Times of Tunbridge Wells 9th November 2016

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

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TOWN NEEDS YOUR VOTE! HAVING won through to the finals of the Great British High Street of the Year Awards, The Pantiles is currently trailing in last place in its category, prompting a call for the people of Tunbridge Wells to click online and vote.

Judges from the Department for Communities and Local Government visited the promenade last week as part of the process for choosing the Local Centre/Best Parade of Shops.

They are responsible for half the votes, with the public making up the rest. And that’s where the town is lagging behind the other two finalists, Chester and Claygate.

Pantiles hotelier Julian Leefe-Griffiths said: “Your town really does need you. It just takes a few seconds to vote and it would be great to come out on top.”

(L-R) Targetfollow’s Antony Moore and Corin Thoday, Judge Jaya Relwani, Targetfollow’s Sarah Bird and Judge Eleanor Millington

INSIDE

PUPILS BEING FAILED Grammar Head bucks trend by helping ‘poor’ students. Page 10

PARKING SOLUTION

Residents rent out driveways as demand for spaces soars. Page 7

Full story pages 4-5

Businesses chase £10m rebates

NAKED & READY

Love of quality indigenous food boosts their business. Page 64

Hard pressed council believes its ‘worst fears have been realised’

Exclusive by Adam Hignett

adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk NEXT month will see businesses in the town banding together in a bid to claim back £10million in rates. They believe their premises have been wrongly valued and that they are owed rebates.

If their actions are successful, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council will be required to pay them £4million – enough to run the Assembly Hall for the next ten years – at a time when the authority is battling to overcome government cuts in its funding.

The other £6million would be paid

largely by central government, and smaller portions by Kent County Council and Kent Fire and Rescue Service. One borough council officer told the Times: “Our worst fears have been realised.”

Refund would be enough to run Assembly Hall for ten years In total, 21 business are contesting their rates with the Valuation Office Agency [VOA] in a move believed to have been prompted by the success of a B&Q appeal in September that was reported in this newspaper, as part of an ongoing investigation into business rates.

All 21 firms, the majority of which are based in the North Farm business park, are being represented by the same agent, CVS (Commercial Valuers & Surveyors) Ltd, said to be the UK’s largest business rates specialist, and have their tribunal on December 14. CVS has declined to comment to the Times.

The news that so many companies are appealing en masse has been met with dismay by council officers, who are concerned about how the local authority will pay the £4million.

The council’s Director of Finance and Corporate Services, Lee Colyer, said: “It would appear that commission-chasing

property agents are now using the downward appeal process to cash in on past payments that went to central government, but that now will be partially footed by local taxpayers.

“The appeals can go back to 2010, so there are around £10million-worth of potential refunds, although with so many hearings listed for the same time I hope that sufficient consideration and information will be given to each case, and that the VOA put up a robust defence of their original assessment, on behalf of local taxpayers.”

Continued on page 2

CHRISTMAS GUIDE

To help you make the most of the festive season. See inside

2 ■ LOCAL NEWS SEPTEMBER 28: How we reported the B&Q story

Evaluations challenged Continued from page 1

£5.3m payout for boy infected at Pembury

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

A TEENAGER who sustained severe brain damage while in the womb at the old Pembury Hospital has been awarded compensation of £5.3million from the NHS. The boy, who was identified only as ‘C’ for legal reasons, contracted an infection as a foetus and was born with mental and physical disabilities in 2000.

With his parents’ support, he had sued Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust for negligence because the doctors and nurses did not discover the bacterial infection before he was born.

Last week Mr Justice Foskett authorised a £2.6million lump sum to be paid by the Trust, along with annual payments to cover the cost of his care.

These index-linked, tax-free sums will start at £35,000 for three years before increasing to £90,000 a year in 2019. The settlement had a capitalised value of £5.3m.

Sarah Vaughan-Jones, QC, representing the Trust, said: “I would like to repeat in open court the Trust’s formal apology and sincere regret for the events which led to C’s injury.”

Mr Justice Foskett said: “The condition should have been recognised and treated. It resulted in serious brain injuries.

The hospital has accepted responsibility in that respect.”

He added that there were ‘uncertainties’ about the boy’s future, but that he would need significant support and care throughout his life.

The judge praised the boy’s ‘immensely supportive’ family, adding: “I’m entirely satisfied that this settlement is in the best interests of C. I wish him and his family well.”

CONTACTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR RICHARD MOORE richard@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 779615 CHIEF REPORTER ADAM HIGNETT adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 576051 DESIGN/PRODUCTION LEE SMITH lsmith8@markerstudy.com SALES GEMMA HAK ghak@markerstudy.com | 01892 779580 FIND US ONLINE facebook.com/timeslocalnews timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk twitter.com/timeslocalnews IF YOU HAVE A STORY WE WOULD LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU Contact details above

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CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS HERE at the Times of Tunbridge Wells 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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Wednesday 9th November 2016

Firms Mr Colyer claims are contesting their earlier valuations include Furniture Village and John Lewis – neither of which responded to a request to comment – alongside others based in ‘Fountains Business Park and Kingstanding Way’.

He said that although the hearings are supposed to held in public ‘in theory’, no public agenda or documents are prepared beforehand, making it hard to find out the specifics of each case.

Mr Colyer added: “For anyone to even be aware that these hearings are taking place takes some investigation.”

Tunbridge Wells council taxpayers’ have already suffered at the hands of the VOA, having been forced to repay £400,000 in rates to the DIY giant B&Q in September after it was decided they had been valued wrongly in 2010.

The latest episode, which will see the coun-

cil liable for four times as much in retroactive refunds, has further damaged the trust between the local authority, the VOA and the agents who look to benefit from taking the claims to appeal.

It is a situation made worse by the VOA’s ability to prevent the disclosure of information due to their ‘statutory duty’ to preserve ratepayers’ confidentiality.

Mr Colyer said: “It would appear that the VOA has a super trump to play that beats all other requests for information that would

WORST FEARS Lee Colyer (right) is concerned by rebate costs

normally be expected under the public’s right to know and Freedom of Information legalisation, therefore extinguishing any hope of transparency.

“This does appear to be similar to the private deals reached by HMRC with large American companies regarding very low amounts paid in corporation tax that made headlines last year.”

When asked about the size of the appeal, a VOA spokesman said: “We are unable to comment on specific cases. We have a duty to maintain an accurate and up-to-date rating list.

If a ratepayer alerts us to some information that may require further investigation, we are dutybound to act upon it.”

And when asked if the 21 appeals being lodged means the VOA accept that their 2010 valuations were flawed, the spokesman responded: “Broadly speaking, there are two types of appeals; an appeal against the 2010 valuation, and an appeal resulting from a material change to the local area.

A material change appeal does not indicate that the 2010 valuation is incorrect.”

WHY YOU REALLY SHOULD VOTE TO PUT YOUR TOWN ON THE MAP MOST of us know that Tunbridge Wells is a great place to live. Now we have a chance to let the rest of the world know that.

There’s something called the Great British High Street Competition, and The Pantiles has made it through to the finals of one of the awards categories. Forget the fact you might never have heard of the awards, and that it’s run by a government department – it’s something that could help boost valuable business in our town.

Whatever you think of The Pantiles, the reality is that along with Royal Victoria Place it’s a flagship attraction that creates jobs, pulls people into the town and is an essential part of our development – and has been since the Chalybeate Spring was discovered in 1606.

When they were checking out the promenade last week, one of the judges told us: “We are looking for a real community spirit.”

Well, if we can’t muster a decent number of votes, what will that tell them?

Come on Tunbridge Wells, vote for your town, then spread the word and encourage friends and work colleagues to add their

voices. We’re sure Claygate and Chester are perfectly lovely places, but better than us?

We don’t think so!

For voting details, see pages 4-5 THIS week we continue our investigations into business rates with the news that 21 companies in Tunbridge Wells are between them demanding rebates totalling £10million. If they are successful, most of the money will be paid by central government, although £4million will be paid by the borough council, which means it will come out of the pockets of taxpayers – you.

No one can resent any business that claws back cash it believes it has overpaid.

However, the problem with this ‘class action’ is the total lack of transparency.

Premises are reviewed by the Valuation Office Agency [VOA], and when those valuations are challenged the process can happen behind closed doors with little information available to the public, even though it is the public purse that will be hit.

Conveniently, the VOA has a ‘statutory duty’ to preserve ratepayers’ confidentiality, and hides behind that cloak when

pressed for answers.

Perhaps the time has come for a review of the VOA, and the way and manner in which it deals with matters impacting the public purse?

THE struggling Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust has disclosed details of how it hopes to find its way out of deficit.

As we reported last week, the rescue squad parachuted in to turn the trust around has identified additional income of £14million, while also finding savings worth £16million.

Sounds great. Well done, guys.

Looking through the small print, though, the remainder of the ‘budget improvements’ will come from a reallocation of assets and ‘technical accounting measures’.

This does not fill one with confidence, and sounds rather like some of the announcements made by various government departments over the years, with the same amount of money being reallocated, shuffled, and announced as new funding or savings. Cynical? What us?

Richard Moore, Editorial Director

LOCAL NEWS 

NEWS IN BRIEF

Calverley competes for playground funds THE Friends of Calverley Grounds are appealing for residents to get online and vote as a national competition to win up to £25,000 reaches the halfway point.

The group aim to raise £225,000 to build a children’s Adventure Grounds on the park’s former bowling green. So far £96,000 has been raised, with the three-month building project expected to begin in spring 2017.

Tunbridge Wells Hospital Radio is also competing for the hundreds of grants available in the Aviva Community Fund Awards. Winners are determined by public vote at www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk

Road safety scheme AN OPERATION carried out by Kent Police in Tunbridge Wells borough to promote road safety led to more than 100 vehicles being stopped and given advice on driving issues.

Taking place on October 10, 20 and 30, speed and traffic checks were set up in six locations with assistance from Community Speedwatch volunteers and the Kent and Medway Safety Camera Partnership.

In addition to advice on vehicle defects and driving speeds in different road conditions, six penalty notice tickets were issued.

Veteran’s blind march BLIND veteran David Scott, a Tunbridge Wells resident, will proudly march at the Cenotaph in London this Remembrance Sunday.

The 92-year-old’s service in the Royal Navy lasted 20 years, during which time he lost many comrades.

Mr Scott intends to honour his lost companions by marching with more than 100 other former servicemen with visual impairment, supported by the national charity Blind Veterans UK.

The high-quality hub THE award-winning architect Purcell has been appointed to carry out the £12.3million Tunbridge Wells Cultural and Learning Hub project. The redevelopment will bring together in one conserved and modernised set of buildings the museum, art gallery, library, adult education centre, visitor information and Gateway services.

Run by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council in conjunction with KCC, it aims to ‘create a space to engage, learn new skills and socialise’.

Book Fair cancelled A TUNBRIDGE WELLS Book Fair scheduled for December 3 has been cancelled due to an administrative error. The event at King Charles the Martyr Hall in Warwick Park would have welcomed 20 experienced dealers, many of whom regularly exhibit in London. No further book events are planned for the same venue until Saturday March 4.

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Dim view of lights turn-on as celebrity double booked

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

BEN HAENOW has been confirmed as the star turn to switch on the Christmas lights in Tunbridge Wells… after a reader alerted the Times to the fact he had been double booked.

The former X Factor winner had been lined up to launch the festive season at both Royal Victoria Place (RVP) and the Princesshay shopping centre in Exeter, Devon on Thursday November 17.

He had to backtrack after his management company admitted it had made a ‘diary oversight’.

The Times alerted organisers to the error after being contacted by one of our readers, who spotted a story in the Exeter Express and Echo.

The platinum-selling artist signed up for the event with two members of the Exeter rugby team. Mr Haenow was quoted saying how much he was looking forward to helping Exeter celebrate the beginning of Christmas and ‘visiting this beautiful city’.

He had been expected to

attract ‘thousands of visitors’. With two weeks to go to find a replacement, Exeter citizens are hoping the fire brigade will perform the deed.

More than 900 residents had already signed a petition to honour the 150 firefighters who overcame a blaze at a major hotel and art gallery.

A spokesperson for Ben Haenow said: “Unfortunately, due to an oversight in the diary, Ben will be unable to perform at the Exeter light switch-on event. This is in no way the fault of Exeter BID [Business Improvement District] or Ben.” Mr Haenow won the 11th series of the ITV talent show X Factor in 2014 and his debut single, Something I Need, became the Christmas No 1 that year.

He will turn on the lights at RVP at 6.30pm on November 17, and will be joined by Britain’s Got Talent dance sensations Boogie Storm and Heart’s Jennie Falconer.

Clearly much in demand, Mr Haenow has been booked to turn on lights in Glasgow on 13th, Swindon on the 19th, Carlisle on the 20th and West Bromwich on the 24th.

LIGHT UP THE SKY Crowds look on in Dunorlan Park

Dunorlan firework display Hotel awarded four stars hits dazzling new heights THE town’s newest hotel has been awarded four stars by the AA following a visit by one of its inspectors, less than five months after opening its doors.

One Warwick Park secured a merit score of 81 per cent, placing it at the top end of the four star rating nationally. The Inspector judged the hotel and its team on cleanliness, hospitality, service, bedrooms, bathrooms and food, the six factors considered critical to a guest’s expectations.

Close to The Pantiles, One Warwick Park brings together the former Brew House Hotel, the Old School House, and neighbouring buildings to create a 39 bedroom hotel, including one suite, plus restaurant, terrace

CHRISTMAS GUEST Ben Haenow

bar and function rooms.

Andrew Daniells, Chief Operating Officer of Markerstudy Leisure, the company which owns and operates One Warwick Park, said: “It was always our aim to achieve a four star rating at our first inspection, so to achieve this so soon after opening bodes well for the future and will spur on everyone in the team to even greater performance.”

THE TUNNEL

By Murray Jones murray@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

A RECORD turnout for Dunorlan Fireworks saw more than 13,000 spectators descend on the park to enjoy the display – raising over £40,000 for local charities.

The Bonfire Night celebrations, organised by the Tunbridge Wells Round Table, beat the £25,000 raised from last year’s event.

The display was introduced by the Mayor, Cllr David Neve, who encouraged people to ‘groan along’ to his puns.

Some 4,000 rockets lit up the night sky – another record figure.

Round Tabler Andrew Mockford said: “It’s been our biggest year yet for attendance, fundraising and the display. Everything lined up perfectly and we are in a great

place for our 60th anniversary next year.”

The only damp squib was the large amount of litter left over and the subsequent failure of the borough council to send out their clean-up squad in time. It was left to a small group of local residents to spend their Sunday morning clearing the park, until the council’s contracted cleaners arrived at 2pm.

The Round Table have pledged to provide an adequate amount of bins next year and ensure that the clean-up will be completed ‘first thing Sunday morning’.

They added that this year the park had ‘returned to normal’ within 36 hours of the event finishing.

The money raised from ticket sales and donations will be distributed over the next year, with charities invited to make their appeal for the funds.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

4  LOCAL NEWS

Town needs your vote: Help support our local shops in high street awards

By Adam Hignett adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk WITH less than two weeks to go, the call has gone out to the people of Tunbridge Wells to get behind The Pantiles by voting for the historic promenade in this year’s Great British High Street Competition.

Two judges from the Department for Communities and Local Government [DCLG], which runs the initiative, visited the Georgian parade of shops on Friday [November 4], with their assessment making up 50 per cent of the total score.

‘If Tunbridge Wells continued at this rate, they would be storming ahead’ However, the remainder comes from public votes and despite momentum picking up since voting started last month, Tunbridge Wells is still trailing in third place in its category – best Local Centre/ Parade of Shops – behind two other destinations in Chester and Claygate.

Although the competition’s organisers will not disclose the current number of votes each destination has, they did reveal to the Times that The Pantiles had ‘significantly closed the gap’ on its nearest rival, The Parade in Claygate, Surrey, gaining 2,000 votes in the week before the judges’ visit.

“If Tunbridge Wells continued at this rate, they would be storming ahead,” said Amina Makele of the DCLG.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

COMMUNITY SPIRIT Independent Pantiles traders A total score of 200 points is available for each destination, the awarding of which is split between the judges and the public vote.

The number of points awarded from the public element is proportional to the percentage of the public vote it received. For example, if The Pantiles receives 60 per cent of the public vote,

it gets 60 out of the 100 points available.

The other half of their total will come from the average judge’s score, out of 100. Therefore, if the judges give an average of 50, the total awarded to The Pantiles would be a score of 110 out of 200.

During her visit to Tunbridge Wells, judge Jaya Relwani explained what she was looking for when

it comes to making her assessments in the best Local Centre/Parade of Shops category, and aesthetics alone were not good enough.

“For me, a good High Street is where you can eat, meet friends, pay your bills, shop – do everything.

At the end of the day, the aesthetics here are great, but you would hope people can make the most of what they have.

“We are looking for a real community spirit. This is achieved through collaboration between retailers, landlords and the public, and even somewhere not as beautiful can have that.”

Julian Leefe-Griffiths, who runs the Tunbridge Wells Hotel and is the key organiser of Jazz on The Pantiles, said: “It would be great if everyone could get out and vote and come together on this.

“Whilst winning would be great, what’s important is that there is a vibrant array of businesses and a great sense of community, which we certainly have. If we got the accolade, I would be overjoyed.

“To all the residents of Tunbridge Wells I say, your town needs you.”

Tunbridge Wells MP Greg Clark has also thrown his support behind the campaign.

He said: “I’ve already voted for The Pantiles in the Great British High Street Competition, and I urge everyone to do the same.

“Public votes make up 50 per cent of the final decision, so your support is vital. Let’s put Tunbridge Wells on the map as one of the best shopping destinations in the country.”  www.thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk

LOCAL NEWS 

The Pantiles was put up for nomination in the Great British High Street Competition by Targetfollow, who bought the Upper Walk in 2008, alongside the Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons, for £11million. Eileen Leahy spoke to Antony Moore, an Assistant Asset Manager at the company, about why they chose to throw their hat into the ring.

HOW TO VOTE To show support for your town, visit www.thegreatbritish highstreet.co.uk/ Go to the competition page and select Local Centre/Parade of Shops.

Why did you decide to enter The Pantiles into the Great British High Street Competition?

We understand the shift in shopping patterns between the High Street and online retailing and we recognise that competitions like the Great British High Street of the Year are a fantastic way of getting people back to the high street.

After some research into the awards, we concluded that The Pantiles possessed many of the qualities that the competition was looking for.

Qualities such as innovation, adaptability and community spirit. We have worked especially hard this year to grow and develop The Pantiles with all of the Pantiles Traders, and we saw the Great British High Street Competition as the perfect opportunity to showcase our efforts and that of the Pantiles Traders on a national platform.

Voting takes less than two minutes to do online, and simply involves entering your email address and nothing more.

Voting closes at midnight on Friday November 18

THE PANTILES COMMUNITY Matthew Sankey, Head of the Association of Pantiles Traders, put the success of the promenade down to close co-operation between local businesses. He said: “I think it’s a great achievement for The Pantiles to have received this nomination. If you consider where The Pantiles was a few years ago compared to what it has become today it’s remarkable.

“This is down to all the vision and hard work of the independent traders of The Pantiles. Although many of us are competitors, we all work very well together. There is a great sense of community.”

What was the timeframe from finding out the awards existed to being shortlisted?

We found out about the awards back in July and submitted the application in August. We received the good news that The Pantiles had been shortlisted in the Local Centre category in mid-October.

We were thrilled and honoured that The Pantiles had been recognised as one of Britain’s best high streets. Now we are working hard on the ‘Vote Pantiles’ campaign.

5

a host of dedicated and passionate traders. We have some wonderful independent and national retail outlets, fantastic restaurants and bars, and a renowned year-through events programme, all set against a backdrop of Great British history and stunning 17th-century architecture. We even have our very own spring. What other venue in the UK can boast all of that?

Did you find that the majority of the Pantiles Traders got behind the campaign to get people voting for The Pantiles?

The traders have been amazing, and as we suspected, they have fully engaged to drive the campaign forward. We have also seen some great support from our extended Pantiles community in the town. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and the team at Royal Tunbridge Wells Together have been, and continue to be, very supportive, and we would also like to thank the Times of Tunbridge Wells and The Pantiles News for their support.

There is, of course, still time to vote, so I am sure that the traders will continue to push until the very end and the good people of Tunbridge Wells will show their support and get voting.

SPRING-TIME Judges visit the Wells

Why do you think The Pantiles has the edge when it comes to winning the category?

The Pantiles is a truly unique destination featuring

Wednesday 9th November 2016

6 � LOCAL NEWS

MP wins Conservative of the Year title

By Adam Hignett

adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Road closure this week

‘Many people have much to offer politics but feel there are barriers to getting involved’

Wednesday 9th November 2016

Staff shortage blamed for missed targets ONE third of ambulances in Kent are failing to reach life-threatening emergencies within their target time of eight minutes, NHS England revealed. The target time for Red 1 and Red 2 calls, the most severe type of emergencies, is eight minutes, but this is met by less than 72 per cent of South East Coast Ambulance (SECAMB) crews.

GMB union chief of the South East Paul Maloney, blamed a 1,000 staff shortfall at the service for the failings. A SECAMB spokesman said they are ‘working hard’ to recruit additional staff.

GREG CLARK was named Conservative MP of the Year by the Patchwork Foundation at a ceremony in Parliament last week, in recognition of the work he has done to support disadvantaged groups across the country.

The Foundation, which was established five years ago and is not affiliated to any party, states its aim as helping to ‘promote and encourage the positive integration of under-represented, deprived and minority communities into British political society’. Among its patrons is the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, MP.

Mr Clark accepted the award at the Speaker’s House, which forms part of the Palace of Westminster, on November 2, alongside fellow Conservative MP Justine Greening (Overall MP of the Year), Mhairi Black of the SNP (Overall Newcomer MP of the Year) and David Lammy (Labour MP of the Year).

The Overall People’s Choice Award was posthumously awarded to Labour MP Jo Cox, who was murdered in June in Birstall, West Yorkshire.

Upon receiving his award, Greg Clark said: “Many people have much to offer politics but feel there are barriers to getting involved.

“It’s important we break these down – no one should feel left out.

“The Patchwork Foundation has gained a great

NEWS IN BRIEF

MOTORISTS face delays on the A21 this Friday evening (November 11), with two sections of the road due to be closed between 8pm and 6am. The southbound carriageway between Quarry Hill and Longfield roundabout and the northbound carriageway between Longfield roundabout and Vauxhall will be closed during this time.

Oversubscribed school TRUE BLUE: (L-R): John Pienaar (Patchwork Patron), Speaker John Bercow (Patchwork Patron), Greg Clark, Siddiq Musa (KPMG Partner and sponsor) and Sir Martyn Lewis (Patchwork Patron) reputation for supporting this important work and helping reach out to under-represented communities. It is a privilege to receive this award.”

Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated the Tunbridge Wells MP for winning his award, and said it reflected her ‘driving mission’ in politics, to make Britain a country that ‘works for everyone’.

ST PETER’S Primary School on Windmill Street has become the most popular primary school in Tunbridge Wells, figures from 2016’s applications have revealed, with around seven applications to every one place. Over 140 parents applied for St Peter’s as one of their three preferences for the start of this academic year, with only 20 places available.

The school is rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

LOCAL NEWS �

Residents rent out driveways as demand for parking spaces soars CAR PARKING PRICE COMPARISON

By Lorna Johnson

newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk PARKING in Tunbridge Wells has become a major headache for motorists as demand for spaces soars.

With costs for traditional parking set to hit record highs, coupled with an ongoing decline in spaces, visiting and working in the town is becoming increasingly troublesome.

Now national companies are helping householders rent out empty driveways to motorists, targeting Tunbridge Wells as a ‘top priority’.

Charles Cridland, Technical Director and Co-founder of the online driveway rental service YourParkingSpace, said: “We are working on recruiting new spaces and Tunbridge Wells is our big focus now,” adding that the town is quickly becoming one of their ‘most popular’ areas outside of London.

These peer-to-peer parking platforms match drivers with spaces, and the sites operate through service fees that are automatically added on top of the rental price. This charge is paid by the driver and will typically be around 20 per cent of the overall price, however, it can alter depending on location and other factors.

One online driveway rental service shows that the number of spaces registered online in this area has jumped from six to 22 since the beginning of the year – a rise of 266 per cent.

However, despite the number of private spaces available increasing, demand continues to far outstrip supply, with one website recording in excess

DRIVEWAYS RENTALS One of the sites is Cumberland Yard of 1,500 searches for parking spaces per month within Tunbridge Wells alone.

The Times found over 30 spaces utilising the service across websites, some listings starting at £2.50 a day, and numbers are growing.

‘The problem has also been compounded with plans to cut the number of on-road spaces’ Figures released by Just Park show the average space owner in Tunbridge Wells currently earns £345 per year, rising to £500 per annum for the most prime locations. Homeowners list their space online for free, set what times they wish to rent out their space, and payments are sent straight to their account via PayPal. Pricing is decided by the owner and rates typi-

JustPark (22 Spaces Total) Average price per day: Average price per month:

£4.23 £76.04

YourParkingSpace (18 Spaces Total) Average price per day: Average price per month:

£3.73 £97.96

Tunbridge Wells car parks Average Price per day: Average Price per month:

£8 £102.47

Sources: TWBC Council and National Rail websites

cally increase depending on the proximity to desirable locations – namely the centre of town and the railway stations.

Drivers are moving towards this ‘rent-a-drive’ alternative after spikes in rates have made parking more expensive, a situation which will be made worse if the council’s proposal to increase charges by 29 per cent is given the green light.

The problem has also been compounded by plans to cut the number of on-road spaces, in favour of ‘permit holder only’ zones.

In addition, further proposals could see Linden Park Road car park sold off for redevelopment, a move which will result in the loss of 37 spaces.

William Read, who commutes into Tunbridge Wells, claims finding reasonable parking is becoming ‘ridiculously difficult’. He said: “If the option is there to pay less for a private space then obviously I’m going to choose that.”

7

Review shows that West Kent is rated country’s top maternity service WEST KENT’S maternity services have been rated the best in the country following a review of nearly 200 NHS facilities nationwide.

The data has been published as part of a transparency drive by Jeremy Hunt, the Health Secretary, in an effort to improve Britain’s place in international league tables.

The ratings examine stillbirth and neonatal mortality, maternal smoking at the time of delivery, women’s experience of maternity services and women’s choice.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW), which runs most of the services, delivers almost 6,000 babies each year.

West Kent came top of three of the four categories and the average score for a woman’s experiences was 84 out of 100.

Results showed that 144 Clinical Commissioning Groups in the country were deemed to need improvement, 53 were described as performing well and just one, West Kent, was assessed as ‘top performing’.

The Trust offers a range of maternity services including community midwives, an obstetric-led full maternity service at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, and midwife-run birth centres at both Maidstone and Crowborough.

Last month, MTW celebrated five years of providing integrated maternity services, from when Tunbridge Wells Hospital and Maidstone Birth Centre officially opened.

Head of Midwifery for the Trust, Jenny Cleary, said: “We are delighted that our maternity services have been rated so highly by NHS England in a number of areas, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of the teams across our sites.”

Wednesday 9th November 2016

8  LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS BUSINESS IN BRIEF

Businessman behind military show jailed THE man behind a military show set up to rival the War & Peace Revival has been jailed for a ‘sophisticated and sustained fraud’.

David King, who ran the Military World Show at the Hop Farm, Paddock Wood, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court to two-anda-half years in prison after admitting three counts of fraudulently evading VAT. King, 45, of Peacehaven, East Sussex, was also convicted of committing an offence while serving a suspended sentence.

No room for nice guys SEVENOAKS entrepreneur J.D. O’Brien was ‘fired’ from TV’s The Apprentice last week after five editions of the BBC reality programme.

The 37 year old, who runs men’s beach clothing company Munkle, acted as Project Manager for a task to launch a cycling product but was given the sack by Lord Sugar after making too many mistakes.

Having characterised himself as a ‘good bloke’, he said after his ejection: “Nice guys don’t win The Apprentice.”

Sit smart to learn more ERGONOMIC chair company SitSmart has seen a surge of interest in its products from local schools. The Tunbridge Wells business, which is part of the TEK Group, has had over 200 of its chairs installed in the refurbished Smythe Library at Tonbridge School in recent weeks. It has also supplied tables and 60 chairs to Weald of Kent Grammar School.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

The return of TEDx marks new

By Sarah Bond

newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk TEDx returned to Tunbridge Wells for the second time this year in what proved to be a sell-out event titled It’s About Time.

Hosted at One Warwick Park Hotel (October 29), it marked the inaugural set of talks by TEDxRTWWomen in Tunbridge Wells.

The theme It’s About Time was chosen to inspire ‘celebration, challenge and curiosity’, as well as promote the ability of women and girls to be creators and changemakers.

However, it was not an exclusively female affair, with men both participating as speakers and making up part of the 150-strong audience who had paid £35 each to attend.

‘We were inundated with people who wanted to speak’ Of the more than 50 people who applied to talk, 13 were shortlisted to take to the stage, speaking on a range of subjects from ‘thinking big and aiming high’ to the fact ‘the robots are coming’.

Other topics covered included, guilt, sex education, the brain in the gut, and the effective art of gentle protest, alongside a male view of feminism.

TEDx Royal Tunbridge Wells founder Dan Foreman, admitted it was a ‘tough process’ choosing the speakers.

“But you get a nice blend with some ups and downs and emotional moments and some celebratory moments. It’s great fun,” he added.

One of the headline speakers was Nat Taylor, who is co-leading Exercise ICE MAIDEN – the first

TED’S TEAM (L to R): Chairperson Claire Passos and founder Dan Foreman

LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS 

9

chapter for women of Tunbridge Wells…

WHAT IS TEDX ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS? TED Talks were started in America in 1984 by ‘intensely curious architect’ Richard Saul Wurman, who viewed them ‘as the ultimate dinner party’, radically different to all the usual types of conference with ‘just white men in suits on panels’.

The lecture series fast became a worldwide phenomenon devoted to ‘ideas worth spreading’, initially focusing on technology, entertainment and design (ie TED). It then spread to local TEDxs – elevating speakers to a global stage via internet videos.

TEDx started in Tunbridge Wells two years ago with an event at The Skinners’ School, followed by a second sold-out event in June at Trinity.

Such has its success in the town been, the next annual event, on the theme of Discovery, will be held at the Assembly Hall on June 10, 2017 in front of a thousand people. See www.tedxroyaltunbridgewells.com

all-female attempt to cross the Antarctic land mass coast-to-coast, via the South Pole. The British Army GP, who sets off to the South Pole next Thursday [November 17], discussed the challenges and perils of planning and training for the arduous adventure ahead.

She said, ‘It’s About Time’ women take on Polar exploration, which has for the last 100 years been dominated by men, adding: “This challenge is about inspiring others, not only women, to get out and find their fire. Fire comes from a small spark.

It will become a fire with nurture.”

Other speakers included Joe Strong from Tunbridge Wells – who spoke about his experiences and research that went into his Masters dissertation on the impact of race, gender and geopolitics and the effect of globalisation on women in Ghana. And Caroline Arnold, also from Tunbridge Wells, gave a talk on getting ‘back to basics’ by switching off the smartphone and enjoying nature.

Claire Passos, Business Development Manager at iFour design agency in The Pantiles, Chaired the women’s event.

She got involved after iFour sponsored the first TEDx here, two years ago. “Dan and I wanted to do a series of spin-off events, so I got a committee together of women I knew and we made the women’s event happen, which was amazing.

“We were inundated with people who wanted to speak. We also had a lot of male speakers that wanted to talk, such as Jordan Jones, who is a black feminist who was brought up without a father. He’s fabulous. And Joe Strong talking about the women in Ghana. It wasn’t about women’s issues, it was human issues, and we are really pleased at the way it went. TEDx is definitely here to stay in Tunbridge Wells.”

Other speakers: SARAH CORBETT: THE CRAFTIVIST COLLECTIVE TALK: The art of gentle protest If we want our world to be more beautiful, kind and fair, why is a lot of our activism, most of our activism not beautiful, not kind and often not very fair? So I want to talk about the art of gentle protest… A thoughtful, beautiful, kind and hopefully fair form of protest that we can all do.

LUCY MCCLEOD, HEAD OF MARKETING FOR PENSHURST PLACE & GARDENS TALK: Why sex education is so important I’ve felt the effects of sexual harassment, sexual assault and I’ve been manipulated by someone whose job it was to safeguard me… The national curriculum for Sex and Relationship education hasn’t been updated since the year 2000. I’m fairly sure we still had dial-up in my house.

REBECCA HIRST, COCA-COLA EXECUTIVE-TURNED-NUTRITIONIST TALK: Trust your gut. She never lies Spots, it all began with spots… I was introduced to a nutritional therapist and she helped me get under the skin, quite literally, of what was going on. And it turned out I was allergic to cow’s milk… My body was sending me a signal, quite an obvious signal, there was something it didn’t like… and literally started to eliminate the stuff it didn’t like through my face…

That was the very first step in learning to trust my gut.

JORDAN JONES: BLACK FEMINIST TALK: Feminism – ‘My liberation as a man is tied up with your liberation as a woman’ A son and a father in a car collide with a truck. The father is killed and the son gets taken to the hospital.

The surgeon runs into the room: ‘I can’t operate, he’s my son.’ Who was the surgeon?… Its his mother… Interestingly, nine out of ten people go his other dad, his grandfather, his uncle. They automatically go to a male figure… We see men as important, we see them in a place of power… why exactly is that?

ALEXANDRA BOND: BOND AMBITION – PERFORMANCE, PROMOTIONS AND EVENTS TALK: Guilt – we are all better than we think We are told: ‘you can have it all’, but what does that mean? Because I think we’ve lost the message a bit… ‘I can have it all, so therefore I must be a mother who is Nigella in the kitchen, who is an amazing cleaner, who is also a CEO, and recycles!’ That guilt emotion starts to come in…

DEBBIE HARRIS: EXPERT IN FINDING CARE HOMES TALK: How to open up care homes and make them fabulous There is a reason we don’t think about nursing homes, we don’t talk about them, we just want to ignore their existence. It’s because they’re our last stop. But what on earth are we playing at? If they’re our last stop, shouldn’t they be fabulous? Shouldn’t they be fantastic?

Wednesday 9th November 2016

10  LOCAL NEWS

Local grammars among the worst for failing ‘poor’ pupils

By Andrew Tong

GRAMMAR Schools in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge are among the least willing schools in the country to provide places for poor pupils.

The findings come on the back of a BBC investigation which revealed that less than half of all grammars in England give priority to children who qualify for free school meals [FSM].

An analysis of the 163 grammar schools’ admissions policies found 90 do not take account of eligibility for FSM, traditionally used to define whether an applicant is ‘poor’.

Now one local school is bucking the trend. Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys has altered its admission policy for 2017 to encourage more pupils from low-income families.

But four selective schools in the area are among the lowest 15 grammars in the country for FSM admissions, with Skinners’ in Tunbridge Wells the worst offender.

In fact Skinners’ does operate a quota system for FSM, but only sets aside five places each year out of an annual intake of 150. It currently has a total of 20 FSM pupils out of a capacity of 975 this academic year – 2 per cent of the entire roll.

So Skinners’ comes 159th out of all 163 English grammars; Judd is No 156, Tonbridge Grammar is one place above at 155, and Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School is in 150th place.

Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys was already the most inclusive selective local authority school in West Kent, achieving the national average of 6.9 per cent of pupils on FSM in 2015. Non-selective secondary schools across the country took in 29.4 per cent of FSM students.

Now it will take even more disadvantaged youngsters. Like other schools in the area,

Wednesday 9th November 2016

HOW KENT’S GRAMMARS PICK AND CHOOSE

LEVEL PLAYING FIELD Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys has changed its admission policy

newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

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‘We invite children in for events and activities like concerts or science days and send students out as part of their sixth form enrichment to help in primary schools’ John Harrison Head of Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys

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if the intake is ‘oversubscribed’ it had previously prioritised applications from children who have been in local authority care, brothers and sisters already in the school, or health and special access criteria, before taking into consideration how near a prospective pupil lives to the school.

From next year, Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys will give priority to those who have ‘pupil premium’ status in each of these oversubscription criteria.

Pupil premium applies to children who were eligible for free school meals at any point in the past six years – for which the schools receive extra funding.

The Headteacher, John Harrison, believes grammar schools should be more socially inclusive, as Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted. She is keen to end the ban on new grammars and has stated they must ‘genuinely reach out across society’ and

take in children from various backgrounds.

Mr Harrison says his school has taken a proactive approach in recent years, reaching out to the community as a whole.

“In order to make our school as accessible as we possibly can we try to work with primary schools,” he says. “We invite children in for events and activities like concerts or science days and send students out as part of their sixth form enrichment to help in primary schools.

“In the past this has included a reading scheme and maths support but also music, science and technology projects.

“In addition to being interesting, educational and fun, we intend that these activities make us feel less ‘daunting’ to primary school children and their families. So they might come along to our open events and see the school as a very real option.”

Skinners’ Headteacher, Ed Wesson,

All entrants must pass an 11-plus style Kent Test examination.

A lack of available places, or ‘oversubscription’, leads to various criteria being applied to applicants: These start with any child who is, or has ever been, in authority care.

The next criterion is ‘family association’ or if the prospective pupil has siblings already in the school.

Then comes health and special access, where the mental or physical impairment of a child – or the child’s parents – means they have a ‘demonstrable and significant need’ to attend the school.

Finally, the distance of the applicant’s home from the school is calculated, as the crow flies, using an Ordnance Survey map.

defended their low pupil premium intake, saying: “It is not many and is as much a reflection of the area in which we live in as the inaccessibility of grammar schools.

“In terms of what we can do to increase that number, we already favour free school meals students in cases of oversubscription. We shall continue to do so. Indeed we might increase the number.”

The school also operates an outreach programme to encourage pupils before they take the Kent Test at the age of 11.

“Our sixth formers go in to help with maths and English, and we welcome primary schools to our Forensics Day in the summer,” says Mr Wesson.

“This is important as evidence suggests lack of attainment and therefore access to selective education does not just happen at the point of the 11-plus but much earlier in primary school careers.”

12  COMMUNITY NEWS

Haunting memorial honours those who are gone but never forgotten

By Adam Hignett

adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk A MOVING tribute to the men of Penshurst who laid down their lives during the First World War has gone on display in the village church.

In honour of the fallen, 51 life-size, clear Perspex silhouettes of the servicemen were created and placed along the pews as part of an installation titled ‘There, but not there’.

The installation opened on Tuesday November 1 to mark the day Penshurst lost its first man in the war, in 1914. He was Able Seaman Ernest Chandler, who perished in the Battle of Coronel, off the coast of central Chile.

The idea was proposed at the start of the year by photographer Martin Barraud, a member of the Friends of Penshurst Church, which was set up in NAMES OF THE FALLEN Sit by the men

Wednesday 9th November 2016

2009 in order to raise £700,000 to refurbish and repair the church – a process now largely complete.

Mr Barraud’s concept was enthusiastically embraced by other members of the group and by the Rector of St John the Baptist Church in Penshurst, Rev Tom Holme.

‘I found myself alone with the men in a very silent church’ The silhouettes are modelled on four photographs the Friends of Penshurst Church found of First World War soldiers sitting in uniform.

Different elements from each of the photographs were then combined, while the size was modelled on someone sitting in the pews.

Before the opening ceremony, children from the local school were invited to view the display and place poppies and Perspex blocks inscribed with the names of the dead in front of the silhouettes.

Those who were related to each other, such as the Yeoman brothers and the three Hardinge cousins, were placed together. The youngest to fall, Private Noel Baker, aged 17, has a slightly smaller silhouette than all the others.

The public viewing was attended by more than 100 visitors, including Lady De L’Isle of Penshurst Place and the nephew of Private Baker.

In his opening speech Mr Barraud suggested the guests reserved the formal minute’s silence until Remembrance Sunday, but instead asked that they

IN MEMORIAM Perspex silhouettes line the pews return over the next two weeks and ‘find their own silence’ with the men. It was followed by a ‘Toast to Absent Friends’ and three cheers for the men.

Describing how he felt now the display was on show, Mr Barraud said: “When the installation was finally ready, we had the schoolchildren in to place the blocks and poppies.

“But when they had gone, and all the people

helping had gone, I found myself alone with the men in a very silent church. It was at that point that it all came home to me. What really resonated was how many 51 people are when you see them sitting there.”

The church is open during daylight hours including weekends and the installation runs until November 14. All visitors are welcome.

COMMUNITY NEWS 

will send it on later with one of the boys.”

Additionally, Ms Aron is particularly keen to support local suppliers.

“My main thing is local produce: We stock local bread, milk, honey, wine, pies and curries,” she said.

“Our curries are delicious, they come from Chai Stop in East Kent. The wine comes from Biddenden Vineyards and the pies come from Kentish Mayde, which is also in Biddenden.”

But she admitted that for all her spirit and hard graft, running a village shop is a challenging task – a labour of love, perhaps.

“The shop is very important in the life of a community like this,” she said. “But it’s so hard, I don’t make any money out of this business. We buy stuff that is much more expensive than it is for supermarkets.”

HAPPY TO SERVE Award-winning shopkeeper Anu Aron helps both old and young in Speldhurst village

‘I’ve delivered most of the children in the village’

Midwife makes an impact with Post Office deliveries

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

A MIDWIFE who has been helping mothers give birth in Speldhurst for two decades has won a prestigious award for another kind of delivery.

Anu Aron, owner of Speldhurst Post Office Stores, is celebrating after her shop was named Kent’s Best All Round Rural Retailer.

She has been delivering babies in the village since 1991 – and has been employing those same boys and girls since she opened up the shop in August 2012.

“I’ve delivered most of the children in the village,” she said. “Some of them help out in the

shop, do the paper round or come after school to work here from 4 to 6pm. And I give them jobs for Saturdays and Sundays.”

Ms Aron is steeped in the idea of community spirit, and has become even more involved with parishioners since she took over the ‘run-down’ premises, helping the older people as well as the newest ones.

“I like to help the elderly,” she explained. “I will go and pick them up, or I also do deliveries for the old people if the families give us a list.

“If they come into the shop and they look uncomfortable, or if they are struggling to walk home with their shopping, then I will send one of the youngsters to accompany them, or I will suggest they leave the shopping and I

“I just want to have a bit of enjoyment after all the hard work. I haven’t had a single day off in four and a half years. My father was a doctor and he never had a day off – he worked Saturdays and Sundays.”

Despite the unforgiving hours required to run such a local resource, she also has the dedication and determination to pursue her other career at the same time.

“I want to keep being a midwife because I love it,” said Ms Aron.

“I work in Crowborough Birth Centre one day a week, doing 11 or 12-hour shifts.”

Ms Aron was born in Delhi, and came to England in 1979. She was the head of department in clothing and textiles at Maharaja University in Baroda, and was visiting her sister here before going to the United States to do her PhD. But she never made it across the Atlantic.

“I came from a medical family, every generation there were doctors. So when I came here I trained to be a nurse in Eastbourne. Then I became a midwife at the old Pembury Hospital.”

She added proudly: “I performed the first water birth in Tunbridge Wells back in 1991.”

As well as all her other commitments, she is keen to set up an anti-natal clinic after the NHS officially stopped providing the free service.

“Socially a lot of young mothers don’t receive any support now, which is a shame because you can make long-term friends at classes and that can be a really valuable resource,” she said.

“I tried to run one or two private classes in Tunbridge Wells but people just don’t have the money – and I don’t have enough hours in the day.”

13

Nursery’s Nathan takes the biscuit in big bake off NATHAN GERRING of Tunbridge Wells Nursery and Montessori pre-school has been showing off his baking skills in the ‘Healthy Biscuit, Happy Me’ grand final.

The pre-school room manager was highly praised for his Viennese whirl biscuit by judges from the Soil Association, Burton’s Biscuits and Busy Bees.

Staff, children and parents from Busy Bees nurseries across the country were invited to create a sweet or savoury biscuit along with an explanation of why it is healthy.

Mr Gerring said: “All of the creations looked and tasted fantastic so it must have been a tough decision for the judges. I feel privileged to be considered by such a well-respected company as Burton’s Biscuits.

Massive achievement “The whole process has been enjoyable for everyone, especially the children. We thought it was considerably important that they played a part in designing the biscuit.

“Although I didn’t win the competition, I still had a fantastic day with the other finalists, and to get so far was a massive achievement for all of us at the nursery.”

Busy Bees has been awarded the prestigious Silver Food for Life catering mark from the Soil Association for the second year running for serving fresh and healthy meals and supporting local food producers.

GIVE US A WHIRL Nathan Gerring (far left) with the other finalists

Wednesday 9th November 2016

14  LOCAL NEWS

Labour MP hits town to rally the troops ahead of an early election

By Adam Hignett

adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk THE man in charge of overseeing the Labour Party’s election campaign was in Tunbridge Wells last week urging local party members to ‘take the fight’ to the Tories and forget about past divisions.

Addressing members of the constituency party at the Camden Centre on Thursday [November 3], Jon Trickett, MP for Hemsworth, said it no longer mattered how people voted during the leadership election, describing it as a ‘settled decision’.

What mattered now was preparing to win the ‘ground war’ during the next general election, he said.

Speaking in front of around 80 party faithful, Mr Trickett acknowledged obstacles to a poll before 2020, but said the High Court’s decision earlier that day denying Theresa May the use of the Royal Prerogative to trigger exit talks from the EU CALL FOR UNITY meant it was more likely.

Jon Trickett “Normally, the next election

would be in 2020. There is an act of Parliament which effectively forbids, except with certain clauses, the possibility of an early general election.

“But I rather think the Prime Minister is pondering an early election. Now, she said we won’t have a ‘snap election’, but is that the same as an early election? I am not sure. They don’t use words, these people, without having thought about them.”

He urged those present to ‘be ready’ for when an early election is called, and joked: “There is a clue to when the election might be in her surname.”

Mr Trickett, Labour’s Campaigns and Elections Chairman, said his party’s message should be able to carry in Tunbridge Wells, but the town was missing a ‘Labour culture’.

Reassuring those gathered that Labour was not ‘against people doing well’ or ‘against prosperity,’ he highlighted why he believes the town would still benefit from a Labour government.

Mr Trickett, who earlier that day had visited the Nourish Foodbank, claimed 4,000 people currently rely on its services, while 2,500 children are currently living in impoverished households in Tunbridge Wells – figures which continue to grow.

“Don’t think, as the Tories want you to think, that people go to foodbanks because it is free food. They go there because of a sense of desperation,” he told his audience.

Cuts to the NHS would soon impact local services, he warned as the level of £22billion the government are trying to save through ‘efficiencies’ is impossible.

“If you can get a better service by spending less,

then good, we are not against that at all. But I don’t know if you can save that kind of money through efficiencies. I think its going to come from the frontline services that you depend on.

“We will not be losing a couple of midwives, I think we will be seeing wards closing, A&Es shutting down and even question marks over entire hospitals.”

The MP also raised the issue of unaffordable housing in the area and appealed to the commuter vote by saying taxpayers should have ‘a stake’ in the railways. Mr Trickett rounded off his speech by accusing the Prime Minister of pretending to represent change when in fact she is only offering more austerity.

Although recognising many are often worried by change, he said people should not be content with more of the same.

“Continuity with recent years under a Tory government has left too many people in Tunbridge Wells in a very difficult situation where the health service is under threat, it is very difficult for young people to buy a house, and there are problems with the railways. The time has come for real change, and that’s what Labour represents.”

He concluded by asking those present to take Labour’s message to wherever they work, are educated, to neighbours, family and friends, ‘because this is a battle for hearts and minds’.

“By doing this, Labour can win the ground war and that can win or lose elections. Let’s unite as there may be an election in a few months’ time.”

Hub permission seems certain after council officers back plans

PLANS for the Southborough Hub (above) are due to be considered by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s Planning Committee today (Wednesday) after being recommended for approval by council officers.

In what will be a bitter blow for those opposing the scheme, a report released by the council states the scale, layout and design of the building would ‘respect the context’ of the site and ‘preserve the visual amenities of the locality’.

The 51-page report adds: “The contemporary design, indicative landscaping and lighting of the Hub and its surrounding public realm would establish a strong sense of place, appropriate to the development’s location within the centre of Southborough.”

In a candid recognition of the level of disquiet

Wednesday 9th November 2016

among some members of the public, the report acknowledges that out of the 237 letters received, only 30 were in support of the scheme.

However, it claims that of the remaining 207, ‘many responses have been received from people living outside Southborough’.

Tunbridge Wells-based county councillor Peter Oakford said: “I am very pleased that officers are recommending the scheme for approval. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to give Southborough the heart it deserves.”

Local Labour Party member Martin Betts said he was ‘disappointed’ by the planning officers’ decision. He added: “Objectors believe that they have a strong case, supported by most people in town who just want to be heard.”

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16  LOCAL NEWS

Calling all dancers to help Children in Need DO4KIDZ Danceworks want to recruit anyone who has been to their dance club since it was founded 11 years ago to help them raise money for Children in Need.

They will be holding a Danceathon on Sunday November 13 from 10am-4pm at St John’s Primary School, Cunningham Road, Tunbridge Wells.

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Wednesday 9th November 2016

A brush with history as first television ad layout is sold FILLING AIRTIME: A sample of the Gibbs SR toothpaste storyboard

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

A PIECE of television history went under the hammer at the Spa Hotel in Tunbridge Wells last week as a storyboard for the first advert on British TV was auctioned for £1,300.

The advert, for Gibbs SR Toothpaste, was first aired 61 years ago, and the only surviving reproduction of the shot-by-shot direction was sold

by C&T auctioneers at the Spa Hotel on November 2.

The sale coincided exactly with the 80th anniversary of the first high-definition television broadcast from Alexandra Palace in 1936. The reserve price was set at £600 to £900.

The minute-long broadcast went

out at 8.10pm on September 22, 1955.

Each single shot is sketched out by an artist, with the lines of script typed below.

The marketing company which made the ad, Young & Rubicam Ltd, is listed at the bottom alongside the manufacturer D.W Gibbs.

Miss M. R. Mills, who was involved in the shoot held at Pathé Studios in London’s Wardour Street, wrote to the production company to ask for a copy of the original piece of paper.

The film starts with a toothbrush and tube of toothpaste inside a cube of ice sitting in a stream with the banks covered in snow.

The TV presenter Alex Macintosh does the voiceover, which starts: “It’s tingling fresh, it’s fresh as ice, it’s Gibbs SR toothpaste.”

The storyboard then features a woman brushing her teeth and a graph which shows rates of gum infection and tooth decay.

Mr Macintosh then departs from the original script, saying: “The tingliness comes from sodium ricinoleate, a substance which both dental researchers and those in the dental practice have found to be good for the gums.”

Two different options for the closing line are provided, which were combined: “So to keep your teeth white as snow, your gums really healthy and your breath really fresh see your dentist regularly and brush with SR, the tingling fresh toothpaste for teeth and gums.”

The item was part of the Ashford auctioneers’ first sale dedicated to

mechanical, music scientific instruments and technical apparatus.

C&T’s Laurence Fisher said: “This commercial was just for toothpaste, not a very exciting product.

“But I understand that lots of people tuned in because the advert was a new stage of television – it was a new venture.

“It’s a gestetnograph reproduction of the storyboard because the original piece of paper would have been thrown away.

“In asking for a copy the same year of transmission, Miss Mills has unintentionally and remarkably given us all a glimpse of the original artwork.”

He added: “The buyer is thrilled to be in possession of this piece. It will be looked after as an important chapter of British television history.”

NATIONAL NEWS 

17

UNDER ORDERS Lord Advocate James Wolffe

Sturgeon orders intervention in Brexit legal case SCOTLAND will seek to intervene against the UK government as it seeks to overturn a legal ruling which made clear that MPs must approve the formal triggering of Brexit, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

The Lord Advocate, Scotland’s most senior law officer, is to lodge a formal application at the Supreme Court to intervene in the case.

Ms Sturgeon said it ‘simply cannot be right’ that rights linked to membership of the European Union can be removed by the UK government on the say-so of a Prime Minister without parliamentary debate, scrutiny or consent.

The First Minister added: “So legislation should be required at Westminster and the consent of the Scottish Parliament should be sought before Article 50 is triggered.”

It comes after three senior High Court judges last week ruled PM Theresa May does not have the power to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the two-year process of negotiating Brexit without the prior authority of the UK Parliament.

Her government immediately announced plans to appeal against the judgment, taking the case to the Supreme Court.

The Scottish government believes it must also be formally consulted before Article 50 is triggered.

Lord Advocate James Wolffe is to lodge an application to intervene in the legal case as soon as the UK government formally submits its appeal, Ms Sturgeon said.

On Tuesday, the First Minister said: “Let me be clear. I recognise and respect the right of England and Wales to leave the European Union.

This is not an attempt to veto that process.

“But the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland and the national Parliament of Scotland cannot be brushed aside as if they DEMOCRATIC WISH do not matter.”

Nicola Sturgeon While a majority of UK

voters backed Brexit in June’s referendum, almost two-thirds (62 per cent) of Scots voted to Remain.

Ms Sturgeon said: “The Prime Minister said that on June 23 people across the UK had voted with, in her words, ‘emphatic clarity’ when they voted by a margin of four points to leave the EU. The margin for Remain in Scotland was 24 points – a far more emphatic and clear result.

“So the Prime Minister needs to live up to her promise to treat Scotland as an equal partner in the United Kingdom and listen to the will of the people of Scotland.”

Sturgeon was pressed by journalists to explain the basis by which the Scottish government will try to involve itself in the case.

She said: “It will be around the process for triggering Article 50 and obviously the central element of this case is the need for legislation in the House of Commons, and if there is a need for legislation in the House of Commons that raises the question of legislative consent, not just in the Scottish Parliament but in Wales and Northern Ireland as well.

“If that is going to be an issue that the court is looking at, then it is absolutely right that the Scottish government is formally represented to make sure that the views that we would take around these processes are heard by the court.”

The First Minister said she would not go into the detail of what the Lord Advocate will argue, but made it clear she personally believes the UK government should seek approval for triggering Article 50 through a legislative consent motion at Holyrood.

Ms Sturgeon dismissed a suggestion that the move would be seen by Leave voters as the Scottish government ‘interfering’ in the process.

She said: “This is not an attempt to frustrate the will of people in England and Wales but it is part of our overall attempt to protect the will of the Scottish people.” *The government’s appeal against the recent High Court ruling will be heard in the Supreme Court on December 5.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

18 � NATIONAL NEWS

Prince Harry hits out at media’s harassment of new girlfriend PRINCE HARRY has attacked the media over their ‘abuse and harassment’ of his girlfriend, US actress Meghan Markle, and warned: “This is not a game – it is her life.”

Kensington Palace issued a lengthy and strongly worded statement saying that a ‘line had been crossed’ over the treatment of the star of the television programme Suits.

The Prince’s Communications Secretary Jason Knauf said Harry’s Toronto-based girlfriend, who is mixed race, had experienced racism, sexism and a front page smear, and endured attempts by members of the press to get into her home.

“Prince Harry is worried about Ms Markle’s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her,” Mr Knauf said.

“It is not right that, a few months into a relationship with him, Ms Markle should be subjected to such a storm.

“He knows commentators will say this is ‘the price she has to pay’ and that ‘this is all part of the game’. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game – it is her life and his.”

The unprecedented and emotional plea marks the first official confirmation that the pair are an item – and has led to increasing speculation among bookmakers that Markle will eventually walk down the aisle with the prince.

Mr Knauf said 32-year-old Harry has, since he was a child, been very aware of the warmth of public feeling towards him and had to ‘develop a thick skin’ about press interest in his private life, but asked for the statement to be issued to prevent any further damage.

“The past week has seen a line crossed,” he said. “His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some

Wednesday 9th November 2016

Met chief apologises for VIP ‘abuse’ probe BRITAIN’S most senior police officer, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, has made a series of apologies following a disastrous investigation into baseless claims of a VIP paedophile ring.

Retired High Court Judge Sir Richard Henriques criticised Scotland Yard for a catalogue of failings in its £2.5million Operation Midland, which closed without a single arrest earlier this year.

The controversial 16-month probe saw raids on the homes of D-Day veteran Lord Bramall; late former Home Secretary Lord Brittan and ex-Tory MP Harvey Proctor after lurid claims were made by one alleged victim, known as ‘Nick’.

Duo still on the run DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED Meghan Markle and Prince Harry

of this has been very public – the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.

“Some of it has been hidden from the public – the nightly legal battles to keep defamatory stories out of papers; her mother having to struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door; the attempts of reporters and photographers to gain illegal entry to her home and the calls to police that followed; the substantial bribes offered by papers to her ex-boyfriend; the bombardment of nearly every friend, co-worker, and loved one in her life.”

Harry’s late mother, Diana Princess of Wales, died in a car crash nearly 20 years ago after being pursued by the paparazzi, and he grew up fully aware of the impact of the intense media intrusion on her daily life. As a young man, he was once seen scuffling with a paparazzi photographer.

News of the royal romance emerged just over a week ago when The Sunday Express revealed that the pair met in May while Harry was in Canada promoting the Invictus Games.

Markle, 35, neither confirmed nor denied the relationship, but shared a picture of two embracing bananas on her Instagram account and described herself as the ‘luckiest girl in the world’ in an interview.

Government given go-ahead to challenge Brexit court ruling THE Government has been given the go-ahead to challenge a High Court ruling that the Prime Minister must seek MPs’ approval to trigger the process of taking Britain out of the European Union.

Permission to appeal has been granted by a panel of three justices, the Supreme Court announced

NEWS IN BRIEF

on Tuesday. In a statement, the Supreme Court said that ‘the case can now proceed to a full hearing’.

It is expected that the proceedings will last four days beginning on December 5.

The case will be heard by all 11 Supreme Court justices. It is the first time that all 11 will sit to hear a case.

At the completion of legal submissions, the justices will reserve their decision to a date “probably in the New Year”.

The appeal move follows a ruling on November 3 by three High Court judges, headed by the Lord Chief Justice Lord Thomas.

In one of the most important

constitutional cases in generations, the three judges ruled that the Prime Minister does not have power to use the prerogative to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the two-year process of negotiating Brexit on behalf of the UK without the prior authority of Parliament.

THE escape of two inmates from Pentonville comes after years of under-investment by the government and staff cuts, the Prison Officers Association has claimed.

A police hunt is continuing after the men, named by Scotland Yard as Matthew Baker, 28, and James Whitlock, 31, escaped on Monday.

Baker was found guilty of attempted murder two weeks ago, and had been remanded for sentencing, and Whitlock was on remand after being charged with conspiracy to burgle over 19 alleged ATM thefts.

Hidden camera denial SPORTS DIRECT bosses have insisted they had no knowledge of an undercover recording device which a group of MPs said they found during an unannounced visit to the firm’s Derbyshire warehouse.

Members of the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee said they discovered the miniature camera during what was supposed to be a private discussion at the end of their tour of the warehouse at Shirebrook on Monday.

Elton’s photos in Tate SIR ELTON JOHN has lent his entire collection of modernist photography to the Tate Modern for a new exhibition. The images range from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.

BUSINESS NEWS �

M&S will focus on food after shutting 30 stores MARKS & SPENCER is to axe 30 UK stores and slash shop space devoted to its ailing clothing ranges as it focuses more on food under a sweeping overhaul.

The high street giant also warned of around 2,100 job losses under plans to shut 53 shops across 10 overseas markets, including China and France.

Chief Executive Steve Rowe announced the latest restructure plans as he revealed that half-year profits crashed 88.4 per cent to £25.1million, partly due to higher pension costs, while earnings fell 18.6 per cent to £231.3million on an underlying basis.

The retailer said clothing departments would be shut in 60 of its 304 full-line stores, with 30 shops closing altogether and 45 more to be converted into Simply Food outlets, downsized or relocated.

Around 100 stores overall will be affected by the changes over the next five years, it said.

The group remained tight-lipped on the number of UK staff expected to be affected or which stores would close, but said that, where possible, it would keep ‘job continuity’ for affected employees.

Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw said M&S staff would be ‘extremely concerned’ about where the axe will fall.

Mr Rowe, who took over from Marc Bolland in April, said it was ‘not about the M&S brand disappearing’, but the group would have more stores by opening more than 200 new Simply Food outlets.

He said: “These are tough decisions, but vital to building a future M&S that is simpler, more relevant, multi-channel and focused on delivering sustainable returns.”

Shares in the group fell 2 per cent as the firm’s half-year results underlined the woes facing its clothing arm. Like-for-like sales in the division fell by 5.9 per cent in the six months to October 1.

However, it narrowed the sales decline from 8.9 per cent in the first quarter – its worst performance for more than a decade – to 2.9 per cent in the second quarter.

Same-store food sales fell 0.9 per cent over the half-year, while it saw growth of 0.3 per cent at M&S.com, leaving overall UK like-for-like sales 3 per cent lower.

It also said profit margins will take a hit from the sharp falls in the pound since the Brexit vote, but it will continue to cut prices across its clothing lines and in its food arm as it looks to ramp up sales.

Mr Rowe, a company veteran with 26 years’ service, is leading a shake-up to turn around its clothing arm and get group profits back on track.

He has already announced that 525 jobs at the retailer’s head office will go in a bid to cut costs, while there will also be ­ changes to staff pay and pensions, and the company will cut back on running

­ romotions in favour of offering lower prices on p everyday clothing lines.

The group said the UK restructuring will cost it around £350million over five years, while its international retreat will come at a cost of £150million to £200million over the next year.

The firm currently has 468 overseas stores across 58 international markets, with 194 owned shops and 274 franchises.

that look unprecedented,” Andrew Bailey told MPs at a Treasury Select Committee hearing.

Committee Chairman and Tory MP Andrew Tyrie said the case looked ‘extremely serious’, affecting one in seven Tesco Bank account holders.

The bank has said it is working to refund all affected customers after money was fraudulently withdrawn from 20,000 of its 136,000 current

accounts over the weekend, with suspicious activity being tracked across 40,000 accounts.

A spokesman for Tesco Bank did not disclose the total amount stolen, adding that the incident is being treated as a ‘criminal investigation’.

The FCA chief said he was confident Tesco Bank can identify the affected accounts without customers needing to flag up discrepancies to the lender.

BUSINESS IN BRIEF

Like-for-like sales fall on high street FASHION retailer New Look is blaming a fall in consumer confidence for a slump in like-for-like sales, which fell by 8.8 per cent in the 26 weeks to September 24.

Marks & Spencer also revealed its like-forlike sales were down by 5.9 per cent and clothing giant Next announced a 5.9 per cent drop in the third quarter last week.

However, latest figures from the British Retail Consortium-KPMG survey showed that overall UK like-for-like retail sales rose 1.7 per cent in October.

Rail power cuts PART of the £2.8billion project to electrify the Great Western rail line between London and South Wales has been ‘deferred’.

Rail minister Paul Maynard said he made the decision that affects the electrification of four sections of the Great Western route because newer trains with more capacity can bring in the benefits expected by passengers without requiring costly and disruptive electrification works.

The four sections which will be delayed are: Oxford to Didcot Parkway; Bristol Parkway to Bristol Temple Meads; Bath Spa to Bristol Temple Meads; and Thames Valley branches to Henley and Windsor.

Investors strike gold SHUTTING UP SHOPS M&S is downsizing

Is Tesco Bank hack a sign of ‘broader threats’ to come?

THE Tesco Bank hack that saw money stolen from 20,000 accounts over the weekend was ‘unprecedented’, according to the head of Britain’s fi nancial regulator.

The chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) said officials were working to find the ‘root cause’ of the breach.

“There are elements of this, as far as we can tell at the moment,

19

Tesco Bank assured customers that money would be reinstated by the end of Tuesday, but Mr Bailey said: “That’s important but not by any means the heart of the concern.

“The heart of concern is what is the root cause of this and what it tells us about the broader threats.”

The action appears to have only affected the ‘debit card side of online banking’.

GOLD investment rose in the third quarter as political uncertainty around Brexit and the US presidential election sent investors running towards safe haven assets.

Total investment demand rose 44 per cent to 336 tonnes in the three months to the end of September compared with the same period last year, the World Gold Council’s latest report shows.

Small business boost ROYAL Bank of Scotland (RBS) is putting aside £400million to help compensate as many as 4,000 small and medium-sized businesses following allegations that they were mistreated by the bank’s Global Restructuring Group (GRG) after the financial crisis.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

20 � WORLD NEWS WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF

Democrats take early lead in US election THE 2016 US Presidential election started well for the Democrats when Hillary Clinton took an early lead over Republican Donald Trump by winning over the voters of Dixville Notch, New Hampshire.

Under New Hampshire state law, communities with fewer than 100 voters can get permission to open their polls at midnight and close them as soon as all registered voters have cast their ballots.

Film stuntmen drown TWO stuntmen who did not know how to swim drowned after jumping from a helicopter into a lake in southern India while shooting a film. Police have launched a case of criminal negligence against the film’s director and producers after it was discovered a motorboat which was supposed to rush to the scene and rescue them was found to be not working.

One of Kannada cinema’s top actors, Duniya Vijay, was pulled alive from the water by a fisherman after he also jumped into the water with Raghav Uday and Anil Verma.

Banker gets life A BRITISH banker has been convicted of murdering two Indonesian women after a trial which Judge Michael Stuart-Moore described as ‘one of the most horrifying murder cases to come to the courts in Hong Kong’.

Rurik Jutting, a Cambridge University graduate who worked for Bank of AmericaMerrill Lynch, was convicted of killing 23-year-old Sumarti Ningsih and then killing 26-year-old Seneng Mujiasih days later.

He was given an automatic mandatory life sentence.

Hungarian MPs decline Prime Minister’s anti-migrant plans HUNGARY’S Prime Minister has failed in his attempt to push through constitutional amendments opposing any future plan by the European Union to resettle asylum-seekers among members of the bloc.

MPs voted 131-3 in favour of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s proposal, but Hungary’s governing Fidesz party failed to secure any opposition support and fell two votes short of the two-thirds majority of all 199 deputies necessary.

‘The defeat puts Orban in a very difficult communications position in which he has to explain why he is not capable of achieving anything’ The failure to pass the five amendments, including one stating that a ‘foreign population cannot be settled into Hungary’, was Mr Orban’s second major setback after an October 2 referendum – in which over 98 per cent of voters supported the government’s anti-migrant position – was declared invalid due to low voter turnout.

Political analyst Zoltan Cegledi said the rejection of the amendments was a ‘defeat of power politics’, in which Mr Orban and Fidesz were emphasising their ability to get things done no matter what.

“The defeat puts Orban in a very difficult communications position in which he has to explain why he is not capable of achieving anything,” Mr Cegledi said.

Mr Orban’s ‘zero migrants’ policies led Hungary to build fences last year on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia to stop the migrant flow, and also resulted in draconian rules which, according to human rights groups, have practi-

cally destroyed Hungary’s asylum system.

Last year, before the border fences were fully in place by mid-October, nearly 400,000 migrants and refugees passed through Hungary on their way to Germany and elsewhere in Western Europe in their bid to escape war zones or other desperate situations and find somewhere safe to live.

Mr Orban presented the constitutional amendments as necessary to keep out large numbers of mostly Muslim asylum-seekers in order to protect Hungarian independence, identity and culture.

Mr Orban said the amendments were meant to show ‘that, without our consent and approval, no one can decide who we want to live with and how’.

Earlier this year, the far-right Jobbik party had proposed amendments similar to Mr Orban’s.

Fidesz rejected the idea, banking instead on the expected success of the referendum.

This time, Jobbik made its support conditional on eliminating ‘residency bonds’, which give foreigners and their immediate families Hungarian papers in exchange for buying a five-year government bond worth €300,000 (£267,000).

Jobbik Chairman Gabor Vona said the bonds, which Transparency International Hungary flagged as ‘the footprint of high-level corruption in the country’, were the ‘dirty business’ of Fidesz.

“Neither rich migrants nor poor migrants,

LACK OF SUPPORT Prime Minister Viktor Orban

neither rich terrorists nor poor terrorists, can come to Hungary,” Mr Vona said in the Hungarian Parliament on Monday [November 7].

Fidesz has said it will likely eliminate the residency bonds, but rejected Jobbik’s ‘blackmail’.

“Tying support for the constitutional amendment to other conditions is tantamount to treason,” said Lajos Kosa, head of the Fidesz faction in Parliament.

In response, Jobbik MPs held up a huge banner after the vote saying: “Traitors are those who, for money, also let in terrorists”.

Analysts expect Fidesz to keep anti-migration high on the agenda in the run-up to elections expected in April 2018.

“In xenophobia, Fidesz has found a far-right theme it can use, and it works too well for it to be cast aside,” Mr Cegledi said.

SPORT IN BRIEF

Broad could be made to wait for 100th test ENGLAND bowler Stuart Broad is due to take part in his 100th test match when he lines up against India today [Wednesday] – but that’s if it goes ahead.

Reports have emerged that the Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] was prepared to cancel the Rajkot Test if the country’s Supreme Court does not release

money to allow the game to be staged.

Last week the BCCI wrote to the England team management telling them that the governing body was not in a position to commit to paying for the tourists’ hotel, travel and various other arrangements.

The BCCI is the richest cricket governing body in the world, but its financial position has been complicated by the ongoing Supreme Court inquiry into the way it runs the sport.

If the match goes ahead, Haseeb Hameed will become England’s youngest ever debutant opening batsman after the Lancashire player was chosen as Captain Alastair Cook’s latest opening partner.

On the evidence of just 20 first-class matches so far, the 19 year old from Bolton has already been dubbed ‘Baby Boycott’ on the basis of his studied technique and aversion to risk at the top of the order.

Southgate plays it cool INTERIM England Football Manager Gareth Southgate claims he is more concerned about making England proud than his own future when his team play against Scotland on Friday.

After being given a temporary four-match spell following the ignominious end to Sam Allardyce’s brief reign as the England boss, it has been widely believed Southgate will get the job permanently even if he is defeated by Gordon Strachan’s men in the World Cup qualifier at Wembley.

But the former defender says talk about his longterm future continues to be on the back burner, especially as his temporary reign will not end until after a friendly against Spain next week.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

Duo extend contracts GLOUCESTERSHIRE duo Will Tavare and Graeme van Buuren have signed extended contracts, the cricket club has announced.

Tavare, who came through the ranks at the county, has signed until the end of the 2019 season despite a difficult campaign that saw him score just 112 County Championship runs in six matches.

South African-born van Buuren, who qualifies as a non-overseas player, has signed on for a further two years after a successful first season at the County Ground, which included an unbeaten 172 in a win over Worcestershire.

Commonwealth fund WITH just over 500 days before the Commonwealth Games begin in Australia, Commonwealth Games England [CGE] is expecting to spend as much as £7million on getting Team England to a place where they can battle with the hosts for a share of the medals. CGE is holding a ten-day preparation camp in Brisbane from March 19, 2018 to prepare for the competition on the Gold Coast, which starts on April 4.

BBC swings new deal THE BBC has extended its deal to broadcast the ATP World Tour tennis finals from London until 2018.

This year’s event, which features the best eight players of the year facing off in a round-robin tournament at the O2, begins on Sunday, and marks Andy Murray’s first outing as world number one. * For local sport turn to pages 86 & 87

22  LETTERS

And another thing…

This is the page where you, the reader, have your chance to express your views or comments on what’s going on in our part of the world. We like to hear from you. You can email us at newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk or write to the Editor at 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU Council: ‘Mushroom management’ approach contributes to the growth of public apathy and mistrust In response to my last letter [October 12], the Leader of the Council [Tunbridge Wells Borough Council] accused me of being ignorant and quite literally said it should be binned.

I am afraid Councillor [David] Jukes, that is mushroom management and if any member of the public who dares to question any aspect of your well-intentioned expensive plans is going to be treated in that manner, then you are contributing to the general growth of apathy and mistrust the public has for politicians of all persuasions.

Of course it could be said that Councillor Jukes is better informed than myself but, from the little financial information released to the public through Cabinet papers, I surely am not alone in being concerned with these plans and what impact they will have on the indirect and direct taxation the council uses to raise revenue to fund its operations.

So what can we all conclude from the little information that has been put into the public domain?

There have been plenty of artists impressions of what a new theatre and speculative offices in Mount Pleasant Avenue might look like, as well as an artist impression of the so-called cultural hub.

But nothing about what a redundant Town Hall and Assembly Hall might look like once vacated,

Driving: Go-slow zones can be waste of money I am writing about your recent coverage of the proposed 20mph limit in St John’s. In your first article [October 19], you state that Kent County Council are not planning to enforce the new lower limit due to ‘already low speeds’ – a statement which does make me wonder why bother changing the limit at all?

It is also completely at odds with the next article [October 26] by [Cllr] Peter Lidstone. In his column he cites ‘speeding traffic, rat runs and use of the pavement’ as issues seen by locals, a lower limit does nothing to address these concerns.

Perhaps the money spent on

or indeed how and when they would be reused.

As far as financials are concerned, I understand from Cabinet papers that the council intends to borrow up to £67million from the Public Works Loan Board at a forecasted interest rate of 4 per cent. Repayment of that loan would be over 50 years. Now anyone who manages a budget will tell you that you need to pay over £1million per annum in loan repayment costs for 50 years. You would also have to pay, for the first few years at least, over £2.5million pounds in interest charges per annum, giving a total of around £4million pounds per annum to fund from somewhere.

So far in the Cabinet papers, the Leader has identified that the rent from the speculative office build might realise £200,000 toward partially offsetting those repayment and loan charges.

Hence he will have to look for revenue from other sources to fund those charges, and I contended in my last letter that some of the swingeing 30 per cent increases in car parking charges were to make a contribution toward closing that funding gap.

It is a fact and not ignorance that leads me to say that in order QUERYING to fund those THE COST costs there will Roy Bullock have to be a

lowering the limit and installing ‘traffic calming’ would be better spent improving the quality of our poor road surfaces and easing congestion around the St John’s area.

If a 20mph limit is to be effective it shouldn’t be put into blanket use, it should be targeted where it is really needed. A quick spin around Brighton will confirm that nobody pays attention to if it is used as a blanket method.

All in all it is another poorly thought out plan with little thought of whether it will actually fix the problem, if there is indeed a problem at all…

Jonathan Albus Jones Via email

significant increase in direct and indirect taxation for the residents and visitors to the borough.

At present, with the miniscule information in the public domain, a rough estimate is that council tax may have to rise by about 40 per cent per annum just to fund this project, and that level maintained for possibly 50 years.

That figure of 40 per cent does not allow for any increased subsidy for operating an enlarged theatre. Currently the Assembly Hall is subsidised by around £200,000 per annum, equivalent to some 3 per cent on council tax, and with my detailed knowledge, that subsidy could increase for the new theatre to at least £500,000, leading to a further increase in council tax of over 4 per cent on top of the 40 per cent needed to fund the ambitious plans.

Surely everyone can agree that is an enormous possible increase for the taxpayers of the borough, especially all the elderly, who are on fixed incomes with very low returns on any of their investments, and also low-income and middle-income families.

That is why I called for a borough-wide referendum on this so-called Master Plan, once it had been finalised, fully costed and those costs independently audited, for it is too important a decision to be left to a few councillors with their political party and sometimes, very personal individual agendas.

Roy Bullock, Lamberhurst Ed Note: Roy Bullock served on the council for 16 years and was Leader until 2010 when he suffered a vote of ‘no confidence’ from his Conservative colleagues.

Parking: Cycle lanes are an ‘utterly daft idea’ The car parking situation in central Tunbridge Wells is getting more peculiar by the day.

The latest news is that Premier Inn are apparently planning a 110-bedroom hotel on London Road, one of the black spots for parking in the town.

The company proposes only 20 parking spaces according to a leaflet pushed through our door. Smaller hotels such as The Russell Hotel and the Royal Wells offer parking to a much larger proportion of their occupants (not enough, some residents might say!)

This is getting ridiculous, especially with the utterly daft idea of cycle lanes being proposed by a vociferous special interest [group] that will cut even further into residential parking.

And yet we see our ruling party

squabbling amongst themselves in an unedifying manner over what appears to the outsider to be a complete failure of policy in terms of matching the requirements of residents, traders and commuters with parking availability.

What is going on? Who has a grip on this? Why do we get so much front page political posturing about developments that never seem to take place while the nod is given to more and more flats without any consideration to organising the infrastructure necessary to make things actually work?

Maybe it is all some loopy Green plot to force us willy-nilly on to cycles regardless of the non-health benefits of breathing in diesel fumes and dicing with death against huge trucks.

Tim Pendry Tunbridge Wells

We do our best to publish letters in full. However, the Editor reserves the right to edit any letter. Please ensure that letters do not exceed 250 words

Wednesday 9th November 2016

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

DEPTHS of despair. Himself happens to be imbibing with friends at the George and Dragon in Westerham when talk turns to Churchill and his nearby former home. After 20 minutes of ‘Churchill’ talk, a young lady arrives at the bar, having been seated a few feet away at a table, and tells one and all that it’s so great to hear people chatting about the company she works for – Churchill insurance. On being told the talk was about possibly our greatest Prime Minister, she replies: “Never heard of him.” Us: “But his statue is on the green.” Her: “Wondered who that was.” Pass the smelling salts.

WHAT can you read into a name? Apparently not a lot these days. Calverley was intrigued to overhear one of his colleagues who had dialled a number on the office phone asking the person who picked up at the other end: “Are you naked and ready?” Naturally, the ears of Himself pricked up. Indeed, whose would not? Slight disappointment, though, on learning that the call was to Naked & Ready Foods, who sell things such as scotch eggs at local food markets. Boring.

OFF to watch youngsters enjoy playing in a footie match in Rusthall. What better way to relax? Shame that the whole game was ruined by the coach of the visiting team, who hurled verbal abuse at the youngsters on the home side and actually threw water at them while they were on the pitch. Had Calverley been able to work his mobile phone and film the whole sorry episode perhaps heads would roll. Sadly he is all fingers and thumbs.

SO difficult to find good help these days.

Himself last week called on a dear friend who requires some assistance round the home, and was in the kitchen when his carer arrived to prepare a meal. Imagine Calverley’s horror on seeing the chap pop into the microwave – a salad. Never has lettuce looked so wilted.

Chin, chin readers

Education in association with:

www.right-tuition.co.uk

EDUCATION ■

EDUCATION Times WITH THE

Pupils brought to book by famous football author Dan Freedman pays St Gregory’s school a visit for an inspiring literary talk stars of the pitch, but I feel the most important message I can give the students is how much I now love reading and writing books.”

Prestigious

TEAM SPIRIT: Dan Freedman presented St Gregory’s students with a selection of his Jamie Johnson series of books THE town’s Catholic comprehensive was pleased to welcome former Football Association [FA] journalistturned-author Dan Freedman at the end of last month.

He spoke to 180 Year 7 students at St Gregory’s about his childhood dream of becoming a professional footballer and his experiences as an

FA journalist, when he met and interviewed some of the world’s best players, including David Beckham and Lionel Messi.

Mr Freedman also spoke about how his FA job inspired him to write his first book – the tale of a young boy named Jamie Johnson who dreams of becoming a famous footballer.

There are now seven books in the successful series, with the first instalment, Born To Play, being made into a CBBC television show – their first football-themed children’s drama for 30 years.

The author commented: “Girls and boys alike are intrigued by the fact that I got to meet and interview

After speaking to the Year 7 group, the author spent time with students from the school’s prestigious Football Academy, which boasts 30 boys and girls. As well as nurturing their passion and ability for playing football, the school, rated Ofsted ‘Outstanding’, allows these pupils to use the sport as a vehicle for learning as part of a project.

The Football Academy has been so successful the school is launching a Language Academy in autumn 2017 for Year 7 students to learn Mandarin.

Mr Freedman has also helped develop the school’s literacy scheme for the Accelerated Competence Experience (ACE) Football Academy, based around one of his Jamie Johnson books.

23

EDUCATION NEWS IN BRIEF

Plans dropped for new engineering A level THE exam board Pearson has rejected a proposal from the Royal Academy of Engineering to develop a ‘more creative’ engineering A level in an attempt to encourage more girls into undergraduate courses.

Pearson said the proposal’s content ‘overlapped’ with new physics and design and technology A levels.

The news comes after a survey by the Sixth Form Colleges Association found two thirds of colleges have dropped courses because of funding cuts, with members warning of a ‘narrow and part-time experience’ for pupils.

Get in touch with Greg THE MP for Tunbridge Wells, Greg Clark, is keen to hear parents’ views on Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. Please write to him at the House of Commons, Westminster, London SW1A 0AA or email: greg.clark.mp@parliament.uk by Friday November 11 2016.

Read all about it…

A LOCAL primary school has achieved Gold Status in the Buster Book Club campaign.

St Matthew’s was awarded gold status in recognition of the impressive contribution they have made to improving literacy standards.

A spokesperson for the school said: “We are obviously delighted, and thank all the children who have been counting up their minutes of reading on Wednesday nights.”

Wednesday 9th November 2016

24  WEEKLY COMMENT

Tom Tugendhat

MP for Tonbridge & Malling

Tom Tugendhat, MBE, left the British Army in July 2013 after a career in which he served on operations in Iraq and Afghanistan and as the military assistant to the Chief of the Defence Staff. As a Territorial Army officer he worked on everything from those ops to establishing the Armed Forces Muslim Association. He also worked for the Foreign Office.

He was elected as a Member of Parliament in 2015. See www.tomtugendhat.org.uk

Help fight the threat of Post Office closure which is casting a shadow over Tonbridge TONBRIDGE is a town on the up. After the devastating floods of Christmas 2013, our community rallied round to see some impressive changes.

The new High Street has made the town a better place to shop and a number of new, small, independent retailers have opened up and are thriving. Our schools continue to perform to the highest standards and a host of venues, such as the Old Fire Station, act as centres for the community and encourage and nurture local voluntary groups. Our town is the envy of many and we’re going from strength to strength.

Sadly, there are difficulties which we still need to address and unexpected challenges that we face. One that has just hit us is the planned closure of the Post Office on the High Street. While north Tonbridge is well served by York Parade, I think it is crucial that the heart of our town retains a Post Office able to provide all the facilities that our community needs.

Over the past few weeks, I have been

Wednesday 9th November 2016

engaged in a series of discussions with the Post Office about their plans to close the branch in the town. It’s all on my website for you to see.

I am sad to say that I have not yet received satisfactory assurances to any of my questions and have no option but to argue against closure. I’m sure I’m not alone, but I need support. That’s why I’ve put a petition on my website until Saturday for those who wish to sign it. You can be find it on www.tomtugendhat.org.uk There are other ways in which you can make your views heard, but time is not on our side. We only have until November 16, 2016 to submit our thoughts. These can be done electronically to: comments@ postoffice.co.uk or alternatively email me at: tom.tugendhat.mp@parliament.uk and I will ask your views be taken into account.

Tonbridge is a town which is growing in population, and we need the infrastructure to support it. This, of course, means roads, schools and doctors surgeries,

‘I think it is crucial that the heart of our town retains a Post Office able to provide all the facilities that our community needs’

and the Post Office, too. Those who have been there recently will know how busy and in demand it is. It demonstrates that closure is not just a threat facing our rural

branches, but urban ones as well.

The trend is worrying and one which is dangerous for all communities, urban and rural.

THE PANTILES NEWS 

25

IN ASSOCIATION WITH: Targetfollow Group Ltd and The Pantiles Traders Association

PANTILESNews

The

Spreading a little Christmas cheer You may not like it but the festive season is just around the corner and The Pantiles is getting the season off to a stylish start for its customers with a Christmas Cracker fair on Saturday November 19. Eileen Leahy finds out what’s in store to ensure it goes with a bang…

W CROWD PLEASER The popular Pantiles

HETHER it’s picking out a unique present for that special someone, hunting down some gourmet ingredients or sitting back and listening to jazz, The Pantiles has always been the place to head to if you want a good time.

But its specialist markets and musical evenings have usually been limited to the clement months of the year. Now that’s all about to change with the advent of the first Christmas Cracker social event on November 19 which is being supported by Royal Tunbridge Wells Together and will boast food stalls, live music and plenty of fun for everyone.The Christmas Cracker forms part of a brand new Winter Festivities programme that will ensure The Pantiles is the place to be seen in the weeks leading up to December 25.

‘We recognised an opportunity to build upon our successful summer events programme by ramping up our Christmas ac-

tivities,” says Corin Thoday of Targetfollow, the company that manages The Pantiles.

“We will also be hosting a Christmas lights switch on event which will feature live music - and one or two surprise visitors. And we have some other great entertainment lined up including some fantastic Christmas markets which will be bigger and better than ever.”

‘We will also be hosting a Christmas lights switch on event which will feature live music ’ The historic promenade will also be treated to a new Christmas display which will see the installation of over 22,000 lights throughout the Upper Walks and a 20ft Christmas tree placed next to the bandstand.

CHRISTMAS IS COMING All the fun of the festive fair “The Pantiles is a truly unique venue with some fantastic retailers and restaurants,” adds Corin. “We want to ensure that over the Christmas period, we provide a most suitable setting to reflect the excellent seasonal offerings of our traders.”

The Christmas Cracker kicks off with a children’s disco from 5.30 ‘til 6.30pm where little ones will not only have the chance to boogie around the bandstand but also meet Santa Claus. After that DJ Karl Quinn will play a set followed by the Christmas Funk Band who’ll perform from 8 ‘til 10pm. Revellers will be able to enjoy lots of tempting treats and seasonal drinks from the many food stalls that will also be present. Cheers!

A timeless piece of historical PANTILES horological heritage to cherish A piece of

history

In an occasional series the Times looks at the fascinating history of The Pantiles. In this issue we focus on the promenade’s famous clock The premises of No 26, The Pantiles, were occupied in the 1870s by the Loof family of watch and clock makers and it was they who installed the first clock above the shop as a symbol of their business and skills as horologists.

The shop was later acquired by the jewelers Paynes and Co towards the end of the nineteenth century and it is thought they commissioned another Loof clock to replace the original one – which was no longer working.

In 1897 Barker’s, a drapers and silk merchants, took over No 26 and they added their name to the second clock along with two mannequin symbols.

After numerous changes of ownership the shop at No 26 was acquired by the Cadena Café in 1924 and they commissioned Gillett & Johnston to make a third clock.

On it was etched the double C logo which represented the name of the café which ran its business there until 1939.

After the Second World War,

The Pantiles clock fell into a state of total disrepair and was put in the basement of No 26 until 1994.

Its master clock system was restored by Jon Hoff who received an award from the Tunbridge Wells Civic Society.

It was then officially named The Pantiles Clock and still remains at No 26 which is now occupied by Shrager’s Patisserie.

With thanks to Pam and Peter Wotton’s The Pantiles Clock book by PP Publishing.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

CHRISTMAS GUIDE 

IVE S LU UT C X E -O L L PU

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THE BIG CHRISTMAS GET TOGETHER in Royal Tunbridge Wells

Your essential guide to all the best festive entertainment happening in Tunbridge Wells starting from November 17  COOL FUN 

The ice rink is open for business

 IT’S A WRAP 

The best shops to browse and buy gifts

 ON TRACK 

Let the Christmas train take the strain

 WHAT’S ON 

Your guide to the season’s must-see events

Wednesday 9th November 2016

28 � CHRISTMAS GUIDE

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Next week there will be a slew of seasonal activities happening in Tunbridge Wells to officially declare it open for festive business. The Times previews what’s in store for busy shoppers

F

rom the official switch-on of the town’s Christmas lights to cool yuletide markets and exclusive social events, there’s plenty going on to ensure the residents of Tunbridge Wells have the best Christmas ever.

This special Times and Royal Tunbridge Wells Together eight-page guide tells you all you need to know in terms of what’s happening where and when; as well as the best shops to visit and shows to see.

There are also lots of tips on the easiest ways to get around town and a helpful map in order to ensure your seasonal experience is as stressfree and enjoyable as possible.

To get Christmas 2016 in Tunbridge Wells officially underway there will be a three-day programme of must-see events starting at Royal Victoria Place (RVP) on Thursday, November 17 and finishing at The Pantiles on November 19, all brought to you in association with Royal Tunbridge Wells Together (RTWT).

X Factor winner Ben Haenow and Britain’s Got Talent stars Boogie Storm will be flicking the switch to illuminate RVP’s impressive Christmas lights and they will also be performing live at the shopping centre’s launch party, which will be hosted by Heart FM presenter Jenni Falconer (pictured right) from 6.30pm.

Marketing Manager of RVP, Marc Burchett, told the Times: “The Christmas lights switch-on is one of the highlights of the season here in Tunbridge Wells

Wednesday 9th November 2016

and at Royal Victoria Place we have been busy putting the finishing touches to a spectacular night of festive fun. We are all very excited that Ben Haenow and Boogie Storm will be joining us and performing live.”

On the same evening another big star will be making his grand entrance at RVP – Santa Claus! He will be coming to town aboard his open top bus.

He will be accompanied by the cast of this year’s pantomime, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, including Hi-De-Hi star Su Pollard, who plays the Wicked Witch. This classic panto will be performed every day at the Assembly Hall from December 9 until January 2.

The RTWT three-day extravaganza finishes with the much anticipated Christmas Cracker evening on The Pantiles on Saturday (November 19), where there will be a children’s disco from 5.30pm followed by live sets from DJ Karl Quinn and The Christmas Funk Band (see page 25 for more details).

As well as these key events there will also be special shopping evenings and pop-ups happening all over town to get people in the festive mood and showcase our thriving and enviable retail scene.

Tunbridge Wells Town Centre Manager, Rachel Jenman, told the Times: “Royal Tunbridge Wells Together is delighted to support our businesses with the Big Christmas Get Together campaign.

“Santa’s arrival and the official lights switch-on will be the perfect start to the festive season in Tunbridge Wells and will certainly position us as the place to shop and visit this Christmas.”

CHRISTMAS GUIDE 

29

ABOUT TOWN

Your essential guide to what’s happening where over the festive season ■ SANTA EXPRESS The Santa Express runs on the following days between 10am-4pm every day: November 19-20 November 26-27 December 3-4 December 10-11 December 17-24

The train stops at Linden Park Road (southern end of The Pantiles) and the Assembly Hall theatre on Crescent Road.

■ PANTILES MARKET

November 19-20 December 3-4 December 17-18 www.pantiles.com

■ SANTA’S GROTTO Thursday November 17 to Saturday December 24 For full details and tickets go to www.royalvictoriaplace.com ■ DO NOT MISS ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with Su Pollard and Jamie Rickers Friday December 9 to Monday January 2 www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk ■ TRINITY THEATRE Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella Thursday December 15 to Monday January 2 www.trinitytheatre.net

■ TUNBRIDGE WELLS FARMERS’ MARKET November 26 December 10 December 22 – Christmas Special www.kfma.org.uk ■ GUIDED WALKING TOURS Every Thursday and Saturday until December 17 For more information go to www.visittunbridgewells.com ■ ICE RINK Friday November 18 to Monday January 2 (closed Christmas Day) For full details and tickets go to www.tunbridgewellsatchristmas.com

Wednesday 9th November 2016

30  CHRISTMAS GUIDE

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JOURNEY PLANNER

BY CAR: The town is situated on the A26 and A21 routes linking London and the south coast and is easily reached from both the M20 and M25 motorways within 20 minutes by car.

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Eastbourne (251/252) in East Sussex.

Regular buses also run to and from Maidstone (6/7), Tonbridge (7/77/217/219), Sevenoaks and Bromley (402). www.traveline.info

FREE PARKING FROM 4PM: Thursday November 17 (Christmas lights switch on event) LOCAL BUSES & SHOPPER HOPPER TICKETS: The Monday December 19 to Saturday December 24 Town Centre Bus Link (Arriva Service 281) connects the north and south of the town. The service runs PARKING CONCESSIONS: Monday December 26 every 12 minutes from Monday to Saturday and (Boxing Day): Pay for two hours and park all day. every 30 minutes on Sundays. A shopper-hopper ticket will cost you just £1 for the day.

PAY BY PHONE: Register before your visit at www.arrivabus.co.uk www.tunbridgewells.gov.uk/residents/parkingtravel-and-streets/car-parks

BY RAIL: Tunbridge Wells is on the main rail line from Charing Cross to Hastings. Services take

BY BUS: Come to Tunbridge Wells by bus with approximately 50 minutes from London. services operating from Brighton (29) and www.southeasternrailway.co.uk

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

The Times is proud to work with:

WITH THE

Available in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks

A sight to make you beam a picture-perfect farmhouse

bracketts

est. 1828

Wednesday 9th November 2016

32  PROPERTY SECTION

Your at-a-glance guide to WITH THE

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Pick up your edition at the following stations Tunbridge Wells Tonbridge Wadhurst Hildenborough Paddock Wood High Brooms

HUNT ROAD TONBRIDGE

£300,000-£325,000 To feature a property or to place an advert please call: Patsy Kelly 01892 774 781

Alternatively you can contact the Times of Tunbridge Wells in the following ways 01892 779 624 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN1 1NU

UNDER £250,000

newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

DUDLEY ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

f facebook.com/timeslocalnews

LEASEHOLD WITH SHARE OF FREEHOLD Conveniently located in the town centre near the Common, just half a mile from the station, this stylish, entrance level, one-bedroom period apartment is well presented

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

Wednesday 9th November 2016

£175,000

throughout, with high ceilings and a bay window. The modern décor runs through the living room, kitchen, double bedroom and attractive bathroom, adding to the spacious feel. Management charges and ground rent may apply.

CONTACT Andrews Tunbridge Wells 01892 515144 www.andrewsonline.co.uk

UNDER £500,000 CLARENDON WAY TUNBRIDGE WELLS

£450,000

A spacious, link-detached, threebedroom property ideal for the family and located in a popular residential cul-de-sac. Of particular note is the large sitting room opening to the dining room, which

in turn has French doors to a conservatory with two sets of doors to the garden. The kitchen also has access to the garden. Outside are low-maintenance gardens, a shed, a garage and a driveway.

CONTACT Wood & Pilcher Tunbridge Wells 01892 511211 www.woodandpilcher.co.uk

PROPERTY SECTION 

33

great properties by price range…

UNDER £600,000 SUSSEX CLOSE, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

£525,000-£550,000

This improved and extended semidetached character bungalow is within walking distance of Claremont Primary School. It benefits from a quadrupleaspect reception room/kitchen with multifuel stove and patio doors to a deck and garden, two bedrooms (one with French doors to the garden), a bathroom and a second reception/ bedroom. Located in a quiet cul-de-sac, the property also includes off-road parking and a new, insulated log cabin.

CONTACT Sumner Pridham Tunbridge Wells 01892 516615 www.sumnerpridham.co.uk

UNDER £800,000 STEPHENS ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

£625,000

This handsome, four-bedroom, halls adjoining, semi-detached family house on a desirable tree-lined road in St John’s offers accommodation over three floors. Original features include stained glass inserts in the front door, sash windows and feature fireplaces. The ground floor has a sitting room, dining room and kitchen with door to garden.

The first floor has three bedrooms and a bathroom, and there’s an en-suite bedroom on the top floor. Outside, the garden has a lawn, patio and two sheds.

CONTACT Connells Tunbridge Wells 01892 547966 www.connells.co.uk

UNDER £1 MILLION UNDER £350,000

TILLINGHAM HOLT, UPPER HARTFIELD

£875,000

HUNT ROAD, TONBRIDGE

£300,000-£325,000 This semi-detached house (centre) in north Tonbridge has been modernised throughout, including an extended kitchen/breakfast room with doors to the garden. On the ground floor is a living/dining room with a wood-burning stove and an arch to the kitchen, plus a shower room. Upstairs are two bedrooms and a bathroom.

Outside, there is a rear garden with an artificial lawn, a garage

and a gated parking area. There is also planning permission for a loft extension to include an en-suite bedroom.

CONTACT Robinson-Jackson Tonbridge 01732 757300 www.robinson-jackson.com

Situated down a private drive in Cat Street near Ashdown Forest, this converted coach house and stable enjoys southerly views and has accommodation predominantly on the ground floor, including a sitting room, kitchen/breakfast room, dining room, en-suite bedroom, study/bedroom and conservatory. Upstairs is a large master suite. There is also a detached annexe with two bedrooms and a bathroom, plus a well stocked garden and a garage.

CONTACT Knight Frank Tunbridge Wells 01892 515035 www.knightfrank.co.uk

Wednesday 9th November 2016

42  PROPERTY SECTION

This 15th-century gem has more than a hint of Tudor era

‘Fascinating Island Farm has a wealth of period features, including leaded light mullion windows with oak frames and ornate iron fitments’ Wednesday 9th November 2016

PROPERTY SECTION 

D

ATING back to the 15th century in part, with later additions, this is a charming example of a Grade II listed home with hints of the Tudor era.

Located in the village of Biddenden, fascinating Island Farm has a wealth of period features, including leaded light mullion windows with oak frames and ornate iron fitments, oak timbers and beams, oak wall panelling, good ceiling heights to the majority of rooms, and both quarry tiled and oak wood flooring.

43

AT A GLANCE

The fabulously warm, homely and beautifully presented accommodation is arranged over three floors.

The triple-aspect drawing room has a magnificent inglenook and wood-burning stove, the oak-panelled dining room also has an open fireplace as well as a dragon beam.

The kitchen/breakfast room includes underfloor heating, painted cupboards, granite work surfaces, and an oil-fired, four-oven Aga. Adjoining the kitchen, the utility room provides further storage.

ISLAND FARM HIGH HALDEN ROAD, BIDDENDEN ■ Grade II listed 15th-century house with later additions ■ Entrance hall ■ Drawing room ■ Dining room ■ Inner halls ■ Kitchen/breakfast room ■ Utility room & cloakroom ■ Master bedroom with en suite bathroom ■ 4 further bedrooms An oak staircase leads upstairs to three bedrooms served by two bath/shower rooms (one en suite).

A further two interconnecting bedrooms, one with an en suite WC, are located on the second floor.

Externally, an electric entrance gate opens to a drive edged on one side by a stunning rose garden with weeping pear.

The recreational facilities, which are screened from the house, feature an all-weather tennis court and a heated outdoor swimming pool.

The extensive outbuildings include a detached open-bay double garage with adjoining kitchen and shower room and an excellent first floor sitting room/office.

The nigh on four acres of grounds offer a delightfully secluded setting, with landscaped gardens, fruit trees, a superb kitchen garden, a pond and woodland.

■ Family bathroom ■ Landscaped gardens & grounds ■ Kitchen garden, pond & woodland ■ Heated swimming pool ■ All-weather tennis court ■ Double open-bay garage with kitchen, shower & first floor sitting room/office ■ Greenhouses & potting sheds ■ Garden store and log store ■ Approximately 3.8 acres in total

£1,475,000 For sale through Savills 01892 507000 www.savills.co.uk

Wednesday 9th November 2016

46  PROPERTY SECTION AT A GLANCE

HITHER CHANTLERS LANGTON GREEN ■ Kitchen/breakfast room ■ Conservatory ■ Sitting room ■ Study ■ Cloakroom & utility area ■ Master bedroom with en-suite bathroom ■ 3 further double bedrooms (one en suite) ■ Single bedroom ■ Family shower room ■ Attached double and single garages

Modern family home close to a prep school

■ Gardens, driveway and parking ■ In total 0.66 acres

£1,050,000 For sale through Savills Tunbridge Wells 01892 507000 www.savills.co.uk

‘The entrance hall has engineered oak flooring, which continues through the interconnected kitchen/ breakfast room and conservatory’

Wednesday 9th November 2016

A

PROPERTY set back from the road and very close to Holmewood House prep school that has been updated over the years, with good ceiling heights, wood floors, inset ceiling lights and well-proportioned rooms – all of which make No 11 Hither Chantlers an ideal family home with a modern feel.

The entrance hall has engineered oak flooring, which continues through the interconnected kitchen/breakfast room and conservatory.

Adjacent to this is the triple-aspect sitting room with an Oriel window to the front garden, French doors to the rear garden terrace and a painted fireplace with a wood-burning stove and granite hearth.

Plus useful built-in cupboards and a bookcase.

There is also a study to the front of the house.

Upstairs, the master bedroom includes an ensuite bathroom and has views across both the front and the back of the property.

Three further bedrooms are all doubles, one of which includes a further en suite, while another has double doors linking to the single bedroom.

Plus there is a family shower room.

The large, mature gardens are a particular feature, beautifully presented both to the front and back of the house with an array of trees and flowers, including a striking dawn redwood tree and a mature magnolia.

A brick-paved driveway leads to the attached double and single garage and a parking area.

CHRISTMAS GUIDE �

59

YOUR HANDY GUIDE TO THE MAP OPPOSITE - SIMPLY FOLLOW THE NUMBERS TO LOCATE THE STORES BELOW

The top spots to visit this Christmas

1. TOULSON JONES Tel: 01892 615477 Website: www.toulsonjonesjewellers.co.uk Toulson Jones Jewellers is a family business set in the heart of Tunbridge Wells. It has been established in the town for eight years. Their diamonds are responsibly sourced and inspiration for their designs are gleaned from all over the globe. Check out #sparklethischristmas – a huge new range of jewellery and watches for the festive season, plus great Christmas offers, with up to 50 per cent off selected lines.

2. THE SPA HOTEL Tel: 01892 520331 Website: www.spahotel.co.uk Situated in 14 acres of picturesque grounds on the edge of Tunbridge Wells, The Spa is a family run Hotel offering 70 well-appointed and individually styled bedrooms. As well as a first class restaurant, elegant lounge where afternoon tea is served daily and a cool bar/dining area, the historic hotel also boasts a beautiful and relaxing spa where guests and day visitors can pamper themselves. It is the perfect place to spend Christmas thanks to its host of festive events, including festive lunches Monday to Friday throughout December. The celebrations at The Spa continue for New Year’s Eve, with a six course gala dinner, dancing and champagne at midnight.

3. THE HIDE OUT Tel: 01892 315297 Website: www.thehideout.kitchen Whether you simply want to have a relaxing drink in The Hide Out’s chic and comfortable lounge or indulge your tastebuds in the pleasant

restaurant, which boasts an internationally flavoured menu created by chef Jamie Tsui, this funky establishment offers an excellent service for all its customers. Welcoming and friendly, the ambience at The Hide Out is laid-back and aesthetically pleasing and best of all, it’s fantastic value for money.

4. SEEART GALLERY Tel: 01892 512365 Website: www.seeartgallery.co.uk If you’re looking to purchase a piece of art then you will find your creative nirvana in this contemporary fine art gallery, which is synonymous with both quality and diversity.

Dedicated to connecting collectors to a comprehensive selection of paintings, sculpture,

prints and photography from both national and international award-winning artists and emerging names, SeeArt is the perfect destination for all art lovers to visit.

5. VINYL REVOLUTION Tel: 0333 230736 Website: www.vinyl-revolution.co.uk Are you in a spin as to what to listen to these days? Then head over to Tunbridge Wells’ newest and coolest shop, Vinyl Revolution. Dedicated to selling the best singles and long player records – both unique sounds and vintage classics – this is a music-lover’s dream destination. Vinyl Revolution is also supportive of local acts and sells music by bands signed to The Forum’s Unlabel record company.

6. ZAVENS GIFT SHOP Tel: 07906 017753 Website: www.zavens.com Offering a unique and eclectic blend of antique and vintage collectables, regular customers say this shop is ‘just what this town needs’. Boasting the inspiring work of local artists, designers and craftsmen, there are gifts for everyone. While you browse you can also enjoy some great coffee and indulgent treats in the cosy setting of the new café, making Zavens the perfect place to treat yourself after all that Christmas shopping.

7. FROMAGE AND FRENCH Tel: 03331 233323 Website: www.fromageandfrench.com This chic gastro boutique has that certain je ne sais quoi when it comes to providing its customers with fine French epicurean delights. As well as selling a huge variety of cheeses, it also specialises in gourmet condiments, gift sets and fabulous wines from la belle France. If you can’t cross the Channel anytime soon to stock up on your favourite French fancies then this delightful shop will perfectly deliver the gastronomic goods.

8. THE BARN Tel: 01892 510424 Website: www.barn-pub-rest.co.uk Situated in a historical building right in the heart of Tunbridge Wells, this welcoming bar and restaurant which has been in business since 1992 not only offers locally produced beers and spirits but a delicious menu of home-cooked treats, too.

The service is always excellent and The Barn’s steaks are truly the best in town.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

60 � WHAT’S ON THIS CHRISTMAS n NOVEMBER 9

n NOVEMBER 19

The Mousetrap continues its run at the Assembly Hall all this week until Saturday. If you haven’t seen theatre’s most famous whodunit and longest running theatre production in the world then what are you waiting for? Tickets are priced from £28 and can be booked at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

The final big attraction of the three-day switch-on is The Pantiles Christmas Cracker, which sees the famous promenade illuminated by a whopping 22,000 festive lights. There will be a children’s disco from 5.30pm followed by a DJ set and live music plus all the usual stalls selling seasonal goodies. See page 25 for our special feature on this event.

n NOVEMBER 11

The Country Lifestyle Luxury Christmas Gift Fair takes place at Salomons today and tomorrow. Make sure you pop along to discover all the gorgeous gift ideas on offer including jewellery, fashion accessories, ceramics and leather goods. You can also enjoy a bite to eat. Tickets cost £4 per person and can be booked by visiting www.countrylifestylefairs.co.uk n NOVEMBER 16

Prepare to immerse yourself into the spirit of Christmas by going along to the Magical Mozart By Candlelight concert at the Assembly Hall from 7.30pm. This beautiful show recalls the fantastic baroque world of one of the most romantic composers and brings his story to life courtesy of wonderful music, costumes and candlelight. Tickets cost £21 from www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

n NOVEMBER 20

n NOVEMBER 17

Today sees the start of the Tunbridge Wells Together three-day switch-on extravaganza! Santa Claus arrives at Royal Victoria Place (RVP) from 4.30pm so make sure you and your excited little ones are ready to pay him a visit. Heart FM’s Jenni Falconer will be hosting the event, which will include appearances from the cast of Snow White and the official RVP Christmas lights switch-on by X Factor star Ben Haenow and Boogie Storm.

It’s the final day of The Hospice in the Weald Christmas Market so if you haven’t managed to get down there over the weekend then today is your final chance. Running from 10am-4pm, there will be a huge array of craft, food and gift stalls to help inspire your Christmas shopping. There will also be coffee and cakes available, and Father Christmas will be visiting from 11am-2pm.

Admission costs £3 and under-16s go free. All proceeds go to the hospice. www.hospiceintheweald.org n NOVEMBER 24

The Hever Castle Christmas Fair is being held today and it will be brimming with gifts, gadgets and seasonal decorations to enhance your Christmas. Entry to the fair costs £3 with all proceeds going to Hever Primary School and St Peter’s Church in Hever.

n NOVEMBER 18

The ever popular ice rink opens for business today so get your gloves, woolly hat and waterproofs on and prepare to have lots of cool fun skating around Calverley Grounds. The launch evening will be hosted by Heart FM’s breakfast show presenters James and Becky along with the Heart Angels.

Face painters will be on hand to etch a Christmas tree or snowflake on the children’s faces before they set off on their tour of the stunning Wealden countryside. During the journey Santa will visit every child on board the train bearing a gift for all the good boys and girls.

n NOVEMBER 18

n DECEMBER 8

It’s a busy weekend for the town as a variety of seasonal activities gets underway. Starting today is the St John’s Christmas Window Wonderland. The aim of this event is to showcase the area’s vibrant independent businesses and encourage festive shoppers to browse and buy gifts from them. There will also be a fun-packed teddy bear treasure trail for young ones to follow which will culminate in the competition’s winner being announced on December 21 – the final day of the festival.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

n DECEMBER 3

Every weekend until December 18, children will have the opportunity to meet Santa on the Spa Valley Railway. The action chugs off from Eridge station, where guests will be greeted by the smell of hot chestnuts roasting and a roaring coal fire.

The Royal Ballet’s production of the timeless Christmas classic The Nutcracker will be screened at the Odeon cinema from 2pm this afternoon. Set on Christmas Eve, this is a wonderful show that all the family can enjoy as we watch a young girl named Clara being swept away to a magical fantasy land where she journeys through the Land of Snow and Kingdom of Sweets in order to return home again. Tickets cost from £17.50 www.odeon.co.uk

WHAT’S ON THIS CHRISTMAS �

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a special present. Tickets cost £8 per child and £3 per adult and the event runs from 10am-4pm.

There will also be a festive treasure hunt where you can enjoy a 45-minute ride on the Santa Express and a boat trip on the Bewl Belle while you look for clues. This will be held every hour on the hour from 10am-3pm and costs an additional £5 per person.

DECEMBER 30

n DECEMBER 15 - JANUARY 2

If you want to see in the New Year in a fun and unique way then make sure you’re part of the Hug-Many event which will be held on The Pantiles on New Year’s Eve. Organised by local resident Ian Andrew, last year was the inaugural event of this kind and because it proved to be such a hit he has decided to do it all over again – with your help. As well as live music, food and drink there will even be a musician playing the bagpipes to welcome in the New Year in the traditional fashion. For more details, go to www.thepantiles.com

The Trinity starts its run of Cinderella today, which is a great alternative to the traditional pantomime. This impressive production features a live orchestra and all the classic moments – the pumpkin, the glass slipper and the masked ball.

Discover some of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s most beloved songs, including In My Own Little Corner, Impossible and Ten Minutes Ago in this hilarious and romantic musical. n DECEMBER 18

The Forum’s unlabel Christmas Weekend takes place today and tomorrow and will showcase the music of a number of the bands signed to the venue’s independent record label including Slaves, Everything Everything and Joeyfat. www.twforum.co.uk

n Fancy a boogie to get you in the mood for New

Year’s Eve? Then why not head over to the Beau Nash pub, which is hosting a Soul Night. Dance your way into the small hours while the DJs play some club classics. For more information visit www.shepherdneame.co.uk n DECEMBER 31

n DECEMBER 20

Richard Durant presents his Candlelit Christmas concert from 8pm this evening. The barefoot virtuoso guitarist will play a selection of renaissance, Christian and folk music and will be accompanied by one of Britain’s best fiddlers, Nick Pynn, and Amy Kakoura, a Greek/Irish singer.

Tickets cost £16 from www.trinitytheatre.net

n DECEMBER 8-10

The Christmas Comedy Café takes place at the Trinity theatre over three nights from 8pm. Dan Evans and Tom Lucy are just two of the stand-ups taking to the boards. Tickets cost £17.50 per person. You can also enjoy a special festive meal deal which offers a two-course dinner and glass of prosecco for an additional £14. To book please visit www.trinitytheatre.net

n DECEMBER 22

Grosvenor & Hilbert Park will be putting on a Christmas Wild Child event from 11am-1pm today.

Organised in association with the Kent High Weald Partnership it will offer a variety of seasonal activities for youngsters to enjoy. No booking is required, just meet at the Hub to join in the festive outdoor fun.

n DECEMBER 9 - JANUARY 2

The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs pantomime starts today and runs until January 2.

Hi-De-Hi’s Su Pollard heads up the cast, playing the Wicked Witch who is determined to bump off Snow White as she claims her spot as the ‘fairest of them all’. Oh no she didn’t, oh yes she did... you get the picture! Tickets cost £18 from www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

n DECEMBER 28 n DECEMBER 10

From today you will be able to experience a magical Christmas at Bewl Water. Running every weekend from Thursday to Sunday up to December 24, visitors meet Father Christmas in his glittering grotto, where every child will receive

Stuck for something to do during the Christmas and New Year lull? Then pop along to Rusthall where there will be a guitar-based workshop at the village’s Community Arts Centre. If you have never picked up a guitar or want to polish up on practice then the experts will be on hand to help you fine-tune things.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

64 n FOOD AND DRINK

The bare truth of sticking to your principles and only using locally-sourced seasonal ingredients Naked & Ready Foods’ co-founder and owner Jo Jeffrey reveals to Eileen Leahy why her love of quality indigenous food has turned into a thriving enterprise that’s pleasing a lot of palates What made you choose the name Naked & Ready?

It was a friend of mine who suggested it, and it means that our products are natural and ready to eat. And, yes, it often ends in a snigger or an innuendo when people catch our name!

MARKET VALUE Jo and helper June ready for business

Who is your core customer?

They are from a wide range of backgrounds and ages and love good food. They also care about where it comes from.

Which are your most popular markets?

They are all great but in different ways.

Obviously I love to do the Tunbridge Wells Farmers’ Market because that is where I grew up and we are really well supported there. We have recently started trading at the Sevenoaks and Horsham markets, which are going really well, and we also trade at Penshurst, Tonbridge and Lewes.

TRY A PIE With roasted butternut, red pepper and goat’s cheese How long have you been in business?

My partner Spencer and I started in 2010 just before Christmas. Our first market was on The Pantiles, when the snow was so bad we couldn’t drive to the market, so we pulled a sledge with all our kit and our products on it! It continued to snow for the next few months, so it was not an easy start – but it’s all paying off now.

What gave you the idea to launch your own food company?

I’ve always been passionate about cooking, and since I was a child I knew that’s what I wanted to do. I loved the idea of bringing my food ideas directly to the public and using locally-sourced ingredients. Most of my suppliers are fellow traders or small local businesses, so it gives a feeling of community and a sense that we are all in it together. Without the big overheads of a restaurant or café, it’s a great way to start a business and find out what the public really like.

Do you do any events – if so what kind?

Yes we do lots, but they are mainly food festivals.

The Pantiles one is a favourite as it’s where we started and we nearly always sell out. Le Marché in Heathfield is another good one, it’s been going for over 20 years. People come for miles thanks to its mix of French and British food along with good music, which makes for a lovely atmosphere. We also cater for birthdays, parties and the odd wedding. If we can fit it in, then we’ll do it!

Do you supply any local shops with your products?

Yes, we sell to various farm shops all over Kent and Sussex, including Fuller’s Farm on Eridge Road, which is very near to where our kitchen is.

It’s a lovely shop brimming with good quality local produce.

Do you make all your food at your HQ? Yes, we have a kitchen on Frant Lakes, which is a lovely place to work as we are surrounded by beautiful countryside, lakes and horses. We also have family and friends helping us so we feel quite lucky.

What’s the most unusual item you make?

Most of our products are quite traditional, but sometimes we’ll add a unique twist. For example, we do a smoked trout paté with wasabi, Thai Satay scotch eggs, and also a free-range pork pie with apple and cider jelly.

PERFECT PÂTÉ Jo makes a variety of tasty flavours

Wednesday 9th November 2016

How do you get your inspiration?

Mainly from my love of food, but I also feel inspired when I go to farmers’ markets and see what amazing produce we have around us. I’ll find a product I want to use and then think of how I can make it into something even better. The pork from Gill Wing Farm is the best I have ever tasted as it’s so tender and full of flavour, and it makes the best pork pies and scotch eggs. The smoked haddock from Arcade Fisheries which goes into our

smoked haddock and buttered leek scotch egg is also excellent.

Have you won any major awards for your food?

Not yet, but we have been nominated for a few a couple of times. Michel Roux used our smoked mackerel and horseradish paté for a charity dinner, so word is getting around.

What are your plans for the future?

We are in the process of adding a few new markets to our schedule, but for now we really want to focus on expanding the wholesale side of our business. We are always looking for new events and exciting new challenges.

For more about Naked & Ready visit their Facebook page: www. facebook.com/naked-and-ready

On the menu at...

FOOD AND DRINK â–

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Coriander & Sesame Seed Naan

Shahi Zeera Lamb

Chilli Paneer

Lamb Chops

Machli Bhaja (Tilapia Fish )

The Cinnamon Square, Rings Hill, Hildenborough, Tonbridge TN11 8LX | 01732 832944 | www.thecinnamonsquare.co.uk

Wednesday 9th November 2016

66  ADVERTISING FEATURE

Everybody knows your name

Having taken over a previously run-down pub The Foresters Arms in March, Tyson Marshall has led the Tonbridge business from strength to strength by injecting his passion and experience into it. With trade going through the roof he sits down with Daniella Gavin and discusses the secrets of his success…

How has business changed since you took over in March?

Honestly, it’s exceeded all expectations.

I’ve been working in bars for over 20 years, always wanting my own place.

Now I’m here and it’s trading out of its skin. I remember March 21, when I got the keys, and it was the worst day of my life!

I thought it would be the best day ever, but I just felt so convinced it wouldn’t come together. It’s been my dream for the past nine years and it seemed mad (and scary) that it was actually happening.

When I finally signed on the dotted line, I thought: “Wow, what have I done?” It was

a mid-life crisis really and now I’m here, trade is booming and everyone’s loving it.

thankful to Shepherd Neame for giving me that chance.

What made you choose Tonbridge to follow your dream?

Desperation really. The sheer desperation to fulfil my dream of having a pub of my own, that is. I was lucky that this was matched by the pub’s desperation for a breath of fresh air. With my daughter starting high school around the corner and having a good base of people that knew me from working in other pubs in the area, the opportunity really started to appeal to me. I could not be more

Do you use any local suppliers?

I have connections with The Pavilion Produce in Tonbridge, who supply all our fresh veg. All of the art surrounding us is the work of an amazing local artist, Barry Gregory. It’s cool that he’s so talented and local to us. They look amazing, although there is still more that I want to do to decorate this place. I’ve only been here since March, but we’ve already renovated the outside, and there’s plenty more we can still do to improve. You should have seen the decorations we did for Halloween! The place was full until about 1.15am as a result.

WEALTH OF EXPERIENCE: Owner Tyson Marshall

Wednesday 9th November 2016

What’s your secret to making it so successful and busy?

I’ve worked everywhere – TGIs in Melbourne, then hospitality jobs in Vancouver, Seattle, and even travelling around the Greek islands. Hospitality is what I know, what I love and what I do. I’m a social person and it’s what I’m good at. There’s never a dull moment! I’m settled here now, with my young daughter, and consequently traded in the cocktail traveller lifestyle for this place. Maybe this is me recapturing my youth, but this trade has literally taken me around the world and

‘It helps to make myself present, and familiar, in the community.

People want to know the guy behind their bar, and equally I want to know them’

ATTENTION TO DETAIL Foresters Arms cocktails

the wealth of experience I have picked up along the way is probably the biggest secret to its success.

You’ve been named number one for nightlife in Tonbridge on TripAdvisor and picked up 90 per cent ‘excellent’ reviews. How did you do it?

I didn’t know we were. That’s awesome!

The secret to a good night out is a great environment, with good company, great tunes and awesome drinks. We focus on all these things here and try to add in some fantastic personable service on top – it’s all in the little details. In every way you can, if you anticipate a guest’s needs and then exceed their expectations you’ll be on to a winner. Anyone can love a place for the food or drink, but it’s the service that makes it unique. I have the same approach with my staff – if they are happy in their work, that will transfer into their service and they will give people the great experience they seem to be having here.

Do you have a lot of regulars or is it mostly new customers who are coming in in?

I’m happy to say we have a mixture of regulars and new faces. For a very long time it was the dedication of the locals that were keeping this pub afloat.

Obviously when a new person comes in and brings change it’s received cautiously. However, from day one, the locals have embraced all the changes – and new faces have come in and been so welcoming to me personally. I’ll never forget the girl who said: “I’m just really happy you’ve got toilet paper now!”

Regulars or not, anyone is welcome

ADVERTISING FEATURE 

and you can always expect to find paper in the toilets! It’s the diversity of all the people who come in here that I love the most. No target markets, no demographic studies, just a pub for all.

Following your recent sponsorship of Tonbridge Angels Ladies football team, how has your relationship with the community strengthened?

Well this end of Tonbridge hasn’t really been properly serviced by a local pub before, and I just turned up by chance.

All these new and amazing relationships that are forming are an absolute bonus.

Tonbridge is an up-and-coming area, so I’m lucky to have opened the pub when I did. The women’s football team were a great chance to offer sponsorship, although I do of course support many other local teams as well – they all drink here! It helps to make myself present, and familiar, in the community. People want to know the guy standing behind their bar, and equally I want to know them!

Owning my own pub is this wonderful, euphoric nirvana, but it’s no good just doing all my ideas if the locals don’t want that. Luckily, we seem to have similar tastes so far.

Your pizzas look pretty yummy…what made you choose that type of menu?

I decided to go with pizzas… primarily because I love them! Operationally, it made total sense as well. Most places you go to for a pizza are in a ‘restaurant’ atmosphere or you get it to take away. I knew I wanted to have loads of games in my pub. I have a dartboard, pool table, bar billiards, cards, board games and table football. Pizzas just go so well in this environment. Quick to make, tasty and good to share! We do takeaway as well.

This isn’t the place for a three-course meal, it’s the place for a great beer and a pizza. It’s pretty awesome pizza at that!

What is the secret to longevity in the hospitality industry?

Tricky. I’ve only been here seven months, but from experience I think being diligent and caring is the key. I like the laid-back vibe. Everyone seems to be searching for the right ‘vibe’ these days and I hope we have it. You can’t rest on your laurels when it comes to lasting in this industry, but I do think if you can guarantee that the little things like lights, music and drinks are done right, then you can afford to not focus too much on things like social

‘I’ve worked everywhere – TGIs in Melbourne, then hospitality jobs in Vancouver, Seattle, and even travelling around the Greek islands’

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media and TripAdvisor. I don’t really do Facebook, I prefer face-to-face.

What does the future hold for The Foresters Arms?

To be honest, I’m still just loving the process of owning my own pub and doing what I’ve wanted to do for so long. People have speculated so much about things I’m going to do, but I’m actually chilled at the minute. After a couple of years I might fancy a new challenge and take this model further but now I just want to show the guys working with me the tricks of the trade. I’m enjoying spending time with our customers and my team.

Can you describe The Foresters Arms in five words?

Fun, games, banter, reckless abandon!

RELAXED DINING Hawaiian pizza

Wednesday 9th November 2016

68  ADVERTISING FEATURE

Authentic food and a happy community go hand-in-hand From a London property developer, to new owner of local Italian La Cosa Nostra Café, we sit down with Bruno Pace to discuss trade, the St John’s community and his twist on traditional Italian cuisine…

What inspired you to open La Cosa Nostra Café?

I’m actually a professional property developer by trade, but one side of my family has always owned restaurants, clubs and venues in London. Watching that from a distance, I knew I wanted to do something similar when I decided to come away from the city. Usually I would take a building/project like this, renovate it and then let it out but in this particular location, after having spoken to the then mayor, I realised St John’s was crying out for someone to bring a restaurant like this to the community, and wanted it to be an Italian but not like the chains we are used

to here, and so I created La Cosa Nostra Café, an authentic café. Italian food is usually healthy anyway so I took really traditional recipes and made sure our approach was equally as good for you.

How has business had to adapt in the short time you’ve been open?

We’ve been here 14 weeks and made 16 changes to the menu and operational procedures. If you like it, great… if no one likes it, we can change it. We are always listening to our customers. We are looking into opening later in the evening on Thursdays and Fridays, as I think commuters may prefer this, again, we

‘Italian food is usually healthy so I took really traditional recipes and made sure our approach was equally as good for you’

EGGS BENEDICT

will play it by ear! A new Winter Warmer menu is coming this week so look out for that. We have definitely got off to a good start, we actually got our five star environmental rating the day we opened.

The support from the community has been amazing!

How do you ensure your food is so healthy?

We keep things traditional, all the Italian delights you would expect but without any chemicals or e-numbers. I’m actually really fussy when it comes to

Wednesday 9th November 2016

quality and standards. As someone who won’t serve a customer a meal I wouldn’t eat myself, it’s important I check out all my local suppliers personally. It’s taken about five months of me searching around to source my suppliers. I have to see a chicken running about my feet before I’ll believe the ‘free range’ label on the eggs. It’s just about not cutting corners. An apple tart we sell here will be from apples grown in my very own orchard. I’m trying to be as self-sufficient as I can, within reasonable limits.

ADVERTISING FEATURE 

‘We just want to feel like a second home, come here for a three course meal or come here for a coffee, the service is always the same’

THE REAL DEAL (L-R) Chef Erminio Giugliano, owner Bruno Pace and Barista/Waiter Charlie Driver How has your authenticity led to your popularity as a restaurant?

I wasn’t surprised to realise that people here really care about what they eat and the quality! People around Tunbridge Wells are well travelled as well so they always come to me with Italian meal requests and if it’s Italian, my chef knows how! I’m actually solely focusing on here at the minute as my current project, so I’m making sure I really listen to the customers and what they want, that’s the secret to pleasing people. The cushions downstairs were at the request of a customer, for example, and we are always adapting the menu to suit the locals.

Adaptability and inventing new and exciting dishes is key.

What does the future hold for La Cosa Nostra Café?

As well as the new winter menu, and looking into ways we can adapt La Cosa Nostra Café, I really want to focus on St John’s itself as the up and coming area it is. We are looking into creating a local forum, so we can coordinate Christmas events and charity events between us. I’m all about working together to make St John’s the place I know it’s going to be in a couple of years. We want to do things like plant trees along the road, just to really encourage that community vibe. I’m also currently trying to work with our local network and school governors to encourage children to stop buying bags of sweets after school and instead try something like our ‘Pasta Cone’. The profit is marginal, but it’s more about providing something affordable to children of this community to help them better look after themselves. It’s all about caring for the community.

Do you feel part of the St John’s community already?

We are all coming together, which is great. It’s not about competition between traders it’s about us coming together to all offer our different services in the same area, and encourage it to flourish for the benefit of us all. If you want authentic

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LA COSA NOSTRA SPECIAL BREAKFAST Italian food with coffee fresh from Naples then you can come here, yet if you want Indian cuisine or a gourmet burger, then there’s other options too. My rule is, if you engage in local community business you can’t be selfish. It’s about you, the other traders and the community as a unity. You can’t be cold. People here just want that community feel, that’s why St John’s is so great. The warmth of the area is what we emulate in La Cosa Nostra Café.

How would you describe La Cosa Nostra Café in five words?

Homely, cosy, adaptable, community, authentic.

PASTA AMATRICIANA

How has your relationship been with the community?

It’s been great, I came here knowing almost no one, and the few people I did know were nothing to do with the hospitality industry. I just came here, had a look around, ate in a number of restaurants, and realised this place needed something new. I invest in things I believe in, so I invested in this business for the community. The people here are amazing, they really do care. We just want to feel like a second home, come here for a three course meal or come here for a coffee, the service is always the same. I hate the places that rush you and try and constantly upsell, we are too relaxed for that.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

70  TRAVEL TOP OF THE WORLD Taking in the view from the Mont Fort summit

Peak celebrity skiing at down-to-earth price

By Lauren Taylor

B

ONO, Jude Law and Leonardo DiCaprio are names that pop up during discussions of celebrities who regularly take to the slopes in the Swiss ski resort of Verbier, known for it’s excellent runs, exclusivity and famous clientele.

I’ve come here to see if it’s possible to enjoy Verbier on a more modest budget than the likes of Prince Harry might have at their disposal.

“This is the Diana Ross lift,” says our instructor Alex, as we scale a mountain looking down on postcard-worthy views of the snowy peaks of the Swiss Alps.

Singer James Blunt also has a lift named after him. He may not be very famous in the UK these days, but he owns a chalet here and is well known to the locals. Even though the Beckhams, Jamie Oliver and Pippa Middleton are said to ski here, it seems I’m in a bizarre parallel universe where James Blunt is practically royalty.

But there’s a reason why big stars, and Blunt, make Verbier their skiing base.

Part of Switzerland’s largest ski area, Les 4 Vallées, there are 144 runs spread over 400km, with connections to resorts including La Tzoumaz and Nendaz, and an altitude that guarantees an abundance of snowfall even in early season.

The resort is south facing and therefore sun drenched if the weather allows, making the views spectacular.

Having skied mainly in France and across the Atlantic, I’m keen to see how the Swiss slopes compare. What’s most surprising in January is the lack of skiers and snowboarders around. Queues for lifts are rare and many of the runs are

Wednesday 9th November 2016

virtually empty as we slice down the mountain as quickly, or as leisurely, as we like. It’s also clear that the variety means it caters for everyone, from pure beginners to serious Alpine junkies.

Mont Fort – the area’s highest peak at 3,330 metres – has panoramic views over the Alps, where you can see the peaks of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. The legendary run from the peak is renowned as a challenge for even the most seasoned of skiers.

It’s accessible by cable car, so there’s no pressure to ski or board down. But, after some deliberation, I take on the 1,750-metre slope, and it’s no surprise it’s a steep, 40 per cent incline, mogul-filled black run.

Elegance took a serious hit, but I made it to the bottom – largely thanks to Alex from the Altitude Ski and Snowboarding School (www.altitude-verbier.com). And two minor stumbles don’t seem so bad when I learn that the run has hosted the World Speed Skiing Championships.

I wonder if DiCaprio can get to the bottom without falling…

We’re joined by Ski Sunday TV presenter and ex-pro boarder Ed Leigh, who I suspect is holding back when he takes on the famous slope with ease.

“I fell in love with Verbier for a number of reasons,” he tells me. “The sheer size of the ski area is mind-blowing, and they haven’t littered the slopes with lots of lifts that ultimately crowd them and ruin the views.”

Even after 25 years of being spoilt by alpine scenery, the beautiful vistas at Verbier still make him stop and drink them in.

But Ed says its reputation as a prestigious resort hasn’t limited its

‘It wouldn’t be Switzerland without some cheesy raclette though, and in Le Chable, L’Escale is the place for it’

SNOW MUCH FUN Lauren against a Matterhorn backdrop

visitors to just ‘billionaire frou-frou crew’.

“Its freeride credentials have always drawn the less well-heeled powder pilgrims to town, too. It’s the mixture that’s created the legendary nightlife.”

This ‘exclusive’ label is actually one they’re keen to shake in Verbier. In the current economic climate, like any resort, they need the mass market, not just those with money to burn.

And while in Verbier you could hire a £112,000-a-week chalet (one Richard

Branson owns) or stay in the fabulous five-star Hotel W, you could also stay in Le Chable, a direct gondola or 15-minute bus ride away, and spend significantly less.

Hotel A Larze opened this year and has beautiful but cosy rooms for as little as £83 a night with breakfast. Elsewhere in Le Chable, there’s a good choice of selfcatering apartments, and I’m told a hotel business in Verbier is looking to create 10,000 new beds, including dorm rooms.

Le Chable itself is more low key and

TRAVEL 

unassuming than it’s more famous neighbour; it has restaurants, ski hire shops and a train station that’ll take you straight to Geneva.

It may take ever so slightly longer to get on to the slopes, but it means you bypass any crowds at Verbier.

If you want nightlife, though, Le Chable is tame and Verbier is where you’ll find après-ski (try Pub Mont Fort for £4 beer) turning cocktails into clubbing into the early hours.

Bruson, on the other side of the valley, is quieter still. A charming but more modestly-sized skiing area, it’s only recently become easily accessible thanks to a new gondola from Le Chable. There are plenty of off-piste forested sections here for the more adventurous.

My own adventure into the powdery snow (slightly) off-piste is helped by instructor and ski race coach Sega, who is encouraging with a dose of tough love.

But I’m sure my turns are better for it.

We stop for lunch at Dahu, perched on the mountainside with a breathtaking view. The pizza chef here is has won awards, but if you have more refined culinary tastes, the food at Brasserie 1 in Le Chable is by far the best in my experience, and it seems customer TripAdvisor reviews agree.

It wouldn’t be Switzerland without some cheesy raclette though, and in Le Chable, L’Escale is the place for it. Meanwhile, in Bruson you can get a very reasonably priced cheese-based lunch hillside at Restaurant de Moay. The same can’t always be said of French resorts.

Later, we sip cocktails in Le Farinet, where, ahem, Pixie Lott spent last New Year’s Eve. And while the hype would

have you believe that champagne magnums fill the tables, the truth is it’s no more pricey than an average central London bar. Next door, there’s even a rock night, where you can buy beer pitchers and have to drink from plastic cups in front of a live band.

As skiing goes, the pristine slopes of Verbier and Bruson are among the best I’ve visited, and with an abundance of snow they’re perfect for an early or lateseason trip.

Lift passes are 66 CHF (£54) a day or 340 CHF (£280) for six days (more for access to the rest of Les 4 Vallées), which is very similar to the likes of St Anton, Chamonix and Tignes.

Let’s face it, skiing is never cheap, but if you’re planning to hit the slopes of Verbier, it is possible to retreat into an Alpine bubble at a sensible price, and still rub shoulders with James Blunt.

71

TRAVEL FACTS Lauren Taylor was a guest of the Verbier Tourist Board (www.verbier.ch/en).

Return flights from London Heathrow to Geneva are available with SWISS (www. swiss.com) from £65.

Hotel A Larze (www.alarze.ch; tel +41 027 776 17 10) has rooms from £83 per person per night.

Skis, snowboards and boots can be hired from Montagne Show (www.montagneshow.ch).

Return train transfers from the airport or border railway station directly to your destination are available with the Swiss Transfer Ticket and cost £98 (www.myswitzerland.com).

POWDERING DOWN A spectacular run

Wednesday 9th November 2016

72 ■ LIFE AND STYLE

WEALDEN TIMES MAGAZINE MOVES FESTIVE SHOPPING EVENT TO THE HOP FARM On the 17th-19th November the South East’s largest and most prestigious Christmas shopping event, Wealden Times Midwinter Fair, is moving to The Hop Farm, Paddock Wood.

VINYL REVOLUTION

The tented village of 7 heated, linked marquees attracts standholders rivalling any of the big London shows, hand-picked for their unique qualities. Enjoy browsing luxury gifts for all the family, exquisite Christmas decorations, vintage and contemporary homewares, boutique fashion and jewellery, alongside food and drink for gift hampers and your Christmas table.

Kent’s only record shop dedicated to vinyl has perfect gifts for music lovers of all ages – and for all budgets.

Vinyl Revolution on Camden Road offers an extensive range of music from the 1960s to the present day, and can help with everything from finding the perfect Christmas present for dad to sourcing a vintage gem. The shop also has Which? recommended turntables, ideal if you want to dust off your old record collection.

The vibrant store also has a range of custom-made, environmentally friendly, sustainable gifts featuring famous rock quotes brought to life by Tunbridge Wells fashion graduate Beth Fraser. With prices from £8, the inspirational collection of T-shirts, mugs, beer glasses, artwork, baby clothes and tea towels is ideal for everything from stocking fillers to that elusive present for the person who has everything.

“One of our best sellers is the Keith Richards’ inspired ‘Some things get better with age’ apron, perfect for all ageing rockers,” says musician and owner Simon Parker. “Yummy Mummies love our T-shirts, available in both classic and curvy styles. For tomorrow’s rock stars, we have iconic T-shirts and baby vests. Plus we have a range of artwork, tea towels and mugs to inject some rock and roll attitude into every home.”

Vinyl Revolution is more than just a shop – it’s a philosophy.

“Our mission is to make buying vinyl a great experience for everyone, aficionados and novices alike,” says co-founder Rachel Lowe. “We’re as happy helping someone choose the first record to start their vinyl experience as we are searching for a rare recording for a lifelong fan. And, as we’re all music lovers ourselves, we’ve got a rare knack of being able to suggest the perfect gift for someone, with just a bit of information about the kind of music they’re into.”

Vinyl Revolution, 1B Camden Road, Tunbridge Wells, until 8th January 2017. www.vinyl-revolution.co.uk Wednesday 9th November 2016

Pause to refuel with friends and family in the Street Food Café and Tea Tent, while you take in the twinkling lights, fir trees and carol singers.

UNION SQUARE DIVAS After two years of uncertainty around the planned re-development of Union Square Divas, they have now relocated to an airy New York loft-style salon in Sussex Mews, adjoining The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells. Having considered many potential locations, owner Janette Leach agreed terms with the Nevill Estate in June 2016. Following her detailed specifications, Janette’s team of specialist craftsmen have transformed the former mirror and picture frame workshop into a cutting edge salon. Decorated in white and on-trend subtle muted shades of grey, the salon offers a tranquil oasis in TW. Janette opened her first salon 'Uppercut' in Union Square in Tunbridge Wells in 1987. She went on to open further salons in Uckfield and Heathfield under the name ‘Divas’. Janette has a wealth of experience and caters for all aspects of hairdressing across the ages offering services from cut and blow dry, to shampoo and sets. Janette is a qualified colouring technician specialising in multi-coloured foils, semi-permanent and full head colours.

Divas is offering a 20% discount to all new customers on appointments before the end of November 2016 (not in conjunction with any other offer).

Wedding packages available Reduced rates for senior citizens on Mondays - book on-line at www.divassalon.co.uk - call 01892 510465 for a free consulattion or appointment - email hello@divassalon.co.uk

Janette looks forward to welcoming her existing and new clients at: Divas Hair Salon, 5 Sussex Mews, Tunbridge Wells, TN2 5NL

Julie Simpson, Wealden Times Managing Director says; “As our growing number of visitors testifies, Wealden Times Midwinter Fair is an inspirational day out with family and friends, in a magical setting.

We have an exciting new collection of emerging and established businesses exhibiting this year at The Hop Farm, which is just 15-minutes’ drive from Tunbridge Wells and has plenty of free visitor parking.

Wealden Times Midwinter Fair will be at The Hop Farm, Maidstone Road, Paddock Wood, Kent, TN12 6PY on Thursday 17th, Friday 18th & Saturday 19th November, from 9am-4.30pm. Tickets are £8.50 in advance at www.wealdentimes.ticketsrv.co.uk for readers of the Times, with promotional code TWT1MWF16 or £9.50 at the entrance.

Children age 5-12 are £3.50, under 5’s free.

To buy tickets, watch last year’s video or for more information, visit www.wealdentimes.co.uk/events or call 01580 714705

CRANBROOK CHORAL SOCIETY There is something very special about a large choir, accompanied by a fine orchestra, singing some of the greatest music ever written and the 100 voices of Cranbrook Choral Society will be performing Haydn’s magnificent ‘The Seasons’ at St. Dunstan’s Church Cranbrook for their autumn concert on the 19th November.

Full details are on their website: www.cranbrookchoral.org.uk It’s great that you don’t have to go to London to hear live performances of this quality.

HEALTH & BEAUTY ■

73

Embrace your dark side Throw away your nudes and cast aside your brights; you’ll have to dive to darker depths for the one colour palette you need in your cosmetics bag this season

By Lisa Haynes AS FAR as current beauty trends go, it’s all a bit, well, blackcurrant. Imagine deep cherry on lips (if you dare), through to rich plum on nails.

These fierce, forbidden fruit colours are not quite full-on ebony, but the berry twist gives them the major wearability factor.

Pick your feature and be fearless with your black-current beauty statement.

BUY IT NOW Pretty up your bathroom cabinet with the HealGel Intensive heritage jar. The cult skin rescue formula now comes in a limitededition glass design, and it’s oh-so Instagramable. Available at Liberty and healgel.co.uk, £37.50, while stocks last.

DEVILISH TIPS

TRIED&TESTED

If the all-out goth look just isn’t for you, the easiest way to dabble with the dark side is via your nails.

“It’s all about the noirs,” says backstage nail technician, Marian Newman. “Prune noir, bordeaux noir, maroon noir - these rich colours that read as off-black feel really interesting right now.”

How to nail the look? Use a top coat of black polish with a deep crimson underneath, so you get an intriguing 3D red-black that changes with the light.

If you like your nuances to be a little more obvious, cheat with printed nail wraps or press-on nails, where the dark (nail) arts are all done for you.

TRY: Soigné Botanique Nail Polish in Robe Velours, £11, (available November 4; soignenails.com); Nailed London Nail Lacquer in Killer Heels, £7 (harveynichols.com); Elegant Touch False Nails in Nirvana, £8 (topshop.com)

Like the majority of people, I want bigger hair.

While I have no problems with length (think mutant hair and nail growth!), when it comes to volume, I often fall flat. So when not one, but numerous friends revealed the secret to their swishy ‘cool girl’ hair was actually discreet extensions by Vixen & Blush, I wanted in. What makes them so different to other extensions? They specialise in micro rings and micro bonding methods, both of which are ideal for super-fine hair because the teeny extension bonds are virtually undetectable. Add to the mix an impressive colour blending technique that uses multiple hand-mixed hair tones (mine included a total of three colours), and I can see why Vixen & Blush has become a celebrity go-to.

After a consultation at the swanky exposed wood salon, I settle on a halfhead of extensions, which is recommended if you want to add volume but not length. If the goal is longer locks, you’re

BEAUTY BULLETIN MOISTURISER DROUGHT Is the twice-daily moisturiser habit drying out? More than a third of women (38%) now only moisturise once a day or less, according to a new survey by Eau Thermale Avene, and finding the right potion can prove problematic. A quarter of women (27%) say their current moisturiser leaves their complexion feeling greasy, while one in 10 (11%) feel the urge to moisturise their skin multiple times throughout the day. Consultant dermatologist Dr Justine Hextall advises: “Depending on skin type, I recommend light lotions to longer lasting creams, and always try to apply a moisturiser twice a day.”

BLACKENED LIPS A Dracula-esque mouth is this season’s lip du jour. Think bloodblack red against pared-back, minimal make-up so your loud lips are the ultimate focus. But, a word of warning from the

looking at a full-head application, and double the time in the salon chair. Around 65 tiny micro rings colour-matched to my brunette locks are clamped into my hair to attach the extensions, which sounds painful but it’s not.

The micro ring method also means there’s no scary hot glue involved, like traditional extension bonds. My stylist’s strategic placement is almost like a mathematical science, avoiding areas where I sweep my hands through my hair and finer baby hairs.

After a few hours, and a cut to seamlessly blend the new additions, I’m rewarded with swishier hair and chunkier ends. It’s like my own hair but a thousand times better, and best of all, nobody suspects a thing...

Vixen & Blush is located near Oxford Circus, London. Prices start at £335. For more information, call 020 7323 1793 or visit vixenandblush.com. Vixen & Blush new Completely Seamless Clip-In Extensions start at £240, available at vixenandblush.com For micro ring hair extensions near you, visit www.treatwell.co.uk/treatment/hairextensions/ and search for ‘micro rings’ or ‘nano rings’.

STEAL OF THE WEEK BAG the glammest tote on the block for Christmas shopping season. Get a metallic designer tote bag for free when you buy any Michael Kors fragrance, 50ml or above, from £39.55, while stocks last (Boots.com).

Michael Kors Woman Eau de Parfum 50ml, £39.55 (Boots.com)

make-up pros: this is one look you don’t want to attempt to apply on the bus.

“Dark red lips on a nude face used to be considered effortless,” says Gordon Espinet, MAC global senior vice president of artistry. “This season, they’re painstakingly shaped, curved, layered, smoothed absolutely ‘done’.”

Precision may be the key to applying colour, but it’s free and easy when it comes to texture. Choose from highshine vinyl gloss, through to plush uber-matte lipsticks.

TRY: Kat Von D Studded Kiss Lipstick in Motorhead, £16 (debenhams.com); Lord & Berry 20100 Shiny Lip Crayon in Diva, £12 (shop.lordandberry.com); MAC Liptensity Lipstick in Dionysus, £17.50 (maccosmetics.co.uk)

PANDA EYES If you’re a traditionalist, keep the focus firmly on your eyes.

In contrast to precise pouts, this season’s eye is all about blown-out, blended smudginess. It’s like morning-after make-up, but better.

To achieve the panda effect, combine worn-in kohl with blurry mineral shadows in off-black shades, like smoky slate or burnt taupe.

“What makes these smudgy eyes modern is that you can see the skin through the make-up,” explains Terry Barber, MAC UK director of make-up artistry. “Aim to work the make-up into the skin in veils.”

TRY: Rituel de Fille Ash and Amber Eye Soot in Serpent de Mer, £30 (cultbeauty.co.uk); Topshop Kajal Kohl Liner in Lucky 13, £7 (topshop.com); Chanel Calligraphie de Chanel in Hyperblack, £25, (selfridges.com)

Wednesday 9th November 2016

WITH THE

THE TOWN’S TOP MOTORING GUIDE – FROM EVERYDAY DRIVES TO LUXURY SUPERCARS

FIRST DRIVE

AUDI R8 V10 SPYDER

By Darren Cassey

FACTS AT A GLANCE

WHAT’S NEW?

PRICE: From £129,990

The latest generation Audi R8 coupé has been on the market for a year, so aside from the Spyder’s retractable roof, there’s nothing particularly new to shout about.

But the roof’s opening and closing mechanism is certainly worth a mention.

It takes 20 seconds to operate, with the rear deck lifting up as arms twist and turn to accommodate the cloth canopy.

Compared with the previous generation R8 Spyder, things get more interesting. It’s 25kg lighter but 50 per cent more rigid thanks to the new aluminium-intensive chassis, which only weighs 8kg more than it does in the coupé. Extra stiffness comes from reinforcements in the sills, A-pillar and windscreen frame so the car doesn’t tie itself in knots when the road gets fun.

LOOKS AND IMAGE One of the Spyder’s key selling points is its gorgeous styling – understated, imposing and elegant. Quality exudes from every inch, from the perfect shut lines of the body to the minimalist interior. Every R8 is handmade on its own plinth in a dedicated factory and the attention to detail is evident.

The only bugbear is the driving position, which is hindered by the roof mechanism’s packaging. The seat doesn’t slide as far back as it does in the coupé, meaning drivers over six feet tall will struggle to fit.

That aside, there are few cars that pack quite such a performance punch into such

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

MODEL: Audi R8 V10 Spyder ENGINE: 5.2-litre FSI TRANSMISSION: Seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch automatic PERFORMANCE: 0-62mph, 3.2 secs. Top speed, 197mph ECONOMY: 24.1mpg EMISSIONS: 277g/km

an exquisite package and, coupled with the purity of the glorious naturally aspirated 5.2-litre engine, few keen drivers will be left anything other than overjoyed.

Steering is a little on the light side, which makes driving it near the limit a lesson in trust, but it doesn’t take long to gel with the car – you’ll never have to worry about finding the limit, there’s that much grip.

SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Like many supercars, the Spyder struggles here. The low seats require an undignified entry and with the engine behind the driver, the only place to put luggage is in the front boot. It’ll easily hold a small weekend bag, but a weekly shop may be a squeeze, and with only two seats it won’t replace the family hatchback.

BEHIND THE WHEEL Once you’re behind the wheel

– assuming you can fit – you start to forget about any impracticalities. Thumb the big, red wheel-mounted starter button and the motor unleashes the sound of ten glorious cylinders on your eardrums.

Out on the road, the R8 Spyder is something of a battering ram, offering searing performance whenever you stamp the throttle. Even with the gearbox in full auto mode, there’s only a moment’s hesitation as the S tronic system dives down the cogs before dumping all 532bhp and 540Nm of torque through the all-wheeldrive system and pinning you to the seat.

That pinprick on the horizon will scream past the window alarmingly quickly.

Its party piece is how docile and easy to drive it can be when you’re not stamping on the loud pedal. Use the Drive Select toggle to put it in comfort mode and you’ll cruise about unassumingly.

Parking can be tricky because of how wide this thing is – it’ll barely fit in

most bays width-wise – but it does have a reversing camera and parking sensors.

VALUE FOR MONEY Even at six figures, it does seem something of a steal when you look at the sublime build quality, ludicrous performance and desirability in comparison with its rivals.

With a starting price of £129,990, it’s less expensive than a Porsche 911 Turbo Cabriolet and much more exciting to look at. It’s considerably more expensive than a Jaguar F-Type SVR and marginally more than a Maserati GranCabrio, but feels better put together than both.

Audi’s stunning Virtual Cockpit, with a configurable 12.3-inch screen, is standard.

Also coming at no extra cost are 19-in alloy wheels, Nappa leather upholstery, LED lights and an Audi R8 driving experience.

Naturally, there are countless expensive options to choose from. ‘Our’ Spyder had about £30,000-worth of extras.

WHO WOULD BUY ONE? It’s ideal if you have a lot of expendable income and want a weekend performance car that doesn’t scream ‘look at me’. OK, people will look at you, but the understated styling makes it less shouty than others.

VERDICT The Audi R8 Spyder is not a sensible purchase. It can only be justified by how it makes you feel, and for car enthusiasts that stunning, naturally aspirated V10 engine alone is worth the price.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

76 n MOTORING

Wednesday 9th November 2016

MOTORING NEWS ■

Get ready to ride the ‘green wave’ FORD is trying out technology in the UK that will allow drivers to ‘ride the green wave’, potentially making waiting at red lights a thing of the past.

The Green Light Optimal Speed Advisory system takes information on traffic light timings from a roadside unit to let the driver know the best speed at which to travel to make a green light.

The technology is being tested by the American manufacturer to help convey the benefits of connected cars for UK Autodrive – the country’s largest connected and self-driving car trial.

The aim of the 16-member, £20million project is to develop and test vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technologies that will help to reduce the stress of driving, make it a less time-consuming practice, reduce emissions and improve fuel economy.

Christian Ress, Supervisor at Driver Assist Technologies, Ford Research and Advanced Engineering, said: “There’s not much worse after a long day than to hit one red light after another on the drive home, and be forced to stop and start again at every junction.

“Enabling drivers to ‘ride the green wave’ also means a smoother, continuous journey that helps to improve the flow of traffic and provide significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption.”

In the UK, people who drive every day spend roughly two days a year waiting at red lights.

77

Swedish Lynk to clever new cars THE Geely Auto Group has launched a new global car brand called Lynk & Co, which is due to offer a range of premium cars engineered in Sweden that aim to bring the consumer the very latest in terms of in-car technology.

Alain Visser, Senior Vice-President of Lynk & Co, said: “Our aim is to enrich and simplify car ownership by redefining how they are bought, owned, connected, serviced and used.”

The first car to be introduced to market will be the Lynk & Co 01, a mid-size SUV. The rest of the range will be named 02, 03, and so on.

The 01 will be available with a range of highly efficient engines, utilising a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The SUV will also feature all manner of safety technology. Autonomous Emergency TECHNOLOGICAL TREAT The Lynk & Co 01

Braking (AEB), Front Collision Warning (FCW) and pedestrian detection will be fitted.

Andreas Nilsson, Head of Geely Design Sweden, said: “The design brief for Lynk & Co was simple: The cars should stand out from the crowd and appeal to a truly global audience.

“From a distance, we have a European design approach. Get closer, and you see more and more detail, such as the intricate lights and the type of grain on the interior leather. A strong wide grille completes the distinctive ‘face’ of the car. We wanted to acknowledge that our users are extremely tech-savvy – a smartphone is an integral part of their lives and our interior design reflects that.”

The 01 is due to go on sale in the UK in 2017.

£35m ultra-low emissions boost

THE government has announced plans to spend around £35million on schemes that encourage the uptake of more environmentally-friendly ‘ultra-low-emission vehicles’.

Included in the funding is a £20million competition designed to help councils introduce charging points for electric taxis and up to £10million of funding for charging points near workplaces and houses with no off-street parking.

Smaller schemes will include £2million of grants for organisations to use hydrogen fuel cell vehicles and a £3.75million scheme to encourage the use of zero-emission motorcycles and scooters.

The initiatives come as part of the government’s pledge to invest £600million in ultra-lowemission vehicles by 2020.

Transport Minister John Hayes said: “No matter what mode of transport you need – a scooter to get to work, a car or a van to run your business – we are here to help you do it with zero emissions.

“We are committing £35million to help install new charge points and offer new grants as we aim for nearly all cars and vans on our roads to be zero emission by 2050.”

Wednesday 9th November 2016

PUZZLES �

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Numbers are substituted for letters in the crossword grid. Above the grid is the key with two letters solved. Try to complete the first few words to give you more letters, or look for a frequent number that might reveal a common letter. As you find letters, enter them in the key and into the grid. Cross off the letters in the A to Z list.

Codeword:

I S L A M I R E O O F F E R N E A S E V I L L R J E E R E D A V C H I M E K N R S E D A T E O E O N I X ON

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

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In this Sudoku, the normal 3x3 boxes are now strangely odd shapes – but all the rules and logic of normal Sudoku apply.

Fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and box contains every number uniquely.

Puzzle solutions will be published in next week’s paper

Sudoku:

8 4 3 7 2 5 9 6 1

2 7 9 1 3 6 4 5 8

1 5 6 8 9 4 7 2 3

C A E G Y W L P L A T E H R A E D I N R E E DWA C M E M B R A A R Z S U S I E N N S H O T G

I S Q A U A A R E R D C E L N G I U N

Jigsaw Sudoku:

3 2 4 9 6 7 1 8 5

9 1 8 2 5 3 6 4 7

7 6 5 4 8 1 3 9 2

5 9 1 3 4 8 2 7 6

4 8 7 6 1 2 5 3 9

6 3 2 5 7 9 8 1 4

1 9 8 2 6 4 7 3 5

7 5 3 4 2 6 1 8 9

6 4 5 7 3 1 2 9 8

5 6 9 8 1 7 3 2 4

3 1 2 6 9 8 4 5 7

8 7 4 3 5 2 9 6 1

9 2 7 1 8 5 6 4 3

2 8 1 9 4 3 5 7 6

4 3 6 5 7 9 8 1 2

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

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© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

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SOLUTIONS (FROM LAST WEEK)

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

1

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

DIFFICULTY RATING:

CODEWORD

79

Wednesday 9th November 2016

80 n RECRUITMENT

WITH THE

FIND YOUR PERFECT JOB TODAY – A MUST READ FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR WORK LOCALLY

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

Fill your vacancy now in print or online.

For more information contact Jordanne Reville on 01892 576049

Wednesday 9th November 2016

RECRUITMENT n

81

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO PLACE AN ADVERT CONTACT OUR SALES DEPARTMENT ON 01892 779624

Wednesday 9th November 2016

82 ■ ARTS & CULTURE

Commemorating the centenary of the Great War through the beauty of ballet The London Ballet Company is bringing Poppy to Trinity Theatre next Thursday, November 17. Here, its founder and director Sophie Wright tells the Times all about the company and its production performances more relevant.

With this understanding, and with some very talented and dedicated dancers and choreographers, we developed our own unique repertoire from subjects of topical interest, or current social and media attention.

The love of ballet is shared by all my dancers and allows us to utilise music, movement and choreography to reflect the time and place of a subject, and to tell a story without words.

The London Ballet Company has a great desire to invigorate the general public’s interest in ballet.

All our dancers bring their own unique creativity to each performance and come from a diverse range of backgrounds. They have all achieved a high level of technical skill and expertise.

I think that ballet is such a wonderful skill to acquire as it can give a strong foundation of self-discipline, physical fitness, strength and confidence, which is a good balance for life.

Our company’s home theatre is The Bridewell on Bride Lane, just off Fleet Street in London, but

BORN in London, I started dancing early, as many dancers do, in my local ballet school at the age of three. I then spent a number of years living in Australia, where I was an associate of The Queensland Ballet Company. I returned to the UK to continue training at Elmhurst Ballet School in Birmingham and won a scholarship to attend the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, where I graduated with a first-class honours degree.

In 2010 I founded The London Ballet A DANCE TO Company. I felt there was a need for REMEMBER a performance platform for young Performing aspiring dancers who had devoted Poppy a great deal of their youth to this discipline, and I really wanted to share my love of ballet with audiences who would perhaps never choose this form of entertainment. So it was extremely important to find a way to make our

Wednesday 9th November 2016

we don’t restrict ourselves to just performance in theatres. We will travel to perform in as many venues as possible to tell our stories. We visit schools, churches, workshops, shopping centres, railway stations, airports and even celebratory events. Our aim is to share our love of ballet to as many people as we can.

We first developed our current production, Poppy, to commemorate the centenary of World War I. We wanted to highlight the effects of war, and particularly the Great War of 1914-18, which was deemed ‘the war to end all wars’.

We wanted to portray the havoc it wreaked upon ordinary people’s lives through the eyes of a young child

named Poppy. It follows family life that has been forever changed, and innocence lost.

We were honoured to be asked to perform our premiere of Poppy at Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells two years ago, in tribute to their commemoration of World War I. All ticket sales were donated to the Royal British Legion by Royal Victoria Place.

Our next performance of Poppy in Tunbridge Wells is on November 17, and is sponsored by Royal Victoria Place.

It takes place on the eve of the end of the Battle of the Somme, and we do hope you will come along to Trinity Theatre, where we will be performing Poppy, as well as two additional warthemed works as part of our evening triple bill.

Tickets for the ballet Poppy cost £17, and can be bought at www.trinitytheatre.net

ARTS & CULTURE ■

Stand-up king brings his Brain Dump to town – just for laughs For more than 20 years, comedian Ross Noble has been touring with his unique brand of improvised and humorous storytelling. Originally from the north east of England, he now lives with his family near Tunbridge Wells and will be performing his new show, Brain Dump, at the Assembly Hall on November 15. The Times asks him all about it…

Where does the show title Brain Dump come from?

I got it from a customer review on Amazon for one of my DVDs. They wrote: “This is just like a massive brain dump,” and I thought: “Oh yeah, that’s exactly what my stuff is! I’ll have that.”

Your ‘brain dumps’ are largely improvised. Is it still a risk, no matter how long you’ve been doing it?

No, the risk is all relative. It’s like driving a car; after 25 years you don’t get in a car and go: “What if this goes wrong?” If you hit a few bumps in the road you just think: “Oh, this is fun, let’s bounce around for a bit!”

How do you think your comedy has developed since you started?

Because I’ve built up this really loyal audience, there’s more of a shorthand. When I started, if I was talking about something a bit left-field, people would go: “Oh God, where’s he going with this?” Whereas now that’s what people want. They go: “Oh right!

Where’s he going with this?”

Your acting CV’s grown, especially with horror movie roles. Do your comedy skills come in handy?

It’s definitely easier for a stand-up to do straight acting than for an actor to do comedy. In the horror movie Stitches I play a killer clown, but I wanted to do it as truthfully as possible.

I didn’t want people to go: “Oh, that’s just Noble dressed as a clown.” I’ve just filmed another horror, and that’s a straight horror film – there are no laughs in it.

WHETHER ’TIS NOBLER IN THE MIND? Explore the unpredictable workings of Ross Noble’s comic brain

You’ve clocked up 17 appearances on Have I Got News For You. Do you particularly enjoy that show?

I absolutely love it. I was still at school when the show started, so it was a really big deal when I first did it. It’s still the top panel show on telly. Because it’s been on for so long, there’s a really strong sense of what the show is.

83

In one appearance, you and Paul Merton got every question wrong and scored zero points. What happened?

We did it on purpose! I’d done the show so many times, I jokingly said to Paul: “Why don’t we just see if we can score no points?” It’s actually harder than you think!

Charlie Brooker was on the other team, and at the end he said: “I can’t believe we won!” – and Paul went: “Well, we can!”

In 2007, you were number ten in Channel 4’s poll of the 100 Greatest Stand-Ups. But when they did it again in 2010, you were bumped to number 11. What happened?

Ricky Gervais! When they did the first show, he hadn’t done stand-up. By 2010 he’d started, so he was put in the top ten, which pushed me to 11, which is fair enough – it was voted for by the public and he’s popular. There are probably ten or 15 acts that nobody knew in 2007 that are now enormous, so if they do another I’ll probably end up at 25!

Like Gervais, you have a very loyal fanbase; they see your show multiple times, leave gifts for you on stage… do you find that sweet or scary?

Well, 99 per cent of the time it’s very sweet and very flattering. Every now and then you get one where you go: “Okaaaay… That’s a little bit scary…”

Who’s been the scariest?

I was once in a New Zealand hotel room and the phone rang. I thought it was my wife, but it was a complete stranger who had rung every hotel in Auckland pretending to be my girlfriend. That was a bit terrifying. The thing is, someone being a fan is very flattering, but there’s a big difference between somebody liking your comedy and someone wanting to wear your skin as a suit.

Tickets for Ross Noble’s Brain Dump show are priced from £25. Visit www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

Wednesday 9th November 2016

84  WHAT’S ON SEVEN DAYS OF SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE

WHATS ON WITH THE

Eileen Leahy Local events

>> WEDNESDAY The Philomel Singers meet every Wednesday at 2pm in the rehearsal room of Tonbridge Parish Church under the baton of their Director of Music, Tim Daniell. They are currently preparing the choir for its Annual Christmas Concert in the Tonbridge Methodist Church on Saturday December 3 at 7.30pm. There are vacancies for altos and tenors and each rehearsal lasts two hours. For more information, please contact the Secretary, Shelia Burrow, on 01732 351 651.

At the Odeon cinema there will be a special screening of the inspiring documentary Choice.

The film follows two modern-day monks from New Zealand who go on a global journey meeting a variety of individuals who have decided to live a more fulfilling life through the medium of meditation. For tickets to this one-off event, visit www.tickets.demand.film >> THURSDAY The Mousetrap continues its run at the Assembly Hall all this week until Saturday. If you haven’t seen theatre’s most famous whodunit and the longest-running theatre production in the world then what are you waiting for? Tickets are priced from £28 and can be booked at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Running until Sunday at Trinity Theatre Gallery is an exhibition entitled Forests, Maps, Birds and Bees. The show features three different artists whose work has been inspired by nature, but each one boasts a very distinctive style.

Denise Fisk’s textured oil paintings are wonderfully atmospheric and ethereal STEP INTO OUR CHAMBER… The Aquarelle Guitar Quartet play on Friday

Wednesday 9th November

while Jan Moffitt’s watercolours are vibrant, and boast great attention to detail. The work of the final artist, Jane Brown, focuses on the clever art of collage and is exceptionally unique as a result. For more information visit www.trinitytheatre.net Every Thursday until December 15 there will be a guided walking tour of The Pantiles. Starting at 10.30am, it’s the perfect way to learn all about the fascinating history of this part of town, which includes the Chalybeate Spring, King Charles the Martyr Church and the famous walkways which are now a bustling hive of commerical activity. Meet at the Corn Exchange in order to learn why the likes of Queen Victoria and Samuel Pepys made Tunbridge Wells the town ‘to see and be seen’. >> FRIDAY The Country Lifestyle Luxury Christmas Gift Fair takes place at Salomons today and tomorrow, so if you’re looking for festive present inspiration then this is the event to visit. There will be a wealth of both local and national exhibitors showcasing everything from handmade jewellery to fashion accessories, ceramics and leather goods. In addition to all the stalls, there will also be a variety of pop-up cafés so you can flop after you shop and enjoy a bite to eat. Tickets cost £4 per person and can be booked by visiting www.countrylifestylefairs.co.uk One of the leading chamber music groups of the past 20 years, The Aquarelle Guitar Quartet, play at St Mary’s Church as part of the ongoing Lamberhurst Music Festival. They formed at the Royal College of Music in 1999 under the guidance of guitar virtuoso Craig Ogden. The group’s main work comprises Flamenco, Brazilian and Spanish guitar pieces, but they’ll also perform a few classical arrangements.

Doors open at 6.45pm and tickets cost £20 per person.

For further details, visit www. lamberhurstmusicfestival.co.uk >> SATURDAY Saturday is a busy one with lots of events happening as the lead-up to Christmas gets properly underway.

St Dunstan’s in Southborough will be holding their Autumn Bazaar from 11.30am until 2pm.

The Mayor, Cllr David Elliott, will officially open the event, which includes the usual array of toy, crafts and book stalls as well as a tombola and the chance to win £200 in their raffle.

Light refreshments

If you would like to see your events featured in our weekly What’s On pages please email eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

and lunch will be served. Admission costs 50p per person and under-12s go free. Proceeds are in aid of the improvement of disabled facilities in the church hall.

The King John Nursery’s Christmas Fair opens in Etchingham today, with a range of artisan stalls offering a number of unique, one-off buys for all the family. There will also be an elfish grotto for children and lots of delicious seasonal food to enjoy in the attractive grounds surrounding the historic King John’s Lodge. For more information, visit www.kingjohnsnursery.co.uk There will be a watercolour workshop held at Christchurch in Tonbridge. This free event is open to all adults and runs from 10am-1pm.

At 8pm there will be a talk by Dr John Ray on World War II at St Peter and St Paul Church, Tonbridge. ‘The Day War Broke Out: 3 September 1939’ will examine the events that led to the outbreak of the second world war. Admission costs £5 with proceeds going to the church and also to the Royal Star & Garter Homes for exservice personnel.

The John Hackett Band perform at Trinity this evening. Expect a mix of melodic rock and acoustic ballads from this four-piece. Their concert starts at 8pm and tickets are priced at £17 per person.

Over at the High Rocks there will be a Casino Night held by Childrensalon and Nourish Foodbank. Tunbridge Wells Mayor, Cllr David Neve, will be in attendance and there will also be live music, a pop-up Childrensalon shop, a magician and a raffle. If you’d like to attend, you can book tickets, priced at £20, at www.nourishcommunityfoodbank.org.uk >> SUNDAY Today is Remembrance Sunday, so there will be wreath-laying ceremonies in our local towns and villages at different times, including one at the Tunbridge Wells Cemetery at Hawkenbury at 2pm. All members of the general public are welcome.

Following this particular wreath-laying event, the Tunbridge Wells branch of the Royal British Legion will host a talk at 2.45pm in the cemetery chapel entitled: The Belgian Colony of Tunbridge Wells 1914-1919 by local historian Alison Sandford MacKenzie.

The Royal Tunbridge Wells Art Society launched their Winter Exhibition yesterday. On until Sunday November 27 at their premises, 61 The Pantiles, the show features a diverse range of artwork from some of the group’s 160 members, with many available to purchase. The society is the oldest in Kent and has been running since 1935. Admission is free to this event, which is open from 10am to 5pm daily. www.rtwas.org The EM Forster Theatre in Tonbridge hosts The Great American Songbook this evening from 7.30pm. The free event will focus on the work of some of the United States’ greatest singersongwriters, including Aaron Copland, Leonard Bernstein, Stevie Wonder, Burt Bacharach and Prince. The live music will be performed by students from Tonbridge School and the KCTS [Kent College/Tonbridge School] Chamber Choir. >> MONDAY Friends of Grosvenor and Hilbert Park are putting on Leafy Monday, another fun afternoon for children. On from 4pm until 5.30pm, little ones

WILD ABOUT ART The RTWAS Winter Exhibition opens Saturday (see under Sunday) will have the opportunity to discover the changes that autumn brings via a variety of activities, including stamp-making and leaf art. Meet in the park Hub, no booking required.

The Girl on the Train is showing at the Hop Farm’s Moonlight Cinema this evening from 7.30pm. The best-selling novel by Paula Hawkins has been turned into a Hollywood movie, and despite the original London location moving stateside it’s still a gripping drama thanks to Emily Blunt’s excellent portrayal of alcoholic commuter Rachel Watson and what she sees – or doesn’t – on her journey to work every day. >> TUESDAY For the remainder of the week there will be a History of the Weald Walk twice a day at Scotney Castle. Taking place at 11.30am and 2pm, you will be guided around the beautiful estate by historians who will point out special artefacts of interest and talk about the surrounding Wealden landscape. For further information see www.nationaltrust.org.uk/scotney-castle The king of improvisational comedy, Ross Noble, is back with his 15th tour, and plays the Assembly Hall tonight from 8pm. The humorous Geordie will perform his new show Brain Dump, which once again proves he is the master of stream of consciousness – walking on stage, taking his cue from members of the audience and going with those random nuggets which result in two hours of hilarious comedy. Tickets cost £25 from the Assembly Hall. See our interview with him on p83.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Christmas Collective Shopping Event Royal Wells Hotel, Tunbridge Wells Wednesday November 16, 6-9pm

Get your Christmas shopping off to a stylish start by popping along to The Christmas Collective. The festive event, which is organised by three local Tunbridge Wells Mums-in-Business members, will celebrate the work of some of the fantastic designers and artists in the area, and also help raise funds for the Pickering Cancer Smile Fund. If you want a beautiful and bespoke gift this is the place to find it. Tickets cost £2 per person.

WHAT’S ON 

A ROUND-UP OF THIS WEEK’S MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Paul Dunton

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

Live music LOCAL four-piece Lectures headline The Forum this Thursday night, and they are undoubtedly one of the best acts around on the scene. Their atmospheric and ethereal sound blends elements of indie, alternative rock and pop and electronica. Support on the night comes from the excellent Otzeki.

Fans of Blues music should definitely catch the superb John Crampton at The Cross Keys Pub this Friday night. If you fancy something alternative, some other great options for Friday include Jem at Cassidy’s Bar and One Jump Ahead at The Grey Lady, while Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers are at The Forum.

The Royal Oak Pub is staging a wonderful Beer & Music mini fest this weekend with music from Friday through to Sunday. Local acts Riff Raff, The Harveys and Ukelear Fallout are all performing.

Other great options for Saturday night include The John Hackett Band at Trinity Theatre, China Crisis at The Forum, The Management at The Bedford Pub and Grosvenor Road at The Beau Nash Tavern.

For fans of acoustic music, I highly recommend the brilliant Jono Harrison, who’ll be performing at The Grey Lady this Sunday supported by Stuart Evans and Milly McCarron.

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

Doors 7.30pm, entry price variable, event information and tickets at www.twforum.co.uk

THURSDAY Lectures, Otzeki FRIDAY Ben Caplan and the Casual Smokers

SATURDAY China Crisis SUNDAY Tyler Bryant and The Shakedown THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE

The Pantiles, doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7, websites www.pdag.co.uk + www.thegreylady.co.uk

WEDNESDAY Jack Leon Mackey, Amber Anderton, Kieran Draper, Storm Engine FRIDAY One Jump Ahead SATURDAY David Ital and Friends SUNDAY Milly McCarron, Stuart Evans, Jono Harrison TUESDAY Miar Murphy, Chasing Shadows, Nate Austin WEDNESDAY Isabella Coulstock, Mark Chase, James Kirby

THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE

THE DUKE OF YORK

Crescent Road, information on times and tickets at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

The Pantiles, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm onwards

SUNDAY (3pm) Royal Tunbridge Wells Choral Society Remembrance Day Concert, conducted by Rebecca Miller. The RTWCS Chorus and the Salomon Orchestra with soloists Anita Watson and Alex Ashworth. Johannes Brahms: Requiem, Gustav Mahler: Rückert-Lieder

85

MONDAY Open Mic Night THE BEAU NASH TAVERN

Mount Ephraim, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late

SATURDAY Grosvenor Road

THE CROSS KEYS

CASSIDY’S BAR

St John’s Road, open all day, free entry, music from 8pm, website www.crosskeystw.co.uk

Castle Street, open all day, free entry music from 8.30pm till late

WEDNESDAY Sonny’s Jazz: refer to venue website above FRIDAY Blues with Bottle Club: John Crampton MONDAY TWUNT: Ukulele Jam Session Wednesday Sonny’s Jazz: Mike Hatchard

11 St Stephen’s Street, Tonbridge, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm

FRIDAY Jem THE PUNCH & JUDY

TUESDAY Sally Ironmonger

TRINITY THEATRE

Church Road, information on times and tickets at www.trinitytheatre.net

Jono Harrison

SATURDAY John Hackett Band THE ROYAL OAK

The Harveys

Prospect Road, open all day, free entry, music from early evening onwards

FRIDAY Beer and Music Festival: Riff Raff + support acts SATURDAY Beer and Music Festival: The Harveys + support acts SUNDAY Beer and Music Festival: Ukelear Fallout + support acts MONDAY Open Mic Night THE BEDFORD

2 High Street, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm onwards

SATURDAY The Management

Wednesday 9th November 2016

86  SPORTING TIMES

CONTACT US:

If you have a sports story or you would like to see your club’s reports and results featured in these pages…

Injured Angels slump to first home defeat Tonbridge 0 Kingstonian 1

Clarke’s late winner provides reward for stout defensive work

DANCING FEET: Angels’ Tommy Whitnell goes on the attack

By Neill Barston

By Brandon Begg

As Angels chased the game, they switched formation from three at the back to a 4-4-2. Luke Blewden joined Kwayie up front to good effect, though they were unable to salvage the match.

McKimm said: “It was a frustrating game for us as we were affected by the injuries that we’ve had in the team, which meant we had people playing out of position – but they gave me everything they had.

“We just didn’t have any cutting edge, but we’ve

a long way to go in the season and people should judge me at Christmas.

“Against Kingstonian, we had a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old playing for us, which shows the progress that’s being made by players, but it showed our situation with injuries.

He added: “I had no issue with Nathan Elder missing the game for a funeral, as family comes first before football.”

Cornford’s return up front helps Wells get back to winning ways

By Scott Bartlett FOOTBALL: A LATE goal earned Tunbridge Wells three valuable points at home to Whitstable to pull away from the foot of the Southern Counties East Football League.

Wells made three changes from the team that lost at Sheppey last week, with Tom Mackelden and Chris Seenan dropping to the bench in favour of Joe Adams, and Brad Large replacing Ollie Bankole. There was also a welcome return for striker Charlie Cornford, who rejoined his former team-mates following a spell playing for Hastings.

Too much to do after flurry of early goals Barming 5 Tonbridge Angels Ladies 2

By Dan Couldridge FOOTBALL: IN FREEZING conditions away at West Malling, Tonbridge Angels Ladies were caught cold at the start of Sunday’s match against Barming.

The side were a goal down after just 20 seconds and left themselves with a mountain to climb when facing a 4-0 deficit on the half-hour.

Wednesday 9th November 2016

But they managed to get their act together and rallied to produce an excellent performance for the final hour of the game.

Two goals early in the second half from crisp, fast-passing attacks – the first by Abigail Skilton, the second coming from Rebecca Janes – gave the hosts plenty to think about. But with the Angels chasing a third, Barming were able to score a fifth and decisive goal on the counter-attack midway through the second half.

On Thursday the Angels are in for a stiff test when they visit Tottenham Hotspur in the Ryman League Women’s Cup before returning to league action at home on Sunday, when Castle Colts are the visitors.

Biddlecombe who, from the centre circle, sprinted away from a chasing defender and into the penalty area. As Dan Eason advanced, Biddlecombe shot past the goalkeeper from the left-hand angle of the six-yard box for a brilliant finish.

Wells’ manager Jason Bourne explained the side had been boosted by the return of their former striker Cornford. He added: “This was a really good, proper team performance against Whitstable, with five or six players standing out.

“But it was a game of few chances against opposition who were in a good run of form. I think things really came together for us this week as we’ve brought in twice-weekly training.

“We still have Perry Spackman out injured, who should be back next weekend, but our captain Tommy Bryant has a fractured fibula, so he may be out for a while.”

EYES DOWN Angels’ Natasha Simpson (right)

PHOTO: David Couldridge

Tunbridge Wells 1 Whitstable 0

After a goalless first half, the second period started with the home side looking to be more positive. They found a lot of joy down the flanks from Large and Josh Biddlecombe, which had been identified as an area requiring improvement this season.

Tunbridge Wells keeper Steve Lawrence (pictured left) found himself beaten as Connor Hood crossed for Dane Luchford but he headed against the bar.

At the other end, Paul Butler shot over when he might have done better, and Hood was forced to clear off the line.

Emphasising the end-to-end nature of the game, Kieron Tarbie acrobatically cleared off the line too, with the visitors claiming a goal.

After 82 minutes, Cornford won the ball inside the Wells half and played a through ball to

HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Men’s 1st XI emerged successful after one of their toughest challenges to date against a strong and organised Old Bordenians team at Tonbridge School.

Both sides have started the season well in Kent/Sussex Division One. Bordenians’ early dominance paid off when Wells gave a short corner away after 25 minutes. An initial shot was saved but the rebound was pushed low to put the visitors 1-0 up – a lead they took into the break.

In the second half Tunbridge Wells began to create good chances. Excellent link-up play by the forwards led to a short corner being won after an overzealous tackle from a Bordenians defender.

Player-coach Ben Alberry managed to convert the short corner with the aid of a deflection and the post, equalising with 15 minutes to play.

Amid some fine defensive play, Wells continued to create chances. Man of the match Ali Clarke’s reverse stick shot rifled into the far corner of the goal, sending Tunbridge Wells 2-1 up with 10 minutes to play, and they held on strongly.

PHOTO: Brandon Begg

FOOTBALL: TONBRIDGE Angels manager Steve McKimm cited an injury crisis as the key to his side’s first home league defeat of the season.

McKimm was forced to name himself among the substitutes against a visiting Kingstonian team that had been languishing mid-table.

After a deserved FA Trophy replay win over Ashford Town in midweek they lacked an attacking edge with several senior players missing including influential striker Nathan Elder, who was abroad at a family funeral, and former Luton Town defender George Beavan.

A patched-up team deployed emerging talent Tashi-Jay Kwayie, who was recalled from a loan spell at East Grinstead, as the sole striker.

Despite starting brightly with some promising attacks, the team’s clear defensive frailties were exposed after just seven minutes.

Kingstonian’s captain, Alan Inns, was allowed far too much space in the box and calmly headed home a corner that was to prove the deciding goal.

Angels threatened to respond midway through the first half from a corner but Kwayie’s deft flick was claimed smartly by visiting goalkeeper Rob Tolfrey.

Early in the second half, Tonbridge’s keeper Anthony Di Bernardo made a strong save from one of the visitors’ few forays into Angels territory.

There were few chances for either side, with the home team’s best opportunity falling to winger Nick Wheeler. His strong drive into the box was followed by a shot that fell wide of the left post.

Tunbridge Wells Men’s 1st XI 2 Old Bordenians Men’s 1st XI 1

INFLUENTIAL Ali Clarke scored the Wells winner

Wilson hat-trick as Ladies are rampant Tunbridge Wells Ladies’ 1st XI 5 Wapping 2nd XI 0

By Brandon Begg HOCKEY: A STRONG team performance ensured a decisive win for Tunbridge Wells Ladies 1st XI. After disappointing recent results, Wells came out strongly with a few positional changes.

They took the lead when Perdi Knight carried the ball down the line and slipped to Jemma Stephenson. She drew the keeper and released it to Annie Wilson, who slotted the ball away.

Then Georgia Whitaker passed down the left and Nelia Bekker, with her favoured roll-out, found Wilson in front of goal again to make it 2-0.

In the second half Whitaker (see page 87) ducked and weaved through countless opponents before threading the ball to player of the match Wilson. She sold the keeper to notch her hat-trick.

Captain Jen Hunt slipped the ball left to Knight at the top of the D and Becky Bradbury made it four.

And centre-half Ele Cairns rounded off in style, slapping the ball into the top left of the goal.

SPORTING TIMES 

…or on our website at www.timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk please email them to sport@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or sport@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

Unbridled success for Mayfield girls EQUESTRIAN: MAYFIELD School’s equestrian squad were riding high after winning three titles in the National Schools Championships at Addington Manor in Buckinghamshire.

They were National Schools Dressage Team, National 1.10m Team Show Jumping and National Open Arena Eventing Team champions – in the latter event they scored 12 more marks than their nearest rivals.

The girls also swept the board individually. Year 10’s Molly Faulkner won the National Special Jumping with Style 1.10m, with her fellow pupils also taking the second and third place; and Year 9’s Anna Martin became the BE Series National Champion, with Mayfield again taking another three section titles in this category.

As a result of the weekend’s success four of our girls, Kitty Ashby, Catherine Haurie-Moss, Molly Faulkner and Amy Whiffen, were invited to compete for England in the Schools Nations Show Jumping Cup, again winning their section.

Year 13’s Immie Long was called up for the Nations Cup Dressage Section and provided Mayfield with their final success of the triumphant weekend.

Director of Riding Jill Barker said: “Congratulations to everyone who made up the Mayfield team for the four days. Our tremendous success was the culmination of plenty of hard work but also the most fantastic team spirit which was the envy of many of our fellow competitors.”

MANE EVENT (L-r): Dressage Team champions Katie Higgins, Immie Long, Molly Faulkner, Georgia Thomson

Coach Cook breaks arm as pacy Devitt proves double quick Chobham 22 Tunbridge Wells 15

Juddians go top after rare win on the island

By Graham Withers

Guernsey 14 Tonbridge Juddians 47

RUGBY:

By Neill Barston RUGBY: THE president of Tonbridge Juddians hailed a convincing away win over Guernsey as a key moment in their campaign as they went top of National League Three London & South-East.

Andy Trotter believed the team’s run of form had placed them in a strong position for the season after a fiercely competitive match on their travels to the Channel Islands.

Winning at Guernsey was a feat that had been managed by the club only once before, and their opponents were in fifth place in the table.

TJ’s latest victory, together with other helpful results involving the teams around them, puts Juddians on top of the division for the first time since their opening match of the season against Southend in September.

Trotter said: “Guernsey were expected to be very tough opponents so it is even more satisfying to come away with a bonus point victory.

“TJs withstood waves of attacks in the second half with an outstanding defensive display despite being reduced to 14 players following injuries to two of the front row.

“It is a great credit to the players and the coaching team that despite a horrendous run of injuries

they have put together a string of very good wins, accumulating six bonus points and the best points difference in the league.

“We’re in a very tough league and we face some hard games in the run-up to Christmas – with the last game of the year against Westcombe Park, the only side to beat us this season.

“They are currently in second place so that should be a great match,” added Trotter, who said the club’s supporters had played their part in the team’s success so far this season.

THE HIGH LIFE Juddians win a line-out

PHOTO: Martin Gray

A TOUGH away clash against Surrey side Chobham saw Tunbridge Wells narrowly miss out on claiming key points in their title bid.

The game was to prove costly in terms of a mounting injury list, as experienced player-coach Matt Cook suffered a broken arm that will put him out for most of the season.

Chobham took the lead with Jayde Cruikshank’s penalty from the halfway line but Wells responded positively, and scrum-half Chaz Spence broke through before popping a lovely inside pass to Cook. Taking a strong line he burst through three tackles to score under the posts, though a Reynolds’ conversion was charged down.

A lack of precision meant Chobham began to thrive. So it was against the run of play when Wells produced a superb team try on 26 minutes. But a minute later the hosts were level at 10-10.

As half-time approached, it was Wells who took the lead as Jonathan Rumsey showed pace and elusive stepping to score in the corner.

After Josh Crickmany had been sent to the sinbin, Chobham worked the ball wide for Josh Devitt to touch down in the corner and make it 15-15.

Chobham held firm thereafter, and intercepted for the pacy Devitt to travel 80 metres and score under the posts to secure the home side’s win.

87

STICK WITH IT Georgia Whitaker (left) and Alex Sacker

Georgia overjoyed at England Girls Under-16 call-up

By Neill Barston HOCKEY:

A TEENAGE hockey player from Tonbridge has been called up to join the Under-16 England Girls squad.

Georgia Whitaker, who is enjoying a strong run of form for the Tunbridge Wells Ladies First XI this season, was elated to be told that she had been picked for the national set-up.

The 15-year-old said: “I was excited to learn that I had been given the call-up to the Under-16s squad. I have been playing for the Tunbridge Wells Juniors since I was 11, and I am now in the senior team.

“I want to be out there wearing an England shirt but I know that there’s a long way to go,” added Georgia, who is currently studying at Kent College in Pembury.

She earned her place in the squad having impressed as player of the tournament for the Under-16 Saxon Lions at the Futures Cup. The four-day tournament last month featured the strongest young hockey talent from England, Wales and Scotland.

Georgia’s father Andy Whitaker, who coaches the Tunbridge Wells Under-16 Girls’ team, and mother Janet, captain of the Ladies Second XI, have been particularly impressed with her rapid progress through the ranks.

Andy said: “We’ve been very proud of Georgia, and I’m sure what she has done has had more to do with playing with her mum than my coaching.

“We have had so many people come up and congratulate her on making the England Girls’ squad. It is nice the whole hockey community is behind her.”

He added that Georgia had proved her ability playing for the senior side this season, and said that in joining up with the England squad, she would be in contention for upcoming international games next spring against the likes of Germany and Belgium.

There has also been further good news for the club, as 14-year-old Alex Sacker, who plays for Tunbridge Wells Juniors, has been invited to attend England Hockey’s two-day elite performance academy, which could see her following in Georgia’s footsteps next year.

Wednesday 9th November 2016