Times of Tunbridge Wells 7th Feb 2024

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

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MICHAEL PALIN

MICHAEL BALL

LENNY HENRY

will see a marquee being used in Calverley Grounds as another satellite site for authors.

“Headlining this year’s Literary Festival will be Radio 2 star and West End legend Michael Ball, with his funny and insightful first memoir Different Aspects,” continued Matt Robson.

War and Empire.”

Matt Robson added that over the coming weeks, the full cast of authors and illustrators will be revealed exclusively through this newspaper, with names ranging from ‘internationally acclaimed industry veterans to the local, the young and the new’. “It promises once again to be a festival that truly delivers something for everyone!”

Cllr Justine Rutland, Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Liberal Democrat councillor for Culverden ward, added: “I am so pleased that the Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival is back for the third year in a row – and that it appears to be firmly establishing itself as part of the lively local festival scene. It’s wonderful to be bringing together thousands of people to celebrate books, right on our doorstep. I am grateful to the TWBC and our sponsors for helping create another brilliant programme that I hope people of all ages from across the Borough and beyond will enjoy.”

Celebrity line-up announced for Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival TODAY the Times can exclusively reveal that the Tunbridge Wells Literary Festival for 2024 will see a slew of major household names from both the stage and screen headlining this year’s event.

The organisers of this popular festival, now in its third year, revealed to this newspaper yesterday that comedian Lenny Henry, broadcaster Michael Palin and musical maestro Michael Ball are the first tranche of big names who’ll be taking part in the event, which will run from Thursday May 9 to Sunday May 12.

“With last year’s festival attracting over 5000 people to the town, across 44 events, Lit Fest ‘24 is set yet again to enthral and engage, whether you love books or simply have a curious mind,” said Matt Robson, Sales & Marketing Director of Culture at the Assembly Hall which oversees the event.

In addition to events and talks being held over the four-day festival in the Assembly Hall Theatre, The Amelia Scott, The Forum and Trinity Theatre, this year

Insightful “Also confirmed to speak is comedy pioneer Lenny Henry, who with his customary warmth and wit, will be guiding audiences through his career during the 1980s and ‘90s in his wonderfully immersive memoir Rising to the Surface.” They added that also in conversation with Lenny will be the popular BBC newsreader and Mastermind presenter Clive Myrie.

“Completing our current list of headliners is travel guru and national treasure Michael Palin, discussing his new book Great Uncle Harry: A Tale of

INSIDE: Brand new sports section – Page 38-39

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

This week… Inquest finds death in Tunbridge Wells Hospital was due to ‘neglect’ of patient THE GRAND PLAN: Consultation will begin later this month on the Draft Royal Tunbridge Wells Vision 2040 for the town centre. P5

By Ben Cornwell AN inquest into the death of Gavin Andrew, who died at Tunbridge Wells Hospital, concluded on Thursday (February 1) with a finding of ‘neglect’.

Gavin Andrew, 43, died on November 7, 2022 from an infection of the epiglottis, which caused his airway to shut.

He had been taken to the hospital on October 25 with uncontrolled dribbling, a swollen and painful throat, difficulty speaking and an inability to swallow.

He had initially been told by staff at the hospital that the swelling in his throat was ‘probably an infection’. He was given painkillers and sent home.

Mr Andrew’s condition deteriorated, and he was taken back to the hospital later that day struggling to breathe. This was when doctors diagnosed him suffering from epiglottitis, a swelling of a flap of tissue at the back of the throat.

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He had initially been told by staff at the hospital that the swelling in his throat was ‘probably an infection’. He was given painkillers and sent home Medics tried to insert an airway, but by then Mr Andrew had suffered a brain injury due to lack of oxygen and was placed on life support. He never regained consciousness and died twelve days later.

Emma Andrew, Mr Andrew’s widow, described the father-of-two as “having a larger-than-life personality and an infectious laugh.”

She added: “I cannot put into words the void his death has left every single day.”

Mr Andrew’s family was represented in the hearing, which began on January 31, by James Cahan of Tunbridge Wells law firm, Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP. The inquest began with a statement from the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust. It admitted if Mr Andrews had not been discharged, he would have been observed further and identified as needing intervention.

The statement also said when he returned to the hospital there was a failure in his care due to ‘a paediatric emergency’.

The Trust statement added: “With subsequent

care his death would have been avoided”.

Following the coroner’s findings, medical negligence solicitor James GAVIN ANDREW Cahan, Partner at Thomson Snell and Passmore told the Times: “In my experience it is rare for a coroner to make a finding of neglect in a situation like this.

“The first part of the legal test the coroner must apply, is that there was a gross failure (that is, more than a simple error) to provide basic medical attention to the patient, who was in obvious need. In this case the obvious need was the fact Gavin was drooling uncontrollably from the mouth, so much so, he had a towel around his neck. The basic medical attention he needed was to be admitted for observation.

“The coroner also has to be satisfied that there was an opportunity to provide care that would have avoided death, and in this case the coroner stated in court that he was satisfied there was a

clear and direct causal connection.

“I understand from the Trust that the tragic events surrounding Gavin’s death may be used as a case study, and shared nationally, as part of the training for staff in emergency departments, to avoid similar situations arising in the future.

Standards “The family would like to say that Gavin’s case highlights the need for people to be their own advocate when they go to hospital, or their GP, and if they are concerned about the advice they have been given, to seek a second opinion.”

A spokesperson for MTW NHS Trust said: “Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Mr Andrew, and we are deeply sorry that his care fell short of the standards our teams work hard to provide.

“The Trust has taken a number of immediate actions which include providing staff with additional assessment and simulation training.

“We will also review the findings of the coroner to ensure we continue to learn and develop our care and once again offer our sincere apologies and condolences.”

Kent Police and Crime Commissioner proposes Council Tax precept increase

By Grace Corcoran KENT’S streets will see more police patrols in a bid to tackle antisocial behaviour and drug hotspots, but an increase in Council Tax has been proposed due to cost pressures on policing.

Kent Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, has announced his budget for 2024/25.

This will see funding to maintain Kent Police’s record number of Police Officers.

Balance However, given the cost pressures on policing, the PCC is proposing a Council Tax precept increase of £13 per year – just over £1.08 per month. Savings will still be required to balance the budget, but the rise will significantly reduce the amount that the Medium-Term Financial Plan forecasted last year.

Matthew Scott said: “I do not ask for this rise lightly and I do so because it is needed to help

MATTHEW SCOTT balance the budget. If I did not ask for this, we would need to find another £11million on top of what we already need to save. I will always make sure that taxpayers’ money is well spent and is focussed on making Kent safer. I will also continue to drive forward reforms to

procurement and boost collaboration to make sure we are doing everything we can to save money.”

Alongside the proposed Council Tax increases, funding has been secured from the Home Office to deliver extra visible policing in these hotspot areas to continue to drive down crime. This will sit alongside Kent Police’s new Neighbourhood Policing Model, which is seeing police officers deployed to local communities and schools.

To support this, a new ‘immediate justice’ programme will be commissioned from October, which will see those committing antisocial behaviour forced to undertake some payback to the community within 48 hours.

There will also be investment to support improvements to digital forensics and for roads policing.

You can comment on the proposals online at kent-pcc.gov.uk/get-in-touch/contact-us/ contact-the-opcc/

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Redundancies at Kent County Council as part of savings drive HUNDREDS of jobs at cash-strapped Kent County Council are at risk of redundancy as the authority seeks urgent savings, a new document reveals.

According to papers seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), 208 posts are to be axed.

The losses will affect staffers on the Open Access teams in the Children, Young People and Education directorate.

As the Times has reported extensively, KCC is under huge pressure to make significant savings in the coming years amid falling government funding and soaring costs.

Shepherd Neame photography competition returns for third year FOLLOWING the success of its first photography contest in 2022, an autumn/ winter competition was held last year, and it is today launching one for Spring 2024, with fantastic prizes to be won.

To celebrate its current Charity of the Year partnership with FareShare, which fights hunger and food waste, there will be extra marks available for pictures which incorporate food – spring lambs tucking into some breakfast, blue tits picking berries or maybe a tasty treat for your dog while out on a walk.

One winner will receive the top prize of a £150 Shepherd Neame gift card and there will also be four runners-up, each receiving a £25 gift card.

Capture your perfect spring moment and send it to comms@shepherdneame.co.uk with a couple of lines explaining where the photo was taken and any other background information.

You can enter up to three images by the closing date of Sunday March 31.

Celebrate National Pizza Day with free meals PIZZAEXPRESS is giving their epic pizza away for free to diners wearing a black and white striped top, in celebration of National Pizza Day, this Friday (9 February).

In a nod to the pizzeria brand’s iconic striped attire, PizzaExpress is encouraging diners to “earn their stripes” by embracing its famous monochrome aesthetic.

Those who show up sharing their love for the brand will be rewarded with their choice of a free Classic, vegan or gluten-free Margherita pizza.

To claim their free pizza, customers simply need to arrive in their stripey top at any PizzaExpress, but you’ll need to be quick as there’s just over 14,000 to claim before 4pm on Friday 9th February 2024.

Simply get there early, order a Margherita pizza, and the pizzeria team will do the rest.

Atul Kochhar’s Pantiles restaurant opens today RENOWNED chef Atul Kochhar opens his latest restaurant today on The Pantiles.

It promises Atul’s celebrated pan-Indian menus, served with a contemporary British touch and will be in the building of the former site of family-run Woods Restaurant and Bar. Essence will feature a spacious restaurant, bar and a private room, whilst in the summer months, the eatery will spill out onto a spacious terrace to allow al fresco dining on the promenade.

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Town Hall appoints Hub Manager as first phase of co-working project opens

By Eileen Leahy THE revitalisation of the historic Town Hall building in Tunbridge Wells is well underway with the first phase of the new co-workspace opening to the public on February 12.

The building, which has undergone extensive refurbishment, is being opened in phases over 12 months as works progress and more space becomes available. Phase one has now been launched – and the new space includes meeting rooms, a co-working communal area and several offices.

Workshops The project’s operator, Town Square Spaces Ltd (TownSq), announced that it has appointed Lucie Merkl as the Hub Manager.

“Lucie will be responsible for finding and supporting new members, sourcing and organising business mentors and workshops, arranging events and the general day-to-day running of the space,” a Town Hall spokesperson told the Times.

Lucie is already well established in the community, having lived here for 27 years and previously run her own florist and antiques business, The Bloom Foundry, on St John’s Road.

Commenting on her appointment, Lucie said she was ‘delighted’ to start welcoming people to the historic building: “The Town Hall has always been such a focal point in the middle of town that it’s developed a mystique of its own amongst locals. So I’m delighted to finally be able to welcome people into this incredible space where they can collaborate, learn and work together.”

She added: “Working from home has its perks sometimes but people naturally want that social element. There is a real community ethos in the town, so to have a dedicated workspace in such a beautiful landmark building is very special.

“We’re already getting a lot of interest, so I can’t wait to be able to welcome our first

members into the space, and to start turning the building into a thriving business hub that will support and grow the community around it.”

TownSq operates the Town Hall in partnership with Tunbridge Wells Borough Council. Its Community Director, Carl Turner added: “Co-working is not just about providing desk space and internet access, it’s about fostering a community of supportive individuals and teams, who can share experience and help each other grow. The Hub Manager is the key to all of that, and so we’re delighted to have appointed someone who already has such experience of living and working in Tunbridge Wells.

“Lucie’s experience running a local business will be invaluable as she supports local start-ups and growing businesses. We’re delighted to have opened the first phase and would encourage anyone who wants to take a look, to get in touch with Lucie and book a tour.”

Cllr Justine Rutland, Cabinet member for Economic Development at Tunbridge Wells

Black Deer Festival announces first line-up for 2024 Eridge Park event

By Jack Thornton THE Black Deer Festival has revealed its first wave of artists for the fifth edition of the award-winning festival, taking place at Eridge Park on June 14-16, 2024.

Following on from big names that have featured in previous years including Bonnie Rait, Van Morrison and Jake Bugg, the Americana festival has now announced that Grammy nominated Australian singer Courtney Barnett will be joining the already announced international country superstar Sheryl Crow in the Black Deer Festival line-up for 2024.

Nominations Barnett received widespread acclaim in 2015 following the release of her debut album, Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit, winning four awards from eight nominations at the 2015 ARIA Music awards as well as receiving nominations for Best New Artist at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards and International Female Solo Artist at the 2016 Brit Awards.

Also added to the bill are the likes of Seasick Steve, Hermanos Gutiérrez, The Shires, The Staves and Villagers, alongside some of the best in fast-rising talent, such as Dylan Gossett, Nottingham’s Divorce, Michele Stodart, songwriting duo Prima Queen, and Lana Del Ray collaborator Holly Macve.

Founded by Gill Tee and Deborah Shilling in 2018, Black Deer Festival of Americana brings

Borough Council said: “We are delighted that the Town Hall is now open for business and that Lucie has come on board.

Tunbridge Wells is LUCIE MERKL a great place to work and there’s a lot going on in a very friendly and supportive business community.

“The Town Hall is looking absolutely fabulous after its refurbishment, and we are looking forward to seeing it buzzing.”

Alongside the offices, the first phase of the coworking space opens on Monday (12th) with an introductory 5 days for £5 offer for the first 50 coworkers.

To learn more about the Town Hall you can book a tour with Lucie and the team by going to twtownhall.co.uk

Davina McCall receives her MBE at Buckingham Palace LOCAL TV PERSONALITY Davina McCall was presented with an MBE at Buckingham Palace by Princess Anne last week in recognition of her services to broadcasting.

McCall was joined by her partner Michael Douglas as well as her daughter Holly Robertson for the occasion.

The TV presenter heaped praise on the Princess Royal after being made an MBE for services to broadcasting.

Inspiring THE SHIRES the real Americana and Country music, and way of life, to the UK. The duo are no strangers to the festival and events scene, having produced and directed some of the UK’s most loved, legendary Americana artists such as Neil Young, The Eagles and Bob Dylan.

Gill Tee, Co-Founder of Black Deer Festival adds: “We are so excited about Black Deer 2024.

This year we welcome the renowned Sheryl Crow to our stage, and as well as other incredible acts that have just been announced for this year’s line-up. We can’t wait to return to Eridge Park and reunite the Black Deer family with another absolutely fantastic selection of artists.”

Tickets for the three day music festival are available at blackdeerfestival.com/tickets

She said: “The Princess Royal has always been one of my favourite royals because I think as a woman or as a young girl growing up and seeing her, she always seemed to be quite gung-ho and she rather shared my ethos in life it felt like.

Yui Mok/PA Wire

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“She is a very positive, no-nonsense woman and I really like her for that so I was thrilled when it was her.”

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Greg Clark MP joins Street Pastors on evening patrol

By Ben Cornwell DURING a recent evening patrol, Tunbridge Wells Street Pastors were joined by a special observer –Tunbridge Wells MP, Greg Clark.

Street Pastors have been active in Tunbridge Wells for the last 14 years with the aim of keeping people safe while on a night out.

The teams go out three times a month between 10pm and 1.30am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

Mr Clark joined them on January 26 at their base, at Christ Church (on the High Street) to help gather supplies and log onto the CCTV, which they do before any patrol, before setting off at 10.30pm.

Active During their patrol the team often gives out lollies, water and flip flops, but they also go out armed with foil blankets, a first aid kit and dustpan and brush, to ensure the safety of residents and visitors on the streets and to clear up any broken glass or rubbish they find on their travels. In 2023,

they disposed of 199 bottles, 181 glasses, 120 cans and 18 lots of broken glass.

The team of street pastors took Mr Clark on their ‘normal’ route around town which included the High Street, The Pantiles, round past the Forum, into the Sstation (just as a train had come in) and then up into the centre of town towards the Manor House and Wetherspoons.

It was a quiet night to start off with, but as the night went on and as the clock passed midnight, they found many travelling from pubs to the clubs as well as some just starting their nights out. Mr Clark and the Street Pastors ended their patrol back at their base at 1.30am.

Mr Clark told the Times: “I enjoyed joining the Street Pastors immensely. It was wonderful to witness first-hand the great work that they do.

“They are a familiar and reassuring presence to many, and we owe them a big debt of gratitude for this voluntary and unpaid service in looking after people using our town centre.

“I am looking forward to joining them later in the year to see how a Saturday night compares.”

Read Greg Clark’s comment piece on page 12 to find out more about his experience with the Street Pastors.

Robust local support for Langton Green all-weather pitch planning application

By Jack Thornton

A PLANNING application for a new floodlit all-weather playing surface on the land next to Langton Recreation centre has received hugely positive support from local residents.

The new £1.5million project aims to ‘to contribute to the improvement of sporting and recreational facilities at Langton Green Recreation Ground’ and ‘increase the number of people of all ages and abilities participating in sport and physical activity including people with disabilities’.

The plans submitted to Tunbridge Wells Borough Council (TWBC) by the Football Foundation on behalf of the Langton Green Community Sports Association, include the resurfacing of the existing football pitch on the site with a new 3G artificial grass pitch, as well as implementing perimeter ball stopping fencing, hardstanding areas, floodlights, a storage container for equipment and new access footpaths.

Potential The LGCSA are hoping to receive funding for the project from the Football Foundation, the country’s largest sports charity, following the approval of the planning application to ensure it is completed at zero cost to local taxpayers.

The charity organisation believes there is a real need for the new playing surface, with currently over 800 members of their club playing football. It would appear that many residents agree, with the club receiving positive feedback from members in the local community, including over 100 comments in support of the plans on the Tunbridge Wells Planning Application portal.

The planning application has provided supporting documents taking into account various potential environmental and safety concerns.

The new floodlights by the pitch will ensure that the clubs and local community are able to use the facilities safely during the darker winter months.

To limit light pollution in the area, the application states that the new lighting will only be allowed to be used ‘during evenings of permitted use, after dusk and up to the approved curfew hour.’

The proposed hours for usage of the new pitch are Monday to Friday, 8am to 10pm; Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 6pm.

Furthermore, while the application includes the removal of 23 trees in the area to accommodate the proposed development, a Biodiversity Net Gain (BGN) assessment has been undertaken to mitigate the loss of the trees.

BNG is an approach to development, and/or land management, that aims to leave the natural environment in a measurably better state than it was beforehand. The assessment has determined that there will be a 17.45 per cent increase in BNG to the site.

Guy Lambert, Chair of the Langton Green Community Sports Association, told the Times: “We are so excited by this project. We believe it will benefit the whole community and deliver a wonderful new facility for everyone, at no cost to the local ratepayers. We stand on the shoulders of all those people who have enthusiastically organised sport at Langton Green since 1972, and we honour their contribution.

“I would like to thank everyone for getting us to this stage and ask as many as possible to support us via the planning process."

Wednesday Febuary 7 | 2024

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Council to launch public consultation for ‘VISION 2040’ town centre plan independent examination.

The drafted plan will provide a vision, objectives and a planning framework for the future of the town centre up to 2040.

Framework This is with the aim of diversifying and adapting the area, making sustainable improvements to public spaces and travel, attracting investments for high-quality living, working, shopping, learning, leisure, and cultural spaces, all while preserving and enhancing Royal Tunbridge Wells' heritage status and historic attributes.

TWBC is also issuing a ‘Call for Sites’ in the town centre, to identify sites which might be

Pictures: TWBC

TUNBRIDGE Wells Borough Council is holding a public consultation period for residents to have their say on the drafted long term plan for the town centre, named VISION 2040.

The Council has been working in partnership with organisations and residents to develop a strategy for the future of Royal Tunbridge Wells town centre to help create ‘a more prosperous and sustainable town centre.’

The public consultation starts on Friday 23 February and runs until Monday 15 April.

There will be several events and drop-in sessions during this seven-week period across the Town Centre (and one in Cranbrook).

The Town Centre Plan will be a separate document to the overarching Tunbridge Wells Local Plan which is currently subject to

available for development or redevelopment in the period up to 2040.

The Call for Sites is particularly aimed at landowners, developers and their agents but it is open to anyone to submit a site.

Key provisions are that the person submitting the site can confirm that the landowner is willing to make the land available for development and it must be located within the defined Royal Tunbridge Wells Town Centre boundary.

Councillor Hugo Pound, Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning commented: “It would be great to have input from all ages of our community and the team of officers and local Councillors will be out and about doing organised consultation events to explain thoughts so far.

“We really hope people get involved in helping to plan positively for the future of

yes

Tunbridge Wells town centre.”

Councillor Justine Rutland, Cabinet Member for Economic Development added: “Some initial engagement work has already been completed we want to know what you think about it before moving on to the next steps.

“Your views at this early stage in the process are very important. What do you think about the current town centre? What is important to you in the town and how would you like to see it evolve and develop in the future? What would you like to see included in the town centre?

And how it could be improved?”

Comments on the consultation and sites can be submitted by visiting the Council's website.

You can email RTWTownCentrePlan@ tunbridgewells.gov.uk, or alternatively call the Planning Policy team on 01892 554056, should you have any questions.

WITHOUT RTW TOGETHER (BID)

Marketing campaigns attracting tourists in London, South East & overseas

Grants for festivals & cultural venues

Free training through the BID school

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OUR TOWN WILL LOSE

Crucial Safe Town Partnership & CCTV Support

RTW Christmas lights

Hand-drawn Tunbridge Wells Maps

Quarterly RTW Guides

yes

RTW Together Business Improvement District (BID) is a not-for-profit organisation funded by, and representing, over 640 business members in the town centre.

Events & Trails to promote Footfall

Advertising to tour operators, coach parties & tourists

Powerful & influential voice on behalf of all member businesses

Graffiti removal & street enhancements

Security Patrols across town

There are over 350 BIDs around the UK and they are effective models for delivering impactful campaigns and initiatives through the economy of scale of multiple members.

Through its first term running 2019-2024, RTW Together BID invested over £2.1m to promote the town and encourage economic growth for its members.

Members are going to the polls throughout February to decide whether they want to renew the BID for a second term (2024 – 2029).

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Amplifi launch event hailed a huge success High Street loyalty scheme turns four

By Ben Cornwell LAST Wednesday (January 31), saw Amplifi, a not-for-profit local organisation, host a free launch event at The Amelia. The collective’s aim is to facilitate Tunbridge Wells businesses to work together to become more sustainable.

Over 120 guests were in attendance, which was hosted by Amplifi’s joint founders Pete Kenyon (Partner at Cripps) and Jenny Kitchen (CEO of Yoyo Design).

The event, managed by Colley Raine & Associates and the Amelia team, began with a welcome reception courtesy of Fuggles Beer Café, with drinks from the Greensand Ridge Distillery and the Small Beer Company. Canapés were supplied by local community group, Charlie’s Angels Kitchens, who reduce food waste and repurpose surplus produce.

Specialist Following an introduction from Jenny and Pete, the evening then centred around a series of specialist talks. The first was a video address by Mike Berners-Lee, professor and author of ‘There Is No Planet B’. Guests then heard inspiring talks from the Head of Sustainability at COOK! Andy Stephens and Elvis & Kresse Co-founder, Kresse Wesling CBE. The final speaker, Simon Heppner, who is the Founder of Net Zero Now, illustrated how sector-specific initiatives are the most effective way to get results. Guests were asked to participate in various sector focus groups led by a number of industry experts from sectors including food, drink and hospitality, media, creative and technology, professional services, public sector, real estate and construction, and retail.

Commenting on the success of the evening, Pete Kenyon, Partner at Cripps said: “We were blown away by the phenomenal response to this

Jess Gibson, founder of the TN Card, a loyalty reward scheme for Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Sevenoaks and the TN postcodes, marked her business’s fourth anniversary last week. She celebrated with many of her members and small business owners with a party at One Eight Zero, at The Claremont pub. (For pictures see page 26).

She told the Times why she decided to set it up: “It was a practical way of not only encouraging our community to support local independent businesses, but as a way of spreading the word about our small business owners and the special things they are doing, that give our towns so much character.”

Exciting

LOCAL NETWORK: Attendees at the Amplifi launch event and after months of planning, it was overwhelming to see the appetite from local businesses to work together to drive action and consider their environmental impact. We were incredibly delighted to be able to announce that RTW Together BID has committed £20,000 to help subsidise the costs for our first cohort to take the Net Zero Now journey during 2024, and as a result we saw a large number of businesses committing to joining together to harness their collective power.”

Simon Heppner, Founder of Net Action Now added: “I run a lot of events with business groups but this is the first one where I had to queue outside to get in, what an incredible starting point for Amplifi! This type of sustainability initiative, amalgamating the sector approach with a well-connected business community, has not been delivered to this scale elsewhere in the UK and I really feel Tunbridge Wells could be trailblazers in their united

businesses approach to the climate crisis.”

Jenny Kitchen, CEO of Yoyo Design added: “This is very much just the beginning of the journey, and to keep the momentum going the sector groups will continue to meet regularly and share best practice and initiatives to help them be more sustainable. We warmly invite any other businesses who would be interested in working collaboratively on the road to net zero to get in touch with us, as we know that working together will get us there faster.”

Amplifi is also supported by a local collective who have offered their expertise for free or financial support. They include Cripps, Yoyo Design, Crowe, Childrensalon, Handelsbanken, Royal Victoria Place, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council, RTW Together BID, Fuggles, AXA Health, Colley Raine & Associates, the TN card and the Times of Tunbridge Wells.

For more information, visit the organisation’s website at amplifi.tw

Jess added that although it is proving to be a great success, the last four years have been fairly tricky. “They have been a genuine labour of love, particularly when the lockdown closed our High Street within six weeks of the business launching!

I found myself homeschooling four young children while trying to grow a new business, and supporting High Street businesses while they were simply in survival mode.

“The last year however has been one of exciting growth and I am looking forward to 2024, which will see the launch of the Tonbridge Business Awards, exciting updates to the TN card app and a dedicated employer portal within the TN card website.”

Reflecting on the amount of people her independent business has enabled her to connect with she said: “It has been a genuine privilege to get to know so many of our local businesses over the past four years, and to fly the flag for local.

It’s not an easy time for our town centre businesses, and if the TN card has helped even a little to encourage us all to support them more, then it’s mission accomplished.

Happy Hour!

Join us every day from 5pm-7pm for buy one, get one free on selected beers, wines, and spirits.

01892 520 587 @onewarwickparkhotel onewarwickpark.co.uk 1 Warwick Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5TA

Local News

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

BUSINESS

Entrepreneurs toast the Property Hub’s success

Digital business celebrates release of ‘exceptional’ film

By Jack Thornton TUNBRIDGE Wells-based tech firm Digitom has just completed another successful project. The company, which was founded in 2010 by Tom Chown, has built a solid reputation for creating engaging content with purpose for a wide range of public and private sector clients, both in the UK and internationally.

Campaigns Digitom’s latest project was to create a film for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust, which is one of the South East’s busiest providers of healthcare. “Our brief was to produce a pilot film explaining the Enhanced Recovery Patient Pathway for patients of the colorectal department before surgery at East Surrey Hospital,” a Digitom spokesperson said.

This involved filming with consultants,

doctors and nurses to create a video that guides patients through pre-assessment clinic, surgery, pain management and recovery after surgery.

“The aim was to share insightful information to help patients recover from surgery, improve post-operative outcomes and enable patients to return home swiftly,” added the spokesperson.

“Collaborating with Digitom was a smooth experience from beginning to end,” explained Oliver Cudd, Digital Communications Manager for Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust.

“They exhibit professionalism and consistently deliver exceptional content.”

Digitom, which gained B Corp™ certified status last year, has also delivered multiple campaigns for clients including Cripps, British Transport Police, Horder Healthcare, PIB Group and Stagecoach Bus. They are also sponsors of this year’s Taste of Kent Awards which take place later this summer.

“Hold me to account for my actions.” No, that’s not a quote from a politician, it’s what I hear when I meet local business entrepreneurs.

Balancing running your own business and home life can be tough, and it can be difficult to find the time to commit to the improvements you want or need to make to your business.

A lot of sole traders seek the support of a business coach like me, someone who can help them to determine their priorities, then challenge them to carry them out.

My advice is that the best tool for promoting that interaction is a strategy or plan. A strategy provides a clear roadmap for your future, a structured approach to decision-making, and provides a benchmark against which you can measure your performance.

Some micro-businesses believe they’re ‘too small’ to have a strategy, however, I believe that no business is too small. Your strategy could be as short as one side of A4, what’s most important is the thinking process it promotes.

In my view, the key thing is to understand your ambition. Are you content with making a decent living? Do you need to do more to balance your work-life? Or, do you want to grow your business, take on more staff and create a legacy?

LAST Thursday (February 1), local business leaders gathered at the Finance Hub in The Pantiles to mark the business’s sister company The Property Hub’s first birthday and to participate in its first networking event of the year.

The business was launched by self-proclaimed ‘serial entrepreneur’ Gillian Palmer in February last year, mirroring the type of services offered by parent company the Finance Hub. Gillian launched that particular business in February 2022 with the sole aim of providing people with a collective of independent, expert financial services advisers all committed to providing ‘honest, intelligent, accessible advice and excellent customer service’. The Property Hub boasts a similar model for anyone looking to invest in the property sector.

‘The buzz from the guests and affiliates was invaluable. The conversations on the night certainly promise a fruitful pipeline of business for the local community’ Gillian told the Times: “Our first Property Hub event of the year was a networking opportunity rather than an educational event. The affiliates have grown in the last year from eight to an army of 25 property and financial experts – so it was imperative to introduce the extensive service offering. This was then followed by a brief Q and A session.”

Gillian added that she and her team were

BUSINESS BUZZ: The Property Hub event delighted by the turnout at the event. “The buzz from the guests and affiliates was invaluable.

The conversations on the night certainly promise a fruitful pipeline of business for the local community.”

The evening’s line-up of property experts represented the various stages of a typical project explained Gillian: “That included things like commercial financing at the initial stages, the final asset sale and every crucial element sandwiched in the middle.”

She added: “I anticipate the property team to go through the same transition as we have seen with the financial affiliates – collaborations need to grow and businesses will come and go.

Property is undoubtedly the ‘sexier’ service offering but boy did I underestimate how much our on-hand financial experts are a crucial layer of expertise if you’re also looking to navigate the financial aspects of a property project.”

Depending upon the size of your business, I split the strategy into three parts: 1. A sales and marketing plan - The ‘what, where, who and for how much’ 2. A people plan - how many staff in what positions and how you intend to lead them.

3. A facilities plan – including premises, IT systems and external support etc.

After that I think it’s best to put together a threeyear financial plan which turns your strategy into targets. You keep this and you can measure how you actually perform against it.

This mustn’t be a document you/we produce and then it sits in a drawer gathering dust. It must be a relevant, living document to which you regularly refer. Nor does it have to be set in stone. It can adapt to a changing business environment, and let’s face it, all businesses have been through some turbulent times over the last few years.

Do please get in touch to arrange a FREE initial meeting with no obligation to move to the next stage. Let’s work together to help you plan your future.

David Smith, Managing Director of Bold Biz Coaching has worked in industry for nearly 40 years, most of those in Leadership roles. He is bringing a fresh approach to business coaching and mentoring for entrepreneurs and small/medium-sized enterprises; giving you the skills you need to be the best version of you, you can be, tapping into your drive to succeed through change. Please get in touch to find out more. www.boldbizcoaching.co.uk - Telephone: 07956 045182 Email: sayhi@boldbizcoaching.co.uk

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COMMUNITY

Local News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Trees planted as part of county’s ongoing eco plan

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE Each month Thomson Snell & Passmore will be answering frequently asked questions from across the practice. If you have a legal question you would like featured in this monthly Q&A please submit it to info@ts-p.co.uk.

What issues can family mediation help with?

Kirstie Law and Desmond O’Donnell, Partners in our Family team who are also experienced family mediators, share the most common family disputes that they help resolve using mediation. In their experience, mediation works very well in the majority of cases, with over a 90% success rate.

Mediation to help agree child arrangements after separation Disputes over where children will live and how much time they will spend with each parent after a separation or divorce, are very common. Mediation can help to resolve these disputes in a much quicker, less acrimonious and less expensive way, than going to court. Mediation can also allow for more creative solutions ‘outside the box’, that would not necessarily be something a judge might impose in court.

By Ben Cornwell AS part of Kent County Council’s Kent Plan Tree strategy, 250 trees were recently planted at three different primary schools in Tunbridge Wells.

Kent Plan Tree sets an ambition for the county to extend tree cover by 1.5 million new trees and increase Kent’s average canopy cover to 19 per cent. Furthermore, it aims to restore the county’s existing woodland and tree health and provide greater protection from loss.

Ambitious Twenty-five adults and 18 children volunteered for the planting sessions in January at local primary schools: St Mark’s Primary on Ramsyle Road, St James’ Primary on Sandrock Road and Temple Grove Academy on Friars Way. The sessions were led by Kent High Weald Partnership Officer Bex Messenger.

She told the Times: “KHWP works in partnership with KCC, and as one of the county’s Countryside Management Partnerships we have been brought on board to help deliver

the ambitious tree planting goals for the Tunbridge Wells Borough. We are planting over 1,500 trees from December to February.

“At these sessions we are planting only native British trees that would be found in a natural woodland, with a particular focus on those with beneficial flowers and fruits for insects and birds throughout the year.”

Kent High Weald Partnership, which aims to connect people and nature through conservation, education and wellbeing, has two more tree-planting sessions planned for this month in the local area. It will be planting more trees at a private site on Cornford Lane today (February 7) and next Tuesday morning (February 13) at Cinderhill in Matfield.

Bex added: “The value of planting schemes such as this one cannot be overstated. The 1,500 trees planted in the Tunbridge Wells Borough will collectively provide vital natural habitats for so many invertebrates, mammals and birds, whilst also sequestering CO2 for decades – if not centuries – to come.”

Anyone interested in joining Kent High Weald Partnership or volunteering at any of their sessions can contact Bex via email at Rebecca.messenger@kent.gov.uk

Poundstretcher opens with shopping dash for foodbank

NOURISH Community Foodbank was invited to take part in a ‘shopping dash’ on Saturday February 1 in Royal Victoria Place in Tunbridge Wells as part of the official opening of the new Poundstretcher store.

With only 60 seconds on the clock, Dawn Stanford and Gina Gifford from Nourish (pictured right) were only allowed to grab one of any item and had to race around the store to gather items to be used in Nourish client parcels.

Holiday arrangements are another issue where disagreements often arise. These can be quite time sensitive. Mediation offers a much quicker route to allowing all the parties involved to discuss the issue quickly. Mediation also enables parents to understand each other’s concerns, for example, safety issues, or what curfews/restrictions are age appropriate.

Mediation to resolve financial issues on divorce When it comes to financial proceedings, it can be very difficult to predict the outcome of cases being decided by a judge.

This is because judges have quite a wide discretion, as to what settlement is appropriate in any given case. As such, potentially thousands of pounds could be spent obtaining an order that no one is happy with. It is arguably far easier to live with a settlement into which you have had input, than one that has been imposed on you.

Mediation to resolve financial issues for former cohabiting couples With cohabiting couples, there is no discretion for a judge to decide what is fair when it comes to dividing assets on separation. It comes down to strict legal entitlement. In practice, cohabiting couples can disagree, as to their respective legal entitlement and for example, what assurances were given when the property was purchased many years ago. These proceedings can be risky because the court will normally order the unsuccessful party to pay the other’s costs.

Mediation enables the issues to be explored early on and potentially for an agreement to be reached, that avoids the significant costs of court proceedings.

Mediation to resolve issues relating to variation of maintenance Court orders for maintenance can be varied both as to quantum and, in some cases, as to duration. Circumstances change and a maintenance agreement that was fair 10 years earlier, may be unfair now because incomes have changed, or circumstances have changed. Mediation enables up to date disclosure and information to be provided, so that a new maintenance order can be made by agreement, rather than incur the delay and cost of court proceedings.

Thrilled Dawn, who is the Operations Director at Nourish said: “We were incredibly honoured to be selected as Poundstretcher’s official charity for their opening ceremony. As well as fresh food and non-perishable items, Nourish supplies clients with toiletries, cleaning products and other household goods, so Gina and I focused on these items from the huge range in store. The time went very quickly, but we were thrilled to have scooped over £150 worth of goods to support people in crisis in our community.”

In addition to Nourish Community Foodbank’s presence, the Mayor of Tunbridge Wells, Councillor Hugh Patterson, was there to officially open the store.

For more information about the items Nourish needs, details of food donation points or to give a financial donation, visit nourishcommunityfoodbank.org.uk

Mediation to help agree holiday arrangements for children

If you have any questions, or want to find out more about family mediation in general, please get in touch info@ts-p. co.uk.

SUPERMARKET SWEEP: Gina Gifford and Dawn Stanford

Local News

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

COMMUNITY

casting for Mayfield School alumni set to honour TWODS young talent to star late headteacher in London Marathon in summer musical

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By Ben Cornwell FORMER Mayfield School students Alice Reynolds and Caroline Cardozo will run the London Marathon in April in memory of their former headteacher Antonia Beary.

Antonia Beary, known as Miss Beary to a generation of Mayfield students, was the headteacher of Mayfield School for 15 years from 2008 to 2023, having first joined the school back in 2006.

Alice and Caroline, who studied for the full seven years at Mayfield School until 2020, are set to take part in the annual race on April 21 on behalf of Maggie’s, a charity which offers expert care and support for those with cancer and their friends and families in centres across the UK. The former students had agreed with Miss Beary to support the charity, prior to her passing in October 2023.

Presence The pair explained to the Times that neither of them were natural runners or ‘very fit’ when they started but believed that the thought of the two of them sweating through months of training would ‘make Miss B smile’.

Alice added: “Our initial motivation for the marathon was not in memory of Miss B, but an attempt to cheer her up and hopefully make her laugh while she underwent treatment.

“For me personally, having lost a parent in my final year at Mayfield, although Miss B had been a strong presence at Mayfield throughout my time there, the hours spent in her office being put back together are memories that I will always treasure, despite the sad context to them.

“She always managed to make me laugh even

yes

MARATHON EFFORT: Alice Reynolds and Caroline Cardozo when I was going through the hardest challenge I have faced so far, and so I was desperate to attempt to do the same for her in any way I could.

Caroline commented: “Miss Beary was a huge influence on both of us throughout our time at Mayfield. She was incredibly kind, very quick-witted and always ready to help, be it with advice or aiding in the concoction of some hare-brained scheme.

“We hoped that running the London marathon and our attempts at training beforehand would make her laugh. Unfortunately, she has passed away since we started but she stays in our thoughts and prayers, and we hope to make her proud.”

The pair have made great progress with their running in recent months. During their first run back in September, they managed 3.5k before ‘collapsing on the driveway’ and being unable to

walk the next day.

Alice and Caroline have both been training when they can while at university – Alice at Exeter University and Caroline at the University of Bristol. They have now both completed several 20-km runs and a couple of half marathons. Although they would both like to debunk the common myth that ‘running is addictive’, especially when having to train in the freezing cold.

They are hoping to raise £6,000 for their chosen charity and have so far received ‘fantastic’ support from the wider Mayfield community with many Old Cornelians and teachers already donating to their cause.

If you would like to follow Alice and Caroline’s marathon journey, visit their Instagram account @BestFootForwardForBeary or donate to their fundraising page at justgiving.com/ team/best-foot-forward-for-beary

TUNBRIDGE Wells Operatic and Dramatic Society (TWODS) is seeking local young talent to join the cast of its colourful musical production this summer.

The smash-hit musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be performed at The Assembly Hall Theatre, Tunbridge Wells, from May 29 to June 1, with shows taking place at 2pm and 7pm during the four-day run.

Interest Junior auditions will be held on Sunday February 18 (with times and venue to be confirmed).

Applicants must be aged between seven and 14 years old and not exceed 158cm in height.

Please email nina.edwards@twods.org by February 10 to register your interest and find out more.

The family-friendly show, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice, features unforgettable songs such as ‘Any Dream Will Do’ and ‘Go, Go, Go Joseph’.

To book tickets, visit twods.org or call the box office on 01892 530613

WITH RTW TOGETHER (BID)

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TUNBRIDGE WELLS WILL BENEFIT FROM

RTW Together BID is seeking to renew for a second 5-year term (2024 – 2029) and will invest £3.1m of member contributions to support our town, attract more footfall and generate income.

Members need to vote YES between 1 February and 29 February to ensure the RTW Together BID continues to deliver these valuable services for our whole town.

The BID will support business members directly to help them operate as effectively as possible.

Member businesses will be promoted, alongside the town as a whole, as a destination to visit, work, live and enjoy.

Free services & resources for businesses

Free RTW conferences & training support

Love Local Campaigns & Guides supporting local businesses

New RTW free job recruitment site

Investments in public realm & greening of RTW

Guidance & advice from a dedicated support team

TW Works Campaign supporting inward investment

Street art & lighting installations

Premises, Security & Sustainability Grants

Support for Amplifi & Creative TW Partnerships

Town statistics including footfall counters measuring visitors to the town

RTW Events & Christmas launch for town

The BID will enhance our town and the local environment of member businesses

24

FebruaryNational 22 | 2023 News 10Wednesday NEWS

Wednesday February 7 | 2024 37 Food & Drink Homes & Interiors

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Harry and Charles’ meeting prompts Say cheersHundreds to these veg still following speculation of a royal reconciliation Toasting the end of drymissing January, Times Drinks Ed wildfires in Chile women and it makes for a much more respectful NEWS IN BRIEF environment that overturns stereotypes.

I have a real thing for working with people who have open minds, who I can build a rapport and sense of trust with. I look for people who are happy to share their lifestyles with me, as that’s how the best projects are concocted. Ideally I enjoy working with people who haven’t already got everything mapped out to a tee. I love to get involved original visionto and to work THE Dukein ofthe Sussex’s decision rush to the collaboratively with ahis client and architectisto King’s side following cancer diagnosis achieve brilliant results. testament to the bonds that remain between the two men.

In terms of your work, do you strained just execute Their relationship was severely the soft furnishings sidetoofstep interior following Harry’s decision downdesign as a or do you also involved inathe structural working royalget in 2020 and air catalogue of side of things ifagainst needed the service grievances thewith institution of theyou provide? and members of his family in a series monarchy team is home to interior designers, project of Our interviews. managers and tradespeople, working He was left barely on speaking terms with his collaboratively together to simplify processes, two closest relatives – Charles and the Prince of reduce costs and minimise delays often Wales.

Charles’s health scare has brought his son back to the UK and where there is contact there is the possibility of a reconciliation Harry’s controversial memoir Spare further damaged his ties with his father and brother, making claims William physically attacked him, the King put his own interests above Harry’s and was jealous of the Duchess of Sussex.

In a television interview to promote the book when published last January, the duke revealed the state of his relationship with Charles and William, saying he was currently ‘not texting’ his brother and at the time had not spoken to his father for ‘quite a while’.

Harry was last seen with members of the monarchy when he visited the UK to attend the King’s coronation in May last year without Meghan, and reportedly flew home to California within hours of the ceremony ending.

Your studio is based in Speldhurst, which must be very inspiring. What other areas in life do you draw inspiration from?

My son is sports mad and I am finding myself more frequently on the side of a cricket pitch, all over the country!

Just as I am by how a MORE than 300 people are stillintrigued missing as person can a home, I am intrigued by how wildfires thatshape ravaged central Chile for several a culture can shape a person.

My designs readily days and killed 123 people appear to be burning embrace local themselves out.culture and influences.

Authorities were assessing the damage after Arefires there any particular you are the in Valparaiso, saiddesigners to be Chile’s inspired disaster by? deadliest since an earthquake in 2010.

I have always admired that comes out President Gabriel Boric,the whowork visited the region of the Helenhas Green designs on Tuesday, saidDesign at leastStudio.

3,000 The homes are always elegant and use colourinand burned as the fires spread quickly drytexture brilliantly. alsowinds. a huge fan of the Tollgard weather andI am strong Design Group foron more contemporary design and The fires began Friday on the mountainous their fabulous art.Mar, a beach resort eastern edge ofuse Vinaofdel known for a festival that attracts the best in Mostmusic. of your work takes place in the Latin Two other towns, Quilpe andlocal Villa area. Arealso theywere all private Alemana, hit hard.projects or have you done some commercial ones you tell us Chile’s Forensic Medical Service hascould said many about?recovered from the fires were difficult to bodies We have onworkers some wonderful projects identify, butworked forensic would take both near far, From Grade samples ofand genetic material fromII-listed peoplecountry manors, to contemporary reporting missing relatives.London apartments and boutique holiday homes across the globe.

We design exclusively to the style and vision of our clients, whether they are private or commercial. We don’t look for one type of project – we really enjoy interesting elderflower.

Runscomplex long andand delicious.

Lovely. challenges and,and if wea can buildoffer. in-house then Vegan certified brilliant The UK’s longest running comic isitsearching for it’s nation’s better forfunniest all parties as the clientclass. saves the primary school money and we can ensure our 1912m’ designs are 2.

Château Pesquié ‘Edition 2021, The Beano is calling on schools and teachers delivered theyto are meant tosix, be. Majestic) Ventoux, France (£11.99, mix across thehow country enter its Britain’s funniest Ventoux, one of France’s largest appellations class competition, and to submit their best And finally, can youborder sum up interior on the south-eastern ofyour the southern jokes and gags. design philosophy?

Rhône, just eastwill of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, The best jokes go to a public vote that is a Originality and people-powered lifestyle fab place look for super-value reds like will decidetothe winning class, which will bethis design. one.

From a vineyard at around ‘immortalised’ in a special edition300m of theabove comic.sea level, this cracking Grenache-Syrah-CinsaultThe competition marks the 70th anniversary of venmorgan.com Carignan blendKids, takesknown its name from Mont Plug, the Bash Street for characters @venmorganinteriors Ventoux, peak rising 1,912 m/6,273 ft high that Danny andaScotty.

flavourful vegan-friendly tipples for you to savou

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egan wines are growing in popularity – but how can wine not be vegan in the first place I hear you cry! It’s made from fermented grapes so surely it’s appropriate for vegans?

But the critical issue here is the fining agent, which may be used to stabilise and clarify the wine before it’s bottled (so it’s star-bright and not hazy). Not all wines are fined but most are and a surprising number of the fining agents are animal-derived. Popular non-vegan fining agents include albumin (or egg whites), isinglass (a protein derived from fish bladders) and casein, the main milk protein.

Delicious Picture: James Manning/PA Wire

experienced with numerous providers. have decades of back Charles’s health scareWe has brought his son experience on site building to the UK and where there is contact there is the extensions and creating interiors, possibility of a reconciliation not only between whilst producing the best father and son, butalso Harry and William. craftsmanship and joinery, accredited The obstacles to surmount remain significant as by the Federation of Master in his 2021 interview with Oprah WinfreyBuilders.

Harry workhis oncalls yourwhen interior said CharlesWhether stoppedwe taking he was design only, ordown deliver whole trying to discuss stepping as your a working build for you, we are committed to a royal in 2019. endand result.

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PUBLIC NOTICE

Goods Vehicle Operator’s Licence Groundscare and General Services limited, Colebarn Farm, Stepneyford Lane, Benenden, Cranbrook, TN17 4BW

IS APPLYING FOR A LICENCE TO USE Halden Lane Farm Rolvenden TN17 4JG

AS AN OPERATING CENTRE FOR 3 GOODS VEHICLES AND 0 TRAILERS Owners or occupiers of land (including buildings near the operating centre(s) who believe that their use or enjoyment of that land would be affected, should make written representations to the Traffic Commissioner at Hillcrest House, 386 Harehills Lane, Leeds LS9 6NF, stating their reasons, within 21 days of this notice.

A Guide to Making Representations is available from the Traffic Commissioners office.

But fear not as two vegan fining agents are other local We use localinclude being used designers. more and more.

These photographers, local (both marketing PR, In a series of interviews to promote book, kaolin and bentonite clays)and ashis well as and on the procurement side. also love Harry attacked thefrom reputation ofWe Charles’ wife and proteins derived corn, wheat, potatoes collaborating and sharing knowledge.

Queen Camilla, saying her willingness toFor forge other plants.

Some retailers and winemakers example, a few companies know in Kent relationships with the BritishI press made her already make this information available onthat the touch the home build space and share ‘dangerous’ andtime criticised her attempts toour do bottle.

So next you’re browsing bottles values been chatting about rehabilitate ‘image’ at his cost. setting up look outhave forher the words unfiltered/unfined onathe network so people moving to wine the area can Just weeks after wasthe released, Harry and label as that will Spare indicate was made immediately find the for them.

Meghan were to right ‘vacate’ their veganUK home, without finingasked agents and isexperts likely Frogmore friendly. Cottage, with reports claiming the How many arewines in your design and is it move was by the King.team Here aresanctioned five that I enjoyed – without deliberate that it’sHarry an all-female one?

But laterthey that year reportedly phoned his realising were suitable for vegans.

Cheers!

I amon proud to be breaking mould oftothe father his 75th birthday lastthe November wish male dominated building industry.

My2022, femalehim well.

1.

Hartley’s Block Sauvignon Blanc led has royal a core team of may eight designers, Theteam warring brothers yet take to heart Marlborough, New Zealand (£10.99, developers craftspeople, but wetoare also the words ofand Charles who, according Harry’s Waitrose) privileged to have an extensive network we can memoir toldflavours them after their grandfather All theSpare, piquant of Marlborough callDuke uponoffor our larger projects too.

Our the Edinburgh’s funeral ‘Please, boys – Sauvignon Blanc are here: green mango, craftsmen and tradesmen happy to workand for don’t make my blackcurrant final years a are misery’. passion fruit, leaf, gooseberry

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Beano comic seeks funniest school class

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overs layers and b hug i down vegan

3. Se Cava With Tesco simpl vegan

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

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National News

NEWS

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Trump is ‘not immune’ from prosecution in 2020 election

Sunak claims financial pressure is ‘starting to ease’ IN A BBC interview, Rishi Sunak said pressures from higher bills or mortgage rates are subsiding.

It comes as eight million people on meanstested benefits will receive their final cost-ofliving instalment.

The £299 payment will go directly into bank accounts of those eligible before 22 February without the need to claim.

Support No further payments of this kind are scheduled and charities are urging the government to consider more support.

However, questions have been raised over whether such payments were the best way to help struggling households.

This payment of £299 is the last of three instalments that totalled £900 that will have been paid within a year.

Rishi Sunak said he was ‘sad’ to hear about parents being so strapped for cash they were watering down baby formula for their infants.

Challenged about that example on BBC Radio 5

Live, the Prime Minister said: “My job is to make sure everyone has the financial security that they want for them and their families.

He added: “Of course it’s sad if someone’s got a little one in their lives and they’re having to do that. That’s an incredibly sad thing.

“But my job is to make sure that we can ease those pressures, and actually, if you look at what was causing those pressures, it was inflation: inflation being at 11 per cent, prices going up by that much every year, it was a real struggle for people.

“That’s why it was important that we prioritised bringing inflation down. It is now coming down. That is real, that will have an impact on people because it will start to ease some of those pressures.”

Households were ‘starting to see mortgage rates come down’ and the Government had given ‘meaningful’ tax cuts.

However, a drop in global energy prices and the Bank of England's decision to increase interest rates have had the biggest part to play in cooling price rises.

year and the Republican primary frontrunner seeking to delay it until after the November election.

If Mr Trump were to defeat President Joe Biden, he could presumably try to use his position as head of the executive branch to order a new Attorney General to dismiss the federal cases or he potentially could seek a pardon for himself.

The unanimous ruling, which had been expected given the scepticism with which the three judges on the panel greeted the Trump team’s arguments, was unsparing in its repudiation of the claim that a former President could be shielded from prosecution for actions taken while in office.

Picture: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Picture: Simon Dawson/BBC 5 Live/PA Wir

A FEDERAL appeals panel ruled yesterday (February 6) that Donald Trump can face trial on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election, rejecting the former President’s claims that he is immune from prosecution.

The ruling breathes life back into a landmark prosecution that had been effectively frozen while the court considered the arguments.

The decision marks the second time in as many months that judges have spurned Mr Trump’s immunity arguments and held that he can be prosecuted for actions undertaken while in the White House and in the run-up to January 6, 2021, when a mob of his supporters stormed the US Capitol.

But it also sets the stage for additional appeals from the Republican ex-president that could reach the US Supreme Court and result in further delays.

The one-month gap between when the appeals court heard arguments and when it issued its ruling has already created uncertainty about the timing of any trial in a calendar-jammed election year, with the judge overseeing the case last week cancelling the March 4 date that was initially set and not immediately scheduling a replacement one.

The judges gave Mr Trump until February 12 to ask the Supreme Court to pause the ruling.

The trial date carries obvious and enormous political ramifications, with special counsel Jack Smith’s team hoping to prosecute Mr Trump this

Legislate “Presidential immunity against federal indictment would mean that, as to the President, the Congress could not legislate, the Executive could not prosecute and the judiciary could not review.

They also sharply rejected Mr Trump’s claim that ‘a President has unbounded authority to commit crimes that would neutralise the most fundamental check on executive power — the recognition and implementation of election results’.

“Nor can we sanction his apparent contention that the Executive has carte blanche to violate the rights of individual citizens to vote and to have their votes count,” they wrote.

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COMMENT

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

John Hurst Green Party

John Hurst is a retired Engineering Manager, living in Tunbridge Wells. He is the Green Party’s Parliamentary candidate for the Constituency

We must plant trees, not fund the burning of them TUNBRIDGE Wells is blessed with green spaces populated with many mature trees.

This was confirmed a few years ago when some of us became ‘citizen science volunteers’ by taking part in the national Canopy Cover project, estimating the percentage of tree canopy cover in Tunbridge Wells Wards via online software and aerial maps.

The results were interesting – Pantiles & St Mark’s, for instance, turned out to have 34 per cent tree cover and Broadwater, 47 per cent, which are much higher percentages than the England average of 17.5 per cent.

So it was sad to hear that the Council recently cancelled its tree planting budget – no doubt another victim of the central budget cuts brought in by the Conservative/LibDem coalition after 2010, resulting in TWBC’s income now being some 40 per cent lower than it would otherwise have been.

But that cancelled budget is nothing to the travesty that is carried out by the Government every year in subsiding the felling and burning of trees at the massive Drax power station in Yorkshire, for a few extra per cent of the UK’s electricity supply.

Some years ago, when our MP Greg Clark was Business Secretary, my wife and I lobbied him (appropriately enough in Ashurst – a ‘hurst’

capture and storage to the wood-burning units.

Analysts report that the likely £40billion (yes, that’s right, forty billion pounds) it will cost will be paid for by domestic consumers’ energy bills. £40billion is about £600 for every person living in the UK, and tots up to £46million pounds for the 77,000 adult voters in Tunbridge Wells – comparable to half the cost of the rejected Calverley Square project, and adding to all our energy bills in due course.

Folly

being Kentish for a wooded hillside, and ‘ash hurst’ sounding like the trees have been burnt) against the Government subsidising the burning of thousands of good trees chopped down in the southern USA for the Drax power station.

The Government was at that time gifting £1billion a year to the burning of trees across the UK under the name of ‘biomass’, with 80

Greg Clark

Conservative MP for Tunbridge Wells

per cent of the money going to Drax. The annual subsidies started in 2012, under the Conservative/LibDem coalition government, and will soon total £11billion.

Greg lost his position as Business Secretary in the Brexit frenzy, but the current Energy Secretary Claire Countinho recently succumbed to the Drax lobbyists and signed off on their plan to add unproven and complex carbon

The scale of the folly is breathtaking, as was the quiet way the Government slipped the news out under the radar screen.

Across Tunbridge Wells there are homeowners and community groups doing their best to preserve our trees and plant new ones – but all that comes to nought while we have a national Government that encourages the large-scale chopping down and burning of trees for the Drax power station via massive public subsidies.

There is a General Election coming and Times readers can help to stop this idiocy – ask any canvassers at your door what their candidate plans to do with the Drax subsidies – and vote accordingly!

Greg Clark was first elected MP for Tunbridge Wells in 2005. He has held a number of positions in Government, including Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. He is currently Chairman of the Commons’ Science and Technology Committee

“Tunbridge Wells is still one of the safest and best places to be.”

BEFORE Christmas I went out on patrol with our local police – some of my constituents were astonished to see me chasing through the High Street in Tunbridge Wells in pursuit of a suspect while trying to keep up with some reassuringly fit and speedy police officers who knew the patch inside out.

Last weekend I spent Friday night and the early hours of Saturday morning on the streets of Tunbridge Wells with the Street Pastors. For 14 years this group of trained volunteers has devoted weekend nights until 2am or so keeping a friendly eye open for people enjoying the night-time delights of Tunbridge Wells. With good-humoured care, and armed with lollipops, foil blankets, a dustpan and brush to sweep up smashed glass – and even flip flops to come to the rescue of girls whose high heels have given out – they made a big contribution to keeping our streets safe. They were popular wherever we went – with door staff and groups of young people to whom they are a familiar and reassuring presence at a time when people can be vulnerable. They have developed a knack – through warmth and good sense – for defusing tense situations like people falling out with each other or being refused entry to a bar. We owe them a big debt of gratitude for this voluntary and unpaid service in looking after people using our town centre.

All this reinforced my long experience that the vast majority of people in our community look

out for one another and that we have good people – whether the police or volunteers like the Street Pastors keeping us safe.

But we do need to make sure we, and they, are protected from a small minority who want to make life unpleasant for others.

Last summer I triggered a review into what I – and many of my constituents – had been noticing: a big GREG CLARK AND THE STREET PASTOR TEAM rise in antisocial But I was encouraged that some steps are now behaviour in our area. being taken. More and better CCTV cameras are A few weeks ago I met with Tunbridge Wells being installed. The Police are making extra Borough Council, the police, the CCTV patrols at the end of the school day in areas Partnership, the Youth Service, Town & Country where secondary schools are concentrated.

Housing, the Safer Town Partnership and local A new programme of after-school sports business representatives to discuss progress. I sessions is being launched to provide more for am meeting local headteachers again this week. young people to do in the evenings. And the The first thing that was evident was that I and Street Pastors plan to extend their work beyond my constituents were right to sense something the night-time economy of Tunbridge Wells to has been going wrong in recent months. The help provide an adult presence when the schools figures for antisocial behaviour showed that are out. incidents such as vandalism, violence, Last week a new head of Community Policing, intimidation and abuse had shot up by 33 per Inspector Chris Mayers, started work. It is a cent in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells last year. crucial role and we all wish him well in leading There is a long way to go to eradicate it – and, our response to community safety. His sadly, I have had more reports in recent weeks.

predecessor, Inspector Ian Jones, who has just retired after a long and effective service, left a clear request: the Town Centre policing team, which was abolished, should be reinstated. I agree and I have written to the Kent Police & Crime Commissioner, Matthew Scott, and the Chief Constable to ask for this to be done as soon as possible in the light of the sharply higher level of antisocial behaviour.

The Borough Council must play its part too: using its enforcement officers, and its security guards at the Royal Victoria Place to film those committing antisocial behaviour and to issue fixed penalty notices so that the aggressors don’t think they can act with impunity, as they too often do now. The Council is keen to pounce on drivers who get confused by its traffic restrictions and to levy over a million pounds in fines on unsuspecting citizens. I would like the Council to show the same enthusiasm for catching and fining those who make life miserable for their fellow citizens, as other local councils are doing.

Tunbridge Wells is still one of the safest and best places to be, and we are lucky to live here.

But we should be vigilant when high standards slip and take action to make sure that people can be confident on our streets. I will continue to do everything I can to encourage everyone to work together so that 2024 sees these incidents of antisocial behaviour falling decisively.

LETTERS

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

And another thing…

13

Dear Editor...

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

Historic buildings in Southborough at risk due to the Borough Council’s inaction On Friday, we met with Greg Clark MP to discuss what actions can be taken to address the poor state of the Bat & Ball and Lloyds Bank building on our High Street in Southborough.

We were pleased to learn that TWBC finally visited the site on the 19th of January and had communicated to Greg that their next steps were for TWBC to draw up a list of works that would be served on the administrators of the site. We have asked Greg to share this list and timeframe given to complete the works with us to monitor the progress of this process.

Through correspondence he has had with the administrators, Greg informed us they are currently gathering quotes to replace or repair the hoardings and that they are ‘hoping to secure a deal in the coming months’ on the sale of the property.

Regardless of this, we believe urgent work is required to make the buildings weathertight and secure until such a deal manifests.

Another meeting is being arranged shortly to include TWBC, Kent Fire & Rescue Service and the administrators of the site.

We continue to monitor this closely and inform the community of any further updates we receive.

Labour need to be realistic

THE TIMES NEEDS YOU

Diana Blackwell Chair of Southborough Society Dianne Hill Mayor of Southborough Town Council Brian Dury Chair of Southborough & High Brooms Neighbourhood Development Plan Steering Group Nell Mellerick Founder of Southborough Street Community Leonie Barker Founder of Southborough SoS

The last time a member of the Labour Party punted in the regular political column it was the prospective MP for Westminster where she repeated the manifesto pledge - as it was then, that Labour would spend £28billion a year ‘til 2030 on green issues causing a reader to write: ‘where’s the money coming from ?”. Well, now we know, Labour haven’t got anymore dosh than the rest of them, so it’s been shelved; described as “a level of ambition”. No, me neither.

Politicianese.

It’s Hugo Pound’s turn this week, but (mainly) on local issues, and the aspirational hopes, plans, wishes, pies-in-the-sky of the Alliance party.

First things first: he refers to the council’s purchase of the shopping precinct: may we, the taxpayer, know for how much? it’s our money.

Next the Sustainability Plan, very glossy, very professional: I read it; much of it is historical and marked ‘on-going’, parts of it are marked ‘possible’ or ‘future’. Others ‘completed’. Still, sounds and looks good, but just old plans dusted off and re-presented.

Then we get to ‘carbon emissions’ and I have a simple question: How are carbon emissions reduced by diverting traffic up around Carr’s Corner into Crecent Road when the direct route lies through Monson Road and onto Mt Pleasant Road - the ‘mixed environment space’. Ha! some mix! More like a dangerous concoction. I see no pedestrians.

Finally, as though we’ve not had enough, we go wandering off into national politics: fixing the NHS, and I think: ‘here we go again, punting this old worn-out football about’, then we get

green British energy which won’t be any cheaper as it will be sold at international energy prices. ‘Take back our streets’ - from whom?

Who’s got them? What does this mean? And, to end: ‘break down barriers to opportunity’, sorry, I’m lost.

Mike Pearson Tunbridge Wells

Don’t underestimate Reform

Like Matt Barnes, I was taken aback by the Lib Dem bar chart on their latest flyer, but not for the reasons he mentions. If anything, that bar chart rather flatters the Labour Party: it’s a matter of public record that Labour came fourth in last year’s election. Who knows if they’ll even have a candidate this year?

The Conservatives and Liberals may be the frontrunners but the flyer completely ignores the exciting prospect coming up fast on the rails, namely the Reform Party candidate Toby Stripp.

Reform is the new kid on the block, so I don’t suppose you’ll even publish this letter, but more and more folk in Tunbridge Wells are giving up on the Conservatives and are ready to cast their votes for a party that better represents their values.

The media and other parties may ignore Reform but they may all be in for a shock when it comes to the election.

Barry Robinson Tunbridge Wells

‘Busgate’ is the big issue

Further to Edward Baker’s letter last week about voting. If the devil himself: winged, horned,

saying ‘I read so and so’s column with a sense of irritation...’

Anyway, I read that so and so Hugo Pound’s column last week and I’m irritated. He makes reference to Tunbridge Wells Labour’s 2022 and 2023 manifestos, but they didn’t have a manifesto in either of those two years. I am not sure at one point a party adds enough meat to the bones of their stated priorities that it becomes a manifesto, but if you can write it on the back of a fag packet and still have room for another couple of points it ain’t a manifesto.

Moreover, these five priorities are not Labour’s priorities. Hugo even acknowledges they are also the ‘partnership’s’ priorities, but in a way that suggests the ‘partnership’ is following Labour’s lead and not vice versa. But that is absurd. Labour is the most junior of the parties in the coalition and by all accounts the most disruptive. They’re setting the policy agenda. They want credit for anything the coalition has done whilst also attacking their coalition partners. I suspect I am not the only one spotting the problem with that approach.

James Rands

tailed and cloven-hooved, turned up on my doorstep and promised to get rid of the hated ‘Busgate’, he’d get my vote.

Sam Goodenough Tunbridge Wells

Restaurant scene could do better

Your edition of the 1st February is full of good news about new establishments opening in Tunbridge Wells but it has to be said that the town is becoming known as the cafe and quick-food centre of Kent. What we badly need is a restaurant that has white table-cloths and linen napkins and a gifted chef who knows how to prepare wonderful food that will attract visitors from miles around.

There are one or two good restaurants but they seem to have forgotten that ‘nouvelle cuisine’ went out of fashion years ago. A recent experience in one of them that my wife and I had was having eaten starters and main courses we were obliged to go home and have a sandwich to fill up. Few, I think wish to repeat such an experience.

It would also be an advantage if vegetable stall holders and cheese shops were attracted here with all the variety of goods for sale that are found almost everywhere abroad. Free parking after, say, 7pm would also draw visitors who wish to eat out. What about it Council?

Alexander Magnus

Election fatigue before it’s started

I am going to apologise now, but clearly we’ve begun the Borough election campaign now and I think that means you’re going to get a letter from me every week replying to the column

The Times of Tunbridge Wells would like to hear from readers across the Borough. This is an opportunity to share with us any local events happening in your community. We’re keen to receive information on anything exciting going on in your village or town…

Whether you sing in a church choir, play a sport, volunteer for a charity or organise a local coffee morning or a community cinema night, we want to hear about it. Perhaps your town or village holds a weekly farmers’ market, or your church hall plays host to an amateur dramatics society or dance troupe. If so, it’s about time you had the spotlight and we are to help.

From theatre, dance and live music showcasing the breadth of local talent available to us across the Borough, to food larders and charity events that demonstrate our community spirit, there’s lots to promote and also celebrate - including the local heroes who make it all happen behind the scenes.

We are so fortunate that the Tunbridge Wells Borough is made up of a great many small but mighty communities with largerthan-life social calendars. No matter how big or small your event might be, please get in touch and we will endeavour to include it in a borough-wide round-up of what’s on in and around Tunbridge Wells.

To tell us about your event or initiative, please email us at communitynews@ timesoftunbridgwells.co.uk with your full name, the name, date and time of the event you would like to tell us about, and a short description, and we will try our best to include them all.

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

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Local News

EDUCATION

15

Key strategies to help alleviate stress and relieve anxiety in our children Former teacher and author of the book, ‘Let The Souls of Our Children Sing’ Leonora Langley reveals how practicising mindfulness, taking time out in nature and switching off from social media can all help improve our children’s wellbeing…

WHILE stress and anxiety are normal feelings of emotional or physical tension that anyone can experience regardless of age, gender, race, culture or faith, children are increasingly prone to them.

It’s not just about starting a new school or preparing for an exam, young people have become more fearful of coping with everyday situations, undoubtedly exacerbated by the two-year Covid lockdown and its ongoing impact. With one in eight children in the UK now experiencing high levels of stress, The National Institute of Mental Health estimates a prevalence of 25.1 per cent LEONORA process helps an individual to focus when anxiety in adolescents between the ages LANGLEY their levels of anxiety overwhelm them. of 13 to 18 years.

Young people can alleviate anxiety and stress As children grow, their brains develop an inbuilt by having a passion, such as a sports activity or alarm system, which is known as the ‘fight or getting involved with the arts – learning to play flight’ response, when their bodies prepare to an instrument or joining a drama group. either fight, run away or freeze. The thinking Studying something new, outside of school life, brain switches off and it’s hard to stay calm and stimulates neuroplasticity and reduces stress, in control of emotions and behaviour. It’s creating more neural pathways in the brain and important to encourage children to find activities, away from the use of computers and social media, encourages problem-solving and decisionmaking. This strategy can be particularly helpful that soothe or distract them and get them to a for young people who suffer from Seasonal place where their thinking brains are restored.

Affective Disorder (SAD) in the winter.

A strategy that all young people can use is the Talking therapy can help get to the root of ‘333’ rule for anxiety in the moment when anxiety. Counselling and Cognitive Behaviour something triggers them: firstly, look around and Therapy (CBT) can help young people to analyse identify three objects, secondly, identify three and understand their thoughts and feelings using sounds and, finally, move three body parts. This

practical relaxation techniques and strategies.

While CBT deals with problems on a conscious level, Rapid Transformational Therapy (RTT) is a proven method of hypnotherapy for stress and anxiety, using the subconscious mind where memories, failures, traumas and beliefs are stored.

As our society widens its appreciation of the benefits of slowing down and reflection, meditation and mindfulness are being introduced

‘Talking therapy can help get to the root of anxiety. Counselling and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) can help young people to analyse and understand their thoughts and feelings using practical relaxation techniques and strategies’ into the school curriculum. Mindfulness is the awareness of something, while meditation is the awareness of nothing. Both practices, as well as yoga, can teach children to slow down thoughts, let go of negativity and calm both body and mind.

The 7/11 technique (inhaling to the count of

seven and exhaling to the count of eleven) can be a highly-effective form of mindfulness in relieving the physical effects of anxiety, especially before and during exams. The inhalation triggers the sympathetic nervous system arousal response and the exhalation triggers parasympathetic nervous system relaxation response. It is intended to balance the mind and body to be alert and yet calm. Young people suffering from controlled shallow breathing, which is quite common, can manage their symptoms using Applied Relaxation, a grounding technique that helps to relax tight and pent-up muscles.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is a useful strategy to calm the amygdala, the part of the brain which registers fear responses and danger, to transform a negative state into a positive one.

It involves tapping six times using the index, third and fourth fingers joined on the so-called ‘end part of the body’s energy meridians’.

Research has shown that children with stress and anxiety greatly benefit from spending just two hours a week outdoors. A nature walk and forest bathing are wonderful ways to stimulate young people’s appreciation for the natural world and their place within it. Drawing on thousands of years of intuitive knowledge that humans have a deep need to feel a connection with nature, Forest Bathing (shinrin yoku) is believed to reduce stress and lower cortisol levels, giving the frontal cortex of the brain a rest.

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17

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BUSINESS

CULTURE

Social network

Love is in the air

Living life in colour

The TN card celebrates its fourth birthday party in style

James Viner suggests some fabulous fizz for Valentine’s Day

Talented local artist Abbie Carnegy on what inspires her work

CUTTING IT THE GALLERY’S LORENZO COLANGELO REVEALS THE SECRETS TO HIS SALON’S SUCCESS

FOOD & DRINK

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PHOTO KEY & QUILL

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

W

elcome to the first edition of your new SO supplement.

We’re now bringing you a weekly offering of all your favourite SO content within the pages of the Times of Tunbridge Wells. The idea is to reach a wider audience with all our hallmark interviews and features, and we hope that if you’re new to the wonderful world of ‘SO’ then you’ll enjoy what you find in our weekly supplements which hopefully shine a light on and celebrate all that’s good and so diverse about Tunbridge Wells.

To kick off our first one, we speak to Lorenzo Colangelo of The Gallery to find out what makes his super chic salon so special. Turn to page 22

to discover how Lorenzo has built this impressive business, which he inherited from his father Toni in 1995, into not just a local success story but a national one too thanks to the amount of awards and recognition it has received from the industry.

Also in this week’s edition we have a roundup of the things to do and see in February courtesy of our popular SO calendar, which lists all the key events happening in our local venues and places of interest. We’re so lucky to have so many fantastic things to participate in – whatever your age. And if you’d like a future event publicising then please do get in touch…

Elsewhere in the issue Jess Gibson from the TN card has a chat with

Anita Graham of The Herbal Dispensary, which is located on Castle Street and is a wonderful holistic emporium brimming with all sorts of natural remedies, which will help you achieve a more balanced lifestyle.

Talking of balance, this week we have our regular contributor Lucy Parker from FLOW Tunbridge Wells giving us advice on how to eat well in order to feel and look healthier, happier and more energetic.

With additional features on inspiring interiors, wine suggestions for Valentine’s Day and an interview with local artist Abbie Carnegy, we hope you’ll enjoy reading all the extra SO lifestyle content which you’ll find every week in the Times of Tunbridge Wells from this week onwards…

Eileen Leahy Editor SO magazine Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @somagazines

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

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19

Love where you

Live

Jennifer Cooper of Jennifer Cooper Timesaver, an organisation which offers support and guidance to independent businesses, tells SO where she likes to stroll, shop and socialise in Tunbridge Wells…

Whereabouts do you live in the Borough of Tunbridge Wells?

I live in Rusthall village.

How long have you lived there and what made you decide to move to the area?

We’ve lived here for 15 years. I’m from Bedfordshire originally, my husband and I followed jobs down to Kent 25 years ago. We lived in a few places over the years including Maidstone and Headcorn before deciding to put down roots in Tunbridge Wells. I looked at the Rusthall website, saw the picture of the green and fell in love…

Are there any nice views or walks near to your home?

We are spoilt for choice in Rusthall – whichever direction you go there are great walks. But in my opinion the best view is by The Beacon over Happy Valley. Southwood Playing Fields is fantastic for a quick stretch of the legs – my kids loved the play equipment there when they were younger.

When you are in town where’s your favourite place to go shopping – and do you have any specific retailers you like to support?

You can pretty much get everything you need on Rusthall High Street. There’s The Venture Ironmonger for household essentials, cards and gifts; the best Hospice In The Weald Shop; health and wellbeing emporium Botanica; One Stop and a pharmacy. Oh, and there’s Manuel’s for takeaway lunches! If I’m heading into Tunbridge Wells then Whirligig is brilliant for interesting gifts, M. Saltmarsh for stationery and then of course the legendary Jeremy’s Home Store for storage solutions.

“I regularly head to Charlotte’s In the Pantiles. I run a free weekly co-working session there every Thursday and it is the best place to be” Where do you like to grab a tea, coffee or a slice of cake?

The Daily Bread in Rusthall is a must visit as they do the best crumpets in the world! They also have a pretty garden out back not everyone knows about. The A Star Café in Rusthall does an excellent mug of tea. In town, you have to go to The Pantiles for Charlotte’s, The Old Auction House, Hatton’s, and The Pantiles Café. Gusta and Haven on Camden Road are also must visits.

And Even Flow. There are actually too many great places to choose from!

Do you have a preferred restaurant you like to dine in regularly?

We don’t tend to eat out much, if we do it is usually a pub lunch. Favourites include The Castle Inn, Chiddingstone, The Huntsman in Eridge and The Crown Inn at Groombridge.

Which places do you take people when they come to visit?

Toad Rock! To decide if it does look like a toad

(it does) and then for a spot of clambering and exploring the cave.

Where’s the best spot to go for a Sunday stroll in your local area?

A favourite path takes us through Shadwell woods and round the back of Speldhurst and Langton Green. It’s always amazing when the bluebells are out.

If you’re looking to relax and unwind, where’s your favourite place to go?

I love The Amelia – the study room there is brilliant for some peace and quiet. Alternatively I also like to make the most of the fact that we are within an hour of the coast, so I enjoy popping down to Pevensey or Pett Level.

Where do you like to meet friends and socialise?

I regularly head to Charlotte’s In The Pantiles. I run a free weekly co-working session there every Thursday and it is the best place to be. The team are so welcoming, make the best coffees and it is just a joy being there!

What do you like to do when you spend a weekend or day off in the local area?

Books are a favourite pastime, and the one thing Tunbridge Wells is missing is a great independent bookshop so I tend to go to Sevenoaks Bookshop for a book fix. I also enjoy a stroll around one of our local parks – Dunorlan or Haysden are always a treat.

Why do you love where you live?

It’s because of the people. Rusthall and Tunbridge Wells are full of kind and generous people working hard to make our community better – from the Bonfire Committee and Community Larder in Rusthall to amazing initiatives like the spoken word event Word Up at the Old Auction House, and the Big Reveal over Christmas, residents want to ensure there is as much to get involved with as possible.

20 Calendar

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Jack Thornton brings you the most entertaining events happening this February BEING INBETWEEN EXHIBITION

BAIT

FEBRUARY 9-JUNE 16

SEVERAL DATES AND TIMES FROM

Being Inbetween is a free exhibition in The Amelia Exhibition Space of powerful photographic portraits exploring the complex transition between childhood and young adulthood. Awardwinning photographer Carolyn Mendelsohn has worked collaboratively with 90 girls who are in the midst of navigating this complex, and potentially defining, period in their lives.

PEPPA’S CINEMA PARTY FEBRUARY 9-11 (VARIOUS TIMES)

FEBRUARY 10-18 A nerve-shredding piece of narrative theatre with terrifyingly tricky escape room elements, BAIT is back to deliver a truly immersive horror experience to The Assembly Hall Theatre.This ghastly creative venture seeks to test your logic, reflexes, and resolve with a series of gruesome challenges and a number of truly stomachchurning close encounters with a creature from your worst nightmares. Book your tickets at baithorror.co.uk

BEING INBETWEEN Selection of images by Carolyn Mendelsohn

This year Peppa Pig celebrates her 20th anniversary and to mark such a HUGE occasion she is throwing the MOST EPIC PARTY EVER and all of her friends are invited – that’s you!

Featuring the voices of Katy Perry as Ms. Leopard and Orlando Bloom as Mr Raccoon in an episode of the three-part Wedding Party story, the whole family can enjoy 10 never-seen-before Peppa Pig episodes! So, grab your coat and jump into your boots, let’s be on our way to the Peppa Cinema Party at the Odeon Tunbridge Wells. Book your tickets at odeon.co.uk/films/peppas-cinema-party/ HO00005111/

Did you know?

In 2014, a 40-year-old Italian woman by the name of Gabriella Capra (In Italian, the word capra means goat) decided she couldn't handle the ribbing from her friends and co-workers based on the similarities between her name and Peppa Pig's friend, Gabriella Goat, and sued Peppa's creators for roughly $125,000.

WINTER LANTERN PARADE

GAME CHANGER FEBRUARY 15, 4.00PM-7.45PM

WINTER LANTERN PARADE FEBRUARY 10, 5.30PM Prepare for colour, life and music as the annual winter lantern parade returns to Tunbridge Wells.

This year’s theme is Dream Destination – think favourite holiday place, an imaginary world like Wonderland or even your own bedroom.The parade starts at 5.30pm from Calverley Road and will make its way along its traditional route to Grosvenor and Hilbert Park. Let the light in!

Level up at The Amelia Scott’s brand new free board game café – Game Changer.

Dive into the epic world of board games every first Sunday (12.00pm-3.45pm) and third Thursday (4:00pm-7.45pm) of the month in the Green Room, where strategy meets fun. Roll the dice and embark on a thrilling adventure with friends or family. From classic showdowns to modern gems, there’s the perfect game for everyone. Food and drink is available from the independent café, Fine Grind.

WTHE PANTILES MARKETS EVERY OTHER WEEKEND FROM FEBRUARY 17 Featuring a wide variety of local produce, tasty treats, antiques and artisan crafts, there is something for everyone at The Pantiles markets,

which run every other weekend throughout the year. Discover something new each time you come with a host of seasonal themes, guest traders and ever changing ranges from your favourite regular stalls.The market takes place from 10am to 4pm.

LETZ ZEP – ZEPPELIN’S RESURRECTION FEBRUARY 17 7.30PM Letz Zep are the best known and most successful tribute to Led Zeppelin and have written a page into the history of tribute bands with their achievements. Now they are heading to Trinity Theatre for one night only. Described in Kerrang! magazine as ‘Better than a Led Zeppelin Re-union’, all four members possess the considerable musical ability required to be a completely convincing recreation of Led Zeppelin in their prime, complete with the ‘tight but loose’ trademark element so essential to the raw excitement of a Led Zeppelin concert. Book your tickets at trinitytheatre.net.

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Calendar 21

HENDY TUNBRIDGE WELLS HALF MARATHON FEBRUARY 18 Famed for the scenic and challenging route (the 300-foot ascent of Spring Hill at Fordcombe is to be mentioned), meticulous organisation, value for money and friendly marshals, TW Half Marathon was voted the ‘Most Improved Race in the UK’ in 2009 and was voted the No.2 Half Marathon in the UK in 2011 by Runner’s World readers. In 2019 in the ‘Let’s Do This’ Challenge Awards it was voted the ‘Fifth Best Half Marathon in the South’.

It is one of the biggest events in the UK organised by a running club and Tunbridge Wells Harriers are very proud to have hosted the event for over 30 years.To enter the race visit twharriers.org.uk/ tunbridge-wells-half-marathon.

Did you know?

At the 33rd Edition of the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon back in 2016, Dame Kelly Holmes decided to take part in the race seven minutes after the firing gun went off. It is unknown how long it took the famous athlete to complete the course.

CAROLINE QUENTIN

LETZ ZEP

SHOWSTOPPER! THE IMPROVISED MUSICAL

AN EVENING WITH CAROLINE QUENTIN

FEBRUARY 23, 7.30PM

FEBRUARY 24, 7.00PM

Spontaneous musical comedy at its absolute finest – direct from the West End and now heading to The EM Forster Theatre. A brand-new musical comedy is created from scratch at each performance of this awardwinning show as audience suggestions are transformed on the spot into all-singing, all dancing productions with hilarious results.

These incredible performers are guaranteed to impress as they create shows packed with drama, dazzling dance routines and catchy melodies – and it's all made up on the spot.

Book your tickets at emftheatre.ticketsolve. com/ticketbooth/shows/1173650125

Find solace in your outdoor space and join The Amelia for this delightful horticultural journey with actress Caroline Quentin, as she draws on her life-long passion for gardening.Through the pages of her book, Caroline shows how much joy she gets from spending time in her garden, whether it be grappling with the best way to grow plants and vegetables or raising seeds in her potting shed. Over the years, she has come to realise that gardening, just like life, is a series of happy accidents, unplanned successes, and baffling and frustrating failures.This event will be followed by a book signing. Book your ticket at theamelia.co.uk/ whats-on/an-evening-with-caroline-quentin.html

A SUBURBAN JEWEL IN TUNBRIDGE WELLS

WWW. G A R D E N P R O U D . C O . U K DE S I G N | C ON S T R UC T | MA I N T A I N

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

s g n i h t o d o t y “We tr ” e r e h y l t n e r e f f di

Lorenzo Colangelo sits down with Eileen Leahy to tell her about why his successful salon The Gallery is shaping the future of hairdressing by relying on traditional values and cutting edge techniques…

TT

www.thegallerytw.co.uk

he Gallery on London Road in Southborough is something of a hairdressing institution. It was established in 1982 by Toni Colangelo, a trained barber and tailor who left his native Italy in 1957 to work in England. He and his family eventually moved to Tunbridge Wells which is when Toni opened a small salon, then called Barnet Fair.

He ran it until the mid 1990s before his son Lorenzo took it over.

Since then it has tripled in size – in terms of both its premises and also its team – had significant refurbishments, a name change and won countless prestigious industry awards - all of which has put Lorenzo at the cutting edge of not only the local but the national hairdressing scene too.

“We try to do things differently here,” he reveals as we sit down in his office to chat about The Gallery’s ongoing success. “I like to think we offer so much more than just somewhere you go to get your hair cut or coloured.

“We take a genuine interest in all our clients – whether they have been coming here for years or are new. I think that connection between the stylist and their client is very important and I spend a lot of time thinking about how we can make our customer experience better. If you’re going to spend money on yourself – whether that’s only once a year or three times a week – you want to ensure that it is well spent.”

Having passed a couple of hours in the salon with Lorenzo and his team for our SO shoot and interview I can certainly testify that what you get here is something very special. While we’re there every person stepping over The Gallery’s threshold is greeted by name and immediately made to feel at ease courtesy of the salon’s friendly staff. While clients wait for their appointment they’re offered hot drinks and cookies. It’s clear that famous Italian hospitality

is well and truly thriving in this corner of Tunbridge Wells.

The salon itself, which is located in a very smart double-fronted building on London Road in Southborough, is very attractive. It boasts a super chic interior – think smart herringbone flooring, funky statement lights, classic leather swivel barber-style chairs and oversized mirrors – with lots of smart Perspex shelves packed full of the premium products used at The Gallery

“We are able to offer so

much more than a haircut here. It’s a bit like coming into a family when you visit us. We have clients who have been here with us since the beginning but we are always seeing new people too so we must be doing something right!”

including Shu Uemura, Kerastase and L’Oreal.

This is certainly a place where your tresses will be treated royally.

“Attention to detail is important to me,” explains Lorenzo as he shows me around the impressive and very spacious salon, revealing that the stunning brass mirrors and decorative wall light sconces dotted around were imported from Italy, his parents’ homeland.

“My father worked very hard – even at one time with Lord Astor at Cliveden House. He built up many contacts so when he opened his own salon he had people driving down from London to see him as they knew he would give them a really great haircut. He brought a lot of love to what he did. People who could afford to go anywhere in the world were coming down here to Southborough to get their hair cut by my dad.

I remember as a kid seeing Bentleys parked up outside the salon!”

Lorenzo tells me that his father, who still lives

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

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PRIZED POSESSIONS: Here are just some of the awards The Gallery has won: Salon Of The Year (2014, 2015 and 2016) Grand Finalists in The L’Oreal Colour Trophy for the past seven years National Hairdressing Business Awards Hall of Fame Times Business Award for Creative Business of the Year 2022 in Tunbridge Wells, thrived on providing good customer service and quality – and these key hallmarks are what have guided Lorenzo ever since.

“I remember first working in Harrods and I took a customer’s coat from her and then helped her put it on afterwards and people were amazed. But it was my dad who taught me that level of personal service.”

After having worked mainly in London, Lorenzo took over the reigns at Barnet Fair in 1995 when his father decided to retire.

Eventually he would go on to change the salon’s name to The Gallery and buy the adjoining properties over several years in order to expand the business and own the site outright.

Lorenzo says that although the salon now looks incredibly high end, it is the staff and the exceptional service that are the real lynchpins to The Gallery’s ongoing success.

“We are able to offer so much more than a haircut here. It’s a bit like coming into a family when you visit us. We have clients who have

been here with us since the beginning but equally we are always seeing new people too so we must be doing something right!

“The reviews we get online and via word of mouth are phenomenal. It’s always centred around what a lovely place it is to come and how good experience is. The latter is always something I am thinking about and my team and I are constantly looking to improve it further,” explains Lorenzo.

He then proceeds to tell me about a series of professional affirmations that are regularly written down by members of staff and then displayed in Lorenzo’s office. On the day I visit these include the words ‘compassion’ ‘loyalty’ ‘communication’ ‘enthusiasm’ ‘professionalism’ and ‘family’. So I guess if you were to concisely sum up the essence of what The Gallery does so well then one glance at this would certainly inform you.

Lorenzo adds that without his dedicated team – which currently stands at 25 – none of the above would be possible. In an industry where high turnover of staff is common, The Gallery stands out by having a team who are incredibly loyal to Lorenzo.

“Some have been with me since the beginning and the overall creative skill set is really good.

I’m not going to say that it’s easy all the time –

“In an industry where high turnover of staff is common, The Gallery stands out by having a team who are incredibly loyal to Lorenzo”

you have to work on ways to keep people motivated and engaged - but the majority of people really do grow into their role.

“One of our directors, Jade, will celebrate her 20th anniversary with us this year and Becky, our salon manager has been with us for 17 and now works part-time due to having small children. Then there’s Richard, our director and colour specialist, who’s also been here for 17 years. Another salon director Jo has been with us for 23 years. We’ve got such amazing loyalty amongst our team and I believe that in turn breeds loyalty from our clients. They know they can trust us.”

Lorenzo, who is married to wife Sian with whom he has five daughters, says that being able to provide all their own in-house training contributes to this and makes a huge difference.

“I would say the majority of our stylists have trained here.”

“Every Tuesday we close off half of the salon to clients in order to carry out this training which is headed up by Charlotte who has been at The Gallery for 10 years and is our Head of Education,” he explains.

Lorenzo adds: “We are here to guide people and to advise them on what will look best – for their skintone, their hair texture and their face shape. It’s about trusting us and our expertise.

Someone recently asked me ‘how do you keep a client for 30 years?’ and I responded saying that it’s simply about consistency. Having said that, no matter how well you know someone you must never assume that what they want is always going to be the same so we will always have a consultation with clients as if they were coming to the salon for the very first time.

“That’s what people are paying for: to be looked at and to be listened to. And that’s where our values of compassion, professionalism and communication, are really important.”

Lorenzo explains that he works two to three days in the salon but that the rest of his time is dedicated to ‘thinking’.

“I’d say I spend around 75% of time thinking and working out how to make things better – for our customers and also for our team. I’m always thinking of ways we can improve.”

And one big rule is to never make people feel intimidated when they walk into his salon. “If you’re relaxed you’re going to enjoy your

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experience so much more. The goal is always to walk out of here feeling much better than when you arrived.”

Having worked in London for years Lorenzo says that when the time came for him to take over from his father he had a couple of key advantages: “I managed to fuse the importance of customer service my father had taught me with more of a business strategy. And by aligning those two things it set me on this journey.”

Lorenzo says this eventually led to The Gallery winning a number of important industry awards including the British Hairdressing Business Awards’ Salon of the Year three times. The salon has also been nominated for the L’Oreal Colour Trophies including Best in Region for the last seven years and also won a Times Business Award for Creative Business of the Year in 2022.

The Gallery has also been entered into the highly acclaimed National Hairdressing Business Awards Hall of Fame.

“Awards definitely help focus people,” Lorenzo reveals. He tells me that since lockdown the

EDUCATION IS KEY: The Gallery is not only a leading and innovative hair salon, but also one of the hair industry’s leading training providers.

The salon trains its staff to the highest level courtesy of its weekly sessions which are headed up the The Gallery’s Head of Education Charlotte Knight.

“The training we offer to our team and newest recruits is second to none.

Preparing our team to deliver an exceptional standard of hairdressing, along with structured programmes that benchmark standards throughout their development is key to our continued success,” says Lorenzo.

“As a multi-award winning salon, we believe education is key to our success.”

“The Gallery has won a number of important industry awards including the British Hairdressing Business Awards’ Salon of the Year three times. It has been shortlisted for the past seven years for the L’Oreal Colour Trophies.

It also won a Times Business Award for Creative Business of the Year in 2022” salon has hit record figures but that doesn’t mean Lorenzo is seeing his own profit margins rise. He says he ‘refuses’ to hike prices unnecessarily and wants to ensure his team can work to the best of their ability.

“If your net profits are high, your customers and staff have probably been underserved,” he states. “We want to ensure our team is looked after so I will ask them what days, what hours they want to work. It’s rare to get that level of flexibility. And we don’t just do it for those who have children. If people without kids want to work a little less than they can.

“I read quite a lot and I am particularly interested in Gen Z. Do you know what the three most important things are to them? Well after work/life balance it’s followed by organisational culture and then development opportunities. So I try and focus on those three things. That way we hopefully keep people happier.

“One of the books I’m reading at the moment is by a guy called Adam Kingl entitled Next Generation Leadership. My favourite quote from

KATA Jewellery | 48C St. John’s Road Royal Tunbridge Wells TN4 9NY 01892 482 659 | katajewellery.com

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

it is: ‘Leaders who are purpose led and human focused will always navigate turbulent times.’

“That’s a very good line when it comes to the training side of the business. We have in-house educators who take new recruits through their training and also oversee our more senior stylists on various development programmes.

What we do here is quite unique. Since Covid the industry has seen a mass exodus of hairdressers so that means that training has taken a hit. And sadly that means that a lot of salons aren’t investing in the next upcoming generation.

“But for me it’s all about investing – this industry has been amazing to me so I want to support it as best I can by giving back. Not only just in terms of training but by sharing my experience at industry events or supporting local charities. I’ve gained so much inspiration from people who were so giving with their time that it’s only fair to give back.”

Lorenzo says that as The Gallery is always looking to innovate, they have introduced new specialist services for specific hair types and can also provide clients with beauty treatments too.

“What we do here is inclusive, not exclusive.

Diversity is massive for us – from your hair type to your age. We want to be able to serve everyone.”

Valentine’s Day 3 courses & a glass of bubbles for £40 Wednesday 14th February 5pm – 9:30pm

@thebrasserie_owp 01892 520 587 brasserie-owp.co.uk

17 Chapel Place, Royal Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1YQ

K O O B !

W NO

26 Social Scene

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t h g i l

L L

ast Thursday, February 1, Jess Gibson celebrated four years of the TN card with a party for her members and directory businesses. The celebratory event took place at the new augmented reality darts club and party space One Eight Zero, at The Claremont pub on Grove Hill Road.

Guests enjoyed cocktails and a menu that included Chicken Caesar salads, tomato and pepper bruschetta, chilli and mango prawns and cheeseburger sliders. The TN card’s special 4th birthday cake was made by Sarah Hunter Cake Design and consisted of a delicious coconut and lime sponge with pink buttercream, gold leaf and macarons.

A raffle on the night raised £165 for West Kent Mind, bringing the total raised by the TN card for its chosen charity partner to £23,200 in four years.

Jess launched the TN card at Hotel du Vin in February 2020 with a handful of local businesses. It now has over 850 independent businesses in its growing directory, welcoming new additions each week.

The TN card costs £2.99 a month or £24.99 a year with 10 per cent of membership fees going to West Kent Mind. Download its app for iOS and Android or visit thetncard.com

F ub l c

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Sundays at

Salomons

Join us on 18 th FEBRUARY

Two courses £27.50 Three courses £31.50

With locally sourced ingredients and all the trimmings, savour a delicious Sunday roast at our magnificent manor house, set in the rolling Tunbridge Wells countryside.

01892 515 152 reception@salomons-estate.com @salomons_estate

ESTABLISHED

ADVERTISING FEATURE

All you need to know about home cinemas A home cinema is an investment to enjoy for years to come

If you’re hunkering down to hibernate your way through winter and looking for a comfortable place to escape the plunging temperatures and high winds, a home cinema may be on your wish list. These super luxe, high-tech spaces may seem out of reach, but they don’t have to be as expensive as you may think. Charlie Hibbins, Director of Symbiotic Smart Homes, guides you through the process of a home cinema project, explores the benefits and provides his top tips for creating your perfect home cinematic escape…

How much does a home cinema really cost?

For a small cinema room, costs can start from around £17,000 for a full installation of hardware, software, furniture, acoustics and lighting.

Of course, the bigger the room, the larger the screen or projector you will need, with more speakers required to provide the optimum experience.

Larger cinema rooms can cost upwards of £150,000, with the top-end projects easily exceeding £250,000, but Charlie explains that you can still enjoy fantastic results at the smaller end of the scale: “When you have a large room – 12 seats or more – the cost increase is exponential and, of course, we love working on projects such as these.

“However, we take great satisfaction in the smaller jobs – working within spatial limitations and budget constraints is a challenge, but we love delighting our clients with our results,” Charlie says proudly.

How much space do I need for a home cinema?

It’s a common misconception that you need a large room for your home cinema. A great starting space for a home cinema is effectively the size of a single garage.

“With updated guidelines from experts in the field, we can standardise the levels of performance to ensure we can deliver an immersive, cinemastandard experience in these smaller spaces,” says Charlie.

“The key to maximising budgets and performance for our clients is keeping our finger on the pulse of emerging technology, enabling us to provide alternatives and expertise – resulting in a cinema space that fulfills its potential.”

How long does a home cinema take to install?

The ultimate home cinema room with upwards of 12 seats would take up to six months to complete. But smaller, four- to six-seater rooms can be designed, built, installed and set up with internal lighting and all the interior finishes complete in a week or two.

A home cinema can add value to your house and make it stand out from others on the market

The perfect home cinema

To screen or not to screen? The biggest question is whether you opt to install a large TV screen or a projector system with a screen. A projector elevates the experience from a large media room or wall to a fully cinematic experience. This initial choice influences all major decisions concerning the layout of the design.

Storage hunters: Another important early question to resolve is where you will be storing the equipment. Typically, you would need a space about the size of a standard airing cupboard to house the hardware. You can keep the equipment inside the

cinema room or in a separate area of the house, in an unused understairs cupboard, for instance.

Let there be no light: A cornerstone of any home cinema design is light control, determining how to eliminate all external light sources with electric black-out blinds to block windows entirely.

Hearing is believing: Closely following the light conundrum is tackling the acoustic quality of a room. Working with the dimensions, materials, insulation and hardware, expert installers and designers can ensure the sound quality is premium.

“When creating a cinema space, the way we use acoustic materials to affect the sound both inside and outside of the room and keeping light out is key. Eliminating any external light coming in and installing well-thought-out interior lighting can elevate the aesthetic of the finished room and the overall experience,” advises Charlie.

“We work hard to create an extraordinary surroundsound experience, while limiting noise outside of the designated room. The aim is for our clients to enjoy uninhibited acoustics whilst not affecting the rest of the home.”

Transform your home with smart technology and our expertise Specialists in: • Home automation systems • Multi-Room Audio • Home Entertainment Systems • CCTV and security • Networks and Wi-Fi www.symbioticsmarthomes.co.uk

Home cinema benefits

There are many benefits to adding a cinema room to your home. The sheer elation of an optimised, dedicated space to relax makes it an investment to enjoy for years to come. Your central entertainment hub, your family and friends can enjoy all the delights of an immersive cinematic experience with none of the drawbacks of a public screening.

A home cinema room is the perfect place to come together to enjoy films, screen big sporting events or even just binge-watch your favourite series in peace! Additionally, it can add value to your home and set it apart from many other homes on the market.

01892 257258

MAKING HOMES SMARTER

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

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Property Feature 29

“Winning two prestigious design awards means the world to us...”

FUTURE-PROOFING HOMES TO PROTECT OUR POCKETS AND THE PLANET

With the escalating challenges of climate change and dwindling natural resources, everyone now understands the importance of reducing their carbon footprint, and for many this starts at home.

Deborah Richards, Managing Partner of Maddisons Residential, highlights the need for energy efficient homes, both in new builds and in adapting our existing housing stock.

As the world grapples with the adverse effects of excessive energy consumption, the emphasis on sustainable practices has intensified, and by combining cutting-edge technologies with environmentally conscious design principles, modern homes dramatically reduce the need for excessive heating, cooling and lighting.

For those who follow me on social media, you will know that I have recently built my own home. This was the realisation of a long-held dream: creating a home that exactly meets my family’s needs, but equally – as a permanently cold soul – fulfilled my desire to live in a warm, energy efficient home.

A Tunbridge Wells-based property development business has received special recognition for its exceptional renovations. SO discovers the secrets of Presence & Co.’s impressive success around the UK… EXPERT local property and landscaping project, a historic building restoration firm Presence & Co. is celebrating two of that has a distinctly modern extension.

“This property stands as the fourth its employees winning two prestigious building and design project executed by design awards for their work in a city Presence & Co. in York, adding to our that has just been voted the Top UK expanding portfolio,” revealed the Destination for 2024 by Condé Nast Presence & Co. spokesperson.

Traveller magazine.

The company is known for its skilful The prestigious Tunbridge Wellsability to source buildings with based company, which rebranded from developmental potential and then Integra Property Management last month, told SO that two of its colleagues in York, Portfolio Director Debbie Terry and her assistant Jessica, “The company is known have won two top accolades in the 2023 for its skilful ability to York Design Awards. They are in the source buildings with Commercial or Community and The developmental potential Press People’s Choice Award categories. and then manage the The first was voted by York Design judges while the latter was voted for by entire process from the general public. initiation to completion” Presence & Co. has a number of development projects all over the country and boasts an impressive portfolio of 24 units in York, which are all overseen by Debbie and Jessica.

A spokesperson for the company told the Times: “The 24 units feature eight holiday lets which are tailor-made for unforgettable city breaks in the heart of York. Renowned for its vibrant foodie scene, thriving festivals, and the ease of exploring on foot, the city promises an unparalleled getaway experience.”

Debbie and Jessica’s two victories at the York Design Awards were for work done on JESSICA (L) AND DEBBIE the company’s 7 Tower Street

manage the entire process from initiation to completion. The projects undertaken in York City centre involve Grade II listed structures, which underscores Presence & Co.’s dedication to preserving and enhancing the architectural heritage of the city.

Since the business’ formation in 2005, it has grown and diversified to provide a comprehensive range of services. These include estate management services, facilities management, health safety and environmental, construction and maintenance management, property accounting services, as well as sales and lettings.

Presence & Co. also offers management for both residential and commercial properties. With a £300million portfolio, including 242 managed units and over 250 clients, it has extensive experience managing and delivering to a high-end professional standard.

Reflecting on their win at the York Design Awards, Debbie Terry said: “In the 15th year of these awards, facing tough competition with entries from the past five years due to the pandemic, winning not one but two awards means the world to us.

“It’s recognition of the immense effort and dedication we put into restoring a derelict office building to its former glory, aligning it with modern living. It’s truly an honour for both Jessica and me.”

I chose to build an ICF house – Insulated Concrete Formwork – partly because of its energy efficiency. The cost of my utility bills has plummeted, but furthermore, I am warmer than I ever was in my previous 1920s home.

Energy-efficient homes serve as beacons of innovation, driving the development and adoption of green technologies. From solar panels and energy-efficient appliances to advanced insulation materials, these homes showcase the potential of sustainable solutions. This not only translates to lower utility bills for homeowners but also a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

However, we live in a beautiful town, characterised by period properties that will not readily conform with energy efficiency. With more challenging seasons, buyers are increasingly scrutinising the energy efficiency of properties they are considering. It’s therefore helpful to know that measures can be taken to improve even the oldest homes (I visited a Victorian house recently that had been completely internally bubble wrapped, and boy was it warm!). So, I would encourage anyone to investigate further. Ultimately, we all want to help the planet, and our pockets.

Meet the expert: Deborah Richards is the founder and Managing Partner of Maddisons Residential, a leading, award-winning independent Sales and Lettings estate agent based in Tunbridge Wells, offering expert advice and exceptional customer service.

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

30 Arts

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Why it’s good for men to have the opportunity to talk

Trainee counsellor Mark McBennett tells SO about the new men’s support group he is launching at the end of this month and previews the Make Me A Man screening he will be hosting at Trinity Theatre on Tuesday February 13…

M M

en – are you turning your back on your problems? Ask just about any therapist or counsellor and they’ll tell you that this is the time of year when they receive the most enquiries from people looking for support. But I’ll tell you who’s not reaching out – men. I’m hoping to do something about that, starting this month here in Tunbridge Wells. More about that below.

Men have their Mental Health month, or Movember, but what about the rest of the year?

What about ongoing support for men in talking openly, challenging stereotypes, or understanding masculinity in a changing world?

One in five women and one in eight men face common mental health problems such as depression, anxiety, or panic disorder. But official statistics are skewed by the fact that men are far less likely than women to report mental health issues. What’s clear is that men are three times more at risk and three times less likely to seek help.

Help is at hand, and it comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, with organisations like Men’s Sheds, centring around community projects, or The ManKind Project, which offers ‘lifechanging experiential training and support groups for all kinds of men’. MANUP? seeks to break the stigma around men’s mental health,

while Spoke promotes mindfulness techniques through music geared towards men.

My personal helping hand, in the aftermath of divorce and the death of a parent in 2018, came in the form of a closed men’s group. The group is closed in the sense that it has a limited number of members (in our case, nine) who meet up every other week and can continue to meet for years or even decades, with only very occasional changes in membership. This continuity creates a space of real trust, stability and support, balanced with accountability and challenge when necessary.

I joined my group with only a vague sense of what I needed and without the vocabulary to

DID YOU KNOW? ● Only 36 per cent of all NHS referrals for psychological therapies are for men. ● Men are three times more likely than women to use drugs and alcohol to deal with their feelings rather than talk about them. ● In England, the male suicide rate in 2021 was 15.8 per 100,000, compared to the female suicide rate of 5.5. Men aged 50-54 have the highest suicide rate at 22.5 per 100,000.

talk about it. I have learned an incredible amount, about the other guys but most importantly about myself. In fact, it changed my life so dramatically that I trained as a group facilitator myself. I’m now starting a new men’s group in Tunbridge Wells, and we’ll be meeting every other week from the 28th of February.

I’m often asked, ‘What is a men’s group?’ I can describe it, but it’s a very difficult thing to really convey. That was a reason behind the making of the acclaimed 2021 documentary Make Me a Man, a film that combines scenes shot at WWI memorials and the Somme with interviews with men from my group and others in a loose ‘collective’ of four groups in London.

It ‘invites you on an emotional journey into a men’s group, to inspire self-inquiry and encourage vulnerability’.

There will be a screening of Make Me a Man followed by a live Q&A session, next Tuesday February 13 at Trinity Theatre. That’s the night before Valentine’s Day, so a ticket to the film would make an ideal nudge to get your man to start talking about his feelings! For details, visit: trinitytheatre.net/events/make-me-aman-15-qa To join the waiting list for the Tunbridge Wells Men’s Group, message or call Mark on 07522-061389 or visit fatherlessons.com/ mens-group/

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

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Arts 31

“I see ideas everywhere…”

Abbie Carnegy, below, is a talented artist from Hever who swapped her career in beauty and fashion to create the most beautiful paintings. She tells Eileen Leahy all about her colourful work which is inspired by a myriad of aesthetic things When did you start painting and why?

I’ve always been creative. I went to art college after school and then went on to do a degree in History of Art and Masters in Oriental Art at Edinburgh University.

After that I didn’t pick up a paintbrush for over 20 years until I went to Chelsea College of Art (COA) to do a course on under the Dean, George Blacklock.

Although my education was all art-focused, my career before painting was in the beauty and fashion industries.

s we enter the second month of 2024 and gradually emerge from the darker winter months, we are certainly in preparation mode here on the ground at Bewl Water, and more specifically, at our nature reserve.

The life and work within our 117 acres of designated nature reserve are never dull, and no week is ever the same. Nature goes about its business, and so do we as we take on a multitude of tasks to clear and prepare our way for brighter and warmer days.

When were you able to make it a full-time career?

It was after my course on Abstract Expressionism at COA that I decided to make a full-time career out of painting.

At the end of my course, I sold all my work within two hours and had a feeling I could make it into a full-time job.

Did your background in fashion influence your particular aesthetic style?

Yes. I get a lot of inspiration from fashion and textile designs. Alice Temperley, Julian McDonald and Matthew Williamson give me a lot of ideas in terms of colours and colour combinations. I also look to batiks and ikats from Africa and Asia for bold patterns and designs.

What inspires your work and does this change on a regular basis?

I’m inspired by so many different things. From fashion to music to Chinese calligraphy. Even trails on a ski slope can inspire me to create marks on a canvas. I see ideas everywhere and I glean little bits of information from so many sources. It is rare that a painting is inspired by just one thing, it’s usually an amalgamation of a number of things.

For example, the ‘Walking A Tightrope’ series is a collection of seemingly simplistic lines, but there’s so much more to them than that. The paintings have a heavy Chinese influence from not only growing up in Asia, but also from my Masters degree in Oriental Art. The composition is inspired by the flow and form of Chinese calligraphy and how the eye is constantly invited on a journey especially in ancient Chinese landscape paintings. I used a calligraphy pen whittled from bamboo to allow the music to depict the ebb and flow of the ink. Colour-wise my inspiration (like so many things) is from fashion. Matthew Williamson’s bold and brave use of bright colours often juxtaposed and blocked are in mind here. In addition I was constantly thinking of Cy

Rangers’ View A

This week, we have continued to enjoy the bird activity across the nature reserve, which is free to visit and just a short walk from Wards Lane.

Twombly’s Bacchus series from 2003-2208. The free, abstract, gestural lines crossing the surface in a single, powerful colour. So although they look like simple lines and splashes, they really are so much more! As Leonardo da Vinci said ‘simplicity is the ultimate sophistication’ and I like to carry that thought throughout my work.

I managed to incorporate all of the tropical sunsets, azure waters sandy beaches and of course the bikinis in a 2m x 1.5m canvas. She loved it and actually cried when she saw it!

Does anyone famous have your work hanging in their home?

They do! I have collectors who are well-known in the world of TV and fashion. One in particular asked for a commission and ended up buying five additional paintings in one go. I can’t name names of course…

You have travelled extensively throughout your life. Has globetrotting informed your work too?

Absolutely. Growing up we travelled a lot. By the age of 18 I’d lived in 10 countries and travelled extensively in over 30. Seeing spices piled high in the markets of India, brightly coloured bikinis on the beach in Bali, the crisp white snow on mountain tops in Switzerland, the turquoise water in Zanzibar and the bright city lights of Hong Kong have all had a lasting effect on my artistic influences. There is even a bright red Chanel lipstick that I remember so well being put on by a lady in a cloakroom in Singapore. To this day, it’s that red that is still the most perfect shade of red I’ve ever seen!

Can we see your work displayed anywhere else of interest?

I have my studio in Hever, where my work is on display. I’ve divided it into half gallery and half workspace so people can come and see finished pieces as well as work in progress.

My work is on sale in some gorgeous fashion boutiques too. I love clothes and I really think having my work on sale among beautiful dresses is a good fit.

You can find my work at The Jax Boutique (thejaxboutique.com) Feather and Stitch (featherandstitch.com) and Pom London (pomlondon.co.uk)

“I’m inspired by so many different things. From fashion to music to Chinese calligraphy. Even trails on a ski slope can inspire me to create marks on a canvas”

What do you enjoy most about painting?

I love the process of turning an idea into something tangible and real. I love being able to take thoughts and feelings and turn them into a physical work so that when it’s looked at, all these feelings come flooding back. I also love colour and I especially love combinations of certain colours – they make me very happy.

You enjoy collaborating with people on individual commissions why do you do this?

I really love collaborating with clients and working on commissions. To be able to imbue someone’s emotions or memories into a bespoke, abstract piece of art gives me so much joy. A client recently asked me to do a commission based on her favourite family holidays.

She bought a big bag of bikinis and a bunch of photos and I took it from there.

Do you have any exciting plans you can tell us about for 2024?

I do! I have commissions to finish and new collections to start. I’m also hoping to do a couple of exciting fashion collabs this year. I’ve got a lot of ideas and just need to get them on canvas!

I’m also hoping to be part of an exhibition in the Spring in London and to invite more people to see my work in my studio.

SEE MORE AT abbiecarnegyart.com

We made some headway on repairs to the bird hide, which was installed by our friends at the Sussex Wildlife Trust. Sightings of some of our favourite birdlife keep us all entertained, including the Great Crested Grebe and Little Grebe.

The Little Grebe is as sweet as it sounds, with its fluffy rear end and a tendency to dive when it gets frightened, often emerging from the water much further away.

We have also been coppicing trees and shrubs across the nature reserve in recent weeks too. Coppicing simply means cutting things back hard, almost right to the ground so that bright new growth can spring up.

This is quite labour-intensive work, but the way it opens up our woodland for wildlife and contributes to our ongoing conservation efforts is incredibly rewarding.

So, next time you’re at Bewl Water, we encourage you to explore our reserve, with the clearer views it naturally and deliberately offers at this time of year. There really is so much to see!

bewlwater.co.uk @bewlwater

32 Community

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“I’ve always had a deep love and appreciation for the natural world”

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

and regulars who come to get repeats of my herbal remedies that they’ve tried or who want to sample other products too. I also get customers coming in to make bookings with me for consultations in the clinic. I treat all ages, but a fairly high percentage of customers are women between the ages of around 35 to 60 who need help with the stages of menopause, or want general help with wellbeing, nervous system functioning, energy and sleep etc. Some people just pop by out of curiosity or to support my business with kind comments and I have also had a large number of local therapists introducing themselves which makes my business feel very supported.

What is your advice for those of us wanting to improve our health and wellbeing in 2024?

My advice for women starting to notice changes in their hormonal balance, or nervous state, is to treat it early so that things don’t get too out of balance. For example, Herbal Medicine and dietary support can help greatly through each stage of the menopause. I have seen women at this phase of their lives for so long now and have helped many who want holistic, natural alternatives to HRT. At all stages of the menopause, prescribed herbal medicine serves to strengthen and calm the nervous system, support the gut, assist liver and endocrine function, and help improve hormonal balance leading to greater balance and wellbeing. My advice is to give natural herbal treatment a go – the risk of side effects is very low, and it offers huge benefits for many. It can also be used in a supportive role alongside HRT. Herbal Medicine ‘done properly’ involves taking the right herbs at the right dosage with the right advice so try to check with a qualified herbalist to see what is best for you.

How are you finding life in Castle Street?

The TN card is the Tunbridge Wells loyalty scheme that rewarding shoppers for supporting local.

This month its founder Jess Gibson chats to Anita Graham, Medical Herbalist and owner of apothecary shop and clinic The Herbal Dispensary on Castle Street, Tunbridge Wells…

Anita, congratulations on your beautiful new premises in Tunbridge Wells. How long have you been open now and where were you based before this?

Thank you! I opened in Tunbridge Wells in March 2023. Prior to that I ran a herbal dispensary and clinic in Sevenoaks for 21 years.

What services do you provide at your clinic?

I run my apothecary shop for customers to come and seek advice for herbal health care and have a variety of products for sale. The shop is open Wednesdays to Saturdays from 10am to 3pm.

My clinic room provides the opportunity for customers to book tailor-made professional herbal consultations with me. Initial consultations are 60-75 minutes and follow-ups are 30-45 minutes.

My fully-stocked dispensary within the shop allows me to make up my personalised prescriptions for patients to take home following the consultation.

What will we find on the shelves in your shop?

I have my range of over-the-counter remedies which range from a variety of formulations for coughs, colds, ‘flu, indigestion, adrenal tonics, hayfever, immune support, nervous system support and sleep aids, plus many more. I offer these once I’ve consulted with the customer about any other health issues and whether they are taking any concurrent medications. I also stock a range of herbal tea blends, medicinal creams and capsules. There are a few highquality non-synthetic products ie. bath soaks, soaps and candles, too.

ABOUT THE HERBAL DISPENSARY LOCATION:

2 Castle Street, Tunbridge Wells TN1 1XJ

VISIT FOR:

Herbal remedies, natural products and herbal medicine clinic

MEMBER REWARD:

15% off initial consultations and 10% off follow-up consultations. A 50g bag of our 'tea of the month' when spending £35 or more on products in the shop (excluding prescriptions). thetncard.com/ the-herbaldispensary

What conditions do you treat and what do you specialise in?

I specialise mostly in treating anxiety, stress, sleep issues and all the stages of the menopause.

Plus a range of gynaecological complaints including endometriosis, PCO, PMS, menstrual irregularity and period pain. Patients also book to see me for mild to moderate depression, digestive complaints, immune health, post-viral support and recovery, migraines, hypertension, arthritis, skin issues, and child/teen health. This list is not exhaustive, so I advise customers to call the dispensary for any queries as to whether I may be able to help.

How did your journey in herbal medicine begin?

I’ve always had a deep love and appreciation for the natural world. In my early twenties I was introduced to a well-known herbalist in London.

He agreed to meet me for tea so I could quiz him about his work and the route into herbal medicine. He also treated me successfully with herbal medicine. I went off travelling shortly afterwards for 14 months and when I returned to the UK I started the professional four-year BSc Degree course. As a student, I worked as a dispensing assistant for two Medical Herbalists.

Once I qualified in 2001, I became a member of the National Institute of Medical Herbalists and set up a herbal dispensary and clinic straight away and started seeing patients.

I like Castle Street a lot. It has its own sense of character which is very appealing. It’s great being part of this local friendly business community and some of the Castle Street residents do pop by for a chat. My shop is just a few metres from the old High Street and is close to the Common, The Pantiles and the train station so I think it’s in a really good location and I really enjoy being in this part of town.

What can we look forward to from the Herbal Dispensary this year?

Herb walks will feature again this year and herbal workshops, gatherings and talks will also start soon. My range of products in the shop will continue to increase and Allergy and Food Intolerance testing will be available in the clinic too.

“My advice is to give natural herbal treatment a go – the risk of side effects is very low, and it offers huge benefits for many”

Thank you for joining the TN card. Why is it important to support local and how do you thank TN card members for using you?

I was born in Tunbridge Wells and as I have lived here or nearby for many years, the town has a special place in my heart and I really want it to thrive. I’m told by many that my business is really needed here, which I appreciate. I am glad to be part of the TN card and thank members for supporting local. When they spend £35 or more they’re given a packet of ‘Tea Blend of the Week’.

Also, anyone booking an initial consultation with me is entitled to a 15% discount.

Who is your typical customer?

Herbal medicine treats many different health issues. I have mothers coming in to seek herbal advice for their children and teenagers, others wanting help for their partners or for themselves

Jess Gibson

Founder, The TN card

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

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Health & Wellbeing 33

vegetarian for years and love that my food is fresh, colourful and locally sourced. It’s meaningful to me and I feel the value in choosing to eat this way.

Let’s not forget to ask ourselves why we eat.

Do you regularly eat to comfort yourself, or suppress your feelings? Does eating cover up some emotional or mental dysregulation that you might do well to address and explore with a qualified counsellor? Do you, like so many people use eating, or restricting your food intake, to control or distract yourself? If so, now

RIGHT RELAXATION

RIGHT NUTRITION

RIGHT THINKING

questioning your need for three meals a day or if you might fare a little better compressing your eating window. It helps you ponder when to eat and if a more regular fasting window might suit you. For example, I now don’t eat before 11am and try to finish my evening meal by 7pm.

That gives me a regular eight hours of eating and 16 hours that are food-free.

Next, what to eat. Most of us know the basics of what foods are more nutritionally valuable than others. However, we all have different digestive systems that will respond better to some foods than others and this is worth investigating. You might want to record your glycaemic index with a glucose monitor, or you might want to follow a particular style of eating such as vegan, vegetarian or pescatarian.

Again, I ask you to be mindful and curious. Just because you’ve done something for a while, or forever, doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re serving yourself well by continuing to eat that way. Have you considered where your food comes from, how you feel about eating animals and whether organic food is the way you want to go? With the increase in the cost of food, these are becoming increasingly important questions and vital when feeding a family. I’ve been a

RIGHT BREATHING

II

’d like to make it clear from the outset that I’m no expert in nutrition. I’m not a trained nutritionist and have zero qualifications in the field. Why then am I writing here about nutrition and offering my recommendations?

Well, besides the fact that Right Nutrition is the fourth pillar of our five-pillar foundation for health, I’m also a true believer that we are what we eat. I consider some important, albeit basic, nutritional concepts key to our physical, and mental, health. My argument is that it does matter what, when why and how we eat, and my suggestion is to always eat consciously, considerately and mindfully.

Now, I know this is not always conducive to a busy lifestyle where fast food is readily available and there’s a sweet shop just around the corner.

Convenience food may be convenient and yet is it nutritionally valuable, environmentally sustainable and supportive of our unique digestive system? Here’s what I suggest, take a long hard, honest look at what you eat, when why and how. What food myths do you believe, what habits have you fallen into and how do you justify them to yourself? Nutritional advice is a mind field of conflicting ‘evidence-based’ concepts, ideas and recommendations. My method has always been to do what feels right for me, learn as much as possible, explore the options, and then give it a go.

Let’s start with when. A lovely friend of mine recently recommended the fabulous book Fast Like a Girl by Dr Mindy Pelz. This is an excellent book for women, and men, to explore if you’re

RIGHT EXERCISE

Eating conscientiously and mindfully is the fourth pillar of your personal wellbeing…

might be the time to seek out some help to explore what’s underneath this habit and how to best rebalance yourself.

Lastly, how do you eat? Do you eat on the move, at your desk or in a hurry or do you choose to eat mindfully with full attention on what you’re putting into your mouth? It’s worth thinking about and trying it out. When did you last stop and take in all the senses that are involved in eating, what you see, smell, touch, hear as well as taste? Eating in silence and savouring every bite.

I hope you start to explore Right Nutrition this week and see where more mindful eating takes you.

Lucy Parker

Flow Tunbridge Wells

Senior Yoga Teacher, Integrative Counsellor & Coach https://flowtunbridgewells.com lucy@flowtunbridgewells.com

34 Gig Guide

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

February 7 to February 21 In his fortnightly guide, SO Music Editor Paul Dunton selects the best gigs coming up in the local area…

THE ASSEMBLY HALL THEATRE, CRESCENT ROAD All event details and tickets available at www. assemblyhalltheatre.co.uk 21/02 The Story of Guitar Heroes THE BEAU NASH TAVERN, MT EPHRAIM Open all day, free entry, live music from 8.30pm 10/02 Featured artist: Ian K. Brown

20/02 The Unit Ama + Yet To Invent + Luke Woodgate GEOGRAPHY WINE BAR, HIGHSTREET Open all day, free entry, live music from 3.30pm 11/02 Sorrel Nation 18/02 Rob Picazo SORREL NATION

THE BLACK HORSE PUB, CAMDEN ROAD Open all day, music events – free entry (unless stated) music from 8pm – Live music every Friday night THE BOTTLE HOUSE INN, PENSHURST Open all day, free entry music from 6pm booking advised on 01892 870306 or online at www. thebottlehouseinnpenshurst.co.uk 09/02 Andy Twyman 16/02 Sorrel Nation

TSP ORCHESTRA 17/02 Chris Helme (The Seahorses) + The Varlies + The Ackerleys THE ROYAL OAK PUB, PROSPECT ROAD Open all day, free entry live music normally from 8pm unless stated 13/02 Folk In The Oak with John & Di Cullen + Guests 17/02 Bert 20/02 Guitar Night with Donovan Raitt + Sean de Burca 21/02 The Americana Sessions

THE BUZZ, 7 THE PANTILES Open all day, free entry, music from 7pm (unless stated) booking advised on 080002119333 09/02 Paul Malsom & The Loop Deluxe 16/02 The Evening Squire THE TUNBRIDGE WELLS FORUM Event information and tickets at www.twforum.co.uk 08/02 Sea Power + Conchúr White 09/02 Ferris & Sylvester + Jack Francis + Shep!

10/02 Boogie Nights 14/02 Wasia Project 15/02 Ladyhawke + Flavia 16/02 The Clockworks 17/02 Switch Presents: Plump DJs + Tim Cullen THE FORUM BASEMENT, THE SUSSEX ARMS All event information and tickets at www. twforum.co.uk 08/02 The Sussex Arms Open Mic 10/02 gürl

TRINITY THEATRE, CHURCH ROAD All event details and tickets available at www. trinitytheatre.net 17/02 Letz Zep (tribute) TYBER’S REGGAE BAR, 9 NEVILL STREET All event information and tickets available at www.tybersreggaebar.com/events 09/02 Reggae Boyz Feat. Michelle 10/02 Ska Dust 16/02 DJ Sarah 17/02 Colm Lyons 21/02 Tyber & Pete THE VARLIES

THE GEORGE & DRAGON, LAMBERHURST Open all day, free entry, music from 8pm 07/02 Open Mic/Jam session all welcome 14/02 Open Mic/Jam session all welcome 21/02 Open Mic/Jam session all welcome THE GREY LADY, 70-72 THE PANTILES All event information and tickets available at www.thegreylady.co.uk 22/02 James Kirby live in concert + support from Jop Dorris tickets available at www. jameskirbymusic.com RIDGEMONT PAVILLION, SOUTHBOROUGH All event information and tickets available at www.tunbridgewellsyouth.com

THE ACKERLEYS ST EDITH FOLK SESSIONS, OTFORD MEMORIAL HALL, THE VESTRY HALL AND QUEEN’S HALL AT CRANBROOK All event information and tickets available at www.stedithfolk.co.uk/what-s-on 09/02 Show of Hands (Otford) 16/02 Katie Grace Harris (Otford) TN1 BAR & KITCHEN, MONSON ROAD Open all day live music usually every Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening from 7.30pm.

Booking advised Via 01892 513900 or visit www.tn1barkitchen. co.uk

CHRIS HELME

Tchaikovsky SYMPHONY NUMBER FOUR, Strauss – DIE FLEDERMAUS OVERTURE, SMETANA – SUITE FROM THE BARTERED BRIDE, conducted by NAOMI BUTCHER Music Director

If you are a venue local to Tunbridge Wells that hosts regular live music or even if it’s a one-off event, concert or festival, contact Paul at least six weeks in advance of your event date with the following details: • Name and address of venue • Date and time of event

TONBRIDGE FOLK CLUB, YE OLDE CHEQUERS INN, 122 HIGH ST, TONBRIDGE All event information at www.tonbridgefolkclub. org 19/02 Featured artist: Ian K. Brown

• Name of event and name of act(s)

TONBRIDGE PARISH CHURCH, CHURCH LANE All event information and tickets available at www.tonphil.org.uk 17/02 Tonbridge Philarmonic Society Presents:

• Please state photo credit if required

• Ticket link and/or website (please state if free entry) • 1 x high resolution (300 dpi) landscape jpeg (performer only, no posters) paul@paulduntonandguests.com

Food & Drink 35

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Wonderful wines to romance your love this Valentine’s Day

Love is in the air! In his column on high street wines, SO Drinks Editor James Viner finds eight bewitching bottles to fall in love with on Valentine’s Day – next Wednesday February 14. This year he’s rounded up a ravishing still rosé, five alluring (perforce, mainly pink) sparkling wines and two seductive sweet ones that are certain to put you in an amorous mood but also work well as brilliant, heart-warming vinous gifts…

W

Skip the flowers that soon wilt or a lavish night on the town this Valentine’s Day – choose a brilliant bottle of rosé champagne instead!

This one should win a few hearts since fifth-generation, consummate winemaker Maxime Mansard has crafted a wonderfully harmonious, substantial and weighty pink champagne with plenty of flavours (think fresh pastry, redcurrants, cherries, strawberries and light sea spray notes).

With its opulent palate, this resplendent rosé is the perfect champagne treat to enjoy throughout a Valentine’s Day dinner. New to me until last month, extremely sophisticated and gastronomic. An expansive and adorable wine. Miss this and you’ll miss out.

A personalised engraving is available through champagnepiaff.com with direct shipping to the UK.

hether you're planning to treat your loved one by celebrating at home with a loving dinner à deux or having friends over for drinks and a bite to eat, make it one to remember with something delightful. Capture your Valentine’s heart with these eight tempting, Cupid-approved bottles.

1. Marisco Vineyards, The Ned Rosé 2021, Marlborough, New Zealand (£9.99-11.50, Majestic mix 6 & Ocado) Superstar winemaker Brent Marris and his team continue to labour lovingly on the Waihopai Vineyards in the Southern Vineyards subregion of Marlborough to produce this UK pink vinous darling, a lively blend of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. From the bestselling wine range named after the 909m high peak towering above Blenheim, the largest settlement in Marlborough, it’s a juicy pink wine that delivers oodles of wild strawberries, peaches and watermelon. Perfect with chicken Caesar salad, sashimi, grilled fish and oysters. Try it! It’ll be love at first sip.

2. Graham Beck Brut ‘Méthode Cap Classique’ Rosé, Western Cape, South Africa (£11.99 mix 6, Majestic) Nothing says romance in a glass better than pink bubbly (which doesn’t have to be champagne). Indeed, few wines are more redolent of Valentine's Day than pink fizz. Here’s a beautiful, crowd-pleasing South African sparkling rosé – a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – from a tiptop MCC (EU-friendly name for bottle-fermented bubbly, aka ‘méthode cap classique’) house, combining crushed red berry fruit, lemon meringue pie and oyster shell with a touch of brioche. The finish tears away and all that’s left is an unfilled glass.

Tremendous value here.

3. Cave de Turckheim Crémant d'Alsace Cuvée Brut NV, France (£13.99, Waitrose) French crémant, made by the same method as champagne, is the eagle-eyed, amorous budget lover’s choice. Made fizzy by the painstaking, meticulous traditional method from a canny blend of 80% Pinot Blanc and 20% Pinot Gris (with at least 18 months of lees ageing) this has a satisfying mouthfeel and weight. It overflows with elegant, green apple and gentle spicy pizazz – your valentine will think you have paid way more than a tenner for it! Just the job, great value and refreshing, even if not amazingly complex. Classy crémant, fit for a starry-eyed celebration.

4. Co-op Irresistible Eight Acres Sparkling Rosé NV, Hush Heath Estate, Kent, England (£18, Co-op) From a pretty corner of the Garden of England (it’s made by Hush Heath Estate’s Balfour winery in Staplehurst, Kent), this cracking Co-op own-label English rosé delivers sweet, red summer berry and hedgerow fruit, plus a long, citrusy finish. All the boxes have been ticked for a head-

1

Got a sweet tooth? Try these dessert wines with chocolate: 7. Andrew Quady Essensia Orange Muscat 2021, California (£12.99 mix 6, Majestic, 37.5cl) Melt their heart with this sweet, intense and juicy half-bottle. It’s a floral and citrusy West Coast winner with orange desserts and chocolates.

turning, bargainous, dry rosé aperitif sparkler at a good price. A treat with pan-fried Dover sole and sushi.

5. Champagne Veuve Devanlay NV Rosé, France, (£23, Morrisons) Turn up the romance with Morrisons’ quite stellar, and keenly priced, own-label pink aperitif champagne. It’s a satisfying drink —

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especially for the money — expect red cherry, gentle apricot and strawberry mousse flavours but a dry finish. One for seafood and canapés.

Difficult to resist sipping another glass… It’s a special occasion, so don’t. À votre santé!

6. Champagne Piaff Rosé Brut NV, France (£51-50-£52, Amathus, House of Malt & Master of Malt)

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8. Royal Tokaji Blue Label Aszú 5 Puttonyos Tokaji, Hungary (£14.99, Waitrose, 25cl) For a wonderful treat and a heavenly match with a box of mixed chocolate, both plain and milk (or apple pie/bread and butter pudding), nab this flavoursome golden-hued bottle of Hungarian Tokaji Aszú made from handselected, botrytized, shrivelled, grapes.

Think stone fruits, citrus, marmalade and beeswax. Thrillingly good and the sweetest way to say ‘I love you.’

Follow James on Instagram @QuixoticWines

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36 Antiques

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Bags of

style

By Rudolph Hamilton, Pushkin Antiques

D D

otti bags, synonymous with Italian luxury, have embodied discreet elegance and superior craftsmanship since 1997. Designed by Serena Dotti in Rome, they fuse understated opulence with Italian artistry. Renowned for sumptuous designs in exotic materials, the brand is a beacon of sophistication in luxury fashion, symbolising refined taste globally.

Pushkin Antiques proudly features a small range of Dotti bags, including classic black and fiery red options.

A standout piece is a cream crocodile leather bag with a unique customisation feature – an outer covering adorned with a captivating sea theme design, featuring shells, vibrant corals, and cut crystals.

Combine these handbags with a Chanel pearl and crystal necklace for a refined and captivating fashion look – the perfect blend of Italian craftsmanship and French elegance.

Explore the allure of Dotti bags and the Chanel collection at Pushkin Antiques, where the perfect pairing awaits to make this Valentine’s Day truly special. Visit us at 64 High Street, Tunbridge Wells, TN1 1YB, or explore our collection online at pushkinantiques.com

DOT TO DOT: A selection of Dotti bags available at Pushkin Antiques

HOUSE CALLS FOR FREE ANTIQUES VALUATIONS There is no obligation to sell, so call Clive Today to arrange a home visit at no charge and at your convenience. He will advise you personally on your items and absolute discretion is guaranteed.

Clive Attrell is back and available throughout Kent & East Sussex for home antiques valuations (Appointment Only)

Call Clive on 07860 942726

Free antiques valuations by ITV and BBC television personality Clive Attrell. Clive is an experienced and internationally respected antiques valuer with over 40 Years’ experience in the business.

GOLD • SILVER • WATCHES TOP PRICES PAID FOR REMEMBER CLIVE IS ALWAYS READY TO MAKE YOU A GENUINE NO OBLIGATION OFFER

• GOLD (in any condition) • SILVER (in any condition) • WATCHES (working or not) • COSTUME JEWELLERY • MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS • OBJECTS OF INTEREST • KRUGERRANDS • OLD COINS

• SOVEREIGNS • DIAMONDS • TOYS / GAMES • POSTCARDS • TAXIDERMY • FIGURINES • ANTIQUE IVORY • JADE ITEMS

K O O B NOW

• MEDALS • SWORDS • MILITARIA • CLOCKS • PAINTINGS • BRONZES • PRINTS / BOOKS • CHINESE CERAMICS

Clive Attrell is Kent County Council Trading Standards Approved: Reg No 15618

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38

NEWS

SPORTS

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Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Fusion searches for talented local athletes to join its Sporting Academy

If you would like your local team featured in this section, please contact Ben Cornwell at newsdesk@onemediauk.co.uk

Wells continue fine form with fifth successive league win Rugby

TWRFC 1XV 49 Hammersmith & Fulham 1XV 19

Resilient

Maintaining their dominance, Wells continued to impress in the early exchanges. Mylo VannerMcKew displayed his prowess again, skating down the line and delivering a precise offload to Angus Horne for try number two under the posts. Greig’s conversion extended the lead.

Despite Hammersmith enjoying significant possession, Wells’ resilient defence thwarted their advances. A Wells knock-on led to a Hammersmith scrum at the halfway line, eventually resulting in a well-executed kick and a lineout within Wells’ 22. A penalty from the ensuing ruck gave Hammersmith another opportunity, but a strong Wells defence forced a

knock-on, relieving the pressure.

However, Hammersmith persisted, capitalising on a gap to the left of the posts for a simple conversion, narrowing the score to 14-7. Frustration struck Wells as Hammersmith intercepted a loose pass, scoring in the left corner and converting to level the game at 14-14 with 10 minutes left in the half.

Undeterred, Wells responded swiftly from the restart. A lineout around the 30-metre mark set the stage for a well-coordinated series of phases. Jack Greig found the gap, and offloaded to Nick Doherty, who crossed the line for another try.

Greig’s conversion reinstated Wells’ lead at 21-14.

As the second half commenced, Hammersmith applied immediate pressure, pushing Wells into their own corner. A series of try-saving tackles held off the relentless attacks.

Despite a prolonged period of pressure, Wells gradually worked their way up to the halfway line.

Josh Curtis’s breakout moment around the MYLO VANNER-MCKEW halfway mark proved

FUSION Lifestyle is DAN GREAVES looking for Tunbridge Wells athletes to join its Fusion Sporting Academy scheme, designed to support talented athletes from across the UK. The registered charity currently manages three leisure centres in the Tunbridge Wells area: Tunbridge Wells Sports Centre, Putlands Sport and Leisure Centre and The Weald Sports Centre.

Successful applicants for the scheme will have free access to a wide range of Fusion’s leisure centres and facilities to help support their training and development.

Dedication Photographs: Bruce Elliott

ON AN overcast yet dry afternoon, Tunbridge Wells hosted Hammersmith & Fulham rugby club at St Mark’s, setting the stage for an engaging encounter.

The early moments saw Wells applying relentless pressure, marching down to the Hammersmith & Fulham five-metre line before conceding a penalty.

Swiftly recovering the ball from the subsequent kick, Wells orchestrated a brilliant play featuring Nick Doherty’s break and a seamless offload to Mylo Vanner-McKew, who dotted down in the corner. Jack Greig, making his debut, successfully converted the try.

By Ben Cornwell

pivotal. Evading two defenders, he offloaded to Andromar Du Toit, who surged over the line for the bonus point try. Greig’s conversion extended the lead to 28-14.

Wells continued to showcase their prowess, with Mylo Vanner-McKew scoring in the far corner after a well-executed sequence. Greig’s perfect conversion stretched the lead to 35-14. Max Hobbs initiated another impressive break, offloading to Greig for a try on his 1st XV debut. The successful conversion made it 42-14.

Hammersmith salvaged a late try, but Wells retaliated with yet another break from Hobbs, culminating in Josh Curtis scoring the final try.

The full-time score stood at 49-19, marking a comprehensive victory for Tunbridge Wells.

Next up for the TWRFC in the London and SE Division is an away trip to London Welsh on February 17.

The scheme, previously known as FANs before launching in 2022 under the new name of Fusion Sporting Academy, is open to athletes competing or performing at a national or county level, in the top ten in their age group, in any sport recognised

by Sport England. The initiative has been set up to help encourage local people to use local facilities to achieve their goals, recognising the demands, costs and dedication athletes need to succeed.

Fusion Sporting Academy already has over 100 members, including Paralympic Athlete, Dan Greaves, Rugby player, Grace White and Team GB Masters Athlete, Claire Spurway.

Paralympian and champion discus thrower Dan Greaves, who is preparing for the summer’s Paralympics in Paris, makes use of the sauna, pool and gym equipment at Loughborough Leisure Centre. He also takes his children to the centre where they are learning to swim as he is keen to engage his children in sport as much as possible to inspire them and keep him motivated too.

Dan added: “The Fusion Sporting Academy really helps me achieve my goals. The gym at Loughborough Leisure Centre has recently been refitted and offers amazing facilities.”

Gareth Heard, Head of Sport & Community Development at Fusion Lifestyle, commented: “We know that Tunbridge Wells is bursting with sporting talent, and we want to help make sure that those with real promise have access to the facilities they need to make their dreams a reality.

We can’t wait to meet more of the area’s talented athletes through our scheme.”

To find out more about the Fusion Sporting Academy and how to apply visit fusiononline. fusion-lifestyle.com/sportingacademy

Much-needed point for Rusthall against league leaders Glebe Football

Rusthall 0-0 Glebe RUSTHALL gained what could prove to be a valuable point against table-topping Glebe, thanks to a superb display of tenacity, desire and togetherness. Faced with the league leaders, one of the division’s top marksmen, and with all the luck seemingly against them in recent games, Rusthall were up against it, on paper at least.

What Glebe did not factor in was Jimmy Anderson’s ability to inspire his young side, tweak tactics to suit the occasion, and use resources from the U23s when he feels it is right, which he did to perfection here.

‘The away side really struggled to deal with the more attacking trio of Martin Youngah, Ezekial Eboda and Danny Powell’

The away side really struggled to deal with the more attacking trio of Martin Youngah, Ezekial Eboda and Danny Powell, all of whom gave all they had to close down defenders and stop the ball coming forward. Such was the pressure, when the ball was played up the pitch, it often ended up at

the feet of Rusthall defenders, or Tommy Taylor in goal who had an untroubled first half.

In fairness, Nathan Edwards – in goal for Glebe – had a fairly quiet opening period as well. This was a game battled out in the middle and it was a battle Rusthall’s Jeffrey N’Juguna and Calvin Gitiba were winning.

Glebe came out of the blocks quickly at the beginning of the second half and enjoyed their best spell of the game. Jamie Philpot managed to squeeze in a sharply-taken effort but was repelled by the legs of Tommy Taylor. However, Rusthall soon came back into the game.

Martin Youngah went close again with a fine effort from distance and when Zeke Eboda showed what he can do with the ball at his feet, he left several Glebe players in his wake before feeding the ball perfectly to Lyons who took it in his stride perfectly.

Despite Rusthall creating good chances, and given the way games have gone against Rusthall in recent weeks, the home fans would have been forgiven for thinking Glebe would snatch a late winner. However, it was not to be as Rusthall remained resolute.

Positives If Glebe were disappointed, it could only be that they had all but won this game the first time it was played before being abandoned due to fog. Rusthall were well worth a point and if they had won the game, it would not have been unjust.

The result leaves the club just two points ahead of bottom-of-the-table Welling Town, with the London side also having two games in hand on Rusthall FC. However, there are a lot of positives to take from this well-deserved point for Jimmy Anderson’s side and it suggests they are capable of turning their fortunes around before the end of the season.

Rusthall’s next fixture will be a home tie against Lydd Town at 3pm on Saturday February 10.

Wednesday February 7 | 2024

Sports News 39

FOR EVEN MORE NEWS VISIT: timeslocalnews.co.uk

RTW Monson Swimming Club lead the pack at Kent County Championships

By Ben Cornwell IMPRESSIVE performances from Royal Tunbridge Wells Monson Swimming Club members moved the club last Saturday (February 3) to the top of the medal and points table at the Kent County Championships, following the completion of Session 2 in the competition.

The local club, which started in 1901, has enjoyed a hugely successful start, winning 17 medals (five gold, eight silver and four bronze) along with Hayden Annan setting a new 17+ Kent County record in the 1,500m Freestyle. This is an

‘Many past members of the club have gone on to represent their country at the highest level, the first being Fred Dove who competed at the Berlin Olympics in 1936’ impressive feat, considering it is the club’s first 50m-long course competition since July 2023, meaning their members had to overcome the challenge of transitioning from 25m to 50m pools.

This coming weekend, the club will be competing in some of the shorter-distance events (400m/200m/100m/50m) at the London Aquatic Centre.

RTW Monson Head Coach Adam Naylor told the Times that the events are a ‘great experience’ for

THE RTW MONSON TEAM their younger swimmers.

He said: “Any competition or event is a learning opportunity for the athletes, not only in terms of seeing where they are physically, but tactically and technically working on their race process.

“It really is an integral part of their development having these types of racing opportunities and a reward for all of the hard work that the swimmers and the families put in, in their pursuit and maximising their potential.”

RTW Monson helps over 250 local children learn to swim each year and many feed into the competitive arm of the club. The club allows swimmers to compete at any type of competition from fun local galas and league team events to swimming at county, national or international level.

Many past members of the club have gone on

TW first XI come out on top in local derby

TUNBRIDGE WELLS WOMEN Hockey

Tunbridge Wells Women 4-0 Sevenoaks Acorns

By Jen Rohan SATURDAY afternoon saw a local derby taking place between Wells and Sevenoaks at Kent College.

Despite the good win against this Oaks side in the reverse fixture, the home side knew this was not going to be an easy ride. Oaks started well and held off multiple attacks from the Wells forwards, the goal post coming to their rescue on one occasion.

Despite good ball transfer and an effective press, Wells just could not get the ball into the back of the net and the sides went into half time with the game goalless.

The home side upped their game in the second half; increasing pressure and with good interlinking between midfield and forwards. Wells won several penalty corners and finally, as it seemed one corner

had broken down, Jen Rohan threw herself at the ball to connect and score.

This was the lift that Wells needed and from then on, they started to play far more effective and confident hockey. Gigi Pitman set off on a fantastic run down the wing, before crossing into the circle for Evie Pratt to make it 2-0. Soon after it was Evie’s turn to drive down the wing, after good work from Ele Cairns, she then cut in to score a fine third goal from a tight angle.

A final short corner at the end of the match saw Anjalie Rohan join her mother on the scoresheet as she flicked in to seal a satisfying 4-0 win.

Wells travel to the league leaders Holcombe 2s this Saturday, though they are the only side to have beaten them so far this season in the reverse fixture.

Amalie Smith made the A finals, going up against Olympians and current world record holders. The South East England team was led by Adam Naylor, who described the experience of coaching the team as a ‘fantastic honour’.

Following their excellent start, RTW Monson are currently preparing for the remainder of the Kent County Championships, by taking their swimmers to Pathos Cyprus for warm weather 50m pool training from February 12-19.

The club have also qualified for the prestigious National Arena League A Final in Cardiff on Sunday March 3, and have 12 swimmers competing at the British Championships in April – the qualification meet that plays a key role in the selection process for the 2024 Olympics in Paris and European Junior Championships.

to represent their country at the highest level, the first being Fred Dove who competed at the Berlin Olympics in 1936. Other notable Olympians that previously trained at the club are Suki Brownsdon (Swimming) and Hayley Allen (Diving).

Adam added: “RTW Monson is a community club which puts huge a value on a strong team ethos, where our older swimmers set a great example and look after and nurture our younger swimmers. The swimmers and coaches spend a lot of time together and this really does show, it really is a close-knit team with every member extremely proud to pull on the RTW Monson kit.”

The club recently had five swimmers representing the South East at the Luxembourg Euro Meet, where Jess Gable and Emilia Oliver made the B finals, and Denys Mialkovskyi and

Don’t miss any of the Six Nations!

IT’S THAT time of year again where England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy battle it out for the coveted Six Nations title. Current Champions Ireland will be looking to defend their title during this year’s tournament and have started out strong with a win over France in the opening game. Scotland and England also got the better of their opponents this weekend (Wales and Italy respectively) in two tightlycontested matches.

For what is set to be an exciting couple of months, many Tunbridge Wells venues will be showing matches live for you to watch from the comfort of their bars, pubs and clubhouses.

Here’s a list of just a few different places you can watch a live game: • Tunbridge Wells Rugby Clubhouse at St Mark’s Recreation Ground.

• The Manor House on Church Road.

• The Cross Keys on St John’s Road.

• The Royal Oak on Prospect Road.

• The Sussex Arms on The Pantiles.

• The Bedford on the High Street.