Times of Tunbridge Wells 9th October 2019

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Ray of hope for theatre even if Council vetoes the project Times LOCAL NEWSPAPERS

EDITORIAL COMMENT

LAST night, as this newspaper went to press, councillors were due to debate the future of the £108million theatre and civic centre development on the edge of Calverley Grounds.

Our informal polling of councillors indicated that the ruling Tory group did not have enough votes to carry the night meaning that one way or another the development will be scrapped with the loss of £11million of taxpayers’ money spent on preparatory work.

Councillors last month voted to postpone the debate when time ran out at the Full Council meeting.

The development has passed a number of votes since 2017, when it had cross-party support, but an £18million rise in the cost of the development, which the Council put down to Brexit, means councillors have to approve extra borrowing.

Most opposition members were expected to vote against Calverley Square last night, and around six Conservatives were either considering voting against or intent on abstaining on the motion to proceed with the project.

If plans for a new theatre are dropped, the Council will have to work out how

‘Business leaders are considering the option to take over the project’ to pay for an upgrade to the existing Assembly Hall Theatre and current Town Hall, both of which have reached the end of their useable life. This could mean the closure of the Assembly Hall for a number of years.

Equally important, failure to press ahead with Calverley Square will see major developers walk away from Tunbridge Wells as being a town with no clearly agreed development plan that had broad support. A town that could ‘not be trusted to deliver on promises’.

The gradual decline of Tunbridge Wells would be inevitable.

Yesterday, a number of local businesses gathered outside the Town Hall to express their fears for the future of the town if the project is abandoned.

But there is a ray of hope, even if the Council vetoes Calverley Square. The Times understands that a number of local business leaders are considering the option to take over the project which is on a brown field site marked

for future development and would come with all the boxes ticked for planning and Compulsory Purchase Orders.

Such a move would, hopefully, have the full support of the business community and ultimately unlock the town’s full potential, securing its long term future.

To find out what happened at last night’s meeting visit: timeslocalnews.co.uk/tunbridge-wells-news

Confusion taints first week of new bin service

By Richard Williams THE Council’s new waste collection service began last week, and got off to a shaky start.

Social media has been awash with complaints as both residents and waste contractors Urbaser struggled to get used to the changes.

From Monday, September 30, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has for the first time been collecting glass

for recycling, in addition to the usual plastic, paper, tin and cardboard.

In addition, Urbaser, are also picking up food waste, small electrical items and textiles.

Apologised But these changes have involved alterations to the usual collection timetables, which has caused ‘lots of confusion’ as well as additional bins

and receptacles for residents – some of which have not turned up.

The Council has acknowledged that things have not gone ‘as smoothly’ as they had planned and that some collections have not taken place as scheduled but insist ‘the majority of collections are happening and bins are being emptied’.

Some of the most common complaints have centred on bins not being collected on the day they should have been, new

food waste caddies not being delivered on time or Urbaser not collecting them with the rest of the rubbish.

Dr Alan Bullion, Lib Dem Town Councillor for Southborough North said he had been fielding a lot of concerns from residents on social media about the new service, which he called a ‘very poor situation’ that had caused ‘lots of confusion’.

Continued on page 2

2

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this week…

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Villagers fight mobile mast plans New Leader pledges that would ruin downland views to reduce ‘deprivation

By Richard Williams

CAPEL CRUSADERS Residents come out in force to oppose Local Plan idea of ‘garden village’ p4-5 JOIN THE ECO REVOLUTION New business to open on The Pantiles has a plastic-free approach to shopping p8

SPARKING INTEREST Tickets for the 62nd Round Table fireworks display go on sale p13

RESIDENTS in an area of outstanding natural beauty have called on their local MP to help fight a planned mobile phone mast earmarked for the middle of their village.

They say the 12.5 metre mast for the Telefonica [O2] network in Mayfield would ruin the views of the surrounding area.

The mast, being installed by Waldon Telecom and radio mast operators Cornerstone, is planned for the car park in the centre of the historic village.

Overlooked To fight the plans, locals have formed a protest group, Mayfield Applauds Smart Site Technology [MASST], and are calling on their local MP to step in and help block the antenna that will be sited at the back of the Middle House pub.

Campaigner Rowland Hoar told the Times that the village does need a mast but it needs to be in the right place’.

He said: “The first priority in running the campaign is to achieve better mobile phone coverage for our community but we do not believe that the proposed South Street car park location is the best place for this.

“Overlooked and overlooking all points of the compass, it will severely disrupt one of the best uninterrupted downland views in South East England, along with its views to the village from across the countryside.”

Father Nigel Prior of St.Dunstan’s Parish Church added: “Many people work tirelessly to keep our village and heritage intact and this has stood the test of time over centuries.

“We don’t want a mast in the historic core of our village when other less invasive sites are available.”

The campaigners say they have asked Nus Ghani MP to invite Waldon Telecom to visit the village and look at other potential sites, which include Mayfield Fire Station, the Telephone Exchange and an edge of village location on the A267, less than a mile from the village centre.

However, a spokesperson for telecoms company Cornerstone, who are behind the mast, said the location would not hamper views.

She said: “Telefonica customers expect to be able to use their mobiles and devices where they live, work and travel.”

She added: “Presently we have proposed a site for this base station on the western boundary of the South Street Car Park, adjacent to a line of trees and offset from open views of land to the south.”

and prosperity’ gap ELECTED: Roger Gough at the hustings last week

CONSERVATIVE councillors at County Hall have elected a new Leader.

Roger Gough, who represents the ward of Sevenoaks North & Darent Valley, will take over the reins from Paul Carter who announced last month his intention to step down after nearly a decade and a half in the top job.

Cllr Gough was elected by fellow Conservative councillors at the group’s AGM on Friday [October 4] at County Hall. He currently serves on the Cabinet as its member for Children, Young People and Education and was first elected to County Hall in 2005.

Deprivation

FOOTBALL FOCUS Jamie Johnson author Dan Freedman visits St Gregory’s School p19

CONTACTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR RICHARD MOORE richard@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 779615 DEPUTY EDITOR EILEEN LEAHY eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 576037 CHIEF REPORTER RICHARD WILLIAMS richardwilliams@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 240626 DESIGN/PRODUCTION LEE SMITH lsmith8@markerstudy.com SALES ENQUIRIES GHak@onemediauk.co.uk | 01892 779650 FIND US ONLINE facebook.com/timeslocalnews timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk twitter.com/timeslocalnews

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CLARIFICATIONS AND CORRECTIONS HERE at the Times of Tonbridge 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.

If you would like to make a comment on any aspect of the newspaper, please write to the editor at David Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0TF, or email newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk Markerstudy Leisure is a trading name of One Media and Creative UK Limited registered in England and Wales under company number 5398960 with registered office at 45 Westerham Road, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 2QB.

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

MAST SITE The car park next to the Middle House pub

Businessman changes mind about talking to investigators searching for missing millions

By Robert Forrester TUNBRIDGE WELLS businessman Simon HumeKendall, who is being investigated over an Eridge-based investment firm that went bust owing bondholders millions, is still refusing to explain where the money went.

London Capital & Finance [LCF] went into administration in January after the city watchdog froze its bank accounts. It collapsed owing £237million to more than 11,500 people.

In a progress report sent to creditors and seen by the Times, administrators say Mr HumeKendall is refusing to be interviewed, despite having agreed to do so.

The administrators are trying to get back the millions lost to investors who ploughed their life savings into LCF’s mini-bonds on the promise of returns of eight per cent.

In their report, Smith & Williamson told investors that Simon Hume-Kendall had indicated that he would attend an interview ‘voluntarily for

Waste collections, continued from page 1 But he added: “Hopefully the service will settle down shortly. I know the borough council are doing their level best responding to complaints and feedback.”

A number of residents have also contacted the Times to voice their disquiet.

Peter Bailey from Newton Road in Tunbridge Wells told us that the new waste contracts has led to ‘utter confusion’ on his street after he claimed the Council had given out the wrong information to residents.

He said: “They told us that refuse only would be collected on October 4. “I put out my refuse only last week and not put my recycling out, and what

the purpose of being interviewed under section 236 of the Insolvency Act 1986’.

However, they added: “Following our report being issued, Simon HumeKendall has declined to attend the interview and is now deemed, along with Spencer Golding, Andy Thompson and Elten Barker, to have failed to co-operate with the joint administrators.”

Promised They said they ‘have a number of powers under the Insolvency Act’ to get these men to co-operate and ‘these powers are now being utilised’.

Following the collapse of LCF, happened? They collected the recycling.

“If the council give out information it should be right. It has been utter confusion.”

Some of the most common complaints include people who say their new food caddies have not arrived, or that food waste has not yet been emptied or that the wrong bin was collected.

The Council admits that not all refuse and recycling was collected as it should have been and they have had a number of complaints as new contractor’s Urbaser took a few days to get up to speed.

Gary Stevenson, Head of Housing, Health & Environment at Tunbridge Wells Borough Council apologised to residents for any inconvenience caused by the changes.

Among others, Cllr Gough beat off competition from Tunbridge Wells councillor, Peter Oakford, as well as Cllr Mike Whiting [Swale West] and fellow Sevenoaks councillor, Nick Chard.

New Leader, Roger Gough, who lives in the Otford Hills, Sevenoaks with his wife and two children, said he was ‘delighted’ to have won what he regarded as a ‘good and fair contest’.

“It’s a great honour to be chosen by my colleagues to lead our group following Paul Carter’s 14 years and three successive election victories,” said the newly elected Leader. administrators discovered millions of pounds invested by customers had ended up in the control of these four men in what they described as ‘highly suspicious’ transactions.

The Serious Fraud Office [SFO] arrested several men in relation to the collapse earlier this year.

Mr Hume-Kendall, who lives in a mews home in Tunbridge Wells, has repeatedly refused to comment on the LCF scandal but promised the Times when we visited his house earlier this year that it was his ‘intention is to pay all the money back’.

Spencer Golding, who lives in Crowborough, Elten Barker of Hadlow Down, and former LCF director Andy Thomson, who lives in a £2million barn conversion in East Sussex, have all refused to comment on the LCF collapse or their involvement in it.

To date administrators have only managed to claw back around £200,000 of investors’ money.

DECLINED Simon Hume-Kendall He said: “We are introducing a new recycling service to over 48,000 households and while the switchover has not gone as smoothly as we would have liked, the majority of collections are happening and bins are being emptied.

“We are very sorry for any inconvenience. We know that some new bins and food caddies are still needed and residents can let us know about this via the online reporting form.

“Where collections have been missed we are working hard to catch up and crews are working into the evening and at weekends.

“We would ask residents to report missed collections online in the first instance as this helps ensure the information goes quickly to the right place to be dealt with.”

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

NEWS IN BRIEF

Helicopter scrambled following false 999 call POLICE officers called out an air ambulance to Tunbridge Wells last week following a 999 call reporting a serious assault at a town centre address.

Last Thursday [October 3], the South East Coast Ambulance Service landed a helicopter in Calverley Grounds as police attended an address near Little Mount Sion but discovered no sign of any crime.

After tracing the caller, police say they decided not to press charges for wasting their time due to the individual’s personal circumstances.

A spokesman for Kent Police said: “Officers attended the scene and an air ambulance was also deployed. Following attendance at the address no victims were identified. The caller was identified and no arrests have been made.”

No Lizzy at Aldi opening LOCAL Olympian Lizzy Yarnold will no longer be opening Tunbridge Wells’ new Aldi store when the supermarket begins trading at the end of this month.

As reported in the Times last week, the double Olympic skeleton racer was due to open the branch of the German budget chain on October 31.

Aldi say Olympic boxing hero, Anthony Ogogo, will now be cutting the ribbon.

Council pays respect FRIENDS, family and colleagues at the Council gathered last week to pay tribute to Cllr Ronen Basu who died last month.

A service was held at Tunbridge Wells crematorium on Friday where former Leader of the Council, David Jukes, read out a eulogy to the councillor and former Mayor, while the flag above the Town Hall was lowered to half-mast.

Current Council Leader, Alan McDermott said: “I am sure Ronen’s family were very proud to see so many people at his funeral service and I hope they can take some comfort from this.”

Hip and knee checks ORTHOPAEDIC hospital The Horder Centre is marking World Arthritis Day with free hip and knee consultations.

The specialist hospital in Crowborough is offering the service throughout October.

World Arthritis Day is on October 12.

Local News

NEWS

3

Rollout of ultrafast broadband is hailed as ‘fantastic news’

By Richard Williams INTERNET users in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge will soon be able to download the latest TV boxsets in just seconds, thanks to the rollout of new fibre optic broadband technology.

The two towns have been chosen along with 27 others by Openreach, the broadband subsidiary of BT, for new ‘Fibre to the Premises [FTTP]’ connections.

And for those who already subscribe to broadband it will not cost any more money, unless you are with Virgin Media which is provided via separate infrastructure.

Openreach say the new technology is capable of delivering ‘one gigabyte per second’ download speeds - some of the fastest in the UK. Once installed, any of the 680 Internet Service Providers that use Openreach infrastructure, including Sky, BT, Talk Talk and EE, will be able to start offering it to their customers.

Infrastructure This will mean people in both Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge will be able to download a two-hour movie in just 25 seconds – or the entire first season of the hit BBC show Peaky Blinders ‘in the time it takes to make a cup of tea’.

A spokesperson for Openreach, told the Times: “We own 90 per cent of the UK’s broadband infrastructure.

“We work with local authorities as part of our commercial programme. It will not cost the people of Tunbridge Wells or Tonbridge

FAST FIBRE An Openreach engineer installing FTTP anything. It is Openreach’s investment to bring the latest Internet infrastructure to the people in these areas.”

The company say work will get underway in the next twelve to eighteen months and is part of Openreach’s target of reaching four million homes and business by the end of March 2021.

Openreach have not yet given any details as to when particular streets and areas in Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge will be getting plugged into the new service. But the news was welcomed by the two local authorities.

Cllr Jane March, Tunbridge Council’s head of Economic Development said: “This is very

‘Touchy feely’ Tonbridge teacher struck off for life A TEACHER who repeatedly touched pupils inappropriately during lessons has been banned from the profession for life.

David Spencer, 64, taught computer studies and maths at Hillview School for Girls in Tonbridge, between 2014 and 2018.

A professional conduct panel heard how Mr Spencer had touched pupils’ legs, placed his hands on girls’ arms and shoulders, and put his hands on their hands.

His inappropriate behaviour with pupils had been noticed by the school who sent Mr Spencer two warning letters in December 2014 and one in November 2016.

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But after a further complaint in May last year, the school dismissed him for gross misconduct.

At a Teaching Regulation Agency [TRA] professional conduct hearing in August, which was made public this week, the panel heard how Mr Spencer said he was a ‘touchy feely’ and ‘tactile’ person, and admitted touching pupils’ shoulders to get their attention.

In written evidence to the hearing, one pupil said the teacher had ‘started putting both hands on my shoulders and crouched down before leaning over so his face was next to mine’.

Another said Mr Spencer slid his hand down her arm and put his hand on top of her hand.

welcome news as enhanced connectivity will benefit both residents and businesses.”

While Leader of Tonbridge & Malling Council, Nicolas Heslop, added: “This is fantastic news.

The Borough Council, both as part of the West Kent Partnership and through our own drive to support the local economy, has been lobbying for some time to improve broadband connectivity for our local residents and businesses.

“It’s a great boost for the local area, and hopefully just the start of our journey towards benefitting from world-class communications infrastructure.”

The panel also heard how Mr Spencer had asked a pupil to remove her ‘top’. The pupil said: “I didn’t like him calling my fleece a top and that it sounded dodgy, but he continued to ask me to ‘remove my top’.”

However, the panel did not find Mr Spencer’s behaviour to be sexually motivated. Imposing an indefinite prohibition order, banning Mr Spencer from the profession for life, TRA chief executive Alan Meyrick, said: “Mr Spencer showed a lack of empathy and understanding in relation to his pupils’ emotional wellbeing and the impact of his actions on them.”

However, he added that the teacher will be able to challenge the decision in 2023.

Headteacher at Hillview, Mrs Hilary Burkett, told parents yesterday [Tuesday] that the school had ‘responded quicky, fully and in line with school policy as soon as they were made aware’ of the teacher’s behaviour.

4 NEWS: Local Plan Special

Councils clash on the ‘soundness’ of garden village plans

By Richard Williams THE proposal by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council to build a Garden Village has come under fire from Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council. Businesses and residents have also come out against the idea.

As revealed in the Times in May, Tunbridge Wells [TWBC] want to build more than 2,600 homes in the village of Tudeley, plus a further 4,000 houses in Paddock Wood, many of which will be built in the parish of Capel.

It is part of a national housebuilding drive ordered by the government, which has asked councils across England and Wales to double their housebuilding efforts.

The draft Local plan, which is currently subject to a six-week consultation period that ends on November 1, stipulates the building of 13,560 homes by 2036.

The development in Tudeley, which sits a mile from the border of Tonbridge & Malling, has caused concern in that borough.

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Under threat villagers take to the streets again

By Debbie Saunders CAMPAIGNERS marched through Tunbridge Wells town centre again last weekend to protest against the borough council’s plans to build thousands of new homes in the parish of Capel.

Around 100 people took to the streets to protest against Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s draft Local Plan that will see a new ‘garden village’ of more than 2,600 homes built in the sleepy village of Tudeley.

Consultation There are also further proposals for 4,000 more homes around Paddock Wood, with nearly half of these within the parish of Capel.

The marchers, many of which brandished placards and blew whistles, started at Calverley Grounds on Saturday and made their way through Crescent Road, Calverley Road, Mount

Pleasant Road and the High Street.

The protest came after Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council held an extraordinary meeting to discuss concerns in that borough with its neighbour’s housing plans.

Save Capel campaigner, Farah Brooks-Johnson said the group took to the streets to raise awareness of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s proposals while they still remain under consultation.

“The consultation period ends on November 1, so we want as many people as possible to be aware of

Horror An extraordinary meeting called by Tonbridge & Malling [TMBC] was held last week [Wednesday] at the Council’s chambers in Kings Hill.

A number of concerns were raised at the ‘packed meeting’, which was attended by TMBC councillors, campaign group Save Capel, local residents and businesses.

Cllr James Lark [Conservative] whose Medway ward borders the planned development expressed his ‘horror’ at the plan, which he said lacked detail on infrastructure and no assessment of the impact on rail, bus, retail and parking services in Tonbridge.

Lib Dem councillor, Frani Hoskins, whose Vauxhall ward also neighbours Capel, said she was concerned about the ‘flood of traffic and people coming into Tonbridge’. While Cllrs Garry Bridge [Vauxhall, Lib Dem] and Mark Hood [Judd, Green Party] both raised concerns about the loss of Green Belt land.

Cllr Jill Anderson, the borough’s Mayor, said she was ‘so angry, I can scarcely speak’, adding that she ‘learned long ago that common sense and planning rarely go together’.

Following the meeting, Leader of TMBC, Nicholas Heslop, said he planned to bring TMBC’s official response back and put it to Cabinet for full approval. He said it would be a ‘full and robust’ response to Tunbridge Wells that ‘expressed their concerns on the soundness of the plan’.

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

what is happening.

“It was great to see so much support on Saturday. So many people that we have met have not heard of what is being planned for Tudeley and are so shocked when we tell them. Some had never even heard of the village, so it is important for us we make as many people aware as possible.

“So far, we have had such a lot of support from the people of Tunbridge Wells, and after the meeting in Tonbridge last week, we no longer feel so alone.”

Villagers don’t want ‘town on the horizon’ THE planned development in Tudeley will see a new town form on the horizon of a neighbouring village.

Golden Green sits two miles to the north of the ‘garden village’ planned for Tudeley, over the border in Tonbridge & Malling.

Currently, residents look out from the village hall and see an expanse of Green Belt and agricultural land, which could soon become filled with more than 2,600 houses.

Villager, Alan Chilvers, told the Times: “Currently, if you look from the village hall in the centre of the village you see miles and miles of the Medway Valley.

GREEN FIELDS The current view of the Medway Valley from Golden Green

“It is beautiful – a panoramic view of the countryside.

“All that will be gone. If this goes ahead there will be a town on the horizon and all you’ll see is a mulch of housing.”

He continued: “I have lived around here all my life. I’ve raised my children here. If I wanted to live in a town or a city, I would have moved to a town or a city.

“I understand that local authorities are under pressure to build houses, but if this goes ahead, it will massively scar the views and rob us of thousands of acres of prime agricultural land.”

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Local Plan Special: NEWS 5

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

A stain on the landscape fields. If the plan goes ahead, they will see a church in a housing estate.

“It is extraordinary that Tunbridge Wells Borough Council is prepared to compromise one of Kent’s most important buildings.”

Domesday All Saints Church dates back to the 12th century, but a place of worship has existed in Tudeley since the seventh century and is listed in the Domesday Book.

Today it forms part of the Diocese of Rochester.

The church is the only one in the world that has stained glass windows by the Russian-French modernist.

Marc Chagall was commissioned to design the windows in 1967 by Sir Henry D’Avigdor-Goldsmid in memory of his daughter, who died in a boating accident.

The last windows were installed on the day of Chagall’s death in 1985.

MODERNIST It is the only church in the world with windows by Marc Chagall

By Andy Tong TUDELEY is celebrated for its All Saints Church, which is a major tourist attraction because of its stained glass windows created by renowed Russian-French modernist Marc Chagall.

Council Leader Nicolas Heslop observed at last week’s extraordinary meeting that that none of the councillors had mentioned the church. But the Tonbridge Civic Society said it ‘has become one of the most visited small churches in England – it attracts visitors from all over western Europe’.

They said: “They see now a church amidst

ALL SAINTS CHURCH The modest looking church is one of the most visited in the UK

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GARDEN VILLAGE PLAN IS ‘CONVENIENT’ BUT IT COULD BE ‘UNSOUND’ AT last week’s extraordinary meeting held

by Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council [TMBC], councillors heard that the neighbouring Council’s draft Local Plan to turn Tudeley into a ‘Garden Village’ was based on ‘convenience’.

They argued that Tunbridge Wells Borough Council has opted for the plan because they have only had to negotiate with one landowner, Hadlow Estate Properties. But this may mean the plan could be found by the Planning Inspectorate to be ‘unsound’.

Cllr Howard Rogers, chairman of the Area 2 Planning Committee and a key figure in TMBC’s own draft Local Plan, said the sister authority had used ‘convenience as the driver’.

He said: “One landowner in Tudeley has enabled TWBC to stop and put all their eggs in one basket, without looking seriously further afield or at alternatives.”

This was echoed by the Tonbridge Civic Society, who said: “The fact that one landowner has accumulated a great deal of land round Tudeley for the development proposal needs to be looked at objectively, not regarded as a matter of convenience for the Council and the landowner.

“The case against it is overwhelming.”

Councillors in Tonbridge & Malling concluded that the National Planning Policy Framework states that Local Plans must be ‘based on effective joint working on cross-boundary strategic matters’.

They said that if TWBC could not show this to be true then the Planning Inspector could have grounds to say that the draft was unsound.

6

BUSINESS

Local News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Health watchdog Schools hit back at Labour’s wins a national plans to see them ‘abolished’ diversity award A HEALTH watchdog has been awarded for its work in helping to improve communication for patients at local hospitals.

Healthwatch Kent has been ‘highly commended’ for making it easier for people with additional needs to attend appointments.

The independent body, which listens to the views of users of health and social care services and facilitates improvements, visited every main hospital in Kent to find out how difficult it can be for some people to attend routine hospital appointments.

Support Working with East Kent Mencap, Kent Association for the Blind and Alzheimer’s & Dementia Support Services, the improvements that were made included making sure hearing loops were working at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals, and that staff know how to use them, and changing signs to help people find their way around.

Other improvements included changing appointment letters to make them easier to understand, and training staff at the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells hospitals to offer the right support for patients.

The ‘highly commended’ award was in the Championing Diversity and Inclusion category of the 2019 Healthwatch Network Awards.

The awards show how people’s feedback is vital to improving services, according to Healthwatch Kent’s Steve Inett.

He said: “We work hard every day to ensure that everyone’s voice can be heard by decision makers, and we’re delighted that our efforts have been recognised at a national level. We encourage people to continue to tell us their stories.”

By Richard Williams

LOCAL independent schools have responded to the Labour Party’s plans to ‘integrate’ fee-paying schools into the state school sector.

The schools say they each contribute millions to the local economy and the party’s proposals would completely abolish the independent education sector.

During last month’s Labour Party Conference, a motion was carried to remove the charitable status from independent schools, add VAT to fees, and integrate them into the state sector if Labour wins the next general election.

In West Kent, there are around 20 independent

preparatory schools in and around Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks.

Mike Piercy, Headmaster of the all-boys preparatory New Beacon School in Sevenoaks, said: “While we remain politically neutral – especially where the boys are concerned – the Labour policy would, in effect, abolish the independent sector of education and take away from parents the right to choose a school for their children.”

He said the school, which admits day students and boarders aged between four and 13, contributed millions to both the local and international economies, adding nearly £9million to the UK’s GDP [gross national product] and £5.5million to the local authority’s GDP.

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Childrensalon is an award-winning, forward thinking retailer, specialising in luxury childrenswear and dressing children beautifully. Our head office in Tunbridge Wells has over 430 talented people. With a fun, creative and family-friendly culture, we believe in putting people first and offer a highly competitive salary, company pension plan, health plan, fully subsidised gym membership, in-house yoga classes, company shuttle, generous holiday allowance and company discount. We are ranked #34 on the 2019 Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For list and proud to be a member of the Living Wage Foundation.

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Additionally, 80 per cent of the school’s operational expenditure is spent on local businesses.

He concluded: “I am enormously proud of this school, of our boys and their achievements and of the educational excellence we provide.”

Scott Carnochan, Headmaster at Holmewood House in Langton Green, told the Times: “We are really proud of the role we play in our community, both in supporting the local economy and also broadening access to the wonderful facilities we’re so fortunate to have at Holmewood.”

He said the school, which employs 140 people, shares its swimming pool, theatre and sports grounds with more than a thousand children and groups from outside the school.

‘Abolition would represent an act of national self-harm’ He added that the school also raised nearly £40,000 for charity last year.

The ISC [Independent Schools Council] said the 1,300 schools represented by them contribute £14billion to the UK economy and support more than 250,000 jobs.

Julie Robinson, Chief Executive of the ISC, said: “At present, independent schools contribute nearly £14billion to UK GDP each year, and save the taxpayer £3.5billion per year through the education of children and young people at no cost to the taxpayer.”

She continued: “Parents across the country have every right to be worried about the decision by the Labour Party Conference to support a motion to abolish independent schools.

“The move is an attack on the rights and freedoms of parents to make choices over the education of their children.

“Abolition would represent an act of national self-harm. Tearing down excellent schools does not improve our education system.

“The repercussions would be irreversible and far-reaching, damaging educational opportunities and limiting life chances.”

‘Batman’ 2017 • Rolex GMT Master II 16710 ‘Coke’ 1996 Please do get in touch with us, we may just have the watch that you’re looking for!

8

BUSINESS

Local News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

David Carpenter, 16 high Street, Tunbridge Wells.

01892 481 060 info@david-carpenter.co.uk davidcarpenterwatches.com

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Pantiles business to zero in on reducing shopping waste

By Richard Williams A NEW retailer on The Pantiles is hoping to get the people of Tunbridge Wells to reduce their environmental impact with their ‘no plastic’ approach to shopping.

The Zero Waste Company, which is planning to open at the end of this month, is offering ‘refill stations’ where bulk goods, household items and even personal toiletries such as make-up, perfume and accessories can be bought without any packaging.

How do I get my hands on a steel Sports Rolex watch?

Green Holly Watson, who is behind the new store with business partner Charlotte Bowyer, explained to the Times how it works: “We are not anti-plastic.

Customers can come in with their plastic bags, but it is a zero waste store.”

She further explained: “You can come in with what you like to be refilled – a container, plastic bag, empty bottle – whatever you want.

“You weigh your goods and buy only what you need, but we are not just selling dried foods like rice or grains, but a range of things, including fresh food, cosmetics, toiletries – we aim to be a one-stop shop.”

She added that the store will provide compostable paper bags for customers who do not have anything to take their shopping home in, or they can buy an environmentally-friendly reusable bamboo pot.

Metro Chairman forced to resign THE man responsible for setting up Metro Bank has been forced to step down due to pressure from investors, following an accounting error made earlier in the year.

Vernon Hill co-founded the challenger bank in 2010, becoming the first new high street bank to open in the UK for 100 years.

But the bank has confirmed the controversial American businessman would be stepping down as Chairman by December 31.

In January, Metro admitted it had miscalculated the assets it had to secure loans.

The £900million mistake saw the lender’s shares fall and its profits drop as worried customers withdrew around £2billion worth of deposits in the following six months.

Last month, the company was forced to abandon plans to raise £250million after investors snubbed returns of more than seven per cent.

Following the resignation of the 74-year-old Chairman, the bank says it has now secured £350millon in fundraising.

The controversial bank boss had spoken to the Times when the firm opened its Fiveways branch in Tunbridge Wells back in 2015.

At the time he said British banks were ‘old and stale’ and that he wanted to put customers first by offering them a ‘back to basics’, customer-friendly banking service. The model has appealed to customers, with Metro consistently coming top of customer satisfaction rankings.

OUT Chairman Vernon Hill

NEW ECO STORE Waste not, want not, as Holly Watson might say…

The pair say they want to encourage a ‘zero waste way of living’.

“Approximately eight million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans every

‘Tunbridge Wells is already quite a green town, and with the climate marches it is current’ day. We don’t think this is acceptable,” added Ms Watson.

But the ‘self-confessed hippy’, who along with

her business partner has sub-let the premises formerly occupied by Chegworth Farm Shop, admitted the venture was not without risk.

“We know this is a big risk and it is a bit scary,” she said.

“We have taken on a one-year lease, so we know it has to work financially, but we think Tunbridge Wells is the perfect place for this.

“It is already quite a green town, and at the moment, with the climate marches going on, it is very current. We think the people of Tunbridge Wells are definitely ready for this.”

She said The Zero Waste Company is hoping to begin trading on October 31.

Accountants celebrate a decade of tax advice TAX SUCCESS (L-R) Associate David Page, Co-Principal Mark Howard and Janet Pierce

Rolex watches have always been in-demand, but it appears that now more so than ever. Steel sports watches such as the Rolex Submariner are on the top of most people’s wish lists, however authorised Rolex stockists are quoting anywhere between 12 months to three years for the current models. And most stockists require a minimum spend in-store before you’re even put onto their waiting list.

I recently saw an interesting article in a trade magazine, WatchPro, that posed the question: “How to buy a Rolex steel Sub?”.

With so many clients looking for these sought-after watches, I thought it a good subject for discussion.

The Editor of WatchPro, Rob Corder, says: “A Rolex authorised dealer speaking to WatchPro recently told me that his team was spending 80 hours per week fielding calls and politely disappointing potential customers who were pleading to buy or even be added to a waiting list for steel Submariners, GMT Masters or Daytona watches.

This is a retailer with four Rolex doors… and 85 employees. Three of those people work full time turning away potentially valuable customers. This is how tough things have become” However, here at David Carpenter, we are in a fortunate position as an independent retailer where we are able to both stock and source these rare pieces. The range in store varies from nearly new to vintage. All watches have been thoroughly examined in our accredited workshop and are sold with our own 2 year warranty For example, the watches shown above are currently in stock:

AN ACOUNTANCY firm that started life on the founder’s dining room table has celebrated its tenth anniversary.

Charter Tax, which now has offices in London and the village of Goudhurst in the borough of Tunbridge Wells, offers accounting and tax advice to businesses and high net worth individuals within and outside the UK.

Starting The business was set up by Janet Pierce in 2009 after she left a position as partner at an established accountancy firm where she was responsible for international tax and VAT. She said: “I knew what I could offer was fairly niche and that I had a good network

of people who would refer work to me.

“I also came to an agreement with my previous firm to take an agreed list of clients with me, so I had a starting point in terms of creating a business.”

She said the business began on her dining room table before it grew large enough to take an office in London and eventually a premises in Goudhurst.

Since then they have taken on a new partner, Mark Howard.

Ms Pierce continued: “Looking ahead to the next decade, I think we’ve still got room to grow.

“I strongly believe that a business can never stand still and I am always looking to build the next generation of partners, which I believe we have in sight.”

• Rolex Submariner 116610LV ‘Hulk’ 2017 • Rolex GMT Master II 116710 BLNR ‘Batman’ 2017 • Rolex GMT Master II 16710 ‘Coke’ 1996 Please do get in touch with us, we may just have the watch that you’re looking for!

David Carpenter, 16 high Street, Tunbridge Wells.

01892 481 060 info@david-carpenter.co.uk davidcarpenterwatches.com

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10

NEWS

Community News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Bands come together in support of refugees THE third annual Festival of Hope was held at The Forum at the end of last month as a celebration of refugee communities in the South East.

The free event was organised by Tunbridge Wells Welcomes Refugees [TWWR] and featured a wide range of bands as well as Syrian food and poetry readings.

Among the musicians were the Sussex Syrian Trio of Jamal, Alaa and Zahi, and Bashir Al Gamar from Sudan, a poet and songwriter who plays the oud – a resonant stringed instrument.

There was also a talk by Phill Minns, Chair of Best Foot Music, which promotes musicians from migrant and refugee communities.

All profits from the event, which was held on September 29, go to TWWR, a volunteer group that works with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and other organisations to support families and

individuals through the government’s Vulnerable Person Resettlement Programme.

This scheme helps refugees to learn English and register for schools, as well as assisting with issues such as housing and transport.

Carolyn Gray, a volunteer at The Forum, said: “Now in it’s third year, it’s a lovely event, and The Forum are really pleased to be the venue to host this gathering.”

For more information on the organisation, visit tw-welcomesrefugees.org

PIC: TWWR

WORLD MUSIC The Sussex Syrian Trio and Bashir Al Gamar

Big rugby kit clear-out to help young athletes around world

By Andy Tong

FARMERS

Prepare now for changes to farming after Brexit

TUNBRIDGE WELLS Rugby Club has been supporting the charity SOS Kit Aid to coincide with the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The organisation was set up to recycle sports kit for the benefit of young people in the UK and overseas so they are given a ‘sporting chance’.

It was established in 2001 by former rugby player John Broadfoot, who was moved by the sight of an eight-year-old boy in Romania running with the ball under one arm while using the other to hold up his shorts.

With the support of the International Rugby Board in Dublin, he started supplying secondhand kit to Romania to help the development of youth rugby.

Since then, £6million of clothing and equipment has been donated by more than 1,000 schools and clubs as well as kit manufacturers across the UK. A quarter of a million young people in 44 developing countries have received quality used and new kit, and there are a further

20 countries on the waiting list.

They are also making use of kit that would otherwise become environmentally damaging waste – the programme has saved more then 750 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Tunbridge Wells RFC Chairman Mike Rigby said: “We are delighted to help this charity as they strive to make a positive and tangible impact on children’s lives.

“It gives them the chance to participate in sporting activities, promoting social inclusion, and also protecting the environment by reducing the proportion of used kits in landfill sites.”

He added: “As the result of its collection day, the club has been able to send the charity 315 youth playing shirts as well as T-shirts, boots and even a set of old post protectors!

“This would not have been possible without the generosity of members and the club’s Youth Section sponsors Countryside, Greenstone Financial Planning, Nortrade, HR Revolution, Bethany School, Cripps Pemberton Greenish and The Mark Cross Inn.” For more information, visit soskitaid.com

There will be new rules and processes for the farming industry, such as changes to trade agreements and tariffs, import and export processes and movement across borders. Whether you’re a livestock, arable, or horticultural farmer, start preparing now.

Find out how to meet new requirements for your area of farming at gov.uk/brexit-farming Get ready for Brexit

PASS IT ON James (left) and Matthew Croker with the 315 jerseys

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Ex-mayoresses brave firewalk to help mental health charity

HOT-FOOTING IT (L-R) Judy Horwood, Jill Neve and Hana Wynne

By Richard Williams TWO former mayoresses of Tunbridge Wells have taken a walk across hot coals and raised more than £1,000 for a local charity.

Judy Horwood, wife of Cllr Len Horwood, who served as Mayor in 2018-19, and Jill Neve, whose husband Cllr David Neve was Mayor in 2014-15, both hot-footed it in aid of the charity Tunbridge

Wells Mental Health Resource.

The pair were joined by Hana Wynne, who also braved the Buster’s Charity Firewalk at the Mercure Hotel in Maidstone on Sunday September 29 for the mental health charity.

Around 40 people took part in the event, raising money for a number of good causes, but it was the two former mayoresses and Ms Wynne who generated the most cash from braving the hot coals – raising £1,681.

01892 770 186

Community News

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11

Garden party for retiring Viscount

VISCOUNT DE L’ISLE, the Lord Lieutenant of Kent, hosted a farewell garden party at Penshurst Place ahead of his retirement from the role next April.

He steps down as the royal representative in the In total, around £14,000 was raised for 17 chari- county on April 21, the same day as The Queen’s ties at the event.

94th birthday – and his own 75th.

Jill Neve, who got involved with the charity after The Viscount, who has held the post since 2011, her son developed an eating disorder, told the was made a Commander of the Royal Victorian Times that all three of them came away unscathed. Order [CVO] in this year’s Birthday Honours List.

More than 200 guests attended the party at the home of Lord De L’Isle and his wife Lady Isobel, ‘I thought my feet would be representing local councils, the church, sore at the end, but they weren’t, businesses, charities and the Lieutenancy.

Richard Oldfield, Vice Lord Lieutenant, paid although they were a little tribute to the Viscount, saying: “You’ve looked black, but it didn’t hurt’ after all the Royal Family, and The Queen twice.

“You’ve planted trees, unveiled plaques, taken She said: “It was about ten strides in total. I salutes, presented more than 70 British Empire thought my feet would be sore at the end but they Medals, opened bridges, laid wreaths, sworn in weren’t, although they were a little black, but it magistrates. We are all here because we want to didn’t hurt. say thank you on behalf of Kent for what you have “They gave us all a very good briefing before done for Kent.” we went across, and told us not to run or stop for Lord De L’Isle said: “While I do not retire until pictures!”

April next year, we thought it would be a little They were cheered on by their mayoral hus- risky from a weather point of view to plan a garden party in March or April.” bands, who had to brave a heavy downpour.

He revealed that he and his Event coordinator Dominic Comins said: “Many Deputy Lieutenants had supported congratulations to all the fearless firewalkers who an average of 500 events a year braved the hot coals and rather grim weather at tonight’s event. across the county during his tenure: “As a county, we have a creditable “The £14,000 that they raised will make a real reputation for arranging great difference to charities providing vital services to individuals and communities across and events, which demonstrates beyond Kent.” the great morale that exists He added: “Heavy rain in the lead-up across Kent. The Queen and to the challenge threatened to put a very I share a birthday on April literal dampener on proceedings.

21, when my successor “But the clouds broke just before the will take office.”

MAN OF KENT action begun, so everybody managed The new Lord-Lieutenant Viscount De L’Isle to complete the firewalk without is likely to be announced getting drenched.” by the end of the year.

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

LIGHTING UP Last year’s fireworks over Dunorlan Lake

Tickets now on sale for town’s 62nd Dunorlan fireworks extravaganza TICKETS have now gone on sale for this year’s annual fireworks display at Dunorlan Park.

The spectacle is back for its 62nd year on Saturday, November 2nd, and is again being organised by the Royal Tunbridge Wells Round Table, who last year raised thousands for good causes.

Around 12,000 people packed Dunorlan Park to see the display last year, which has been an

‘It’s because of their generosity that an event like ours continues to go from strength to strength’ annual event in the town since 1957.

Andrew Mockford, committee member, said: “We’re committed to giving the people of Tunbridge Wells and beyond a great value evening of entertainment, whilst enabling them to give something back to the local community.

“Because of their generosity that an event like ours continues to go from strength to strength.”

Earlier this year, a number of good causes received part of £22,000 raised by the Round Table during the annual fireworks display.

These included Oakley School, Tunbridge Wells Welcomes Refugees, Sherwood Men’s Shed, The Number One Community Trust, DAVSS, Community Car Service, COMPAID, TW Crisis Recovery, IMAGO, and TWMHR (mental health hub).

Charities are invited to approach the Round Table for funding for their project, with giveaways set to be presented in a function next year.

Fireworks will begin from 7pm, and doors will open from 5.30pm.

The event is being sponsored for the fifth successive year by Buss Murton Law, and Times newspapers are again involved as media sponsors.

Tickets are available online at £6 for adults and and £4 for children in advance, or £8 and £6 on the day. Children under five go free.

Tickets are also being sold in Fiveways in Tunbridge Wells on Saturdays leading up to the event.

To find out more, visit rtwrt.org

Local News

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13

14

NEWS

National News

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Protesters use glue to defy MET police order

am clear that any threat on withdrawing security co-operation with Ireland is unacceptable.”

The Prime Minister’s spokesman insisted however that Mr Johnson had consistently made plain the UK continued to have ‘a close security partnership with our EU colleagues’.

The row comes after EU leaders made clear that Mr Johnson’s plan to resolve issue of the Northern Ireland backstop was not a basis for an agreement.

CLIMATE change protesters, referred to by PM Boris Johnson this week as ‘unco-operative crusties’ have defied police orders by gluing themselves to buildings.

Extinction Rebellion activists told police yesterday [Tuesday] they were prepared to be taken into custody for failing to comply with orders to move their protest to a single site at Trafalgar Square.

Police handed out notices across Westminster on Tuesday morning, where campaigners kept an overnight vigil, in an attempt to reduce the disruption in the capital and concentrate the action on one area.

However, protesters glued themselves to the Department for Transport building and to the underside of a lorry outside the Home Office in defiance of the notices.

Christmas comes early THE world’s first Christmas card - printed several years before the idea would finally take off - is going on show.

Dated 1843, the hand-coloured card depicts a large family gathering for Christmas, drinking wine and carving a turkey.

A child also appears to be gulping down some of the beverage at the crowded table in the design by Henry Cole, Joseph Cundall and John Calcott Horsley.

The lithographed cards, published in Old Bond Street, London, were sold for one shilling each.

But it took another five years for the next card designed for Christmas to appear.

The idea did eventually take off - in 1877 4.5million Christmas cards were posted.

The Christmas card will go on display at the Charles Dickens Museum in an exhibition on the novelist’s enduring influence on how Christmas is celebrated today.

Clarifying

LEADERS Mr Johnson and Mrs Merkel earlier this year

Tusk accuses PM of ‘stupid blame game’ over Brexit BORIS JOHNSON has been accused of engaging in a ‘stupid blame game’ after Downing Street claimed the EU had made a Brexit deal ‘impossible’.

Downing Street sources claimed German chancellor Angela Merkel had made clear that an agreement was now ‘overwhelmingly unlikely’.

Following a telephone call with Boris Johnson, she was said to have insisted the Irish must have a veto over Northern Ireland leaving the customs union.

The claims provoked a furious response from European Council president Donald Tusk who accused him of jeopardising the future security of the EU and the UK. “Boris Johnson, what’s at stake is not winning

some stupid blame game,” he tweeted.

“At stake is the future of Europe and the UK as well as the security and interests of our people.

“You don’t want a deal, you don’t want an extension, you don’t want to revoke, quo vadis?”

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman confirmed that there had been a ‘frank exchange’ of views with the German chancellor, but refused to be drawn any further on the ‘source’ claims.

Amid the dramatic escalation in the war of words between London and Brussels, there was apparent alarm among some UK ministers at the prospect the Government could withdraw security co-operation with the EU if it tries to stop the UK leaving in a no-deal at the end of the month.

Northern Ireland Secretary Julian Smith said: “I

A no 10 source said Mrs Merkel had told the Prime Minister that the UK could not leave the EU without leaving Northern Ireland behind in a customs union with the EU. “It was a very useful clarifying moment in all sorts of ways,” the unnamed source, quoted by Sky News, said.

“If this represents a new established position, then it means a deal is essentially impossible, not just now but ever.

“It also made clear that they are willing to torpedo the Good Friday Agreement.”

Their call followed an overnight briefing to The Spectator magazine from an unnamed No 10 source warning any attempt by the EU to prevent Britain leaving at the end of October would be treated as ‘hostile interference’ in UK politics.

It was said to have been made clear that defence and security co-operation with the EU would be affected if it tried to keep Britain in against the will of the Government.

“We will make clear privately and publicly that countries which oppose delay will go the front of the queue for future co-operation - co-operation on things both within and outside EU competences” the source said.

“Those who support delay will go to the bottom of the queue. Supporting delay will be seen by this Government as hostile interference in domestic politics, and over half of the public will agree with us.”

The source also warned that negotiations with Brussels could collapse this week and blamed Irish premier Leo Varadkar for refusing to engage.

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23/09/2019 12:26

National News

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

No-deal Brexit ‘assumption’ as Ireland unveils its budget

NEWS IN BRIEF

Meteor shower to light up night skies

FINANCE MINISTER Paschal Donohoe yesterday

STARGAZERS are set to catch a glimpse of celestial fireworks in between rainy spells overnight as the Earth passes through a cloud of cometary dust.

The Draconid meteor shower, also known as the Giacobinids, will peak at 2am on October 9, as blustery rain continues across various parts of the country.

But forecasters say there will be “clear spells” that will allow the cosmic spectacle to be visible to the naked eye.

Grahame Madge, a Met Office spokesman, said: “In between showers there will be clear spells, so most locations should enable skywatchers the chance to experience some of the meteor shower.”

The Draconid meteor shower takes place every year in October. A second meteor shower, the Orionids, will also take place later this month, peaking on October 21.

This is a budget developed in the shadow of Brexit and the context for Brexit has shifted to no deal as our central assumption

Playstation 5 launch SONY has confirmed its next games console will be named the PlayStation 5, and will launch at the end of next year.

The video games giant said the new console will be released in time for Christmas 2020, complete with a new controller that uses enhanced vibration technology which would help games feel more realistic.

Jim Ryan, president of Sony Interactive Entertainment, said the firm wanted to ‘deepen the feeling of immersion when you play games’ through the controller.

Sony also confirmed the next-generation console will feature hardware updates including a new solid-state drive.

Brexit and the context for Brexit has shifted to no deal as our central assumption, this does not mean no deal is inevitable, but equally we stand ready if it does happen,” he told the Dail parliament in Dublin.

THE Irish Government has announced a budget with a 1.2billion euro fund to help absorb the impact of a no-deal Brexit.

The package includes 650million euro to support the agri-food and tourism sectors.

There will also be 200million euro made available to government departments to increase staffing levels and upgrade airports and ports.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said the budget was ‘without precedent’.

“This is a budget developed in the shadow of

“In preparing for no deal we can ensure the Government has the necessary resources to meet the impact of Brexit, keeping our public finances on the credible path they have been on since 2011.

“We must increase the level and range of supports to ensure our economy is protected and this is why we are announcing over 1.2 billion euro, excluding EU funding, to respond to Brexit.”

The spending plan is based on the anticipated gloomy financial outlook if the UK leaves with EU without an agreement on October 31.

“A no deal is unpredictable,” said the minister.

“It will impact different sectors in different ways.

“Our response will demand flexibility.”

The budget also included measures to tackle climate change, including a six euro per tonne hike in carbon tax.

Mr Donohoe called climate change the ‘defining challenge of our generation’ as he made his announcement, which will apply to fuel for vehicles from midnight but will not apply to homes until 2020.

The Finance Minister also allocated 1.1billion euro of capital funding to social housing.

See Yourself at Claremont

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Vaccines should be offered at festivals and supermarkets VACCINES should be offered in supermarkets, pop-up clinics and at music festivals to help tackle falling immunisation rates, leading experts have said.

Before steps are taken to introduce mandatory vaccination in the UK, as has been suggested by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, clinics should open at weekends and in the evenings to improve access to important jabs, they said.

The experts argued that most parents do vaccinate their children but those who do not often have problems attending clinics.

Social media The experts played down the role of antivaccination groups on social media, saying trust in social media was generally low in the UK, while confidence in doctors and nurses was high.

Helen Bedford, professor of children’s health at University College London’s Institute of Child Health, said there was an urgent need to look at all the barriers that prevent vaccination. She said some groups are more likely to miss out on vaccines, such as children in care, and those from traveller and immigrant families.

“What we know is that most people that are under-immunised, it’s about difficulty accessing services,” she said. “It’s about offering vaccination in places other then general practices - so places where families go routinely, maybe even supermarkets or pop-up places, that’s the kind of thing we need to be looking at.”

She said some families had issues that made keeping on top of vaccinations difficult.

“You may be a working parent, you may have one child in nursery, one child in school and it’s simply difficult to get to the GP at the appointed hour,” she said.

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BUSINESS

National News

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Post Office announce new banking service agreement

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Ask the Lawyer Stephen Wilmot

COUNTER OFFER 28 banks have agreed the deal with the Post Office BANK customers will continue to be able to access a range of their providers’ everyday cash and cheque services through the Post Office after a new agreement was reached.

But consumer campaigners said a decision by Barclays to end over-the-counter cash withdrawals from Post Office branches for its customers next year ‘exposes the fragility of the UK’s cash system’.

The Post Office said 28 banks have reconfirmed their commitment through the three-year agreement that their customers can access cash and cheque banking services at its branches.

But the Post Office said it was ‘disappointed’ that Barclays has chosen to stop allowing its customers to make cash withdrawals from January 8 2020.

Barclays’ customers will still be able to access other services such as continuing to deposit cash and cheques at the Post Office after this date.

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) also said it is concerned about the impact of Barclays’ decision.

It said: “We will be closely monitoring the steps

Barclays plan to take to make sure there are suitable alternatives for its customers to access their cash - especially those who rely on cash or who live in rural areas.”

The PSR added: “We are considering whether (ATM network) Link’s current policies on the Post Office are still appropriate and also whether we need to use our regulatory powers to further ensure public commitments about the ongoing availability of access to free-to-use ATMs for UK consumers are met.”

Which? recently found that Barclays had closed 481 branches - around a third of its network between the start of 2018 and August 2019.

Which? money editor Jenny Ross said: “Barclays’ shocking decision exposes the fragility of the UK’s cash system, and blows apart industry claims that the Post Office network is a solution to the cash crisis.”

Barclays has separately announced that it plans to introduce a cashback scheme from next year involving small businesses, and has pledged not to close branches in remote areas or where it is the last bank in town for the next two years.

NEWS IN BRIEF

UK productivity drops at Selfridges sales surge has credited a raft of new fastest pace for five years SELFRIDGES customer experiences after it posted another BRITAIN’S productivity has fallen at the fastest annual pace in five years in a sign that Brexit uncertainty is compounding an already weak spot in the UK economy.

Official figures showed that output per hour worked fell 0.5 per cent year-on-year between April and June - the biggest drop since the second quarter of 2014.

Productivity fell 0.2 per cent quarter-onquarter, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The drop in year-on-year productivity in the labour market follows two previous quarters of zero growth.

It comes after years of below-par productivity - leading to the so-called ‘productivity puzzle’ seen in the UK economy since 2008.

year of record sales.

The historic retailer shrugged off the trading malaise weighing on the high street to increase sales by 6 per cent to £1.85billion for the year to February 2019.

However, the company also saw operating profits slip to £170million, from £175million the previous year, as it increased investment across its portfolio.

Selfridges said customer numbers increased after it drove investment into improving custumer experiences, such as with the launch of a skate bowl at its flagship Oxford Street store and a crystal-encrusted Damien Hirst installation. The London branch will also be the first department store to have its own cinema.

Bowling profits strike

Sir Martin Sorrell has said he expects to make another acquisition ‘shortly’ after merging his Dutch company MediaMonks with the largest independent advertising agency in Silicon Valley, in a deal worth $150million [£122.5million].

Speaking to the PA news agency, the veteran advertising executive said the money left over from a £100million fundraising after the merger with San Francisco-based Firewood will be spent on a takeover in the content area.

The deal is expected to cost $77.5million [£63million] in cash, and the same in shares.

“There will be another thing coming,” he said, adding that the company also expects a couple of smaller takeovers in the data and analytics area.

With clients including Facebook, Google and LinkedIn, the Firewood agency brings over 300 new staff across seven offices across the Americas and Europe to Sir Martin’s fledgling media empire.

BOWLING alley giant, Hollywood Bowl Group, has seen shares rise after it announced new openings and refurbishments have helped to drive up profits ahead of expectations.

The entertainment business, which runs the Knights Park bowling alley in Tunbridge Wells, said it expects pre-tax profit for the year to September 30 to have risen by more than 10 per cent, ‘slightly ahead’ of market forecasts.

The company welcomed a ‘strong performance’ for the year, as it was boosted by its significant investment programme.

Total revenue for the year jumped 7.7 per cent, while like-for-like revenue growth increased by 5.5 per cent.

The group, which runs 60 ten-pin bowling sites across the UK, said it has made progress with its ‘customer-led strategy’ over the year.

Shares in the company increased 1.8 per cent to 231p in early trading on Tuesday.

Sorrell eyes more deals

Stephen is a Matrimonial Solicitor with over 35 years of experience in his field. He deals with Divorce, Judicial Separation, Child Arrangements, Financial Provision and Domestic Violence aspects of marriage breakdown but also deals with unmarried couples in terms of property ownership disputes. Stephen is able to prepare Pre -Nuptial and Post -Nuptial Agreements, Co-Habitation Agreements and Separation Agreements and handles Special Guardianship and Adoption cases.

HOW DOES DIVORCE AFFECT CHILDREN? Let’s treat relationship breakdown, separation, divorce and other proceedings relating to marriage exactly the same way when considering the effects upon “children”; and in terms of the word “children” certainly the effect might be more severe and long-lasting for a child of 5 or 10 but nonetheless a child of 16, 18 or even 20 might still be very badly affected.

Clearly there are psychological, emotional and developmental impacts upon children of separated parents and there are counselling and therapeutic services available separately for the adults involved in these situations and the children, as well as a “family therapy” approach.

I focus here on the legal context, specifically the types of court orders that might be applied for by the mother and father if they cannot reach agreement either between themselves or with the help of Mediation on the subject of the children. Often, though not always, both parents have Parental Responsibility for a child/children.

Parents can ask the court to make a Child Arrangements Order, which could take the form of one of the following: • “live with order” (previously “custody”, then “residence”) – setting out whether the children live with Dad, Mum or with each of them at certain times • “shared care order” - this needn’t be exactly equal sharing of time at the home of each parent, for the children • “spend time with order” (previously “access”, then “contact”) - setting out when, where and how often a child sees a parent that she/he doesn’t live with • “specific issue order” – when there is a need to determine particular issues schooling, medical treatment or religious upbringing • “prohibited steps order” – when one parent via the court might need to stop the other doing something, such as allowing a child to come into contact with another person These are all orders that one parent might seek. However, if the Local Authority ie “Social Services” had concerns about a child or children in the context of relationship breakdown it might consider applying to the court for a Supervision Order or a Care Order. The former would involve monitoring of the family/child/children by a Social Worker but no Parental Responsibility. Sometimes the latter might involve foster carers or, part of the wider family of one parent being involved in childcare and the Social Services would acquire Parental Responsibility for any child. If the parents cannot cope with one or more children, one of their parents (for example), might need to step in to care for such child/children and a Special Guardianship Order made. The Social Services would often provide support and funding in that regard.

This is clearly a huge subject far beyond this summary so if you want further advice, please do contact me and my colleagues at Keene Marsland for help.

Telephone: 01892 526442 | Email: enquiries@keenemarsland.co.uk www.keenemarsland.co.uk Address: Keene Marsland, 6 Clanricarde Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1PH Parfitt Cresswell SRA No. 71480 is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority

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18

NEWS

Letters

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

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, Times Local News, Salomons Estate, Tunbridge Wells TN3 0TG

Supporting our local heritage to offer a vibrant view of the past On behalf of the Tunbridge Wells Heritage Open Days committee, we would like to say a big thank you to everyone involved with Heritage this year. So many volunteers worked hard to offer 52 events across the borough to showcase the incredible amount of history, venues and stories we, as a destination, have to offer residents and visitors to our area.

Each person put in hours of work to offer participants vibrant, informed and illustrated visits, tours and walks.

We had no idea how many people would visit them, and we were delighted to have over 60 people attend the talk by Dr Helen Doe, who travelled from Cornwall to share the story of her father, Wing Commander Bob Doe, local Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall resident.

He was one of the top five aces in the Battle of Britain. This event happened at the same time as the anniversary of the battle, so we chose this to recognise the national celebration of 25 years of Heritage Open Days, and were very pleased to be joined in these celebrations by Deputy Mayor Joy Podbury, who cut the cake with Dr Doe and sponsors Royal Tunbridge Wells Together, Karen Pengelly and Rusthall Councillor Dave Funnell.

There are so many stories to tell about each event and no room here. But we would also like to thank Eileen Leahy of the Times, who did so much in the build-up to the events season to ensure they were showcased.

Caroline Auckland (pictured below, left) Royal Tunbridge Wells Civic Society

climate strikes organised by youth all around the world, more coverage on TV news, and both local and national governments declaring a climate emergency.

Yet, despite all this, Gatwick Airport looks likely to expand and Heathrow is getting a third runway. The inconsistency! Aviation is set to be the UK’s largest source of emissions by 2050.

Flying is a luxury, not an essential of life; 57 per cent of the population never fly at all, and 70 per cent of flights are taken by the wealthiest 15 per cent of the population. Rather than keep expanding our airports, we should be introducing a frequent flyer tax and reducing flights.

There is a public meeting about the proposals to expand Gatwick on Saturday October 12 from 2-5pm at Groombridge Village Hall. Anybody interested is welcome to attend.

Fran Long Tonbridge

A note on the Second Piano Concerto

HISTORY REVISITED Volunteers made the Heritage Open Days come alive

Leave our children’s trees alone Having just returned from Chichester, where I visited both the Festival Theatre and the Minerva, I would hope their productions would be able to cope in a proscenium theatre with fixed seating, which is proposed for Tunbridge Wells.

The theatre building is really a red herring.

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] wants new offices, and to get the loan from the Government it needs to offer them (and our ratepayers) the illusion of having a modern theatre which will be booked almost fully every evening to minimise the costs of subsidy.

The real object is to get new offices; 72 mature trees in a Grade II-listed park that absorb pollution, which is good for our children on their way to and from school, do not come into the equation.

The fact that TWBC could build the theatre and then, for less money, renovate the old Town Hall, keeping the facade and letting out surplus office space, is not as pleasing a prospect as the proposed view from the balcony of a new building overlooking the remnants of the park.

I am an avid theatregoer. But you cannot convince me that a park needs to be carved up for a town hall when the existing one could be renovated at half the cost.

All over the world people are waking up to the fact that pollution is a killer. Not here! The Times had pictures of schoolchildren outside the Town Hall [September 25] – will councillors take note?

Catherine Thomas Tunbridge Wells

War Memorial work running late It is not unheard of for papers to take sides, all of them do. If the council decides to go ahead with Calverley Square, or just a new town hall somewhere, or a refurb of the Assembly Hall, let’s hope they don’t use the same contractors they are using for the work being done alongside

the War Memorial as it is two months late and didn’t look that difficult a job.

Also, why were expensive temporary traffic lights brought in at the junction, when the traffic lights already there could have been reprogrammed?

It does make one wonder if the council is capable of any large building undertaking. In any case, the proposed new theatre would never make the money to pay back the capital costs.

Richard Bell Tunbridge Wells

Questions need to be answered Some people claim Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] has no mandate to mortgage residents to pay for the £100million-plus office and theatre project in Calverley Grounds.

When the next council information sheet is sent to all householders, let it include details of the project and also make it absolutely clear all income stream figures from the project are based on guesswork, not facts. That information can be followed with two questions: 1) Should £2million of your taxes go each year for 50 years on a theatre and office block?

2) Should £2million be spent every year on increasing affordable rentable housing, supporting child and youth facilities, planting more trees in our streets (perhaps giving everyone with a garden a free tree to help fight climate change), etc?

Answer yes to either question and return to TWBC. The majority view provides the mandate your electors say is absent – whatever the answer.

Well, this approach has worked already, hasn’t it?

John Elliott Tunbridge Wells

We need fewer flights, not more It is great to see that the climate emergency is finally being taken seriously. We have seen

My wife and I very much enjoyed the Royal Tunbridge Wells Symphony Orchestra’s concert at the Assembly Hall on September 29, especially Howard Shelley’s rendering of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto. In a recent Arts item [September 25], the RTWSO Chairman was quoted on the memorable use of the piece in ‘the pre-war film Close Encounter’. The correct reference should be to David Lean’s film of Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter – which was released in November 1945. Not to be confused with Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), scored by John Williams.

Ten years later, the concerto featured no less prominently in the film comedy The Seven Year Itch, when Marilyn Monroe was enraptured by a recording of it which she played over and over again in her Manhattan apartment.

Interestingly, whilst living in the USA in the early 1940s, Rachmaninoff was approached to provide a score for the British film Dangerous Moonlight (released in 1941). He declined, but the score by Richard Addinsell, known as the Warsaw Concerto, remains popular today.

John Noss, Langton Green Ed: Well spotted and apologies. We were ‘close’!

Singular concern about entities I am disappointed to find the Times frequently treating an entity such as a council, committee, club or company as a plural rather than a singular – a common solecism but one which can lead to confusion.

The plural is only appropriate if, exceptionally, reference is being made to the members of the body rather than the body itself. So we should say, for example, ‘the committee [body] has announced its decision’ but ‘the committee [members] are to meet the Queen’.

I am therefore not sure how to interpret your report on September 25 that ‘Kent County Council have cut their CO2 emissions by half’.

As some of our county councillors are known to spout a high volume of hot air from time to time, the inference that they have made an effective personal reduction is welcome news.

Nick Stanbury Tunbridge Wells

Pub misses out beer barrel middle man Regarding innovative pub urinals [August 28 & September 11], perhaps Calverley should broaden his experience and water further afield: At the White Hart in Hythe they use a cut-away beer barrel, surely the landlord’s unspoken, yet sublime, observation on the beer he serves.

It’s quite good, actually, as is the food.

Edward Baker, Tunbridge Wells

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

SCREAMING KIDS sitting next to you on a plane can be a bit testing, which is why Japan Airlines have come up with a great idea – a seating map that shows you where youngsters are sitting when you are about to choose your own seat. But, and there is always a ‘but’, they and other airlines need to take it a stage further and tell us were those stag and hen parties are sitting, too. They’re much more of a challenge. Calverley would rather travel in the hold with the baggage than endure their antics.

BOTH sides of the Brexit debate have a lot to answer for when it comes to keeping people confused. And that includes youngsters.

Calverley popped into a neighbour’s just as her son came back from a bike ride up the lane. Mum: “Did you have a nice time? You look a bit upset.” Son: “Well I am because we talked about this Brexit thing and I really don’t want to leave.” Mum: “Oh dear, why not?” Son: “Because I love our house and will miss it, I want to stay here.” He’s eight years old.

STAYING with

Paul Brexit (sorry!)

Mason you just have to laugh at all the hypocrites taking pot shots at young Boris for his language in the House when he talked of ‘cowards’ and ‘surrender’ when referring to remoaners.

Among the hypocrites was leading Corbynista and political commentator Paul Mason, who happily appeared on BBC Newsnight to declare: “It’s the language of incitement.”

Bit rich that from the man who apparently called the PM a pro-fascist ‘dictator’ and described Brexiteers as ‘a tawdry alliance of billionaires and racist pensioners’. Glass houses and stones?

OFF to The Middle House in Mayfield, surely the epitome of Middle England and the inspiration for the hit TV series Midsomer Murders? This was borne out for Calverley as he watched a chappie park his 4x4 outside, saunter up to the bar, and ask: “Need to make a seven o’clock reservation for supper [dinner] this Friday, if OK?” Bar person: “That will be fine, sir.” Him: “Oh yes, there will be two smalls [children], hope that’s not a problem?” Ah, life in the shires.

Chin Chin, dear reader

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 October 9 | 2019

Education

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

EDUCATION

Times

Author tells how a passion for football helped him to write his dream books

NEWS

19

A modern boarding approach with Hurstpierpoint College…

Year 7 students at St Gregory’s Catholic School were treated to a visit by successful children’s author Dan Freedman last week…

DAN FREEDMAN is responsible for the hugely successful Jamie Johnson books, which are about an ordinary boy who dreams of becoming a famous footballer. The author’s eight-book series has also been turned into a hit CBBC television drama. And Dan’s latest book, Unstoppable, won the Times’ Children’s Book of the Week shortly after its publication earlier this year.

M

Resilience During a visit to St Gregory’s School in Reynolds Lane, Tunbridge Wells on October 2, Dan gave an inspirational talk to over 200 Year 7 students about his life and work, as well as the importance of developing resilience and pursuing a dream.

Having fostered a passion for football from an early age, Dan realised he couldn’t be a professional footballer but still wanted to get a job in the industry, so he started to read more widely, improving his vocabulary. He worked as a journalist for the BORN TO PLAY Every student present received a copy of Dan’s first book, and a bookmark!

ON THE BALL Dan Freedman with one of the pupils Football Association for several years, where he met and interviewed some of the world’s best footballers.

He then decided to write a book that he said he would have wanted to read when he was a youngster, and so Jamie Johnson was born.

Reading a passage from his book Unstoppable, Dan discussed important issues about how we use technology – something which thoroughly engaged the students, as very popular question and answer session demonstrated.

Dan then held a creative writing workshop with 31 St Gregory’s Football Academy students.

Fantastic To mark his visit, the award-winning author gave each student a copy of his first book, Born To Play, together with a bookmark.

Of the occasion, Dan said: “It’s a joy to visit St Gregory’s. The school and the students – including the fantastic Football Academy – were magnificent.

“The questions and discussions we had covered so many different subjects, and to see every student clutching their book was such a wonderful sight.”

We’re always looking for interesting and celebratory news stories from schools in the area to include within our Education pages. If you have news to share about your school, you can contact our Education Editor Eileen Leahy at eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk We also run dedicated Education specials on a variety of topics. Look out for our next one in the March issue of SO Magazine and in Times Local Newspapers on 15th January 2020 26th February 2020 To advertise and contribute editorially to these specials, please contact Gemma Hak ghak@markerstudy.com

GREG CLARK MP Meet your MP DROP-IN ADVICE SURGERY SAINSBURYS, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

Saturday 19 October 9am–10am NO APPOINTMENT NECESSARY Call 01892 519854 for more details

odern boarding is about achieving academic excellence and building confidence, leadership skills and independence, as well as gaining a sense of community and cultural understanding.

The boarding community at Hurst College is made up of flexi and weekly boarders, now that it has moved away from full boarding.

Hurst believes that these two options allow students to make the most of the educational and co-curricular opportunities during the week, and enjoy home life with their families at the weekends.

Flexi boarding for three nights each week is a huge attraction, and it really is flexible.

Students are able to choose their nights, even at short notice, and retain their own bed throughout the term.

Hurst’s weekly boarders can stay for five nights from Sunday to Thursday or Monday to Friday, removing the stresses of a daily commute and allowing even more time for co-curricular activities and study.

Housemaster Adam Hopcroft said: “Boarding gives students a work-home balance.

School life is busy, so boarding provides students with the chance to take part in extra-curricular activities after school.”

Adam believes boarding also gives students an advantage academically. “Boarders have more access to their teachers as well as their friends. Our students work in study groups during prep and we make sure they are productive during this time. If they work well it allows them to have a more relaxed weekend.”

Housemistress Tania Fielden believes that a boarding environment gives students a strong foundation for their future. “As boarders children have to learn skills for life, which is good preparation for their future.

They grow up in a supportive environment and it becomes their second home.”

In families where both parents work fulltime, childcare is expensive and boarding means there is no need for busy parents to worry about the school run – and they can be confident their child is being well looked after. This leaves weekends free for quality family time. For children, boarding is a way to spend more time with their peers, be better prepared for the school day and have more time to take part in a full range of extra activities.

Headmaster Tim Manly explains: “We aim to strike a healthy balance between school and home. Boarding means that students are able to engage with a rich and textured life within strong communities but also maintain contact with parents and family. We want our students to develop in all sorts of good ways, not least a sense of independence and individuality, but also the ability to work in a team with others and to understand what it means to be a fully functioning human being, to live not just for oneself but for other people too.” www.hppc.co.uk

20

NEWS

Weekly Comment

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Nus Ghani

Conservative MP for Wealden

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Nus Ghani was elected MP for Wealden in May 2015 and represents Crowborough, Eridge and Uckfield, among other towns and villages. She also currently serves as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport and is Assistant Government Whip. In 2018, Ms Ghani became the first Muslim woman to speak from the House of Commons Despatch Box. The Times also publishes comment from the Labour, Liberal Democrat and Green parties.

Domestic abuse is not just about physical violence LAST week, I supported a new campaign by the children’s charity Barnardo’s to recognise and tackle the impact of domestic abuse on the lives of young children and families.

As the MP for Wealden, I am too familiar with distressing cases of domestic violence, and over the years I have seen an increase in both the levels of abuse and the impact on victims when their testimonies have been dismissed.

It’s not easy coming forward to seek help and it takes a lion heart to take on the perpetrator.

I have spent five years trying to get the law to recognise all forms of domestic abuse as a crime and get more resources and support for victims.

Momentous Progress was made this week with the Government’s Domestic Abuse Bill, and I was pleased to see it had its Second Reading and is well on its way to the statute books.

The Bill is a momentous step in protecting the rights of domestic abuse victims as it extends the statutory government definition of domestic abuse to include more complex forms of abuse.

This includes groundbreaking recognition of economic abuse, coercion and controlling nonphysical abuse, which will also challenge any outdated ideas of what domestic violence is or what a victim should look like.

For example, I am presented with cases where the perpetrator has used their power, threat of

violence, or intimidation techniques to dehumanise the victim over a period of time for control and abuse.

This Bill will recognise these crimes as well as providing additional protection for victims of domestic abuse in Family and Criminal Courts.

My MP surgeries are open to all, and sometimes a brave soul walks in and shares their horrifying private life and we both need tissues to wipe away our tears, and at the back of my mind is the concern that the system may let this vulnerable victim down.

This new legislation will help enormously and take on stereotypes which will allow for more victims to come forward.

It is also important to recognise that domestic abuse also affects children and people in samesex relationships, and as a community we should be more vigilant in seeing signs of abuse and providing the support and help we can.

We have a long way to go in tackling domestic violence, with the shocking fact that two women are killed each week by a present or former partner.

I will continue to campaign on behalf of victims, and, most importantly, victims of domestic abuse should be encouraged to take action by contacting the police or through the National Domestic Violence Helpline (0808 200 0247) or the Men’s Advice Line (0808 801 0327).

I am proud to be part of a Government that supports domestic abuse victims and will continue to give it all my support.

Ben Chapelard Liberal Democrat councillor for St James’

ADDITIONAL PROTECTION For victims

Ben Chapelard is a Liberal Democrat councillor for St James’ and Leader of the Opposition on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. He is also the Lib Dem MP candidate for Tunbridge Wells constituency at the next general election which is currently scheduled for 2022.

Why I want to be your local and vocal MP for Tunbridge Wells I AM pleased to announce that Tunbridge Wells is now a Liberal Democrat target seat for the next general election, and I am proud to be your candidate.

Since I was first elected to represent the people of St James’ ward as a borough councillor in 2010, I have always prided myself on serving the local community first.

Over the past decade I have led many successful campaigns, such as convincing the Council to introduce doorstep glass recycling, to leading efforts to stop the ever-rising Tory expenditure on the new Town Hall and theatre complex.

Predecessor It is in this tradition that I aim to continue as the first Lib Dem MP for Tunbridge Wells.

This constituency has previously been considered a Conservative ‘safe seat’. Political parties use safe seats to parachute candidates who will be unfailingly loyal to the leadership in exchange for the seat.

That’s the deal. Usually these MPs have no link to the local area.

Tunbridge Wells has suffered from this

situation. The current MP has prioritised the needs of his party and more recently those of the government ahead of the needs of residents. Tunbridge Wells has come third in the priority list.

A recent example is the flooding at the bottom of town centre at The Pantiles and by the railway station. It has flooded three times since 2015.

It was only after the second time that the Conservative MP started doing something. Not soon enough though to avoid a third flood.

I want to change all that. I want to be an MP who puts Tunbridge Wells first. For example, with the initial flooding in 2015, I would have been all over it - knocking heads together to get things done to try and prevent and a repeat.

Tunbridge Wells deserves nothing less.

I will be a different MP to my predecessor. I want to spend as much time getting things done locally. I do not want to be sucked in to the Westminster bubble.

I understand that this kind of thing happens easily, but I will fight very hard to be on the ground as much as possible. Mercifully, Westminster is a short train ride back to Tunbridge Wells, and I will be one of those daily commuters.

STREETWISE I want to be an MP who puts Tunbridge Wells first I know that the role of an MP is to legislate, and I need to be there in Westminster to do that important job. But I am also increasingly aware that there is a frustration that MPs are busy but have little local impact.

I need to work efficiently to deliver for Tunbridge Wells. If I am elected, I will of course work with other MPs to reform Westminster, as it needs to be dragged into the 21st century! I am under no illusion though that many have

probably said this before, so this is a long term aim rather than the golden solution.

I am far from alone in these criticisms of parliament, which were echoed by independent MP Rory Stewart only last week as he announced that he would not be standing again.

So expect to see me a lot on the ground and maybe fewer appearances on the telly with the green benches of the House of Commons in the background!

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Best property buys for...

Elmdene

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

£550,000

Camden Park Tunbridge Wells GUIDE PRICE

CONTACT • Savills, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 507000 • savills.co.uk Dating back to around 1856, this unusual offering is a spacious wing of one of the original five villas to be built in prestigious Camden Park, with a fabulously grand and airy sitting room and parkland views to the meadows beyond. A wonderful chance to live in an almost rural haven right in the heart of Tunbridge Wells.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n Original features include tall ceilings and extensive characterful windows throughout

n Private entrance porch n Dual-aspect sitting/dining room with a magnificent bow-fronted bay and central French doors opening on to garden terrace

n Kitchen n Study n 2 double bedrooms n Bathroom n Immaculately maintained communal grounds shared by four properties. At the southern boundary, the view opens out on to a privately owned meadow beyond a ha-ha

n Set back from Camden Park with a gravelled forecourt providing off-street parking

n Garage en bloc

The SITTING ROOM …

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

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Best For

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The PRICE…

The MEZZANINES…

Kingswood Place Kingswood Road Tunbridge Wells GUIDE PRICE

£525,000 CONTACT • Bracketts, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 533733 • bracketts.co.uk A luxury top floor apartment in a development built in the Arts & Crafts design, and with a corner balcony providing 180-degree views.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Open-plan reception/dining room with French doors to balcony

n Kitchen/breakfast room n Master bedroom with en-suite shower room n 2 further double bedrooms & a bathroom

The Old School Chapel

n Communal gardens & gated parking

Hamilton House, Amherst Road Tunbridge Wells GUIDE PRICE

£375,000 CONTACT • Knight Frank, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 515035 • knightfrank.co.uk Another super-stylish wing, this time the distinctive ‘old school’ part of a handsome mansion block in the popular St John’s area of Tunbridge Wells, near the church. The spectacular vaulted reception room and its mezzanines truly make this one stand out.

Pikefish House

Tonbridge Road, East Peckham PRICE

£1,200,000 CONTACT • Barnes Kingsnorth, Tonbridge • 01732 771616 • bkestateagents.com

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST

n Stairs to private front door and entrance hall n Vaulted reception room with exposed timber ceiling

n 2 mezzanine levels offering further space n Recently installed Burnhill kitchen n Study n 2 bedrooms (one currently occupying one of the mezzanines)

n Contemporary shower room, including a bathroom cabinet that is Bluetooth-enabled for music

n Four aspects of the property overlook the communal grounds, which have paths amid expanses of lawn

n Residents’ parking

A beautiful property thought to have originated in the 15th century and bordered by farmland.

MAIN POINTS OF INTEREST n Fabulous reception hall with fireplace n Dining room leading on to: n Sitting room with inglenook & doors to garden n Farmhouse kitchen/breakfast room n Library/study n Large conservatory n Master bedroom with large en-suite shower n 5 further bedrooms & a family bathroom n Long drive and ample parking n In total, around 4 acres including a paddock

bracketts est. 1828

When experience counts...

Bidborough £1,395,000 A superb double fronted detached home enjoying an elevated position with views over woodland. 3,020sq.ft. 3 receptions, kit/brkfst room, utility, 5 beds, 4 bath/shower rooms.

Multiple parking, garage, delightful 195’ south-facing garden. EPC: D

C H FR AI EE N

Tonbridge Price Guide: £475,000 - £500,000 Well-presented and extended 4/5 Bedroom (1 en-suite) Semi-Detached House, in a culde-sac at the north end of the town, about 1.5 miles from the High Street, convenient for local shops. 2 Reception rooms, cloakroom, garage & parking. EPC

South Tonbridge Price Guide: £325,000 - £375,000 Double Fronted End of Terrace Cottage, convenient for the High Street/Main Line Station, this end of the town is well served by schools, 3 Bedrooms, 1st floor bathroom, L shaped Lounge, dining room, good parking, garden. Chain Free. EPC E

Tonbridge Price Guide: £800,000 £690,000 -- £850,000 £710,000 Bay Fronted Detached House, walking distance High Street and several schools.

Substantial Detached 5 bedroom family house, retaining the charm and features of an Well-arranged and3presented Inspection recommended.

4 Bedrooms Edwardian home. reception accommodation. rooms, kitchen-breakfast room, utility, cloakroom, store (master suite), 26ft lounge, 14ft kitchen-diner, cloakroom, parking.

EPC E rooms, garage, corner plot. EPC E

Sparrows Green, Wadhurst £330,000 A spacious mid-terraced late Victorian 4 storey house with views from the upper elevations. Neatly maintained accommodation comprises 2 receptions, kitchen, cellar, 3 bedrooms, bathroom. Landscaped rear garden with courtyard area. EPC: F

Tunbridge Wells £2,000 pcm An incredibly spacious Grade II Listed 3/4 bed first floor maisonette located in the heart of Tunbridge Wells, accessed off Claremont Road and within walking distance of town and station. 1668 sq ft. Off road parking for 2/3 cars. Offered unfurnished. EPC: D

bracketts.co.uk Tunbridge Wells 01892 533733 | tunbridgewells@bracketts.co.uk

Tonbridge 01732 350503 | tonbridge@bracketts.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Nizels Hoath

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WITH THE

Times 25

AT A GLANCE NIZELS HOATH NIZELS LANE HILDENBOROUGH House ■ 3 reception rooms, including lounge and breakfast room with French doors to garden ■ Kitchen and utility room ■ Master bedroom with luxury en suite and dressing room ■ 4 further bedrooms ■ 3 further bathrooms (one on ground floor) ■ Generous formal gardens with York stone patio and a small area of woodland

‘Nizels Hoath is a welcoming house with plenty of soul… We have made a number of enhancements as well as moving some of the rooms around. The main bedroom is now a particular favourite’ (CURRENT OWNER)

Equestrian facilities ■ Concreted stable yard with 10 National stables and two tying-up areas ■ 60m x 40m sand school with a Martin Collins Ecotrack surface ■ Several areas of paddocks ■ Readily accessible by car and by horsebox via the A21

Professional-grade equestrian estate with marvellous medieval hall house

■ Numerous bridleways and toll paths nearby ■ In all, around 9 acres Optional Cattery business ■ The owners operate a cattery business from the property, available to purchase at an additional cost ■ The infrastructure of the cattery will be removed if property purchased without the business

MAIN ESTATE GUIDE PRICE

£1,450,000

OPTIONAL CATTERY BUSINESS

Guide price £150,000

CONTACT • Fine & Country, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 701900 • fineandcountry.com

Connecting people & property, perfectly.

Kings Avenue TN4

St Johns Road TN4

1

1

A Regency style semi-detached house built by Berkeley Homes. EPC: B. • • •

Set within a prestigious gated development Landscaped garden and garage Mainline station approximately 0.6 mile

Detached residence in this popular area conveniently located for a number of highly regarded schools.

5

3

• • •

Delightful garden Parking for several cars Approximately 1 mile to town centre

3

Guide price £895,000 Freehold

ross.davies@knightfrank.com

01892 310997

Manor Close TN4

ross.davies@knightfrank.com

01892 310997

Broadwater Down TN2

1

1

A bright and spacious family home finished to an exceptional standard.

Secluded location Good size plot of approximately 0.3 acres Approximately 1 mile to mainline station

An attractive apartment with a roof terrace in this popular location in the town.

5

2

• • •

With period features Residents parking Mainline station approximately 1 mile

2

4

2

2

Guide price £1,350,000 Freehold ross.davies@knightfrank.com

3

3

Guide price £1,195,000 Freehold

• • •

4

Guide price £675,000 Share of freehold 01892 310997

ross.davies@knightfrank.com

01892 310997

knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent and the deposit, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property (if not an AST). (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) If the landlord agrees to you having a pet, you may be required to pay a higher deposit (if not an AST) or higher weekly rent (if an AST). Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www. knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

Connecting people & property, perfectly.

Felbridge RH19

Horsmonden TN12

1

1

A substantial detached family home on the edge of the village.

• • •

At the end of a sought-after private road Good sized reception rooms Private and secluded gardens

A major portion of a 15th century Grade II listed farmhouse in approximately 2.37 acres.

4-5

4

• • •

Rural setting Includes large unconverted barn Within Cranbrook School catchment area

3

Guide price £900,000 Freehold 01892 310997

Cranbrook TN17

3

2.37

holly.sibley@knightfrank.com

01892 310997

Horsmonden TN12

1

1

A semi-detached Edwardian family home within the Cranbrook School catchment area.

Arranged over three floors Mature garden with paved terrace Tandem garage and off-road parking

A beautiful Grade II* listed family residence, the former home of the Austen family.

4

3

• • •

A wealth of period features Various outbuildings Paddock approximately 4 acres

2

5

2

4

Guide price £900,000 Freehold holly.sibley@knightfrank.com

3

Guide price £1,100,000 Freehold

holly.sibley@knightfrank.com

• • •

6

Guide price £1,695,000 Freehold 01892 310997

simon.biddulph@knightfrank.com

01892 310997

knightfrank.co.uk Connecting people & property, perfectly.

All potential tenants should be advised that, as well as rent and the deposit, an administration fee of £288 and referencing fees of £48 per person will apply when renting a property (if not an AST). (All fees shown are inclusive of VAT.) If the landlord agrees to you having a pet, you may be required to pay a higher deposit (if not an AST) or higher weekly rent (if an AST). Please ask us for more information about other fees that will apply or visit www. knightfrank.co.uk/tenantfees.

The best properties on your doorstep

Swaylands Estate, Penshurst TN11

Superb newly-built family home, attractive and secluded location, 4 bedrooms, convenient for town and station (within a mile), integrated double garage, landscaped garden, 2,454 sq ft, EPC = B

Spacious ground floor apartment in this impressive mansion, private terrace, views, 3 beds, 2 receptions, ideal lock-up and leave, garage, extensive communaal grounds, 2,278 sq ft, EPC exempt

Freehold

Share of Freehold

New Instruction

Guide £1.5 million

Between Matfield And Lamberhurst, TN3

Burwash, East Sussex, TN19

Substantial family house bordering farmland, opportunity for improvement, 6 beds, 4 receptions, long driveway, parklike grounds, close to the A21, Tunbridge Wells approx 5 miles, 3,390 sq ft, EPC=E

Village centre location, Grade II listed cottage, 3 beds, 2 receptions, many period features, 3.7 miles Etchingham station, garden with views, driveway parking and garage, 1,468 sq ft, EPC exempt

Freehold

Freehold

Guide £850,000

New Price

Guide £575,000

Benhall Mill Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2

Lamberhurst, Kent, TN3

Attractive and stylish 3 bedroom cottage, convenient location, Tunbridge Wells MLS 1.6 miles, driveway providing off road parking, pretty courtyard garden, 1,011 sq ft, EPC = D

A unique and charming conversion in village, light and contemporary, 1 bedroom on mezzanine floor, lawned terrace garden, off-street parking, 501 sq ft, EPC = E

Freehold

New Price

01892 507 000

Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, TN2

Guide £1.575 million*

New Price

Savills Tunbridge Wells

Freehold

Offers in excess of £500,000

Guide £275,000

Talk to us today Robert Jacobs Head of Office 01892 507000 rjacobs@savills.com

Natasha Selbie Associate Director 01892 507000 nselbie@savills.com

Becky Card Negotiator 01892 507000 bcard@savills.com

savills.co.uk | savills.co.uk Follow us on what can we do for you? *Price at time of going to print.

NORTH TONBRIDGE £475,000 CONVENIENTLY POSITIONED IN SOUGHT AFTER NORTH TONRBRIDGE DETACHED CHALET STYLE BUNGALOW with spacious accommodation including three bedrooms, two reception rooms, conservatory, kitchen, wet room with separate WC and first floor shower room. Garage plus ample driveway parking and sunny aspect rear garden. This detached family home is being offered For Sale with the benefit of NO CHAIN! EPC: D (Apply Tonbridge)

SOUTH TONBRIDGE £339,950 LOOKING TO CREATE YOUR PERFECT HOME? Then take a look at this older style, three bedroom semi-detached property, rarely available, conveniently situated and with scope to improve and update. With two reception rooms, kitchen and bathroom plus generous sized rear garden. NO ONWARD CHAIN. EPC: D (Apply Tonbridge)

PEMBURY OIEO £780,000 EQUESTRIAN / SMALL HOLDING OPPORTUNITY. Within walking distance of village amenities yet surrounded by your own land, with views to the North Downs. Approx 6 acres (TBV) of gardens, paddocks, bluebell woodland and wild flower meadow - home to a diverse ecosystem, ideal for anyone wanting to live “The Good Life”. Accommodation: porch, hallway, doubleaspect sitting room, kitchen/dining room, utility room, 4 double bedrooms, bathroom, separate wc. Detached garage with attached workshop, enclosed equestrian field shelter, polytunnel, plenty of parking. The property would now benefit from some cosmetic updating. Potential to enlarge STPP. EPC: E (Apply Pembury)

Residential Pembury: 01892 822880 Tonbridge: 01732 771616 Sales & Lettings e: pembury@bkea.co.uk e: tonbridge@bkea.co.uk

Lettings: 01732 771616 e: lettings@bkea.co.uk

www.bkestateagents.com

SALE AGREED

SALE AGREED

CENTRAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS

OFF PEMBURY ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

A charming two bedroom Grade 2 Listed Mews house in an exclusive gated development in the centre of town with delightful views over Calverley Park 2 Bedrooms, 2 Reception Rooms, 2 Bathrooms, 2 Private parking spaces, Beautiful communal garden, Private decked garden terrace

A spacious ground floor apartment convenient for the Town Centre in this Grade II listed Victorian ‘Decimus Burton’ house set well back from the road, benefiting from a private garden and parking Entrance Hallway, Drawing Room, Kitchen/Dining Room, Study Area, Conservatory Boot Room, Master Bedroom Suite, Guest Bedroom Suite, 3 Bedrooms, Bathroom, Garage, Parking and Garden

GUIDE PRICE £600,000 to £625,000

GUIDE PRICE £725,000

All agreed in the last couple of weeks Further Properties Required SALE AGREED

LET AGREED

PROSPECT ROAD, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

MOLYNEUX PLACE

An elegant and immaculately presented detached Victorian villa in a popular location with easy access to the station, High Street and The Pantiles Entrance Hall, Drawing Room, Dining Room, Study, Kitchen/Breakfast Room, Cloakroom, 5 Bedrooms, 2 luxury shower rooms, Off street parking for several vehicles, Attractive landscaped gardens , EPC: E

An attractive ground floor apartment in a gated landmark building close to Tunbridge Wells Common and within easy reach of the town centre and mainline station Entrance Hall. Sitting Room. Kitchen/Breakfast Room. Double Bedroom.

Bathroom. Allocated car parking space, ECP:C

GUIDE PRICE £1,395,000

£1095 PCM

TUNBRIDGE WELLS 01892 521700

tunwells@jackson-stops.co.uk www.jackson-stops.co.uk

Local and national reach through a network of London & Regional offices PROPERTY EXPERTS SINCE 1910

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Pell Bridge

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Times 33

AT A GLANCE PELL BRIDGE PELL HILL, WADHURST n Grade II-listed cottage with a wealth of character features, including inglenooks, oak drop-latch doors, leaded light windows and beams n Sitting room with inglenook fireplace and wood-burning stove n Dining/family room with inglenook fireplace and wood-burning stove n Rustic-style David Haugh kitchen/ breakfast room with Sandyford range cooker and walk-in larder n Cloakroom and cellar n Loggia

Delightful cottage in idyllic grounds within easy reach of railway station

n First floor study area n 4 double bedrooms n 2 stylish bathrooms and upstairs cloakroom n Timber ‘bridge’ from first floor to garden n Beautiful terraced cottage gardens including a pond, mixed woodland, woodland pavilion with storeroom, timber stable and shed n Paddock with road access and shelter n Parking area n About 2.88 acres in all

GUIDE PRICE

£1,295,000 CONTACT • Savills, Tunbridge Wells • 01892 507000 • savills.co.uk

KINGSDOWN MEADOW SHOW HOME OPEN EVENT Come and view Four Stunning Show Homes

Visit our October Show Home Open Event on Friday 18th or Saturday 19th October and receive a £10 Marks & Spencer Gift Card.

Call us free on 0800 644 4499 to arrange your viewing.

Find us at: Kingsdown Meadow Residential Park, Romney Street, Knatts Valley, Sevenoaks, TN15 6XW

Visit serenityparks.co.uk for more information

Call us FREE on 0800 644 4499 to arrange your viewing

Deposit match

Save a 5% deposit for your new home?

Reserve by 31st October and Bovis Homes will match it!

NORFOLK Costessey Wymondham

SUFFOLK Ipswich

Bishops Stortford ESSEX Chipping Ongar HERTS

Gravesend

Ifield WEST SUSSEX

Staplehurst

Hurstpierpoint Ringmer

If you have a 5% deposit, on selected plots* we could boost it by funding up to 5% of the sale price giving you a larger deposit. This means you need to borrow less from a lender and could even secure you a more competitive mortgage rate!

How does it work?

90%

Mortgage

£315,000

5%

Buyer’s deposit

Coming soon developments

Maidstone

Whether you are a first time buyer, have limited equity in your current home, or are having trouble getting a big enough deposit together, we would love to help!

Faversham

Example house value

£350,000

£17,500 £17,500

5%

Bovis Homes deposit contribution

KENT Headcorn

EAST SUSSEX

Horam Bexhill Hailsham West Durrington

Incentive is only valid on homes marketed up to £600,000 and is available on selected plots only, subject to availability and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, deal or incentive except Help to Buy. Purchaser(s) of the home must have a minimum of 5% of the purchase price required as a deposit. Deposit must be in the bank account of the purchaser before the reservation is taken and proof of deposit submitted to Bovis Homes. Bovis Homes will give a deposit contribution up to 5% deposit of the purchase price. The value of the Deposit Match payment will be deducted from the total sale price on legal completion. Reservation is subject to the usual £500 reservation fee. Incentive available on specific plots, please see development sales advisor for further details. Help to buy available on homes up to the value of £600,000. The Help to Buy Equity Scheme has specific terms and conditions and is subject to affordability criteria as prescribed by Homes England. Its use is also subject to specific mortgage lender conditions and qualifications. Cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer, promotion or purchase assistance scheme. Please ask our sales advisor for details. YOUR HOME MAY BE REPOSSESSED IF YOU DO NOT KEEP UP REPAYMENTS ON A MORTGAGE OR ANY OTHER DEBT SECURED ON IT. GDD52772

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Life&Times

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

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

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GIANTS OF STEAM FESTIVAL

42

SEE VIOLIN QUARTET CONSON

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It’s showtime!

Linda Lewis brings the Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival to town

ENJOY A TASTE OF TURKEY

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WE TRAVEL TO MAURITIUS

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

arts

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Meet the master of puppets The third Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival takes place this weekend, from Friday to Sunday, at venues all around the town. Here, organiser Linda Lewis tells Eileen Leahy what highlights are in store for 2019 GETTING SNARKY Chicken of the Woods: The Hunting of the Snark, The Forum, Sunday, 4pm

venues, which include Trinity Theatre, The Assembly Hall and The Forum. They include Cal y Canto and Javier Aranda from Spain, Ola Muchin from Poland, and Italy’s Di Filippo with their beautiful marionettes. There will also be free events taking place on The Pantiles and also at the Millennium Clock in the heart of the town.

Amazing

PACKING A COMIC PUNCH Linda Lewis at a traditional Punch and Judy stall

T

HE Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival happens every two years at venues across the town and is organised by Linda Lewis, who having worked for The Arts Council, the De La Warr Pavilion and Trinity Theatre’s youth group has always had a penchant for puppets.

So much so, she decided to launch Tunbridge Wells’ first celebratory event of them in 2015 to much critical acclaim. So what’s it all about?

“It’s a celebration of the art of puppetry in its many forms – object theatre, marionettes, shadow play and kites,” explains Linda.

“Our aim is to bring world-class puppetry to STRANGE BUT TRUE Silent Tide: The Adventures of Curious Ganz, Trinity Theatre, Saturday, 10.30am

the local community and to make it accessible to everyone. For this year’s festival we’ve got an even bigger and more varied line-up of funny, touching and thought-provoking puppetry for all ages.

“From a 17ft walking, talking tree to a lovely mini tabletop show for an audience of just eight, there are ticketed and free shows, talks, an exhibition, workshops, and some amazing free street theatre.”

Linda adds that the ‘really exciting’ thing is that for the first time the festival has invited many international companies – many of whom haven’t performed in the UK before – to come along to perform over the weekend at different

As the Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival only happens every other year, how does Linda manage to sustain interest in it within the community?

“Well, we’ve been busy with a successful outreach programme that has helped to keep the festival message alive in the town,” she says.

“In 2018, puppetry company Smoking Apples collaborated with the Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival and Age UK Tunbridge Wells to create the short film Shadow Play – a project using shadow puppetry to recall the memories of people living with dementia. The touching film will be shown at the festival on Saturday, October 12, at Trinity Theatre.

“Puppet theatre company Rust & Stardust also collaborated with us, Age UK Tunbridge Wells and St Barnabas’ Primary School on our Sea of Stories project. This intergenerational activity aims to reveal what the young and old can learn from each other through the sharing of stories and experiences. Both projects have been incredibly rewarding, and we hope to be doing more of the same in 2020.”

Can Linda sum up the Puppetry Festival experience in three words?

“Enjoyment. Amazement. Inspirational.”

To find out more, visit twpuppetryfestival.org

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Arts & Culture

Appetite for destruction

Ahead of Trinity Theatre Club’s production of the American comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner, the Times chats to its director, Helen Thorpe, about why this play has all the right ingredients for theatrical success…

1939, is frequently revived on Broadway, and is a regional theatre staple.

The play comfortably lays claim to its reputation as one of the great classic American comedies and time has done nothing to dull its wicked sense of biting satire. And if laughter is the best medicine, then this show is like a pharmacy!

Clever lighting and set design with period sound effects and music all add up to what should be a terrific experience on a dark October night.

Why did you decide to do The Man Who Came to Dinner as a production?

It was one of my father’s favourite comedic films, so I was very glad to have this chance to direct it as it brings back memories of dad and I watching old black and white screwball comedies.

When I went on to read the play, I found the dialogue so clever and quick-witted, with a mischievous sense of humour, beautifully reflecting the early 1940s’ ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’ films then made in America.

At times its plot feels almost farcical, but it’s been great having the chance to direct the show and deliver a more contemporary feel to the piece whilst respecting the original story.

Which do you enjoy directing the most – more comedic or serious plays?

Dare I say they are the same thing? It takes the same amount of work. Comedy is when a very

serious person is trying to get their way out of a predicament. The style of getting out of the predicament defines whether it’s a comedy or tragedy. Comedy is a lot more fun, but it’s a much harder genre to work in because you have to get the timing absolutely right. You (like a good actor) have to have different directorial techniques to apply to comedy than to drama, so, like an actor, you need to adjust your style to the piece you are doing in order to get the best out of it, and of course your cast and staging.

The Man Who Came to Dinner is at Trinity Theatre next week from Tuesday to Saturday, October 15-19. You can book tickets at trinitytheatre.net

What is the play essentially about?

It’s a witty, madcap three-act comedy by acclaimed playwrighting duo George Kaufman and Moss Hart, and it was inspired by a reallife ‘ungrateful house guest’ experience that Hart once had with journalist, critic and radio personality Alexander Woollcott.

In the show, ill-tempered celebrity radio personality and writer Sheridan Whiteside finds himself the unexpected house guest of an industrialist and his wife, Mr and Mrs Earnest W Stanley, as he recuperates in their Ohio home following a fall and a broken hip.

During the course of the play, Whiteside has a host of quirky visitors and gets himself (and everyone around him) wrapped up in a variety of comedic situations involving cockroaches, penguins, impersonations, plenty of secrets, and an Egyptian mummy case.

Meanwhile, when Whiteside’s secretary, Maggie, falls in love with a local newspaper reporter, Whiteside is thrown into a panic at the idea of Maggie leaving her job with him so that she can marry her new love. How will everything turn out for this eccentric cast of characters?

What do you think audiences will enjoy most about it?

Sitting in a rehearsal listening to a cast of 17 actors laughing out loud at the lines and situations from their fellow cast members answers any question about the popularity of this play; which first appeared on Broadway in

PHOTOS: Symon Hamer

What else appeals to you about the play?

For me, the highlights of this show are all the many little break-out moments where we get to see each kooky character have their moment to shine. I don’t really want to give away too many of the details and ruin the funny surprises but, believe me, there are plenty. We get to see something different from each character.

ON THE LOOSE A cast of ‘kooky’ characters

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Going Out

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

goingout 7 days of activities

WEDNESDAY Ride the lightning with Metallica at the Odeon.

S&M2 was recorded on September 6 and 8 to commemorate 20 years since the band released their live album S&M, which mixed their iconic thrash metal and hard rock sound with a full symphonic orchestra. The film starts at 8pm and tickets, which cost £15.75, can be purchased at odeon.co.uk RENEWABLES – LOCH LAWERS is among the works of photographer Toby Smith, who is at the EM Forster Theatre

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

IT’S FULL STEAM AHEAD for the Giants of Steam Gala at The Bluebell Railway

By Jerome Bowman

Enjoy a talk by photographer Toby Smith at the EM Forster Theatre in Tonbridge tonight at 7.30pm. Toby’s career, including the Army, conservation and a variety of photographic projects for everyone from The Guardian to Al Jazeera, will no doubt make for an interesting evening. His photography is typically part artistic and part research project. The talk is free but you must book. For full details, visit emftheatre.com THURSDAY This is your last chance to catch the Royal Opera House’s production of Don Giovanni, in an encore screening at Uckfield Picture House. Mozart’s opera tells of a young, arrogant and promiscuous nobleman who finds that, in the end, he can’t dodge the inevitable.

The screening starts at 1.45pm.

Tickets cost £16 and can be booked at picturehouseuckfield.com FRIDAY Today is the beginning of the Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival, which runs till Sunday. See Arts & Culture and overleaf.

Head over to The Bluebell Railway today, tomorrow and Sunday for their Giants of Steam Autumn Gala. Two

special locomotives, the LNER Thompson Class ‘Mayflower’ and BR Britannia Class ‘Britannia’ will both be on the line for these three days only. You can also book a luxury dining experience on Monday on the Golden Arrow, and enjoy the 1930s style carriages. For more information, and to buy tickets, which cost £23 for adults and £11.50 for children if you book online, go to bluebell-railway.com

SATURDAY Get Ready to get your toes, and other parts of your body if you wish, tapping to classic Motown tunes at The Assembly Hall this evening at 7.3opm. Enjoy smooth soul singing and a live backing band as you are taken back to 1960s Detroit with music from The Temptations, Marvin Gaye and The Supremes.

ENJOY A COMIC TURN Tickets cost £31.25. To book for

by Ria Lina at the night of non-stop hits, go to The Sussex Arms assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

RALLY ROUND… to see vintage Austins at the Kent & East Sussex Railway

Travel back to a time when cars had permanent expressions of surprise on their faces at the Austin Counties Car Rally in Tenterden. Held at the Kent & East Sussex Railway, the rally will feature a variety of vintage Austin cars from the Austin 8 to the last ‘true’ Austin, the A40. To see the iconic British cars, you will need a Tenterden Town Station platform ticket, which costs just £1 and can be refunded against any purchases in the refreshment rooms. For more information, visit kesr.org.uk

LEARN TO PAINT this van Gogh skull at the latest Secret Art Parties event

SUNDAY For a comedic evening, head to The Sussex Arms for another Comedy Tapas, this one featuring five comedians and contrarian compère Konstantin Kisin. Tonight’s line-up features dry-wit Ria Lina, Bulgarian comedian Martin Durchov, the up-and-coming Imogen Edmundson, mediocre employee Hannes Monaghan and ex-wrestler Danny Garnell.

Tickets cost £6 at twforum.co.uk Edward Lear’s writing might have been complete nonsense, but he was multi-talented,

Going Out

and his music is being brought to life at Ightham Mote this evening at 7pm. Concert in the Great Hall: The Music of Edward Lear is hosted by Dr Sara Lodge, an expert in all things Lear, with the help of pianist David Owen Norris and operatic baritone Edward Robinson. A two-course meal will be served with runcible spoons in the Mote Café afterwards. For more information and to book tickets, which cost £42, go online to nationaltrust.org.uk Take a refreshing Autumn Amble at Penshurst Place today. The guided walk, led by Ben Thomas, will take you through the parkland surrounding the grounds, and you’ll gain an insight into the agricultural history and modern conservation efforts of the estate. The walk will be followed by a two-course roast lunch in the Garden Restaurant. Tickets cost £30 and can be booked by going to penshurstplace.com

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PICK OF THE WEEK: LUKE KEMPNER: HOUSE OF FACES Trinty Theatre, Tunbridge Wells Thursday October 10, 8pm

If you’ve ever wanted to see Jeremy Kyle, Louis Theroux and Donald Trump all in the same show, impressionist Luke Kempner might have you covered. The resident Big Brother comedian is bringing his new show to Trinity Theatre, where you can see celebrities, politicians and even royalty help Luke face his faults and fears. Tickets cost £17. To book, visit trinitytheatre.net

MONDAY See the play Don’t Dress for Dinner at The Oast Theatre in Tonbridge (although it is advisable to turn up dressed!) Bernard intends to entertain his mistress Suzy and the evening looks perfectly planned, so what could possibly go wrong? This English adaption of a French farce promises to hurtle along at the speed of light, sucking in three hapless couples who are, for better or for worse, completely intertwined in each other’s lives. This is an amateur production by arrangement with Samuel French, and you can catch it until Saturday October 19. Tickets cost £11 and can be booked online at oasttheatre.com TUESDAY Secret Art Parties is back at The Black Pig pub tonight from 7pm. This time you can learn to recreate Vincent van Gogh’s morbid – or amusing, depending on your disposition – Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette. The evening will feature wine, food and painting guided by one-to-one support. Tickets cost £40 per head and include a drink and nibbles. For more information and to book, call 01892 871684 or visit secretartparties.co.uk

Trinity Theatre presents

An Evening at Downton Abbey

Our Halloween trail is just a Broom Ride away!

19th to 27th October

Step into the shoes of Willow the Witch this Halloween at Penshurst Place and try to find the magical items she left behind on her recent school trip before enjoying creepy crafts in the creaky Coach House, or marshmallow toasting in the Woodland clearing!

With so many events to see and enjoy, you’ll be sure to be laughing and cackling all day!

www.penshurstplace.com 01892 870307

Tuesday 29th October · Arrival from 7.15pm · Film at 8pm Trinity Theatre is celebrating Downton Abbey’s arrival on the big screen in grand style, with a special themed screening. Hosted by Trinity Kitchen & Bar, the foyer will be transformed for a stately dining reception that would pass muster with even the Dowager Countess herself.

Trinity’s foyer will be “dressing for dinner” for the occasion with themed decorations, and photo opportunities aplenty – the next best thing to dining with the Granthams themselves. The bar will be stocked with a choice selection from Carson’s wine list, and an array of Mrs Patmore’s cakes fresh from our kitchen.

Box Office · 01892 678 678 · trinitytheatre.net TIMESQP_Oct19.indd 1

07/10/2019 15:09:01

Life&Times

Going Out

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE The Pantiles Doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7 Websites pdag.co.uk & thegreylady.co.uk Wednesday The Paul Dunton Orchestra, Phoebe Katis, Mike Wilton Saturday Riff Bridge Funk Band Sunday James Kirby, Chasing Shadows, Ryan Weeks

live music With Paul Dunton

F

OR a fantastic rockin’ midweek outing, I highly recommend The Spitfires at The Tunbridge Wells Forum tonight [Wednesday], and fans of Simon & Garfunkel should definitely head to The Stag Theatre in Sevenoaks for The Simon & Garfunkel Story.

Friday night has more great shows on offer, including Karobela (previously Flawless Carbon) at The Bedford pub, and if you fancy some excellent jazz and blues, then Graham Hughes’ Sunshine Kings are at The Masonic Hall.

Saturday night sees Press To Meco at The Sussex Arms Basement, Rooster Tail at The Beau Nash Tavern, The Mad Stones at The

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

Royal Oak pub and The Riff Bridge Funk Band at The Grey Lady Music Lounge, while fans of classical music can enjoy the superb Consone Quartet at St Peter & St Paul Church in Tonbridge.

Close out the weekend in style this Sunday with The Sevenoaks Symphony Orchestra at the town’s Stag Theatre, and local singersongwriters James Kirby, Chasing Shadows and Ryan Weeks are all performing live at The Grey Lady.

Looking ahead to next week, Social Contract are at The Sussex Arms Basement on Monday evening, and on Tuesday night the highly entertaining Ukelear Fallout are at the Punch & Judy pub in Tonbridge.

Environmental Photographer of the Year OPEN TO THE PUBLIC 28th September 3rd November 2019 12-4pm ADMISSION FREE Tonbridge School TN9 1JP Tel: 01732 365555 www.oldbigschoolgallery.co.uk

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM Tunbridge Wells Common Information and tickets at twforum.co.uk Wednesday The Spitfires Friday Skarlett Riot Saturday-Sunday Tunbridge Wells Puppetry Festival: Full details at twpuppetryfestival.org & tickets at trinitytheatre.net/eventcategory/tw-puppetry-festival Saturday 10.30am, 12.30pm & 3pm Ola Muchin: The Kukuryku Magic Show Saturday 8pm Strangeface Theatre Company: The Hit Sunday 4pm Chicken of the Woods: The Hunting of the Snark Sunday 8pm Di Filippo Marionette: Appeso ad Un Filo (Hanging by a Thread) For more information on the whole festival, see the Times feature in Arts & Culture

THE BEDFORD PUB 2 High Street Free entry More information at bedfordtw.co.uk Friday Karobela (previously Flawless Carbon)

Los Karobela Twangueros

THE MASONIC HALL St John’s Road All event information and tickets at twjazzclub.co.uk Friday Graham Hughes’ Sunshine Kings THE BEAU NASH TAVERN Mount Ephraim Free entry, music from 8.30pm Saturday Rooster Tail Sunday Beau Nash Jazz Jam THE SUSSEX ARMS BASEMENT Sussex Mews Music from 7.45pm Information and tickets at twforum.co.uk Saturday Press to Meco, Chapter & Verse Monday Social Contract

THE STAG THEATRE High Street, Sevenoaks Tickets available at stagsevenoaks.co.uk Wednesday The Simon & Garfunkel Story Friday Waterloo: The Best of ABBA Saturday Made In Motor City Sunday 4pm Sevenoaks Symphony Orchestra – Family Concert MUSICSTATION Bank Street, Tonbridge Booking essential For information, call 01732 350629 Thursday & Friday 8pm-9.30pm Adult band workshop, all levels welcome

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE Crescent Road Tickets at assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Saturday Get Ready – The Ultimate Motown & Soul Party!

THE ROYAL OAK PUB Prospect Road Free entry, music from 8.30pm Saturday The Mad Stones ST PETER & ST PAUL PARISH CHURCH Tonbridge Information and tickets at tmc.org.uk Saturday Tonbridge Music Club featuring The Consone Quartet THE NEW TELEGRAPH CLUB Tonbridge Saturday Rockin’ Ambassadors VERDIGRIS High Street, Tonbridge Free entry, music from 6pm Information at verdigris-tonbridge.com Sunday Paul Malsom Trio

Consone Quartet

THE PUNCH & JUDY St Stephens Road, Tonbridge Free entry, music from 8pm Tuesday Ukelear Fallout

Tapan Karmakar, Floating life on river under pollution, CIWEM Environmental Photograper of the Year 2018

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Life&Times

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

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

A real Turkish delight Konak, handily located in the centre of town, is Tunbridge Wells’ newest Turkish restaurant.

Richard Williams discovers it has fine surroundings and an appealing taste of the Aegean PHOTO: Craig Matthews

food

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K

onak’s location in Grosvenor Road is an enviable one. Not only is it one of the few places in Tunbridge Wells where there’s plenty of parking nearby, but also the outside seating is some of the best in town if you want to eat, drink and watch the world go by.

Any expectations you have of what the new Tunbridge Wells Turkish restaurant is like inside are sure to be dashed. Konak’s team, all from the Turkish city of Izmir on the Aegean coast, certainly knew what they were doing when they designed the place and have gone way beyond what you might expect.

This is a stylish and contemporary restaurant and bar that doesn’t rely on outdated Ottoman design references.

The clever juxtaposing of seating (all imported from Izmir) is expertly done and makes such a clever use of space, and with room for 45 covers as well as a private room for functions at the back, this is a restaurant for all occasions.

TABLE FOR FOUR The menu offers a variety of dishes

GruB & LIquOr Christmas 2 Courses £22.99 3 Courses £25.99 Includes a glass of fizz

Christmas Lunch from £17.99 Buffet party menu £12.99 Includes a glass of fizz

dj & disco party every weekend in December

Book christmas dinner by the end of october and receive a complimentary bottle of prosecco for every 6 guests

function room Available for large parties

new years Eve Cocktail party 31st december

01892 457899 hello@grubandliquor.co.uk 9 nevill street, tunbridge wells, tn2 5ru

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Food & Drink

Life&Times

The most important thing you will need when visiting Konak is an appetite.

Thanks to the warm and friendly team, the relaxed décor, and the endless plates of food, this is not a place to dash into for a quick bite, but somewhere to splurge and spend a few hours taking

advantage of some of the best hospitality the town has to offer.

Konak Authentic Turkish Cuisine 84-86 Grosvenor Road Tunbridge Wells TN1 2AS T: 01892 511246 W: konakturkishcuisine.com

WELCOMING Inside (right) and out (above) outside

‘This is a stylish and contemporary restaurant and bar that doesn’t rely on outdated Ottoman design references’ But it is the food that sings loudest at Konak.

And what an array. If you have not come across meze before, just think tapas with more of a Mediterranean kick.

And it is the sheer variety that is impressive, as well as the depth of flavours the chefs manage to cram into both the hot and cold plates.

Some of the standout dishes I and my guest tried included Imam Bayildi (£4.75), an aubergine stuffed with peppers, onions, and garlic that is as refreshing as it is light, while

the Saksuka (£4.75), another vegetarian aubergine dish, has such incredible flavours it will impress even the most ravenous of carnivores.

If kebabs are your thing, the Mangal (traditional Turkish grill) selection (£11.95£16.95) are as good as any you’ll taste elsewhere, but it is the traditional dishes and seafood menu that captured our eyes.

The locally-sourced fish is done exceptional justice, with salmon, sea bass and bream (all £16.95) grilled on the mangal and delicately seasoned so as not to overpower the freshness of the fish. The crispy fried Calamari (£15.90) is also some of the best that is served up locally, and the largest.

For the meat lover, the Kleftico (£13.90), a traditionally flavoured braised shank of lamb, is hearty and crammed full of Mediterranean flavour.

Open Morning Thursday 10th October 2019 10:00 - 12:30

Self Belief Aspiration Kindness

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You are warmly invited to Holmewood House School to meet our Headmaster, staff, parents and pupils and to take a tour of the School.

To book a place, please contact Mrs Connie Cherrett on 01892 860006 or on email at ccherrett@holmewoodhouse.co.uk

www.holmewoodhouse.co.uk

46

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FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Books

The bookcase…

This week’s bookcase includes reviews of The Dutch House by Ann Patchett and Ayoade On Top by Richard Ayoade

BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Dutch House

by Ann Patchett

10/10

Published in hardback by Bloomsbury, priced £18.99 (ebook £9.22) This may just be the story of a family who live in a very particular house, but Ann Patchett weaves such a deft, thoughtful, heartrending portrayal of a building – and what it can do to its inhabitants – that it feels like so much more. The Dutch House spans the lives of siblings Danny and Maeve as they grow up in a house full of windows so grand and incongruent within their small Pennsylvanian town that it dominates their futures, forever tugging them back to the relationships that developed and foundered there. Narrated

by Danny, it tracks back and forth through time, teasing at events as he analyses himself and his brilliant, mathematicallyminded sister. It captures the feeling of loss perfectly and brutally – whether of a parent or a matchless window seat – but it does so without drowning in sentimentality.

(Review by Ella Walker)

The Confession

by Jessie Burton Published in hardback by Picador, priced £16.99 (ebook £8.99)

Jessie Burton’s third novel, The Confession, follows in the footsteps of her previous works in terms of style, but moves into the more modern setting of 1980s LA and present-day London for an exploratory tale of motherhood, love and loss.

Rose Simmons has longed to know her absent mother, and when the chance comes to meet a mysterious female figure from her mother’s life,

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

she initiates a journey to learn more about her past at the risk of her future. Moving from the present agonies of Rose’s staid existence to the thrilling yet isolating Hollywood life of Los Angeles, the novel is a character study in women’s drives. Whether maternal, sexual, or personal, each character yearns to create their own identity in a world that dictates their choices.

The Confession deftly captures the spirit of three very different women.

(Review by Rosemin Anderson)

7/10

Moonlight Travellers

by Quentin Blake and Will Self

Published in hardback by Thames & Hudson, priced £16.95

6/10

This evocative publication pairs two stars of the British book landscape: Quentin Blake, the beloved illustrator, and Will Self, author and journalist. It showcases the watercolours Blake created for a 2017 show, and the additional 20 he produced once inspired by his theme of moonlit travels. Will Self provides the accompanying copy for the book. For fans of Blake, the frenzied, melancholic illustrations of nighttime journeys in a fantastical yet familiar landscape will certainly appeal. There’s much detail to look at, and Self’s accompanying narrative of a journey to the Moon echoes neatly. It assumes the reader’s familiarity with the dystopian exotic, as Self weaves methods of fantastical travel with time-worn experiences of fatigue and boisterous commuters. However, the pairing comes undone as Self’s inclination for high-flown language jars with Blake’s simplicity of expression. That’s the magic of Blake’s work, of course – and, as witnessed here, can at times feel too restrained by the words that attempt to give shape to his imagination.

(Review by Nicole Whitton)

LIMITED OFFER Book a FREE consultation in October

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To book your free consultation today please call 01892 620935 and quote ‘October’. ** If deemed appropriate by Consultant. Other scans or diagnostic tests that may be required are not included in this offer. ** All appointments must be booked between 01/10/2019 and 31/10/2019 and completed by 31/12/2019. Any appointments booked or completed after these dates will not be eligible for this offer. Limited amount of consultations available. Terms and conditions apply.

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

View From The Top (2003).

It’s a film in which Paltrow overcomes the obstacles of her upbringing and defies her naysayers to make it as an air hostess, and eventually a pilot.

Ayoade – the Jean-Luc Godard/ Éric Rohmer aficionado – is going to have a great deal of fun with this. And so he embarks on a highly ironic paean to the film’s crass directorial style, its naff soundtrack, its clunky multiplex sensibility, its crude homophobic and patriarchal undertones… pretty much everything, really.

(Review by Dan Brotzel)

NON-FICTION

Ayoade On Top

by Richard Ayoade

Published in hardback by Faber & Faber, priced £12.99 (ebook £7.99) Richard Ayoade is a man of many talents – director, screenwriter, TV presenter, comedian, comic actor (The IT Crowd, The Mighty Boosh), panel show denizen, HSBC ad frontman, etc. Here, he dons his author hat to bring us a brief faux appreciation of a forgotten – and doubtless highly forgettable – Gwyneth Paltrow vehicle,

6/10

CHILDREN’S BOOK REVIEW

The Wizards Of Once: Knock Three Times

by Cressida Cowell

Books

Published in hardback by Hodder Children’s Books, priced £12.99 (ebook £8.99) A flying door, an enchanted fork and a 13-eyed monster with a tentacle beard are just some of the weird and wonderful creations brought to life by Cressida Cowell in her fantasy adventure, The Wizards Of Once. This third instalment of the latest children’s series by the author and illustrator of the How To Train Your Dragon books sees plucky heroes Wish and Xar return with a madcap adventure to rid their land of evil witches. But their quest to find the ingredients for a witch-busting spell is their

most dangerous yet, and brings them face-to-face with the fearsome Nuckalavee. A little confusing at the start, the story soon finds its pace, with Cowell’s unique warm and witty writing.

(Review by Holly Williams)

8/10

Life&Times

47

BOOK CHARTS HARDBACKS 1. The Testaments by Margaret Atwood 2. For The Record by David Cameron 3. Veg: Easy and Delicious Meals for Everyone by Jamie Oliver 4. The Institute by Stephen King 5. Gotta Get Theroux This by Louis Theroux 6. Open Side by Sam Warburton 7. The Second Sleep by Robert Harris 8. A Little Hatred by Joe Abercrombie 9. The Fear Bubble by Ant Middleton 10. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide

by Richard Dawkins PAPERBACKS 1. Once Upon A River by Diane Setterfield 2. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood 3. The Uninhabitable Earth: A Story Of The Future by David Wallace-Wells 4. No One Is Too Small to Make a Difference

by Greta Thunberg 5. The Wych Elm by Tana French 6. I, Cosmo by Carli Sorosiak 7. Tombland by CJ Sansom 8. Normal People by Sally Rooney 9. This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay 10. Mythos by Stephen Fry (Compiled by Waterstones) E-BOOKS 1. Quantum by Patricia Cornwell 2. The Fourth Estate by Jeffery Archer 3. The Vine Witch by Luanne G Smith 4. The Man Who Played with Fire

by Jan Stocklassa 5. Drowning With Others by Linda Keir 6. Battle Scars by Jason Fox 7. Everything You Are by Kerry Anne King 8. Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie 9. Half A World Away by Mike Gayle 10. Impostor by LJ Ross (Compiled by Amazon)

Life&Times

travel

48

Travel

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

Life in Mauritius is a breeze Known for its beaches, lagoons and reefs, this Indian Ocean island is a breath of fresh air – both at the beach and in the mountains and beyond – says Priya Joshi

THE PERFECT PLACE TO EXPLORE PARADISE The St Regis Mauritius Resort

A TOWER OF COLOUR The impressive Kalaisson Hindu Temple in Port Louis

W

ALKING along a beautiful sun-drenched beach on the west coast of Mauritius, I look up at the pastel-blue sky dotted with a rainbow of colours – it’s as if someone has spilt a bag of Skittles in the heavens.

A kite surfer whizzes by, riding the waves as a blast of wind sends him soaring some 15ft in the air. Displaying his mastery of the elements, he does a somersault, expertly twisting in the sky before falling back on to the waves.

Thanks to high coastal winds, kitesurfing has become a popular pastime for tourists to the island. It’s captivating and exhilarating to watch, let alone participate in.

Indeed, there’s something magical in the air all round in Mauritius. You can almost see it in the fluttering branches of the palm trees and the hushed rustling in the lush vegetation.

But it’s in the knowing smiles of the local people who wave you on your way, hinting at the secrets of the island you are yet to discover.

I step into the palatial gated resort at St Regis and, as if on cue, I’m greeted by a warm rush of sea air that engulfs me like a soothing embrace.

An island nation in the Indian Ocean, 2,000km off the south-east coast of Africa, Mauritius is a natural tropical haven, separated by sea from an increasingly technological, politically and racially-divided world – an idyllic sanctuary for the 1.34 million people who visit annually.

Fringed by sandy beaches on the west coast, the island has botanical gardens, cascading waterfalls, lagoons, reefs and rainforests in the east. In the south, there’s Le Morne mountain – an imposing monolith steeped in history, tragedy and folklore.

The whole island experience is a step back to simpler times and a return to nature.

Not that Mauritius hasn’t seen its share of turmoil. After being ‘discovered’ by Portuguese explorer Pedro Mascarenhas in the early 1500s, its inhabitants were enslaved.

It was subsequently colonised by the Dutch and the French before the British seized

possession of the island in 1810.

With the abolition of slavery in 1835, the plantation owners enlisted the services of half a million indentured labourers from India to work the sugar cane fields, tea plantations and factories, and in 1968 Mauritius gained freedom from British rule.

Today, its population of 1.27 million comprises fifth-generation Indo-Mauritians, including descendants of the French and British settlers.

English, French, Mauritian Creole and Bhojpuri are the main spoken tongues, and while 48 per cent of the population are Hindu, temples, churches and mosques stand side by side.

A melting pot of cultures and religions, the people of Mauritius co-exist in harmony.

With its varied vistas, the island offers many opportunities for reinvigorating your senses, reviving your body and discovering your own source of solace beyond the beaches.

‘With French, Creole and Indian flavours, the spicy curries are like an electric charge on the tongue’ A majestic backdrop to the St Regis resort, the mountain of Le Morne is a powerfully imposing presence on the island, daring you to scale its intimidating heights.

It also has a tragic history – slaves once climbed to the top, and in a desperate bid for freedom from a life of servitude leapt to their deaths. On learning of its dark past, the early morning ascent of the mountain holds a deeper significance for me.

The mountain terrain is unspoilt – rocks stab you underfoot and wild undergrowth surrounds you. The climb is steep, and at each plateau I take a moment to take in the picturesque views.

An almost vertical and treacherous incline takes you to the peak where you are rewarded for your efforts with the extraordinary view of an ‘underwater waterfall’ – an illusion created by underwater currents.

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Travel

Life&Times

49

During a final yacht trip, I marvel at the beauty of Le Morne as it glistens in the sun like a jewel.

Red-tailed tropical birds glide on the breeze and a kite surfer flies by, riding the wind.

And I realise that what rushes in the island air, what invigorates your spirit and soothes your soul, is a sense of serenity and freedom.

HOW TO PLAN YOUR TRIP British Airways flies from London Heathrow to Mauritius from £529 return: britishairways.com A Manor Ocean Suite at The St Regis Mauritius Resort costs from $915/£721 per night with breakfast: stregismauritius.com BLOWING IN THE WIND A kite surfer preparing to take to the sea

A DREAM DINNER ON THE BEACH at the resort After the rigours of a strenuous yet satisfying hike, my calves are aching but my soul is now lighter and my senses are enriched.

I’m eager for something to soothe body and

EXUDING ELEGANCE The leafy Tea Garden at St Regis

mind – such as a Tai Chi lesson on the beach at sunrise the following morning.

Toes sinking in the white sands, under the gaze of Le Morne, I emulate the slow, flowing movement of the Tai Chi master and feel my racing mind calmed, my concentration honed and focused on the beauty of the moment.

Retiring to my suite, any remaining stresses are kneaded away with a massage, my skin satiated by natural oils.

My day concludes with a tea ceremony, using a blend from the local plantations, enjoyed on my balcony as the sun sets.

Body and soul revived, now the palate demands to be satiated.

The local food combines all the flavours of French, Creole and Indian cuisines, and the

spicy curries are like an electric charge on the tongue.

The pungent smell of onions frying in chilli and rich masalas, a base for an authentic vegetable curry, drifts on the air.

An aperitif of La Belle Creole Mary, the St Regis’ speciality Bloody Mary with a spicy Mauritian twist, is the perfect accompaniment.

At Chamarel, we stop to marvel at the multi-coloured sands in every hue of orange and brown, formed from volcanic minerals.

Photos © TALI Photo & film

3RD NOVEMBER 10AM - 2PM FREE ENTRANCE

WEDDING OPEN DAY Meet our recommended suppliers, take a look around our stunning venue and sample our wedding breakfast menu.

01892 515152 | www.salomons-estate.com Salomons Estate, Broomhill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN3 0TG

Register your attendance, to receive a complimentary goody bag, to leisuremarketing@markerstudy.com

50

Life&Times

Motors

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Motoring News

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

This week…  Mazda2 price  EV charging boost  A Toyota pick-up

Toyota Hilux truck enjoys new updates

The updated Mazda2 is set to go on sale…

MAZDA has announced that the new look ‘2’ car will cost from £15,795 when it hits dealer forecourts at the end of next month.

Featuring revised exterior styling, an upgraded interior and better technology, the supermini will have just five variations.

All models will be powered

by Mazda’s 1.5-litre Skyactiv-G petrol engine, which utilises an electric motor in a ‘mild hybrid’ set-up for the first time.

This uses energy stored in a capacitor to take the strain off the engine and improve economy, with claimed emissions of 9495g/km, depending on trim level.

On the outside, there’s a new grille, a wider wing and sportierRARING TO GO The new Mazda2

looking headlights, while a redesigned bumper makes the rear end look closer to the road.

There are more changes inside, with revisions to sections of the dashboard and instrument hood, more supportive seats, and extensive sound-deadening added to improve refinement.

Jeremy Thomson, Managing Director of Mazda UK, said: “The Mazda2 may be the smallest car we produce, but it has at its heart the same values of style, driver involvement and quality that mark out all our vehicles.”

He added that the updated car enhances all of these attributes, and is ‘now even better to drive, plus it’s more efficient’.

CHARGING MADE EASIER for drivers of electric vehicles

Car charging suppliers agree on single subscription service NINE major electric car charging suppliers have agreed to use a single subscription service, making charging an electric vehicle a more streamlined process for owners.

Allego, EVBox, NewMotion, Chargemap, Charge4Europe, Chargepoint, Engenie, Franklin Energy and Travelcar have agreed not only allow drivers to pay for their charging services via a single subscription, but will also share station information between one another.

The companies have also agreed to let drivers access their respective networks in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland as well as the UK, via the same subscription.

It means that drivers will be able to see which charge points are free, and also the cost of charging for each one.

The aim of the agreement is to help

improve and streamline the charging infrastructure in the UK as well as Nordic countries, because both regions lag behind Europe when it comes to interoperability.

Sytse Zuidema, CEO of NewMotion, said: “This agreement is a big victory for current UK and Nordic EV drivers that will help stimulate EV growth in the regions.

“NewMotion’s wider experience in Europe, where we have a public network of over 118,000 charge points, has shown that making charging more accessible and easy helps encourage EV adoption.

“As such, we’re excited to be part of a partnership that will no doubt help drive EV adoption in the UK and Nordic countries.”

Drivers, including business users, will be able to pay for their charging session via one app-based single subscription.

TOYOTA has announced a suite of updates for its Hilux pick-up truck that improve safety and emissions as well as offering trim improvements.

The highlight is the addition of the latest generation of Toyota Safety Sense, which is optional on the entrylevel Active grade but standard on all other trim levels. It adds equipment such as adaptive cruise control, precollision assist, lane departure warning and road sign assist.

The 2.4-litre turbo-diesel engine now has a start/stop function to improve emissions on all but the Active trim, while that entry-level model now gets PVC seats and flooring for easy cleaning.

And a manual transmission has been reintroduced on double cab models.

The top-spec Invincible X has been given aesthetic upgrades to give it a more ‘commanding presence’, such as smoked chrome details on various areas, including the front grille, fog light bezels and door handles.

Also, the side bars are now finished in black and a new set of 18-inch alloy wheels are offered.

The updated Hilux is on sale now, with prices starting at £20,424.

Recruiting Now

Set in beautiful countryside, just a ten minute drive from the town of Royal Tunbridge Wells, Salomons Estate represents the true beauty of Kent itself. It combines a picturesque setting with comprehensive conferencing facilities, fabulous function rooms and one of the best and most affordable wedding venues in Tunbridge Wells. Salomons Estate offers quality accommodation and luxury bedrooms in addition to Salomons Pub & Dining Rooms; an eclectic pub/restaurant offering the best in locally-sourced produce where possible.

We are looking for passionate individuals to provide our guests and clients with an unforgettable experience.

Available positions in Salomons Estate: Restaurant and Conferencing Supervisor Housekeeper Reservations Coordinator

One Warwick Park Hotel Composed of thirty nine rooms and suites and a range of entertainment spaces, One Warwick Park Hotel brings a luxury guest experience to the historic spa town of Royal Tunbridge Wells’ in Kent.

Right next to the famous Pantiles area and only a few minutes from Tunbridge Wells train station, the hotel is perfectly located for enjoying all the activities that this beautiful Kentish town and its surrounding countryside has to offer.

Guests can expect a personalised welcome, knowledgeable and well-presented staff, a perfect setting for dining and unwinding in our restaurant and bar, multi-purpose event spaces for weddings and conferences, a unique underground art gallery, and bedrooms where relaxation and style are the priorities.

We are looking for enthusiastic personalities to provide an exceptional customer experience for our guests.

Available positions in One Warwick Park Hotel: Receptionist Concierge Housekeeper Housekeeping Supervisor Reservations Coordinator

SEVENTEEN Restaurant at One Warwick Park We are looking for talented individuals to join the team at SEVENTEEN Restaurant at One Warwick Park.

We take British dishes and ingredients and revitalise them using flavours and influences from around the world, modern cooking techniques and seasonality and presentation.

With the restaurant sourcing local produce, our menu is driven by the freshest and most seasonal ingredients, which can be enjoyed in our elegant restaurant featuring a stunning double height glass atrium - eating at SEVENTEEN will always be a pleasure.

Available positions within SEVENTEEN Restaurant Sous Chef Junior Sous Chef Chef de Partie Commis Chef F&B Assistant Kitchen Porter

To find out more, please visit our careers page at http://www.markerstudygroup.com/careers or contact us on: Email address: TalentAcquisition@markerstudy.com Telephone: 01892 553384

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Recruitment

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Wednesday October 9 | 2019

WITH THE

FIND YOUR PERFECT JOB TODAY – A MUST-READ FOR THOSE LOOKING FOR WORK LOCALLY

Juniors Day Nursery are looking for enthusiastic, passionate and motivational Senior Nursery Practitioners. As an expanding childcare company, we have positions available in our established nursery’s in Cranbrook and Tonbridge and in our brand-new Nursery in Headcorn, which opened in January 2019.

As a Room Leader, you will be working with a dedicated team and will also have the responsibility of working closely with the management team.

Extensive knowledge of the EYFS is essential. Ideally candidates will hold Qualified Teacher Status or Early Years Professional status and have two or more years of experience in a nursery or school setting.

The candidate must be confident working both unsupervised and alongside the management team. Experience of SEN would be an advantage. Our starting salaries are highly competitive and reflect experience and qualifications. We pride ourselves on our strong team approach to teaching and our ongoing commitment to professional development and staff support.

All applications are subject to satisfactory DBS and reference checks. Please email cranbrook@juniorsdaynursery.co.uk for job application and job descriptions, stating which Nursery you would be interested in.

Pupils aged 3-11 years

Classroom Assistant / Gap Student Start January 2020, Full-time The Mead requires a vibrant, dynamic, creative and committed person to support and enhance areas within this successful prep school which enjoys a reputation for both high academic and performance standards within a caring, happy environment.

The successful candidate will be a highly personable and self-motivated individual, empathetic to the values and ethos of The Mead.

The job descriptions and application forms are available from the school.

Please contact the Business Manager, Rebecca Hall, The Mead School, 16 Frant Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5SN (01892 525837) or manager@themeadschool.co.uk. The closing date for all applications is Monday 21st October 2019.

The successful applicants will be subject to an enhanced DBS check.

The Mead School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of its pupils and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

CODEWORD 4

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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.

Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015 NOTICE UNDER ARTICLE 13 OF APPLICATION FOR PLANNING PERMISSION (Notice 2: This notice is for publication in local newspaper if Certificate C or D is completed)

Proposed development at: 24

Name or flat number Property number or name

Church Road

Street Locality Town

Tunbridge Wells

County

Kent

Postal town

TN1 1JP

Postcode

Take notice that application is being made by: AKOM Developments Limited

Organisation name Applicant name

Title Surname

Mr

Andy

Forename

Gross

For planning permission to: Description of proposed development

Roof extension to approved three-dwelling residential development

Local Planning Authority to whom the application is being submitted:

Tunbridge Wells Borough Council

Local Planning Authority address:

Planning Services, Town Hall, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1RS Any owner of the land or tenant who wishes to make representations about this application, should write to the council within 21 days of the date of this notice.

Signatory: Signatory

Title Surname

Mr

Forename

Andy

Gross

Signature

Date (dd-mm-yyyy) Statement of owners' rights: The grant of planning permission does not affect owners' rights to retain or dispose of their property, unless there is some provision to the contrary in an agreement or lease.

Statement of agricultural tenants' rights: The grant of planning permission for non-agricultural development may affect agricultural tenants' security of tenure.

'Owner' means a person having a freehold interest or a leasehold interest the unexpired term of which is not less than seven years.

'Tenant' means a tenant of an agricultural holding any part of which is comprised in the land.

This notice is for publication in a local newspaper.

Print Form

Codeword:

8

7 2

5 2 8

9 3

To complete Sudoku, fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and 3x3 box contains every number uniquely.

6 7

2

2

6 14

6 3

4 3 1

5 8

21 6

7 9 2

5 1

10

24

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6 23

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12 25

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1 3

7

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

3

DIFFICULTY RATING:★✩✩✩

2

9

3 1

4

5 6

1

2

5 8 4 2 6

1 9

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

1

53

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★★✩✩

CLASSIFIEDS

Life&Times

Puzzles

In this Sudoku, the normal 3x3 boxes are now strangely odd shapes – but all the rules and logic of normal Sudoku apply.

Fill the board by entering numbers 1 to 9 so that each row, column and box contains every number uniquely.

Puzzle solutions will be published in a forthcoming issue

D E M E S N W A I A B R AM R X P F B I S T S O R OMA N Y A I N Q U I R N U B L A T A N O R S WA K E S

E S A G L O L I P SW I J T A R G A Z H V I V I S N N I E S S T T T T E X A E A L R I D D L

E S A C H A E R A E N O N O M S E E D

Sudoku:

5 2 1 9 8 7 6 3 4

8 4 3 6 5 1 7 9 2

7 6 9 2 3 4 5 1 8

4 9 5 3 7 8 2 6 1

1 3 6 5 2 9 4 8 7

2 7 8 1 4 6 3 5 9

6 8 2 7 9 5 1 4 3

9 5 7 4 1 3 8 2 6

3 1 4 8 6 2 9 7 5

7 6 2 1 4 9 5 3 8

4 2 5 7 6 8 3 1 9

2 3 6 8 9 5 1 4 7

3 8 4 9 1 2 6 7 5

9 7 1 5 3 4 8 2 6

Jigsaw Sudoku:

6 1 8 3 5 7 4 9 2

1 5 7 6 2 3 9 8 4

5 4 9 2 8 1 7 6 3

8 9 3 4 7 6 2 5 1

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

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Sport

FOR EVENstories MOREto: NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.ukor newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk Please send sports newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Powell-Downey and Adams in prolific form

By Rich Smith FOOTBALL: THE Rustics made it three league wins in a row with a comfortable victory at Lewisham-based Forest Hill Park at Ladywell Arena.

The victory lifts them to second in the Southern Counties East League Division One, five points behind leaders FC Elmstead but with three games in hand.

Rusthall struggled to play their normal passing game on a poor surface but were too strong for the home side, They took a deserved lead on 15 minutes when a superbly delivered corner from the right by Tommy Lawrence was met by the head of young central defender Ryan Styles.

Forest Hill rarely created any danger

with the central-half pairing of Styles and Robbie Bissett again proving how strong they are for such young players.

After patient build-up play down the right, the home side were slow to close down a cross and Reuel Powell-Downey drove the ball home from eight yards.

Forest Hill started the second period a lot more positively and were rewarded for their efforts on the hour. Then substitute Steve Comacho went on a mazey run to the byline and cut inside the defender only to be brought down.

The referee pointed straight to the spot.

Luke Adams stepped up and sent the home keeper the wrong way.

Rusthall now contest the first round of the FAVase when high-flying Lancing are the visitors to the Jockey Farm Stadium on Saturday (October 12, kick-off 3pm).

Two-goal Loveland leads from the front

Ten-try romp for rampant TJs Tonbridge Juddians 68 Taunton 31 RUGBY: TONBRIDGE JUDDIANS cemented their place at the top of National Two South with a victory over third placed Taunton Titans.

Following on from their win over high-flying Henley it was another remarkable performance that saw them run in ten tries in a match aggregate of 99 points.

TJs were soon into their stride. A long period of possession, mainly on the left side of the field, culminated in a try by wing Murray Galbraith-Lowe on the right which fly-half Will Robinson converted.

Titans responded well and were rewarded with a penalty, followed by a strong attack down the right wing

that provided space for wing Ollie Down to score in the corner, Gary Kingdom converting in style.

Galbraith-Lowe was pulled down short of the line after being released

by Duncan Tout but a penalty was awarded to TJs at the ruck. Lively scrum-half Matt Walsh tapped it and was over the line before Titans could react, Robinson converting.

Break Through After a yellow card for Titans flanker Charlie Williams and this time Galbraith-Lowe did get over for his second try, which was not converted.

Off a scrum some slick handling by Robinson and centre Finlay CoxonSmith enabled Tout to break through for a try which Robinson converted.

Armstrong proves far too powerful for Wells Guernsey 31 Tunbridge Wells 7

By Graham Withers RUGBY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS’ long trip to Guernsey was always going to present more than just a logistical challenge, and so it proved on the field.

Guernsey are an ambitious club who only succumbed to relegation from National Two South late last season despite a strong finish to their league campaign.

They were looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the campaign to league favourites Rochford Hundred.

A large crowd was present to see the opening of the new running track.

The opening scrum ominously saw a penalty awarded against Wells and this facet of the game was to prove an achilles heel throughout the match.

An outstanding tap tackle by Max Hobbs thwarted what looked like a certain home try. However, a sustained period of Guernsey pressure saw a penalty conceded.

Electing for the scrum option, No 8 Doug Horrocks picked up the ball and surged over for the opening try,

Then Tonbridge’s lineout produced a 20-metre rolling maul off which flanker Jack Nay broke away for the bonus point try. Robinson added the extras for a 33-10 lead at half-time.

Titans came out strongly for the second half but the ball was turned over. Winger Hugo Watson and Nay combined to recycle out to the right and Galbraith-Lowe crashed through for his third try which Robinson duly converted.

The ever willing Watson started an attack on the left and Nay managed to break through the defence and score under the posts, making a simple conversion for Robinson.

Full-back Toby May put in a delicate chip over the defence and was fast enough to reach the ball first and touch down. Once more Robinson converted.

Titans enjoyed a long spell of possession which resulted in a try off the lineout for lock Barry Chapman, which Kingdom converted.

But a knock-on at the kick-off gave the ball back to TJs and GalbraithLowe ran in his fourth try, Robinson adding the extras.

When Titans’ ball was dislodged in the tackle, the ball was moved swiftly across the field until it reached Watson, who rounded his man for TJs’ final try, which Robinson converted.

The visitors did achieve their bonus point try before the end. With TJs’ hooker Ryan Jackson yellow-carded, prop Dalton went in for his second try and Kingdom converted.

TJs, the only club in the division still unbeaten, now travel to Worthing on Saturday (October 12, kick-off 3pm).

HIGH HOPES Josh Hawkins takes the lineout ball

Sevenoaks 1 Tunbridge Wells Ladies 5

HOCKEY: THE Ladies produced an impressive performance against their local rivals.

Wells started the game extremely strongly and secured an early goal through team captain Lily Loveland.

With some impressive play down the right-hand side, Harrie Alexander was able to extend the lead with another fine goal.

Sevenoaks kept their composure, however, and with some strong hits to penetrate the Wells press they scored a neat goal from a quick break.

After the ball was deflected onto a Sevenoaks defender’s foot on the line, Gigi Barker despatched the penalty flick to extend the away team’s lead to 3-1 at the interval.

Having worked on their second phase goal scoring and short corners at training, they put this to good use at the start of the second half and Loveland scored again with a deflection.

Then Immy Jenner made an excellent break from a 16-yard hit-out, showing impressive ball skills all the way up the pitch to round off the scoring.

Butt on target as men get off mark Tunbridge Wells Men 1 Oxford University 0

converted by Owen Thomas on 21 minutes.

Wells had a chance to get into the match when the islanders’ hooker Tom Ceillam received a yellow card for a stamp but their own discipline was poor and they conceded frustrating penalties.

By George Priestley

Outstanding A phenomenally long pass from Thomas to winger Matt Armstrong saw him cross for a fine try, though Thomas could not convert it, and the hosts went in at half-time 12-0 ahead.

On the hour-mark Guernsey scored again, wide in the corner, when full-back Anthony Armstrong combined with his brother Matt and the wing scored again. Thomas struck a good conversion from the touchline to make it 19-0.

Two penalties against the scrum and two rolling mauls saw Wells concede again, captain Lewis Hillier dotting down an unconverted try to pick up the bonus point on 64 minutes.

Wells now enjoyed a good passage of play and when Frank Reynolds put Mike Doherty into a gap his hard-running line

Cut prices for Non-League Day at Longmead OVER the international break, NonLeague Day on Saturday (October 12) offers a chance for clubs below the Premier League and EFL to showcase the unique offerings to the local communities they serve.

Tonbridge Angels take on Braintree town at Longmead Stadium on Darenth Avenue, and the club invites spectators come along and enjoy the atmosphere of National League South.

Adult admission costs £13 - or just £7 if you arrive before 2pm - with reductions for seniors and young people, and there is plenty of free parking at the ground.

PHOTO: Dean Jacquin

Forest Hill Park 1 Rusthall 3

CLOSE CONTROL Reuel Powell-Downey has nine goals this season

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

took him clear from 30 metres for Wells’ only try, Reynolds converting.

The outstanding Thomas kicked through for left wing Amanaki Veamatahau to gather and score. The

Welshman’s conversion made the full-time score 31-7.

Wells, who are in sixth place, travel to Rochford Hundred in Essex on Saturday (October 12, kick-off 3pm).

HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Men recorded their first victory of the season in South Premier League Division One by grinding out a narrow win against a young Oxford side.

Wells had a strong start to the game at Tonbridge School, controlling a lot of possession and creating chances which they were unable to convert.

In the home goal, James Harris was called upon to make a couple of important saves to ensure that the visitors did not take the lead before half-time.

The University side maximised their rotations and intensity in the second period but the defensive line, marshalled by skipper James Beck, held firm.

With ten minutes remaining Wells finally took the lead, with Tom Butt finding the net from a Beck penalty corner, succesfully grounding out the win after some resolute defending from Oxford.

Wells face another stern task when they travel to joint leaders Guildford on Saturday (October 12, 3pm start).

Wednesday October 9 | 2019

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Half Marathon and to do my bit to help raise funds to support the vital service it offers.

“Congratulations to all who took part in this year’s race and many thanks to everyone who sponsored them”

Winners

GRAND DAY OUT More than 1,000 runners took part

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk ATHLETICS: A MAN who survived a near-fatal cardiac arrest while running the Tonbridge Half Marathon four years ago was the official race starter on Sunday (October 6) and presented the prizes to the leading runners.

After suffering a heart attack less than a mile from the finish in 2015, Barney Burgess was saved by the prompt response of fellow runners and marshals trained in CPR.

Barney also received specialist emergency medical care at the side of the road from the doctors and paramedics of Air Ambulance Kent Surrey Sussex [AAKSS].

The Bidborough resident, now 47, was airlifted to King’s College Hospital in London, where he spent the next two weeks.

“Without the early intervention on the course and specialist treatment given in the helicopter before arriving at King’s it is highly unlikely that I would be here today,” Barney said.

“As someone whose life was saved by the air ambulance, I was honoured to start this year’s

Unbeaten Under-9s win Mini Super 8s

Proceeds from this year’s Half Marathon will go to AAKSS, of which Barney is now a trustee, and mental health charity West Kent Mind.

It was the ninth edition of the race, which is organised by members of the town’s Rotary Club and Lions Club. More than £350,000 has been raised since the first staging in 2011.

The undulating 13.1-mile course consists of a panhandle out-and-back route on roads and lanes to the south of the town, taking in the village of Leigh and Charcott.

The race was won by Anthony Bradley of Lonely Goat online running club in a time of 1hr

PHOTOS: My Sports Photos

Barney ‘honour’ for medics that saved him

HOLDING ON: (L-R) Laura Acosta, Charlotte Cachia and Alice Cachia 15min 52sec with Tonbridge Athletic Club’s Daniel Bradley in hot pursuit, coming second in 1:17.23.

The first woman to finish was Tonbridge AC’s Helen Gaunt in 1:27.01, followed by Becky Phillips of Serpentine Running Club in 1:27.21.

Impressive debut for Gough ATHLETICS: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Harriers were in full marathon action in Bournemouth and Chester.

More than 4,000 runners faced the challenges of hills, sand and a strong headwind over the scenic route on the south coast.

Gem Stilliard recorded a time of 3hrs 47min to come fifth in the F40 category, while Joy Gough ran an excellent 3:51 on her marathon debut.

Another field of 4,000 in the north saw Steve Austin run an impressive 3:21 for third place in the M60 category and Ollie Smeed set a time of 3:52.

Lucille Johannes ran the Lyon Half Marathon including a 2km tunnel section - in 2:09. Michael Russell ran the Sittingbourne 10-mile race in 1:18.

MILES OF SMILES Gem Stilliard and Joy Gough in Bournemouth

CRICKET: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Under-9s won the prestigious Kent Cricket Board Mini Super 8s after winning every game on Finals Day. The competition is open to all clubs in the county, and the group stages being held early in the season with the top 24 teams progressing to Finals Day at Beckenham.

Tunbridge Wells went unbeaten throughout the whole day and beat Chislehurst in the final to win the tournament.

It is the fifth time that the club has won the event, with Jock Patterson (pictured with the team) coaching them for each of those successes.

Meanwhile Alan Cutts, who reports on Tunbridge Wells 1st XI for the Times, has received the Vice-

Presidents’ Cup for his 25 years’ service to the club.

In addition to writing the reports, Alan has been working up to 40 hours a week since 1996, on a variety of tasks including archiving scorecards and club records - and sweeping the pitch.

He said: “The President, Carl Openshaw, persuaded me to attend the annual dinner and awards night, which I was able to do for the first time since 2007.

“They kept the award quiet so I was unprepared, not expecting anything. My son Richard won it three years ago, so we have a father-son moment again.”

LONG SERVICE: Alan Cutts

– ARTISAN DE VOS EMOTIONS – DEPUIS 1860

*C H O PA R D

HAPPY DIAMONDS COLLECTION

2019/485 - Times of Tunbridge Wells / July 17 / G. Collins & Sons - 002HD - 275 x 340 mm - UK - 19/06/19