Times of Tunbridge Wells 31st May 2017

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Wednesday May 31 | 2017

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS

INSIDE

Just not cricket – town could lose county fixtures

INSPIRED BY ARCHERS Mayor picks abuse charity after listening to radio Page 6

SUMMER RHYTHM

BENCHMARK The match attracted 7,000 spectators over four days

By Andrew Tong newsdesk@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk THE FUTURE of county cricket in Tunbridge Wells is in grave doubt because of the poor state of the pitch and the outfield at the Nevill ground ahead of Kent’s match against Sussex last weekend.

The Borough Council, which owns the ground, has been accused of being ‘incredibly naive and shortsighted’ in its approach to the annual Cricket Festival that attracts thousands of spectators.

County fixtures have been played in Tunbridge Wells for more than 100 years – but this year’s may be the last.

Kent County Cricket Club [KCCC] were on the verge of moving the fixture to Canterbury because the pitch was left uncovered and the outfield was not prepared.

It was only played after an emergency meeting and a considerable effort by Kent’s own groundstaff and members of Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club [TWCC].

The upkeep of the ground is the responsibility of the

Borough Council, which uses the contractors Sodexo to carry out the work. TWCC Chairman Mark Williams said: “The lack of supervision of Sodexo has been appalling.”

He added: “The game would not have gone ahead if TWCC had not taken practical action over the ground.

“Kent’s chief executive Jamie Clifford made it absolutely clear that the match would have been moved if it had not been for the good weather and the enthusiasm of our club to have the game take place.

‘The lack of supervision of Sodexo [the contractor] has been appalling’ “Jamie and Kent’s head groundsman were appalled at the incompetence and lack of professionalism of a Sodexo employee when they visited the ground on May 18.”

Mr Williams, who complained to the council and to local MP Greg Clark, said: “It had been made clear to us that the council are not interested in the county game,

as they see this as an expenditure and cannot see what it brings to them.

“This is incredibly naive and short-sighted. It ignores the massive benefits the festival brings to the town.”

He insisted: “The council must take proactive action to relieve Sodexo of their responsibilities at the Nevill.

“Jamie Clifford wants positive assurances from the council about what action will be taken.”

Mr Clifford told the Times: “We love to host cricket around the county but there are certain standards we need to meet to ensure the comfort and safety of players, officials and spectators.”

A spokesperson for the Borough Council said: “The heavy rainfall did hamper the preparation of the pitch and we appreciate the support of Kent and Tunbridge Wells cricket clubs.

“We will be talking to Kent about the comments they have made and their plans for future fixtures in Tunbridge Wells and how we might work together to achieve this.”

Full story see page 78

PHOTO: Lee Smith

Jazz on The Pantiles kicks off Bank Holiday Page 2

DOG JOINS CLASS

Puppy helps teach children some new tricks Page 10

NEW LOOK RVP

Centre unveils revamped entrance at Fiveways Page 8

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Local News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Bus company in partial U-turn over Pembury routes

By Adam Hignett adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

However, following a meeting between Arriva’s Managing Director for Southern Counties, Simon Baxter and the Parish Chairman, June Crowhurst, on May 15 the bus operator has made a partial U-turn.

Arriva will now re-extend the route to Stone Court Lane at the bottom of the village for an hourly service between 9.35am and 6:20pm. However, some outlying areas such as Colts Hill and Five Oak Green will still be without the service.

A spokesman for the operator said: “Simon [Baxter] understands the concerns from the Pembury community about their access to transport links following the withdrawal of Arriva’s commercial services and how KCC have no current plans to offer a social service. I am pleased to say that we have adjusted our schedules and agreed to absorb the additional costs for extending Route 6 to Stone Court Lane.

“Hopefully this change will be well received by the Pembury community and they will support this commercial route by encouraging residents to use it.”

Cllr Barrington-King described Arriva’s decision as ‘wonderful news’, adding: “I have made it very clear that Pembury should never have been left in this position.

“Working with our representatives, facilitated by the Parish Council, Arriva have listened to our concerns.”

Summer sun helps town find its rhythm…

By Phil Spacey AFTER a chilly start, Jazz on The Pantiles finally hit the high notes last week as hundreds flocked to the promenade to enjoy themselves in the warm weather.

Pubs and restaurants did a thriving trade as people listened to live music from the headline act, The Swinging Little Big Band.

Hosted each Thursday

throughout the summer, cold and wet weather meant the turnout since the 2017 season was launched at the beginning of May has been disappointing.

And once Jazz on The Pantiles wrapped up music lovers were able to enjoy three days of Unfest (pictured below), the free music and arts festival that all started at The Forum in 1996 and has now become a major event in Tunbridge Wells. Other

IN THE MOOD The Swinging Little Big Band

venues taking part included The Bedford, Sussex Arms and the King William IV in Pembury.

The Forum itself was packed on Friday for opening night, and crowds continued to fill all venues over the weekend. They were drawn by the wide range of music, spoken word and food on offer.

PHOTOS: Carolyn Gray, Lauren Gray and Craig Marshall

Pleased

PHOTOS: Rose Bainbridge

ARRIVA has been praised by Pembury’s representatives after the bus company decided to reverse its decision to axe routes into the lower part of the village last week.

Originally, the bus operator had defended its decision to cut numerous stops from route 6/6a on the grounds that it was ‘not commercially viable’ due to ‘low passenger numbers during the day’.

The decision was met with dismay by community leaders and led to a war of words between Pembury’s previous Kent County Councillor, Chris Hoare of UKIP, and his Conservative replacement Cllr Paul Barrington-King over whether enough had been done to prevent it.

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BUCKET DRUMMER: Joshua Stagg sets the pace at Unfest

WE’RE LUCKY TO HAVE LOCAL & LIVE – LET’S HOPE WE CAN KEEP IT NO MATTER how many times we say it, the truth remains that Tunbridge Wells is a great place to live. It’s an affluent, prosperous town that crime figures show is the safest borough in the county.

There are lots of great places to eat and enough things happening to keep US entertained and that includes ample freebies; events that are open to all and sundry without charge.

Just look at the last week. Jazz on The Pantiles finally took off on Thursday night when the sun smiled and kept the promenade dry and the Unfest music festival proved an absolute winner. Thousands enjoyed themselves.

Then came the announcement that Local & Live, the biggest of the musical festivals to be held in that town is due to take place over the

August Bank Holiday in Calverley Grounds.

Great news for the 20,000 expected to flock to the four day event now in its 12th year.

But there’s a caveat to the announcement.

Organiser Paul Dunton tells us that it will go ahead ‘all being well’.

Yes, it’s that time of the year again. The time when Paul and his team of volunteers are forced to hold out the begging bowls. This year it will cost more than £30,000 to stage Local & Live. With entry to the actual events being free it means having to raise most of the money through sponsors.

In previous years Paul has put his hand into his own pocket. Hopefully, he won’t have to dig too deep this year.

This is a great event that showcases local talent and draws people from across the region and the generations; teens, couples, families and seniors. There’s something for everyone.

It’s a festival that should attract the interest of local businesses who would like their name linked to the occasion.

Local resident and front man for The Blue Tones Mark Morriss has described Local & Live as ‘an essential hub for uniting musicians and fans of all generations and genres… we’re lucky to have it’.

We are indeed lucky. Let’s just hope we can keep it.

Editorial Director, Richard Moore

Local News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

NEWS IN BRIEF

US-style yard sale set to be a big success OVER 100 addresses have signed up to take part in a town-wide yard sale on June 10.

The event is organised by Ingrid Pope, a resident of Tunbridge Wells who got the idea when visiting a town in Maine, USA, and who is letting participants list on her website twyardsale.co.uk for free.

She is urging people to set up stalls in order promote their businesses, bring their communities together, support charities and attract visitors to the town.

Shetlands stolen OFFICERS are appealing for witnesses after two Shetland ponies were reportedly stolen from a field in Lamberhurst.

The ponies were alleged to have been taken between 9.30am on Monday (May 22) and 9.15am the following morning from a field on Brewer Street.

There was no sign of damage to fencing and the food and tack was left behind. One pony is described as white and the other is tan in colour.

Around the world A FOOD festival is coming to Tunbridge Wells to celebrate the different cultures that make the town what it is.

Showfields and Ramslye Foodfest will take place on Saturday June 10 from 12noon – 4pm at The Square, Rowan Tree Road, Showfields. Visitors of the free event will be able to taste their way around the world with free food samples, while stocks last, from France, Poland, Mexico, Italy, Greece, Thailand and Great Britain.

Drivers want apology Taxi drivers are threatening strike action on Monday unless they receive an apology from Southeatern over the handling by its staff of an incident outside the Tunbridge Wells railway station.

Police were called to a disturbance on Monday following a collision between a taxi and a car.

A 23-year-old man was later charged with failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

He was bailed to appear in court.

Local & Live looking for a lifeline to keep it afloat

NEWS

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POPULAR Thousands attend Local & Live every year

By Murray Jones newsdesk@timesoftonbridge.co.uk

A QUESTION mark again hangs over one of Tunbridge Wells’ most popular summer events.

During the August Bank Holiday weekend [25-28], the 12th annual Local & Live Music Festival will take place in Calverley Grounds - but only if the necessary sponsorship can be found.

Attracting more than 20,000 people across the four days, the event costs nothing to attend. But there are significant costs for organiser and local musician Paul Dunton and his team who put hundreds of acts onto the various stages.

“I give my time to organise and run the event for free, for me personally it is a labour of love although there are costs that we cannot avoid,” said Mr Dunton, pointing to the estimated £12,000 bill for the main stage’s equipment, £8,000 for security, £3,000 for insurance and £1,500 for a medical team plus many more expenses that push the total bill to more than £30,000.

Last year the festival had to be drastically scaled back as outstanding debts from the

ellenor wades in with Chilstone to impress at Chelsea WEST Kent children’s charity ellenor featured in the gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show last week with a fountain designed by Langton Green firm Chilstone.

The makers of handcrafted architectural stone and garden ornaments teamed up with designer Ali Dempster to create the classic Kew fountain.

The water feature will be named the ellenor Family Giving Fountain.

The charity’s patron, Good Morning Britain presenter Charlotte Hawkins, attended the show.

previous summer needed to be paid off.

“Local & Live draws a wide audience of residents from around the Borough and festival-goers visiting the town. It attracts a true cross section of the population,” said Paul Dunton.

As well as the main stage, acts can be found throughout the Bank Holiday weekend at venues such as The Forum, The Grey Lady and the grounds of The Spa Hotel.

“The standard of music at Local & Live is simply

WATER FEATURE Charlotte Hawkins and ellenor’s Cheri Strudwick

brilliant and the local talent we have in this area deserves to be heard,” said Mr Dunton, adding that the prominence of the festival offers a ‘truly incredible opportunity for a business to significantly raise its profile’.

Sponsorship ranges from £250 up to £3,000.

If you are interested in providing sponsorship to the event, you can email fundraising@localandlive.org

Union considers college strike STAFF at a Tonbridge-based college are considering strike action as cutbacks are putting 70 jobs at risk.

West Kent College have admitted that poor student recruitment for the current academic year has led to the situation where expenditure has to be reduced.

In August 2014, the Hadlow Group acquired the institution, then in serious financial crisis, and began a 3-year development plan. It recently had its Ofsted rating upgraded from ‘inadequate’ to ‘requires improvement’.

The University and College Union [UCU] have branded the move as ‘completely unacceptable’, with regional office Ade Phillips adding: “A group which is supposed to be

looking after the college is now putting jobs at risk. The principal [Paul Hannan] has had a £60,000 pay increase in the last three years and is the 11th highest paid college head in the UK.” He currently has a salary of £204,000.

The Hadlow Group responded that Mr Hannan’s pay is ‘commensurate with the scale and responsibility and size of the group’.

The UCU also attacked the group’s access to a hospitality box at Charlton Football Club, but they responded that they’ve had a ‘formal football academy contract’ with the club since 2014, one of the perks of which is access to the hospitality box.

Strike action will be balloted within the next nine days.

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Local News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Hustings reveals social care trumps Brexit concerns Rice Krispies is not enough to set any child up for the day if they are not going to get a decent lunch.”

Mr Bisdee said the Conservatives wanted to save £60million, ‘at the expense of children’ while Mr Woodgate said Labour would fund more free meals through putting VAT on private school fees.

The UKIP and Liberal Democrat candidates were also critical of the proposal, Mr Clark said free school meals would still be available to those who couldn’t afford to pay for them but ‘the question is should everyone get them’? He added that ‘even in Tunbridge Wells’ there are children turning up to school unfed.

‘We cannot rely on big government and big taxes’

ELECTION HOPEFULS (L-R) Celine Thomas, Rachel Sadler, Chris Hoare, Charles Woodgate Trevor Bisdee, Greg Clark and debate chair, Rev Jim Stewart

By Adam Hignett adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk AS THE six candidates hoping to represent Tunbridge Wells after next week’s General Election gathered at St James’ Church for a head-to-head hustings last week, one issue was conspicuous in its absence.

Brexit, without which this election would not have been called, was not once raised by the audience members who had submitted a question to the candidates.

Around 80 people attended the hour and a half event on Friday (May 26) evening, which started

with brief introductions made by the parliamentary hopefuls themselves.

Representing the Conservatives was the incumbent Greg Clark, with the recently selected Charles Woodgate pitching for Labour.

Rachel Sadler was the face of the Liberal Democrat party, while Chris Hoare, UKIP; Celine Thomas, Women’s Equality Party and Trevor Bisdee, Green Party, made up the rest of the field.

Chairing the debate was Reverend Jim Stewart.

One of the first questions was on plans to swap free school lunches for free breakfasts – a change proposed by the Conservatives.

Mrs Thomas was applauded for her criticism of the change, and said: “A piece of toast and a bowl of

Three questions were then amalgamated on the issue of social care and how it is funded.

Mr Clark said whoever wins power will need to address ‘a rising bill for social care’. Budgets were ‘under pressure’ and more money needs to be found for social care, some of which will come from taxation.

He acknowledged finding the right level at which to cap a personal contribution ‘has proved controversial’ and said Theresa May will consult on the maximum people should have to pay. He added the ‘right balance’ has to be found to ensure social care can be funded in the future.

Mr Woodgate said ‘better NHS funding’ was needed to alleviate problems with social care and a ‘state backed’ insurance policy system could help provide for care costs in old age as ‘private insurance will not do it’.

Ms Sadler said her party ‘approve a cap’ on what people pay, but they are finalising the

figure. She added the Liberal Democrats will add 1p to income tax to provide £6billion to the NHS. Women’s Equality Party candidate Celine Thomas proposed ‘blending health and social care’, which would save ‘in the region of £800million’ per annum but provide a more holistic approach to helping people. Her party would also take money from infrastructure spending to fund healthcare.

The Green party would combine social care with the NHS and ‘take out all private investment’ to ensure its ‘fully publicly funded and publicly owned’ Mr Bisdee said.

Mr Hoare for UKIP, labelling his opponents as ‘big state parties’, said families should adopt a more Mediterranean model of looking after elderly relatives in their own homes.

“We cannot rely on big government and big taxes,” he said.

The candidates were also asked for their views on fox hunting, which saw Mr Clark and Mr Hoare voice support for the practice and a free vote on it, while the other candidates were strongly opposed.

All candidates, bar UKIP’s Mr Hoare, maintained their support for the Government’s legal commitment to spending 0.7 per cent of GDP on foreign aid. The Green candidate said his party were committed to raising it to one per cent.

Other questions asked were on the topics of abortion, Ofsted inspections of Sunday Schools, foreign policy with regards to persecuted Christians abroad and reforming the voting system.

However, speaking to the Times after the vote, several of the candidates had expressed their surprise that the issue which seemed to dominate the headlines for the past year, Brexit, did not get raised once by members of the public.

Local News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

ADAM HIGNETT’S

ELECTION

SKETCHBOOK

Tom Tweets praise over his ‘brilliant’ makeover

TORY candidate for Tonbridge & Malling Tom Tugendhat (right) has undergone several stark transformations in the past week, as pranksters in the village of Leybourne set about covering his image on a campaign poster with those of celebrities.

The particular hoarding, adjacent to Leybourne Church in Rectory Lane North, has seen its poster-boy’s face so far replaced with that of actor Brian Blessed,

football pundit Chris Kamara and a minion from the animated film Despicable Me – among others.

But the former military officer has taken a shine to the frequent makeovers, going so far as to Tweet: “These improvements to my looks are brilliant.”

If you have to ask…

LIFE is not always easy when you are the fourth party in British politics – now that the SNP have taken over the number three position – and it can sometimes be hard to get noticed and get your voice heard.

But alarm bells must be ringing at Liberal Democrat headquarters when even one of your own local branches, namely Tunbridge Wells, has to ask on Facebook who Tim Farron is.

Local Labour adopt radical agenda CONTRARY to the national party as a whole, the Tunbridge Wells Labour Party has taken a sharp turn to the right – by combining the finest traits of raucous Bullingdon Club behaviour and Thatcherite economic practice in hosting a ‘Slash, Trash and Privatise’ party at the councilowned Camden Centre.

One has to wonder how the Corbynistas in the Labour campaign bunker will

react to this Blairite hijacking? event on Friday (May 26), OK, they were actually talking but the Times believes in about ‘The Tory NHS’ during the balanced coverage.

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Local News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Archers inspires Mayor’s charity choice Episodes highlighting domestic abuse helped ‘open her eyes’

By Adam Hignett adam@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk THE new Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Mrs Julia Sokye, has chosen to support a domestic abuse charity during her year in office after listening to The Archers radio programme.

She was elected by members of the council and formally took over the role from Cllr David Neve at a ceremony in the Town Hall last week.

Representing Speldhurst and Bidborough for the last seven years, Cllr Sokye has recently held the post of Deputy Mayor and been head of the planning committee. She also boasts a 100 per cent attendance record since last November.

‘A woman is murdered by her partner or former partner on average every three days in the UK’ As is custom, the new Mayor announced the good cause she would be supporting throughout her term through various functions, events and fundraising initiatives, which this year will be the Tunbridge Wells-based Domestic Abuse Volunteer Support Service (DAVSS).

Stating her intention to choose a charity ‘that had never been supported before’, she said her decision to back DAVSS came from the extreme discomfort she felt while listening to The Archers’ storyline centred on Helen and Rob Titchener.

The famous BBC Radio 4 serial grabbed media attention last year for its vivid depiction of domestic abuse.

“I found I had to switch it off. It may sound silly, but I have since met several people who also found the storyline too painful to listen to,” she said.

“One of the council’s officers then suggested I chose DAVSS, but I had never heard of it. So I met the CEO and they suggested I sat in on the next volunteer training session, which took place in the Town Hall.

“I found it so interesting I ended up attending the entire 14-day course.”

The course opened her eyes to many ‘incredible and painful facts’, Mayor Soyke said, before

MAYORAL APPROACH: (l-r) New to the roles – Deputy Mayoress Judy Horwood, Deputy Mayor Len Horwood, Mayor Julia Soyke and the Mayor’s Escort, Peter Soyke listing some of the most poignant. These included the statistic that 43 per cent of all murders of women are committed by partners or ex-partners.

For men the figure is eight per cent.

“A woman is murdered by her partner or former partner on average every three days in the UK,” she continued. “On average, a victim will experience 34 instances of domestic abuse before disclosing it to anyone. The average time to stay in an abusive relationship is between seven and 12 years.

“Nationally, the police attend an instance of domestic abuse every 60 seconds every single day, and they account for one quarter of all police call-outs in Kent.”

She lamented the impact these cases have on children and praised her chosen charity for the work they do towards ‘breaking the cycle’, and urged people to learn more about what DAVSS does.

Mayor Soyke proceeded to appoint her husband of 50 years, Peter Soyke, to the role of Mayor Escort and thanked, to much applause, Cllr Neve for the work he did while holding the office for the past year.

The Mayor thanked her colleagues for their support, and praised the council’s officers for their ‘huge commitment’ to keeping the authority running during a period of tight budgets.

“I will do the very best I can and have always enjoyed a Incoming Mayor Julia Soyke challenge,” she added.

THEY THINK IT’S ALL OVER… IT IS NOW FAREWELL TO MAYOR DAVE The ‘Punny Man’ didn’t fail to live up to his nickname during his farewell speech, in which he announced that during his period in office he attended 319 events alongside his wife, Jill.

During this time he also managed to raise an impressive £26,000 for the eating disorder charity Beat.

“We visited every part of the borough at least once, and in the outlying areas were not even asked to show our passports or change time zones,” joked Cllr Dave Neve.

“We tasked ourselves with doing the A-Z of sporting activities. Archery and clay pigeon shooting helped us with this aim. We got into the swing of things with golf. Just recently I got a kick out attending karate.

“Finally, there is that famous sporting saying: They think it’s all over… it is now.”

WHO IS JULIA SOYKE? Interests: After living in Germany for ten years, she now runs the family farm at Ashurst and is actively involved in the local community as a member of its parish council, Chair of its Air Traffic Committee and Trustee and Bookings Secretary for Ashurst McDermott Village Hall. She enjoys the countryside, animals and gardening.

Bodies affiliated with: Elected Member of Speldhurst Parish Council, Member of the NFU, National Trust, Royal Academy of Arts, English Heritage and National Gallery.

Qualifications: B.Sc (Hons) in Geology from Exeter University; awarded scholarships to attend post-graduate courses in the USA. WHAT IS THE ROLE OF MAYOR? The high standing of the Mayor is one of honour rather than actual legal powers.

The Mayor is expected to attend many formal and informal functions, including: Royal and state visits, civic ceremonies and functions, charity events, fetes, banquets and dances.

A mayor must remain politically neutral, as the office of Mayor is mainly a ceremonial position.

They also chair Full Council meetings and act as an ambassador to promote the council’s name at home and elsewhere.

Outgoing Mayor David Neve

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Local News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

More than one new look at RVP as latest plans unveiled

By Jonathan Banks ROYAL VICTORIA PLACE has submitted a planning application for a new entrance at Fiveways in the town centre. The application follows the approval of the multi-million pound retail and leisure extension at RVP and will provide a ‘modern and fresh’ entrance to the centre.

RVP Centre Manager Nicky Blanchard said: “Right from the start we have wanted to create something that will benefit the whole of Tunbridge Wells.

“Providing a modern retail face to RVP is key to ensuring a thriving town centre as well as giving customers and retailers a great experience. We believe this next phase of investment will provide a strong boost for the town centre.”

She added the application has been submitted before the start of the retail and leisure extension so that, subject to approval, the works could begin at the same time, minimising disruption to both shoppers and retailers.

“If successful our aim would be to get the project team working towards a start in the first half of 2018,”she said.

The importance of RVP as a focal point for the town was underlined

when hundreds of shoppers enjoyed a weekend of Summer Fashion. The catwalk shows featured more than 30 of the centre’s top fashion, jewellery and accessory brands.

Fashion RVP Marketing Manager Marc Burchett said: “Summer certainly did arrive at the weekend with temperatures hitting over 25 degrees which was perfect for showcasing the hottest new trends.”

CHANGE OF STYLE RVP’s proposed new entrance (right) was unveiled during its fashion week

Local Business News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

JARVIS SECURITIES will increase its second quarter dividend to 6 pence per share on June 8, up from 4.25p, after seeing its pre-tax profits rise ‘significantly’ in the four months to the end of April compared to the same period last year.

The payout, for all those on the shareholder register of the Tunbridge Wells-based stockbroker on May 19, was announced in a trading statement released by the board.

Although it did not disclose the income during the four-month period, the trading statement declares revenue was up 25 per cent, ‘riven by organic growth in the business and improved market conditions’.

Costs in the same period increased by 7 per cent.

The Board of the AIM-listed company also forecast that pre-tax profits for the year ended 2017 will be ‘significantly above current market expectations’.

Chief Executive Officer Andrew Grant said: “I am delighted to be able to announce such a positive trading update. Market volumes have remained consistently buoyant since the conclusion of the Brexit referendum, and we continue to add both institutional and retail clients to our business.

“For our shareholders, a growing business means growing dividends, and we anticipate the total 2017 dividend payment will be well above current market expectations.”

The benign market conditions have boosted Jarvis Securities’ share price from 228p per share at the start of the year to a current trading price of around 449p, giving it a market cap of £50million.

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Bell serves up best pub win

Broker announces hike in dividend…

‘Pre-tax profits will be significantly above current market expectations’

BUSINESS

THE BELL in Ticehurst was named Regional Pub of the Year at the National Pub and Bar Awards last week.

Having already been awarded the Best Pub in East Sussex, the popular establishment beat ten other finalists to secure the South East title bestowed upon it during a ceremony held at London’s iconic BAFTA theatre.

General Manager Howard Canning, who received the award with Operations Supervisor Pip Alfille, said: “We are over the moon. The Bell is far from a conventional local. We have high ambitions and this award recognises the hard work our team put in to achieving them.”

The Bell was up against Kent’s Pub of the Year, The Dog at Wingham, the White Horse in Chilgrove, West Sussex, The Park Hatch in Cranleigh, Surrey and other pubs in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Oxfordshire.

DING DONG! The Bell’s Howard Canning and Pip Alfille (centre) accept the coveted award

Record year for leading law CRIPPS has recorded its fourth consecutive year of growth and set a new record for fee-generated income, the Tunbridge Wells-based law firm has announced.

Fee income was at £29.2million for the year ending April 30, marking a four per cent increase on the previous year. The result is that since 2012/13, Cripps has seen more than 60 per cent growth.

The strong financial figures have been achieved at a time when the firm has also invested heavily in replacing its IT systems, and in the opening of its new 40,000 sq ft head office in Tunbridge Wells.

The investment has been financed through a combination of the company’s own cash reserves and a conservative level of bank borrowing.

Managing Partner Gavin Tyler said: “These record results are a great achievement and reflect the commitment and dedication of everyone at Cripps.

We had set ourselves some tough goals considering the substantial investments we were making over the course of the year.”

Cripps, which is one of the largest private employers in the town, moved

firm Cripps into its new office building, located on the site of the former Kent & Sussex Hospital on Mount Ephraim, last year.

The firm recorded a turnover of £29.2m in 2016-17.

Cripps work for a range of clients from some of the largest businesses to high net worth individuals. It has particular experience working with entrepreneurs and the businesses they run – helping them manage both their personal and commercial affairs and the Gavin Tyler overlap between them.

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Community News

Lions recognise Hi Kent’s work with hard of hearing THE Lions Club in Paddock Wood has donated £500 to local deaf charity Hi Kent in recognition of the work they do in the town.

Hi Kent’s Debra Jones said: “We are delighted the Lions have supported us once again. Their kind donation will help us to continue to run our busy hearing aid clinic in the town, which offers a free aftercare service for clients with NHS hearing aids, and our free lipreading class, which teaches this fantastic skill and enables people living with a hearing loss to enjoy conversation once more.”

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Bobby the puppy shows how to teach young children new tricks A DOG has joined the teaching staff at a Tunbridge Wells primary school in order to help children with their learning.

Bobby the Labrador puppy has become a muchloved addition to Langton Green Primary School.

His presence in the classroom is designed to help students to concentrate and boost their confidence. He will also be used to support pupils with learning difficulties.

Outside of school hours, the hairy helper is looked after by acting Deputy Headmaster Katie Harris, who came up with the idea.

BEST IN CLASS Langton Green pupils with Bobby the learning dog

Adoration

LIONS’ SHARE: (l-r) Hi Kent’s Chief Executive John Clayton and Rod Easter of Paddock Wood Lions

Katie, who is also the school’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator, said: “Research has shown that having a dog nearby can reduce your pulse rate and relax you.

“Also, for some children and situations, it is easier to talk to and stroke a dog than it is to talk to an adult directly.”

Naturally, Bobby has also become the centre of attention among his adoring classmates.

“The children have loved having him as part of the school – he’s already received letters and pictures of adoration,” added Katie.

“Although he is still young, he has settled in quickly and he currently resides in Year Six one afternoon a week.

“Bobby is also regularly taken on a walk round the school field by various children, and we are hoping to involve more children the older he gets.

Parent Louise Langton-Lockton said: “Langton Primary really goes above and beyond for pupil

happiness and welfare, and Bobby the school dog is another example of this.

“Bobby is sometimes around at school pick-up and it’s really lovely to see the children’s reaction to him – he really is much loved by everyone.”

Huge turnout for children’s Safety in Action workshops

ALARM BELLS Pupils learn about fire safety

A RECORD number of pupils from across West Kent gathered at Salomons Estate last week to learn how to stay safe.

More than 1,600 children from 56 primary schools attended the Safety in Action course.

Year Six children were warned about some of the dangers they may face as they become more independent and prepare to enter secondary school.

Co-ordinated by Salus, the Kent-based organisation dedicated to improving the lives of children, the interactive event delivers a range of scenarios designed to highlight safety issues and how to deal with them.

Martin Carter of Salus said: “Safety in Action is all about providing real-life

learning for these pupils, giving them the skills and information to help in their transition to secondary school.”

The course was supported by the Kent Fire & Rescue Service, RNLI, Kent Police, Kent County Council, British Transport Police, Drive to Ensure, Kenward Trust, Hopkins+ and UK Power Networks.

Markerstudy Leisure provides the venue near Tunbridge Wells free of charge as part of its support for child safety.

Such was the popularity of the programme that next year the venue will move to Markerstudy’s Bewl Water.

It was funded by the councils of Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge & Malling and Sevenoaks, and Kent Fire & Rescue Service.

County News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

NEWS IN BRIEF

Conservative Carter to continue leading KCC PAUL CARTER has been reconfirmed as Leader of Kent County Council as the body convened for the first time since the local elections, which saw the Conservatives secure 67 of the 81 seats up for grabs.

At the meeting on Thursday (May 25), Liberal Democrat Councillor Rob Bird was confirmed as leader of the opposition.

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Bird said: “The recent elections have given Mr Carter’s Conservative group a very large majority, which will be a challenge for all opposition members.

“But this does not diminish the need for effective opposition and scrutiny.”

University opening THE University of Kent officially opened its largest academic building yet, as the £35million project came to a close last week.

Named the Sibson Building, after the late Professor Robin Sibson, who was ViceChancellor between 1994 and 2001, the new Canterbury complex is home to both Kent Business School and the School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science.

Completed after two years of development by construction firm Willmott Dixon, it covers a total of 7,900 square meters and includes three lecture theatres over three floors.

Turner Prize in Kent ONE of the most prestigious accolades in the world of art is to be hosted at a Kent art gallery, it has been announced.

The Turner Prize will be hosted at the eponymous Turner Contemporary gallery in Margate in 2019.

Established in 1984, the Turner Prize is awarded to a British artist for an outstanding exhibition or other presentation of their work in the previous 12 months.

The winner receives £25,000, while each of the three shortlisted artists receive £5,000.

Lightning hits house A HOME in Staplehurst was set on fire after being hit by lightning during a thunderstorm during the early hours of Monday.

Around 16 firefighters were called to the house in Chapel Lane shortly before 2am after the resident smelt smoke.

The crews who attended limited the damage to the roof and the resident was able to return by 4.15am.

NEWS

11

Year-long challenge reaches target Artist Andrew Mead has now gone beyond his £3,650 Hospice in the Weald fundraising quest to draw a celebrity a day in memory of his late wife Lucy

At least 100 of the portraits he has drawn have been requests, he said.

One of his subjects, the businessman and star of TV’s The Apprentice Lord Alan Sugar, has even contacted Mr Mead to praise him for the portrait.

Speaking of his affection for the Hospice in the Weald, which is based in Pembury, Mr Mead said: “The hospice came and saw us early on and it was about a year before Lucy died.

“Throughout that year they were so supportive. My wife was given counselling by them once a week as she found it hard because her father died from cancer in his 40s as well.

“I don’t think people realise what they do outside of the hospice itself.”

Mr Mead attended art school in his youth but had not done any for ‘20-30 years’ before going to art classes at the Adult Education Centre in Sevenoaks with his wife, who had also gone to art college.

Once the task is completed, Mr Mead may put the sketches on public display.

“I will potentially hold an exhibition to show all the drawings once the project has finished, probably in August or September, and it’s likely to be in Sevenoaks,” he said.

A SEVENOAKS widower who tasked himself with drawing one celebrity a day in order to raise money for the Hospice in the Weald exceeded his funding target over the weekend, with two months to go.

Andrew Mead wanted to thank the hospice, which looked after his late wife Lucy in the period leading up her death from kidney cancer in 2015. She was aged just 46.

In order to do so, last July 22 – the date of Lucy’s birthday – Mr Mead set himself the target of drawing 365 celebrities in a challenge he titled ‘Help, I’m A Celebrity, Stop Drawing Me’, and was up to number 311 as we went to press.

He aimed to raise £3,650 from donations on the fundraising site Just Giving – a feat now achieved.

Among the celebrities sketched by the 48-yearold father of two are Eric Morecambe, Helena Bonham Carter, David Bowie, Ed Sheeran, Paul Weller and King Kong. He has completed 313 of his intended portraits so far.

New tram Thames link planned PROPOSALS to connect the northern parts of Kent with Essex by constructing a £600million tram network are gaining momentum.

The KenEx Thames Transit scheme will see a tunnel constructed beneath the river between the Swanscombe Peninsula and the Essex town of Grays, with the tram lines branching out towards Bluewater and Ebbsfleet International Station.

Doing so will help relieve some of the busiest parts of the county’s road network and connect popular attractions such as Blue Water and Lakeside with the planned development of a Paramount theme park and Ebbsfleet Garden City.

The project is being proposed by Gordon Pratt, a financial accountant who previously worked with the London and Southern Counties Railway Consortium to come up with Brighton Main Line Two. Mr Pratt has spoken to the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation and Thurrock Council about the idea and plans on getting a full feasibility study later this year. He believes the tram system will be able to be constructed via private funding.

The plans have received cross-party political support from General Election candidates contesting constituencies along the proposed network.

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National News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

May says Corbyn is not ‘prepared’ to handle negotiations over Brexit THERESA MAY has launched a ferocious assault on Jeremy Corbyn’s fitness to be Prime Minister, saying that Monday’s live TV grilling showed he was ‘not prepared’ to lead the country or conduct Brexit negotiations.

Referring to the Sky News/Channel 4 General Election special, she said his position on Brexit would leave him ‘alone and naked in the negotiating chamber’ with the European Union.

Speaking in Wolverhampton, Mrs May said that, with Brexit talks due to begin just 11 days after the June 8 election, the ‘revealing’ TV broadcast had shown that ‘I am prepared, I am ready to go.

Jeremy Corbyn is not’.

‘But I am prepared – prepared to take the difficult decisions that leadership demands’ Mrs May’s speech came amid reports that campaign chief Sir Lynton Crosby told her to refocus on the choice of leader to oversee Brexit, in the wake of a clutch of polls showing Labour narrowing the gap in the race for Number 10.

Looking back at Mr Corbyn’s performance when questioned by Jeremy Paxman and a studio audience, Mrs May said: “With Brexit negotiations due to begin only 11 days after polling day, he is not prepared for those negotiations.

“But I am prepared – prepared to take the difficult decisions that leadership demands. Prepared to do what is necessary to protect and defend our country. Prepared to go into the negotiating chamber with the EU just 11 days after polling day. I am

NO KIDDING Six-year-old Czarina watches Jeremy Corbyn arrive in Watford prepared. I am ready to go. Jeremy Corbyn is not.

“Last night confirmed that. Only one of us has the determination to deliver the will of the people and make Brexit happen. And only one of us has the plan to make Brexit a success.”

Mrs May said she would be ready ‘from day one’ to work on a ‘deep and special relationship’ with the EU, while Mr Corbyn had ‘no plan for Brexit’.

She warned: “There will be no time to waste, no

way of stalling, no way of asking Europe to hang on while we figure out what to do.

“The Europeans are ready to go and are determined to fight for a deal that works for them.

Mr Corbyn’s decision to rule out walking out of Brexit talks without a deal ‘means being willing to accept any deal, however bad, signing up to any bill, however vast, accepting any terms, however unreasonable’, the Prime Minister said.

Childcare cost? Er, can Tories warn against we come back to that? ‘a coalition of chaos’ LABOUR leader Jeremy Corbyn was unable to provide the cost of his party’s key manifesto plans to roll out free care to all two to four-yearolds yesterday (Tuesday).

When asked on Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Mr Corbyn paused several times when repeatedly asked to give a cost for the pledge and said: “Can we come back to that in a moment?”

Presenter Emma Barnett asked: “Let me understand then, how much will it cost to provide un-means-tested childcare for 1.3 million children?”

Mr Corbyn replied: “It will cost ... it will obviously cost a lot to do so, we accept that.”

Ms Barnett said: “I presume you have the figures?”

He replied: “Yes, I do. It does cost a

lot to do it, the point I’m trying to make is that we’re making it universal so that we are in a position to make sure that every child gets it and those that can, at the moment get free places will continue to get them, those that have to pay won’t and we’ll collect the money through taxation, mainly through corporate taxation.”

Ms Barnett asked again, at which point Mr Corbyn said: “I’ll give you the figure in a moment.”

She went on: “You don’t know it.

You’re logging into your iPad here.

You’ve announced a major policy and you don’t know how much it will cost?”

Mr Corbyn replied: “Can I give you the exact figure in a moment?”, adding: “All of our manifesto is fully costed and examined.”

THE SNP would do a deal with Labour that could see Jeremy Corbyn ‘propped up by a coalition of chaos’, the Conservatives claim.

With the General Election just over a week away and Labour appearing to be gaining momentum, the Tories warned against any deal between Labour and Scottish nationalists.

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who released her party’s manifesto in Perth, has approved of a ‘progressive alliance that can lock the Tories out of government’.

Mr Corbyn had insisted on Monday that there would be ‘no alliance’, claiming his party is ‘fighting this election to win’.

But yesterday (Tuesday) he refused to say that he would block another

Scottish independence referendum before Brexit is complete if Holyrood passed a motion on the timing, saying only he would ‘urge them very strongly’ to delay it.

The Labour leader said he would allow a second referendum ‘if the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish people want it’ because that is the ‘whole point’ of devolution.

Conservative Party chairman Patrick McLoughlin said: “The SNP and Jeremy Corbyn are getting ready to do a deal to prop him up as Prime Minister, in return for a second independence referendum.

“With Brexit negotiations starting 11 days after people vote, you’d have a totally shambolic Jeremy Corbyn propped up by a coalition of chaos.”

ELECTION IN BRIEF

Contest is on a knife edge

Gap closes to six per cent

Irish border is not issue

ALMOST three times as many Britons watched a knife-throwing couple terrify Simon Cowell than saw Jeremy Paxman’s TV grilling of Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, according to initial ratings for Monday night’s television.

A combined audience of 2.9 million viewers tuned in to watch the leaders in their first live TV audience Q&A, billed as The Battle For No 10, compared to 8.5m for ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent first live semi-final.

LABOUR continues to close the gap on the Conservatives, according to a new opinion poll.

The poll by Survation for ITV’s Good Morning Britain (GMB) puts Labour on 37 per cent, up three points on a week ago and six points behind the Tories who are unchanged on 43 per cent.

The Lib Dems are on 8 per cent and UKIP on 4 per cent are both unchanged, while the SNP are down one point on 2 per cent and the Greens are also down one on 1 per cent.

PEOPLE who vote for nationalist and republican parties in Northern Ireland do not necessarily support a united Ireland.

Launching the Conservatives’ Northern Ireland manifesto, Secretary of State James Brokenshire said the conditions for calling a border poll on unification were ‘not remotely satisfied’, adding: “The support for those institutions, the support for Northern Ireland remaining a core part of the United Kingdom, remains very firmly there.”

MCDONALD’S TONBRIDGE The two McDonald’s restaurants in Tonbridge, owned and operated by local franchisee Surjit Manger, are now looking for new recruits to join the team…

As you may know, there are two McDonald’s in Tonbridge - one on the High Street with 74 seats, providing a relief from the hustle and bustle of the High Street, and the new drive-thru on Cannon Lane with 140 seats which opened on 28th December 2016.

The new drive-thru restaurant has all the latest digital technology, in the kitchens and front of house, with the aim of improving the Tonbridge customer experience. To improve the speed and ease of ordering, customers now have the option to use one of the self-order kiosks, and request table service, instead of collecting their food at the counters.

The High Street restaurant is due for renovation in November 2017, which will see a much needed facelift to the entire restaurant.

The two restaurants currently employ 160 team members; however, the opening of the new restaurant means we are now looking to extend our team further. We are now keen to recruit managers, (trainees and with experience) and customer care staff to join our great team, so we can continue improving the customer experience in both restaurants.

MANAGERS (trainee & with experience)

The manager programme is the first step to managing one of our £multi-million UK restaurants. From day one, you’ll be based on the shop floor learning how each area of the business works.

One minute you’ll be serving customers, the next you’ll be learning about stock control.

You’ll work alongside our crew, crew trainers, customer care teams and assistant managers whilst you complete an intensive initial training period. It takes up to six months to complete the initial stages of the trainee manager programme, and after successfully completing the training period and relevant courses, you’ll be promoted to a shift manager and become part of the core restaurant management team.

Open to graduates or those with experience of working in a customer facing environment or managing teams – you’ll want to provide a great experience for each of our customers and be passionate about training and developing your teams.

In return, you’ll embark on a career with a company ranked 8th in the 2016 Sunday Times Best Big Companies list, where you will develop and acquire transferable skills in a dynamic business environment, as well as meet some great people along the way.

CUSTOMER CARE ROLES

As a customer care assistant, you’ll be the face of your restaurant. In a nutshell, you’ll deal with customers and make sure everything runs as it should in the customer areas. Activities include making children feel welcome, handing out balloons, looking after customers’ specific needs, keeping high standards of cleanliness in the dining area and toilets and helping to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere. It’s your responsibility to establish and maintain positive communication with customers at all times and to keep the manager informed about customer satisfaction.

Quite simply, you’ll be working in our fast moving, high energy environment and we’re looking for a genuine smile plus an ability to connect with customers and make them feel valued.

You’ll need to be confident in approaching and dealing with diverse groups of people. Friendly, courteous and helpful behaviour will come naturally to you and you’ll work well as part of a team. Effective communication skills such as attentive listening, face-to-face verbal communication and eye contact are a must.

You’ll also need to understand the importance of maintaining high standards of service as well as cleanliness. The ability to maintain high energy levels whilst working both efficiently and productively is essential. Finally, your appearance should be smart and clean.

If you are interested in either role, please forward on your current CV with a short note to the following email address: 00174@uk.mcd.com Alternatively, simply drop off your CV at any of the Tonbridge Restaurants or apply online at www.mcdonalds.co.uk/people & search for careers in Tonbridge.

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National News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Stars queue up to join Ariana for benefit gig CONCERTED EFFORT Ariana Grande

JUSTIN BIEBER, Katy Perry, Coldplay and a host of other international music stars will join Ariana Grande at a benefit concert for victims of the Manchester Arena attack on Sunday.

Miley Cyrus, Take That, Usher, Pharrell Williams and One Direction’s Niall Horan will also perform at the One Love Manchester gig at Lancashire Cricket Club’s Old Trafford ground in the city.

Fans who were at the show last week where a

terrorist attack killed 22 people died and injured dozens will be offered free tickets to the event.

In a statement last week, Grande vowed to return to Manchester as she said ‘we won’t let hate win’.

Net proceeds will go to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, set up by Manchester City Council in partnership with the British Red Cross to support grieving families and victims.

The fund’s total currently stands at £6millon.

Bomber had criminal record MANCHESTER bomber Salman Abedi had a ‘relatively minor’ criminal record as a teenager but he was not known to police for holding extremist views.

The suicide attacker appeared on police logs in 2012 for offences of theft, receiving stolen goods and assault, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police Ian Hopkins disclosed.

However, Abedi had not featured in Prevent, the Government’s voluntary counter-radicalisation scheme.

Mr Hopkins also signalled that charges of conspiracy to murder could be brought as a result of the huge investigation into Abedi’s suspected network.

Fourteen men remain in custody after being arrested in connection with the probe.

The first details of the the 22-year-old’s criminal past were revealed as the police chief was asked by a caller how he could ‘slip through the net’ in a radio phone-in.

Authorities have come under intense scrutiny in the wake of the atrocity amid claims members of the public had previously raised the alarm about the perpetrator.

Mr Hopkins said: “Obviously there has been a lot said in the media and what I would just say to people is just be careful of some of the reporting that is going on because obviously we don’t know everything at this stage.

“So what I do know about Abedi, the terrorist, is that he was known to the police for some relatively minor matters – theft,

receiving stolen goods, minor assault. Those were in 2012.

“You know there has been a lot of reporting and people commenting that he was reported to us on a number of occasions.

“Abedi was not known to the Prevent programme. He was not on any sort of Prevent agenda.

The chief constable added: “From probably about three or four days ago we had specialist Crown Prosecution lawyers in working with us, starting to build charges as we gather the evidence to hopefully what will be charges in relation to the Terrorism Act and conspiracy to murder.”

He added that 18 scenes are still being guarded and ­forensically examined across Greater Manchester.

Harris freed after no jury verdict ROLF HARRIS has spoken of his relief after being cleared of indecently assaulting three teenage girls.

Harris was found not guilty of four charges that he carried out sex attacks on girls as young as 13 from 1971-83 after a jury could not reach verdicts.

Prosecutors said they would not seek a second retrial. Harris, 87, was jailed in 2014 for separate sex attacks on young women and girls.

In a statement read outside Southwark Crown Court in London by his lawyer Daniel Berke, Harris said: “Whilst I’m pleased that this is finally all over, I feel no sense of victory, only relief.”

“My wife is in ill health and we simply want to spend our remaining time together in peace.”

The disgraced former star was twice tried over the alleged sex attacks on teenage girls.

Yesterday (Tuesday) Judge Deborah Taylor formally found him not guilty of all four charges of indecent assault, which he had denied.

Harris did not give evidence, his lawyers saying

he did not remember the events in question.

His lawyers claimed the women were motivated by greed, coming forward after he was convicted in June 2014 of 12 counts of indecent assault.

Harris left HMP Stafford on licence part-way through this retrial after serving less than three years of his five-year-and-nine-month sentence.

SIR CLIFF WINS BATTLE WITH THE BEEB TO REVEAL JOURNALIST’S SOURCE Sir Cliff Richard has won a High Court battle to force the BBC to give him more information about how a journalist learned that he was being investigated as a result of a sex assault allegation. Mr Justice Mann ruled that BBC chiefs must tell the 76-year-old singer if the source of information was working on a wider Metropolitan Police inquiry into sex abuse.

National Business News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

NEWS IN BRIEF

Housing market in ‘wait and see’ pause THE residential property market experienced a slowdown in April as buyers and sellers adopted a ‘wait and see’ attitude over the General Election, according to estate agents.

In April, 381 house hunters were registered per estate agency branch on average across the UK, down from 397 in March, according to the National Association of Estate Agents.

There were 36 properties available per branch typically, down from 39 in March. This was the lowest level seen since April 2016 when agents had just 35 properties on the market typically, as sellers held off until after the EU referendum.

Half a billion deal THE London Stock Exchange [LSE] has made a £535million swoop for an American analytics business, marking its first deal since the failed tie-up with Deutsche Borse.

The LSE has struck a deal to buy the yield book, fixed income indices and world government bond index (WGBI) from US investment bank Citi.

Tumble dryer fire DOMESTIC appliance company Beko has issued a safety alert for thousands of tumble dryers over concerns they could pose a fire risk, including one model found to have caused a blaze that killed a mother of two.

In August last year a coroner found that a defective Beko DCS 85W caused a house fire that killed mother-of-two Mishell Moloney in her bedroom.

BUSINESS

15

Working days lost to industrial disputes nearly doubles in a year THE row between junior doctors and the Government led to a massive increase in the number of days lost to strike action last year.

An Office for National Statistics [ONS] report showed that 322,000 working days were lost in 2016 compared with 170,000 in 2015.

Despite the increase, the total was the eighth lowest since records began in 1891.

The junior doctors’ dispute over new contracts in England accounted for 129,000 lost working days, 40 per cent of the total.

In November, junior doctors removed the threat of strike action over their new contract, saying they instead intend to work with the

Government to tackle any issues arising from its implementation.

There were 154,000 workers involved in disputes last year, higher than the record low of 81,000 in 2015 but still low by historical levels.

In fact, the ONS said the amount of industrial action has reduced significantly in the last 30 years.

There were 101 separate stoppages last year, five fewer than in 2015, but the number of working days lost per dispute doubled to almost 3,200.

More than 1.5 million workers joined the General Strike in 1926.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Going on strike is always a last resort when bosses refuse to negotiate or compromise.

PICKET MIX: Junior doctors protesting outside Tunbridge Wells Hospital

Strikes are far less common these days and tend to be short.

“With the average annual wage

still worth £1,000 less than a decade ago, it is not surprising that many strikes are about fair pay.”

Weekend failure will have ‘unquantifiable impact’ on BA THE owner of British Airways saw shares nosedive into the red after its ‘catastrophic’ IT failure over the weekend caused mayhem for holidaymakers.

Shares in parent company International Consolidated Airlines Group [IAG] tumbled around three per cent in the first day of trading in London after the Bank Holiday weekend.

In Madrid, where IAG Shares are also listed, they had already tumbled heavily in trading on Monday, wiping around £357million off their stock.

Other airlines were also lower, with Ryanair nearly one per cent lower after its full-year results revealed further cuts to fares, and easyJet more than one per cent down.

George Salmon, equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “BA may have confirmed that it is now running a full schedule of flights, but investors in IAG, BA’s parent company, are counting the cost of a calamitous Bank Holiday weekend.

“While the costs of passenger compensation and refunds could well run into the tens of millions, the whole sorry episode has undeniably

put a dent in BA’s reputation for delivering a premium service, and the worry for shareholders is that this unquantifiable impact could have longer-term consequences.”

Neil Wilson, senior market analyst at ETX Capital, said investors were worried the outages were a sign that cost-cutting had gone too far at IAG. “If it keeps happening investors could lose patience almost as quickly as passengers,” he said.

Rival Ryanair, which reported full-year figures on Tuesday, said it had seen ‘strong bookings’ over the weekend amid BA’s woes.

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World News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Woods was sleeping but had not been drinking, say police

Media man stands down as Trump frets about scrutiny

TIGER WOODS was asleep at the wheel but had no alcohol in his system when police spotted his car standing stationary but with the lights on and the engine running.

An affidavit released yesterday (Tuesday) said Woods was alone and wearing his seat belt when Jupiter Police officers found his Mercedes early on Monday in Florida.

The report says officers woke Woods, who had ‘extremely slow and slurred speech’ and told them he took several prescriptions.

According to the report, Woods was confused and asked how far he was from his Hobe Sound home. Officers said Woods was cooperative but failed a roadside sobriety test. Breath and urine tests showed no alcohol in his system.

His arraignment in Palm Beach on a charge of driving under the influence is scheduled for July 5.

DONALD TRUMP’S Communications Director has ment during the campaign and transition period. resigned as US President Donald Trump considers His departure raises questions about whether a major staff overhaul. previous Trump loyalists are headed to the White Michael Dubke’s decision comes as aides say the House. Mr Trump has entertained the idea of President has grown increasingly frustrated by bringing back his former campaign manager, allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 elec- Corey Lewandowski, and former deputy camtion and revelations of possible ties between his paign manager, David Bossie. campaign and Moscow.

Mr Trump tweeted yesterday (Tuesday): “RusRough start sian officials must be laughing at the US & how a Mr Dubke’s hiring was intended to lighten the lame excuse for why the Dems lost the election load on Sean Spicer, the White House press secrehas taken over the Fake News.”

Mr Dubke wrote that it had been an honour to tary, who had also been handling the duties of serve Mr Trump and ‘my distinct pleasure to work communications director during Mr Trump’s first month in office. side by side, day by day with the staff of the Mr Trump privately pinned some of the communications and press departments.’ blame for his administration’s rough A Republican consultant, Mr Dubke joined start on communications strategy. the White House team in February after While he is overseas, Mr Trump’s campaign aide Jason Miller – Mr Trump’s long-time lawyer Marc Kasowitz has original choice for communibeen forming a legal team to help the cations director – withdrew President shoulder the intensifying investifrom the White House. gations into Russian interference in the Mr Dubke founded election and his associates’ potential Crossroads Media, a involvement.

Republican firm that More lawyers with deep experispecialises in political ence in Washington investigaadvertising. tions are expected to be added, He is the latest White along with crisis communicaHouse staffer to leave tion experts. this administration as scrutiny intensifies over contacts Trump staffers may have PACK OF CARDS had with the Donald Trump Russian governis reshuffling

Two drunk Brits cause six-hour Eurostar delay EUROSTAR passengers suffered severe delays after two drunk British passengers were removed.

The Paris to London train, which departed at 8.15pm on Monday, was held up for six hours.

A spokeswoman said: “We stopped the train in Calais so that the authorities could then manage those two passengers and take them off the train.

“But then Border Force requested that, because the train had stopped, all the passengers disembark and go through passport control again – which is why it was delayed.”

SPORT IN BRIEF

Wenger signs two-year deal to stay at Gunners ARSENAL manager Arsene Wenger has agreed a new two-year contract, extending his 21-year reign at the club.

He met the club’s majority stakeholder Stan Kroenke on Monday to decide his future, with the decision relayed to a board meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

The Gunners were fifth in the Premier League this season, the first time they have finished outside the top four since the Frenchman joined in 1996. But they beat Chelsea 2-1 to win the FA Cup on Saturday.

Wenger’s contract was set to finish at the end of the current campaign.

Murray’s form improves ANDY MURRAY answered doubts about his form and fitness with a four-set win over Andrey Kuznetsov in the opening round of the French Open.

The Russian, ranked 73, won the second set and Murray looked fractious but he moved ahead early in the third set and gradually improved, wrapping up a 6-4 4-6 6-2 6-0 win in two hours and 32 minutes.

Moore’s mystery mount AIDAN O’BRIEN expects jockey Ryan Moore to leave it late before deciding on his ride in the Investec Derby at Epsom on Saturday.

The Ballydoyle handler has saddled five previous winners and has seven horses in contention this year. The shortest priced is Dee Stakes winner Cliffs Of Moher.

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Letters

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

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 Threatening restaurants with bad TripAdvisor reviews is blackmail Well done to the High Rocks restaurant (Times May 24) for taking on those who attack eating establishments using the online TripAdvisor site, and threatening legal action against a customer who posted a bad review.

For the record, I am not in the hospitality trade, nor is any member of my family. I have no axe to grind.

But I do enjoy eating out in and around Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge, and I have seen first-hand the impact some of the so-called reviewers can have on a business.

No one has an issue with people posting credible, meaningful comments that might be constructive, but so often they post little more than rants against the food, service and establishment.

And it is really quite fascinating how these reviews can often appear just a few days after the opening of a new place, almost as though there is a hidden agenda, i.e. to undermine a restaurant that might pose a threat to others in the area.

I happened to eat at a new gastro-style pub just after it opened and overheard a customer

Fly-tippers should be ashamed I was very upset to hear about the amount of fly-tipping that is going on in Hawkenbury.

I don’t live far from there and often walk my dog in the stretch of woods you refer to in your story (May 24), which are now allegedly effectively being used as a dumping ground by landowner Ian Bowman. He just won’t cough up for proper disposal of his hardcore rubble and rubbish.

What on earth makes him think he has the right to bury toilet parts and concrete posts underground – and in such a scenic spot? He shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this, and I hope the powers that be at the council will put a stop to it.

If he thinks he can get away with it, others will, too – so he has to be made an example of.

Let’s hope your story in the Times will help to draw further attention to this matter and shame him into stopping his destruction of our beautiful surrounding countryside.

Catherine Powers Via email

Are Cabinet decisions democratic?

I note with interest that Councillor Alan McDermott maintains there was adequate evidence to support the proposed move to passive CCTV (May 17).

This is in spite of the views of both the Communities Cabinet Advisory Board, on which I sit, and the council’s own Overview and Scrutiny Committee (not to mention every one of the

creating such a fuss about the ‘atrocious’ meal. It wasn’t, and he didn’t complain until he’d eaten it.

He advised the owner he would not be paying and was minded to post a bad review.

Happily, the owner stood his ground and offered a discount with complimentary wine.

The man and his two friends stormed out and yes, you’ve guessed it, bad-mouthed the restaurant on TripAdvisor.

Had he got the free meals he was seeking nothing would have happened. Pure and simple blackmail.

Peter Stewart Via email

raised the fears among the Friends and resulted in more questions than there were answers.

From what I gather, if everything was in order then – like it or not – the organisation’s Chairman would not have to complain about corners being cut, a lack of information and the general aura of secrecy surrounding the project.

Many people I speak to think it is simply a vanity project. If things carry on as they are and a really strong case is not made for the project, I will soon become one of them.

The next round of borough elections is a year away. If this issue is not resolved by then we may see people using the ballot box to express their displeasure.

Matt Stone, via email

Mayor does live in the borough

High Rocks

consultees the council did manage to contact for their views).

This tells me we still have a way to go before the Conservative Cabinet’s decision-making process is truly democratic.

Peter Lidstone Liberal Democrat, Councillor for St John’s

Growing doubts about Civic Complex Whether or not you think the council’s plans for a new civic complex are a good idea, one thing is clear – they appear completely inept at actually being straight with people over the issue.

From what I have read, I can see both positives and negatives to the plans. A new theatre will be able to compete with the West End, and the additional office space provided by the Civic Complex itself is going to be most welcome.

But at the same time there is a colossal £72million price tag attached to it and it could damage a lovely park. People would wonder why money is not spent on preserving existing office space and keeping CCTV actively monitored.

When council Leader David Jukes describes the interest on the £72million as ‘peanuts’, it feels incredibly disingenuous. When organisations such as Friends of Calverley Grounds come out against it and accuse the council of ‘hoodwinking’ them, then alarm bells must be ringing. If the project is so good, why the secrecy?

And despite the consultation (with the council), it seems that it was the consultation itself which

Calverley’s report (May 24) of the concerns about the residence of the newly elected Mayor for Tonbridge & Malling caught my attention.

Within such a diverse borough, there is always a balance to be made as to the ‘home patch’ of the Mayor. So, over the past five years, the Mayor has come from Burham and Wouldham (Dave Davis), East Peckham (Howard Rogers), West Malling and Leybourne (Sasha Luck), Tonbridge (Owen Baldock) and, for the past year, Mark Rhodes of Hildenborough.

Roger Dalton represents Burham and Wouldham and lives in Burham, and certainly within the borough. Calverley isn’t right that Roger lives in Rochester!

The Deputy Mayor is Pam Bates, who represents the Trench ward in north Tonbridge.

And as with all mayors over the years, I am sure we will see a good amount of Roger at events within Tonbridge, in his capacity as First Citizen of the Borough.

Nicolas Heslop Leader, Tonbridge & Malling Borough Council

Calverley

Observations on life and more important things

HIMSELF has just undergone a rather sobering experience. He was ‘invited’ by Management (Mrs Calverley) to help choose colours for redecorating the lounge. Do you know how many different shades of red there are? Or how those paint people can dream up so many different whites? More than 20 sample pots later (at Farrow & Ball in Tunbridge Wells they cost £4.50 each) the decision was taken (not

by Calverley). Drum roll please: The lounge is going to be painted in exactly the same colours that it is now. Pass those smelling salts.

OH to be a student at uni. Himself ended up in the student bar at Cardiff last week (don’t ask) and had to have a large brandy on being told the prices. A pint of lager costs just £1.69. It is Fosters, but come on. In the normal world we’re talking £4 plus. One kindly young lady explained that the bar was not designed to make a profit and that with the volume they shifted, huge discounts were possible.

Suppose the prices do offset some of the cost these days for student loans.

MUCH taken with the tale of the mus musculus (house mouse to you) that was spotted in Tonbridge setting up home in the Waitrose store. What good taste the little fellow shows.

Bad news for bosses is the fact that out in the wild, Mickey the Mouse can live for up to a year; inside a warm, cosy supermarket he can last up to three years. Waitrose has said it will try and relocate the wee thing without causing harm; lots of luck with that. And where might they rehome him? How about Lidl in Crowborough?

The financial impact of cancer As part of our ‘Make Money One Less Worry’ campaign, we want to raise awareness of the hidden, and often unexpected, financial impact of cancer. To help us we are looking for people who, because of their cancer, have had difficulty with travel insurance and would like to add their voice to our campaign.

If you would like to share your story, please contact us on 020 7091 2368 or email your story, with a daytime telephone contact number, to: jwarriner@macmillan.org.uk In the meantime, if you and anyone you know has cancer and needs advice about travel insurance, you can visit the Macmillan website and search ‘Travel Insurance’ or call the Support Line on 0808 808 0000.

Jane Warriner Macmillan Cancer Support

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

TALKING of supermarkets, Calverley just has to share the following conversation overheard between assistants this week in a famous store that will not be named: “The bosses want us to give customers the service and product knowledge of Waitrose, but pay us the wages of Lidl and give us the training of Poundland.” As Himself understands it, Lidl pays quite well.

BUMPED into a heavily bearded gentleman last week (think Father Christmas) who tells Himself: “My wife and I will have been married 50 years next month and she has never seen my full face – I’ve had this beard since the day we met and she has no idea what I really look like.” Bit like ladies and their make-up then.

Chin, chin readers

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

EDUCATION Times

Education

NEWS

19

WITH THE

Pupils are well on track for putting the focus on emotional well-being Tonbridge Grammar School marked Mental Health Awareness Week this month with a programme of entertaining activities to help students and staff think and stay positive TO MARK National Mental Health Awareness Week, Tonbridge Grammar School took part in a range of fun races and challenges in order to raise awareness about the importance of mental well-being.

A programme of events designed by the students helped focus attention on different types of mental health issues and illness, and ways in which to support those susceptible to or suffering from them.

‘The enthusiasm students showed for the activities was amazing’ The school’s week of activities started with students and staff baking cakes and cookies with a mental health theme. These were sold at lunchtime to raise money for the charity MIND. There followed a Run for your Life Relay, which saw all the school taking part in the event on the grammar’s 200m athletics track, where each lane

HUNGRY FOR SUCCESS The school relay-raced through a lunch hour represented each of the school’s six houses.

The aim of the race was to keep each relay baton in motion for the whole lunch hour. They managed to achieve this, as well as covering a combined distance equivalent to one and a third marathons.

The race was started by semi-professional ladies footballer Vicky Ashton-Jones of Brighton & Hove Albion. She brought along the Women’s FA Cup trophy and gave inspirational talks to the students.

Students also took on staff in a table tennis challenge, and danced to choreographed videos being displayed on a huge screen.

To finish the week, which ran from May 8-14, staff took on sixth formers in the second annual Mental Games challenge, where participants took part in a range of problem-solving games.

Tonbridge Grammar School’s Head Student, Jade Coatsworth, commented: “I’m incredibly proud of the way in which our entire school community came together in order to raise awareness and help to remove the stigma around discussing mental health issues.”

Student Leader for Well-being Megan Arnold added: “The enthusiasm all the students showed for the activities was amazing. I am so pleased with the involvement students from across the school gave to the events and couldn’t be more proud of everyone who worked so hard.”

Throughout the week, a Tree of Inspiration ‘grew’ in reception. It was made up of leaves with

TOP THAT School cakes and cookies raised funds for the charity MIND comments from students about Mental Health and how to promote strength and resilience. Sixthformers also delivered assemblies on positive tips on how to look after mental health.

Deputy Head Teacher Chris Fitt said the week was a ‘lovely way’ of complementing their ongoing programme of raising awareness of mental health and resilience. “The fact it was led by students for students made it even more effective.”

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NEWS

Education

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Talented dancer takes an impressive next step in the world of Royal Ballet TEN-YEAR-OLD George Stevens, from Southborough, has been awarded a school placement with The Royal Ballet at their world renowned White Lodge school in Richmond Park, London.

White Lodge is recognised as one of the leading dance George schools in the world.

Stevens Each year more than 20,000 people apply to join The Royal Ballet, but only 12 places are available every year for boys.

‘It is really important that George is allowed to follow his dreams’ George’s parents Lorna and Geoff Stevens told the Times: “George has always been a dancer, and started as soon as he could stand up. He has always loved all types of music and would regularly dance around the house singing to pop songs and chart music, but could often be found sitting alone quietly listening to classical music, too.”

George, who attends Southborough Primary School and is currently in Year 6, started dance training when he was six years old, learning aerodance, tap and modern.

His parents were also keen for him to try ballet classes, but say that George initially refused, saying

SHOWSTOPPER ‘boys don’t do ballet’.

George in one of “He didn’t want to his dance roles be picked on for being different to the other boys,” revealed Mr Stevens.

But it was after seeing Billy Elliot in the West End, as well as the Royal Ballet’s performances of Swan Lake and Alice in Wonderland, that finally led George to declare he wanted to learn ballet.

He began lessons with his teacher, Tamara Moubayed, in 2014 at The Southborough School of Dance, where they teach the Legat Russian ballet discipline.

“Miss Tamara soon recognised George’s natural abilities,” said Mr Stevens.

“She put him forward for an audition with the The Royal Ballet Associates in May 2016 and he managed to secure a place at the Royal Ballet Associates in Covent Garden from September 2016.”

George continued to attend both The Southborough School of Dance and The Royal Ballet Associates, and was later asked

by The Royal Ballet to audition for a role in Sleeping Beauty.

After securing a cover role in the production, George entered into the 2016 Tunbridge Wells Dance Festival and won a silver medal for his

first solo performance after only 18 months of ballet training.

He also won a further silver medal in this year’s festival, when he was in competition with other children who have been studying ballet from as young as three and four years old.

During the past year, George’s natural abilities and his experiences of winning medals have helped his confidence and self-belief to grow, so when the opportunity came to apply for a place at White Lodge he knew that the chances of gaining a place were very slim, but he felt that it was worth giving it 100 per cent effort.

Mr and Mrs Stevens revealed: “As parents, we obviously have mixed feelings about George moving away from home, but we are incredibly proud of his achievements so far.

“It is also really important that George is allowed to follow his dreams, so we are really overjoyed and happy for him and will do anything possible to support him.

“White Lodge has excellent facilities, teaching staff and carers, so we can’t think of any better place for George to live, be educated and trained by the world’s leading ballet teachers.”

LEARNING CURVE George with teacher

Advertising Feature

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

AIMING HIGH The building at Benenden School

Sixth Form student awarded a sought-after scholarship achieving a place is a real honour; one that is thoroughly deserved by Erin who joins two other girls from Benenden as NYT members.

Erin has also been awarded the highly sought-after Vice Chancellor’s Scholarship for the Arts from Durham University where she hopes to read Liberal Arts - the third Benenden girl in six years to be given this award.

In a further demonstration of her talents, Erin has also this week written a beautiful and poignant song, inspired by the terrible events in Manchester - A Song For Manchester. The song has already been viewed hundreds of times on YouTube. www.benenden.kent.sch.uk

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Be part of all the action CRANBROOK SCHOOL will be holding their Annual School ‘In Action Day’ on June 21. The event is designed to give prospective parents and students the opportunity to visit the school on a ‘typical working day’. Visitors will have a tour of the whole campus (including a boarding house if applicable), and be given access to some of the classrooms to see the children participating in lessons. Parents will be accompanied on their tours by some of the school’s current students.

The Headmaster, Dr John Weeds, will give a talk to the parents, whilst other senior members of school staff will be available to answer any questions they may have.

Cranbrook School is proud to be part of a small but select group of state-funded schools that also

BENENDEN SCHOOL is delighted to announce that one of their Sixth Form students, Erin Yau, has been awarded a place in the National Youth Erin Yau Theatre. NYT is a world leading youth arts charity, who have been involving young people in the performing arts for over 60 years with the hope of inspiring both their members and audiences through the power of live theatre. They seek out the most diverse and talented people through an active audition programme.

Entry to the company is highly competitive and

NEWS

LIGHT IT UP Parents can experience the classroom at Cranbrook

accommodates a significant number of boarders.

With 750 pupils, 250 of whom board in one of the six superbly furnished boarding houses, the school is proud of its grammar school status, especially as it has recently changed their year of entry for day pupils from Year 9 (age 13 years) to Year 7 (age 11 years).

Cranbrook School is also hugely proud to be celebrating its 500th anniversary in 2018 and to have remained true to its original mission of offering a free, first-class education to both local children and a thriving boarding community.

If you would like to attend the School In Action Day please register via the website www.cranbrookschool.co.uk/admissions/open-days, or call 01580 711800 for further information.

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NEWS

Weekly Comment

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Greg Clark

Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Tunbridge Wells

Greg Clark was reselected to be the Conservative candidate for Tunbridge Wells on April 28 by local party members. Mr Clark remains the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, a Cabinet position he assumed in July last year after ten months as Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government

Choice of who can best lead our nation is crucial…

AS THE General Election campaign draws to an end I want to say thank you for all of the good wishes, constructive conversations and civilised debate that I have enjoyed on the doorsteps, at my street stalls, outside the railway stations and in chance encounters all across the constituency during the last six weeks.

I always enjoy meeting and conversing with fellow residents, and it is a matter of pride that we conduct our democracy in such a positive way here – people making their choice and able to speak to candidates in person, with even disagreements made courteously.

Of course, this campaign was interrupted by the shocking atrocity in Manchester last week, and it was right that all parties put aside campaigning to think about and honour all those who were cruelly killed and wounded. The Manchester bomber attacked with violence our civilised way of life. It’s one of the reasons why I hope that turnout will be high next week: the right to vote, freely and without coercion, is a mark of our civilisation.

And in Tunbridge Wells – which was so prominent in the campaign for votes for women which had its first success 99 years ago – the

importance of voting has always been embraced and understood.

Every General Election is a choice both of the next Government and Prime Minister as well as who should be the constituency Member of Parliament.

Elections in recent years have surprised even the so-called experts – just think of the result of the EU referendum or the election of Donald Trump in the USA. They show that every vote is important and not to assume that your friends and neighbours’ votes mean that you don’t need to bother. In fact, they may be leaving it to you!

Unemployment On the national issues, through all the twists and turns of the campaign I sense a recognition that there is a clear choice. With the negotiations with the rest of the European Union beginning on 19th June – just 11 days after the election - it’s important that we go into these talks with a Government with a clear mandate and able to speak with confidence. A hung parliament with a mix of parties in government with no clear mandate and Jeremy Corbyn trying to lead a coalition of the left - what Nicola Sturgeon has

It’s important we go into these Brexit talks with a Government with a clear a mandate called a “progressive alliance” - would be the worst circumstances in which to go into any negotiation, let alone one as crucial as this one.

And underlying the policy debates there is this theme: whatever we want to do we need to have a successful economy that creates the jobs and

April Clark Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Tonbridge & Malling

generates the taxes that pay for the NHS, schools, care for the elderly and all our public services.

During the last few years we have attracted investment into Britain, and our area, and that has created jobs and contributed taxes – unemployment in our constituency is around only 1%. I really fear that the Opposition’s plan to have, in the assessment of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, the highest level of taxation in the peacetime history of our country would be a disaster – driving away investment and jobs right at the moment we need to give them confidence, and depleting the country of the tax revenues we need.

The choice of who can best lead our nation is a crucial one. But we are also choosing who will be a good constituency MP for our area. It has been a privilege to represent the people of Tunbridge Wells in Parliament and I have always endeavoured to repay that by working as hard as I can for our area.

Although we contest elections in party colours I have always known that my job has been to represent the whole of our community and every one of my constituents, regardless of their politics. If I am re-elected that commitment will be undimmed, and I would welcome your support on 8th June.

April was born in Australia and moved to the UK 12 years ago (she has dual Australian and British citizenship). She has lived in central Tonbridge since May 2008 and works full-time in London in the Financial Services industry as an HR Director. In 2015, April helped establish a new branch of the WI in South Tonbridge.

Voting system is no better than putting a bet on a horse – it only pays off if you back the winner LOTS of people haven’t given much thought to who the Green Party are and what we stand for, aside from the usual assumptions that we are just wild dreamers, or tree huggers who knit our own tofu. I thought the same, until I became so frustrated with politics as usual – meaningless catchphrases, in-fighting in the major parties and point-scoring between them. And I discovered that the Green Party was different in a couple of ways that were very important to me.

‘Politicians should be expected to work together across parties, to find common ground’ One is how the party creates policies – from the ground up. All members are encouraged to put forward suggestions that would make a positive, practical difference to ordinary people, and these are researched and refined, and agreed by the membership. We don’t accept money from massive corporate donors demanding concessions to big business. We don’t have the super-rich whispering in our ear about their private interests. We are led by facts and evidence, not by a dogged belief in ideology.

The second thing is that we believe politicians should be expected to work together across parties, to find common ground.

Our elected representatives should be focused on working for the benefit of all – not for the benefit of their party, or of their benefactors.

As my team and I have campaigned on streets and knocked on doors to speak to voters, I have been struck by the number of people who say they would like to vote for the Green Party but they feel there’s no point because we won’t win. Or worse, that there’s no point voting at all!

Our first past the post voting system is no better than putting a bet on a horse – it only pays off if you back the winner, and if not then you lose.

This is why we believe that introducing a proportional system of voting is essential. Because at the moment, the system that we have takes power away from people, by making most votes worthless in most parts of the country.

I was deeply disappointed when Labour failed to back proportional representation in their manifesto. And even more shocked when the Conservatives not only pledged to retain first past the post, but to drag us backwards by extending this to Police & Crime Commissioner and London Mayoral Assembly elections, too. Make no mistake –

FIRST PAST THE POST: Our current system means people think votes can be wasted, or even pointless this is an assault on democracy, designed only to help them achieve as much power as possible and to keep it in the future.

Less than one in four registered voters backed the Conservative party across the UK in 2015, which was just about the lowest level of public support for a government in the last century. Yet our failing voting system allowed them to form a

majority government, and make decisions and set policies that are already changing the course of history for generations to come.

So, for this reason, I am asking you to vote for me on June 8. Not because I will win – but to exercise the democratic power that you do have, to send a strong message that we cannot be ignored in Tonbridge & Malling.

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

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Available in Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge and Sevenoaks

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est. 1828

Reflecting its own beauty The calm of a renovated mill house overlooking the mill pond

Advertising Feature

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Business booms with Broadlands

PROPERTY

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AT A GLANCE

Kent has always been a hotbed for established businesses – large and small alike. But no company can really thrive without a place to call home. Tunbridge Wells-based commercial property agents Broadlands can help find the ideal space for any business, and here are just a few of their offerings AT A GLANCE Broadlands Commercial Property Agents report continued activity in the commercial property market.

Acting on behalf of clients, they have let 17 Mount Ephraim to BDHL. The property comprises 1600sq.ft of self-contained offices together with car parking and has been let on a new FRI lease.

THE OLD GRANARY LITTLE COLDHARBOUR FARM TONG LANE, LAMBERHURST KENT TN3 8AD To let Location: ■ Situated within an attractive semirural position, the accommodation is approximately 1.5 miles from the village centre of Lamberhurst with its variety of amenities. It is seven miles south east of Tunbridge wells and is located adjacent to the A21, which runs between London and Hastings Specifications:

53B CALVERLEY ROAD TUNBRIDGE WELLS TN1 2TU To let: ■ Planning approved to pull shop front forward Location:

On behalf of clients we have acquired Hargreaves House Calverley Road Tunbridge Wells.

This retail/office property is let to Iceland and Lime Furniture with office space above and is fully income producing. We have also acquired on behalf of private clients Vale House in Clarence Road. This Office Investment is producing £230,000pax up until March 2018. Plans for redevelopment are ongoing.

■ First floor office: 319 sq ft ■ Kitchen space: 93 sq ft ■ Net internal area approx 2,145 sq ft ■ Access to over 20 car parking spaces Lease/Rent:

Specifications: ■ Gross frontage 10.69m

Legal costs and rates:

■ Net frontage: 9.19m

■ Each party to be responsible for their own legal costs. Broadlands has been verbally informed by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) that the property has a rateable value of £28,000. Interested parties are advised to make their enquiries with TWBC on 01892 526121

■ Internal width: 7.95m ■ Shop depth: 11.35m ■ Ground floor sales: 87.05m2 ■ Basement: 83.98m2 Lease/Rent: ■ A new full repairing and insuring lease is available for a term to be agreed, subject to upward only rent reviews. £52,500 pa exclusive.

Rent to be paid quarterly in advance by standing order

EPC rating: ■ This property has been rated Band C. Copy of report available on request Further information:

■ Rated Band C. A copy of the report is available on request

■ A former barn of brick and timberframe construction converted to provide high quality office accommodation with fully fitted kitchen and ample car parking. The property has double glazing, air conditioning (not tested), energy efficient Category 2 lighting and is fully insulated. The upper floor is vaulted and the property benefits from a great deal of natural light via floor to ceiling wood-framed windows

Viewings:

Viewings:

Broadlands Commercial Property Agents 01892 512422 Email: shane.raggett@broadlands.co.uk

Broadlands Commercial Property Agents 01892 512422

■ Broadlands has been verbally informed by Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) that the property has a current rateable value of £53,686 @ 49.7p in the £. Interested parties are advised to make their enquiries with TWBC on 01892 526121 EPC rating: Industrial space in the area. Broadlands are offering 3 Chapman Way and Unit 3 Enterprise Centre, Unit 3 Chapman Way is available for sale or to let. At the time of going to press 3 Enterprise Centre is Under Offer.

For further information on the above or to discuss your property requirements then please call Shane Raggett on 01892 512422.

■ Reception/office space: 175sq ft

■ The existing full repairing and insuring lease is for a term expiring in March 2020. However, there is a tenant’s option to break in March 2018. It is therefore possible to grant a new lease direct from the landlord for a term to be agreed. £28,000 per annum exclusive

■ This property occupies a prominent position close to the junction of Calverley Road and Camden Road.

The unit is close to Royal Victoria Place Shopping Centre

Legal costs and rates:

If you are looking for Office Space in Tunbridge Wells of 3000sq.ft upwards there really is nothing available other than the 3rd Floor of The Great Hall Mount Pleasant Road or the Ground Floor of Oakhurst House 77 Mount Ephraim Tunbridge Wells.

Although at the time of going to press Broadlands report they are now both firmly Under Offer.

There is a similar shortage of Warehouse/

■ Ground floor offices: 1,559 sq ft

Email: shane.raggett@broadlands.co.uk

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PROPERTY

Architectural Advice

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

DESIGN WITH THE TIMES

John Bullock

Architectural services

Having studied at Edinburgh College of Art and The Royal Academy of The Hague, John Bullock launched John Bullock Design in 2003. With offices in Tunbridge Wells High Street, John has won awards for his work and is committed to delivering the best outcomes for clients. www.johnbullockdesign.com

How to maximise the selling appeal of a typical Victorian family home When the O’Reillys inherited a Victorian house in Tunbridge Wells that had not been changed for more than half a century, they wondered what sort of improvements would be the most attractive to buyers…

YOUR QUESTION: Dear Design with the Times, We have recently inherited my parent’s house in central Tunbridge Wells. It’s been a family home for the past 40 years, and whilst we have considered taking it on, we are really happy in our own house in Sussex, so are thinking of putting it on the market.

My parents purchased the house in the 1970s, and whilst they enjoyed it they never really did much to it, so it’s rather stuck in a time warp. In fact, the house probably hasn’t been touched for maybe 50 or even 60 years.

It is lovely, and is a typical Victorian Tunbridge Wells townhouse, white rendered on the outside, and has three floors, including a basement which has never been used. There are also five bedrooms, a sitting room and dining room, all very dated.

We would really like some advice on what could be done to improve it to make it more attractive to a potential purchaser.

We would like to increase its value so when we sell we can use some of the funds to help our children get on to the property ladder.

Any advice would be very much appreciated.

Jennifer and Peter O’Reilly

Architectural Advice

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

OUR ANSWER: Thank you for your letter.

There can’t be many Victorian villas in Tunbridge Wells left that haven’t been refurbished, and your family home sounds wonderful.

The good thing about the Victorian housing stock in Tunbridge Wells is that it was generally very well built with good detailing, including plasterwork and joinery, so they are high quality houses. These are always popular with families in Tunbridge Wells and it will likely be in high demand.

We asked leading local property search agent Fiona Penny, who specialises in sourcing the very best properties in the area for her clients’ budgets, for her thoughts – as the majority of her clients are families. So what do they look for in a new home?

Fiona commented: “When prospective purchasers are on a first viewing, they want to get that difficult to define feeling when they cross the threshold, and it’s all about the heart.

“However, on a second viewing it’s all about the

‘There is one criterion that is always at the top of clients’ wish lists when house-hunting, and that is an eat-in kitchen/diner’

head. Purchasers assess the property for practicality and tot up how much they need to spend to make it work for them as a family.

“Firstly, there is one criterion that is always at the top of clients’ wish lists when house-hunting, and that is an eat-in kitchen/diner. Modern family living is focused around the kitchen, and formal dining rooms are rarely used. So if you can create that precious hub of the home by knocking down a wall, or extending into the garden, it will maximise your home’s appeal to the family market. If it’s a case of just knocking down a stud wall and redecorating, this is a relatively simple and cost-effective way of greatly increasing the marketability of your family home.

“Secondly, parents want to know their children are safe. No one wants a toddler wandering off on to the nearest road, so making sure your garden is well fenced will not only appeal to families with small children but dog owners as well.

“Any water in the vicinity sets off alarm bells to parents with young children. Ensuring swimming pools and ponds cannot be accessed by little ones is highly recommended. Yes, an incoming purchaser could do this, but they will put it on

the ‘have to spend money on’ list.

“Thirdly, the motivation for families moving is mostly that they need more space. All parents know children come with a lot of clobber, and having a separate playroom or den for older children is often a must-have. You can shut away the plastic fantastic toys that young children accumulate, and older children have a bit of privacy and somewhere to play loud music!”

So creation of the ubiquitous family kitchen and dining room sounds like it would be beneficial to create, or at least to obtain planning permission for, and could potentially increase the value of your property. These Victorian houses lend themselves well to reconfiguration. They are very solid and easy to work with.

The basement is under-utilised and it would be worth considering relocating the kitchen and dining space there, and removing as many of the internal walls as possible to create one large open-plan family space. It might be worth leaving the chimney in this space, which would act as a defining point to the room, where a small snug/tv area could be created to one side of the kitchen and dining area. Liberating the space here would

PROPERTY

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create a free-flowing family ‘hub’ to the house.

Connection with the garden is also an important aspect, and currently there is a small light well running the length of the building which needs to be extended and cut away to create an outside ‘sunken’ garden area leading directly from the new family space. This could become a rather nice Mediterranean garden with two sets of French windows linking the inside and outside, so in the summer months the space would effectively be doubled while creating a wonderful outside dining area. Steps from this area would then lead into the rear garden, which is fully fenced and secure for young children.

To the front of the basement, a bedroom with its own en suite could be created for either an au-pair or elderly relative. The sitting and dining rooms at entry level could then be retained and repurposed to create a ‘grown up’ sitting room for entertaining friends, and also a less formal space for children to relax with their friends, play music and be loud!

With a house like yours there are many options, but if you are undertaking the project as a speculative one it’s a good idea to try and appeal to as wide a part of the market as possible. Even if you obtained the necessary permissions, this would at least offer a potential purchaser insight and reassurances as to what can be achieved.

The house sits within a conservation area and is unlisted, but planning will be required for the external alterations and the engineering works associated with the new sunken garden.

A simple householder application would need to be submitted. This should be a fairly straightforward process and the proposals could, in experience, be acceptable. For more information on planning it’s worth looking at the planning portal’s interactive house : https:// interactive.planningportal.co.uk/detached-house Our grateful thanks to Fiona Penny – www.fionapenny.com – for contributing to this month’s column.

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PROPERTY

To suit your budget

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Your at-a-glance guide to

MAYFIELD ROAD FRANT

£465,000

UNDER £250,000 LADY’S GIFT ROAD, SOUTHBOROUGH

£229,950

Recently refurbished, this flat has new double glazing, rewiring, gas central heating and its own private garden. It is accessed via a private entrance with stairs to the first floor.

Inside is a good sized lounge which leads to a modern kitchen as well as two bedrooms and a bathroom. The

kitchen has a range of white wall and base units with laminate work surfaces and space for a fridge, washing machine, etc. The garden is mainly patio with a brick-built shed and is accessed from the side of the property.

CONTACT Wood & Pilcher 01892 511311 www.woodandpilcher.co.uk

UNDER £350,000 ALDER CLOSE, TUNBRIDGE WELLS

£279,950

A two bedroom, end-of-terrace property requiring some modernisation. Situated in a quiet cul-de-sac, it includes a lounge, a kitchen/diner, a good sized garden and off-road parking. The kitchen/ diner has a door to the garden. One of the bedooms includes hatch

access to a loft – with a dropdown ladder and light. Outside, there is off-road parking for one vehicle, a small area of lawn to the front and a small gated garden at the rear which is mainly laid to lawn with plant borders, patio and a shed.

CONTACT Wood & Pilcher 01892 511311 www.woodandpilcher.co.uk

To suit your budget

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

PROPERTY

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great properties by price range…

UNDER £450,000 GREENFRITH DRIVE, TONBRIDGE

£375,000 A semi-detached house with an enclosed rear garden and on-site parking for several cars. Double glazed throughout and with gas fired central heating, this property is believed to have been built in the 1970s and comprises two reception rooms, an enclosed side lobby, bathroom, fitted kitchen, and three bedrooms. The sitting room features a stone effect fireplace with gas point and a side arch joining it on to the dining room – both of which have laminate flooring.

CONTACT Bracketts 01732 350503 www.bracketts.co.uk

UNDER £600,000 ST ANDREWS PARK ROAD SOUTHBOROUGH

OFFERS IN EXCESS OF £625,000 A great opportunity looms with this largely untouched 1930s doublefronted detached home with ample parking. The house has been in the same family for nearly 70 years, and there is room to extend subject to usual permissions. The ground floor includes a sitting room, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room and sun room.

Upstairs are four bedrooms and a bathroom. It also has front and rear gardens, a drive, garage and off-road parking for three vehicles.

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

UNDER £600,000

UNDER £1Million

MAYFIELD ROAD, FRANT

£465,000

THE FARM HOUSE, PARK FARM, TUDELEY

A semi-detached cottage is set within a semi-rural location and has two reception rooms, a sitting room with a vaulted ceiling and a dining room with an open fireplace. There is a downstairs study/bedroom and cloakroom as well as two further bedroom upstairs. One of these is a master bedroom with an en suite. To the rear, there is a large secluded Indian sandstone split-level terrace with outside lighting and a sandstone

£900,000-£975,000

GUIDE PRICE

pathway leading to the side. The front garden has well stocked borders, mature conifer hedging, outside lighting and entrance gate. There is also a detached double garage with up and over door and internal power.

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

Set in a rural hamlet, this is a Grade II listed, four-bedroom period house with a wraparound garden. The sitting room has a cast iron fireplace with wooden surround, and the kitchen/breakfast room is in country cottage style. The master bedroom is a large, double aspect room with countryside views and en suite. To the front is a driveway for two or three cars. There are also side and rear gardens with storage.

CONTACT Bracketts 01732 350503 www.bracketts.co.uk

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PROPERTY

Yew Tree Byre

Fabulous farm conversion located in an idyllic, tucked away position

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

AT A GLANCE YEW TREE BYRE YEW TREE LANE, ROTHERFIELD EAST SUSSEX n Sitting room with brick fireplace n Open-plan kitchen/breakfast room with double doors n Utility/boot room n Dining room n Office/family room n Galleried landing n Four double bedrooms (one with en suite) n Family bathroom n Gardens stocked with mature trees, shrubbery and plants. Field of approximately one acre n Double garage n Oak-framed barn with parking for four cars plus two garages

Offers in excess of

£850,000

Available for sale through McAuley Miller Tunbridge Wells 01892 614777 www.mcauleymiller.com

The garden has an ornamental fish pond and an attractive pergola with mature climbers

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PROPERTY

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Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Pennington Place

PROPERTY

AT A GLANCE

PENNINGTON PLACE SOUTHBOROUGH, KENT n Detached house n 4 bedrooms n 2 reception rooms n Stunning kitchen/breakfast room n Conservatory dining room n Off-road parking for several cars

Stylish family home which borders town and country With open farmland and woodland walks on its doorstep, this home’s tranquil cul-de-sac location offers the best of both worlds

n Double garage n Landscaped rear garden n Sought after village location within reach of a mainline station

GUIDE PRICE

£665,000

Available for sale through Flying Fish Southborough 01892 514 189 www.flyingfishproperties.co.uk

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Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Springfield Road

PROPERTY

57

There are many excellent features, including polished wood floors, high ceilings, sash windows, and feature fireplaces

Improved Groombridge property enjoying neatly groomed gardens

AT A GLANCE SPRINGFIELD ROAD GROOMBRIDGE, EAST SUSSEX n Victorian detached home believed to date from 1865 n Entrance hall n Sitting room n Dining room n Stoneham kitchen n Breakfast room n Study/family room n Principal bedroom with en suite n Three additional bedrooms n Family bathroom & shower/steam room n Detached double garage with studio above n Landscaped gardens n Gas-fired central heating

ÂŁ875,000 Available for sale through Hamptons International Tunbridge Wells 01892516611 www.hamptons.co.uk

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FEATURES

Food & Drink

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Why fish & chips is still the best catch of the day for the British…

This Friday, people across the country will celebrate their love of a classic British dish: Fish and Chips

N

ATIONAL Fish & Chip Day 2017 is, according to its organisers, set to be even bigger than last year’s inaugural event as it brings together everyone involved in creating this iconic British dish this coming Friday (June 2).

That includes chippies, pub chains, restaurants, retailers and the fishermen and farmers who provide the sustainable, natural ingredients needed to create this family favourite – which is, of course, traditionally eaten on a Friday.

As long as they are eaten in moderation, fish and chips make a balanced and nutritious meal providing a valuable source of protein, fibre, iron and vitamins.

In recent years, we have seen more and more fish and chip shops and restaurants offering a bigger selection of choice, too.

Many, for example, now offer gluten-free versions of the dish so those who suffer from coeliac disease can still enjoy the freshly cooked, golden meal.

Plenty of shops are also offering lighter meals with pan-fried or poached fish and salad as alternatives to traditional battered fish and chips.

Ben Miles, who has been running St John’s Fish Bar in Tunbridge Wells for the past six years, told the Times when he was interviewed last year that part of their recent refurbishment included the

FISH FACTS A nationwide, online survey* of 1,675 people for the National Fish and Chip Survey 2017 found the following: n Cod is the most popular choice of fish for all

ranges, racking up 64% of the votes, with haddock and plaice coming second and third n The most favourite place to enjoy fish and

chips is at the seaside, with 47.43% saying that’s where they enjoyed eating them most n The second choice was the home, with

40.74% of the voters saying they enjoyed eating them there n Salt and vinegar was the clear favourite

installation of new fryers to the tune of £40,000, which also included a specialist machine for gluten-free products.

What makes frying equipment worth that kind of money?

“Two things: Fuel efficiency and a healthier product,” said Ben. “The quicker and hotter a fryer fries, the better the food.

“With fast and clean frying, only a small amount of the oil remains in the food, making it better for you. Good fish and chips don’t have to be sinful.

“Quality is important to us here, so making sure you have the best equipment is worth the money.”

St John’s Fish Bar uses Middleton’s Dove Farm

accompaniment, with 70% of respondents choosing it before mushy peas (34%) and curry sauce (27%) – although mushy peas and curry sauce are less popular in London and the South East n A third of Brits enjoy fish and chips once

a month *Information courtesy of The National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association

Food & Drink

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

‘I like a small, skinned, battered cod with chips, a little bit of mushy peas on the side and a can of Shandy Bass’ batter mix and rice flour for their gluten-free products, but the idea didn’t come about just to be ‘on trend’.

Ben revealed the reason was much closer to home than that.

“One of my children is dairy intolerant,” he explained. “When I did my research as a parent, it dawned on me just how many people suffer from dietary intolerances, which triggered a desire to offer my customers genuine gluten-free options – I can’t deny anyone some delicious battered cod!”

St John’s Fish Bar sells around 700 pieces of fish a week, and always ensures it’s sourced from monitored waters.

“This issue is important to me, as I’m in this business for the long haul, said Ben. “Our fish comes from the North Sea near the Faroe Islands, where the trawling is regulated carefully by the Marine Stewardship Council.

“The area is completely protected from being over-fished, and it’s great to know where our product comes from.

“It is certainly worth paying the extra.”

When asked how he enjoys his own fish and chips, Ben quickly replied: “A small, skinned, battered cod with chips, a little bit of mushy peas on the side and a can of Shandy Bass.”

DID YOU KNOW? n Fish and chips weren’t rationed during

WWII because it was thought it would be too detrimental to the morale of the nation.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill referred to fish and chips as ‘Good Companions’! n The UK’s Fish and Chip industry is excellent

for our economy. As a large-scale employer with more than 10,000 shops across the country, this makes it a considerable business sector n Fish and chips were first served together as

a dish around 1860 – although the dish’s origin is contested. In London, the Malin family claim to be first, as do the Lee family in Manchester n British consumers eat some 382 million

portions of fish and chips every year. That’s six servings for every man, woman and child

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Do you love your fish and chips?

Then try this traditional dish with a twist at home CRISP-FRIED HERBED HALIBUT WITH SHOESTRING POTATOES What you need: 750g waxy potatoes, such as Belle de Fontenay Sunflower oil, for deep-frying 1 egg white 1 tablespoon milk 750g halibut fillet, cut into 8 pieces 3 sprigs of fresh chervil 3 sprigs of fresh flatleaf parsley 100g plain flour 1 teaspoon black sesame seeds ½ teaspoon chili powder Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper An electric deep fryer Serves 4

n The annual spend on fish and chips in the

UK is in the region of £1.2billion n Fish and chips played a part in the D-Day

Landings – British soldiers identified each other by crying out ‘fish’ and waiting for the response of ‘chips’ n There are currently approximately 10,500

specialist fish and chip shops in the UK. These dramatically outnumber other fast food outlets Recipe courtesy of Traditional Pub Grub, Ryland Peters & Small (£9.99) Photography © Ryland Peters & Small

What you do: Using a mandolin, cut the potatoes as thinly as possible into strips, then put in a bowl of cold water to rinse off the starch. Drain and dry well with paper towels.

Fill a deep fryer with oil to manufacturer’s recommended level and heat to 350°F. Working in batches, fry the potatoes until golden, drain on paper towels and keep hot.

Put egg white and milk in a bowl and mix. Rub fish with egg white mixture. Finely chop

chervil and parsley leaves.

Sift flour into a bowl, then add chopped chervil and parsley, sesame seeds, chili powder and seasoning.

Deep-fry celery and parsley leaves. Be careful, they spit furiously, but will be crisp as soon as spitting stops. Remove and drain on paper towels.

Dip fish into flour mixture to coat, and fry 2 pieces at a time for 2-3 minutes until just cooked. Drain on paper towels and serve with fried leaves and crisp shoestring potatoes.

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FEATURES

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Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Tapping into success There may be a few out there who would wish to swap jobs with Geoff Wentworth, owner of The Pantiles Tap in Tunbridge Wells. Apart from running his own awardwinning establishment, he gets to spend his days tasting the best ciders and ales, both local and imported. But there’s no time to relax, as Hannah Patterson finds out – his pumps have gained customer momentum and there’s no sign of them slowing down…

Since we last saw you, what has changed for you here at The Pantiles Tap? The introduction of a great selection of ciders.

Previously, the Tap had been predominantly focused on ales, but this has certainly changed now. We have just won the CAMRA award for the second year in a row, and we’ve built what we call ‘The great wall of cider’. We now have a constantly evolving array of them on offer.

There’s never a time when we don’t have around 16 brands on offer – although it may be a couple less than that at the minute following on from the Pantiles Food Festival. Nothing goes better with hay bales and nice weather than a cold cider!

What is ‘The great wall of cider’?

Our very own cider feature! It was actually the suggestion of one of our regulars, Nick. He’s very handy, and when he saw all of our box ciders, he offered to build something in our fireplace area.

PULLING POWER The great wall of cider

The thought had never occurred to us, but it’s something we absolutely love so much now. I think pubs often develop naturally through the people who come in and the ideas that arise. It never turns out how you expect, which is the beauty of this industry.

Where have you sourced the brands from, and do you have a thorough selection process?

Most of them are from Kent – I don’t think people who live here realise how great our local cider industry is. There are about 31 cider makers in Kent alone, and I want to make sure those who live in the county know how good the cider tastes. I’d noticed so many cider drinkers are just left to pick from a couple of lacklustre options at the end of the bar whilst their friends get to choose from a wide selection of beers or lagers, and I wanted to change that. None of those known brands are ‘real cider’ anyway, at least

certainly not in my opinion, and it’s a shame that real beer is becoming more common in pubs, but cider is being left behind.

You mentioned ‘real cider’ – how would you define that?

Apples. A real cider is made only of apples. You don’t need any of the chemicals that are found in the ones made of apple concentrate and CO2.

‘Real cider’ is made from crushed apples that naturally ferment over time. All the natural yeasts and the fruit develop of their own accord.

The only issue with this is, traditionally, it was known for being a bit of a gamble with regard to how strong it would end up. Nowadays, the cider makers know exactly what they’re producing.

They’ve also developed massively, with the production of fruit ciders which still have the foundations of crushed apples but with the addition of elderflower, strawberry, lime, and real

stem ginger – a whole number of ingredients.

And we have them here. Our strawberry cider uses strawberries sourced from Scotland and it is absolutely delicious! All ciders have to start with apples, though – with the exception of Perry, which is obviously pear.

Has your extensive range of ciders attracted a different crowd?

We definitely get a lot more women – the sweeter fruit ciders we have on offer are very popular. But we still do wine and beer, so we still have everything that made us popular in the first place. We do everything apart from spirits, and that’s purely to avoid being a

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Wednesday May 31 | 2017

place that people come solely to get drunk.

We’re passionate about the drinks we serve and we want people to enjoy them, rather than just seeing us as a means to an end. We don’t serve conventional cheap lagers for a similar reason – nothing so packed full of chemicals is good.

How strong are your ciders?

We have a 6.9% cider that is aged in a whisky barrel. The strongest on offer is 7.2%. Using real cider makers always means the produce will range a lot in alcohol strength.

Who are your cider makers?

We use Wise Owl Brewing, Biddenden Brewers, Kentish Pip, Hallets, Hurstwood, Gibbett Oak and a few others – they’re the local ones. There are also ciders from Herefordshire, Sussex and Wales, but I feel it’s important to use Kent suppliers as much as we can. This is the perfect area for local cider.

One of the real joys is having met so many great brewers since we’ve started hunting around.

The

‘I’d noticed that so many cider drinkers are just left to pick from a couple of lacklustre options at the end of the bar, whilst their friends get to choose from a wide selection of beers or lagers, and I wanted to change that’

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ROLLING OUT THE BARRELS Geoff Wentworth has good taste problem is that craft brands have become so huge that most establishments serve them. In our industry, you’ve got to be on top of the wave when looking for the ‘next big thing’. The unfortunate thing is that it’s always bound to hit London before places like Tunbridge Wells.

There are a few other pubs in town that are offering craft beers, and sometimes we find we are stocking the same thing due to similar suppliers. So my partner Jo and I have been making trips all over the world to try and find more unique beers to bring back rather than just selecting from the same supplier lists that everyone has. We’ve been to places such as Lisbon, Barcelona and Slovenia, and we’re off to Norway next week.

Where do you think this huge demand for craft ales has come from?

I think it’s similar to what we’ve seen happening in food. People have a little more disposable income and are looking for quality for their money. It’s the same reason people are buying artisan bread

and fine cheeses nowadays.

It’s spreading everywhere now – even tiny islands like Santorini have their own brewery. I also think people don’t drink to get drunk as much as they may have in the past – it’s more about the taste and quality of the drink itself.

CAMRA can take a lot of credit for the work they did in revitalising the craft beer industry when it comes to both cask and keg, but it’s now evolving into a whole new beast.

How would you explain the fundamental differences between cask and keg beers?

Essentially, cask beer is not pressurebased in the way that beer in a keg is.

The keg beer, from a suction pump, has the oxygen removed and replaced with CO2 so it is preserved in a way that is different to a cask that is still open to air and alive with the yeast growing.

For that very reason, a cask beer can change flavour from day to day, whereas a keg won’t change.

I don’t agree with any snobbery against

a keg beer, though. If you put a good beer in a keg, it will remain a good beer.

Finally, what does the future hold for you here at The Pantiles Tap? To simply continue to provide a really unusual variety of different and special beers for the people of this area, and if that means sourcing them ourselves then we will. We just want to keep our customers happy.

Often, if we get someone in who doesn’t know what they want, I can usually find them the right thing in a few tasters. That’s with either cider or beer.

We also want to continue to grow our cider side of things. We recently heard about a local cider festival with 18 varieties on offer, and we realised we had more stocked here in the pub than the festival had!

That’s something we’re really proud of and want to continue to grow.

The Pantiles Tap, 9 The Pantiles, Tunbridge Wells TN2 5TE 01892 530397 www.thepantilestap.co.uk

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Travel

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

Going in search of Márquez’s Macondo One Hundred Years of Solitude was published in May 1967. Celebrating the Nobel Prize-winning book’s 50th anniversary, Sarah Marshall explores the colourful world of Colombian writer Gabriel Garcia Márquez

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OASTING in an inferno of blazing sun, the lonely grave has little information. There’s no date of birth or death or heartfelt dedication, just a simple name – Melquiades. There’s not even a body below the aquamarine headstone.

I’ve come to pay my respects to someone who doesn’t really exist.

A gypsy who levitated on magic carpets and defied the solitude of death by hiding in a dusty room full of chamber pots, Melquiades was a fictional character from the pages of the epic fantasy One Hundred Years of Solitude.

It’s 50 years since Gabriel Garcia Márquez’s landmark novel was printed, and I’ve come to his homeland, Colombia, in search of places and people that fired his imagination.

In Aracataca’s stupefying heat fact easily melts into fiction, creating a fuzzy truth celebrated by the author who grew up in this simple town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

Plagued by gossip, superstition and the swarms of yellow butterflies synonymous with the Márquez legacy, it bears an uncanny resemblance to the book’s settlement of Macondo, where seven generations of the Buendia family are swept up in a cycle of

love, loneliness and blind belligerence.

Capitalising on the fame of its most famous son, the otherwise unremarkable Aracataca has embraced Márquez tourism. Multiple murals honour the author known as Gabo: A naked statue celebrates Remedios the Beauty, who shunned clothing and convention; and then, of course, there’s the gypsy’s ‘grave’, commissioned by an eccentric Dutchman who changed his name to Tim Buendia and strolled through the streets for several years.

There was even a plan to officially change the town’s name to Aracataca-Macondo, but dazed by the nullifying heat – in a manner not dissimilar to the insomnia-suffering characters in the book – not enough people turned up to vote.

The house where Gabo grew up with his grandparents is now open to the public as a free museum, Casa Museo Gabriel Garcia Márquez. Inside, every room has a connection to his most famous story. Most of Gabo’s ideas were generated in the study, where his grandfather, Colonel Nicolas Márquez, would educate the young boy in politics, or the ladies-only parlour, where fantastic tales were always laced with Caribbean magic.

‘In Aracataca’s stupefying heat fact easily melts into fiction, creating a fuzzy truth celebrated by the author who grew up in this simple town’

COLOMBIAN BEAUTY Mompox’s church of Santa Bárbara

Travel

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

TRAVEL FACTS  Sarah Marshall was a guest of The Ultimate Travel Company who offer an In The Footsteps Of Márquez tour from £3,225 pp. The journey begins with two nights at Cartagena’s Casa San

Agustin, followed by three nights at the Bioma Boutique Hotel, Mompox, before a final four nights in Santa Marta at the Hotel Boutique Don Pepe.

The price also includes KLM

A bunch of bananas hangs in the dining room, a nod to the arrival of the American United Fruit Company, which forever changed the face and fortunes of both Aracataca and Macondo. In 1928, a workers’ uprising known as the Banana Massacre took place in leafy plantations not far from here.

Like Ursula and Jose Arcadio Buendia on their quest to find Eden, I head 230km south to the charismatic colonial town Mompox, which is preserved in a sleepy time warp. It takes an age to get there. I wait five hours for a ferry to cross the Magdalena River; the current is so strong, the rickety raft appears to be going backwards.

“How old is that thing,” I nervously ask the ticket man.

“Older than me,” he grunts. Given the rings round his eyes, I’m guessing that’s pretty old.

But it’s worth the journey. Founded by gold-seeking Spaniards in 1537, Mompox attracted wealthy merchants eager to trade a safe distance from the pirates on the Caribbean coast.

flights to Cartagena via Amsterdam, private guided sightseeing, private transfers and breakfast throughout.

(020 3051 8098; www.the ultimatetravel company.co.uk)

With exquisitely preserved 16th-century houses and churches, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As I swelter, I appreciate why Colonel Aureliano Buendia dreamed of ice when standing before a firing squad. But as the sun retreats and clouds of bats spray the sky, rocking chairs appear on porches, conversation becomes a happy melody and clattering bicycles crowd empty streets.

After leaving Colombia in the mid-1950s for political reasons, the author returned infrequently – but always had a soft spot for Cartagena on the coast, where several of his other great works were set and where he strolled the streets as a journalist for El Universal newspaper.

Heading to this city and walking through the Plaza de los Coches, it’s easy to understand how Gabo’s wild imagination was rooted in reality. I pass vendors peddling pink ice cream, women drowning in frilly petticoats, and young lovers entwined in shadowy niches.

And though Macondo may not exist, the trials and tribulations endured by the Buendia clan are still very relevant today.

LOCAL HERO A mural celebrating Márquez in his home town Aracataca

TRADING BY THE RIVER A Mompox fruit seller

SHINING NEW DAWN An early morning view of the Mompox waterfront

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Motoring

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

FIRST DRIVE

Mini Cooper SE

Jack Evans heads to Barcelona to try out Mini’s new hybrid

Countryman ALL4 WHAT’S NEW? With diesel cars very much in the headlines at the moment – for all the wrong reasons – it’s understandable that manufacturers are bringing more alternatively fuelled options to market.

Here’s Mini’s offering. Powered by a three-cylinder petrol engine coupled to an electric motor, it’s capable of a claimed 134.5mpg and should be able to run on all-electric for up to 25 miles at speeds of up to 78mph.

It’s a car for those who want to keep running costs down, and all for a smidge under £30,000.

LOOKS AND IMAGE The exterior remains relatively unchanged from the standard Countryman. Its chunky styling and oversized light units are supplemented by large yellow E badges on the car’s flanks and on its boot. In truth, it looks like any other Countryman – but that’s no bad thing.

Mini’s image is riding high at the moment, with all of the cars in its range exhibiting the build quality and look that buyers want in this premium price bracket. The Cooper S E is no different; inside and out, it feels solidly built and smartly designed.

Inside, the changes are even less visible. The starter button in the centre of the dashboard, while usually red, has now been changed to yellow, mirroring the styling touches on the exterior.

SPACE AND PRACTICALITY You could be fooled into thinking that because it is fitted with an electric motor and batteries placed underneath the

‘It’s good looking, well made inside and surprisingly good to drive’

boot floor, it would be lacking in luggage space. However, it’s got a lot more to offer than you’d think. With a seats-up load area of 405 litres, there’s more than enough room for a few weekend bags.

This area can be increased in size by lowering the rear seats, pushing capacity to a respectable 1,275 litres.

There’s plenty of space in the cabin, too. Those sitting up front are treated to a good amount of headroom and shoulder room, while there shouldn’t be too many complaints from those sat in the back, either.

The cabin can feel a little dark at times, though this can be helped by specifying the optional panoramic sunroof.

BEHIND THE WHEEL The most noticeable thing when you first set off in the Cooper S E is its eerie silence. The car will set off using all-electric power, and – as mentioned before – the company claims it can carrying on doing so for up to 25 miles.

This means that zero-emissions driving isn’t just restricted to urban areas.

Thanks to three separate driving modes, however, you can specify how and when you’d like that electric power to come in.

By selecting Auto eDrive, the car allows for all-electric driving up to speeds of 50mph. The petrol is used in this mode only when it’s needed, such as under heavy acceleration or when the battery’s charge drops too low.

In Max eDrive mode, all-electric driving is available up to 78mph, and the combustion engine is used, again, when accelerating hard.

Finally, the save battery mode uses the petrol engine alone. Selecting this mode means that you’re able to save battery charge for later. This is ideal for those drivers who have to go through urban areas after a longer journey on motorways or out-of-town roads.

Switching between the three while moving does have an effect on the car, though we found Auto eDrive the most useful mode overall.

Elsewhere, the driving experience is much like any other Mini. There’s little way to tell of the extra weight added to the car’s overall mass by the batteries on board, while its four-wheel-drive system means there’s plenty of grip at all times.

The six-speed automatic gearbox has a tendency to shift mid-corner at times, but for the most part goes through the gears well enough.

The steering has a good amount of weight to it and, though lacking any real feel, is accurate enough to allow you to place the car where you want it on the road. However, despite having similar performance figures to the petrolpowered Cooper S, the E simply doesn’t feel as keen under heavy acceleration, especially when facing a gradient.

With charging times, Mini claims it’ll take two and a half hours to replenish the car’s battery via a higher-output wall socket. When charging through a conventional domestic socket, this time rises to three hours and 15 minutes.

VALUE FOR MONEY The Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 is priced at £31,585. However, it qualifies for the government’s plug-in grant of

MINI-MISING THE RUNNING COSTS It’s claimed the SE is capable of 134.5mpg

FACTS AT A GLANCE: MODEL: Mini Cooper S E Countryman ALL4 ENGINE: Three-cylinder petrol with electric motor POWER: 220bhp TORQUE: 385Nm MAX SPEED: 123mph 0-60MPH: 6.6 seconds MPG: 134.5mpg (combined) EMISSIONS: 52g/km BASE PRICE: £31,585 (excluding £2,500 government grant)

£2,500, offering a sizeable incentive to those who are thinking of buying it.

For the amount, you get satellite navigation as standard, as well as Bluetooth connectivity and cruise control.

Also, because the Mini emits just 52g/km CO2, taxation costs will be much lower than with a traditionally powered hatch.

As always, there’s a good optional extras list on the Countryman, with highlights such as wireless telephone charging and a larger satellite navigation screen improving the car’s overall feel, but adding considerably to its price.

WHO WOULD BUY ONE? The Countryman S E Hybrid is ideal for those who want all the looks and charm of a normal Mini, but with better economy figures than even the diesel-powered cars can offer. It’s good looking, well made inside and surprisingly good to drive, while all of this is backed up by impressive efficiency. For those who are mainly driving in urban areas, it makes sense to choose the Countryman S E Hybrid.

Puzzles

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

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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.

6 7

9

Codeword:

4

6 2 1 2

3

7 3

5

9 8

7 3 6 9 4

O A P V

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

Q

1

5 9

18

9 20

5 9 2 4 7

7 6

1 6 5 4 8 2 4

1 8 7

4 8 7 6 4

2 3 5 6

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

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

Puzzle solutions will be published in next week’s paper

S

B V RWE O N CQ U C E O R S L I T O P U I T G O L E U Y T

S J L L U R E N A I N T G A C H E H S H R F A I M D A N D E C O T H C L O K

Jigsaw Sudoku:

Sudoku:

7 4 5 9 8 1 2 6 3

1 2 8 3 6 4 9 5 7

3 9 6 7 2 5 4 1 8

A D C H I N T N O X ON N E R T Z U L U R E U N R S ON K V E V E R D R

9 7 1 8 5 6 3 4 2

4 5 3 2 1 7 6 8 9

6 8 2 4 3 9 1 7 5

2 3 4 1 7 8 5 9 6

8 6 9 5 4 2 7 3 1

5 1 7 6 9 3 8 2 4

7 6 5 3 8 2 9 1 4

8 1 2 4 9 7 3 5 6

6 9 1 2 3 4 5 7 8

3 7 4 1 6 8 2 9 5

9 5 8 7 1 6 4 2 3

2 4 3 5 7 1 8 6 9

4 2 9 6 5 3 1 8 7

5 3 6 8 2 9 7 4 1

1 8 7 9 4 5 6 3 2

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

4

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★★★I

3

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles, Inc.

2

© 2016 Syndicated Puzzles

1

SOLUTIONS (FROM LAST WEEK)

SUDOKU & JIGSAW SUDOKU

DIFFICULTY RATING: ★III

CODEWORD

69

FEATURES

NEWS

Recruitment

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

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

70

OF TUNBRIDGE WELLS AND TONBRIDGE

Fill your vacancy now in print or online.

For more information contact Jordanne Reville on 01892 576 049 jreville@markerstudy.com

72

FEATURES

Arts & Culture

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

The stand-up with staying power Acerbic comic Stewart Lee has been in the business for almost 30 years, and is bringing his latest comedy show Content Provider to the Assembly Hall Thursday June 8. The Times finds out what the audience can expect…

‘I started writing the new show in June and then Brexit happened’

You’ve been described as ‘the comedian’s comedian’. Is that flattering?

I don’t think it’s the case. Most of the younger comedians seem to hate me, I think, and because I’m not really on the club circuit any more and do my shows in theatres, I’m not part of any community, and none of the new ones know or see my stuff anyway, which is good I suppose, because if they did they would give up!

What advice do you have for young people trying to be comedians?

Well, it’s the same as with acting or music. It isn’t like 30 years ago. If you’ve got rich parents you might be ok. If you haven’t, don’t bother. Every loophole that allowed people to subsist financially while working out their schtick has been closed and all the opportunities are controlled by the same production companies.

It’s a closed shop now that is only open to the wealthy anyway. Do something else.

Y

ou’ve been a stand-up for 28 years and you’ve won every award going. How do you find the will to keep doing it?

Well, duty to the kids drives me forward, and it’s all I can do. I write more material than any other comparable stand-up, and I cover a lot of ground on the tours every year, but I am getting worn out. I started writing the new show in June and then Brexit happened, and obviously you can’t not mention it, but I found myself staying awake for about a week trying to work out what was going on so I could work it into the set.

Brexit and (Donald) Trump have made comics’ lives hard. How people are behaving is beyond satire, so what do you satirise?

Your new live show is called Content Provider.

Will it be the same as your BBC Two series, Comedy Vehicle?

It’s very different. Comedy Vehicle was four series of six 30-minute self-contained sets. This is one two-hour through line, although I’ve had to keep the ideas and structure a little less rigid than usual to cope with the sudden surges in news

events. There is also an apparently meaningless set which is actually very subtle and cleverly linked to the themes of the show in a way which becomes clear over the evening. It is made entirely from the second-hand DVDs of other stand-up comedians, none of which I paid more than 10p for. Other comedians’ DVDs are currently the cheapest building material in the world.

Your BBC Two show was cancelled in February after ten years and four multiaward-winning series. Were you surprised?

Not really. The BBC is facing massive cuts due to the government trying to systematically dismantle it, so something had to go from the comedy slate. Also, I’d done about all I could with that format. The truth is, financially I am better off touring with that amount of material for two years, and making a live DVD and then selling it to Netflix than I am giving more material away to BBC Two for less money. I am 48 with two kids and doing a job with no pension plan, so I need to be realistic about making hay while people want to have my hay.

What are the key things you try to achieve on stage?

I try to make sure something happens every night that is unique to that performance, and that the audience is special, or at least to give the impression that those things are the case. I try to make it feel LIVE and not like TV. I try to make people work. I hope I achieve at least one moment of incoherent hysteria.

Who are your comedy heroes and why?

Ted Chippington showed me you didn’t have to be an entertainer as such. Lennie Bruce, Bill Hicks, Bridget Christie – for making serious things funny. Daniel Kitson – for his work ethic and wearing his heart on his sleeve whilst being very silly. Kevin McAleer – the all-time great of the absurd. Nish Kumar – the future in a shape I still recognise as being what Alternative Comedy was supposed to be. Dave Allen – who I loved when was a kid.

You started out with Richard Herring as a double act. Will Lee and Herring ever reunite?

The problem is there is no financial incentive, as I

can do better on my own for numbers without splitting the fee. Also, the double act was predicated on an adolescent relationship that no longer holds water. The rehearsal and writing time required to get it back to an acceptable standard of mediocrity would not be justifiable in terms of it preventing me from doing other contemporary work, or doing childcare. I imagine it might be possible when we are in our 70s or 80s, which would be funny.

Have you been to Tunbridge Wells before? If so, what do you like or dislike about it?

I have been to Tunbridge Wells to perform maybe a dozen or more times. One of the gigs I did here once wasn’t great – all the others were fine. The novelist Dan Rhodes is from Tunbridge Wells, and I have a friend who lives here who’s a photographer. One of the good things about touring is catching up with people.

What are your plans for the future?

Well, I’m touring this Content Provider show until 2018. I’m supposed to be making a folk rock album with the group Trembling Bells at some point. I wrote a comedy-drama about Brexit in September that is currently with a production company trying to find someone who’ll pay to make it. I’ll write another book for Faber, this one about doing stand-up on TV. But I need to slow down. I have no life and no friends and I don’t do enough with the kids.

After the tour ends in the Summer of 2018, I’ll lie on the sofa for a bit and watch 1960s Italian westerns. They’re all I’ve watched for the last few years, really. I’ve seen nearly 200.

I like them because the directors and writers tried to slip weird and interesting and political things into them under cover of the movies being genre. I suppose that’s what I try to do with stand-up. At the end of the day it’s still just comedy – but maybe you can make it meet something better halfway.

Stewart Lee’s show Content Provider will be on tour throughout 2017. See www.stewartlee.co.uk

Arts & Culture

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

FEATURES

73

An entente musicale On Saturday June 10, the Invicta Jazz Orchestra play the EM Forster Theatre in Tonbridge with Le Liberty Band of Arras. Here, Invicta’s Geoff Piper explains how this is just one of a series of local concerts in which the British and French bands will be making beautiful music together THE Invicta Jazz Orchestra (IJO) was formed 15 years ago, and over the years has grown from strength to strength. One of its founder members is our Music Director Scott Jenkins – a very talented musician who also plays frequently with The Jive Aces.

We are a band of 30 friendly, talented, amateur musicians.

We meet every Thursday evening for practice and always welcome new members. IJO plays regularly at various local events, including the Sunday concerts at Tonbridge Castle and festivals in Smarden, Hastings and Faversham, and also the Whitstable Oyster Festival.

This year, however, we have added something rather different to our musical repertoire by twinning with Le Liberty Band in Arras in the north of France. We’ve done two joint concerts already in Arras, and the second one we performed at La Place des Héros in the town centre, which was part of the events marking the centenary of the First World War. This month, Le Liberty will visit us for concerts in St Dunstan’s Church in Cranbrook on Friday June 9, and at the EM Forster Theatre the following evening, June 10. Both bands play a lively mix of jazz styles and standards, as well as pieces from the Big Band, Latin, Fusion and Funk genres.

If you can’t make it along to those dates, then you can catch us a week later at the Tonbridge Carnival on June 18, as well as in August at the Sunday concerts at the town’s historic castle.

The Invicta Jazz Orchestra and Le Liberty Band play each venue at 7.30pm. Tickets to the Cranbrook event cost £8, with proceeds going to the church’s upkeep. Tickets cost £10 for the EM Forster Theatre concert, with profits going to Macmillan Nurses. For more information, visit www.invictajazz.com and www.libertyband.fr

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FEATURES

What’s On

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

SEVEN DAYS OF SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AT A GLANCE

WHATS ON WITH THE

Eileen Leahy Local events

If you would like to see your events featured in our weekly What’s On pages, please email eileen@timesoftunbridgewells.co.uk

Hever Castle

>> WEDNESDAY or you can purchase a ticket for a family of four for It’s half term and there £54. To book, call 01732 866114 Monday to Friday are plenty of local 9.30am-5pm or visit the box office at activities for families www.heverfestival.co.uk to enjoy. Penshurst Bewl Water’s Kids Camps will be running Place, for example, will throughout the half term week. You can choose be putting on an event from either a half day’s activities (£19.50) or a full called Snappy Spring day (£37). For more information, or to book places, Holiday until June 4. call 01892 890000 or email: info@bewlwater.co.uk Children and their parents are encouraged >> THURSDAY to explore the The Kent and High Weald Partnership is organising orienteering trail with a selection of photographs an event called Step on Board today at Grosvenor snapped by the people at Penshurst, with and Hilbert Park. Its aim is to get volunteers the aim of finding out where they were along to help build a set of steps near the taken. You can then upload your own Redleaf Close entrance to the woods. It’s pictures to Twitter and Facebook with on from 10am until 3pm and anyone the hashtag #SnappedAtPenshurst for interested in helping should meet at the the chance to win a free family season Hilbert Road gates wearing suitable attire. ticket. The trails open from 10.30am Today and tomorrow you can catch Beauty until 6pm, with additional craft sessions and The Beast, which stars Emma available from 12noon until 4pm.

Watson and Dan Stevens, at Over at Hever Castle today Trinity Theatre at 11am. Tickets and tomorrow will be a fun cost £8.50 per person. production entitled The www.trinitytheatre.net Emperor’s New Clothes.

Don’t forget that every first Showing at 2.30pm, the Thursday of the month the event will be staged in the Artspring Gallery in Tonbridge YOU CAN COUNT ON HIM! castle’s picturesque theatre. hosts a private view and Comic Count Arthur Strong Tickets cost £16.50 for Prosecco evening from 5.30 is at the Assembly Hall adults and £15 for children, to 8pm. The gallery, which

CAMP FUN Youngsters make the most of Bewl Water has been open for the past year, boasts a variety of quality artists’ work, including sculpture pieces, paintings and jewellery. Visit them at No 167 on the High Street. www.artspringgallery.co.uk >> FRIDAY Groombridge Place continues to host a new fun event entitled Pirates & Mermaids all this week until Sunday. It runs from 10am until 5.30pm, when little ones can enjoy meeting the naughty pirates and mystical mermaids of the scenic spot’s pretty lakes. There will also be regular storytelling sessions, crafting activities and sing-songs on offer throughout the day. For ticket information, visit www.thelittleboxoffice.com/groombridge The comedian Count Arthur Strong comes to the Assembly Hall this evening at 7.30pm with his new show, nattily called The Sound of Mucus. Expect

surreal and salient comedy musings from the Radio 4 regular. Tickets cost £21.50 plus a £1.50 booking fee, and can be bought via www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk >> SATURDAY Whether you want to get fitter, or are in training for a 5 or 10K or even a marathon, then taking part in the area’s weekly park runs is a great way to either start your running routine or keep it topped up.

Dunorlan Park, Bedgebury and the Castle Street Park in Tonbridge host them every Saturday morning at 9am. See www.parkrun.org.uk If your children love history and being in the great outdoors, then make sure you take them to Bodiam Castle to experience one of their history days. They get to dress up as medieval soliders and sit in the castle’s stocks – all great fun! See www.nationaltrust.org.uk/bodiam-castle There’s lots more to do over half term at Hever Castle. As well as its fantastic adventure playground and water maze, they are also putting on an interactive exhibition entitled Edwardian Life, which replicates what life was like in the early 20th century when the castle’s glamorous Astor family resided there. Children will have the opportunity to attend an ‘Edwardian’ school, where they’ll learn the three Rs – reading, writing and arithmetic. There will also be prizes for the best dressed Edwardian boys and girls. For admission details, see www.hevercastle.co.uk >> SUNDAY Filmmaker Guy Ritchie’s latest celluloid offering King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is currently showing at the Hop Farm’s Moonlight Drive-in Cinema every evening at 9.30pm until June 8.

Starring Charlie Hunman in the eponymous role, and with a cameo from David Beckham, this action

What’s On

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

packed fantasty film is a must-see. Tickets cost £25 per vehicle. For more information, see www.moonlightcinema.co.uk Al Murray plays the Assembly Hall this evening at 7.30pm with his usual mix of sharp wit and current affairs banter done through the guise of his beloved pub landlord character. Tickets cost £27.50 plus a £1.50 booking fee from www.assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk >> MONDAY This evening from 7.30pm until 9.15pm, there will be a Bicycle Maintenance Workshop at Grosvenor and Hilbert Park. An expert from Camden Road bike shop Wildside Cycles will be on hand to talk novice cyclists through all aspects of looking after their bikes, from maintenance to general repairs.

Tickets cost £15 and include refreshments. For further information see www.fogh.org.uk >> TUESDAY A Quiet Passion is showing at Trinity today at 11am, 2pm and 8pm. It’s the story of 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson, who is now considered to be one of literature’s most influential and important writers but was, for most of her life, not recognised as being so. Starring Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon, it’s a heartwarming and inspiring tale to enjoy.

Tickets cost from £8.50 www.trinitytheatre.net

SPIRITED SISTERS (l-r) Cynthia Nixon and Jennifer Ehle in A Quiet Passion

FEATURES

75

A ROUND-UP OF THIS WEEK’S MUSICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Paul Dunton Live music

KING WILLIAM IV

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

ST ALBAN’S CHURCH

THE GREY LADY MUSIC LOUNGE

THE MASONIC CENTRE

The Pantiles, doors 7.15pm, entry £6/£7, websites www.pdag.co.uk and www.thegreylady.co.uk WEDNESDAY Faded Shades, Ellie Wade, Charlie Rivers (solo), Storm Engine FRIDAY Jazz Club Night SATURDAY Soul Avenue SUNDAY Caleb Howard-Almond, Chasing Shadows WEDNESDAY Lachlan Daly, Teddy Trenowden

St John’s Road, details of event times and tickets at www.twjazzclub.co.uk FRIDAY Profoundly Blue with Adrian Cox

THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM

Event information at www.twforum.co.uk and www.unfest.org WEDNESDAY Rae Morris THURSDAY The Contortionist, Bad Sign, Raised by Raptors, Rivals & Idols FRIDAY Boogie Nights SATURDAY Unrulee Reggae: MC Amelia Harmony, MC Trooper, King Unrulee, Ras Nik, Cashima Steele, Doc Maynard, Tufty G SUNDAY Unfest Sunday Sessions: Reggae Takeover (12noon start) MONDAY Wheatus

Pembury, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late SATURDAY Led Hendrix

THE BEDFORD

2 High Street, open all day, free entry. Music from 8pm till late. More information at www.thebedfordtw.co.uk SATURDAY Heyzeus

Frant, doors 7pm, music from 8pm. Tickets £15 from Frant Stores or Brittens Music Shop in Tunbridge Wells or call 01892 752261 / 07768115184 or visit www.wegottickets.com FRIDAY Charles Alexander & Andrew Robinson THE ROYAL OAK

Prospect Road, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late.

SATURDAY Fox Force 5 MONDAY Open Mic Night THE CROSS KEYS

THE BEAU NASH TAVERN

Mount Ephraim, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late FRIDAY Broken Bones SATURDAY Tailspin THE BANDSTAND

The Pantiles, open all day, free entry, music from 8pm THURSDAY Jazz On The Pantiles with Noel McCalla Music

St John’s Road, open all day, free entry, music from 8pm, see www.crosskeystw.co.uk MONDAY TWUNT: Ukulele Jam Session THE BULL

Frant Road, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm till late SATURDAY Matt Bridle TONBRIDGE FOLK CLUB

Ye Olde Chequers Inn, 122 High Street, 8-11pm Hat donations. See www.tonbridgefolkclub.org MONDAY Impressed

THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE

Crescent Road, information on times and tickets at www. assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk Chasing Shadows SATURDAY The Counterfeit Stones

THE PUNCH & JUDY

11 St Stephen’s Street, Tonbridge, open all day, free entry, music from 8.30pm TUESDAY Sam Dunstall

Books

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

FEATURES

77

TIMES REVIEWS

Book some time off…

Time to unwind and relax, and what better way than with a great book? Here are a few suggestions for your reading…

BOOK OF THE WEEK

New Boy by Tracy Chevalier

Hardback by Hogarth, priced £12.99 (ebook £7.99)

Hardback by Picador, priced £14.99 (ebook £8.54)

Marc is restrained in his captivity and prevented from seeing his interrogator, Josephine. At first her inquiries are about who might pay a ransom for him but then she wants to know why he didn’t go home for his daughter Claire’s funeral after her killing in the US. Our journey winds out from there into a maze of narratives involving characters who may or may not exist. It is a seductive tale that stays with you, leading us to examine how we make sense of ourselves through our relationships with those most important to us and how we may reckon with them when a life ends.

8/10

(Review by Helen Smyth)

Shakespeare’s tragic hero Othello morphs into a 1970s black schoolboy in Tracy Chevallier’s reworking of one of the Bard’s most powerful plays. The betrayed Moor of Venice becomes Osei, a Ghanaian student who joins a new, all-white school in Washington, DC, and has to navigate the petty bigotries of the playground. Othello is a hard, brutal and grown-up drama of love, anger and betrayal that struggles to adequately be portrayed in New Boy. (Review by David Wilcock)

All That’s Left To Tell by Daniel Lowe

Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami Hardback by Harvill Secker, priced £16.99

7/10

CHILDREN’S BOOK OF THE WEEK

7/10

My New Room by Lisa Stickley

Over seven progressively off-kilter short stories, Japanese author Haruki Murakami delves into the subject of loneliness and, in particular, how it impacts on seven men. Rooted more in the everyday and less in the surreal than his previous works, each story nevertheless has the same familiar unfamiliarity Murakami does so well. A solid collection, Men Without Women is a decent entry point to Murakami and a crisp take on love that should please fans.

(Review by Keeley Bolger)

Paperback by Pavilion, priced £6.99.

The follow-up to last year’s quirky debut Handstand, My New Room is a brilliantly funny look at the secret - or not-so-secret - life of toys.

Lisa Stickley, a graduate of Central Saint Martins and the Royal College of Art, uses a textured mix of photos, sketches, patterns and paint to bring to life Edith’s bedroom, with each page showing one of her collection of stuffed toys in situ on a piece of furniture. They each have a role to play in making her feel at home in her new room and some take it far more seriously than others. The key to this, as with all picture books, is the reading aloud, and the opportunity to do as many silly voices as you like, which brings Stickley’s superbly drawn characters (in every sense) to life.

Jane Austen At Home: A Biography by Lucy Worsley Hardback by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £25 (ebook £12.99)

8/10

(Review by Kate Whiting)

Jane Austen At Home is not as visual or telly-friendly as you might expect from historian and TV presenter Lucy Worsley, but despite dry patches, there is colour in the detail. This biography explores Austen’s life and career through the homes and rooms she spent time in, from her childhood abode in the Hampshire countryside at Steventon Rectory, and the cramped, damp houses in Bath and Southampton she was grudgingly forced to live in following her father’s retirement, to her last ‘real’ home at Chawton Cottage - now the Jane Austen’s House Museum.

6/10

(Review by Ella Walker)

78

NEWS

Local News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

PAVILIONED IN SPLENDOUR: Derek Underwood and the Mayor David Neve lend their support as Capel Cricket Club unveil their renovated clubhouse

Festival’s future hangs in balance as Kent complain about the Nevill Andrew Tong reports on the furore surrounding the council and cricket week QUESTION marks hung over the Nevill ground like dark clouds last week as Kent prepared to take on Sussex beneath glorious blue skies.

The future of the town’s Cricket Festival now hangs in the balance after more than 100 years.

The county club considered moving the match to their headquarters in Canterbury because of concerns about both the pitch and the outfield.

Parts of the square were flooded because it was not covered to protect it from rain, while other necessary works were not carried out.

Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club [TWCC] has accused the Borough Council, which owns the ground and is responsible for its upkeep, of undermining the cricket week because of the costs involved.

A huge effort by Kent’s own groundstaff and club members permitted the match to go ahead.

Kent romped to victory over their local rivals by 147 runs. But officials made it clear they will not tolerate any repeat of the ‘fiasco’.

The council use contractors Sodexo to carry out the works, and problems began to surface after the head groundsman Jon Buddington left in February and was replaced by another Sodexo employee.

Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club Chairman Mark Williams says: “It was clear to me he was not experienced and indeed has never worked on a cricket ground – but he had worked on a golf course.”

The new groundsman was off sick for several weeks and not replaced – during which time no work was undertaken to get the ground in a fit state for the new season.

Mr Williams says: “The lack of supervision of Sodexo has been appalling. We complained to the council but they did not react positively. So we started work on the outfield ourselves and informed Kent we had concerns.”

The county’s Chief Executive Jamie Clifford visited the Nevill ten days ahead of the big match and told Sodexo about the specification required to make the ground fit for first-class cricket.

‘This is incredibly naive and shortsighted. It ignores the massive benefits the festival brings’ “Jamie contacted the council for an urgent meeting at the ground on Friday [May 19],” relates Mr Williams. “We agreed with all that he said, including the inadequate staff and the fact Sodexo had employed someone incapable of preparing a firstclass pitch. We asked Kent to stay – and they did.”

Mr Williams complained to the council’s Chief Executive, William Benson, and the local MP Greg Clark. He claims: “It had been made clear to us that the council are not interested in the county game as they see this as an expenditure and cannot see what it brings to them.

“This is incredibly naive and short-sighted and it ignores the massive benefits the festival brings to the town. We understand the cost is nominal and amounts to the toilets that are provided.”

The festival welcomed more than 7,000 spectators over the four days. Mr Williams insists: “TWCC are very clear in wanting the Council to properly supervise the contract they have with Sodexo, who have been inept.

“The Council must be honest and transparent, and state what they will do from now on.

“Whether this involves the club taking more ownership or third-party sponsors becoming more involved, it is vital we save county week.”

The Nevill is the only ground used by Kent that is not owned by the county. Canterbury’s St Lawrence HQ and Beckenham are the other two venues.

Tunbridge Wells had already lost its popular and highly lucrative annual Twenty20 match this year because of a change in the timetable.

Kent’s CEO, Mr Clifford, told the Times: “We love to host cricket around the county but there are certain standards we need to meet to ensure the comfort and safety of players, officials and spectators.

“The festival week is an integral part of the Kentish cricketing summer but with public funding scarce, it’s great that our commercial partners can support us in keeping cricket at Tunbridge Wells.

“We thank Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club for their continuing hospitality and hope the schedule allows us to bring first class action and visitors to the town in the future.”

The council responded: “We will be talking to Kent about the comments they have made and their plans for future fixtures in Tunbridge Wells and how we might work together to achieve this.”

PHOTO: Craig Matthews

‘Deadly’ helps to breathe new life into Capel ground CRICKET: LEGENDARY bowler Derek Underwood was on hand for the unveiling of Capel CC’s refurbished pavilion at Five Oak Green.

The Kent and England left-arm bowler, nicknamed ‘Deadly’, was among a throng of spectators which included the outgoing Tunbridge Wells Mayor David Neve, Mayoress Jill Neve and the town’s Tory parliamentary candidate Greg Clark.

The opening saw a match played between Capel and Douglas Jardine’s XI which the visitors, captained by Reza Maroof, won with ease.

The club was founded in 1892 and has always played at Five Oak Green recreation ground.

It folded in 1972 because the club was struggling to get a team out.

But Capel CC reformed in 2011 and the Tom Tolhurst Pavilion, which was originally built in the 1930s, was renovated by players and supporters.

However, it still had no changing rooms or toilets and players had to use the nearby village hall.

But over the past year it has been extended – again by the members – to provide these facilities, along with a verandah and bar.

Captain Williams puts Hartley to the sword but chase falls short CRICKET: TUNBRIDGE WELLS gave the Kent Premier League champions Hartley a fright as more than 600 runs were scored at Culvey Close.

The home side chose to bat, and a dominant second-wicket stand raised 234 in 36 overs.

Kent’s James Hockley scored 136 with 17 fours and three sixes, while South African Dominic Hendricks was run out from the boundary for 124.

The mayhem was not over yet; James Thompson (57 not out) thrashed a 19-ball half-century as Hartley closed on 326 for 3.

An injury led to two overs of the reply being docked and a DLS revised target of 317 was set.

After both openers were dismissed, captain Alex Williams and Michael Waller turned the tide with an excellent partnership of 167.

Williams (103) continued in his rich vein of form, smiting the home bowlers for seven fours and seven sixes as he romped to an 82-ball hundred.

Waller was run out for 58, but Nick Sale took up the challenge and raced to fifty off 29 balls.

Hartley’s captain Andrew Tutt removed Williams as he picked up 3 for 40. Then he successfully kept Sale off strike. He remained unbeaten on 62 but the visitors faltered and were restricted to 305 for 7, losing by a mere 12 runs.

In Division One, Linden Park humbled their hosts Hayes by bowling them out for 43. Freddie Hulbert was the star of the show with figures of 8 for 28.

Linden Park posted 233 for 5 as Driaan Brewer compiled a highly impressive 124 not out.

He and all-rounder Hulbert (42 not out) added 94 towards the end of the innings.

Hayes’ reply lasted a mere 18 overs and included five ducks as they went down by 190 runs.

Local News

Wednesday May 31 | 2017

NEWS

79

De Rome storms podium as Wells take team prize CRICKET: JOHN HOARE of Linden Park Fourth XI took five wickets in five balls at Laughton and could still improve on that startling feat.

John, who runs Cassidy’s sports bar in Tunbridge Wells, took two wickets at the end of his 13th over and three more at the start of his 14th, hitting the middle stump to finish the innings off in style.

The medium-pacer returned figures of 6 for 20. Because the last wicket was the opposition’s 10th, he can make it six wickets in six balls when he bowls in the next game.

The 66-year-old, who has been playing for 53 years, said: “I’ve previously taken four wickets in four balls. That was back in 1976.

I remember it well!”

Five wickets in five balls for the owner of Cassidy’s OLD HAND: John Hoare, 66, is playing his 20th season for Linden Park

It’s mallet time: Go through the hoops for Croquet Day

By Andrew Tong CROQUET: ROYAL Tunbridge Wells Croquet Club will celebrate National Croquet Day on Sunday (June 4) by holding an open day in Calverley Grounds.

It will open its lawns to all-comers from 10am to 4pm with a programme of challenges for novices in aid of the charity Parkinson’s UK. Members will be on hand to teach people to play, and

there will be competitions with prizes. They are also planning a full introduction course at the end of June.

The sport has witnessed an increase in the number of people playing the game, and the local club currently boasts 60 members.

The Royal Tunbridge Wells Croquet Club was founded in 1965, and moved to its current location – which consists of three lawns – in Calverley Grounds 30 years later.

THE LOW DOWN It provides free coaching to Sizing up an members by qualified coaches, opportunity

SHADOW PLAY Croquet at Calverley Grounds

from beginner’s level upwards, throughout the season, which runs from April to October.

The club also runs several internal tournaments and two Open events from June to August, as well as a number of beginner contests.

There are two main versions of the game of hoops, the traditional Association game and Golf Croquet, which has a shorter duration.

The most important difference between the two formats is that in the latter there is no extra shot offered if you go through a hoop or you strike your opponents’ ball.

It’s a highly skilful and tactical pursuit, although it is also accessible: Golf Croquet can be learned in 10 minutes.

An advantage of the sport is that it allows men and women to compete against each other on an entirely level playing field.

And it suits the full span of ages – full-size ­equipment is suitable for children from the age of 10 upwards, and Tunbridge Wells has several members who are over 90.

A handicap system allows beginners and skilled players to be able to play against each other in a competitive fashion.

Many people will have played croquet informally in gardens but the top level of croquet is a fiercely contested international sport.

Britain recently lost the World Team Championship, held at Mission Hills in the USA, to the young and very strong Australian team.

Stephen Mulliner from Surbiton is the World Association Croquet champion, while the Golf title is held by Reg Bamford from South Africa, who lives and plays in the UK. The game is becoming increasingly popular among young people, with more than 2,000 ­students taking part in the Oxford and Cambridge University ‘Cuppers’ – a tournament contested between the colleges.

This year also saw the inaugural University Championship, held at Sheffield University.

TRIATHLON: TUNBRIDGE WELLS Triathlon Club were out in force at the Marshman weekend in Lydd, securing the overall team prize with impressive performances across all distances.

Conditions were perfect at this low-key festival, with the notorious coastal headwind as calm as can be expected for a course in the shadow of the Camber Sands wind farm.

In the Marshman ‘Half Iron’ race (1.9km swim 90km bike ride, 21km run) Katherine De Rome was first out of the water with a scintillating swim of just 26 minutes.

Fast splits The Great Britain Age Group athlete at F25 continued with fast bike and run splits to finish first female and an impressive sixth place overall, recording a time of 4hr 44min.

Fellow GB athlete Judith Hagger also topped her F40 Age Group and finished second female (5:14, 27th overall), while 7Oaks Tri Club’s Valerie Place (F55) was not far behind in third (5:18).

Peter Gibson dominated the Sprint (700m swim, 24km bike ride, 6km run), claiming the title five minutes clear of the field in a time of 1:06.

Jodie Cocker was first female on her return to racing after injury, finished 10th in 1:25.

Success was shared throughout the team with Jamie White (1:21, eighth) and Nathalie Bere (1:27, 15th) both topping their Age Groups.

Dave Mahon was first home for the club in the Standard race (1500m swim, 40km bike ride, 10km run) with 10th place in 2:18. Carlo Nebuloni was the winner in 2:09.

Solid performances from Kieran Fitzpatrick (4:49, 8th) and Edward Moffatt (4:53, 12th) capped a successful weekend for the club.

TRIUMPHANT (L-R) Valerie Place, Katherine De Rome and Judith Hagger