Times of Tunbridge Wells 14th March 2018

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

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LOCAL STOCKBROKER AJ BELL TO FLOAT ON STOCK MARKET page 10

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WE ROAD TEST THE SHINY NEW BMW X2 page 74

PRIMARY SCHOOL WELCOMES POPULAR POET Page 23

COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL COMES TO TOWN page 15

INSIDE THE RIGHT TRACK New plans revealed for a £10billion rail link Page 2

MP STOPS TRAFFIC

Greg Clark unveils Major York’s zebra crossing Page 3

STEPPING OUT: More than 200 women marched through Tunbridge Wells to mark the centenary of the day some women were given the vote. They stopped at the Opera House, (Wetherspoon’s) where Suffragette Emily Davison hid overnight in the orchestra pit in order to protest at a public meeting. Full story and pictures pages 6 to 9

Protestors launch political party in a bid to block Civic Complex

By Jonathan Banks newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

THE campaign group TW Alliance has registered as a political party with the Electoral Commission in order to field candidates in the May council elections.

It’s the latest move in its campaign to stop the proposed £90million Civic Complex and theatre due to be built next to Calverley Grounds, close to the homes off some of the founders of the group.

Alliance members met on Monday to finalise a launch event for the new party, that’s expected to happen in the

next few days.

The news comes at a time when another opponent of the Civic Complex, Tory Cllr Peter Bulman, has refused to stand down even though he has moved

‘They will now have to come out of the shadows’ Cllr Tracy Moore 160 miles to live in Norfolk. [Full story page 2] No details of the Alliance’s election campaign have so far been released and it’s not known how many candidates

will enter the contest. However, the Alliance has made it clear in previous comments that it will target the seats of councillors who have voted in favour of the Civic Complex.

Cllr Tracy Moore, who takes the lead role for the council on the Civic Complex, said yesterday: “I welcome the TW Alliance registering as a political party.

“They will now have to come out of the shadows and abide by the same rules as the other parties, especially in terms of openness and transparency.

“As candidates or councillors their members will have to declare any personal or pecuniary interests, just as

elected members always do.”

Cllr Moore has previously been attacked through anonymous posters in the town for her support of the new development.

Fifteen of the borough council’s seats will be decided at the ballot box on May 3 and those elected will serve until 2022.

At present the council is made up of 43 Tories, three Liberal Democrats and two Labour members which means there is no threat to the overall control of the Conservatives.

Continued on page 2

PLANTING AN IDEA

Get set for a colourful spring with our garden tips Page 53

TRYING TOO HARD

Tunbridge Wells rugby team strike it lucky Page 79

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‘They are a single issue party’ Continued from page 1

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Norfolk-based councillor ‘wrong’ to hold onto his Tunbridge Wells seat

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

THE FOUNDERS: Original Alliance members Council Leader David Jukes said: “There are 48 seats on the council so if they get two per cent of the seats they will only have one seat and their impact is not going to be tremendous.

“They are a single issue party, but there are many more issues that we as a council have to deal with, including housing and infrastructure.”

He concluded: “There is a silent majority in favour of the Civic Complex and theatre and that silent majority will vote at the ballot box.”

The Alliance previously told the Times: “We want to improve the quality of decision making within our council. It is not trying to be vindictive but always trying to improve the process.”

This week, they added: “We are not currently in a position to answer questions on TW Alliance and the plans.”

Plaque to be erected in memory of Sapphie RESIDENTS and commuters left scores of messages of condolence following the death of Sapphie the Tonbridge station cat. The 10-yearold piebald died Friday (March 9) from cancer.

Southeastern is to erect a plaque in her memory.

A crowdfunding site had been set up to pay the vet’s bills after she fell ill. The target of £260 was reached within eight hours. By the time Sapphie died the figure had topped £700.

CONTACTS EDITORIAL DIRECTOR RICHARD MOORE richard@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 779615 DEPUTY EDITOR EILEEN LEAHY eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 576037 CHIEF REPORTER WILLIAM MATA will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk | 01892 240626 DESIGN/PRODUCTION LEE SMITH lsmith8@markerstudy.com SALES ENQUIRIES sales@onemedia.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.

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HE lives 160 miles away in North Norfolk but despite this fact a Tunbridge Wells councillor has rejected calls from within his party to step down.

Cllr Peter Bulman will not surrender his Park ward seat STAYING PUT in May’s Councillor Peter Bulman Borough Council elections and could now continue to pick up his £5,500-a-year allowance until at least mid-2019 or force an expensive by-election.

He opposes the planned Civic Complex.

Although Cll Bulman is not breaking any rules there is a strong feeling amongst his Tory colleagues that what he is doing is ‘morally wrong’.

He was re-elected in 2016 and moved to Holt, around three hours’ drive from the ward he represents, in September last year.

Although his term does not end until 2020, Cllr

cerns by email and phone.

“But I don’t think it matters where the person is living. It matters more about the quality of person.

“I think there can be little doubt that I represent my constituents to the best of my abilities.”

Cllr Rankin, who lives in Park ward, feels Cllr Bulman should step aside in May. “A councillor is best placed to serve their residents when they are living in the area,” she said.

We need to support residents and address their concerns and I don’t think it can all be done by email.

“He may continue for another year, but I feel that is a year where he is not serving residents as efficiently as he could do.”

Convenient Council Leader David Jukes also urged his Tory colleague to step down.

On when he could step aside, he said: “He is not giving the people he represents “I am not going to commit at this stage the sort of attention they deserve,” said Cllr but I would not intend to do a full time of Jukes. office.

“I would say to him, move on before “I will resign at the time that is conthe elections in May. A by-election venient to the party. I do not want to can cost £5,000 to hold.” stand down at a time when there is If he does not step down this not otherwise an election to be week the next time Cllr Bulman held.” could resign without causing a Cllr Bulman said that he visits stand-alone election, that would Tunbridge Wells several times a STANDING AGAIN cost the council around £5,000, is month and pays travel expenses.

Councillor in May 2019 when there are more He added: “I feel I have effecCatherine Rankin borough elections scheduled. tively been able to deal with conBulman previously told the Times he would stand down at a convenient time before then.

But last week he said this will not be in the election on May 3, despite a plea to stand aside from fellow Tory Councillor Catherine Rankin who also represents Park ward.

“I will be looking to continue for a while at least, [when I step down] depends on a number of factors,” Cllr Bulman said last week.

“Despite the fact I am not a resident, I can fulfil my obligations to my constituents.

“There is the Civic Complex and theatre that I am not happy about. I have received so many complaints from residents that I feel it is important to [stay on and] represent them.”

Motorway for trains could lead to new fast track airport links

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk PASSENGERS from Tunbridge Wells are likely to benefit from a proposal to build a new railway line that will link neighbouring Tonbridge directly to Gatwick and Heathrow airports – in a project costing £10billion.

The journey time between Tunbridge Wells and connecting trains at Tonbridge is ten minutes.

High Speed for Air, or HS4Air as the proposal is known, would install a high-speed service linking Ashford to the airport hubs via Edenbridge.

London based engineering consultants Expedition have

developed the plan, which they are calling ‘an M25 for high speed trains’.

It would connect the existing HS1 line to the mooted HS2 route at Denham, passing both airports before joining the Great Western Main Line.

Expedition Director Alistair Lenczner said: “HS4Air has been developed to allow rail and aviation infrastructure projects that are currently unconnected to become joined up.

He added: “In a way, HS4Air can be regarded as a highspeed railway version of the M25 around London, except that it allows much faster journey times with no congestion and with far less GROUND-BREAKING: The proposed route from Ashford to Gatwick and Heathrow impact on the environment.”

WHY THE LAUNCH OF NEW POLITICAL PARTY IS A BRAVE MOVE BOROUGH Council elections hardly set the pulses racing and in Tunbridge Wells are almost as predictable as the clocks going forwards; an event to note but not excite. Which might explain why, on average, only one in three people can be bothered to vote.

One of the reasons is the fact that our council has been dominated by the Conservatives for decades aside from a two year spell (1996/98) when the Lib Dems seized power.

As one senior political figure once commented to this writer: “You could put a dog in a pram and as long as the pram was blue it would get elected.”

The election this year on May 3 is likely to be somewhat different.

Enter stage left, and that’s not a political comment, TW Alliance. The protest group

established to fight plans for the Civic Complex has gone legit and registered as a political party.

How much impact the Alliance will have in terms of winning seats is anybody’s guess. What we do know is that the election will probably be a much livelier affair because those behind the new party are not known for pulling their punches.

Take their most recent observation on the fact that Chief Executive William Benson looks set to get a salary boost. The headline on the Alliance website declared: “Council chief awarded obscene pay rise.” This a reference to the suggestion he will receive a 12 per cent rise of £15,000. Last year he was on £126,000.

What the website did not report is the fact that, according to the council, Mr Benson’s salary ‘remains one of the lowest in Kent’ for his

position and that independent consultants found his pay was ‘significantly lower’ than the benchmark for his role.

Credit must go to the Alliance for becoming a political party and putting candidates into the field – something of a risky strategy.

Fail to attract a significant number of votes and it demonstrates that the main plank of their campaign, an end to current plans for the Civic Complex, does not have widespread popular support.

Taking it a step further, as some will, it could also be interpreted as showing that the majority of voters are in favour of the development.

It’s a brave move being made by the Alliance…

Editorial Director, Richard Moore

Local News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

NEWS IN BRIEF

Overweight adults to tackle Calorie Creep WORRYING figures have revealed nearly two thirds of adults in Kent are overweight or obese.

Public Health England released the data last week as part of their new Calorie Creep campaign. In Kent alone, there were found to be 61.4 per cent of over-18s who are overweight or obese.

Participants are encouraged to aim to eat around 400 calories for breakfast, 600 for lunch and 600 for dinner with healthy snacks and drinks in-between.

To find out more visit www.nhs.uk/ oneyou/eating

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Five metre walk was a ‘long slog’ ONE FOR THE ALBUM: Greg Clark MP leads a walk across Abbey… or rather, Major York’s Road, with Cllr Barbara Cobbold, Cllr Catherine Rankin, Cllr Chris Woodward, Chris Gurr and John Barber

A21 junction ‘is safe’ THE Tunbridge Wells A21 junction with Pembury Road has been defended by Highways England after concerns for safety were raised.

The Times has received letters to say the slip-road onto the junction, heading south towards Tonbridge, is too short and could be dangerous.

Highways England said they had not been made aware of any particular complaints and the junction had not seen a high number of collisions.

Sports reporter dies BBC South East sports broadcaster Neil Bell has died at the age of 61.

The married father-oftwo lost his battle to cancer in the early hours of Sunday [March 11].

‘Belly’, as he was known, was a familiar face on television, having covered sport for more than 30 years.

Council’s tiny tax take JUST less than £130million is due to be collected in council tax and business rates

by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council for 2017/18, however only a fraction of this will be spent locally.

Most of the £56.5million in business rates is destined for central government to redistribute while the majority of council tax, valued at £73.4 million, is earmarked for Kent County Council.

Smaller amounts will also go to parishes and the fire service, leaving just £9.7million in the hands of borough councillors.

WHY did the MP cross the road? For Greg Clark it was the end of a long journey in securing a zebra crossing on Major York’s Road.

Tunbridge Wells motorists faced days of gridlock last month as the crossing was built on the section which connects The Pantiles with Rusthall.

But, taking time out from his duties as Secretary of State for

Business, Mr Clark agreed the infrastructure was worth the wait as he officially opened it on Friday [March 9].

“The campaign to get this crossing built has been a long slog,” said Mr Clark.

“Major York’s Road divides the Common in two and has lacked a crossing. Many people who use the Common, as well as people who

park their car in the fairground car-park, will find it a boon to be able to cross safely.”

Tenacious Mr Clark was joined for the opening by Tunbridge Wells borough councillors Catherine Rankin, Chris Woodward and Barbara Cobbold as well as John Barber and Chris Gurr

of Friends of Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons.

The MP added: “John Barber in particular has been tenacious in his efforts to get the crossing built - so it’s really great to see it finally in place and being used.”

Mr Barber said: “The Friends of the Commons thank everybody who supported the creation of this excellent crossing.”

Met office warning with sub-zero temperatures THE worst of winter might be over but snow has been forecast for Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge again for this weekend.

Met Office meteorologists have predicted snow to fall early on Sat-

PICTURESQUE: The Pantiles in the snow last month

urday and Sunday mornings in several Kent towns. Temperatures are set to reach -2°C at their coldest.

With parts of the county still recovering from Storm Emma, which led to water shortages and school closures at the end of February, residents will be relieved if the snow does not settle.

At the time of writing [Tuesday] the Met Office had predicted a 70 per cent chance of snow. A spokesman said: “The weather will become much colder on Saturday with snow showers possible.”

Kent County Council has also warned residents to keep warm while the county’s gritter force are on alert.

Browsing bookworm brownies…

The achievements of women provided inspiration for members of the 6th Tonbridge Brownies group on a visit to Mr Books in Tonbridge. The girls explored the High Street shop on Thursday [March 8] to mark International Women’s Day. Owner Philip Holden said: “They looked for books by, for and about women and to consider how they have changed the world for the better.”

See pages 6 to 9 for more on International Women’s Day

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Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Housing targets not being met as New initiative will highlight council refuses 26 new flats plan

By William Mata

GOING UP More homes need to be built

will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk LATEST figures show Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC] is still not meeting the Government’s house building targets.

The authority’s own data states that 461 homes were built in 2016/17, which was more than the previous two years, but still some way short of the 648 benchmark.

A spokesman for TWBC attributed rising targets for the shortfall.

“The adopted Core Strategy for 2006 to 2026 set out a need to provide 300 dwellings per annum and delivery was higher.

“However, as a result of changes to Government policy, in autumn 2015 the need was revised to 648 dwellings per annum.”

WELLBEING and mental health of individuals is to be supported by an initiative led by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council [TWBC].

BE;ME – BE TOGETHER has started this month and takes a twin approach to tackling problems experienced by individuals.

It will be run in partnership with businesses, charities and community groups as well as receiving backing from trade group Royal Tunbridge Wells Together.

The BE;ME side will see these groups using their resources to help individuals in the borough seek help if they are suffering with mental health problems.

Awareness

Demand The spokesman said the 1,000 homes set to be built in Paddock Wood [as reported in the Times of February 28] was proof a ‘significant boost’ to supply would be forthcoming.

He added that under revised proposals, TWBC would soon need to provide 692 dwellings a year.

The figure for Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council had not been received at time of publication.

However, Council Leader Nicolas Heslop has previously voiced concern that his authority’s target could rise to 859 from the current 696.

He previously told the Times: “It is in simple terms undeliverable, unless there was an intervention in the construction market that would be unprecedented in recent times.”

Despite facing internal and Government pres-

mental health

sure to meet demand, last week members of TWBC’s planning committee voted nine against one to refuse plans to build 26 residential units in Baldwins Lane, near High Brooms railway station.

Even though nine of the flats [35 per cent] were classified as affordable housing, councillors raised issues with the close proximity of the development to Welbeck Avenue.

Although the planning inspector had recommended the committee give the project the green light, councillors rejected it because it was said to have failed environmental tests.

There was also concern that the unnamed developer’s Section 106 payments [agreed with the council to overcome undesirable aspects of the design] would be used to fund projects out-

side of High Brooms.

Cllr Don Sloan, who voted plans down, told the Times afterwards: “It was the amenity angle and it would have meant the people in other buildings nearby would not have had a view.

“Until I visited the site I did not appreciate how much of their view would be lost.

“It would be a good thing in some ways if the proposal did come back [in a modified form] as more houses are needed.

“We all want to see the affordable housing but in this case the factors outweighed that.”

After a number of High Brooms residents and ward councillor Dianne Hill spoke against, acting committee chairman Cllr Lawrence Heasman was the only member to vote in favour.

This could be by raising awareness by advertising in shop or online.

BE TOGETHER will also be publicised to encourage residents to take time to connect socially.

This will include The Teacup Campaign, in which local cafés will participate by presenting a specially decorated teacup emblem outside.

Customers are invited to take a photo inside and share it on social media with the hashtag #BETOGETHER. The council is calling on residents to promote the campaign and also for businesses to spread a positive message about mental health.

A TWBC spokesman said: “The campaign highlights the daily struggle that many people in our borough may suffer.”

The Council has not stated how long the BE;ME – BE TOGETHER will last for.

For more information, follow @TWellsCouncil on Twitter.

Local News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Hospital makes progress with patient care but still ‘requires improvement’

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk KEY areas of Tunbridge Wells Hospital have been rated as needing ‘improvement’ following the latest Care Quality Commission [CQC] inspection.

Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust [MTW] was found to be below standard in three of the five key areas of inspection.

Last week, the report listed as ‘Requires Improvement’ the areas of providing a ‘Safe’, ‘Effective’ and ‘Responsive’ institution.

MTW also received a ‘Good’ rating for being a ‘Caring’ and ‘Well-led’ organisation but this did not see the Trust receive a higher overall rating than the ‘Requires Improvement’ it was given in 2015.

Improvements Trust leaders took the positives from the result with 17 ‘should do’ actions required, compared to 52 in 2015.

There are no longer any ‘must do’ actions,

PRESSURE: Tunbridge Wells Hospital in Pembury

PLEASED: Trust Chief Executive Miles Scott which shows the 18 serious problems previously identified by the CQC have been solved.

The Trust appointed experienced NHS leader Miles Scott as their Chief Executive in January with the hope of improving performance.

Mr Scott said: “We are pleased the CQC noted a number of significant improvements at the Trust, as well as some outstanding practice.

“We have improved numerous areas of patient care while managing a difficult operational and financial positon, and also at a time of unprecedented demand.

“We know we have come a long way since our last inspection and I’d like to thank our staff for their unwavering commitment to their patients and the Trust.

“During their visits, the CQC inspectors praised staff on numerous occasions for their friendly and welcoming attitudes, and their shared vision and engagement.

“We are looking forward to moving confidently towards a ‘Good’ rating, and looking further ahead, towards ‘Outstanding’.”

MTW also manages Maidstone Hospital and Crowborough Birthing Centre, with

the result combining inspections of all three facilities.

During the course of 12 separate visits, carried out collectively by 81 inspectors, five core services at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells Hospitals were inspected between October 18 and February 1.

David Highton, Trust Chairman, said: “This CQC report clearly shows marked improvements across all areas, which is excellent news for the Trust.

“The Trust will move forward with confidence to continue its journey of improvement into the future.”

The 17 improvement factors which should be actioned included: Implementing systems to improve surgery, critical care and services to children.

STORM FORCES RESCHEDULING OF PROCEDURES NON-URGENT operations at Tunbridge Wells Hospital were impacted by Storm Emma last month.

An undisclosed number of patients saw their procedures cancelled due to the bad weather.

This follows MTW, the managing NHS Trust, previously rearranging appointments from the hospital in Pembury to the sister Maidstone Hospital.

A spokesman from MTW said: “With the recent snow and peaks in emergency demand, there have been occasions where we have still had to postpone a number of procedures booked at Tunbridge Wells Hospital that could not be moved to Maidstone.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused and are currently working to reschedule these procedures as soon as possible.”

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Developer extends chance of buying golf club and site

By Duncan Audsley newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk PROPERTY investment firm Targetfollow looks to be keeping its options open by extending their opportunity to buy Tunbridge Wells Golf Club.

The company, which already owns Tunbridge Wells and Rusthall Commons, made an offer in 2015 to buy the Langton Road grounds for a reported £1.75million.

Targetfollow struck a £50,000 deal at that point which would have allowed them 12 months to decide whether to complete the purchase.

This period had already been extended, and last week was revealed to have been put back again until the end of 2018.

Option Steve Grogan, Chairman of Tunbridge Wells Golf Club, said: “They had the option to purchase the golf club until the end of 2017.

“They did not complete that option, but they have a new option to last for another 12 months until the end of 2018.

“It is impossible to say what will happen. We do not have any further information until they come to us.

“There is no change. They still have an option to buy the club. We just have to wait and members are waiting to see.”

Tunbridge Wells Golf Club has 150 members who would stand to share in any proceeds from a sale.

The Golf Club was established in 1889 and has nine holes.

Targetfollow was approached for a comment but at the time of going to press they had not responded.

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Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Spirit of suffrage is alive and well as hundreds join gender equality march

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

PHOTOS: Rose Bainbridge

CAMPAIGNERS for gender equality followed in the footsteps of Suffragettes and Suffragists last week by marching through Tunbridge Wells.

Around 220 people joined a gathering on The Pantiles on Thursday [March 8] to mark International Women’s Day, 100 years after some women were given the vote.

Individuals from a variety of backgrounds then walked along the High Street to the Town Hall and onto the

Opera House [now a Wetherspoon’s pub], where prominent Suffragette Emily Davison interrupted a Liberal Party meeting in 1913 [see page 9].

Many dressed up in 1900s costume for events, which also included a concert at The Forum, a reception in the Town Hall and later a Tunbridge Wells Rock

Choir performance.

March organiser Carol Wilson, Chairperson of Tunbridge Wells Labour Women’s Forum said: “There was a mixture of older and younger people celebrating the fact there are so many great women in Tunbridge Wells.

“Our aim was to reach all women and not to be party political. We achieved that and I am grateful to the people who worked so hard in organising it.

“It was fantastic weather and it felt like someone was looking after us!”

She added: “I want to say thank you to organisations who put posters in windows and those who encouraged us as we came past.”

Mrs Wilson was part of the TW Women 100 committee who organised the march which took in sec-

‘There was a mixture of older and younger people celebrating the fact there are so many great women in Tunbridge Wells’ tions of the route where women walked to Hyde Park in London for mass rallies in 1909 and 1913.

Re-enactments were held along the route with particular tributes

Local News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

paid to Amelia Scott, one of the town’s first female councillors and a prominent member of the non-violent Suffragist movement.

Mayor Julia Soyke hosted the reception at the Town Hall, which featured talks from historians Anne Carwardine and Liz Douglas, music from Charlotte Bartholemew and a presentation from students of Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School.

Ms Carwardine, who is publishing a book about women who campaigned for the vote in Tunbridge Wells called Disgusted Ladies, also spoke at

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The Forum.

She said: “I am interested in the history and it was nice to remember this, but also to remind people there is still a campaign going on for equality.”

Former soldier and Miss England model Katrina Hodge was one of five women chosen to speak about ‘the present.’

Councillor Tracy Moore said: “It was uplifting to see so many people in the Council Chamber for a fantastic celebration of women’s suffrage. There was so much positivity about the event.

“What I found encouraging, and I think it bodes well for the future, is that so many young

Continued on page 8

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Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Police celebrates greater equality Continued from page 7 women and men including students from local schools, wanted to be there and be part of the celebrations.”

Mayor Soyke added: “I was glad to see the event attended by both men and women, including many students.

“The students from Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School gave most memorable short speeches showing how they are thinking on an international plane and are deeply interested in shaping the future.”

The Forum then hosted female acts Laura Lamn, Placed and Lily & Jessie in a fundrais-

‘I was glad to see the event attended by both men and women, including many students’ ing concert for Tunbridge Wells mental health charity DAVSS [see panel].

Liz Orr, member of the Tunbridge Wells Women’s Equality Party, commented: “There is cross party participation and this is about coming together. We are still marching and we are pressing for progress.”

THERE are more women in top roles at Kent Police than a decade ago, according to the county’s Chief Constable.

Home Office figures also show that 896 of Kent’s 3,259 officers are women, which represents 27.4 per cent. That figure is up from 24.9 per cent in 2010.

Alan Pughsley, Kent Police Chief Constable, said: “Nine years ago when I joined Kent Police, we had 12 Chief Superintendents and all of them were male.

“That caused me some concern but we’ve done a huge amount of work over the last few years.

Supported “We have changed the culture so that the very best people – men and women – feel empowered and trusted and supported so that they can, if they so wish, put themselves into the promotion processes.

“Today we’ve got 11 Chief Superintendents and, of those, six are female. That’s just one element of us not just talking the talk but showing that it really is happening.

“Throughout the organisation people are feeling confident enough and strong enough to go for promotion.

“I’ll never promote a woman just because of their gender but I will promote them for being the best person for the job.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Matthew Scott also praised the increasing diversity within the force last week on International Women’s Day. He said: “It’s good to see more women coming through the organisation and being promoted, and properly supported to do so.

“I know that’s the case from the Chief Officer team downwards, with role models like Assistant Chief Constable Jo Shiner, six really good Chief Superintendents and others all the way down the organisation.”

Local News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

The night Emily Davison hid in the Opera House JUST three months before she fatally disrupted the Epsom Derby in 1913, Emily Davison played a part in changing history within Tunbridge Wells.

She was a member of the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU) and a militant fighter for her cause and was arrested on nine occasions, went on hunger strike seven times and was force fed on forty-nine occasions.

Emily Davison died after being hit by King George V’s horse Anmer at the Derby when she walked onto the track during the race.

The Suffragette, along with companion Olive Walton, hid in the orchestra pit of

the Opera House [the modern day Wetherspoon’s pub] overnight into Friday, March 14 to heckle 150 delegates of the Home Counties Liberal Federation, who had assembled for a meeting.

Ms Walton reportedly shouted “When are you going to deal with women’s suffrage?” before Ms Davison said: “No peace until you give women the vote”.

The two women were carried out after a struggle.

The Suffragettes are also credited with burning down the cricket pavilion at the Nevill Ground, reportedly after being told that women could not become members.

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BUSINESS

Local Business News

NEWS IN BRIEF

Chain closes store in town after sale ends FORMER leading retailer Toys R Us shut for the final time in Tunbridge Wells last week after a closing down sale.

The last customer was served at the Longfield Road store on Thursday [March 8].

Nationally, more than 3,000 jobs are at risk with 106 outlets to close.

A spokesman was unable to confirm how many jobs could be affected at the Tunbridge Wells branch.

Town Italian survives PREZZO has confirmed their Tunbridge Wells restaurant is not one of the 100 branches set to close.

The Italian chain will shut one third of their 300 UK branches this year, putting around 1,000 jobs at risk.

Last week managers confirmed the branch in Mount Pleasant Road will stay open, as will Prezzo restaurants in Sevenoaks and Maidstone.

Jamie’s Italian and Strada have both recently closed in the town.

Data protection list FINANCIAL firm Brooks Macdonald, who have an office in Tunbridge Wells, are offering advice on the General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR].

The regulation will be introduced on May 25 and will affect how companies handle individual’s rights and sensitive information.

Brooks Macdonald have published a list called ‘12 Things You Need to Know about the GDPR’, which can be found by visiting www.brooksmacdonald.com

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Direct-sale detergent revolution launched to rival the ‘big three’ iser] currently dominate the market.

“Detergent is expensive and it is not reflective of the product,” said the 48 year old.

“By delivering directly we can cut the price and it is a better product from a supplier independent of the big three. It costs consumers up to half what they would pay for the product in a shop.”

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk A MARKETING professional says her online detergent subscription service has the potential to shake up the ‘boring’ laundry market.

Tunbridge Wells-based Paula Quazi is excited to fully launch Smol next month, the enterprise she co-founded with business partner Nick Green.

The former Unilever marketers have been developing it over three years. Using a similar model to California’s successful Dollar Shave Club, subscribers pay £3.85 for a 24-capsule pack of washing machine tablets which can be delivered to meet a customer’s schedule.

Ms Quazi said that despite UK consumers spending almost £1billion on washing machine products every year, three multinational firms [Unilever, Procter & Gamble and Reckitt Benck-

Targets

SMELLS LIKE SUCCESS Paula Quazi and Nick Green, co-founders of Smol

Departing stockbroker announces £500million float to ‘raise profile’ AJ BELL, one of the largest companies in Tunbridge Wells, is set to float on the London Stock Exchange.

Favourable The stockbroker, which is set to leave the town in the autumn, is expected to be valued upwards of £500million, according to widespread reports.

The company’s 172,000 customers are likely to be offered shares to buy on favourable terms when the float is launched later this year.

Founder Andy Bell told reporters that the listing was ‘motivated by a desire to raise the profile of the brand,’ and would sell an additional 3 per cent of his own shares, retaining 25 per cent.

Smol, Millennial slang for something that is small and sweet, is supplied in suitably ‘funky’ recyclable packaging, which is described by its co-founder as like a ‘fat iPad’.

Since launching on a trial basis this month, early sign-ups for the product have ‘smashed targets’ despite only being advertised locally.

With the support of an advertising agency, a full campaign begins in April, with early subscribers offered a free trial. www.smolproducts.com A report stated that AJ Bell had chosen Numis Securities as their banking advisor.

Around 100 roles from AJ Bell’s Tunbridge Wells branch will be transferred to Manchester and 20 to London when the firm’s lease expires at their Calverley House office in October.

A spokesman previously told the Times: “We are still up and running until the lease expires.”

SPEAKING OUT Andy Bell, founder of AJ Bell

Local Business News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

FREE Wi-Fi will be available on all Southeastern trains by the summer, according to the railway company’s management.

Passengers on the network, which serves Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge stations on the Hastings to London line, will see the improvement as part of a £78million investment.

Govia, the firm who oversee Southeastern operations, have committed to offering Wi-Fi on all trains by the end of June.

This will bring the network in line with other rail franchises, such as Greater Anglia, which already offer the service.

Southeastern Engineering Director Mark Johnson said: “We are thrilled

to provide this free Wi-Fi for our passengers.

“We know that this is what they’ve been asking for, so our engineers have worked day and night to install the system.”

Valuable Southeastern say two thirds of their trains currently have the facility, but teams are ‘working around the clock’ to ensure 100 per cent of the stock has Wi-Fi on offer.

Mr Johnson added: “For many of the engineering team, it is the biggest project they have been involved in.”

Tunbridge Wells MP and business minister Greg Clark said: “I’ve been pushing Southeastern to install

SYSTEM UPGRADE: Wi-Fi is to be installed on all Southeastern trains on-board Wi-Fi, so this is great news. It has taken a bit longer than we all hoped, but I am sure it will be a valuable service for both regular commuters and occasional

passengers alike.

“This will allow us to catch up with emails, check our connections and generally make better use of our journey time.”

Figures make encouraging reading for trade THE latest data released by Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce shows encouraging signs for local businesses looking to grow.

Figures released last week show 193 enquiries about setting up a company were made to the Kent and Medway Growth Hub in January. A further 98 came from already established companies looking to grow.

This compares to 126 and 83 respectively in December.

Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge were said to be among the towns with the highest number of

enquiries about starting-up, although the data did not show the number from each town.

Help The growth hub, which is funded by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership [SELEP], offers a single access point for businesses to receive help in becoming established and expanding.

Jo James, Chief Executive of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, said: “The greatest number of enquiries for information relate to

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Group calls on more women to be entrepreneurs

Boost for rail commuters as firm announces Wi-Fi for all services

By Duncan Audsley

BUSINESS

JO JAMES Chief Executive of Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce

funding, with strong demand for legal, marketing and HR advice.

“We’ve also seen growing demand for advice on premises, rising from three in December to 11 in January, which is probably caused by the loss of commercial office space to residential in many towns across Kent and Medway.”

Geoff Miles, Kent Vice Chair of SELEP, said: “Given the national uncertainty over the economic ramifications of Brexit, it’s very good to see there’s a strong ambition.”

To find out more, visit www. kentandmedwaygrowthhub.org.uk

WOMEN are being encouraged to follow their entrepreneurial ambitions by the Federation of Small Businesses [FSB].

The organisation, which has a presence in Kent, is promoting its support service to help advise individuals in business in connection with International Women’s Day, which was celebrated on Thursday [March 8 – see pages 6-9].

FSB research shows that 5.7 million small businesses exist in the UK, but if more women had access to finance, or awareness of the options available, that figure could be boosted by a further 1.2 million.

Funding The organisation has launched a new funding platform which gives participants access to a choice of 120 lenders, matched to needs and circumstances.

The FSB’s Chief Operating Officer, Julie Lilley, said: “A key FSB recommendation has been to improve access to finance for women entrepreneurs as it would boost women entrepreneurship in the UK. “Women entrepreneurs are less likely to seek alternative finance than their male counterparts.

We know that too many women rely on personal cash and credit for growth. The reasons for this are complex, but are partly to do with a lack of awareness of the opportunities available.

“There’s much to be done to harness the untapped potential of women in business, but this new financial platform is a step in the right direction.”

As well as raising awareness of alternative finance to women in enterprise, the FSB marked International Women’s Day with its ‘100 FSB Women’ campaign.

To find out more, visit www.fsb.org.uk

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NEWS

Local News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Wheels in motion ahead of kart race extravaganza for charities

By William Mata will@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk MOTOR vehicle students from West Kent College are applying the final touches to 50 soapbox karts they have built for a charity challenge.

Businesses and organisations will decorate and then race their creations down Dunorlan Park in Tunbridge Wells on May 5 in the Crazy Jeans extravaganza.

Up to 10,000 spectators are expected to watch the time trial race, with the event also including a zip wire and supercar display.

hand to provide maintenance as well as racing their own kart.

Gary Crowhurst, college tutor, said: “This a great opportunity for our students to put into practice the skills they have learnt so far.

“It also helps fulfil part of their course criteria, which involves students managing a project from start to finish and overcoming any issues which may arise along the way.

“Our students are really engaged with this large project and are looking forward to seeing the fruits of their labour on the day.”

The aim of the day is to raise around £50,000 for charities, including ellenor and Hospice in the Weald.

Garry Jeffery, of Jean’s Kitchen and Wine Bar on St John’s Road, started the event and is pleased with how it is progressing.

He said: “I’d always wanted to have a charity

kart race in Tunbridge Wells but in previous years we’d fallen at the first hurdle because getting businesses to actually make their own karts proved too difficult to make it happen.

“We are supplying the materials to West Kent College and thanks to the staff and students the 50 karts will be ready soon for those taking part in the races – and they really are brilliant.

“Crazy Jean’s really is a fantastic community event with schools, businesses and organisations really pulling together and using their resources in whichever way they can turn a dream into a reality.”

The headline sponsor is car insurer Markerstudy, one of the biggest employers in Tunbridge Wells and keen supporters of local community events and charities.

For more details visit www.crazyjeansevents. com or email hello@chattyhatter.com

Community The day culminates in a Grand Final with the four fastest teams in both the school and main races going head to head to find the ultimate Crazy Jeans winner.

West Kent students, aged 16 to 18, will be on

Dunorlan Park

NEED FOR SPEED West Kent College students designed the karts

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NEWS

Community News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Help Ellie the Scout go on the trip of a lifetime A SCOUT from Hadlow has become the first from her troop to be invited to attend the World Scout Jamboree, and is raising money to fund her trip next year.

Ellie Bristow, 13, is a member of the Sixth Tonbridge [Hadlow] Scout troop – and was chosen by Tonbridge District to be its representative. She is relishing the opportunity to go on what she describes as a ‘once in a lifetime, amazing trip’ in July 2019.

Ellie has been a Scout for five years and said: “I’ve loved every minute of it. One of the reasons I love Scouts so much is because you get to meet new people all the time and make new friends everywhere you go, and I enjoy all the fantastic opportunities and activities that we are given.”

Ellie has taken part in many community events, including litter picks, the senior citizens’ Easter lunch at Hadlow College, conservation activities and tree planting.

She added: “I am very lucky to be selected to go to the World Scout Jamboree as no one from my troop has ever been – as

far as any of the leaders can remember!”

The Jamboree takes place in different countries around the world, but is only staged every four years.

Fundraising Next year it will be held over three weeks at The Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia, United States. There will be 45,000 scouts attending from 200 countries.

“We will also get the opportunity to go to Washington or New York, and spend time in Canada during our visit,” said Ellie.

“I cannot wait to go. The Jamboree will be an amazing place to work on my self-confidence, make so many new friends – and many amazing memories to go with them.”

Tonbridge District has put forward £1,000

towards the fundraising, and Ellie is trying to raise £2,500 to cover the rest of the costs.

Her mother, Catherine, said: “Scouting has helped shape Ellie into the person she is today. The opportunities that the young people have available to them is second to none – microlighting, water fun days and summer camps they partake in, just being a few to mention.

“It all widens their friendships, teaches them practical skills and massively increases their confidence. In return the young people get out and about in the local community.”

She added: As a family, we couldn’t be prouder of Ellie – even slightly envious! To be picked from a group of 25 young people that went to the selection camp to represent her district, is an honour.”

You can sponsor Ellie at COMMUNITY www.mydonate.bt.com/ CONSCIOUS events/worldjamboree/ Ellie Bristow 453588

SUMMER CAMP The Summit Bechtel Reserve in West Virginia

Philharmonic’s Family Carols raise £5,000 for two hospices

FESTIVE NOTE: Tonbridge Philharmonic practise for their concert in the Tonbridge School Chapel

THE Tonbridge Philharmonic Society and the town’s Round Table have distributed almost £5,000 to two local charities from the proceeds of their annual Family Carols concert in Tonbridge School Chapel in December.

The hugely popular event was sold out several weeks in

advance and raised a total of £4,820, to be split equally between the two organisations’ charities of choice – the Hospice in the Weald, based in Pembury and Heart of Kent Hospice, based in Aylesford.

The orchestra, conducted by music director Matthew Willis, played a mixture of traditional

and modern festive pieces.

They were assisted by the Woodlands Junior School choir and the award-winning Tonbridge Grammar School Motet Choir.

The concert was organised in conjunction with the Round Table, who provide mulled wine and mince pies afterwards.

Community News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Jack Bauer is coming to town – to play with his band at festival THE star of the real-time action series 24, Kiefer Sutherland, will be coming to Tunbridge Wells this summer.

However, he will not be saving the town from a stray nuclear device or rescuing his daughter from a terrorist cell, as in the series.

The Hollywood legend will be playing with his country band at the Black Deer Musical Festival at Eridge Park on June 22-24.

COUNTRY STYLE Kiefer Sutherland (right) and Ashley Campbell (top right)

Singer-songwriter and guitarist Sutherland released his debut album, Down In A Hole, in 2016.

The festival, which is being staged here for the first time, will also feature Ashley Campbell, the daughter of country legend Glenn Campbell. And Sam Palladio, who stars in the TV drama Nashville and studied music in Kent, will be playing alongside local talent The Webb Sisters and DJ Bob Harris’s Emerging Artist winners Wandering Hearts.

NEWS

15

Capture beauty of Bewl to win a meal

Other performers already announced for the inaugural Americana and Country event include Iron & Wine, Passenger, Ward Thomas and Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit.

Fantastic Gil Tee, who is promoting the Black Deer Festival, said: “We’re so excited about the line-up for this, our inaugural festival. It’s really causing great ripples across the music industry.”

Gil lives in Sevenoaks and was involved in the festivals at the Hop Farm near Paddock Wood that showcased some of the world’s greatest musical talent from 2008-12, including Bob Dylan, Prince, Neil Young and The Eagles.

She added: “When people come to Black Deer they are going to have a fantastic weekend of world-class music, great food and the nearest taste of Americana this side of Nashville and Tennessee.”

“Having been in the music industry for many years, producing events for other people, I am proud to finally take a giant step to having a festival of my own, set in a beautiful part of the world that I know and love.”

For more information, please visit: www.blackdeerfestival.com

STUNNING reservoir Bewl Water is the subject of a new ‘Best of Bewl’ photography competition to showcase its variety of natural scenes.

Designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the largest body of water in the South East boasts blankets of wild garlic, snowdrops and bluebells at this time of year.

“If you’re venturing out for a leisurely walk or bike ride, or you just want to sit by the water for a while, make sure you remember your camera and you could be the proud owner of the winning snap,” said Andrew Daniells, Chief Operating Officer of Markerstudy Leisure, which owns Bewl Water.

“Or maybe you came earlier in the year and caught Bewl Water on a crisp winter’s day, or when the blankets of snow took over. We’d love to see entries reflecting the best of Bewl Water throughout the seasons,” he added.

To enter the competition, post your pictures on social media using the hashtag #bestofbewlwater

by May 1. There is no limit to the number of entries you can submit.

The winner will receive a three-course meal and house drinks for two at the Boat House Bistro next to the reservoir.

An enlarged canvas of the winning entry will go on display at Bewl Water, and will be featured in the Times and on social media.

BATHED IN BLUE A bank of bluebells by the waterside

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NEWS

County News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Authority to pressure government Photographer crowned over plans to scrap fast train link for winning garden shot PLANS to cease some high speed rail services from East Kent to London are set to be challenged by Maidstone Borough Council.

The authority voted in a meeting last week to support the continuation of Javelin trains from Maidstone East to London St Pancras.

With the South East network up for grabs at the end of the year, The Department for Transport [DfT] has set out changes to the service for the next franchise holder to provide.

RAIL DEAL High speed trains could cease to run from Maidstone East

Strenuous Controversially, this would see the county town lose its fast service through Ebbsfleet to the capital. Instead, a link to Abbey Wood, for Crossrail line connections, would be implemented.

Maidstone Borough Council’s motion to oppose these plans were led by the authority’s opposition Labour group, which all sides supported.

Council Leader Fran Wilson said: “The business community has taken this up in very strenuous terms.

“It is one of those occasions where everyone is on the same page, working

together to see that we retain and improve these services to Maidstone.”

The council will now look to lobby DfT throughout the year.

Town MP Helen Grant said: “This service is a crucial part of everyday lives, getting people into work quickly and conveniently.

“Now that we have it, we simply cannot do without it.”

A DfT spokesperson said: “Passengers on the new South Eastern franchise will benefit from modern trains with more

Women will be remembered in heritage event

space, as well as a more punctual and reliable service.

“The winning bidder must run at least two peak trains between Maidstone West and London St Pancras – however, they are urged to introduce more services as well as bring in other benefits, such as shorter journey times.

“From December 2019, new Thameslink services between Maidstone East and Cambridge will also provide an extra two trains per hour in each direction all day.”

“Their perseverance and courage is to be admired, and 100 years later the Suffragettes are still inspiring young girls across the country.

“I look forward to working closely with Bridge Cottage and Nicola

Stewart to remember this anniversary for the historic moment it is.”

Last week, International Women’s Day was celebrated with a march and other events in Tunbridge Wells [see pages 6-9].

WEALDEN Suffragettes and Suffragists will be remembered in a series of events over two weeks this summer.

Bridge Cottage Heritage Centre is hosting an exhibition called Women of Weald Suffrage between May 21 and June 2.

Last week, district MP Nus Ghani met Nicola Stewart, Heritage Education Officer at Bridge Cottage, in Uckfield, to continue planning the events.

Composition Ms Flint said: “I am absolutely thrilled and feel very honoured to have won Beautiful Gardens with my photo of Great Dixter.

“I entered this image as it seems to capture a little of the essence of Dixter – a beautiful, unique and special place, one that is dear to me.

“Luckily, Dixter is only a short drive away from me, so I’m able to visit it often, though I am very likely to be distracted on the way by an odd shaft of light and the mist over the river, carpets of bluebells or by the sheer beauty of the Sussex landscape at dawn.”

Strategy

DAY TO REMEMBER: (L-R) Wealden District Councillor Jeanette Towey, Wealden MP Nus Ghani, Bridge Cottage Heritage Centre Education Officer Nicola Stewart and Bridge Cottage Heritage Centre Manager Liz Penton

LIGHT LAYERS: The beauty of Great Dixter captured in Nicky Flint’s photo Competition Managing Director Tyrone McGlinchey added: “Nicky has managed to create a composition that has pronounced form, distinct layers and beautiful early morning light.

“As our eyes follow the lines of the planting, we are invited to walk through the lush borders and discover the wonder of a new day at Great Dixter.”

Minimal rise in council tax for town residents HOMEOWNERS in Crowborough, Eridge and other neighbouring towns will pay an average ten pence per week extra after Wealden District Council [WDC] approved a minimal tax rise.

Bravery The exhibition is likely to feature artefacts and talks about the movement across Sussex, 100 years on from some women getting the vote.

Ms Ghani said: “As the first female MP for Wealden, I owe my position in part to the bravery and determination of Suffragettes and Suffragists.

PHOTOGRAPHER Nicky Flint won an international competition for this atmospheric shot at Great Dixter gardens in Northiam, East Sussex.

The Robertsbridge-based professional was awarded first place in the Beautiful Gardens category of the International Garden Photographer of the Year 2018.

She was presented with the award at Kew Gardens after judges preferred her entry, titled ‘Through the Garden’, to hundreds put forward by photographers from all over the world.

The East Sussex authority approved the council tax increase of £5 a year for Band D properties, with a proportionate rate to affect different bands.

WDC said the average weekly rate is now £3.60 per week, and the funds will go towards services.

These include refuse, recycling,

social housing, animal welfare, economic development, community grants, private housing support, environmental protection and leisure centres.

Council Leader Bob Stanley said: “Over the past year, we have embarked on a commercial strategy which will create new public facilities, more housing opportunities and help regenerate our main towns.

“It will help to compensate for the loss of central government funding, and keep council tax rises as low as possible in the future.

“We will continue to strive to maintain a high standard of services while reducing costs.”

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NEWS

National News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Relatives of victims at Dunblane write to Florida school pupils RELATIVES of the 16 children and a teacher killed in the Dunblane massacre have sent a letter of support to the US school where a mass shooting took place last month.

On the 22nd anniversary of the shootings in Dunblane, survivors and families have written to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida where 17 people died in the Valentine’s Day massacre.

In Scotland the children – aged five and six – and teacher Gwen Mayor were murdered by Thomas Hamilton when he opened fire in 1996.

The shootings led to the UK enforcing some of the strictest firearms legislation in the world.

Describing how people in the town felt compelled to take action, they said: “The gunman owned legal weapons and it was so easy for him to obtain these legal weapons and like you we vowed to do something about it.

“Most politicians listened and acted, laws were changed, handguns were banned and the level of gun violence in Britain is now one of the lowest in the world. There have been no more school shootings.

The Dunblane relatives added: “We want you to know that change can happen.

“It won’t be easy, but continue to remind everybody of what happened at your school and the devastation caused by just one person and just one legally-owned gun.”

Now passengers face delays...for railcards A WEBSITE selling new railcards crashed due to high demand as just 10,000 went on sale.

Passengers across Britain aged 26-30 are eligible for the discount card for the first time. But the website selling the cards was unable to cope when they went on sale on Tuesday (March 13).

Chancellor Philip Hammond said in his Budget speech in November that the railcards would give ‘4.5 million more young people a third off their rail fares’.

But only 10,000 are initially being made available while the scheme is trialled to assess the impact on revenue and passenger numbers.

The cards cost £30 each year and save a third off most fares.

A spokeswoman for the Rail Delivery Group, which represents train companies, said: “We are increasing the capacity on the website to better manage the high level of traffic.

“Railcards are still available to purchase and people should keep checking @_Railcards Twitter and Facebook pages for updates.”

Infinite Accumulation by Yayoi Kusama, the Japanese artist who has been commissioned to create the new artwork for the Elizabeth underground line at Liverpool Street station. The work by the 88-year-old features flowing, mirrored steel sculptures, each up to 12 metres wide and 10 metres tall, supported by tubula rods

‘Light at the end of the tunnel’ – but austerity continues for now CHANCELLOR Philip Hammond promised ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ in unveiling an upbeat Spring Statement.

A rise in economic growth and fall in borrowing were the key announcements on Tuesday (March 13) in a speech that was seen as lacking on new policies.

The Conservative ruled out an immediate end to austerity but suggested it could be eased later in the year.

John McDonnell, Labour’s Shadow Chancellor, slammed his opposite number for ‘failing to lift a finger to help struggling local authorities and the NHS’.

Analysis commented that Mr Hammond, who just 12 months ago was fearing for his job in Theresa May’s Government, took a positive tone.

The Chancellor is still considered unpopular among pro-Brexit Conservatives, but received cheers as he finished his speech.

Turning point He said: “The forecasts confirm the first sustained fall in debt for 17 years, a turning point in the nation’s recovery from the financial crisis of a decade ago.

“Thanks to the hard work of the British public there is light at the end of the tunnel.”

Mr Hammond resisted pressure for an immediate boost to public service funds from Labour but gave a hint that austerity will be eased in November He said: “If, in the autumn, the public finances continue to reflect the improvements that today’s report hints at, then I would have capacity to enable further increases in public spending.”

Gross Domestic Product growth for 2018 was upgraded by a tenth of a percentage point to 1.5 per cent.

But it remains virtually static in following years, at 1.3 per cent in 2019 and 2020, 1.4 per cent in 2021 and 1.5 per cent in 2022, at a time of a strengthening global economy.

A Treasury spokesman later said that the Chan-

cellor was unlikely to use all of the £15.4billion headroom indicated by the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR) figures.

Mr McDonnell said improvements to the public finances announced by the OBR were ‘marginal’ and denounced the Chancellor’s decision to hold back any spending increases to the autumn as ‘astounding’.

“Hasn’t he listened to the doctors and nurses, the teachers, the police officers, the carers and even his own councillors?” asked the Shadow Chancellor.

“They are telling him they can’t wait for the next Budget. They’re telling him to act now.”

He added: “This isn’t a government that’s preparing our country for the future. It’s a government setting us up to fail.”

Mr Hammond dismissed Labour’s ‘doom and gloom’ with a joke playing on his own reputation for pessimism.

Yvette Cooper, senior Labour MP: “Chancellor starts Spring Statement by claiming we only need tax & spending changes in November - but that’s too late for the extra investment we need for NHS before next winter.”

Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Vince Cable: “The Spring Statement was a non-event. The OECD [Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development] gave us the clearer picture - that the economy is bumping along the bottom of the G20, well behind the likes of Australia, Canada and the euro area.”

Caroline Lucas, Co-Leader of the Green Party, said: “Tories celebrate a tiny improvement in growth in today’s Spring Statement, but GDP isn’t a real measure of our society.

“True indicators are people being treated in hospital corridors and foodbank use shooting up. Our economy is designed to fail people – and it needs an overhaul.”

The key points: What was in the Chancellor’s Spring Statement?

Mr Hammond began his Spring Statement by forecasting 1.5 per cent growth for 2018, up from 1.4 per cent.

Borrowing was forecast to fall to £45.2billion from £49.9billion, which the Chancellor declared a ‘turning point for the nation’s recovery’.

Extra spending could also be on the way with a detailed review announced for 2019.

There is also a planned £500m to introduce T Level qualifications and £80million to support small business engaging apprenticeships.

Housing is set to be supported by a £100million grant to build 215,000 homes in the West Midlands by 2030-31.

What they said: Reactions from across the political spectrum Philip Hammond: “If there are any Eeyores in this Chamber, they are over on the Labour side. I, meanwhile, am at my most Tigger-like.”

SMILES BETTER Chancellor Philip Hammond (left) leaves Downing Street

National News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

University strike could carry on to final exams

Building a career path THOUSANDS of job-hunters have applied for a UK position requiring them to play with Lego - and it is paying up to £27,000.

More than 5,000 applicants have submitted their CVs for the role of master model builder located at a custom-built studio next to the new Legoland Discovery Centre Birmingham, bosses said.

The post is one of just 22 in total and attracted interest from around the globe.

Chicken and egg case NANDO’S has asked an independent chicken shop to change its name and logo, accusing it of too many similarities with the restaurant chain’s trademarked branding.

Fernando’s, based in Reading, received a legal letter claiming that the shop’s name and logo was an infringement of Nando’s intellectual property rights.

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Embassy threatens reaction ahead of talks over sanctions

NEWS IN BRIEF

UNIVERSITY strikers have turned down an agreement reached by union leaders and employers to end the pensions dispute.

It means the strike will continue – with threats to disrupt final exams and assessments in the summer term.

University staff opposed to the deal announced on Monday evening have pushed for a more ‘decisive victory’.

The strike over pension reforms has lasted four weeks and cancelled classes in over 60 universities.

An agreement was reached under which employers and employees would both temporarily pay higher contributions to plug the funding gap.

NEWS

UNDER WRAPS An address in New Malden is sealed off

Body discovered in suburb after death of ‘Russian businessman’ COUNTER-terrorism police are investigating a death in south-west London amid reports that a Russian businessman has been found dead.

It was reported that the victim was a close friend of Boris Berezovsky, a prominent critic of the Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russian media named the victim as Nikolai Glushkov, 69, the former Deputy Director of the airline Aeroflot who claimed political asylum in the UK after being convicted of fraud.

But the police have said there is no suggestion of a link to the incident in Salisbury when former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, 33, were poisoned.

Scotland Yard said a man in his 60s was found at a home in New Malden on Monday. A statement said: “Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 10.46pm on Monday March 12 to reports of a man found deceased at a residential address in Clarence Avenue, New Malden.

It added: “Whilst we believe we know the identity of the deceased, formal identification is yet to take place. The death is currently being treated as an unexplained.

“At this stage the Met Police Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation as a precaution because of associations that the man is believed to have had.”

Outspoken He was outspoken after the death of his friend Berezovsky, telling the Guardian in 2013 he would ‘never believe’ he took his own life.

Mr Berezovsky, a friend of murdered spy Alexander Litvinenko, was found hanged in the bathroom of his Berkshire home in 2013.

Police and MI5 are to look into allegations that a string of deaths on UK soil may be linked to Russia, including the Berezovsky case.

THE Russian embassy has issued a warning to the government after it said it was considering a range of sanctions over the suspected poisoning of a former agent and his daughter in Salisbury.

Theresa May had set a deadline for midnight on Tuesday (March 13) for Moscow to explain how a Russia-made nerve agent was used in the incident on March 4.

The Embassy said: “Any threat to take ‘punitive’ measures against Russia will meet with a response.

The British side should be aware of that.”

The Russian Foreign Minister asked for access to samples of the nerve agent that poisoned ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.

Ready Sergei Lavrov said Russia ‘is not to blame’ and will only co-operate with the government’s investigation if it receives the samples.

The British ambassador in Moscow has been summoned to discuss the case, Russian news agencies have said.

Meanwhile, police have appealed for witnesses who saw their red BMW car before the attack.

They had parked in Salisbury city centre, less than three hours before they were discovered slumped on a bench.

Theresa May said the UK must ‘stand ready’ to take measures against Russia and that these would be set out in the Commons today (March 14) should there be no adequate explanation by midnight on Tuesday.

The Prime Minister is due to speak to Donald Trump about the case. The US president said earlier he would take Britain’s assessment that Russia was behind the attack ‘as fact.

He added: “It sounds to me they believe it was Russia based on all the evidence they have”.

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BUSINESS

National Business News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

HIGH RISE Cala Homes has seen profits rise 12 per cent in three years

L&G buys rest of Cala Homes after boost from joint owners INSURER Legal & General Group has bought out the joint owner of Cala Homes in a deal that values the housebuilder at £605million.

The acquisition meant buying up the remaining 52.1 per cent of Cala Homes that L&G did not already own for around £315million, having shared ownership with Patron Capital Partners.

The housebuilder’s Chief Executive Alan Brown said the deal marked ‘the start of another exciting new chapter for Cala Homes’.

Ambition He said: “Over the past five years we have become one of the UK’s fastest-growing housebuilders and this is testament to the strength and ambition of our team, the quality of

our homes and our approach to customer service.”

The housebuilder saw its revenues grow threefold under its joint ownership, growing from £241million in 2013 to £748million in 2017, while profits grew at a compound annual growth rate of 12 per cent over the past three years.

L&G said it believes Cala Homes had ‘attractive growth prospects’ under full ownership of its capital division, given its long-term approach to investing and the ‘attractive market for house building in the UK’.

Cala Homes is focused on ‘high quality family housing’ having completed 1,677 sites in 2017.

Around 1,322 private homes were sold at an average price of £497,000, with more than 60 per cent of profits coming from English regions and the remainder from Scotland.

UK likely to come last in G20 growth projection BRITAIN is set to miss out on buoyant global economic growth over the next two years, according to new forecasts by the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD).

The UK trails last out of the G20 economies in the OECD’s growth projections for both 2018 and 2019, with its rate of GDP increase declining in both years while many other countries will be surging ahead.

The OECD blamed the UK’s position on high inflation dampening consumer demand and continued uncertainty about Brexit.

The body’s Interim Economic Outlook – which was released as Chancellor Philip Hammond was preparing to paint a hopeful picture of Britain’s prospects in his spring statement – nudges predicted UK growth for 2018 up by a tenth of a percentage point to 1.3 per cent.

Inflation But 2019 is unchanged at 1.1 per cent, compared to the OECD’s most recent forecast in November, and both years are down on the 1.7 per cent growth recorded for 2017.

By contrast, growth in the global economy is expected to strengthen further from its six-year high of 3.7 per cent in 2017 to reach 3.9 per cent in 2018 and 2019.

US economic growth is tipped for a rise from

2017’s 2.3 per cent to 2.9 per cent this year and 2.8 per cent in 2019, on the back of tax cuts and spending increases made under President Donald Trump.

And while eurozone growth is expected to ease off from 2.5 per cent last year to 2.3 per cent in 2018 and 2.1 per cent in 2019, major continental economies like Germany and France are forecast to out-perform the UK. “High inflation continues to damp real household income growth and consumer spending, and business investment is slowing, amidst continued uncertainty about the future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union,” said the OECD. The report forecasts a gradual rise in price and wage inflation in major economies, accompanied by a ‘normalisation’ of interest rates away from the near-zero lows they have maintained in many countries since the crash of 2008.

With mounting fears of a trade war following Mr Trump’s threat of imposing tariffs on steel and aluminium, the OECD issued a plea to avoid p ­ rotectionism.

“Safeguarding the rules-based international trading system will help to support growth and jobs,” it said.

“Governments should avoid escalation and rely on global solutions to resolve excess capacity in the global steel industry.”

French Connection reveals takeover bid as profit looms FASHION chain French Connection has said it received an unwanted takeover approach last year as it insisted it was ‘very close’ to returning to profit after six years in the red.

The firm said the unsolicited approach came from an unnamed US suitor and led to months of talks, although no formal offer was made.

The takeover tilt – made in the middle of last year – was made public as French Connection reported fees in connection with the approach in full-year results showing sharply narrowed losses.

The fashion chain saw annual pre-tax losses nearly halve to £2.3million from £5.3million the previous year as it axed loss-making stores and overhauled ranges.

said: “Our goal has been to return the group to profitability and I believe we are very close to achieving that aim, given the momentum that we are currently seeing within the business.

“While it is clear that the retail market in which we are operating in the UK is unlikely to improve in the near future, we have clear visibility on the benefits we will obtain from the ongoing portfolio rationalisation.”

French Connection closed 11 stores and concessions over the last financial year and said it would continue to axe unprofitable sites, with an ultimate aim to have around 30 full-price stores by the end of next January. This is down from 65 full-price stores in 2013 and around 36 currently.

Challenging On an underlying basis, its operating losses narrowed to just £600,000, down from £3.7million the previous year.

Retail like-for-like sales grew 0.8 per cent over the year to January 31 in a ‘particularly challenging’ UK retail market – a marked slowdown on the 4.4 per cent rise seen the previous year.

An 8.6 per cent surge in wholesale revenues helped boost overall group sales, up 0.5 per cent to £154million.

Chairman and Chief Executive Stephen Marks

DISCONNECT: French Connection closed 11 stores and concessions last year

NEWS IN BRIEF

Goodbye pork pie while focus turns to fitness

Greencore shares slide as US sites fail to deliver

THE pork pie has been ditched from Britain’s inflation basket and women’s exercise leggings have been added to the mix, underscoring the nation’s appetite for keeping fit.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said action cameras such as GoPros and children’s soft play areas have also been included in the goods and services basket.

Digital camcorders have been stripped out due to the rise of smartphones, while TV receivers are replaced by digital media players made by Apple, Google and Amazon.

SHARES in Greencore plummeted 23 per cent after the Irish food-to-go supplier warned that problems at its US division would dent profits.

The sandwich-maker flagged the weak performance of ‘underutilised’ US sites, the timing of new business contributions and the sterling-dollar exchange rate as having led to a reduced expectation in profit growth.

Greencore acquired US-based Peacock Foods in 2016 and is now exploring ways to best utilise the manufacturing network of approximately 2.5 million square feet.

World News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

NEWS

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SPORT IN BRIEF

FREE SPEECH Rex Tillerson (left) is said to have called Trump a ‘moron’

Trump sacks Tillerson for supporting deal with Iran DONALD TRUMP has fired his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson because they disagreed over the Iran nuclear deal.

The President has chosen CIA director Mike Pompeo to fill the role, while Mr Pompeo’s deputy, Gina Haspel, is being nominated to replace him. If her appointment is confirmed, she would be the CIA’s first female director.

Mr Trump said he and Mr Tillerson ‘disagreed on things’ and cited the nuclear deal with the Iranins as one example.

Iran agreed before Mr Trump took office to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions.

Happier The President has regularly criticised the agreement as a bad deal and has repeatedly threatened to end it.

He noted that Mr Tillerson ‘felt a little bit differently, so we were not really thinking the same’.

He said he made the decision to sack his secretary of state ‘by myself’ and suggested Mr Tillerson will be ‘much happier now’.

Mr Pompeo is strongly opposed to the Iran nuclear deal, and Mr Trump said they have a ‘very, very similar thought process’.

A senior State Department official said Mr Trump never explained to Mr Tillerson the reason why he was fired.

The undersecretary of state for public diplomacy, Steve Goldstein, said Mr Tillerson ‘had every intention of staying’ in the job because he

felt he was making critical progress in matters of national security.

Two White House officials have said Mr Tillerson was told he was out on Friday, but Mr Goldstein said he ‘did not speak to the president and is unaware of the reason’.

A White House official said Mr Trump wanted to have a new team in place before the forthcoming talks with North Korea and various trade n ­ egotiations.

There had been rumours throughout most of Mr Tillerson’s tenure of friction between Mr Trump and his secretary of state, a former ExxonMobile chief executive.

In October, NBC news reported that Mr Tillerson called the president a ‘moron’, something he never actually denied.

HARSH INTERROGATIONS DONALD TRUMP’S choice to be the first female CIA director, Gina Haspel, is a career spymaster who once ran an agency prison in Thailand where terror suspects were subjected to a harsh interrogation technique.

The current deputy CIA director, who joined the agency in 1885, also helped carry out an order that the agency destroy its waterboarding videos.

That prompted a lengthy Justice Department investigation that ended without charges.

Afghan grapples with police outside Austrian parliament

ON PATROL A police car at the Parliament building in Vienna A MAN has been arrested after he tried to drag a police guard from his car outside the Austrian parliament building.

Vienna police said the incident took place

shortly after 8am on Tuesday (March 13), when the 26-year-old suspect, an Afghan national, spoke to the officer in his patrol car, then grabbed his clothes and tried to pull him out of the vehicle.

The officer used pepper spray to deter the assailant, injuring him slightly. Police say the officer was unhurt, and no weapons were found on the suspect.

The incident comes after a knife attack on Sunday night on an Austrian soldier who was guarding the Iranian ambassador’s residence in Vienna.

The attacker in that case, an Austrian national, was shot dead, and senior national security official Michaela Kardeis said that he ‘clearly had sympathy for political Islam’.

Kearney fit for Ireland’s Grand Slam showdown

Walsh crowns return with massive win on Footpad

ROB KEARNEY is expected to be fit for Ireland’s Six Nations match against England at Twickenham on Saturday despite nursing an ankle issue.

Johnny Sexton is fully recovered from a gluteal muscle injury that had hampered his kicking in the wins over Wales and Scotland.

Cian Healy has also been passed fit after a neck problem he picked up in Saturday’s victory over Scotland, with Ireland having rejected suggestions that the front-rower suffered a head injury.

Ireland, who have already won the tournament, are chasing only their third ever Grand Slam. Kearney and Rory Best are the only survivors from the last one in 2009.

FOOTPAD, trained by Willie Mullins and ridden

by Ruby Walsh, won the Racing Post Arkle Challenge Trophy Novices’ Chase on the first day of the Cheltenham Festival.

The French-bred gelding powered clear in the straight to win by 14 lengths and Mullians believes he could be a serious contender for the Cheltenham Gold Cup. Walsh only returned to action last week having been sidelined since November by a broken leg.

He teamed up with Mullins again to score by a length and a half on Benie Des Dieux in the OLBG Mares’ Hurdle.

It was the trainer’s ninth win in 11 years having claimed the prize six times with Quevega.

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NEWS

Letters

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

And another thing…

This is the page where you, the reader, have your chance to express your views or comments on what’s going on in our part of the world. We like to hear from you. You can email us at newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk or write to the Editor at 16 Lonsdale Gardens, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1NU We need bold visions for all our precious buildings

DECIMATED: These Decimus Burton villas made way for the current Town Hall

Would you buy a car from them?

Your editorial of February 21 calls for a ­resolution to the disputes between the major interested – i.e. business-interested – parties: Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, the BBC and Hoopers, so that the project can move ahead.

I’m reminded, though, of the closed question that car salesmen employ – not: “Do you want to buy this car?”, but rather: “Would you like it black or silver?”

The real debate is about whether it’s needed; should it be built; can we afford it? Not minor distractions about noise and car parking and, in Hoopers’ case, ownership of land.

Let’s not get distracted by side issues when the main one remains far from resolved. The majority don’t want the car in any colour, and don’t want the Civic Centre and theatre.

Edward Baker Tunbridge Wells

Issues raised are not short-term In your editorial [February 21], you frame the ‘challenge’ faced by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and those objecting to the proposed new Civic Complex as finding a way to deal with short-term issues while the council underpins the long-term future of the town.

This is grossly to misrepresent the scale and nature of the challenge. The issues raised by Hoopers, Metro Property (owners of the Great Hall), Sainsbury’s and the BBC are not only short-term.

Hoopers says the project is ‘an existential threat’ to their business. A moment’s reflection is sufficient to realise the economic impact on Metro Property would be significant and enduring, due to the permanent loss of parking and impaired service access to the Great Hall.

Your editorial also makes the assumption that this project would ‘underpin the long-term future of the town’.

The council’s prior and contested claim that the theatre would bring more than £14million a year into the local economy has now been rubbished by their own consultants, GVA, who have calculated it to be £4.2million.

I think it is time Tunbridge Wells Borough Council learns from the mistakes of the past.

In 1938, a row of rare Decimus Burton villas were knocked down to be replaced by the Town Hall and Assembly Hall complex, which was finally completed in 1952.

In 2000, the Art Deco cinema opposite the Town Hall closed and was let go to ruin – it was finally knocked down in 2013 in order to save face.

Surely the lesson to learn here is to use what the town already has? The Town Hall complex is a fine building – as were the Art Deco cinema and

Even this figure excludes any of the continuing incremental costs the project would entail in terms of traffic congestion, wear and tear of the roads, policing, litter, noise and, of course, the economic impact on Hoopers, Metro Property, Sainsbury’s and the BBC, amongst others.

So much for respecting the confidence that voters have placed in this council to nurture the town’s long-term future. The challenge is a little more intractable than you make out.

Dr Robert Chris Via email

It’s the town that’s being coerced Your report on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council’s consideration of Supplementary Planning Documents for the theatre and Civic Complex planning application says a council member accused an objector of being a ‘bully’ [February 28].

Judging by the overwhelming number of objections to the scheme on the council’s website, I think many residents could justifiably claim to being bullied by intransigent ­councillors determined to lumber us with an enormous debt for a very dubious speculative scheme, with a huge environmental and financial impact on the community and neighbours of the scheme.

Pots and kettles come to mind.

John Telling Tunbridge Wells

Shame on you for bullying claim Cllr Tracy Moore shows highly polished political skills. The girl will go far methinks.

At the council meeting of February 21 she accused Dr Chris of the Tunbridge Wells Alliance of ‘mysogyny’ and of being ‘a bully’.

Dr Chris, who is severely unwell and ­undergoing chemotherapy, had requested that a friend should be allowed to read out his questions about the Civic Complex development on his behalf. His request was refused. If this is not an example of bullying, I can’t think what is.

Paul Hunt Tunbridge Wells

Decimus Burton villas.

In any other town in the world these would have been converted by architects with a vision rather than discarded, causing years of misery yet again.

Why destroy a vital car park at the Great Hall, cause frustration to the local shops and take a chunk of Calverley Grounds to create another unwanted building?

No doubt it saved money to knock down the Decimus Burton villas. We need bold visions to reuse our precious buildings for the future.

Colin Walton Via email

Dear Prudence, come back soon If reserves are not to be used, then what are they for? You published a story on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council being criticised for dipping into its cash reserves [February 28].

In this household, that is exactly what they are for: To bolster and maintain our spending ability in straitened times – increasingly so.

What is odd, though, is the portfolio holder for finance Cllr David Reilly’s reference to ‘some of the most unstable political and economic conditions’. Why then is he party to a ­speculative spend of £90million for a new Town Hall and theatre?

Miss Prudence has gone AWOL. Ben Hardy Tunbridge Wells

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

CALVERLEY remembers when football used to be a great family day out that didn’t always break the bank. How different it is today.

Brighton play Manchester United on Saturday in the FA Cup. Dusting off his old Brighton replica shirt, Himself goes online to see about buying a couple of tickets and catching the train up to Old Trafford. Pass those smelling salts.

Himself discovered that two reasonable seats would set him back around £600. Add train fare, lunch, etc, and one is looking at more than £1,000 to watch 90 minutes of soccer.

Now, exactly where do Tunbridge Wells play?

SOUND advice from a helpful assistant at a local chemist. Nothing to do with medicine and cough cures. This was about dentists. The subject of the cost of getting the pearly whites [teeth to younger readers] cared for came up as people stood in a queue. The woman told how she had been quoted £1,500 for two crowns. Clearly not the NHS. She declined, went home, got online and found a dentist in Turkey. She was quoted £465 for the same treatment. But was it worth it?

Flashing two perfectly crowned front teeth, she declared: “It was amazing, really good.

Even when I paid for flights and a hotel, we saved hundreds and had a week’s holiday.”

Atlas, please.

Not a patch on US gravel roads TJ Beach suggests that we Brits drive on the left because the French chose to drive on the right [February 21]. Possibly, but we drove on the left so that our sword arm was available to see off the potential attacker coming the other way – probably a Frenchman.

I’m with the writer, though, on the state of the town’s roads – they are truly awful, we are patching the patches.

I’ve driven on better single-track back roads in the Mediterranean islands, and US gravel roads that criss-cross the south-west are so good they have a 50mph speed limit on them!

At that speed, you’d lose your tyres, wheels and suspension, not to say your fillings, if you tried it here. Still, that HS2 will do us proud, won’t it?

Hugh Masters Pembury

Studying? Take a look at yourself Your front page story was about the town producing the highest number of university students in the county [February 28]. Isn’t what they are studying more important than mere numbers? Many would be better off, in every sense of the word, by doing something else.

Sam Goodenough Tunbridge Wells

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

WHAT a sense humour. Off to Arundel Castle to visit the in-laws [not in the castle itself, more like the tea rooms] and He has to pass through various local villages. That’s when Calverley comes across the sign by the roadside for a local nursery. It quite caught His eye – so much so, He stopped the old Bentley and snapped this picture. It does not appear unusual [apart from the bit about selling sausages] until you realise that the sign is outside… Ford Open Prison, where inmates run a garden shop. They might be ‘banged up’, to use their speak, but they have retained their sense of humour, as have the prison officers. Well done chaps.

Chin Chin, readers

Local News

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

EDUCATION Times WITH THE

The Peek of his powers: The poet who helps children enjoy writing and express emotions

COSTUME DRAMA Tony Peek with pupils dressed for World Book Day

By Andy Tong andy@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

Serious The easiest way to a young child’s heart is, predictably, to talk about gruesome subjects or toilet humour, from scary monsters to poo and snot.

Sitting in on one of Mr Peek’s workshops, it’s the readings from his forthcoming After Dark book that are the most popular by far.

And as the children are trying out rhymes, he reveals one of his latest limericks: “The emperor Julius Caesar Keeps his bogies in the freezer.

When he has nothing to do His wife gives him two Which she feeds him by using some tweezers.”

But he also gives them poems with more serious subject matter, such as ‘Cry’ (see panel) and ‘The Grief’, which offer something markedly different.

PHOTOS: Craig Matthews

TO MARK World Book Day, Fordcombe Primary School invited local wordsmith Tony Peek to take classes for a week as their ‘poet in residence’.

Mr Peek took each year group for a whole morning, discussing the art of poetry, reading his verse and encouraging pupils to try their hand at it.

The week culminated in an assembly where the children read out their own poems – coinciding with World Book Day, so that all the pupils were dressed up as their favourite fictional characters.

Mr Peek, who taught English in a secondary school near Hastings for 13 years, has been running his Poetry Workshops for three years.

It all began when the teachers of one of his seven children heard he wrote poetry for young people and asked him to take assembly at their small primary school.

“The kids were so amazing, so much better than teenagers going ‘oh sir... [groan]’,” Mr Peek recalls. “I was doing Auntie Antonella [one of his creations who decides to eat everything – including herself at the end] and I told them to shut their eyes and imagine buttering the sun, and they were laughing so hard.

“I left there and I was crying, really emotional on my way to the car. So the very next day I went to my headteacher and said I won’t be coming back at the start of next term.”

His methods vary from school to school, either doing half an hour with each year to cover the entire school in one day, or longer residences

which allow the pupils to produce their own work under his guidance.

The creative aspect is most important to him – and his students: “What they really like is reading out their own poems to their peers. That’s the best bit.

“I point out the fact that when we start there’s blank sheets of paper and suddenly they’ve filled them up with poems. That’s amazing.

“I think it works because I’m a man in what is essentially a female world, being silly and creative, and that’s great for small kids.”

“I get really nice feedback from teachers saying ‘oh, such and such has never written anything before and now he’s running up to me with poems’ – it’s really touching.”

MY WORD Reception and Year One pupils at Fordcombe

CRY It’s hard to cry, it’s hard to cry But it’s so good for you, To let yourself break down a bit And shed a tear or two.

Some people say they never cry But I think that’s quite sad, Whenever I give in to tears It always makes me glad.

If you keep all your troubles in They grow and do not mend, But if you lose them through your eyes Your tears become your friend.

“There was one child who said to me ‘you’re the poet who writes about poo’, so I’ve got to be really careful and make sure I balance it.

“If you just do that, they are not getting the proper message, and I think it’s really important that they understand what poetry can do, that it really helps us with feelings and it helps us express things, it’s not just fun.”

He decided to focus on primary schools because the children are less world-weary and more susceptible to the new-found power of words.

“It’s a really important time in their lives. I want people to go out into the world being optimistic.

By the time they are at secondary school it’s a bit tricky.”

“Really it’s all one long poem made up of all the poems in the world, from humble me to Bob Dylan and William Shakespeare, and the idea is to try and make the world a better place.”

His biggest influence, having lived in Denmark where his youngest children grew up, is a Danish poet called Halfdan Rasmusson, a resistance fighter in World War II who went on to write nonsense verse alongside more serious work.

But what really inspires Peek is the work his students produce. “With Years Five and Six this week I did some haikus and acrostic poems [where the first letters of each line spell out a word], then they wrote three or four poems each.”

Often the children come up and give him their own poetry outside the classroom. “Yesterday it was so sweet, one boy came up to me and said, ‘I’ve got these poems in my drawer and I’ve copied them into my book so you can have them’.

That’s really emotional – and rewarding.”

For more information about Tony Peek’s workshops visit www.mrpeekspoetryplace.co.uk

NEWS

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Weekly Comment

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Peter Lidstone

Tunbridge Wells councillor

The youngest member of Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, Peter Lidstone, aged 32, is a Liberal Democrat councillor and was the only candidate to successfully dislodge a Conservative opponent at the last local elections. With a full-time job as part of the charity Build Africa, the former law student of the University of the West of England is also fluent in French. His interest in politics came after attending a conference on the subject at Christian Aid about why Christians should get involved

Glass recycling example of local politics at work So why is glass recycling important? The energy saved from recycling just one glass bottle is enough to power a light bulb for four hours, or a TV for 20 minutes.

Pressure

AT LAST Waitrose products will be sold at the Shell garage CERTAIN things seem to go down particularly well in Tunbridge Wells. I’m often asked when we will be getting a Waitrose (it seems a mini Waitrose in St Johns Road Shell garage is finally on the cards).

We value our schools and local culture. And in Tunbridge Wells, a town whose wine consumption probably rivals the heydays of Rome, the response we receive to glass recycling on the doorsteps is a resounding “Yes please!”

When I first started knocking on doors as a

Council candidate in 2016, glass collection was something that immediately seemed to be missing from the Council’s services. So we started a petition.

Jokes about levels of alcohol consumption aside, there lies a serious point. Currently, 11 per cent of the waste residents throw in their rubbish bins is glass. Some people don’t either have the inclination to recycle, don’t want it piling up, or don’t have a car and are unable to easily transport heavy glass to a bottle bank.

Fran Long

Secretary Tonbridge and Malling Green Party

listened, applied pressure and things changed.

As with the cinema site, when we gathered an astonishing 15,000 signatures calling on the Conservative council to stop neglecting the site, we listened and people power made the change. So my question is this: what should Tunbridge Wells Lib Dems be focusing our efforts on next?

Sometimes it will take years, but the most important thing is this: please keep talking to us.

And keep fighting to improve the quality of your local neighbourhood.

Recycling glass can also save the Council money. Tunbridge Wells Borough Council pays by the tonne to send our waste to landfill, yet collecting glass within the recycling will actually generate, not cost, money.

Unfortunately, the Council’s plans to introduce a charge for garden waste has been interpreted by some as ‘offsetting’ the cost of glass collection. This is absolutely not true, and the fact that the income generated from the introduction of a £30 garden waste collection has been earmarked to cover the debt from the new civic site proves this.

But most importantly, the Council’s plans to introduce glass recycling are an example of local politics at work.

People told us what they wanted, we BOTTLED UP: Glass recycling is a talking point

Fran Long is a retired nurse, founder member of Tonbridge Bicycle Users Group, treasurer of Tonbridge and Malling Friends of the Earth, and an active member of the Angel Community Gardeners.

Why are British commuters subsidising European passengers?

IT is becoming clear that rail privatisation has failed. In Tonbridge, we have just seen fares rise by 3.6 per cent. This represents a huge increase at a time when wages are stagnant, and means that a season ticket to London now costs £4,235, up £147 on last year.

British commuters pay more per mile than their counterparts across the Channel. The respected website The Man in Seat 61, comparing the price of a standard single between the capital and towns 50 miles away, found UK fares the most expensive in Europe at 50p/mile. Austria, France and Holland cost about 30p/mile, and others are cheaper still.

Network Rail, which was returned to public ownership in 2002, following a number of serious accidents, owns the track. The train companies are private and subsidised by UK tax payers to the tune of £1.2billion a year and 90 per cent of profits go to shareholders.

Strangely, our Conservative government is ideologically opposed to publicly-owned British companies operating our rail services, yet seems quite happy for foreign publicly-owned companies to run British trains! The Daily Telegraph reported that 18 out of 25 rail franchises in the UK are owned by French, German, Dutch, Italian or Belgian state-owned railways. As Manuel Cortes, general secretary of the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association said: “Money made out of passen-

gers here is [being] invested in fare subsidies abroad.”

We have learnt recently that Virgin Trains East Coast is abandoning its franchise just two years into a five-year contract, resulting in losses to the tax payer (and with no apparent desire from the government to impose any kind of penalty). The only time that this ill-fated route has been profitable and reported good customer satisfaction was between 2009 and 2015, after it had been taken back under public ownership.

Unrest Over the past couple of years, we have seen more and more industrial unrest. The government has done little to help resolve the disputes, apart from grandstanding on behalf of GTR. Upgrades have been cancelled across the network but the vanity project that is HS2 grinds on, despite its £33billion price tag. And all that money is projected to improve the fastest journey time from London to Birmingham by a mere 24 minutes!

Anyone who has travelled by train in France or Germany will know that their state railways run well and are reasonably priced. Train travel is less polluting than transport by road so the Green Party sees trains as a key public service.

TRAIN TO GAIN The Green Party say that European commuters are getting a fare deal If other countries can run an efficient public train service for their citizens, we see no reason why Britain cannot take back control of its infrastructure and do the same for our citizens. We

could then invest the profits in fare subsidies, improve the network, and encourage more people to use this less polluting and sustainable means of transport.

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

yourh me INSPIRATION FOR MOVING

32

AND IMPROVING INSPIRING BATHROOMS

Outside edge

How your garden can sell your house Page 26

Escape to the country

Our pick of the best rural homes

AVAILABLE EVER Y WEDNESDAY – A MUST-READ

36

ULTIMATE GUIDE TO PROPERTY, IN TERIORS, TOP TRENDS AN D GARDENING

PASTORAL PERFECTION

42

Pages 36 & 42

KITCHEN CONFIDENTIAL

46

Bold and beautiful

This spring inject some colour into your interiors Pages 50-51

MAKE AN ENTRANCE

53

POTS OF PLANTING IDEAS

26

yourh me

To suit your budget

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Your at-a-glance guide to HARDINGE AVENUE TUNBRIDGE WELLS GUIDE PRICE

£775,000

UNDER £250,000

n Bathroom

UNDER £400,000

n 3 further bedrooms

QUERIPEL CLOSE TUNBRIDGE WELLS

n Kitchen

CHANDOS ROAD TUNBRIDGE WELLS

n Family bathroom

n Range of fitted units

GUIDE PRICE

n Vinyl flooring

GUIDE PRICE

n Walled rear garden

£195,000

n Allocated parking space

£375,000

n Patio area

n Entrance hall

n Scope for improvement

n Leasehold

n Ground rent & service charge applies

n Communal entrance n Entrance hall n Living/dining room n Bedroom

n Small front garden with surround

n Garden shed

n Living room CONTACT Bracketts Tunbridge Wells 01892 533733 www.bracketts.co.uk

n Dining room n Kitchen n Master bedroom

CONTACT Bracketts Tunbridge Wells 01892 533733 www.bracketts.co.uk

To suit your budget

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

thekn w

27

great properties by price range…

UNDER £500,000 ELMHURST GARDENS, TONBRIDGE

GUIDE PRICE

£425,000-£450,000 n Entrance hall n 2 reception rooms n Conservatory n Modern kitchen n 2 double bedrooms n 1 single bedroom n South-facing rear garden n Garage & off-street parking n Ornamental patio n Wooden shed CONTACT Wood & Pilcher Tonbridge 01732 351135 www.woodandpilcher.co.uk

UNDER £600,000 PIPPINS CLOSE, TONBRIDGE

GUIDE PRICE

£460,000-£475,000 n Semi-detached house n Entrance hall n Lounge/dining room n Kitchen n Cloakroom n Master bedroom with en suite n 2 further bedrooms n Family bathroom n Garden with stone patio, established plants and lawn n Garage CONTACT Bracketts Tonbridge 01732 350503 www.bracketts.co.uk

UNDER £750,000 UNDER £1MILLION

GOLDSMID ROAD, TONBRIDGE

HARDINGE AVENUE TUNBRIDGE WELLS

n Off-street parking

GUIDE PRICE

n Low brick front garden

£650,000-£700,000

£775,000

n Large rear garden

n Entrance hall

n Paved terrace

n 3 reception rooms

n Detached, modernised house

n Garden shed

n Kitchen/breakfast room n Pantry

n 3 reception rooms n Kitchen/dining room n Utility room n 5 bedrooms (3 with en suites) n Family bathroom

GUIDE PRICE

CONTACT Flying Fish Properties Southborough 01892 514189 www.flyingfishproperties.co.uk

n Master bedroom with en suite n Family bathroom n 3 further bedrooms n Loft room n Parking for 2 cars CONTACT Wood & Pilcher Tonbridge 01732 351135 www.woodandpilcher.co.uk

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Prospect Road

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

AT A GLANCE PROSPECT ROAD TUNBRIDGE WELLS n Terraced townhouse arranged over three floors n Period features include sash windows, exposed floorboards, dado rails, decorative coving, wood panel doors and attractive fireplaces n Covered entrance porch n Entrance hall n Open-plan sitting/dining room with pretty fireplace surrounding a coal-effect gas fire with cast iron grate and granite hearth n Kitchen with underfloor heating, painted wood wall and base units under stained wood worktops and French windows to garden n Cloakroom n 4 double bedrooms n 2 bathrooms n Enclosed courtyard garden n One allocated parking space

GUIDE PRICE

ÂŁ750,000

Available for sale through Savills Tunbridge Wells 01892 507000 www.savills.co.uk

Period townhouse in central location just half a mile from mainline station

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Easterfield House

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

AT A GLANCE EASTERFIELD HOUSE EASTERFIELDS, EAST MALLING n Updated to a high standard n Enclosed porch n Hall with tiled flooring n Drawing room with striking modern wood-burning stove n Dining room n Conservatory opening to terrace n Bespoke kitchen by Hettich/breakfast room with double doors to terrace n Utility room n Cloakroom n Master bedroom with en suite n 3 further bedrooms n Family bathroom n Drive with parking for several cars n Tandem garage and double car port n South-facing garden with terrace n Pond with water feature & footbridge n 2 greenhouses & a shed

GUIDE PRICE

ÂŁ1,185,000

Available for sale through Savills Sevenoaks 01732 789700 www.savills.co.uk

Stylishly refurbished family home has delightful gardens and rural outlooks

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Advertising

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yourh me

The Limes

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Village property in private road enjoys views across Penshurst Place grounds AT A GLANCE THE LIMES LATYMERS, PENSHURST n Renovated and extended family home in small development on private road n Area of outstanding natural beauty n Village setting n Spacious living room with bifold doors to garden n Large, L-shaped bespoke kitchen fitted by Kensington Scott open-plan to dining room, with doors to garden n Master bedroom with walk-in his and hers wardrobe and en suite n 4 further double bedrooms n 1 bathroom & 2 shower rooms n Large garden backing on to Penshurst Place Estate Grounds n Driveway with parking for 2 cars n Detached double garage

GUIDE PRICE

ÂŁ985,000

Available for sale through Le Grys, Southborough 01892 529448 www.legrys.com

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Church House

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

AT A GLANCE CHURCH HOUSE HIGH STREET, YALDING n Grade II* listed village home of mixed ages with fine period features n Mentioned in Pevsner architectural guides under name Holborough House n Panelled entrance hall with elegant staircase n Drawing room n Dining room n Sitting room n Bespoke kitchen with Aga, and access to secondary staircase and courtyard n Cloakroom n Extensive three-room cellar n Master suite with fireplace, window seats, dressing room and shower n 4 further bedrooms (2 with en suites) n Family bathroom n 1-bedroom flat on second floor with kitchen, reception room, bedroom, en-suite bathroom and separate WC n Detached former coach house with garaging, workshop & storage n Conservatory summerhouse n Charming walled gardens & terrace

Striking Georgian residence with flat and charming walled garden

n In total, approximately half an acre

GUIDE PRICE

ÂŁ2,000,000

Available for sale through Savills Sevenoaks 01732 789700 www.savills.co.uk

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Interiors

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

IMAGE: COURTESY OF DFS

‘To create impact and ensure a slick, elegant feel, it’s a good idea to select a maximum of three hot hues’

All things

bright and beautiful Spring is just around the corner, so why not go for a bold colourful scheme at home asks Eileen Leahy

I

F YOU’RE a fan of neutrals and understated details, you may want to stop reading now as bold, vibrant colours are back – just in time for spring. But before burying your head in your cream scatter cushions, don’t panic. This bright and beautiful look works really well, even on a minimalist scale, as long as you follow a few simple rules.

Throwing together banana yellows, hot fuchsia pinks and tangerine shades might look really stunning pitched against the sun-drenched skies of Mexico or Morocco, but here, in the often grey and cloudy UK, it will just look too garish.

To create impact and ensure a slick, elegant feel, it’s a good idea to select a maximum of three hot hues. One of them should be your dominant tone, the other two accent ones.

Look to the colour wheel for inspiration to see which combinations work best together.

For example, verdant greens suit raspberry pinks and mustard yellows, while turquoise partners vibrant vermillion or golden hues well.

And with the current fad for using very inky deep colours, such as Farrow and Ball’s Railings (almost black) and Hague Blue, these look nothing short of stunning with a sliver of metallic, canary yellow or vibrant pink.

So where to inject some totally tropical colour – and how?

If you are not brave enough to do a whole room in a bright colour, then how about splashing a key colour into your space courtesy of some soft furnishings?

A pink velvet sofa, lime green occasional chair or a selection of cobalt blue cushions will immediately perk things up. And the good news is just about everyone, from DFS to Indigo and Marks & Spencer, are currently tapping into this trend.

Painting a feature wall is another great way of adding a burst of colour to a room without things becoming too overpowering.

There are plenty of tropical-inspired colours around this season so you’ll be spoilt for choice.

Little Greene, Crown and Dulux all have some really brilliant hero paints to start your colour adventure with. Alternatively, you could opt for a patterned paper, or even coloured wall tiles if you really want a focal point to be proud of.

If you don’t want to embrace colour on such a grand scale, then do it the canny way – through accessories. Cushions, curtains and vases of fresh flowers are all perfect visual vehicles for your cheerful colour choices, and this spring the shops are positively blooming with fabulous finds.

Next and John Lewis are always worth a saunter around, and you’re bound to source lots of unique finds at the ever brilliant HomeSense and TK Maxx.

Even something as simple and inexpensive to execute as placing a collection of coloured glassware – say vases or glasses – on a shelf will give a space impact.

Easier still, invest in some stunning florals, such as birds of paradise and orchids, to complement your look.

TOP TIP: Hot tropical colours work best in bright light – that’s why they look so good in the Caribbean – while dark and dramatic ones are easier to work with alongside the UK’s less vibrant hues. So use tester pots to assess how a colour will work with the light in your room before you commit.

Interiors

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

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TOTALLY TROPICAL Gibson print silk cushion, £135, www.vintagecushions.com

FABULOUSLY FAUX Tropical Plant, £39.99, www.tkmaxx.com

SMELL OF SUCCESS White Tea Bergamot & Mint Diffuser £28, www.saramiller.london

GET THE LOOK

Living colour Inspired by our feature on injecting a dash of colour into your home this spring? Then here’s how to do it with theknow’s edit of the best rainbow bright must-haves

CURVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM Lucia Floor Lamp, £239, www.furniturevillage.com

PERFECT IN PINK Fliss 4-seater sofa, £1,299, www.dfs.co.uk

LIGHT FANTASTIC Cosmopolitan tall pink metal candle holder, £14, www.debenhams.com

GOLDEN WONDER Gold Geometric Candle Holder, £29, www.jdwilliams.com

CUTTING THE MUSTARD Olivier Desforges Iroquois Cushion Cover, £25, www.amara.co.uk

FOOT NOTES Marina outdoor rug in Eggshell Blue & White, £49.95, www.cuckooland.com

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Gardening

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GARDEN TASKS FOR MARCH Let’s hope next week’s first day of the astronomical spring will bring with it the warm sunshine and sense of hope gardeners usually long for at this time of year. With the passing of ‘The Beast from the East’ and the thaw of the flowerbeds, we can finally start getting our gardens ready for the season.

Here are five jobs to get done now that will give your garden the boost it needs to carry it through this unpredictable weather.

Springing forward March 20 heralds the start of spring, with lengthening days and warmer temperatures – however, beware of late ground frosts which can challenge the first growths. It’s also a month of contrasts; time to finish any winter work and start on tasks for the new season

1

GET PRUNING There are plenty of plants that are best pruned now, before they reach the end of their dormant period and begin this year’s growth. Great candidates include fast-growing woody shrubs such as buddleia, which have a tendency to take over if left to their own devices.

Plants grown for the colour of their winter wood are also coming to the end of their prime now. Cut back dogwoods such as Cornus sanguinia to just a few inches from the ground. It feels almost cruel, but you’ll be rewarded with an even more gorgeous display next winter as a result.

2

SPOT AND REMOVE WEEDS While many of your plants remain dormant, opportunistic weeds are beginning to make the most of the warmer, longer days. Tackle them now when they can be easily pinched or hoed out and you will be grateful for the effort later on in the year.

3

TIE IN CLIMBERS Now that we’re through what is hopefully the worst of the winter, it’s time to begin to repair the damage the season has wrought. Trellises and structures are likely to need mending or replacing, and the plants that depended on them will need tying in.

Consider whether the damage was a result of the plants being too heavy, as for climbers such as honeysuckle this is the best time to begin cutting back.

Keep the main framework, but trim off any ungainly side shoots.

The best garden to see how to do pots en masse is Great Dixter, Northiam, where they plant them together with bold, bright colours and daring plant combinations. And containers are never filled with a mix of plants, always with just one type for maximum impact

4

PLAN YOUR PLANTING It’s a good idea to go through unused seed packets from last year and check when they need to be planted. You might find long-forgotten treasures and no doubt plenty to get started with straight away, as March is one of the busiest months for getting things going.

If you’ve discovered your seeds are out of date and you’ve got seed trays to spare, give them a go anyway. You never know!

5

MULCH Your plants are starting to get hungry, so make sure they’ve got plenty of nutrients to keep them going. Mulching now will help keep in moisture, defend against further frosts and keep pesky pests at bay.

This boost to healthy growth will give your plants the edge when slugs and snails come out to feast later in the season.

Find more gardening at www.theknow.guide

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

thekn w ARTS AND CULTURE | LIFE & STYLE | MOTORING TECHNOLOGY | DREAM DESTINATIONS | SPORT

Hair heroes

Get your locks looking luscious

FOOD & DRINK

Page 70

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Hitting the high notes

A TASTE OF THE COUNTY

58

See our round up of classical concerts Page 60-61

WOMEN’S HOUR

68

BLUE SKY THINKING

78

Golden wonder

We test drive the new BMW X2 Page 74

LUCKY SEVENS

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Arts & Culture

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Meet the women

who want to empower you

Following last year’s successful inaugural Women Work event, which aimed to motivate women and help them to build everything from their confidence to their own business models, founding member Ania Jeffries reveals what this year’s focus will be at the next event, on April 20

T

he purpose of Women Work is to create a better future for yourself, your family, your community, your business. It is aimed at women at home, women who are looking to return to work after a leave of absence, women who are out of work, women who are looking to set up a business, women who are already in business, and women who are wanting to grow in self-belief and confidence to fully maximise their potential.

We want to help you to be the best you can, so we have created an event for you that is devoted to personal and professional growth by offering fantastic networking opportunities to form connections both personally and professionally, and a platform for many great speakers, businesses and charities.

‘We believe that every woman has the capacity to leave an impactful footprint on the world’ Our inspirational speakers will provide you with some answers. They will give you tips and strategies to support you in the home and business, to create positive mental health and wellbeing.

There is something for everyone, from how to create a positive mindset to how to overcome that inner chatter, reframe those negative thoughts, manage change, recognise the early warning signs of meltdown, set up a business and learn to love yourself.

I believe that together we are stronger, and in supporting each other we will hope to build a firm foundation for our next generation and for our community.

Following last year’s successful inaugural Women Work event at the Assembly Hall, where

DYNAMIC DUO Ania Jeffries and Tammy Clark

we had over 1,300 visitors and more than 70 workshops taking place, this year we are at Salomons Estate and have 50 experts speaking. The event is sponsored by the Times of Tunbridge Wells and also Global Woman Club.

Proceeds raised from the tickets will go to help support the eating disorder charity BEAT, who will have an ambassador at the event to share their own personal stories of eating disorders.

Other contributors on the day include the Tunbridge Wells-based children’s counselling charity Fegans and domestic abuse volunteer support service DAVSS, but there will also be a number of individuals speaking.

The Times shares three of their stories below…

BROUGHT TO BOOK Ania Jeffries has contributed to a new collection of stories, entitled ‘The Pay it Forward Series: Notes to my Younger Self’, which will be published on March 17 as part of a growing global movement called the Women of Contribution.

The authors are encouraging readers to purchase the book and then follow the ‘pay it forward’ concept. Once the book has been read, then that person pays it forward to other women, whether family, friends or a complete stranger, with the hope that their experience, hope and knowledge will help others.

The book’s creator, Kezia Luckett, will also be speaking at Women Work.

For more information, see www.womenofcontribution.com

Arts & Culture

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Ruth Driscoll is ‘The Life Liberator’. She is creating a global liberation, leading those living with manipulative, abusive, controlling relationships into empowerment and freedom.

Her training and programmes offer clients impactful insights into how to regain their lives with confidence, congruence and dignity.

Ruth was the successful headteacher of a challenging inner-city primary school before the bullying of an abusive partner caused a complete change in her circumstances.

She now uses her personal and professional experiences to provide a unique perspective on how it feels to live with an abusive partner and, crucially, how sufferers can release themselves effectively and safely. Ruth is a mentor, trainer and professional public speaker. Her story has been heard around the world.

Positive mental health is key to building self-belief and confidence. Women Work hope all their speakers will help you to achieve both, and here is a taste of the kind of stories you will hear…

Women in Business

Self-belief Start-up Single Confidence Stalking Mum – in Business

Overcoming Women in Challenges the Workplace Life-changing Strategies

SESSION 2

Mind & Body

Tools of the Trade

SESSION 3

Health & Wellbeing

Women in Business

Life Balance Body- Dissatisfaction

Marketing Social Media

Tools to Manage Change

Women in Business

Overcoming Challenges

Mental Health in Business

Survival Techniques

SESSION 4

4pm to 5.30pm

Health & Wellbeing Eating Disorders Self-belief Confidence

Improved Work Practices

Overcoming Women in Challenges the Workplace

Women in Business

2pm to 3.30pm

Who would have thought that a woman who came to the UK speaking a handful of words in English would end up speaking on the prestigious TEDx platform?

The same woman who was also told that because of her migrant status she could not aspire to get into management, and is now dedicating her time to supporting women to become extraordinary business leaders?

“My name is Lara and I was born in Syria. I went from there to Spain to the UK – three countries that offered a different set of challenges, some imposed upon me and some chosen by me.

“One of the biggest ones to overcome was the effect one word, engrained in the Arab culture, had on me – and the word is ‘3aib’, which means ‘shame, disgrace’.

“But for me, going from victim to victor was easy once I understood that overcoming the emotional heaviness of such a word was key to my success.

“It took effort, time and work, and now it is the right moment to raise awareness of the impact this word has on people – because it is not ‘3aib’ to challenge your culture, to have a voice as a woman and to want to do great in the world.”

SESSION 1

Lara Khalaf

Health & Wellbeing

Health & Wellbeing

11.30am to 1pm

From overcoming post-natal depression, anxiety, a mental breakdown and a late diagnosis of adult ADHD, Tammy Clark now spends her time creating and taking part in projects that are designed to help others.

TIMETABLE & SESSIONS 9.30am to 11am

Tammy Clark

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Ruth Driscoll

WHO WILL BE SPEAKING AT THE EVENT?

As part of Tammy’s personal journey of selfhealing, she set herself a goal to overcome and face her biggest fears.

In 2015, she began this challenge by shaving off all her hair to prove that as a woman she was much more than just her visual appearance.

While doing so, Tammy raised £1,200 for the MS Society and Teddy Treats Children’s Charity.

In 2016, she set her next goal to overcome her fear of heights, and with the help and support of her brothers she completed a tandem parachute jump from 12,000ft – together they raised £1,000 for the MS Society.

In 2017, Tammy set herself her biggest challenge yet – she decided to face several fears at once by speaking publicly on the subject of mental health.

Tammy was asked to take part in the first Women Work event and courageously took to the stage on four occasions throughout the day, speaking to a combined audience of over 800 people.

She spoke openly of the struggles of dealing with and moving on from mental health issues, and shared insights into the realities of everyday life.

In 2018, Tammy’s new goal is to overcome her fear of rejection and finally allow for the release of her much-anticipated children’s activity book ‘The Secret in the Rainbow – A Gift of Positivity’ to go on sale via Amazon. Watch this space for the development of this new venture…

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Self-belief Overcoming Adversity

Leadership Management

Overcoming Women in Challenges the Workplace

See www.womenworkevents.com for a full list of speakers and timings

Tools for Use

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Going Out

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

going ut Seven days of activities at a glance

By Eileen Leahy

THREE BILLBOARDS – SUCH IMPACT See the Oscarwinning film at Trinity

WEDNESDAY

Teletubbies Live is on today and tomorrow at the Assembly Hall. Tickets for this classic CBeebies show, which is ideal for toddlers and preschoolers, cost from £13. For further information regarding performance timings, see www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk The Oscar-winning Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, is on at Trinity Theatre today, showing at 11am, 2pm and 8pm. Starring Frances McDormand, who won the Best Actress gong at the Academy Awards, and Sam Rockwell, who won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar, this dark comic drama is a must-see. Tickets cost £11. www.trinitytheatre.net Every Wednesday from 7 until 9pm, the Angel Indoor Bowles Centre in Tonbridge welcomes beginners to their ‘Have a go at bowling’ evening.

There’s even a free drink on offer at the bar afterwards! For more information, visit www.angelibc.co.uk BoostFit classes are now being held on Wednesday evenings at 7pm at St Gregory’s Catholic School. The classes cost £5 for a one-hour session. For more details, see www.boostfit.com LOOK TO THE SKIES With Sarah Seymour at the Thompson Spare Gallery

THURSDAY

Over the next few weeks, Tonbridge Creates will be running a pop-up arts hub in the town. The aim is to help local artists showcase and sell their work, and to regenerate some of the empty shop units. According to its organiser, Louise Knight, the idea is to bring back ‘the local community to the heart of the town’. For more information on the event, visit www.tonbridgecreates.com If you want a taste of history, then make sure you visit Tunbridge Wells Museum & Art Gallery, where Seasons of Change: The Fegans’ Story is currently on. Running until June 9, it focuses on the work of Fegans, a local charity which has been championing childhood and transforming mental health since 1870. Admission is free and the show is on Tuesday to Sunday. www.tunbridgewellsmuseum.org The current exhibition on at Thompson Spare’s art gallery is Sarah Seymour’s Skyscapes. The artist, who works from her studio in Dungeness, paints incredible views – but don’t just take our word for it, go along to the gallery located in the independent estate agents on Tunbridge Wells High Street and see for yourself. www.thompsonspare.com

FRIDAY

There will be a Support for Veterans event happening at Lamberhurst War Memorial Hall today at 10.30am. Organisers invite all ex-service people aged 65 and over and their families to attend this free information and advice day being put on by the Royal British Legion. For further information, email: michael.bishop@rbli.co.uk The Big Brocante Vintage & Collectors Fair kicks off today at the Hop Farm Family Park and runs until Sunday. On from 8am-5pm, KENTISH CONNECTIONS: With Sevenoaks and Tonbridge Concert Band it will showcase antiques, collectables and vintage invites you to join them for An evening with trinkets from some of Europe’s best specialists.

Mozart, featuring the stirring Mozart’s Requiem For tickets, go to www.thehopfarm.co.uk and other instrumental and choral pieces, from The National Trust’s International Garden of the 7.30 pm at St Andrew’s Church, Paddock Wood.

Year exhibition is currently on at Sissinghurst Tickets cost £12.50, under-19s go free. Available Castle, for the fourth year running. The to purchase on the door or via exhibition, which runs until April 13, showcases www.paddockwood-choral.org.uk everything from portraits to panoramic shots of Tonight, lovers of guitar music mustn’t miss horticultural scenes, and intricate flora and fauna Tonbridge Music Club’s superb concert, which details from both professional and amateur features celebrated classical guitarists Gary Ryan photographers. To find out more, visit www. and Craig Ogden. The programme, which nationaltrust.org.uk/sissinghurst-castle-garden includes music by Bach, Vivaldi and Piazzolla, This evening there will be an orchestral concert will feature both solo and duet performances. at Tonbridge School by its symphony orchestra.

This is a rare opportunity to hear two masters of Beethoven Symphony No.7 in A major will be their instruments together, and tickets are £20 performed at the Chapel of St Augustine from for adults and £5 for under-18s. For more details, 7.30pm. Beethoven’s seventh symphony is often call the box office on 01732 838698 or visit www. over-looked, hidden between the drama of the tmc.org.uk fifth, the lyricism of the sixth and the colossal ninth. Much of the work represents Beethoven at his most optimistic and even light-hearted. The only sombre section is the famed second movement, used to such great effect in the film The King’s Speech. Wagner christened it ‘the apotheosis of the dance’ and Tchaikovsky described the finale as ‘a whole series of images, full of unrestrained joy, bliss and the pleasure of life.’ The concert is free to attend but booking in advance is essential. Please call 01732 304241 to do so.

SATURDAY

It’s Saint Patrick’s Day, and also the final matches of the Six Nations rugby tournament, which are being screened at various pubs in town, including The Bedford and Cassidy’s.

If rugby’s not your thing, then how about seeing Strictly star Darcey Bussell dancing her socks off at her DDMIX class, which is on at St John’s Sports Centre at 11am? Tickets cost £15 per person. For information and manual ticket bookings, contact Gillie on 07778 733706 or Liz on 07738 709080; for electronic ticket bookings, please email your requirements to: Liz@danceon.org There are plenty of musical offerings on in the local area this evening. First up is the Sevenoaks and Tonbridge Concert Band, who perform their latest work, Kentish Connections, at St Nicholas Church in Sevenoaks, in aid of Kent-based brain tumour charity the Silas Pullen Fund. The band will also perform favourites from the Last Night of the Proms and popular film scores from Pride and Prejudice and Pirates of the Caribbean. Tickets cost £8 per adult and £1 per child, via www.

MUSICAL STATUES stband.co.uk Enjoy the Beethoven Paddock Wood concert at Tonbridge School Choral Society

EXPLORE THE LANDSCAPE Through Jane Cordery’s exhibition at Trinity

SUNDAY All weekend, a fun event entitled Elizabeth I and the Armada: Ready the Battle Stations will be on at Penshurst Place. Go along in order to journey back in time to the 16th century and see how the people of the stately home lived and worked during this historical era.

Most activities are free with paid admission. For more information, please visit www.penshurstplace. com/whats-on Beautiful Chiddingstone Castle hosts its annual Wedding Open Day from 10.30am. This complimentary to attend event is the perfect inspiration if you want to marry in a castle and als0 have access to some of the area’s best wedding suppliers. www. chiddingstonecastle.org.uk

MONDAY Trinity Theatre’s latest art exhibition is entitled The Existential Landscape and

Going Out

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

features work by artist Jane Cordery. She believes that in this current climate of information overload, the ‘physical landscape remains critical to our sense of place, identity and wellbeing; evoking memories of our past’. She explores the ‘tension between internal and external landscapes’ through a variety of mediums, including painting, drawing and sculpture. The gallery is open from 10am to 10pm and entry is free.

The Oast Theatre in Tonbridge is performing Abi Morgan’s Lovesong all this week until Saturday.

Directed by Ian Tucker-Bell, the story is about a couple’s journey through life and love at different points of their relationship, and audiences are

sure to find it emotive and enjoyable. Tickets cost £10 and £7.50 for non-members. See www. oastheatre.com

PICK OF THE WEEK:

TUESDAY

Trinity Theatre, March 15, 6pm

There will be a Bee Health Check and Microscopy event at the Grosvenor and Hilbert Park Hub today from 1pm-3 pm. Run by the Cross Pollination Project, it will show visitors why and how beekeepers use microscopes to assess the health of their bees. Experts will share their knowledge, and there will be an opportunity to learn about a few bee diseases and threats. No booking is required and the session is free to attend.

A HISTORIC ADVENTURE IN TIME Relive Elizabeth I and the Armada: Ready the Battle Stations at Penshurst Place

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So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs!

Dinosaur aficionado Dr Ben Garrod – an evolutionary biologist, primatologist, lecturer and broadcaster – stars in So You Think You Know About Dinosaurs!

The production takes audiences on an ‘exciting pre-historic adventure’ through an interactive, educational and highly entertaining show that all the family will love.

With the help of TV film footage from the BBC’s Planet Dinosaur and photos of Dr Ben’s palaeontological dinosaur digs, he will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the intriguing ancient creatures – and more.

After completing a doctorate at University College London and the Zoological Society of London, Ben has gone on to present several television shows, including Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur with the much revered Sir David Attenborough.

His other TV credits include Hyper Evolution: Rise of the Robots, Secrets of Bones and The Day the Dinosaurs Died.

The show starts at 6pm, tickets cost from £11 and can be booked via www.trinitytheatre.net

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Going Out

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE The Pantiles. Doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7 Websites www.pdag.co.uk and www.thegreylady.co.uk Wednesday The Varlies, The Breaks, Harry Whitty Friday Soul Kitchen Saturday Groove Agents Sunday The Frampton Sisters, Jon Grayson, Imy Laurie, Hannah Haynes Tuesday Jimmy Harrison, James Kirby, Red, Green & Blue

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

live music With Paul Dunton

M

y recommendations for live music this week start with a great midweek outing – this Wednesday, popular local band The Varlies headline The Grey Lady with support from The Breaks and Harry Whitty.

Many other excellent local acts are in action on Friday night. Fans of alternative and rock will enjoy AKK, Run Leia Run and The Lucky Scars, who will all be performing in The Sussex Arms Basement. For a taste of the 60s and 70s, Sweet Illusion return to The Assembly Hall, and for jazz enthusiasts, the deeply talented Kent Youth Jazz Orchestra are at The Masonic Hall.

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

Looking ahead to the weekend, the superb Kast off Kinks are at The Forum this Saturday night, and for fans of Led Zeppelin, the renowned tribute act Letz Zep are at Trinity Theatre. Some other fantastic options for Saturday include popular soloists Mick Mepham, who returns to the Beau Nash Tavern, and Dave La, who will be live at The Bedford.

This Sunday night, The Grey Lady hosts The Frampton Sisters, Jon Grayson, Imy Laurie and Hannah Haynes.

And on Tuesday night, Tonbridge Folk Club welcomes the renowned trio Alden, Patterson & Dashwood and The Oakland Brothers to the Punch & Judy.

Event information at www.twforum.co.uk Friday Theatre: ‘Medea Electronica’ Saturday The Kast Off Kinks

THE SUSSEX ARMS BASEMENT Sussex Mews. Open all day, entry charge may apply, music from 8.30pm. More information at www.twforum.co.uk Friday AKK, Run Leia Run, The Lucky Scars

SCALLYWAG CAFÉ 45 Mount Ephraim Road. Open all day, entry charge may apply, music from 8.30pm. For more information, visit www.scallywagcafe.co.uk Friday Carradine’s Cockney Singalong Kent Jazz Youth Orchestra

James Kirby

THE MASONIC HALL St John’s Road. Details of all events and tickets available at www.twjazzclub.co.uk Friday Kent Youth Jazz Orchestra

THE BEAU NASH TAVERN Mount Ephraim, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late Saturday Mick Mepham

THE BEDFORD

THE ASSEMBLY HALL

2 High Street. Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late Saturday Dave La

Crescent Road. Find details of all events and tickets available at www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Friday Sweet Illusion

THE ROYAL OAK

TRINITY THEATRE

THE PUNCH & JUDY

Church Road. Find details of all events and tickets available at www.trinitytheatre.net Saturday Letz Zep

11 St Stephen’s Street, Tonbridge Free entry, music from 8.30pm Tuesday The Oakland Brothers

THE EM FORSTER THEATRE

The Flying Dutchman, Hildenborough Hat contribution of £7 (£5 concessions) is suggested. Music from 8pm.

See www.tonbridgefolkclub.org Monday Alden, Patterson & Dashwood

Tonbridge School. For tickets, see www.boxoffice.tonbridge-school.co.uk Friday Tonbridge School Symphony Orchestra (Beethoven’s 7th symphony)

Prospect Road. Open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late Saturday Crowd Squeeze

TONBRIDGE FOLK CLUB

Advertorial

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Reservoir dogs!

With the sunshine on its way, now’s the time to get out and about with everyone’s furry friends at Bewl’s Big Dog Day Out…

WITH THANKS TO… Beco Pets would like to say a big thank you to our lovely contributors on our treasure trail. Here’s a little more information…

Beco Pets Beco Pets is a UK-based pet product brand, creating products that are better for your pet and better for the environment. Try Beco Pets natural food for dogs. It’s made with 100 per cent fresh, ethically-sourced meat. They top up it up with nutritious veg and superfood. All cooked at low temperatures to lock in all that goodness.

Find out more at www.becopets.com The English Beagle The English Beagle is not just an online gift store for dapper dogs but one for the whole family. Supporting British manufacturers with beautiful gifts for the home, garden, your children and furry friends. Find out more at www.theenglishbeagle.com The Dog Treat Company The Dog Treat Company only use humangrade, ethically-sourced ingredients, and make their treats by hand in Devon. They do not add sugars, salts or dyes to any of their products. They never add chemicals or enhance the shelf life of any of ther products by artificial means. Find out more at www.thedogtreatcompany.co.uk

B

ECO PETS and Bewl Water have joined forces to create Bewl’s Big Dog Day Out – a dog-orientated bonanza at stunning Bewl Water reservoir that brings together the dog community for a fun-filled family day.

The team have been working tirelessly to make sure that the event is filled with amazing stalls and activities for the whole family to enjoy, and with an astounding uptake in stallholders and attendees registered, they are set for a grand debut on the March 18.

Treasure Collect a free goody bag from the Beco Pets stand and embark on the treasure trail around the reservoir, collecting the treasure from stations along the way. A whole host of treats can be collected around the route, including natural rubber chew toys by Beco Pets, quirky collars from The English Beagle and natural treats by The Dog Treat Co. At the end of the trail, hop on Bewl’s ferryboat and glide across the reservoir.

Pop by the dog agility ring to see the fantastic Frittenden Dog Agility team show how it is done, where their commander-in-chief, Sandra Cherry, will be on hand with some pointers. Visitors can practice, with a few tips and tricks along the way.

When the stomach starts to rumble, pop into The Waterfront Café to grab some delicious homemade cake, sandwiches and hot food, all washed down with a hot cup of tea or coffee.

To tuck into something a little heartier, visitors can head over to the Boat House Bistro where they will be serving up warming Sunday roasts all day. For the Bistro, don’t forget to book so you don’t miss out. Friendly dogs are more than welcome in both eaterys.

The event has been organised by the Bewl Water team and Beco Pets, an ethical pet food manufacturer who is using Bewl’s Big Dog Day Out to promote their 100 per cent fresh meat ethically sourced food for dogs.

To make sure you don’t miss out on any of the activities or talks, please register for your free ticket at www.bigdogdayout.com The more dogs the merrier.

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food

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Food & Drink

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Celebrating our culinary county Times food writer Bruce McMichael attended Thursday’s Taste of Kent Awards, which saw many of our favourite local food suppliers and producers honoured…

O

ver 350 people gathered for the glitzy Taste of Kent Awards at the Kent County Showground in Detling on Thursday [March 8] to celebrate the rich diversity of the county’s produce and the innovative way producers, growers and chefs are using local produce.

A craft mead was the big winner, impressing the judges enough to ensure it clinched the top prize of the night: Kent Food Product of the Year. Produced by Mereworth-based firm Marourde, the fermented honey drink which dates back thousands of years also won Best Specialist Drink.

And while mead may be a niche product, it has recently been given a boost as the drink of choice for many characters in the hit TV series Game of Thrones.

Marourde, the historic name for Mereworth – a small village located between Paddock Wood and Maidstone – is run by husband and wife team William and Amelia Boscawen, who met while pursuing international finance careers in Hong Kong before relocating to Kent to revive a family farm.

A TASTE OF VICTORY Award winners celebrate

Exciting Susanna Rynehart, a partner in Tunbridge Wells legal firm Thomson Snell & Passmore [TSP], who hosted a table at the awards, is a passionate foodie. She was sitting next to William when the announcement was made that Marourde had won the top prize.

“We were thrilled that Will and Amelia won Kent Food Product of the Year and the specialist drink category award with Marourde,” she said.

“It’s a fantastic addition to the Kent food scene.”

Alisa Sweeney, another partner at TSP, added: “The annual awards night allows local growers, producers and restaurateurs to take a rare night off to celebrate all that is great about their businesses.

“The sector has seen another tough year, with pressures coming from increases in business rates, Brexit, recruitment and retention issues and the casual dining crash, but these awards show that with a lot of passion and real dedication to greatness, businesses can not only survive but flourish in this sector.”

Made with honey, mead can trace its history back 7,000 years. It is an extremely versatile drink, with or without fruits and spices, and

either still or sparkling, ranging from 4% to 15%.

Hannah Blake, of Tunbridge Wells-based PR firm The Dining Room, a company that represents several food and drink companies, says: “Good chefs are always looking for new, exciting ingredients, and a good mead will surely be increasingly seen in restaurant and pub kitchens and menus.”

Mead-maker William believes that we’re changing the way we view this traditional tipple. And there are so many ways you can make it.

“We are turning preconceptions on their head and feel that this hugely versatile drink has a great future,” he explains.

“Because of the way that we make it, it’s much more culinary than the other drinks out there.

“You need to gently cook the ingredients to extract the flavours, and must bring them to the right temperature before applying the right yeast to bring out the alcohol.

“It’s a slow and captivating dance of ingredients and conditions to craft the mead we want.”

Chef and food writer Julie Friend agrees that mead is now having a bit of a moment: “I’ve tasted Marourde mead and it’s delicious.

As well as a great drink, it’s also a versatile ingredient for cooking, including poaching chicken or pork, baking cakes and making cocktails.”

‘These awards show that with a lot of passion and real dedication to greatness, businesses can not only survive but flourish in this sector’ Food writer Hattie Ellis, who has written two books on honey, including the popular ‘Spoonfuls of Honey’, agrees: “I’m a huge fan of good mead. It’s a special and sophisticated drink that Britain used to make in quantity.

“Unfortunately, some so-called mead made

today is low-quality wine flavoured with honey, giving a cloying sickly sweet taste. It saves money on expensive honey but isn’t true mead.

“Real mead is honey mixed with water and fermented with yeast. Mead in its heyday had many strengths and flavours. It doesn’t have to be sweet; it can be dry or medium-dry, a honeyed sort of sherry, if you like, or made into a less strong, quaffing drink.

“The meads flavoured with fruit or herbs and spices can be very special, too.”

Other popular Taste of Kent Award-winners on the night included Penshurst Farmers’ Market regulars Eckley Farms of Staplehurst, who picked two top accolades for their Pure Kent range of foods – best Bakery and Confectionery product for its Stoneground Wheat and Barley Flour, and the Ambient award for its Oak Smoked Rapeseed Oil. Guest stallholders at Penshurst, Wise Owl Cider, were just pipped at the post by future Penshurst guest, Turners Cider, for their Elderflower Cider, described as a ‘still, fruity and flo-

Food & Drink

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

ral, unfiltered and naturally sweetened with elderflower syrup’.

Based just north of Tonbridge in Offham, the charity Spadework took home the Unique Community Award. Working with people with learning and other difficulties, they offer the chance to try gardening, jam and chutney-making and working in the farm shop.

Southborough Butchers was a runner-up in the Kent Butcher Shop of the Year category, while Chegworth Valley – a fruit farm based at Harrietsham, near Maidstone, and with a grocery store and deli located on The Pantiles in Tunbridge Wells – was a runner-up in Kent’s Tastiest Juice of the Year for its Apple and Cherry juice.

Awards organiser Stephanie Durling, Chief Executive of Produced in Kent – the group that represents many in the county food and hospitality sector – said: “Our annual awards is always a lively event, and a great chance to shine a spotlight on the food and drink sector in the Garden of England.

“Innovation is key to the future of Kent farming

and food production, so it’s great to see a start-up company like Marourde taking an historic drink and bringing it up to date.”

Clare Eckley, of Eckley Farm and Pure Kent, agrees: “It’s a tough, but exciting time to be a farmer or food producer in Kent.

“There are lots of new, innovative products coming out of the county, and it’s important for us to add value to our local commodity crops, such as wheat, hops, honey and apples.”

Returning to the award-winning Marourde Mead, food author Hattie says: “Mead is a drink that is being revived by some interesting companies, and I hope they grow the market as this is a drink well worth discovering, and it’s good to encourage beekeepers by creating a premium product for their beautiful honey.

“I love to serve mead at the end of the meal with cheese, fruit and nuts, but you can also serve it with pudding, or as an aperitif.”

For more information on the Taste of Kent Awards, and to keep an eye on voting for next year, visit www.tasteofkentawards.co.uk

THE TASTE OF KENT AWARDS WINNERS 2018 Category GARDEN OF ENGLAND CHAMPION TOP FRUIT Sponsored by BTF Partnership Winners: Banfields Farm, Horsmonden – Comice Pears AJ Bray & Son, Faversham – Jazz apples Category KENT BEER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Eurostar Winner: Gadds No3 – Ramsgate Brewery Runners up: Goodness Gracious Me IPA – Goody Ales Reliant Robin – Rockin Robin Brewery Category GARDEN OF ENGLAND CHAMPION – CHERRIES AND SOFT FRUIT Sponsored by Kent County Agricultural Society Winners: Brian Piper, Filmers Farm, Loose, Nr Maidstone – Cherry (Van variety) J Myatt & Co, Mockbegger Farm, Rochester – Strawberry (Magnum variety) J Myatt & Co, Mockbegger Farm, Rochester – Raspberry (Tulameen variety) Category KENT CIDER OR PERRY OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Wilkins Kennedy LLP Winner: Elderflower Cider – Turners Cider, Marden Runners Up: Kentish Discovery – Kentish Pip, Bekesbourne Wise Owl Bittersweet Dry Still Cider – Wise Owl Cider, High Halden Category KENT COUNTRYSIDE AWARD Sponsored by Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Joint winners: AC Goatham & Son, Medway Roundoak & Kings Oak Farm, Sutton Valence Highly Commended: Eckley Farms, Staplehurst Unique Community Award: Spadework, Offham Category KENT WINE OF THE YEAR Sponsored by NFU Winner: Bacchus 2016 – Chapel Down, Tenterden Runners Up: Ortega 2016 – Biddenden Vineyards, Biddenden Sparkling White 2013 – The Mount Vineyard, Shoreham, Nr Sevenoaks

Runners up: The Carriage Restaurant, Faversham The Corner House, Canterbury The Mulberry Tree, Boughton Monchelsea Category KENT BUTCHER SHOP OF THE YEAR Winner: SW Doughty, Doddington Runners Up: Southborough Butchers, Tunbridge Wells Stour Valley Game, Chilham THE KENT FOOD PRODUCT CLASSES AWARDS Sponsored by Shepherd Neame Judged by an independent expert panel SPECIALIST DRINKS Winner: Craft Mead with Kent Golding Hops – Marourde, Mereworth Highly Commended: Canterbury Gin – Canterbury Brewers and Distillers BAKERY AND CONFECTIONERY Winner: Stoneground Wheat and Barley Flour – Pure Kent, Staplehurst DAIRY CLASS Winner: Pure Whole Milk – Plurenden Manor Farm, High Halden PREPARED FOOD Winner: Habanero Chilli Biltong – North Downs Real Food, Lenham AMBIENT Winner: Oak Smoked Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oil – Pure Kent, Staplehurst Category KENT TASTIEST JUICE OF THE YEAR Sponsored by AC Goatham & Son Winner: Spiced Kent Apple Juice – Owlets Fruit Juice, Lamberhurst Runners Up: Apple & Cherry Juice – Chegworth Valley, Harrietsham Apple Juice – Biddenden Vineyards, Biddenden Category KENT DINING PUB OR BISTRO OF THE YEAR Sponsored by University of Kent Winner: The Ferry House Inn, Isle of Sheppey Runners Up: The George Inn, Molash The Hop & Huffkin, Sandwich

Category KENT LOCAL FOOD RETAILER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Opies Winner: Austens of Rochester Runners Up: Barham Village Store, Barham Macknade Fine Foods, Faversham

Category KENT FOOD PRODUCER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Shopper Anonymous Winner: Bessie’s Tea Parlour, Broadstairs Runners Up: Sissinghurst Pigs, Sissinghurst The Chai Stop, Minster

Category KENT RESTAURANT OF THE YEAR Sponsored by Thomson Snell & Passmore Winner: The Buoy & Oyster, Margate

KENT FOOD PRODUCT OF THE YEAR Sponsored by HSBC Winner: Craft Mead with Kent Goldings Hops – Marourde, Mereworth

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Weddings

Love-locked couple tie the knot

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

When Russell Milner proposed to Georgina Stimpson on Valentine’s Day, they set to work creating the wedding of their dreams in Tunbridge Wells. With friends and family to help, Georgina says the result was a day they will never forget How did you and your husband meet?

We were set up on a blind date by mutual friends who decided we should all go out together.

Both of us had been single for some time, so about a week later we went on our date. We shook hands and I categorically told him that I wasn’t interested in anything serious…

Tell us about the proposal Fast forward four years to last February. Russ planned a surprise trip to Cologne, where we stayed in a beautiful hotel.

He proposed on Valentine’s Day on the banks of the River Rhine after a lovely meal in a very small Michelin-starred restaurant. He proposed by giving me a personalised box with a lock inside; our names and the date were engraved on it, and we placed it on a love lock bridge.

Where did you get married and how did you choose the venue?

We chose to get married at The Royal Wells Hotel here in

Tunbridge Wells. We wanted somewhere local but stylish that could accommodate the whole day. With a winter wedding, the last thing we wanted was travelling from different venues and being at the mercy of the weather and parking restrictions.

I have always loved The Royal Wells and have been to many an event there.

It just seemed like the right choice; especially as all the internal decorations and bedrooms are simply stunning.

Tell us about your big day and some of its key highlights Our big day was exactly five years to the day since we met, so it was perfect.

I spent the evening before at the hotel with my mum, stepdad and my daughter, Frankie. The morning of the wedding was lovely; getting ready with hairdresser Alex Bird and make-up artist Emma Heath was so much fun to do, especially with mum and Frankie with me.

My photographer is a dear

Weddings

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

creative ideas that will transform any space.

My dear friend Estelle Bebb created the cake I wanted, to sheer perfection – she never fails me. I showed her a picture of a cake I liked and she recreated it for us.

James Dearsley, our photographer, loves a challenge, so when I asked if he could just take a few photos for us, he obviously said yes, but then went on to just be an absolute star and took over 500 photos, like a real pro!

Alex Bird, my hairdresser, took the time to fashion three individual styles for myself, mum and Frankie.

Emma Heath, my make-up artist, was also charming friend of mine, James Dearsley, who couldn’t wait to take pictures of the whole day for us, and he did a stunning job.

The reception room was my main focus. I wanted it to look absolutely amazing as our guests walked in.

I was trying to capture a winter wonderland. This was mostly achieved by using uplighters to colour the walls and there were white fairy lights that covered trees as table centrepieces. It was amazing.

We also used a fantastic company for the DJ and photo booth, which was a real hit with all age groups. There were two cakes; one traditional and one cheese – another big hit.

How did you start your married life together?

We haven’t been on honeymoon yet. Instead, we had a few days off together and are having a lot of mini breaks all over the place, visiting friends and family. We may have a little honeymoon away later on in the year.

Can you tell us about some of your suppliers and how they helped make the day special?

We are very fortunate to have, and found, the most amazing people help to create our special day.

Clare Kelly is a terrific friend and florist from Kelly and Hicks. She has these extremely

and made us look the part for the day.

All our outfits were hired, including my dress, which was from a small boutique called Young Romantics in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire.

The team were simply incredible. We even managed to incorporate mum’s lace train from her own wedding dress over my dress, so I definitely had something old.

The boys all hired their suits from Moss Bros in Tunbridge Wells, and Frankie was the only one who got to keep her dress, which was a one-off from The Italian Wardrobe in Castle Street, just off Tunbridge Wells High Street.

Star Discos was probably the only company we brought in that we didn’t know. How lucky were we, again, that they provided the uplighters, which totally transformed the reception room and really made our day, creating such a beautiful ‘wow’ room.

They also provided the DJ and photo booth.

Their staff were so friendly and helpful, and presented us with an amazing album of us and our guests at the end of the evening.

Can you describe your new husband in five words?

Humorous, patient, respectful, generous and irreplaceable.

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Bride’s Top Five Tips

1 2

Most importantly, in the run-up to your big day, try not to stress!

A wedding doesn’t have to cost the earth. Beautiful can be achieved on a budget. Allocate your money to the things that matter and that will be with you for a lifetime

3 4

Ask your friends to help where they can, as they will be so happy to do so

Keep everything under one roof.

Having the ceremony, reception and overnight stay at The Royal Wells Hotel really worked for us, especially as it was a winter wedding, and the weather was always going to be cold and unpredictable

5

The one thing I’m so pleased I did was have a hairdresser and makeup artist come to me. It made such a difference to getting ready. You feel instantly relaxed and spoilt

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Travel

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

The world’s winter warmers

If the recent cold spell made you think that perhaps next winter you’d like to escape to sunnier climes, then here are some ideas for popular destinations that may appeal CALM UNDER THE PALMS Relax on a beautiful Caribbean beach

CARIBBEAN When it comes to weather, the Caribbean is always favourite, with temperatures averaging 24-29°C all year round.

The best time to visit the isles is generally considered to be December to April, when it’s slightly cooler (particularly in the northern Caribbean), drier and less humid. It’s neither too cold nor too hot, and rainfall keeps these tropical islands lush and leafy.

The Caribbean archipelago encompasses more than 7,000 individual islands, which are very diverse. Here are just some of the most popular: Anguilla: Boho-chic and the softest, whitest sands imaginable.

British Virgin Islands: Still British in many ways, and great for diving.

St Lucia: Covered in a blanket of thick rainforest, and distinctive due to its two volcanic cones of the Petit Piton and Gros Piton rising out of a blue ocean.

Antigua: Very laid back, and with a beach for every day of the year.

Barbados: From food to culture, this Caribbean hot spot has it all, with lively nightlife and 60 beaches on which to relax during the day.

And don’t let last year’s hurricanes put you off; 70 per cent of islands were unaffected, and visiting them is more important now than ever.

By holidaying in the Caribbean, you will be contributing to the economy of those islands that may still recovering.

INDIAN OCEAN The world’s third largest ocean covers 20 per cent of the Earth’s surface. From the temples, gigantic depictions of the Buddha and ancient cities of Sri Lanka to the pristine beaches of the Seychelles, or the volcanic landscapes of Reunion, there is something for everyone in this beautiful area.

Sri Lanka: Described by Marco Polo as ‘the finest island of its size in the world’, Sri Lanka has it all; beautiful beaches, coral reefs, gilded temples and exotic fauna.

Travel

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

HAPPY IN HIS WORK A smiling fisherman ready for action

‘Madagascar is home to thousands of animal species, such as its signature animal, the lemur’ The Seychelles: Home to some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, with imposing granite outcrops contrasting against white sands, bright cyan water and lush green plantations.

The Maldives: With palms fringed by crystal blue waters, these islands are the ultimate in luxury beach escapes. Many of them are surrounded by wonderful coral reefs, often with fantastic marine life to be spotted just moments from the shore.

Mauritius: Once a hideout for pirates, this island is a mix of African, Indian, European and Oriental influences. Away from its beaches, Mauritius bursts with historic sights, cultural diversity and natural attractions.

Reunion: Dubbed ‘the Hawaii of the southern hemisphere’, it is worth taking a helicopter ride to fly over the island’s rugged mountainscapes with iconic summits, emerald forests and tumbling waterfalls.

Zanzibar: About 23 miles off the east coast of Tanzania, this UNESCO World Heritage site is a laid-back island with a unique fusion of Persian, Indian and Omani culture. The Stone Town is Zanzibar’s capital township and has rich historical and cultural significance.

Madagascar: The world’s fourth largest island is home to thousands of animal species, such as its signature animal, the lemur. Indeed, so unique is the island that 80 per cent of its wildlife cannot be found anywhere else in the world.

AUSTRALIA The ‘island continent’ of Australia is on many people’s bucket list, but if you are going to travel that far you need to have at least a month to properly explore it, and even that’s not enough!

A cruise circumnavigation could be the best way to get around without having to unpack every few days, and also offers a tour of diversity, including history, landscapes, wildlife and city bustle.

Iconic Australia boasts some of the world’s most beautiful natural wonders, such as the Great Barrier Reef – the world’s largest coral reef system, as well as the Heritage-listed Ayers Rock (Uluru), the Bungle Bungles in Western Australia, and the Twelve Apostles along the Great Ocean Road. Man-made icons include the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House.

Perth: Discover its city life, from small bars in the urban villages to the historic port town of Fremantle, known for its maritime history, Victorian architecture and remnants from the days as a British penal colony.

Melbourne: Australia’s sporting and cultural capital, Melbourne is both dynamic and cosmopolitan. In a city with over 100 galleries, a visit wouldn’t be complete without soaking up

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some of the fascinating artistic culture. Just 90 minutes from the city is Philip Island where you can see little penguins and sleepy koalas in their natural habitat.

Sydney: Climb to the iconic peak of Sydney Harbour Bridge for unforgettable panoramic views of the city skyline and sea, or enjoy a nature sightseeing tour to the majestic Blue Mountains, experiencing unmissable Australian landscapes and landmarks.

Brisbane: The thriving capital of the Sunshine State. Here you can shop ’til you drop. It is also great for any type of food from any corner of the world. One of the best ways to see Brisbane is from the water on the CityCat. Further afield, visit Springbrook National Park for spectacular scenery – an ancient wonderland of rainforests, waterfalls, escarpments, rock formations and valleys.

Cairns: Considered the gateway to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Cairns has an infectious holiday vibe. It would be a shame to come all this way and not explore this famous spot, and there are plenty of operators with whom you can go snorkelling or diving. For the landlubbers, Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park is an awardwinning cultural extravaganza that tells the story of creation using giant holograms and actors.

THE SUN SETS ON SYDNEY Bathing the famous skyline in a golden glow

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Look Good, Feel Good

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Crowning glories Stuck in a rut when it comes to your hair?

Then help is at hand, says Kitty Argent

I

f you want to regularly change your hair look, going from curly to straight one day then beach babe to bouffant the next, it couldn’t be any easier thanks to the wealth of products on the market.

From serums to straighteners and thickening hair shampoos to texturizing waxes, there is something out there for every differing hairstyle.

But if you’re chopping and changing your look and using lots of styling tools, then remember – you will need to care for your tresses, too.

MORROCANOIL TREATMENT ORIGINAL 100ML, £32.85 This cult product has a multitude of uses, as it can be used as a conditioning, styling and finishing tool.

Infused with antioxidantrich argan oil and shineboosting vitamins, it helps detangle, speeds up drying time and boosts shine – leaving you with nourished, manageable and smooth hair with each use. www.moroccanoil.com/uk

Look Good, Feel Good

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

KERACARE RESTORATIVE HAIR MASK, £15.40 If your locks are feeling lacklustre, then treat them to this moisture-drenching hair mask which you gently massage into freshly shampooed, towel-dried hair and leave for 15 minutes, longer if needed. Its blend of natural fruit extracts promotes shine and smoothness. www.lookfantastic.com & www.ebay.co.uk

JOHN FRIEDA LUXURIOUS VOLUME CORE RESTORE ADVANCED PROTEIN VOLUMISER, £9.99 This little miracle worker penetrates the hair to strengthen each strand.

For best results, apply through lengths of towel-dried hair and blow-dry hair upside down using a round bristle brush. www.boots.com

RITUALS BRILLIANT BLISS HAIR SHAMPOO, £9.50 This nourishing ultra-shine shampoo contains Indian Rose and Shikakai, which translates as ‘fruit for hair’. It promotes healthy shine and moisturises intensely while protecting the colour and condition of your locks. www.rituals.com

SCALP SOS

and to improve moisture and suppleness.

“The scalp is the bedrock for To achieve beautiful hair you must start at its root by looking the hair follicle, and if it is not in good condition the chances after your scalp, says Anabel Kingsley, Trichologist at Philip of you experiencing problems Kingsley, the leading authority with hair growth and health increase significantly. in hair and scalp health. Here “In fact, research has proven she reveals her top tips: that a flaky, itchy scalp can “The scalp is simply an cause and/or worsen hair loss extension of the skin on your forehead – so to optimise your in certain individuals.

“Cleanse your scalp scalp health, you should treat frequently to remove oils, it in a similar way to how you sweat, dirt and environmental treat the skin on your face.

“Cleanse and tone frequently pollutants. Don’t leave more – daily if possible. After all, you than two days between shampoos. If you shampoo take your hair and scalp to the same places you take your face. infrequently, your scalp is likely to become irritated and you’re “Use an exfoliating scalp also more likely to get blocked mask once a week to gently pores and pimples. Your hair remove dead skin cells

may also start to smell.

“Do be gentle when you brush and comb. Imagine what your forehead would look like if you raked it with bristles. The same applies to your scalp.

“Choose a brush that is gentle. The best are those with rounded, plastic prongs. Metal pronged brushes can scratch the scalp and be quite damaging.

“Try not to scratch an itchy scalp; this will simply cause more irritation. Instead, apply a soothing anti-microbial scalp toner like the one we make called Philip Kingsley Flaky/ Itchy Scalp Toner to itchy/ irritated areas as needed.”

For more tips and product info on Philip Kingsley, visit www.philipkingsley.co.uk

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Advertorial

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Think smart and sit smart Local company SitSmart are proving time and time again that investing in the right chair has countless health benefits that easily justify spending that little extra While we all seem quite prepared to spend money on expensive technology such as monitors, laptops, tablets or mobiles, we may well be sat in front of our screens on a cheap, uncomfortable chair which could be affecting our health.

If you spend long hours sitting at a desk, or in front of a screen gaming, it’s well worth spending some money on a proper ergonomic chair or stool that ensures you maintain good posture and protects the natural curve of the spine.

Some of the more expensive chairs provide all sorts of extras to make sure your chosen seat is right for you and your body shape, however, costeffective, comfortable versions are also available that can help to protect your back and neck.

‘The right chair is paramount considering the amount of time people actually sit in front of computers and screens’ SitSmart, the Tunbridge Wells-based ergonomic and posture seating specialist, provides a wide choice of work and lifestyle chairs offering quality, design-led solutions for both home and office use.

They supply a variety of eye-catching chairs for both prevention and alleviation purposes, from all the leading suppliers of quality posture seating including: Flokk UK, KAB Seating, MESH Office Seating, Rhubarb, Pledge, Status, Viasit and Variér – all available in a full range of colours, fabrics and accessories to co-ordinate

ergonomically correct workstation.

‘The right chair is paramount considering the amount of time people actually sit in front of computers and screens,’ commented SitSmart Sales Director Matt Hutchinson. ‘People cannot afford to cut corners where their health is concerned. It’s essential that employers and home workers alike make their health a priority in the long term it could end up costing a fortune with expensive treatment and time off sick. We offer competitive prices on all our chairs so should have the solution that suits you.’

For advice on all your seating needs contact our sales team on: T: 01892 510202; E: sales@ sitsmart.co.uk or alternatively check out our products on our newly designed website on www.sitsmart.co.uk.

GAP 360 LOCAL SUPPORT SitSmart chairs in action at the Synergee offices

with most surroundings.

Amongst their clients are national companies such as Network Rail, Highways England, the NHS, Hand Picked Hotels and Heathrow airport, as well as local companies such as Tonbridge School, Synergee, Capital Currencies, Sevenoaks District Council, Weald of Kent School, Green Hippo, Gap 360, Wells Associates, Kent College and G Collins & Sons.

SitSmart has been particularly pleased to be supplying chairs to Headley Court, the defence medical rehabilitation centre in Epsom, Surrey, for the last 10 years and will continue to do so when it moves to a brand new facility at Stanford Hall, near Loughborough, later in the year.

SitSmart offers a personal service to all customers including full workplace assessments and personal installation, as well as a useful ‘try before you buy’ service if required.

We also supply a comprehensive range of supplementary office accessories for an

CASE STUDY Kent-based company Gap 360, who provide affordable gap year travel opportunities to a variety of travellers, has recently kitted out its Tunbridge Wells branch with an Ergohuman chair from MESH Office Seating and a KAB Controller.

Gap 360 Managing Director, David Stitt, said, “We have been extremely satisfied with the professional service we received from the SitSmart team. We trialled the recommended chairs to make sure they were going to provide the support and comfort we required and have been more than happy with the results.”

Advertorial

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

CHOOSING THE RIGHT CHAIR What features should a good ergonomic chair possess?

Seat height. Seat height should be easily adjustable. A pneumatic adjustment lever is the easiest way to do this. A seat height that ranges from about 16 - 21 inches off the floor should work for most people – this allows the user to have their feet flat on the floor, with thighs horizontal and arms even with the height of the desk.

Seat width and depth. The seat should have enough width and depth to support any user comfortably. Usually 17 - 20 inches wide is standard. The depth (from front to back) needs to be enough so that the user can sit with their back against the backrest of chair while leaving about 2 - 4 inches between the back of the knees and the seat of the chair. The forward or backward tilt of the seat should be adjustable.

Lumbar support. Lower back support is paramount. The lumbar spine has an inward curve and sitting for long periods without support can lead to and puts extra strain on the spine. An ergonomic chair should have a lumbar

adjustment (both height and depth) so each user can get the right fit to support the lower back.

Backrest. The backrest should be 12 - 19 inches wide. If the backrest is separate from the seat it should be adjustable in height and angle and be able to support the natural curve of the spine. If the chair has the seat and backrest as one piece, it should be adjustable in forward and back angles, with a locking mechanism to secure it from going too far back.

Seat material. The chair material should have enough padding to be comfortable to sit on for extended periods of time. Having a cloth fabric that breathes is preferable to a harder surface, although the range of mesh chairs now available helps the body to breathe naturally.

Armrests. Armrests should be adjustable allowing the user’s arms to rest comfortably while the shoulders are relaxed. The elbows and lower arms should rest lightly and the forearm should not be on the armrest while typing.

Swivel/rocking. Any conventional style or ergonomic chair should easily rotate or rock so the user can reach different areas of their workstation without straining.

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HOW TO SIT CORRECTLY REST YOUR FEET ON THE FLOOR Place your feet flat on the floor. If they’re not, ask if you can have a footrest, which lets you rest your feet at a level that’s comfortable PLACE YOUR SCREEN AT EYE LEVEL Your screen should be directly in front of you - a good guide is to place the monitor about an arm’s length away, with the top of the screen roughly at eye level.

USING THE KEYBOARD Place your keyboard in front of you when typing.

Leave a gap of about 4 - 6 inches at the front of the desk to rest your wrists between bouts of typing. Keep your arms bent in an L-shape and your elbows by your sides.

KEEP YOUR MOUSE CLOSE Position and use the mouse as close as possible. A mouse mat with a wrist pad may help keep your wrist straight and help with repetitive strain injuries.

AVOID SCREEN REFLECTION Your screen should be as glare-free as possible.

Position the monitor to avoid reflection from overhead lighting and sunlight and adjust the screen’s brightness or contrast as required.

GOING NATIONAL National Rail offices putting SitSmart to use

SUPPORT YOUR BACK Reduce the risk of back pain by adjusting your chair so your lower back is properly supported.

Get one that is easily adjustable so you can change the height, back position and tilt. Your knees should be slightly lower than your hips.

Always sit back and move your chair close to the desk to maintain contact between your back and the seat back to help support and maintain the inward curve of the lumbar spine.

AVOID PHONE STRAIN If you spend a lot of time on the phone try exchanging your handset for a headset cradling the phone between your ear and shoulder can strain the neck muscles.

TAKE REGULAR BREAKS Don’t sit in the same position for long periods - make sure you change your posture as often as you can. Frequent short breaks are better for your back than fewer long ones.

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Motoring

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

FIRST DRIVE:

BMW X2

BMW has revealed an all-new model for its line-up.

Darren Cassey finds out whether the X2 is a worthy rival for the Jaguar E-Pace

WHAT IS IT?

The X2 is a totally new model in the BMW range as the German firm continues its pursuit to fill every possible niche in the market.

Here we have a small SUV with a coupé-like shape packaged in something that looks a bit like a hot hatch, though hot to drive it’s not.

That aside, it’s pitched at ‘young people, or at least young at heart’ (because what young person could afford a £30k-plus car?) and sees the pretty but flawed Jaguar E-Pace as a rival.

WHAT’S NEW?

There aren’t as many new bits as you might think.

It’s based on the chassis of the X1, though BMW says the chassis has been tweaked to make the X2 more fun to drive. The main changes are to the exterior styling, and there’s more space inside.

WHAT’S UNDER THE BONNET?

At launch, there’s just the one engine option – xDrive20d. That means you get all-wheel-drive, eight-speed automatic transmission and a 2.0-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine.

Performance is adequate if not electrifying at 187bhp and 400Nm of torque. But there’s less punch than that second figure implies.

However, it’s fairly quiet and refined even out on the motorway, has enough performance to pull off overtakes when needed, and, perhaps most important of all, returns low running costs.

Three more configurations will be available later in 2018, all with the same diesel engine, bringing a manual transmission, lower power output and front-wheel-drive to the line-up.

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

Safe, predictable and capable is the simple way to describe the driving experience. Any hint of sportiness in the looks is quickly banished when you put your foot down. The engine does enough

avoid feeling asthmatic, but there’s nothing exhilarating about pinning the throttle.

Things improve marginally in corners, with an eager turn in and lack of body roll making B-road blasts satisfying but not particularly fun.

There’s no feedback through the steering wheel and the car remains stable through rough and off-camber corners, making the whole experience quite numb.

However, the ride is superb, absorbing bumps and settling quickly even when our smooth Spanish test route started to crumble.

HOW DOES IT LOOK?

The first thing that strikes is just how small it is.

In pictures, it looks like a compact SUV, but in the metal, it looks more like a large hatchback.

It is handsome, particularly from the front, wearing the new upside-down kidney grille design and chunky bumpers well.

The rear is a bit more of a struggle, but a particularly nice touch is the C-pillar-mounted BMW logo – a well-judged nod to models gone by.

WHAT’S IT LIKE INSIDE?

Decently spacious. Front passengers could be forgiven for thinking they’re in a mid-sized SUV, while rear passengers get decent legroom and only a small compromise on head space thanks to that slightly sloping coupé-esque roofline.

We tested a high-spec M Sport model with optional full leather upholstery, and it was typically BMW – high quality and well put together. As many rivals move away from

dashboards full of buttons, the X2 is refreshingly slow to follow, but while this is a boon for usability, it does already feel rather dated inside.

WHAT’S THE SPEC LIKE?

Standard equipment appears pretty generous, with some basic safety assistance systems, smart 17-inch alloy wheels and BMW ConnectedDrive, which includes satnav, real-time traffic updates, a ‘concierge’ and various other services. For this, prices start at £33,980.

Our M Sport model was happily well-equipped.

For the extra £3,550, you get 19-inch alloy wheels, leather and Alcantara upholstery, LED lights all around and a sportier body kit. There’s also a great range of colours, with the Misano Blue and Galvanic Gold really suiting the car’s looks.

VERDICT

The X2 carries all the characteristics we’ve come to know and appreciate from modern BMWs – an unflustered ride and safe if uninspiring handling.

It also looks good, has a Tardis-like cabin, and is decent to drive, whether pootling around town or cruising on the motorway. The Jaguar E-Pace should be very concerned…

Motoring News

Car learners can drive on motorways from June LEARNER drivers will be able to have lessons on motorways this summer, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency [DVSA] has confirmed.

From June 4, provisional licence holders will be allowed on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales – but must be accompanied by a qualified driving instructor while in a vehicle with dual controls.

However, motorway lessons will be a voluntary option for instructors to offer, as motorway driving won’t be added to the official test.

The change only applies to car drivers, not motorcyclists in training.

The DVSA says the change has been made to give learners broader experience, allowing them to practise driving at higher speeds, as well as teaching them how to properly merge on to and leave motorways.

The RAC’s Pete Williams said: “It’s something that motorists we surveyed were overwhelmingly supportive of.

“While motorways are statistically our safest roads, it can be daunting using them for the first time after passing the driving test.”

Bentley’s sparky hybrid THE luxurious Bentley Bentayga SUV is soon to be available as a plug-in hybrid – the least polluting vehicle the brand has ever made, and its ‘first step on the road to electrification’.

The car is being offered with a 3.0-litre petrol V6 engine and electric motor, with CO2 emissions of just 75g/km. Bentley says the vehicle uses satnav information to decide when to use EV mode or the engine.

Bentley Chairman and Chief Executive Adrian Hallmark described the car as “our first step on the road to electrification. It gives customers the best of both worlds – engaging, effortless performance on the open road and silent, emission-free driving in the city.”

THE KNOWLEDGE: MODEL AS TESTED:

BMW X2 xDrive20d ENGINE:

2.0-litre diesel POWER: 187bhp TORQUE: 400Nm

MAX SPEED: 137mph 0-60MPH: 7.5 seconds ECONOMY: 61.4mpg EMISSIONS: 121g/km PRICE: £33,980

Jaguar sets electric pace JAGUAR has pulled the covers off the hotlyanticipated I-Pace, its first all-electric vehicle.

The crossover, which has more room inside as a result of the electric design, can reach 60mph in 4.5 seconds, and Jaguar says the 90kWh lithium-ion battery offers a 298-mile range, while the satnav system is designed to pick routes that will minimise battery use.

Rapid charging is also available, taking about 85 minutes to get to 80% from empty using a 50kW DC charger. In addition, the I-Pace is compatible with 100kW chargers, which are being rolled out across the public network and could chop charge time in half.

The body has been designed with sports cars in mind. The coupé-like silhouette is said to have been inspired by the firm’s C-X75 supercar concept, which was built for the James Bond movie Spectre.

The Jaguar I-Pace is available to order now, costing from £63,495.

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Motoring

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Recruitment

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

WITH THE

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

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

Puzzle and Classifieds

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

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Do you have an announcement?

Times of Tunbridge Wells and Times of Tonbridge are pleased to receive announcements from readers for publication in the newspaper.

To help you provide the information required please email info@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or call 01892 779650.

We try to publish reports as quickly as possible after receipt and when space allows.

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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.

2

1 8 9 3 5 6

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

1

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12 18

9 4 8 3 5 1

4

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4 8 7 9

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8 9

5 3

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CLASSIFIEDS

Codeword:

2 8

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

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DIFFICULTY RATING:★III

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2 1

5 3

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

2

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★★★I

1

LAST WEEK’S SOLUTIONS

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

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

P E A C O C K P E P Y S

S A L M J U T I U L A D D I N R W K L I V E E N E R NOC K S S R O U L L E Y S A Q W E N G U A B D I L T O P P E D

N I P E R E R I X R A Y S U I K S U R E S I N E E Z E O A N I C E R F H T O L I S H O N L D I A R Y

Sudoku:

7 3 5 6 4 8 2 1 9

1 8 2 5 9 3 6 4 7

9 4 6 7 2 1 3 8 5

8 5 7 3 6 9 1 2 4

4 6 9 2 1 7 8 5 3

2 1 3 4 8 5 7 9 6

3 7 8 9 5 2 4 6 1

8 4 9 7 6 5 3 1 2

9 2 4 6 3 8 1 7 5

4 5 2 1 8 7 9 3 6

6 9 1 8 3 4 5 7 2

5 2 4 1 7 6 9 3 8

Jigsaw Sudoku:

6 9 1 4 7 2 5 8 3

2 7 3 8 1 6 4 5 9

5 1 8 2 9 3 7 6 4

3 6 7 5 4 9 8 2 1

1 8 6 3 5 4 2 9 7

7 3 5 9 2 1 6 4 8

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

CODEWORD

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Sporting Times

Please send sports stories to: newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk or newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

Outstanding men achieve second promotion in a row Tulse Hill & Dulwich 1 Tunbridge Wells Men 4

By Francis Bridgeman HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Men’s 1st XI are celebrating back-to-back promotions after a victorious outing in south London.

And they know that a single point from their remaining three games will see them crowned champions of South Premier League Division Two. Mental toughness was the focus of the pre-match team talk, and skipper Jack Garwood led by example as he helped Wells take the lead early on.

Composed

Despair for Angels as Rebels run riot in stoppage time

GOING UP (Back row, l-r) James Harris, Harry Roberts, Chris Pelmore, Mitch Hawksbee, James Beck, Dan Masters, David Hemsley, Simon Hare, James Wattenbach (manager); (front) Jack Garwood (captain), Chris Smith, Ben Allberry (player/coach), Sam George, Conor Poulain, Ben Brandt

Prolific Smith levels twice to give Rustics a deserved point

Tonbridge Angels 1 Worthing 2

Glebe 2 Rusthall 2

By James Rowe

By Dean Jaquin

FOOTBALL: THERE was heartbreak for Tonbridge

FOOTBALL: RUSTHALL came away from Foxbury Avenue with a hard-earned point after drawing with Glebe, who had been promoted with them from Southern Counties East League Division One last season.

The Rustics handed full debuts to three players, James Jordan, Yannick Tchoundjin and keeper James Holdsworth.

The home side were soon in the ascendency and their pressure told when Rusthall gave the ball away 25 yards out and a speculative shot squeezed in at the near post.

Angels after a dramatic climax saw the Rebels come from behind to win with two goals in time added on at the end of the match.

Angels goalkeeper Jonny Henly had an outstanding first half and had to be on his best form, thwarting the lively Worthing forwards.

Isaac Newton saw three decent chances saved, and shortly before half-time Reece MylesMeekums attempted an audacious lob from 45 yards that hit the woodwork.

Tonbridge had half-chances for Alex Akrofi, Joe Turner and Xavier Vidal but were grateful to reach half-time still at level pegging.

The second period saw Tonbridge taking a more assertive approach and Vidal forced two excellent saves from Lucas Cavagnari.

They took a deserved lead in the 62nd minute when Turner converted Sam Bantick’s free kick.

But Worthing never gave up and drew level in the 90th minute through Newton. With the Tonbridge defence visibly tiring the Rebels took all three points seconds later through Ben Pope.

Deep in stoppage time Nathan Elder missed an open goal and the match had slipped away.

Angels, who remain in 11th place in the Bostik League Premier, now entertain Kingstonian on Saturday (March 17, 3pm kick-off).

Confidence But that did not dent the Rustics’ confidence and within five minutes they had equalised.

Michael Tubba played a decent ball in behind the Glebe defence and Steve Smith latched on to it, drove into the box and shot across the keeper.

The half continued at a frantic pace and the best chance fell to Steph Harper, who hit the underside of the bar from three yards out after the ball rebounded to him off the keeper.

The second half could not have started worse for Rusthall. A corner was given away needlessly and Glebe took the lead with a powerful header from close range.

PHOTO: Brendan Kemp

A counter-attack from the home side pegged Wells back before Harry Roberts notched a fine goal to give Wells a 2-1 lead at the interval.

The second half saw a composed performance from the visitors, with a second goal for Garwood and another for Ben Brandt.

Having secured their elevation, the day got even better for Wells when they learned that secondplaced Banbury had lost.

That result leaves Wells nine points clear at the top of the table with three games left.

Now they will look to put right the reverse they suffered in December against the Oxfordshire side – the only game Wells have lost all season.

They face Banbury at Kent College on Saturday (March 17, 1.30pm start).

FLYING WINGER James Jordan (left) impressed on his debut Once more Rusthall responded and kept pushing hard. After a driving run by Tchoundjin, Smith scored from close range to level the scores again.

The striker, who has scored 10 goals in 12 starts since joining the club in October, then hit the bar with a header, while Holdsworth made two excellent saves late on to preserve their point.

Rusthall remain in 18th place, and the crucial home game with bottom-of-the-table Rochester United, 10 points behind them, was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

They now face a difficult away game at sixth-placed AFC Croydon Athletic on Saturday (March 17, kick-off 3pm).

Sporting Times

Wednesday March 14 | 2018

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Seven-try Wells roar back into action with hat-trick from Spicer Southend Saxons 8 Tunbridge Wells 45

By Roger Clarke RUGBY: AFTER two blank weekends, Tunbridge Wells did not look rusty in the least as they chalked up seven tries on their trip to S ­ outhend’s Warners Bridge Park.

The visitors welcomed back skipper Chas Spence, who had been sidelined for seven weeks after suffering a head injury during a match, while 18-year-old academy product Toby Talbot made his debut at flanker.

The hosts were lying second to bottom in the London & South-East Premier Division and Dave Allen soon put them on the back foot.

The player-coach, who was returning after a minor knee operation, followed up a chargedown to score an unconverted try in the corner after just two minutes.

Five minutes later, Frank Reynolds kicked ahead for left wing Matt Spicer to chase to the corner for a second try, again unconverted.

The Wells front row of Ben Williams, Josh

Accuracy That setback prompted Wells to shrug off their lack of accuracy. On 52 minutes the full-back Ryan Taylor-Dennehy created an excellent try, angling in at the line from 45 metres out, and Reynolds converted.

Three minutes later, Mike Hathaway finished off a surging drive, and then on 64 minutes he turned provider for Mike Doherty to go through a gap and score.

PHOTO: Bruce Elliott

Pankhurst and Brendan Crosilla were a dominant force and a drive by the pack saw the ball released to Spicer for his second try, Frank Reynolds adding the extras.

However, a resurgence from Southend kept the score at 17-0 throughout the second quarter.

So Wells went in at the break having to think tactically about where their bonus try would come from.

The visitors struggled to achieve their set piece possession cleanly and Southend had a good share of the ball, culminating in them scoring a try on the right after a long miss pass to the wing Franco Maggiolo.

ALL-ROUNDER Mike Hathaway scored one try and created another Just before the final whistle Spicer completed his hat-trick after receiving an outstanding flip pass from Nick Doherty.

Reynolds converted again, before the hosts grabbed a penalty at the end.

Reds’ powerful pack keeps TJs at bay Old Redcliffians 14 Tonbridge Juddians 10 knew that they still had a sniff of getting back in the contest.

George Lawson and Will Colderick came on to add some energy and the latter set up a decent position close to the sticks.

Quick ball allowed Charlie Edwards to cross for

By Adam Hookway RUGBY: THE south-west has not been a happy hunting ground for Tonbridge Juddians in their first season in National Two South.

And so it proved again as they came up just short against the 14th-placed Old Redcliffians from Bristol.

Parts of the Reds’ Scotland Lane ground were waterlogged and there was a risk that the game might be abandoned but the officials decided to go ahead.

It was the home side who pounced first as the ball was spilled and they were able to hack through and win the race for the touchdown under the posts.

The heavy conditions meant there was little pace in the game, and hanging on to the ball was tough for both sides.

Much of the first half was played between the 22s and Reds kept the visitors out successfully.

PHOTO: Adam Hookway

Trick But Nathan Holmes took an easy three points with a penalty kick when TJs’ possession paid off and the home side offended.

TJs tried to the same trick again from 10 metres out with a series of drives.

But as the ball was moved wider, Reds intercepted and good hands took them the length of the field to score, allowing them to go in at the break 14-3 up.

The hosts were enjoying a lot of success in the scrum but could not get their lineout going so TJs

NO PUSHOVER TJs’ pack on the drive from a lineout

the visitors’ first try and TJs were back in with a shout at 14-10 with almost 10 minutes left.

But a tiring Reds pack held out and the home side ran out deserved winners in a game that featured little excitement or creativity.

TJs remain in eighth place and now welcome Broadstreet to The Slade on Saturday (March 17, kick-off 2.30pm) for a game that was rearranged because of the snow.

Wells stay in sixth place in the table with five games to go and welcome seventh-placed Dorking to St Marks on Saturday (March 17, kick-off 3pm) for the match that had to be postponed because of the snow.

Ladies denied by late line call Folkestone 1 Tunbridge Wells Ladies 0

By Francis Bridgeman HOCKEY: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Ladies came unstuck on their visit to the south coast, losing to a Folkestone team trying to avoid relegation from East Region Division One South.

The game started at a high tempo and Wells moved the ball around well with Jenn Hut provided a calming influence, looking to set loose the speedy forwards.

Wells had a number of chances early on and enjoyed the majority of possession but a breakaway from a turnover saw Folkestone bear down on goal with three on two and score.

The visitors put pressure on Folkestone throughout the rest of the game with Pip Ross regularly hurtling up the right-hand side of the pitch towards goal.

Wells saw a number of promising passes by Ross, Amy Jones and Alex Sacker somehow cleared away by the Folkestone defence.

The final minutes saw Wells win a string of short corners. From the last of these they thought they had forced a rebound over the line but the goal was not awarded.

After the narrow defeat the team will regroup for the last two games of the season to ensure that they finish on a high.

The first of those fixtures is against top of the table Broxbourne at Hawkenbury on Saturday (March 17, 1pm start).