inheritance Tax that would otherwise arise on any non-exempt beneficiaries. Exempt beneficiaries are current spouses etc., and charities.

ED WALTER Private Client Partner Tunbridge Wells Office 01892 510 222 info@bussmurton.co.uk

events such as the TW Literary Festival, Unfest, Local & Live, Trinity Theatre and the Spa Valley Railway Increasing tourism • Marketing campaigns to appeal to local tourists in the wider county, East Sussex and London, as well as national and international markets through activities like railway station poster campaigns, doubledecker bus wraps, national radio campaigns, advertising to coach and tour operators and UK tourism publications • Delivering events to bring new and return visitors to RTW, following on from last year’s ‘Right Royal Weekend’ and investment in the Christmas Ferris wheel, there will be a focus on the Subbuteo World Cup in September as well as other seasonal activities Promoting business • Showcasing RTW as a premier business location to attract corporate relocations, appeal to new employees and generate more customers for us all • A focus on flexibility around office solutions including co-working spaces, flexi office rentals and daily rentals to reflect new post-Covid

working patterns • Financial support of Creative Tunbridge Wells to champion the growth of the creative sector • Creating a dedicated free jobs listing site specifically for RTW which businesses and potential employees can use to make recruitment easier • Supporting apprenticeships and work experience schemes to help retain younger people in RTW • Working with TWBC to support local recruitment events and invest resources to build up free HR documentation to support local businesses.

‘de-risking’ their inheritance for them. Similarly, as far as the other business owners are concerned, they’ll want the flexibility of being able to run the business without their deceased co-owner’s family having a say in decisions they may not be able to positively contribute to. But all of that can lead to actions or omissions, which can prejudice the Inheritance Tax beneficial position likely to have been achieved.

within the company as a result of what HMRC perceive to be the high levels of cash being held.

That is that either innocently or otherwise, over time, assets become held by the business that are not trading assets.

For further information in this field, please contact Edward Walter on:

An example could be premises that the business started operating out of, but that the business outgrew moving to new premises, and the original premises are retained and let out to a third party for a good amount of rent. That is not a trading activity, and the value of the original premises may not acquire Business Property Relief in death.

Another instance is that the business does well and has large sums of retained profits held within the corporate shell - undistributed.

So, Business Property Relief is a valuable relief if someone is trying to pass at least the value of the business, if not the business itself, onto the next generation.

The issue here is whether the business is sitting on ‘excessive cash to its usual funding requirements,’ i.e. the company is artificially cash rich because profits are being hoarded within the business.

Frequently, such business owner managers will seek to take advantage of this by having Wills drafted for them which ensure that this benefit is properly used. The business owner manager may add in certain insurance arrangements; if they own a business with others, and on their death, that what they want their family to inherit, is the cash equivalent to the value of the shares (rather than the shares themselves), thus

So, if the company itself holds cash reserves which are well in excess of usual funding requirements ( i.e. cash is being left to accrue in the company so that on the death of a shareholder, Business Property Relief (BPR) potentially does not cover the value of the excess cash within the company), HMRC may deny BPR on the excess cash value

So, having the right type of Will, is essential in this area for any prudent small to medium sized enterprise owner manager making preparations for the future.

01892 502 320 or ewalter@ bussmurton.co.uk Ed can help with regards to drafting appropriate forms of Wills, Trusts and BPR.

www.bussmurton.co.uk Tunbridge Wells:

01892 510 222

Cranbrook:

01580 712 215

East Grinstead:

01342 328 000

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

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HELPING OUT: Nourish volunteers

Nourish Annual Review reports busiest year in the charity’s history

By Ben Cornwell

LAST week, Nourish Community Foodbank published its Annual Review for the financial year 2022-2023, which highlighted a sharp increase in referral numbers, meaning it was the charity’s busiest year ever.

The local charity, which operates from a unit on the Tunbridge Wells North Farm Industrial Estate, has clients referred to it by over 200 frontline agencies and professionals across the local area.

As a result, 158,891 meals were delivered across the year with the charity supporting 17,099 people in crisis in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells, South Tonbridge and the surrounding areas – an increase of 31 per cent on the previous year.

Reserves Furthermore, Nourish stepped in to address a new problem, fuel poverty, caused by the energy price crisis. Initially they distributed government-funded fuel vouchers but when the government money ran out, they bought more fuel vouchers using their own financial reserves.

However, the charity experienced further outgoings due to experiencing a huge drop in food donations. There was a 63 per cent increase in expenditure on food across 2022-23 – a total cost of over £105,000 on food purchases – to keep up with growing demand in the local community.

The charity’s 2022-23 annual review highlighted a rather concerning pattern in referrals, with an average 25 per cent year on year growth in client numbers over the past five years.

The number of people served in 2022-23 even exceeded the high numbers reached during the pandemic in 2020-21.

While the reasons for referral varied, the biggest causes were due to benefit changes (26 per cent of clients) and relationship breakdowns (including domestic abuse) which made up 22.8 per cent of referrals.

Sue Smith, Chair of Trustees at Nourish, said: “We are so very grateful to our community, who stepped up to support the continued increase in need for our services and we could not have made it through the year without you.

“It saddens us that we are still seeing such a significant increase in the need for foodbank services year on year, and now we are finding our resources are critically stretched. Less food is being donated and so we have had to draw on our reserves to cover the extra food costs.

“It is a great pity, when clients are telling us they have to choose between heating or eating, that, until funds allow, we have, temporarily, had to put a pause on our energy payment scheme.”

NOURISH ARE LOOKING FOR A NEW TREASURER AND TRUSTEES With the charity’s current Treasurer nearing the end of his term, Nourish is now looking for a new Treasurer to help it meet the challenges of growing demand for their services, constrained resources and a cost-of-living crisis.

This opportunity is for an individual to lead the financial management of a high-profile local charity, which provides vital food aid to people in need. You must be able to give around eight hours (around one day) a week of your time to the charity.

Nourish are particularly interested in hearing from prospective candidates with experience and knowledge of managing finances within a charitable organisation, HR and staff management, information technology and/or strategic operational skills.

The full job description for both roles is available on their website.

The closing date for applications is Monday March 4, 2024.

Cut-through connecting Tunbridge Wells to Rusthall cleared to improve walkway conditions

By Grace Corcoran

A FOOTPATH that connects Coniston Avenue, Tunbridge Wells in the Culverden ward to Woodside Road, Rusthall has been tidied and returned to its usual dimensions following calls for improvement by two local Councillors.

The path, which is used by many people including school children, was full of leaves, mud and water, creating slippery and unsafe conditions for those wanting to use the path and restricting access to the walkway.

Cllrs Justine Rutland (Liberal Democrats) for Culverden ward and Jayne Sharratt (Labour) for Rusthall hope the changes will improve the safety and footfall of the area. The Councillors worked with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Community Safety Unit to bring action to the area.

Terry Hughes, Community Safety Unit Manager told the Times: “Members of the Community Safety Unit team joined Cllrs Rutland and Sharratt to review the area back in November 2023. Following that visit, we made arrangements for Kent County Council’s Public Rights of Way team to clear the footpath.”

The cut-through has been returned to its usual dimensions, with mud and leaves cleared from the path, and the drains are now working properly again.

Currently the path is not particularly well lit, however, Mr Hughes explained that residents should hopefully see improvements there, too.

He added: “We are also following up on getting the graffiti cleaned, improving the lighting and liaising with Southern CLLRS JAYNE SHARRATT Water about the AND JUSTINE RUTLAND condition of the building there.

“This is a well-used footpath and it’s good to see it looking tidy again.”

Southern Water’s pumping station is located at the bottom of Coniston Avenue, at the entrance of the footpath. Cllr Rutland said that they are in talks with Southern Water about tidying up the area surrounding the station, but that the litter has been cleared.

ChatGPT, the AI chatbot developed by OpenAI which launched at the end of 2022, was declared a ‘special chapter’ in the history of AI at the Swiss mountain resort. With the most profound technology shift in our lifetime underway, and Davos panellists comparing it to the Industrial Revolution, how will UK employment be affected and how should employers prepare for an AI driven future?

Pam Loch, Solicitor and Managing Director of Loch Associates Group, discusses this further.

Legal Implications One of the most significant benefits of using ChatGPT and other AI tools in the workplace is increased efficiency. These tools can handle routine tasks quickly and accurately, freeing up employees to focus on more complex or strategic work. However, the use of AI also raises concerns, particularly around issues such as bias, resulting in unlawful discrimination, and privacy issues around data that is collected. There are currently no laws specifically governing the use of AI at work. In the absence of legislation, employers must be mindful of their legal risks and obligations which could affect how they use AI and expose them to claims.

What are the concerns?

Privacy: AI systems like ChatGPT rely on data to identify patterns and generate original content. Employers utilising AI must comply with the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR to safeguard employee data and privacy.

Examples: • AI applications often involve processing vast amounts of personal data, raising concerns about the right to privacy.

The collection, storage, and use of personal information by AI systems could therefore impact individuals’ privacy rights.

• Bias in AI: AI systems are only as unbiased as the data used to train them. If the data used to train an AI system is biased, then the system will learn and effect that bias. This could lead to discrimination claims.

• Autonomy of decision-making: AI systems are increasingly being used to make decisions that can impact peoples’ lives. It’s important to ensure that AI systems are transparent, explainable, and auditable so that any potential biases can be identified and addressed.

The risk of unfair dismissal claims also emerges as AI automates tasks and potentially reduces the need for certain jobs. Employers must follow appropriate procedures and policies in their decision-making to avoid successful claims against them. Employers should also be reviewing their policies and considering whether the AI tools they are using expose them to any potential liability.

By ensuring compliance with existing discrimination and data protection laws, respecting employee rights, and fostering a culture of trust and transparency, organisations can leverage the positive impact AI can make in the workplace.

What can employers do?

Loch Associates Group is continuing the conversation on AI in the Workplace with CIPD Kent on 14 March 2024 with a free webinar discussing the risks and benefits of AI at work from a Legal and HR perspective. Book now to join us:

www.lochassociates.co.uk

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Wednesday January 24 | 2024

Record turnout at free small business event at Town Hall

By Grace Corcoran THE Town Hall was buzzing with energy last Thursday (January 18) as a record turnout of around 100 businesses gathered for the West Kent Business event.

With Nat Sharp from Sharp Thinking Marketing as the guest speaker, the event was deemed a huge success, with outstanding feedback from attendees.

A diverse range of businesses, from wellestablished IT companies and HR consultancies to interior designers and photographers came together as Nat, who has 25 years of experience in marketing, gave an hour’s presentation on her top 10 tips on how to get a business noticed.

Conversations The extended Q&A session turned into an insightful discussion, covering topics such as websites and LinkedIn. Attendees were able to engage in meaningful conversations and address burning questions with practical advice at hand.

A Tunbridge Wells Borough Council spokesperson said: “We were delighted to support a really purposeful event, offering free expert insight to local businesses.”

Nat Sharp commented: “It was such a wonderful and rewarding day. The best part for me was the extended Q&A session hearing so many business owners fired up, inspired with immediate simple actions to take and apply to their business.”

She added: “The success of this event highlights the importance of supporting small businesses and providing them with the resources they need to thrive. The record turnout is a testament to the resilience and determination of small business owners in the

THE OLD FISHMARKET

Picture: Karen Bengal

Pantiles seafood restaurant awarded two AA Rosettes

By Ben Cornwell STANDING TOGETHER: Nat Sharp (second left) presented the event West Kent community.”

West Kent Business, on behalf of Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & Malling, and Sevenoaks Council, hosts regular free events to provide practical support for local businesses. This event was just one of many opportunities for small businesses to come together and learn from experts in the field.

In addition to the informative presentation, attendees were treated to a tour of the Town Hall and the new co-working space being renovated in the historic Art Deco building. Vicki Thornhill from West Kent Business said, “What an informative, well-attended event presented by Nat Sharp in the exciting new co-working space at The Town Hall.”

For more information on upcoming events and opportunities for small businesses including the West Kent Expo in March, visit westkentbusiness.com

LOCAL seafood restaurant, The Old Fishmarket, located on The Pantiles, has announced that it has been awarded two AA Rosettes.

The popular Sankey’s restaurant celebrated its tenth year in business back in September. As well as the venue on The Pantiles, the seafood specialists also run a Seafood Kitchen and Bar on Mount Ephraim and a fishmongers in Vale Road.

The AA Rosette award, first awarded in 1956, is a prestigous nationwide scheme for assessing the quality of food served by restaurants and hotels.

According to the AA, two AA Rosettes are awarded to excellent restaurants that ‘aim for and achieve higher standards and better consistency’.

It will also be apparent to inspectors that there is a greater precision in the cooking, and obvious attention to the selection of quality ingredients.

Despite booking the restaurant in for an AA inspection to celebrate a decade in business, Sankey’s owner and local councillor Matthew Sankey explained that to ensure the service and food that the AA inspector receives is the same as every other customer, the inspection was

completely ‘incognito’, so they had no idea that an inspector was present.

Following the inspection he told the Times that he was ‘delighted’ by the accolade.

He said: “The Old Fishmarket is the absolute expression of my passion for fresh seafood and hospitality. I know that sounds totally cheesy, but that’s the fact.

Proud “It’s a no-holds-barred approach to the very best fish that the British Isles have to offer. In September last year, she turned 10 years old, which I’m incredibly proud of, having been told that I was completely mad, and that it would fail within months.”

Mr Sankey added: “I’m delighted to share this award with our entire team – not just those working with us today, but those who have worked with us from the start.

“Whilst it’s my family name above the door, Sankey’s is very much a team operation, and these rosettes are for each and every single person who has been a part of it.”

Women entrepreneurs join forces for inspirational talks

Law firm announces raft of promotions and new hires

WOMEN IN BUSINESS: Attendees at The Finance Hub event

By Elena Percy LAST week The Finance Hub, on The Pantiles, hosted another successful Make it Your Business (MIYB) event to kick off the year with a local entrepreneur inspiring like-minded women.

Hosted by Siobhan Stirling, Managing Director of marketing and PR agency, Sharp Minds Communications, the sold-out event featured talks from businesswomen including Claire Jarvis, Managing Director of Work in Harmony (based in Tunbridge Wells), Alison Hazell, Director of Temper Temper Chocolate in Southborough, Business Growth and Change Strategist Katie Keith, and Directors Tara De Linde and Angie Pool of architecture and design company Atelier De Linde (all pictured above).

MIYB is a nationwide organisation that holds seminars across the country, supporting and

encouraging women to start and grow their own business and providing opportunities to connect and gain knowledge from each other.

Siobhan Stirling commented: “I am always astounded by the energy and positivity of these events, as 60 like-minded businesswomen come together to connect, network and share their stories.”

Positive Keynote speaker Katie Keith echoed the sentiment: “The room was buzzing with the energy of strong, positive, like-minded women— truly an invigorating start to the year!”

The Make It Your Business event was founded by entrepreneur, writer and broadcaster Alison Cork, who serves as the representative of the British Library business and IP centres.

By Archie Lawrence TUNBRIDGE Wells-based award-winning law firm Thomson Snell & Passmore, has made a series of promotions and appointments for the new year.

The promotions, which took effect from January 1, include one Associate and one Legal Executive and the appointments include five newlyqualified Solicitors in the Tunbridge Wells offices.

Commitment Lawrence Hiller-Wood in the Will, Trust and Estate Disputes Team has been promoted to Associate, in addition to 18 other promotions made last year in June.

The firm, which is the oldest law firm in the world, says the promotions demonstrate its ‘commitment to developing talent and providing

career opportunities’.

The new appointments include current Trainee Solicitors with the firm, Jack Pavey, Rachel Macmillan, Harry Roffey and Freya Vale, who will join the Corporate and Commercial team, and Olivia Grainge will join the Real Estate team, when they qualify as Solicitors in March 2024.

The appointments set out to support the continued growth of the firm’s Corporate and Commercial department in particular, to reflect the growing demands of its clients in the mid-market mergers and acquisitions space.

Joanna Pratt, Senior Partner at Thomson Snell & Passmore said: “I speak for everyone across Thomson Snell & Passmore in offering huge congratulations to all on these well-deserved promotions and appointments.

“As a firm, we have always been dedicated to nurturing talent and I have no doubt that these individuals will go on to shine in their new roles.”

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Wednesday January 24 | 2024

‘Girl On A Bike’ makes history in gruelling Sahara Desert race

HOOP TEAMS: The Tunbridge Wells Warriors’ ENRICH 24 event

VANESSA RUCK

Nicknamed ‘The Girl On A Bike’, Vanessa Ruck is renowned within the global motorsport community for her incredible courage, resilience and off-road motorbike-racing talent since recovering from a severe injury caused by being struck by a car while out cycling in 2014.

Nearly 10 years on from her accident, Vanessa said: “It’s like I’ve reclaimed control – up until now the toughest thing I’ve ever done was fight on following my accident, but now the hardest thing I’ve ever done is something I chose. It makes me feel so alive!”

Vanessa revealed to the Times that the toughest part of the race was the psychological side of the monumental challenge and the motivation to keep going after the third day when ‘your body is aching’ and there are still thousands of miles left to go. “You have to focus on one day at a time,” she said.

While tackling the long, gruelling days in the desert alone, Vanessa was supported by a team of three. Mechanically such a race requires considerable assistance which came in the form of Joe Mercer of Desert Rose Racing. She also had two friends, Anika Bailey and Keri-Anne Thurley to take care of her nutrition, welfare, filming for her social channels, and general psychological support.

As one of only 25 of the 46 riders in the motorbike category in the 2024 event managing to complete the whole course, Vanessa spent over 103 hours in total on her KTM 450 Rally Replica motorbike.

Vanessa finished the 13-day Sahara Desert race in 27th place overall but claimed first place in the women’s category.

She said that being the first British woman to complete the race is ‘an incredible feeling’.

She added: “It’s not often in life we get to break new territories in such a huge way. I feel proud and feel I’ve achieved something for the UK, but I also really hope I won’t be the only one for long.

“I hope my story inspires other women to tackle new challenges and realise it’s possible with hard work.”

Most racers would have likely had time off to rest following such a tough race, however, Vanessa travelled to Gambia for a week’s work supporting the charity, Two Wheels for Life.

She hopes to use her social media following to help share the story of the work they do within mobilising healthcare in Africa through the use of motorcycles.

By Elena Percy

DAVID FAWCETT

By Ben Cornwell LANGTON Green bike racer Vanessa Ruck made history in Dakar, Senegal on Sunday January 14 when she became the first British woman to finish the Africa Eco Race.

The race, which follows the route of the old Dakar Rally, is infamous for its difficulty and is widely considered one of the world’s toughest endurance races due to the 6,000km course. It passes through some of the harshest terrain in Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal, including Sahara Desert dunes of up to 400 metres high.

Courage

New patron announced for local male voice choir

THE Royal Tunbridge Wells Orpheus Male Voice Choir has announced the appointment of its new patron, David Fawcett of Beyond the Barricade.

Tunbridge Wells local David is a renowned performer and producer, with credentials to match. He spent two years in the West End production of Les Misérables playing Brujon, the Bishop of Digne and the leading role of Jean Valjean on many occasions. He also appeared in the 10th anniversary concert of Les Misérables at the Albert Hall in 1995, and the EURO 96 closing ceremony at Wembley Stadium.

David’s roles have included Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell, the Emcee in Cabaret and Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls.

He teamed up with producer Nigel Stewart, and Andy Reiss, the other original Barricade boy, to direct the highly acclaimed production of Annie in Guildford and Portsmouth.

David has also directed Godspell, Chicago and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, as well as writing, performing and directing pantomimes.

Recently he directed The Passion – a huge

Netball club aims to support players with life off the court

By Grace Corcoran A LOCAL netball club that provides fitness and gameplay for women is proving that it is more than just a sports club, with events aimed to inspire the community they are building.

Tunbridge Wells Warriors Netball Club, which caters for all levels of adult netball, held an event ENRICH 24 at The Old Auction House on Thursday January 11.

The purpose of the event was to bring together members of the club, of which there are 48, for an uplifting evening away from the court.

The event was created in partnership with one of the club’s sponsors, Parfitt Cresswell and a team of their lawyers were in attendance to impart some legal expertise and consultation.

There was also a sparkling array of guest speakers including Kitty Cassis, a comedy act from TW Fringe, Kate Azurdia from The Good Mood Club, Emma Jefferys AKA Action Woman,

Opportunity A spokesperson for the club said: “Warriors is about so much more than netball. The ethos is community, fitness, fun and opportunity.”

Warriors, which is also sponsored by Saint John’s Yard and has three competing squads active in the Tunbridge Wells Netball League, was founded in September 2022 and trains weekly at Rose Hill School.

Book a free trial with the Tunbridge Wells Warriors by visiting twwarriorsnc.com or following them on Instagram @twwarriorsnc

Meet the man who is using AI to help tackle the mental health crisis

SETH HUNTER

By Grace Corcoran

commemorative event for a Sussex town which played to more than 5,000 people. He also co-formed the theatre company Amusing Little Productions with Sally-Anne Leigh.

David still performs regularly with the ensemble Beyond the Barricade, all former cast members from Les Misérables, with whom the choir was proud to sing at the town’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in Dunorlan Park. The choir is looking forward to a long and successful association with David, whose experience will be invaluable.

David joins the current patron Greg Clark MP, who has carried out the role for many years.

Victoria Genevieve from Genevieve’s Wardrobe and Jen Still from White Feather Wellbeing.

The speakers enriched the audience with top tips - from making sure wills are in place, to creating happy hormones, showing selfcompassion, styling with confidence and moving with music.

WITH just one in three adults with a common mental health problem receiving treatment in the form of talking therapies, medication or both, Tunbridge Wells resident Seth Hunter has used his knowledge, experience and creativity to use AI for good to help those struggling.

The Times has previously reported on Hunter’s UK-wide initiative, buddi bench – a project that encourages people to sit down and have a chat with one another to improve loneliness and connection.

Interactions Now, Seth hopes to help as many people as possible with his latest project ‘Virtually Seth’, all through using the power of AI. In order to train the model to respond in a manner close to how he would in face-to-face interactions, Seth has condensed his 25 years of expertise in mental health and addiction, uploading hundreds of documents, articles,

training notes and presentations written by him to the AI model.

He hopes his innovative approach will help people struggling with their mental health.

Seth told the Times: “I’ve been privileged to have been able to help thousands of adults with their mental health and addiction issues.

“Yet there is only one of me and not enough experts generally, meaning millions of people are currently unable to access timely support with their mental health and addiction issues.

He added: “I hope Virtually Seth will become the go-to app to answer nearly all questions regarding mental health and addiction issues in conjunction with – not instead of – mental health and addiction experts.”

Seth has extensive experience of working with adults experiencing mental health and addiction issues, from supporting homeless young adults with complex needs, running the UK’s first mental health café and lecturing on psychology courses.

For more information about buddi bench and Virtually Seth, visit: buddibench.org

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Wednesday January 24 | 2024

Sunak: Houthis must stop ‘illegal London Mayor calls machete and and unacceptable’ shipping attacks for zombie knife ban NEWS IN BRIEF

Picture: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire

RISHI Sunak has said the UK would not hesitate to launch further air strikes against the Iranbacked Houthi rebels if attacks on shipping continued.

Royal Air Force jets took part in a second wave of joint US-UK action against the Yemen-based rebels on Monday night (January 22) after attacks on shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden continued.

The Prime Minister told MPs: “We are not seeking a confrontation. We urge the Houthis and those who enable them to stop these illegal and unacceptable attacks.

Action “But, if necessary, the United Kingdom will not hesitate to respond again in self-defence.

“We cannot stand by and allow these attacks to go unchallenged. Inaction is also a choice.”

Four RAF Typhoons and a pair of Voyager tankers were involved in the latest action.

Several targets were hit at two military sites north of Yemen’s capital Sanaa.

Mr Sunak said the strikes were aimed at sites that the Houthis use to support the attacks on shipping and ‘all intended targets were destroyed’.

The Houthis have been targeting shipping they claim is linked to Israel in the context of the conflict with Hamas.

But the UK and its allies have warned the attacks are indiscriminate and have included targeting Royal Navy and allied warships.

The Red Sea route leading to and from the Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important shipping routes and there are concerns that the cost of diverting vessels away from it, around

southern Africa, will fuel inflation and damage the global economy.

Drone and missile launches continued following the first wave of joint US-UK action on January 11.

The latest action also appears to have done little to deter Houthi action, with reports of drone activity in the region yesterday morning (January 23).

Mr Sunak told MPs the military action against the Houthis was just one part of a strategy which includes disrupting supplies of arms, sanctions and talks with regional powers.

Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron will head to the region ‘in the coming days’, Mr Sunak said.

New sanction measures will be announced soon and the Government will continue with humanitarian aid for Yemen and support a negotiated peace in the country’s civil war.

Mr Sunak spoke to US President Joe Biden on Monday night ahead of the military action and also convened a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, including key ministers.

The wider Cabinet, Leader of the Opposition Sir Keir Starmer and Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle were informed at around 10pm, the time of the strikes, rather than ahead of the military action.

Sir Keir said Labour backed the ‘targeted action to reinforce maritime security in the Red Sea’.

MPs will get the chance to debate the situation on Wednesday but will not be given a vote on the military action.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It’s important that parliamentarians are able to have their say but we are acting in line with precedence.

“The powers to make a decision on this action rest with the Prime Minister.”

MACHETES and zombie knives should be completely banned in the UK, the Mayor of London said, as he called on the Government to speed up plans to curb the availability of the weapons.

The Home Office said last summer that it would press ahead with plans to toughen up laws on these types of knives.

Mr Khan said a ban must be introduced quickly, with a complete bar on all machetes and zombie knives.

Current plans are for machetes with no practical use and certain types of zombie knives to be made illegal.

NHS dentistry plan coming ‘very soon’ AN NHS dentistry recovery plan is coming ‘very soon’, health minister Dame Andrea Leadsom has confirmed.

Ministers were pressed to reveal when they would come forward with promised plans to help the sector recover from the pandemic in the Commons on Tuesday.

Dame Andrea said she recognised that the Government needed to do more but asked MPs to wait “a little bit longer” for the plan which is “almost ready”.

She added: “In July 2022 we already created significant reforms to encourage dentists to take on more NHS patients. We recognise that we need to do more.

“The long-term workforce plan will increase training places, the overseas registration will improve capacity, as will the changes to the dental therapist programmes.

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Wednesday January 24 | 2024

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Nottingham murders: Crown Court Oppenheimer sweeps Oscar accepts triple killer’s guilty plea nominations with 13 nods

BOOK FAIR TUNBRIDGE WELLS

OPPENHEIMER, the epic biopic about atomic bomb creator J Robert Oppenheimer from Christopher Nolan, has dominated the Oscar nominations with 13 nods, including one for best actor for Irish star Cillian Murphy.

Murphy, who plays the title role, was nominated for his first Academy Award, alongside British star Emily Blunt in the best actress category, while their co-star Robert Downey Jr also received a nod for supporting actor.

The drama was also recognised for best picture, while British filmmaker Nolan scored his second nod for best director.

Picture: Ian West/PA Wire

Picture: Nottinghamshire Police/PA Wire

PROSECUTORS have accepted Nottingham triple-killer Valdo Calocane’s pleas of not guilty to murder and guilty to manslaughter on the grounds of diminished responsibility due to ‘serious’ mental illness, a judge has been told.

Prosecutor Karim Khalil KC told Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday January 23 that the families of university students Barnaby Webber and Grace O’Malley-Kumar, both 19, and school caretaker Ian Coates, 65, had been consulted before deciding to accept the pleas entered by Calocane, 32.

Calocane, who answered to the GRACE O’MALLEY-KUMAR BARNABY WEBBER name Adam Mendes in court, pleaded guilty at a previous hearing to the Gawronski and Sharon Miller, in Milton Street manslaughter of Mr Coates and that of university and South Sherwood Street. They all survived students Barnaby and Grace. the attack.

He also admitted attempting to murder three pedestrians who were hit by a van he had stolen Calocane fatally knifed from Mr Coates on June 13 last year.

Miss O’Malley-Kumar and Calocane’s barrister Peter Joyce KC told a previous hearing the defendant ‘does not Mr Webber, who were studying dispute the physical facts of the prosecution’s medicine and history at the case’ but was suffering from ‘extreme’ mental illness at the time of the incident.

University of Nottingham Calocane fatally knifed Miss O’Malley-Kumar and Mr Webber, who were studying medicine and history at the University of Nottingham The prosecution’s decision to accept the pleas respectively at around 4am on June 13. entered by Calocane in November means he will Mr Coates was then found dead in Magdala not face trial for murder.

Road around an hour later, having also been Calocane, who appeared in the dock wearing stabbed ‘repeatedly’. a dark suit and light blue shirt, now faces a The defendant then used Mr Coates’ van to sentencing hearing expected to last for around drive at three pedestrians, Wayne Birkett, Marcin two days.

Performance He will go head-to-head with another British director, Jonathan Glazer, for his film The Zone Of Interest, about a German family who live next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.

The category also saw Justine Triet nominated for French courtroom drama Anatomy Of A Fall, Martin Scorsese being given a nod for western crime thriller Killers Of The Flower Moon, and Yorgos Lanthimos nominated for Poor Things.

Gothic fairytale comedy Poor Things scored 11 nods in total, including best picture, as well as nominations for Mark Ruffalo in the supporting actor category and best actress for star Emma Stone.

That prize sees British actress Carey Mulligan also in contention for her performance as Leonard Bernstein’s wife Felicia Montealegre in Maestro, alongside Sandra Huller for Anatomy Of A Fall, Annette Bening for Nyad and Lily Gladstone for Killers Of The Flower Moon.

Meanwhile Blunt, who has been nominated for her performance as Oppenheimer’s wife in the supporting actress category, faces competition

CILLIAN MURPHY

from US actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph, who has won a slew of precursor prizes for her turn as a cook in The Holdovers.

The category also features Danielle Brooks for The Color Purple, based on Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, Jodie Foster for her performance in sports drama Nyad and America Ferrera for Barbie.

Downey Jr has also landed his third Oscar nomination for his supporting role as Lewis Strauss, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, in Oppenheimer.

Other nominees include Ryan Gosling for his performance as Ken in Barbie and Sterling K Brown for his role as Cliff Ellison in American Fiction.

American Fiction also scored a nod in the best actor category for Jeffrey Wright, following his performance as a novelist a book that propels him into the centre of the hypocrisy he disdains.

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12

COMMENT

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

Richard Harrington Conservatives

Richard Harrington has been selected to stand for the Conservatives in the May 2024 elections for Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Richard is an active resident in Tunbridge Wells and hopes to see a change in the Council’s Leadership.

It’s time for a Council spring clean EVERYWHERE I go in Tunbridge Wells when people talk about the Lib Dem-led Borough Council I hear the same message – it’s poorly led and doesn’t listen to local residents. Antisocial behaviour has risen by a third in the last year.

New and increased car parking charges have been imposed. Community assets valued by

‘The arrogant attitude of this administration towards the public is shown in the farce of the traffic scheme at Mount Pleasant’ residents are being marketed. The Town Hall is like a ghost ship with the plans agreed in December 2021 to turn it into a thriving coworking hub still not implemented. Council Tax-payers’ money has been used to buy Royal Victoria Place but, scandalously, we are not told how much or what needs to be spent on its redevelopment. Talk to our sports clubs – who do such a great job with volunteers providing opportunities for hundreds of kids every weekend – and they’re in despair about the Council’s lack of interest in their

pitches and facilities.

The arrogant attitude of this administration towards the public is shown in the farce of the traffic scheme at Mount Pleasant. It has become national news that the scheme has resulted in over £1.2million in fines being handed out to drivers in less than a year. We are not stupid in Tunbridge Wells – we know if you’re raking in over a million pounds in fines, then the scheme

is not working. Listen to the public and make changes. it pains me to think of the visitors to our town who vow not to return after being fined.

Neither the Liberal Democrats nor Labour or the Alliance will take their fingers out of their ears. It has fallen to the Conservatives to stand up for the public. Local Conservatives have called out the folly of driving visitors away.

Greg Clark’s efforts in forcing the lacklustre Lib-Dem-led partnership to act on anti-social behaviour has already led to more police patrols and highlighted the Council’s failure to spend dedicated funds supplied by the Police and Crime Commissioner to tackle this growing problem.

I have not voted Conservative in recent years but I am impressed by the way the Conservatives are actively listening to residents rather than ignoring them.

Whether it is protecting community assets, working for safer streets, caring about our sports clubs, or fighting the attempts to raid the pockets of residents, I sense that the Conservatives want a council that serves residents.

Royal Tunbridge Wells needs to be more energetically led by people who genuinely listen to residents and work with them.

We can be a cultural, tourist and thriving hub for independent businesses that will bring people flocking here.

A spring clean of our Council in May 2024 by electing Conservative Councillors can turn things around. I will not only be supporting the Conservatives in the elections but standing under their banner.

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

LETTERS

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

And another thing…

13

Dear Editor...

This is the page where you, the reader, have your chance to express your views or comments on what’s going on in our part of the world. We like to hear from you. You can email us at newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or you can write to the Editor, Times of Tunbridge Wells, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG

Antisocial behaviour is out of control in our town centre Yet still, groups of feral youths are allowed to roam the town unchecked, due to inadequate security/policing in the town centre.

I am certain that if a member of the public stepped in to deal with these youths, that person would be relentlessly pursued by the police for ‘assault’, and various other felonies that were inflicted upon these ‘disenchanted’ youths.

Why does RVP not have a proper security presence in place? (I’m fully aware they have security staff (or so-called). These well-meaning but bumbling individuals present absolutely no deterrent to the perpetrators of these acts.

Any member of the public who contacts the police via 999 or 101 is fobbed off with excuses as to why they will not attend, as ‘no actual crime has been committed’.

RVP has absolutely zero chance of attracting new businesses to the centre, when shoppers are being deterred from shopping there, due to the absence of any meaningful security, and the environment that nurtures crime and antisocial behaviour.

If you seriously think that the large chains and high-end retailers (who pay the big rents that fund the continued existence of the centre), are ever going to return to RVP whilst this situation continues, you are deluded.

Historic buildings in Southborough at risk due to TWBC inaction

completed in 1913, its Queen Anne-style façade is an attractive addition to our high street.

Horace Field played an influential role in the architectural development of the twentiethcentury English and Welsh high street, designing many bank buildings for Lloyds.

The Principal Conservation Officer at WBC, who has been contacted repeatedly regarding the extreme deterioration of the buildings, promised a site visit would take place to assess if an ‘Urgent Works Notice’ is required. We were informed of this as a potential plan for the site back in October 2023. It has not been completed despite being only a ten-minute drive from the Borough offices and the obvious significant dilapidation of the buildings.

We understand that the battle against antisocial behaviour is a priority for you. You stated in September, 2023 “The actions are

This letter was originally written to Greg Clark MP

As a result of the failed property development by VIP and inaction by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, two buildings of historic interest in London Road, Southborough have been left to be destroyed by vandals exposed to poor weather.

The former Bat & Ball Inn is a Grade II listed former 18th-century timber-framed cottage and due to vandalism and anti-social behaviour the building has been devastated. All windows smashed from front, rear and side and permanently left unsecured, thus enabling behaviour and destruction to continue.

With so much of the building left vulnerable to the elements it is at high risk of collapse.

The former Lloyds Bank is in an equally dire state. Designed by Horace Field (1861-1948) and

PEPPY SAYS...

CARTOON BY PEPPY: (Follow her on Twitter @Peppyscott)

At 12.30 on Saturday (January 20, 2024), myself and other shoppers at Royal Victoria Place (RVP) were subjected to a group of youths throwing (full) water bottles off the escalator onto the concourse below.

A number of shoppers, some of them elderly, narrowly missed being hit by one of these bottles. This is extremely dangerous in an environment that is populated by young families, the elderly and vulnerable.

Needless to say, there was no security anywhere in sight, and no police presence in the town centre. The group of youths left the centre and headed up Grosvenor Road, where a number of other retailers were treated to the joy of a visit from them.

Security at RVP has never been its ‘strong point’. However, the centre management have a duty of care to the public to ensure that shoppers can go about their business in a safe environment.

Should a member of the public be injured in such an incident, the management of RVP (and by default the Borough Council) would be culpable as a result of their failure to ensure that adequate security measures are in place to deal with incidents like this.

The Chief Executive of the Borough Council, William Benson has been written to by Greg Clark, MP for Tunbridge Wells, about the rise in incidents of ‘antisocial behaviour’ (or crime as we taxpayers prefer to call it) in and around the town.

Likewise, why do we not have a permanent police presence in the town centre on the busiest shopping day of the week?

If stationed at the crossroads directly outside the main entrance to RVP, this acts as a visual deterrent, and allows the officers quick and easy access to any reported incidents, anywhere in the town.

They also act as a contact point for members of the public reporting incidents.

You will inevitably claim that the cost of doing this is prohibitive.

May I suggest you consider the bigger picture of yet more retailers in RVP and the town centre closing their doors for good, as a result of the declining safety and security driving their customers away in droves. criminal: vandalising property...In my view, not enough has been done to end this. We now need a more robust response from the police and the Council.” Residents in close proximity to the buildings feel unsafe and will continue to feel this way as long as the Council fails to tackle this issue.

As yet, we still have no response or action from TWBC to secure the site to protect it from vandalism and the two buildings of historical significance rotting away from the exposure to the elements.

We now request your support to our demand for action on this site as a matter of urgency and look forward to sharing your response with our concerned community.

Diana Blackwell, Chair of Southborough Society Dianne Hill, Mayor of Southborough Town Council.

Brian Dury, Chair of Southborough & High Brooms Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Group Nell Mellerick, Founder of Southborough Street Community Leonie Barker, Founder of Southborough SoS

Traffic nightmare

Another dismal display of traffic ‘management’ at the junction of Major York Road and Langton Green Road. There is a 4-way traffic light system in operation, making a complete mess.

Why not no left turn and no right turn into Major York road at the top end, displayed in advance and therefore no need for any traffic lights or chaos?

This is a another in a long line of badly operated systems, including leaving the lights up after work has finished, which is quite often on the St John’s Road repairs.

Dick Bell Tunbridge Wells

In three, five or ten years from now, the town centre will end up a ghost town of abandoned retail premises, with all the loss of revenue to the Borough, that that brings.

All of a sudden, one police unit stationed in the town centre doesn’t seem so expensive after all, does it?

You should note how difficult Kent Police make it for members of the public to contact them on such matters. They publish no centralised/ general e-mail address. Members of the public are directed to an online portal which does not have options that are relevant to communications such as this one. Alternatively, you are directed to call 101. As mentioned above, the call centres manning the 101 number are completely disinterested in such reports, and cannot get callers off the phone quickly enough.

I do not wish to communicate with the police via ‘X’ or Instagram. I am a grown up (and a taxpayer). I wish to communicate with the police via a ‘grown-up’ medium of communication.

Why are the police our taxes fund hiding behind such a time-consuming and confusing barrier to communication with the public? Are they hoping members of the public get fed up, and abandon their attempts to report issues?

Please, get your act together, and sort this situation out.

Regards, David Howard Previous Deputy Leader TWBC Delighted of Tunbridge Wells

LAST CHANCE TO ENTER: WIN A YEAR’S FREE LEISURE CENTRE MEMBERSHIP WITH FUSION LIFESTYLE! It’s your last chance to enter the Times competition in association with registered charity Fusion Lifestyle, which manages three leisure centres in the area: Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre, Putlands Sports & Leisure Centre and The Weald Sports Centre. To kickstart your fitness, we’re giving you the chance to win a one-year membership to the centre of your choice.

All three centres offer great facilities at great value, whether you’re into the gym, group exercise classes, racquet sports or – at Tunbridge Wells and The Weald – swimming too, with everything you need to help you achieve priceless results.

For your chance to win, simply answer the following question…

Tunbridge Wells Paralympian Will Bayley will be competing at the Olympic Games in Paris this year, but which sport will he compete in?

And don’t worry, if you’re not the lucky winner you can still take advantage of Fusion’s January offer with no joining fee and 50 per cent off your first month’s payment.

Find out more at fusion-lifestyle.com To enter the competition, email communitynews@timesoftunbridgewells.co. uk with your name and answer to the question

by January 31, 2024.

The winner will be contacted by email.

Letters printed on these pages do not reflect the views of the Times of Tunbridge Wells. However, the Editor reserves the right to edit any letter if too long.

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Local News

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Wednesday January 24 | 2024

EDUCATION

15

Beacon Academy announces the appointment of its 2024 Student Leadership Team

Beacon Academy, a mixed co-educational secondary school in Crowborough, has revealed its new cohort of lead students. The Times discovers how their important new role fits in with their academic life…

TEAMWORK: Beacon Academy’s new group of prefects BEACON Academy recently appointed its 2024 Student Leadership Team. Working alongside the Academy Council, the team members are the school’s representatives who provide a voice for the student body.

The students wear a distinctive silver-grey tie which helps to identify team members both in school and in the wider community, and helps to convey the school’s sense of pride in the team and the work they do to support the school.

Last month students in Year 10 at Beacon were invited to make a formal application for the role

of Prefect with a series of written responses to questions. Those who were successful were invited to apply for senior roles of Senior Prefect, Deputy Head Student and Head Student with a written letter of application.

Interview This particular process was then followed by an interview with the academy’s Headteacher, Keith Slattery; Deputy Headteacher, Hayley Bodman; Head of Year, Emma Furlong; and

Head of Personal Development, Katie Richardson.

Katie Richardson told the Times: “At the interview, candidates were asked to give a short presentation about a project they would like to deliver whilst in role. Students pitched a range of ideas, ranging from supporting sustainability in our local environment, developing students’ awareness of the diversity within our school community and continuing to support our mentoring programme.

“All of the students will have the opportunity

to develop confidence, resilience and independence through public speaking, mentoring and taking part in events. The team will also liaise with key members of teaching and support staff at the Academy, whilst also continuing to support as buddies in our Year 7 tutor groups. We would like to congratulate all students in their newly-appointed roles and look forward to working alongside them this year.”

To learn more about student leadership opportunities at Beacon Academy, please visit beacon-academy.org.

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Report points to increased supply of farmland and modest value rise

Local News

PROPERTY

17

Picture: Swoop Media

HOW CAN PRIVATE LANDLORDS BEST APPROACH MANAGING 2024?

New data from Savills suggests that there are reasons to be optimistic about the agricultural property sector…

THE supply of farmland in the southeast of indicator we remain confident that more land England continued to rise in 2023, which was a will come onto the market because the sale of pivotal year for farmland supply across Great farmland is one potential outcome following a Britain. change in farming system/activity, tenancy In the southeast of England, 17,000 acres of surrender or retirement.” farmland were marketed during 2023, compared The Savills Farmland Value Survey shows that with 14,900 acres in 2022, an increase of 15 per during 2023, the average value of grade 3 arable cent. Great Britain as a whole saw 157,200 acres land in the South East rose by 2.4 per cent to marketed, which is 20 per cent more year-on£9,600 per acre. This compares with an average year and 15 per cent more than the previous increase across Great Britain, for grade 3 arable five-year average, but still below the 162,000 land, of 1.9 per cent (to average £8,700 per acre) acres average recorded during the years between for the same period.

CHRIS SPOFFORTH 2003 and 2016.

The survey also shows that during 2023 the In its latest rural research publication Spotlight: The average value of grade 3 pasture land in the South East rose Farmland Market Savills suggests there is potential for by 4.6 per cent to £8,000 per acre. publicly marketed supply to increase further with around 180,000 acres forecast per year by 2028.

Values Andrew Teanby, Associate Director of Savills rural research said: “Farmland supply is increasing because of changes Savills value forecasts for the farmland sector during the largely driven by the agricultural transition and our research next five years are influenced by continuing economic into the number of machinery sales would seem to support challenges, weaker demand from all types of buyers in the this.” marketplace and increased availability of farmland.

Over the past three years retirement and change in farming By land type across GB, forecasts include 2.5 per cent policy have become far more common reasons for farmers average annual growth for grade 3 farmland and 2 per cent selling their farm machinery compared to 2015, when new per annum for grade 3 pasture. Prime arable land, where the agricultural policies were not on the horizon. According to main purpose is food production, will continue to appeal Savills analysis, there were 71 per cent more machinery and average values are forecast to increase by 3 per cent per sales in 2023 than in 2015 (GB). annum over the next five years.

Teanby added: “Using the rise in machinery sales as an Chris Spofforth, Savills Head of Rural Agency in the South East (pictured above), says: “Within any land type the range of values achieved remains significant. Individual sales will be influenced by specific property attributes and market dynamics such as the location and strength of neighbour interest.

“However, as we have witnessed recently unforeseen global and economic shocks have the potential to impact all markets.

“The market for residential farms has become more discretionary, however, those with good communication links to London and the south coast remain very popular with lifestyle buyers, particularly where there is also access to good schools and thriving market towns.

“Existing landowners and buyers with funds to rollover dominated the demand for commercial farms, but environmentally focused buyers, both private and corporate, continued to feature across the region. However, their requirement for scale means they have tended to be more active in other regions of the UK. “The key to a successful sale continues to be thorough preparation prior to launch and realistic pricing to encourage competitive interest.”

For more information, contact Savills rural agency team on 01732 879050.

2024 looks like a busy year for private landlords, with the possibility of several changes to legislation and regulations. With a shifting landscape predicted, the need to be on top of this is essential. James Richards, Partner of award-winning Sales and Lettings Agent, Maddisons Residential, discusses key issues facing private landlords and how to get the right support to manage your properties.

A good letting agent not only helps their landlords manage their properties to attract and retain tenants, but also informs their clients of their legal responsibilities, delivering timely advice and updates on legislation and guidelines. They will also connect them with excellent resources to help them manage all areas of their portfolio. So what’s to expect for 2024?

The government is promising to extend its recent clamp down on rogue landlords. One would hope this issue was not even on the agenda, but sadly it is. Landlords must adhere to The Housing Health and Safety Rating System.

The Competition and Markets Authority has promised to produce its findings into the consumer protection issues that people might be facing when they rent; it will offer changes to how landlords and agents operate by mid-2024.

The Renters Reform Bill – which aims to change the rights of both tenants and landlords – is expected to become law later this year.

This will apply the Decent Homes Standard to private rentals and extend rights for tenants to keep pets, among other changes.

Additionally, new controls are expected for the short-term lettings sector; to reduce adversely affecting long-term rental properties in towns, short-term lets on platforms such as Airbnb are likely to be tightened.

And of course, we have the Spring Budget, the expected reductions to the Capital Gains Tax personal allowance in April, plus a general election, which will undoubtedly impact the sector.

The idea of being a private landlord may seem simple, but it’s not so easy in practice; having the right support makes it easier. So, my advice would be to do your homework, and choose a letting agent that will deliver excellent service and align with your needs.

Meet the expert: James Richards is a Partner at Maddisons Residential, leading independent Sales and Lettings Agent in Tunbridge Wells, offering expert sales and lettings advice with excellent customer service.

www.maddisonsresidential.co.uk 18 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5TN Telephone: 01892 514100 Email: info@maddisonsresidential.co.uk

18

Arts

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

A celestial celebration of a rich history awaits fans of one of Tunbridge Wells’ most historic venues...

Tunbridge Wells’ oldest and most historic building, King Charles the Martyr church marks the anniversary of King Charles I’s execution with a special series of celebrations over the last weekend of January. Rupert Preston Bell, who chairs the Royal Tunbridge Wells International Music Festival, which is held annually at the church, tells the Times what this year’s event will entail

I

t’s a building that can easily escape notice, despite its central location, but visitors to the historic 17th-century church, dedicated to King Charles the Martyr, are always struck by its glorious and Tardis-like interior.

This coming Saturday (January 27), it will host an annual lecture and a concert of period music.

Rupert Preston Bell, who is the Chair of the Royal Tunbridge Wells International Music Festival which takes place at the church every October reveals what is on the agenda for 2024.

“Each year, the church marks one of the most momentous events in British history, the execution of Charles I on January 30, 1649, with a weekend festival. Since 1975, the centrepiece has been a well-attended lecture, with eminent speakers from all over the country accepting invitations to share their ideas and research on King Charles and his time.

“Previous topics have ranged from the political controversies of the time to its art and culture: the Civil War and its outcomes, the ebullient music, painting and architecture favoured by the Stuart monarchy, and the ideas and lifestyles of people who lived then.

“This year, the lecture will explore the stories of some of the people who paid for the church to be built. Who were they, and why did they pay for it? The original subscription lists are still displayed in the church and include hundreds of

names. It seems most of ‘society’ put their hands in their pockets to establish a chapel that would be the focal point for the new town. The names include Pepys and Evelyn, and many other people of influence, reflecting the significance of Tunbridge Wells as a recreational destination for the court in the late 17th century.

‘This coming Saturday, January 27, King Charles the Martyr church will host an annual lecture and a concert of period music celebrating its history’ “The 2024 lecturer is historian Richard Morrice, who says that the provision of a chapel was an obvious attraction at a time when listening to sermons was immensely popular. Delving into the stories of some of those who paid for the church gives us a glimpse into the society of our home town when it was on the way to becoming one of the two or three most fashionable English resorts until the Napoleonic Wars and beyond.

And to help give a further sense of what life was like at the time, the church is hosting a concert of music of that era.

“This will be given by the Baroque ensemble

TALKING HISTORY: Richard Morrice will deliver this year’s King Charles Lecture ‘Dei Gratia’, a collective of professional musicians specialising in authentic interpretations of historic sacred music. The programme celebrates the Epiphany season through arias, duos and instrumental items with readings. There will be music by Bach, Handel, Buxtehude, Telemann, Locke and Green. It will be a rich experience for classical music lovers.

The weekend is completed by two services on Sunday January 28 – a 10am Festival Parish

Communion and a special evensong at 6.30pm.

The King Charles Lecture is at 2.30pm on Saturday 27 January, followed by tea in the hall.

Entry is free, but donations are encouraged.

We do hope to see some of you there.”

King Charles Festival concert: 7pm, Saturday January 27. Tickets £20 on the door or fromticketsource.co.uk/mkctw. Church of King Charles the Martyr, London Road, TN1 1YX. Further details at kcmtw.org

Stitching the social fabric: Meet the man who is fixing more than just broken objects at Trinity Erin Dearlove chats to The Repair Cafe’s founder Chris Murphy (below right) ahead of its first event of 2024, this coming Saturday January 27, and discovers why it’s so much more than a place to get things mended

A

woman wandered into Trinity Theatre one day with a beautiful wooden music box. A gift from her mother before they became estranged when she was five, the box played a song that had connected them ever since. Until one day, the music stopped.

“We took it apart and mended it, and she was crying,” Chris Murphy recalls. “It was the one thing she had that brought her mum back.”

Chris set up the Tunbridge Wells Repair Café in 2020 after hearing about the concept started by Martine Postma in Amsterdam in 2007. Postma wanted to provide a place to meet and repair objects from everyday life, and so the Repair Café concept was born.

Chris’s first attempt at his Repair Café was an immediate success. In March 2020, 70 people arrived at Trinity Theatre to mend the community’s broken items. Just a week later, Covid forced its closure as in-person communication was put on hold for the safety of the nation. The Repair Cafe would not meet up again for 16 months. A few of the volunteers would not survive the pandemic.

As the UK emerged from its Covid-induced hibernation, Chris focused on restarting the initiative. Since reopening in September 2021, the Repair Café has mended over 2,000 items and grown from 17 repair stations to 28.

Volunteers mend everything from heirlooms to vacuum cleaners. Repairs are free, with the option to donate what you can, and any excess

FIXER UPPERS: Repair Café volunteers at work and (inset) Chris Murphy goes to charity. Since the cost-of-living crisis, Chris says many people cannot afford to pay.

The philosophy of ‘mend and make do’ is

‘Since reopening in September 2021, the Repair Café has mended over 2,000 items and grown from 17 repair stations to 28’ something Chris learned in childhood. “My dad would always be fixing things,” he says. “When something broke, we didn’t have the money to buy a new one. Buying new was very unusual,

and you had to treat it with great respect.”

Yet for Chris, the Repair Café is more about community than anything else. “Following Covid, people were craving more human contact but it was there before, and it’s there now. That’s a not-so-widely publicised benefit of Repair Cafes.”

Chris’s interest in building communities started after he experienced social anxiety at university. “I did drama as a kid and thought speaking to others would be no problem but struggled with it terribly: heart-racing, sweaty, bright red, mumbling,” he says. “Then I learnt to do it and started to enjoy it.” Chris now works as a public speaking coach, helping people of all

ages find their voice and connect with others through his company The Speaking Mentor.

Out of the people that use the repair café, half are aged over 60. “The limited social contact people have means any town or city can be an immensely lonely place,” says Chris. “It seems anything where they can come along, are welcomed, and people are friendly, caring and generous with their time is a rarity in today’s society of bigger, better, brighter, faster, more expensive, more automated.”

He continues: “There’s one woman in particular who’s there every time. I’ll say, ‘Hello, how are you? Lovely to see you,’ and we’ll hug.

Once I even said, ‘I think you’re breaking things just to come along,’ and she smiled with a little twinkle in her eyes and said, ‘I love coming here.’”

In 2022, Chris’s Repair Café won the Tunbridge Wells ‘Love Where We Live Award’, which celebrates the people who make the town a great place to live and work. The same year, it won the ‘Community Group’ category.

Those bringing their items to be mended are not the only ones gaining something valuable and Chris advises anyone with a skill to volunteer. “Volunteers often say how it improves their well-being by contributing to society, speaking to others, and seeing people’s joy and delight,” he says.

Chris adds: “Some people come to every third one, but their skill is so valuable. Many people aren’t aware of the gift they can bring to people.”

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

‘This performance promises to enchant audiences of all ages’

the production: “Peter specialises in intricate puppet design and compelling set creations.

Having co-run the Knuckle and Joint Theatre Company and collaborated with prestigious institutions such as the National Theatre, Peter Morton is a respected figure in the world of puppetry and theatre design.”

In 2022, Peter Morton collaborated with Sam Westbury and University of Kent students to craft the exquisite fox puppet featured in

‘Applause is committed to supporting local artists to both create and showcase their work to a wider audience’

On February 3, Southborough Presents! in association with theatre troupe Applause, hosts a special puppetry performance of Breathe, by Peter Morton, a Kent-based artist. Eileen Leahy discovers more about the show...

S

outhborough Presents! is a series of family theatre shows run at Unity Hall, in Southborough’s Civic Centre.

Supported by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and in partnership with Applause, the initiative brings outstanding family theatre to the local community.

The organisation’s first show for 2024 takes place on Saturday February 3 and according to a Southborough Presents! Spokesperson it will be ‘a mesmerising puppetry performance’.

“Breathe has been created by the talented Kent-based artist Peter Morton and his awardwinning visual theatre company, Half a String,” the spokesperson explains.

“The performance promises to enchant audiences of all ages with its innovative blend of puppetry, live-streamed close-up photography, and evocative storytelling.”

They continue, telling us that Peter Morton is ‘a visionary designer and director’ hailing from Kent, who will bring a wealth of experience to

‘Walking with Amal.’ Little Amal, a 12-foot puppet representing a 10-year-old Syrian refugee was showcased during the procession through the streets of Canterbury as part of the final stretch of an 8,000-kilometer walk. Little Amal’s journey has evolved into a global symbol for human rights, particularly those of refugees.

Applause’s Programme Lead Sally Lampitt adds: “Applause is committed to supporting

Arts

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local artists to both create and showcase their work to a wider audience. Half a String is renowned for its professional and creative productions and is pleased to be able to bring such outstanding family theatre to the local community.

“Breathe is an extraordinary journey through a bustling forest, narrated from the perspective of an acorn. The show explores the intricate workings of trees through a combination of puppetry, detailed sets, and live close-up photography. The scenes, filmed and projected onto a larger screen, offer a breathtakingly intricate and exciting trip to the forest floor and beyond. The performance, celebrated for its technical brilliance, seamlessly integrates thumping Drum & Bass and live ethereal folk songs, underscoring the magical narrative. This celebration of trees, nature, and community engages the audience in a delightful and immersive experience, leaving them captivated and curious.”

To book tickets for Breathe visit applause. org.uk/whats-on/breathe/.

To find out more about Southborough Presents! head to applause.org.uk/news/ southborough-presents

20

Gig Guide

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

(St Dunstan’s Church) TN1 BAR & KITCHEN, MONSON ROAD Open all day live music usually every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening from 7.30pm.

Booking advised Via 01892 513900 or visit www.tn1barkitchen. co.uk TONBRIDGE FOLK CLUB, YE OLDE CHEQUERS INN, 122 HIGH ST, TONBRIDGE All event information at www.tonbridgefolkclub. org 05/02 Featured artist: Daria Kulesh

January 24 to February 7 In his fortnightly guide, Times Music Editor Paul Dunton selects the best gigs coming up in the local area…

THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE, CRESCENT ROAD All event details and tickets available at www. assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk 26/01 The Rocket Man – Elton John Tribute 01/02 80s Live (tribute) 03/02 Fast love (George Michael Tribute) 04/02 (3pm) RTWSO: Featuring Joanna Macgregor (piano) Repertoire includes BRITTEN Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes BRITTEN Piano Concerto in D major, Op. 13 BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68 ‘Pastoral’ Barry Wordsworth – Conductor

THE BLACK HORSE PUB, CAMDEN ROAD Open all day, music events – free entry (unless stated) music from 8pm – Live music every Friday night

DAVE BRAZIER

THE BOTTLE HOUSE INN, PENSHURST Open all day, free entry music from 6pm booking advised on 01892 870306 or online at www. thebottlehouseinnpenshurst.co.uk 26/01 Clea Llewellyn 02/02 Sarah-Jane Hassell

30/01 As December Falls + Grey Wind + Artio 01/02 Under 18’s Open Mic Night 02/02 James Taylor Quartet + DJ Karl Quinn 03/03 James Taylor Quartet + The Language of Love 04/02 TV Priest 05/02 Miskin Music Tonbridge Presents...

SARAH-JANE HASSELL

THE FORUM BASEMENT, THE SUSSEX ARMS All event information and tickets at www. twforum.co.uk 27/01 Skies + Seek Harbour 08/02 The Sussex Arms Open NMic GEOGRAPHY WINE BAR, HIGHSTREET Open all day, free entry, live music from 3.30pm 04/02 Alex Parker THE GEORGE & DRAGON, LAMBERHURST Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm 24/01 Open Mic/Jam session all welcome 31/01 Open Mic/Jam session all welcome

THE COMPASSES, 45 LITTLE MOUNT SION Open all day, free entry, live music from 7.30pm 26/01 Squeeze-A-Crowd EVEN FLOW CAFÉ, ST JOHN’S ROAD All event information at www.evenflow.com/ events 28/01 Open Mic Night (all levels welcome) 02/02 Two Flat Whites (£5 cover charge) THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM Event information and tickets at www.twforum.co.uk 26/01 DJ YODA - History of Hip-Hop Set 27/01 Henge + Dogshow 28/01 Deadletter 29/01 King Nun + Zap Euphoria + Chimer

DAVID MUMFORD THE JAZZ KITCHEN, (CHARLIE’S ANGELS CAFÉ) CAMDEN ROAD All event information and tickets available at www.jennifermaslin.co.uk/jazz-kitchen-friday2nd-february 02/02 Jennifer Maslin & John Harriman (7pm start) THE ROYAL OAK PUB, PROSPECT ROAD Open all day, free entry live music normally from 8pm unless stated 27/01 From The Ashes 02/02 First Friday Acoustic Night – The Harveys + Guests 03/02 The Hell Drivers

THE BEAU NASH TAVERN, MT EPHRAIM Open all day, free entry, live music from 8.30pm 27/01 Joyride

THE BUZZ, 7 THE PANTILES Open all day, free entry, music from 7pm (unless stated) booking advised on 080002119333 26/01 Dave Brazier live Saxaphone 02/02 Gian & Vicky

MARK MORRIS

THE GREEN DUCK EMPORIUM All event information and tickets available at www.emporiumeventsltd.co.uk/box-officetickets 26/01 Carradine’s Cockney Sing-a-long!

If you are a venue local to Tunbridge Wells that hosts regular live music or even if it’s a one-off event, concert or festival, contact Paul at least six weeks in advance of your event date with the following details: • Name and address of venue • Date and time of event • Name of event and name of act(s) • Ticket link and/or website (please state if free entry) • 1 x high resolution (300 dpi) landscape jpeg (performer only, no posters) • Please state photo credit if required paul@paulduntonandguests.com

ST EDITH FOLK SESSIONS, OTFORD MEMORIAL HALL, THE VESTRY HALL AND QUEEN’S HALL AT CRANBROOK All event information and tickets available at www.stedithfolk.co.uk/what-s-on 26/01 Mark Morriss + Sun Cutter – (Vestry Hall) 02/02 The Magpie Arc + David Mumford (Otford Hall) 03/02 Maddie Prior + Forgotten Lands

TRINITY THEATRE, CHURCH ROAD All event details and tickets available at www. trinitytheatre.net 13/01 The Elton John Show 14/01 The George Harrison Project 19/01 The Simon & Garfunkel Story TYBER’S REGGAE BAR, 9 NEVILL STREET All event information and tickets available at www.tybersreggaebar.com/events 26/01 Andy Ska 27/01 Rum & Reggae Boys 02/02 DJ Cassy M 03/02 Carribbean Roots 04/02 DJ Pete Lacey aka Ska n Mash

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

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Bag a party sized 20% off birthdays at Bewl Water...

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rom soft play parties to laser tag, Bewl Water hosts unforgettable children's parties in Lamberhurst, and this winter is offering 20% off. Just a 20-minute drive from Tunbridge Wells, the reservoir, which is southeast England’s largest, says its party packages are perfect for toddlers, teens, and all ages in-between.

The soft play centre is popular all year round and can be hired exclusively to celebrate your little one’s birthday. Prices start at £125 per session, which includes entry for up to 25 children.

catering options making this an easy choice for parents and caregivers to manage.

If your children are that little bit older and are looking for a party location to let off some steam, Bewl Water’s laser tag parties take kids and teens off their screens and into life-like combat

Party food is offered as an optional addition to both laser tag and soft play parties, and buffets include options like pizza, nuggets, fries, sliced veggies with hummus, and much more The bright and colourful structure is crammed with interactivity, different play features, and numerous routes up and down, allowing children to explore a safe and stimulating environment whilst learning, running free, and, most importantly, having fun.

Bash past the biff bags, explore lots of tunnels and swing through the hanging snakes. There are also balance bars, two slides, and an activity ring for babies to enjoy.

Soft play at Bewl Water is suitable for children aged 12 months to eight years old, with various

scenarios in the woodland laser arena.

Laser tag is open to children aged eight all the way to adults, making this an attractive offering for those looking for the perfect stag do or team-building location too.

Battling it out for 50 minutes, partygoers will

take a thrilling journey of life-like combat scenarios and enjoy three games: Team Death Match, Attack and Defend, and Protect the VIP. Exclusive hire costs from £300, with each person kitted out with industry leading equipment. Public sessions are also available at £15 per person, with small group bookings possible. In this scenario, your team will be combined with another group to create a real-time adrenaline-fuelled combat game.

Party food is offered as an optional addition to both laser tag and soft play parties, and buffets include options like pizza, nuggets, fries, sliced

Come & Try Our Fantastic

January Offers

Lunch Deal – 2/3 Courses Available From £14.95 Sunday Roast – 3 Courses £20.00 per head Every Sunday, Children Under 10 Eat FREE When Accompanied by an Adult.

2 Cocktails for £12.00 (Sunday – Thursday All Day)

zorbamezegrill.com

hello@zorbamezegrill.com

01892 530051

4 Upper Grosvenor Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 2EN

veggies with hummus, and much more.

It costs £10.50 per person for a minimum of eight children and must be pre-ordered. Served in the Waterfront Cafe, parents and caregivers can also order children’s lunch boxes at £5.50.

They include sandwiches, a drink, crisps, fruit, and a chocolate bar – an easy pick-me-up to refuel your little ones.

To enjoy the 20% discount on both laser tag and soft play birthday parties at Bewl Water, they must be booked and hosted before the end of March by contacting the team at info@ bewlwater.co.uk.

22

Health & Wellbeing

Every breath counts

Lucy Parker, from Flow Tunbridge Wells, discusses the pillar of your wellbeing that is right under your nose…

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LUCY PARKER you’re hydrated once again you’ll resume your status quo. Finally, should you stop breathing for a while what then? Well, of course after only a few minutes you’ll be in a potentially fatal situation and swift action will be needed to keep you alive. Our bodies know this on a subconscious, autonomic level and our bodies are hard-wired for survival. Anything that puts our lives at risk causes a fast chain reaction to kick in for ultimate protection and the number one thing our nervous system scans 24/7 is how we’re breathing. The speed, pace, rhythm, and quality, of your breath, act as a blueprint for your physical, emotional and mental health and the breath raises the first flag when something’s not right signalling that action is required.

Now, the great news is that in humans, the breath also has a very special, magic component. It’s one of only a few physical

RIGHT RELAXATION

RIGHT NUTRITION

RIGHT THINKING

Maybe the best place to start is with the why rather than the how. Most of us know that taking some deep slow breaths helps calm us down and reduces anxiety. We also know that when we’re breathing fast and shallow, we’re either out of breath, due to some vigorous exercise, or because of some stressful situation we’ve put our bodies and minds through. When we hyperventilate, we’re putting our bodies into a stress state and when we’re calm, our breathing follows. Why is this, and where’s the link?

Here’s how I like to explain it. Let’s imagine if you decide not to eat for a week or so. Your body and your mind will surely go through a lot of struggle and experience various changes and yet one week later you’ll be able to return to your food and slowly build up your energy reserves.

Next, if you decided to stop drinking water you might find you struggle far quicker and a day or so without fluids would begin to take quite a toll on your system. Still, you’d manage and once

RIGHT BREATHING

Calm

RIGHT EXERCISE

ight Breathing is something of a misnomer once you stop to think about it. After all, we can guarantee that we’ve been breathing all our lives and will continue to do so until we take our last breath. Breathing is one of only a few things in life we can be sure of and so, in some ways, we should be masters of breathing as we’ve practised it consistently since birth. If there’s such a thing as Right Breathing, what is it and how should we approach learning the way to harness it?

mechanical systems that we can override and take conscious control over. We have the keys to literally hack our system and consciously alter our states by using the breath to tweak and adjust to our liking. Accessing our conscious breathing allows us a tool that we can use regularly to our advantage, calming us down when the going gets tough or lifting us up when we feel lethargy setting in. We can also use it as a tool to find a balance between the two, bringing about a harmonious and steady state of health. By now I hope I’ve sparked your curiosity to learn more about how you can harness your secret power to regulate your system and take control of your internal experience. Through regular, conscious checking in with the breath it can become your new best friend, always there when and where you need it, ready to step up to the job required, and what’s more it’s free!

As breathing and breath work is becoming more popular, there are of course more and more ways you can approach it. Some are simple and some are complex. New methods, new teachings and new ideas are springing up all the time and it may feel daunting once you start to research all the options. My advice, if you’re new to this experience, is to go slow. Right Breathing is right there under your nose. If you can start to notice that regularly, with curiosity, compassion and care you’ve already started on your journey of self-discovery.

If you do want to go further and learn more do get in touch with us at Flow and we can help you add tools to your toolbox of fabulous breath work practices for everyday life.

Flow Tunbridge Wells, four-class pack introductory offer – only £40 Lucy Parker, Coach, Counsellor, and Yoga Therapist flowtunbridgewells.com embarkcounselling.co.uk

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

ESTABLISHED

Elevate Your New Year with 25% Off! Indulge in a tranquil 2-night cottage retreat in January & February Book by January 31st using code ‘COT25’ * to save

* L I M I T E D A V A I L A B I L I T Y . S A V I N G A P P L I E S T O D I R E C T B O O K I N G S O N LY reception@salomons-estate.com 01892 515 152 salomons-estate.com Broomhill Road, Southborough, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TG

24

Food & Drink

A true taste of winter...

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

January may traditionally be the month of diets and detoxes but instead of purging, why not consider easing yourself into a more seasonal way of eating – that’s also pretty healthy too.

The Small Holding’s Will Devlin shares the recipes for these delicious dishes he’s created ALL of the recipes below can be made a day or two in advance if you like – or kept in the fridge until assembly.

KIMCHI CURED SEA TROUT Ingredients: 1kg side of line caught sea trout, pinned and scaled 70g kimchi spice 50g flaked sea salt 30g sugar Method: We make use of leftover kimchi juice at the restaurant by dehydrating it and crushing it to a fine powder. If you don’t have a dehydrator, make a wet cure with the juice left over from a tub of kimchi. Mix in the sugar and the salt.

KIMCHI CURED SEA TROUT

Check over the fish for any missed pin bones and make seven or so evenly spaced scores into the flesh side and place into a shallow tray.

Cover the fish all over with the cure making sure it gets well into the scores. Put in the fridge to cure for 12 hours. After this time, turn the fish over and cure for another 12 hours. After 24 hours in the cure, wash the fish and pat dry and leave in the fridge to air dry for a further 6-8 hours.

Serve with black treacle bread, sourdough crackers or as a twist on the classic canape, blinis, with a dot of gochujang (spicy) mayonnaise and pickled sea vegetables.

LOIN OF VENISON WITH CHESTNUTS, BACON AND CABBAGE Venison is a hugely underrated meat. It’s wild, plentiful, sustainable and delicious cooked fast and pink or low and slow. This is a warming wintery dish, but it is celebratory enough to grace the festive table.

Ingredients: Serves two but can easily be scaled up Two x 200g venison loin pieces, trimmed of any sinew 300g winter cabbage such as savoy or cavolo nero, washed and shredded 100g chestnuts, ether vac packed or roasted and deshelled weight 100g smoked belly bacon Four cloves garlic, peeled and lightly crushed

Buy one main meal & receive the second at half-price! *

Grab a seat and savour the savings this January! @thebrasserie_owp 01892 520 587 brasserie-owp.co.uk

17 Chapel Place, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1YQ

* This offer applies to the entire menu, excluding steaks, and cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion.

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk All photography: Key & Quill

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

LOIN OF VENISON WITH CHESTNUTS, BACON AND CABBAGE Three sprigs thyme 500ml beef or chicken stock 250ml red wine 150g unsalted butter Method: Prepare the sauce by simmering the stock and wine until reduced by three-quarters and intensely flavoured.

Keep warm.

Season the venison pieces well with salt and pepper and sear in a medium hot pan with a little rapeseed oil, turning often for an even colour all over. Add 50g butter, two lightly crushed garlic cloves and a sprig of thyme. Keep spooning the foaming brown butter over the venison as it pan-roasts, for about four minutes. At this stage it should feel firm to touch and will be medium rare on the inside and caramelised and golden on the outside. Keep warm and leave to rest.

In a small frying pan, add a drizzle of rapeseed oil and the bacon and fry until the fat renders and is crispy. Add the chestnuts and coat in the bacon fat until starting to caramelise and add the reduced stock and wine liquid to deglaze the pan. Stir and keep warm.

In a small saucepan, with a lid, add 100g of butter and the remaining cloves of garlic and thyme. Stir until melted and you can smell the garlic and add the finely chopped cabbage. Stir and replace the lid, moving the pan every so often while the cabbage cooks in its own steam. Remove the garlic cloves and thyme and season with salt.

To serve, slice each venison loin into three or four pieces and plate with the cabbage and bacon and chestnut sauce.

Delicious served with mashed potato and swede and a glass of the same wine used in the sauce.

APPLE TERRINE AND HAZELNUT ICE CREAM Ingredients: Serves four to six 600g dessert apples, such as Rubens or Braeburn 600ml fresh apple juice, not from concentrate 100g soft brown sugar, or to taste depending how sweet your apples are Two sticks cinnamon Two star anise 3 ½ (10g) leaf gelatine Method: Prepare a 2lb loaf tin by lining the bottom and sides with greaseproof paper. Leave an overhang on the long sides to help demould the terrine when ready to serve. Cut another piece of greaseproof paper ready to sit on top of the terrine and put to one side.

To make the jelly: Wash, core and peel the apples.

Combine the saved peels with the apple juice, sugar, and spices in a deep pan and bring to a simmer, stirring to melt

the sugar and soften the peels. Cook for 10-12 minutes to reduce and then off the heat, cover and leave to infuse. You will need 500ml of liquid once the peels have been strained from the juice. Keep the liquid hot.

Soak the gelatine leaves in a bowl of cold water to soften.

Using a mandoline or a very sharp knife, slice the peeled and cored apples into rounds, 3-5mm thick. Work quickly to avoid the apples browning. Squeeze the excess water out from the soaked gelatine and whisk into the hot apple juice. Pour into a lipped jug, to help avoid any spills, and pour the hot apple jelly into the apple terrine tin; go slowly to allow the jelly to work its way in between all the layers. Cover with the reserved greaseproof paper lid and cover lightly with a tray, you don’t want to add any weight or push down as the liquid will spill out over the sides. Put the tray-covered terrine into the fridge to set overnight.

For the dried apple slice garnish: The dried apple slice is an optional but welcome garnish, given a little chew and texture and it’s surprisingly easy to make. Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, slice thin circles from a whole skin-on apple. Brush the apple slices with a simple sugar glaze made from heating 50g sugar and 50ml water together. Line a flat baking tray with silicone or parchment paper and carefully arrange the apple slices, making sure they have lots of space and put in the oven at 50c. Bake for two hours before removing the trays and cooling completely as the slices will carry on drying and crisping.

Alternatively, you can put the apple slices in a dehydrator.

For the hazelnut ice cream We’ll often make a cobnut ice cream with the apple terrine but as they can be hard to find or forage yourself, hazelnuts are a delicious substitute.

Don’t skimp on the salt, it seasons and enhances the flavour of the nuts and cream. For the best results, use an ice cream maker or scrape the mixture into a lidded container and freezer/whisk at one-hour intervals until the mixture has increased in volume and is frozen.

Ingredients: 100g blanched hazelnuts 600ml whole milk 150ml double cream Large pinch of flaky salt 150g golden caster sugar 3 egg yolks Method: Preheat the oven to 160c and toast the hazelnuts, spreading them out into an even layer; give the tray a shake every four minutes until the nuts are hot and smelling delicious, which will take about 12-15 minutes. You don’t want any colour on the nuts, as this will make the ice cream taste bitter.

Make the custard by heating together the milk, cream, and sugar, stirring often with a spatula so the mix doesn’t catch on the bottom of the pan. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a separate bowl and as the milk mixture reaches a simmer pour the hot liquid over the eggs in a thin stream, whisking continuously. Give the milk pan a quick wipe round to remove any residue and pour the combined milk and egg mixture back into the pan. On a low heat, stirring constantly, cook until the mixture as it slowly thickens and reaches 82c on a digital thermometer, or until a finger run down the back of the spatula leaves a clean line.

Take the hot hazelnuts from the oven and slide them quickly into the hot custard, there should be hissing sound as they drop in, this is a good sound as it will help release the flavour and oils from the nuts. Whizz the mixture in a food processor for at least three minutes until the mixture is super smooth and a creamy golden colour. Scrape into a bowl and sit in a sink of iced water until the mixture comes down to room temperature. Cover with cling film on the top of the custard to avoid getting a skin and chill in the fridge overnight.

To make the ice cream the following day, remove the bowl from the fridge and using a stick blender whizz the mixture to complete re-amalgamate.

Pour into your ice cream maker and churn according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Scrape into a lidded container and cover with a piece of waxed paper, cover and freeze until ready to plate.

To serve, gently unmould the apple terrine from its tin on to a flat serving plate and slice into portions and serve with a scoop of hazelnut ice cream and a slice of dehydrated apple.

Food & Drink

25

Calling All Coxes!

Have you coxed before or would like to learn?

Bewl Water is home to a thriving Rowing Club with just under 200 members and an age range of 12 – 82. The club owns a wide selection of boats ranging from single sculls through doubles, quads/fours up to the mighty Eights.

We are a very friendly club with some members just rowing for exercise and friendship whilst others aim to compete in regattas and Head Races. Whilst we have a hard core of mainly ladies who are very happy to cox the various Fours and Eights we are look for a few more volunteers.

Have you fancied being in complete charge of 8 fit and friendly men and women practicing on Bewl and then taking part in races around the region? If so, here is your chance!

Is it cold in winter? We have some very warm immersion suits for the coxes.

Do you need a loud voice? All the bigger boats have mics and speakers.

Do you need to be small? Ideally, but I did cox the other day and I am 6 foot 2 inches tall! A tight squeeze but I survived.

As a novice, will the club give me training?

Most certainly YES. Will I get tea and cake after outings? We are a very sociable lot so there is usually plenty of refreshments after sessions. In the summer evenings, it could be a trip to the pub with crew members.

Will I get thrown in the water after the crew have won a race? NO. You have been watching too many Oxford/Cambridge Boat Races!

If interested in finding out more, please drop me an email ian.c.bailey@gmail.com

APPLE TERRINE AND HAZELNUT ICE CREAM

www.bewlrowingclub.co.uk

26

Food & Drink

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

Celebrate Burns Night with these wee drams of wonder…

Tomorrow, January 25, is Burns Night – the birthday of famous Scottish poet Robert Burns. Here, Times drinks expert James Viner suggests some top traditional tipples you can celebrate with…

P

repare to pipe in the haggis! January draws to a close with one of the new year’s most anticipated annual celebrations – Burns Night. On the day of Robert ‘Rabbie’ Burns’ birthday (in 1759) on 25th January, fans of Scotland’s favourite poet and son – whose timeless works, such as “Auld Lang Syne,” have touched hearts around the globe – assemble to commemorate his life and work.

Whisky and Burns Night suppers, which were first held in 1801 in Alloway, South Ayrshire, go hand in glove: haggis and Scotch are traditionally served after reading Rabbie’s words in his “Address to the Haggis.”

Scotland’s whisky industry is an astonishing success story. According to recent figures from the Scotch Whisky Association, there were 53 (70cl) bottles of Scotch whisky exported to around 180 markets every second, equalling over 1.6bn every year. Laid end to end those bottles would stretch about 467,000 kilometres – that’s more than 11 times around the planet!

The mind boggles!

With a glass in hand for this annual ritual and feast here are my top picks for having a well-earned dram or two. As the Scottish bard said: “Here’s a bottle and an honest friend!

What wad ye wish for mair, man?” Sláinte mhath! Cheers!

1 Glen Marnoch Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky (£18.49, Aldi, 40%)

Along with Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Highland Malt Scotch Whisky (admittedly a wee bit more expensive at £24), this Aldi bottling is the best-value no-age statement supermarket single malt.

It’s a truly delicious, smooth, light, affordable dram, carrying notes of dried fruits, dates, toasted almonds, honey and cinnamon.

Vegan-approved, too.

2 M&S Distilled 8 Years Aged Blended Scotch Whisky (£20, Marks & Spencer, 42%) Don’t be a snob about blended whisky – i.e. a mix of grain and malt whiskies – and let anyone insist that Burns Night is only about single malts since a top-class rounded and mellow blend like this one can bring as much sipping pleasure.

Aged for eight years and as satisfying solo as it is with mixers (especially ginger ale), it brims with honey, black pepper and touches of ginger biscuits and cinnamon. Suitable for vegans.

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DID YOU KNOW? The first single malt to be marketed beyond Scotland was by Glenfiddich in 1963. Single malts are a class of whisky made in a single distillery from a single type of malted grain— customarily barley, but there are also rye single malts, e.g. Kyro (Finland)” Copper Rivet, located in the heart of Chatham’s Royal Dockyard, is Kent’s only ‘grain to glass’ distillery. It’s also home to many other hand-crafted farm-to-glass artisan spirits (such as Vela Vodka)” 3 Highland Park 12-Year-Old ‘Viking Honour’ Single Malt, Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland (£38, offer until 30/1/24, Waitrose, 40%) For a treat nab this classy, rounded single malt Scotch whisky matured in sherry-seasoned oak casks from the windswept Orkney Islands (once inhabited by Vikings), all fruit cake, heather, ginger, spice and Seville oranges wrapped in honey and rounded off with a lightly peaty, gently smoky finish. Crack open with haggis, neeps and tatties or sip solo beside a roaring fire/with a hot water bottle (check its expiry date again, reader). Lovely with rib-eye steak and smoked salmon, too. A great introduction to the joys of affordable single-malt Scotch.

If beer is your thing don’t miss out on Alva’s

(Clackmannanshire) Harviestoun brewery’s ‘Old Dubh’ (‘Black oil’ in Gaelic) beers, a collaboration with Kirkwall’s Highland Park.

The stouts are aged in ex-Highland Park whisky casks and include Ola Dubh 12, 14, 16, 18, and 21 (sometimes 30 and 40), with the number representing the age of the whisky barrels. Ola Dubh 12 is readily available (£3.35, Ocado, 330ml, 8%). A fine chaser.

4) Joey Tensley, Fundamental Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, Central Coast, California, USA (£23, Berry Bros, 14.5%) If you’re not a whisky enthusiast but like red wine, try complementing the haggis with a hearty, youthful, herby red wine like this one from California. Think blackcurrants, spice, liquorice and herbs. The flavours feel neat, fresh and unfettered; the tannins are powdery and the acidity is precise and fine. No shortage of flirtatious black fruit notes either. Exciting wine

from a new name on the UK market.

Fruit-driven Beaujolais Cru (Gamay), youthful claret (from Bordeaux), Malbec and SyrahGrenache blends (hello Châteauneuf-du-Pape) also work well with haggis, the herby, meaty and peppery ‘Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race.’

Dessert anyone?

Ending the meal with the traditional Scottish pudding cranachan? Try Hungarian Tokaji, the wine of kings and king of wines. Royal Tokaji Blue Label Aszú 5 Puttonyos 2018 (£14.99, Waitrose, 11.5%, 25cl) is princely and luscious.

For those with a sweet tooth. Cheers Rabbie!

‘And surely ye’ll be your pint stowp!

And surely I’ll be mine!

And we’ll tak a cup o’kindness yet, For auld lang syne.’

Follow James on Instagram @QuixoticWines

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

Books

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

27

Times reporter Grace Corcoran picks three reads for your week On this week’s bookshelf, the return of Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham, Simon Shuster’s biography of Volodymyr Zelensky and a thrilling Gothic novel by Hester Musson…

Day by Michael Cunningham

The Showman by Simon Shuster

The Beholders by Hester Musson

‘Day’ is the first novel in nearly a decade from Michael Cunningham, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Set on April 5 in three successive years – 2019, 2020 and 2021 – it delicately details the relationships of an extended family based in Brooklyn from each person’s point of view.

Fractures are starting to show, particularly between husband and wife Dan and Isabel.

Robbie, Isabel’s brother, has to move out to give their children more space.

A year on, the world has gone into lockdown – and fissures are beginning to be more exposed as the enforced proximity takes its toll. Finally, a year later, we see the impact the pandemic has had on the whole family. Cunningham’s writing is compassionate and elegant with each person’s dreams, fears and desires tenderly described. He truly understands the vagaries of families, relationships and the human heart.

For decades as a superstar comedian in Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky would lampoon the politicians who lived in luxurious mansions while their compatriots, like his own family, struggled to make ends meet. The standup launched his surprise presidential campaign by promising to be a servant of the people – and in 2019 they took him at his word and elected him.

‘The Showman’, crafted by RussiaUkraine expert Simon Shuster throughout a year in close proximity to Zelensky and his government, as well as drawing testimony from his enemies, starts in February 2022 with the comic-turnedfigurehead whisked away from his wife, children and palace to the Kyiv bunker, from which he continues to lead Ukraine’s defence against Russian invaders. Shuster skilfully charts Zelensky’s transformation into a war commander as his initial shellshock makes way for uncompromising bravery. We see how his charisma inspires both hope at home and vital international support as Ukraine strives to turn the tide in the ongoing conflict.

Packed with period detail and engaging characters, ‘The Beholders’ is a thoroughly engrossing Gothic thriller. Feisty, independentminded housemaid Harriet has come to Finton Hall to wait on the enigmatic Clara Gethin. The house, which is the property of Clara’s husband, the muchadmired, unimpeachably respectable Liberal MP Ralph Gethin, is as mysterious as its mistress, full of strange objects and ruled by a vicious housekeeper. There are other puzzles too: Why is Clara so cold towards her baby son?

What happened to Harriet’s predecessor?

And why does Clara keep firing housemaids? As the shocking truth emerges, Harriet finds herself in a race against time to help save Clara and her son from unspeakable evil.

Although there’s a little too much going on in the earlier chapters and the main themes take a while to come into focus, the novel soon gathers pace to become an enjoyable and gripping read.

Review by Bridie Pritchard

Review by James Cann

Review by Jackie Kingsley

Published in hardback by Fourth Estate, priced £16.99

Published in hardback by William Collins, priced £22

Published in hardback by Fourth Estate, priced £16.99

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Travel

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

Picture: CroisiCruise/PA

A mega cruise not for you? Try a gentle barge holiday in France...

A slow meander through France’s picturesque Oise Valley is the perfect introduction to cruising for first-timer Chynna Jones. Sail away with her on this most enjoyable river trip picturesque and staff on board the boat keep us entertained with facts about the area. The captain also answers our questions about the boat itself and tells us how the various locks we go through work. Although the upper deck has some sun loungers, it’s not quite warm enough for sunbathing. But – wrapped up in a coat – I still take advantage of the crisp autumn sun.

Our excursion for today is to the Château de Compiègne, one of the three largest royal and imperial residences in France, along with

Versailles and Fontainebleau. Château de Compiègne was originally built for Louis XV and then restored by Napoleon. Even before the Château was built, Compiègne was a favourite residence of the royals. Compiègne Forest was the perfect grounds for royal hunts which is evident in the Château’s decor. The walls are adorned with several paintings depicting hunt scenes and there is plenty of taxidermy on display as well.

Next stop on our excursion is the Musée de

Picture: CroisiCruise/PA

T

here’s something truly wondrous about the countryside of northern France, a pleasant stillness you don’t get in many other places.

I’m about to embark on a new voyage from international river cruise company CroisiEurope. This is my first ever river cruise, so I’m very excited and I honestly have no idea what to expect. I’ve also never been to France before, so this really is a new experience all round for me.

Pont L’Eveque, our starting point, is stunning in the sunlight of the early evening. A barge cruise is a little different to a regular cruise.

Covering a lot less distance, the holiday has much more of a leisurely feel. Barge cruises are also a lot smaller with typically less than 30 people compared to the average 200 people of a typical river cruise. Our boat, The MS Raymonde, sleeps 22 guests in comfortable double cabins and will be my cosy home for the next four days.

Our first excursion is to Noyon Cathedral, just north of Pont L’Eveque. Noyon was historically a very important ecclesiastical location, and the cathedral is still a Roman Catholic church.

Seeing the cathedral at night is truly something else. Built in the 12th century, it’s very different from the English cathedrals I’ve seen and feels much smaller inside.

We spend the next morning sailing calmly down the Canal l’Oise. The countryside is

l’Armistice – the Armistice Museum. The Museum is in the Compiègne Forest, near where the Armistice that formally ended World War One was signed. The museum itself is rather small, as museums go, but very informative. We see a replica of the train car the Armistice was

‘Every meal gets better and better on the MS Raymond, featuring the very best of French cuisine’ signed in, which is set up exactly how it would’ve been at the time, plus some artefacts from the war as well.

By the time we make it back to the boat I’m ready to eat. Every meal gets better and better on the MS Raymond, featuring the very best of French cuisine – including dishes with quiche, guinea fowl and pork tenderloin. Plus, we have a special treat to go along with dessert. It’s my birthday, and the chef has made a lovely birthday cake as a surprise.

Grand buildings are a feature of this trip and our next stop, Château de Chantilly, doesn’t disappoint. The Château is the work of Henri d’Orléans, Duke of Aumale and son of the last King of France, Louis-Phillipe. Henri d’Orléans gifted the Château to the Institut de France in

Travel

inducted) is dedicated to protecting and promoting the heritage of Chantilly cream – a French classic of cream flavoured with vanilla and sugar.

However, the origin of Chantilly cream is hotly debated and somewhat shrouded in mystery.

Some say it was introduced to France by

Catherine de Medici, who bought the whipping technique from Italy. Others say a man named François Vatel presented the cream to Louis XIV before taking the technique to the Château and making it famous.

So far, the trip has been a fascinating journey through history, but the best is yet to come. On our last day, we visit Auvers-sur-Oise, where

Ashes to Light Concert

The Amelia is presenting an evening of classical music featuring the music of Bach, Chopin and Bloch and performed by professional musicians Alex Metcalfe (piano) and Patricia Calnan (violin), in the beautiful, intimate setting of the Upper Atrium in The Amelia Scott. This is set alongside the incredible story of imprisonment of Nelly Ben-Or in the Łódź ghetto and her escape, narrowly evading recapture by the Nazis. She eventually settled in England and found international success as a concert pianist.

Be sure not to miss this unforgettable evening.

Sat 27 Jan 2024 | 7pm The Amelia Scott - Upper Atrium Supported by

Scan here to Book Now

Picture: CChynna Jones/PA

‘Grand buildings are a feature of this trip and our next stop, Château de Chantilly, doesn’t disappoint’

Picture: CroisiCruise/PA

1886 and it has remained in their possession and unchanged ever since.

The Duke of Aumale was known as one of the greatest collectors of his time, something made evident in the Condé Museum, made up of an art gallery featuring three Raphael paintings and a library with more than 20,000 books and manuscripts.

One of the most treasured items on display is the Condé Diamond, 9.01 carat and a gorgeous pale pink colour. Originally from the Kollur mines in Southern India, the diamond was sold to King Louis XIII of France, who in turn gifted it to Louis II de Bourbon, prince of Condé (where the diamond gets its name from). It’s never been set, and its only adornment is a row of smaller white diamonds around the edge.

Back on the barge, we have another surprise in store. A member of the le Confrérie des Chevaliers Fouetteurs (the brotherhood of whipping knights) demonstrates how to make authentic Chantilly cream by hand – which turns out to be very hard. The Brotherhood (despite the name, both men and women are

Dutch post-impressionist artist Vincent van Gogh spent his final days. Van Gogh moved to the village to be closer to his doctor, Dr Paul Garchet, and his brother, Theodore.

The official cause of his death was suicide – Van Gogh appeared to have shot himself in the chest with a revolver, dying two days later. However our tour guide tells us that some people believe the artist was murdered by some young men he had been having problems with – hence the shot in the chest and not somewhere more fatal.

We have a tour round the village, seeing the various places van Gogh used to frequent such as his favourite cafe. During his time in the village (70 days), the great artist painted an impressive 76 paintings including some of his most famous, such as one of the local church.

We also pay a visit to Van Gogh’s grave, which he shares with his brother Theodore. Ivy from the garden of Van Gogh’s doctor was planted over the grave to symbolise the unbreakable

29

bond between the two brothers.

Our final stop is the Absinthe Museum. The tipple loved by French artists of the fin-de-siècle era is aniseed flavoured and can be as divisive as Marmite. However, after sipping a sample I discover it’s not as bad as I imagine, and learning about the history of absinthe as well as how to properly make it is definitely something I won’t forget in a while.

But to be honest, this whole trip has left me with some surprising and lasting memories. I’d never considered myself to be a cruise person or a Francophile, but a gentle barge journey along some of the country’s prettiest canals has left me a fan of both.

How to plan your trip A six-night Oise Valley hotel barge cruise costs from £2,995 per person based on 2024 departures between April and October. Price includes flights from London Gatwick, transfers, all meals and drinks, entertainment, excursions, use of onboard bicycles, WiFi and port fees. Call 01756 691269 or visit croisieurope.co.uk

Picture: CChynna Jones/PA

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

30

Motors

Wednesday January 24 | 2024

Volkswagen opens orders for new Tiguan SUV

Changes Inside is where you’ll find the bulk of the changes over the previous car, with the Tiguan getting a range of new technologies, including touchscreens measuring up to 15 inches and a clever OLED rotary control that can be used to adjust features such as driver settings and volume.

At launch, the Tiguan is available with a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine with either 128bhp or 148bhp, along with a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel. All new Tiguans also feature a DSG automatic gearbox as standard.

Later in the year, Volkswagen will also introduce a sportier 2.0-litre petrol engine with four-wheel-drive, along with a new generation of

plug-in hybrid that combines a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for up to 268bhp.

These are also said to travel up to 62 miles on a charge.

Prices kick off from £34,060 for a version simply called the ‘Tiguan’, with standard equipment including a 12.9-inch touchscreen, 10.25-inch touchscreen, reversing camera and a broad range of driver assistance features.

Up next, the Life grade packs larger 18-inch alloy wheels and wireless smartphone charging, along with adaptive cruise control and threezone climate control. Prices for this grade start from £35,905.

The high-spec Elegance grade is available from £39,275 and brings upgraded LED headlights with a signature lighting strip, as well as keyless entry, an electric tailgate and heated and massaging front seats.

At the top of the range, the R-Line costs from £39,680 and brings large 20-inch alloy wheels, microfibre seat upholstery and a generally sportier look inside and out.

The Volkswagen Tiguan is now available to order, with first deliveries expected by the middle of the year.

Picture: Volkswagen

VOLKSWAGEN has announced that prices for its new third-generation Tiguan start from £34,060, with orders for the new SUV now open.

The latest generation of Tiguan brings some big advancements compared to its predecessor, including a stylish new design incorporating advanced LED lighting, with light strips at both the front and rear.

Picture: Vauxhall

Picture: Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s launches its own electric car charging business

Vauxhall introduces its first ever hybrid Corsa VAUXHALL is expanding its range with the introduction of a hybrid engine on its popular Corsa for the first time.

The Corsa continues to be Britain’s most popular sold car, and with 40,816 examples sold in 2023, it was the third best-selling car in the UK. Vauxhall has previously said it is targeting the number-one position in 2024, with the introduction of this new mild-hybrid version set to be key.

Turbocharged This new hybrid model uses a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that features a six-speed dual-clutch automatic and a small electric motor. Power outputs of 99bhp and 134bhp are available. It’s the same setup as the latest Peugeot 208, while it’s set to be introduced in other Jeep and Fiat models that make up the Stellantis group.

The electric motor allows the Corsa to be driven at slower speeds without needing the engine, while also assisting the petrol engine under acceleration.

A small battery is installed under the front left seat to not compromise on boot space, with this being charged under deceleration by the electric motor.

Vauxhall says the small hybrid system can reduce fuel consumption by ‘approximately 20 per cent’ compared to a regular petrol model.

The firm quotes a fuel economy figure of up to 62.8mpg and CO2 emissions as low as 102g/km.

The Corsa will continue to be available as a petrol manual, while a choice of two electric versions is also offered, bringing a range of up to 246 miles.

Like other Corsa models, the hybrid is available with a choice of three trim levels – Design, GS and Ultimate. Standard equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, a 10-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as LED headlights.

Prices for the Corsa hybrid start from £22,540, which is £630 more than a standard petrol automatic, rising to £28,670 for a top-spec Ultimate model. Orders for the new hybrid Corsa are now open with first deliveries expected from March.

SAINSBURY’S has announced that it has set up its own electric car charging company, and aims to have chargers installed at more than 100 locations by the end of 2024.

Known as Smart Charge, Sainsbury’s is the first UK supermarket to launch its own-brand chargers, rather than relying on partnerships with external companies. Tesco and Lidl, for example, use Pod Point chargers at their stores, with Morrisons and Waitrose having similar deals with external companies.

Sainsbury’s says it will be installing ultrarapid EV chargers in the car parks of its stores, which can rapidly top up electric cars at up to 300kW. This is the quickest form of charging and means that many electric cars can be topped up sufficiently in around half an hour.

The supermarket says it will roll out the chargers at ‘more than 100 stores’ by the end of 2024, which will feature 750 separate charging bays. Sainsbury’s says this will put it in the ‘top five providers of ultra-rapid charging in the UK’.

A study by Sainsbury’s of 500 electric car users found that 80 per cent admit to ‘avoiding’ longer journeys because of not wanting to charge at public units, with the company

believing its Smart Charge company ‘represents a game-changer’.

Patrick Dunne, Sainsbury’s Director of Property, Procurement and EV ventures, said: “With our new network of easy-to-use and reliable charging points conveniently located in our supermarkets, Smart Charge will make a real difference to EV drivers in the UK.

Alternatives “As one of the few providers to be focusing exclusively on cutting-edge ultra-rapid 150kW+chargers, customers can be in and out in as little as half an hour and avoid waiting longer with less powerful alternatives.”

Sainsbury’s says that its electric car chargers are powered by the ‘same 100 per cent renewable electricity’ as the rest of its business.

The first 20 charging hubs have already been installed in locations such as Richmond, West London, Harrogate and Newport.

According to chargepoint mapping service Zap-Map, at the end of 2023 there were almost 54,000 electric car chargers at 31,000 locations, with this representing a 45 per cent increase compared to the previous year.

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